Lightspeed~SPARTA~ Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 So I'm working on this mission now which I want to be vast and allow you to cover pretty much as much of Lingor Island as you like - trying to get home and/or complete objectives along the way. I am making it for a 9-man coop so I am wondering how long would you stay for one mission - maximum length of time? 1 hour? 2? 4? This will help me to determine where I should place the limits within the mission. thanx Lighty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchman~SPARTA~ Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 For me timing of a mission is often more important, especially as we straddle time zones. I always enjoy hooking up with my colonial buddies but that often means weekends only and late gmt start times. I guess an average mission length at 2 hours would mean us Europeans could mix it with the rest of the guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durka-Durka~SPARTA~ Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 I would say maximum length being 2hrs. Best length to be 30min to 1hr depending on availability of the people playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaiSan Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 1 hour mission time is the ideal length IMHO. Remember, a 1 hour mission is nearer to 1.5 with setting things up, late starters etc. Any longer than this and you start losing people 3/4 of the way through which then changes the whole dynamic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter~SPARTA~ Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 1 hour mission time is the ideal length IMHO. Remember, a 1 hour mission is nearer to 1.5 with setting things up, late starters etc. Any longer than this and you start losing people 3/4 of the way through which then changes the whole dynamic. Seconded. - JHunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunthar~SPARTA~ Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 I found that scaling the mission for about half the maximum amount is a good plan it should allow for the quick completion of the overall mission if you have a full amount and allow for people to drop out halfway through and not effect the ability of the group to continue. Time wise it should take 1.5 hours including setup and transportation times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
custard~SPARTA~ Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 1 to 1.5 hours are most enjoyable for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KalXen~SPARTA~ Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Seconded. - JHunter Agreed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster90 Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Agreed with Gunthar. 1.5 hours total is ideal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hajimoto Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Hajimoto/Blizzard response "As long as it takes!" 1.....2.....3......DAYS if necessary! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirSmokalot Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 I would say maximum length being 2hrs. Best length to be 30min to 1hr depending on availability of the people playing. I second that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster90 Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 (edited) Probably the best way to gauge this is to start a poll. Example options: 30min or less 30min - 1 hour 1 hour - 1.5 hours 1.5 hours - 2 hours 2+ hours / indefinite Edited May 2, 2011 by Rooster90 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doppelganger Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 When we used to play Ghost Recon, there were endless complaints that "one hour wasn't long enough". Yet, having led missions longer than one hour, but shorter than 2 hours is adequate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durka-Durka~SPARTA~ Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Probably the best way to gauge this is to start a poll. Example options: 30min or less 30min - 1 hour 1 hour - 1.5 hours 1.5 hours - 2 hours 2+ hours / indefinite There ya go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightspeed~SPARTA~ Posted May 3, 2011 Author Share Posted May 3, 2011 (edited) hmmm maybe you don't see my vision - and here it is..... and personally, i thought the 1 hour missions of GR were great but too short. imagine trekking for 4 or 5 miles through Lingor never knowing what's around the next corner - doing recon of possible routes and then deciding maybe there is a better way to go - heading off again with a few mates. 3 to 4 hours later you see friendlies standing guard at your home base and you know that you have just walked through hell but you made it out alive. it will be a mission that stays with you forever - remember that time we got stuck out behind enemy lines in Lingor.....yes my brother, i will never forget that day. now thats what im talkin about.... maybe 4 hours is too long - but 2-3 would be manageable and memorable. Edited May 3, 2011 by Lightspeed~SPARTA~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchman~SPARTA~ Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 I think you are right about the interpretation of your original question / vision. My post at an average 2 hours and my vote at 2+ hours, reflects the specific scenario you outlined above. I certainly think with what you are trying to achieve we would need a minimum 2 hours, I'm always amazed at how quickly time goes by on ARMA and I think we would exhaust an hour without even breaking into a "sweat". I think it's fair to say less immersive missions are more than suitable at 1 - 1.5 hours and this means that we don't always have to block out huge chunks of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lightspeed~SPARTA~ Posted May 3, 2011 Author Share Posted May 3, 2011 yes exactly my thoughts - your standard mission is an hour or so to complete objectives but what i envisage is more like an epic adventure. a truly open world experience where you have to plan how you are going to get out without knowing which way is best to go and what is waiting for you. this will capitalise on the role of the Medic and require a certain number of heals per person and more for the Medic but will be essentially the same as the Island Thunder missions. you wont have huge numbers of enemy to deal with necessarily, the question is when and will you indeed run into any patrols, will the village you attempt to steal a vehicle from be heavily fortified or could you kill a few and get away or stealth your way in and out. will you drive the road or offroad and risk running into a heavily armed force? so much to consider and never knowing what lies ahead. how long can you concentrate for - will you lower your guard only to run into a patrol and be caught unawares. i believe that this could be the truly GR immersive experience - like a longer and more intense version of the IT missions. i want players to get to the end of the mission and feel physically and mentally drained...thats what im talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durka-Durka~SPARTA~ Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 My personal opinion: With missions over 1.5hrs, you're only going to get a niche group...like maybe 3. The trick is to find that sweet spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilducky Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Make it random. Make it so that it might go right the one time and take an half an hour to an hour, but the next time you try it something goes wrong and can take up to 2 - 3 hours. It will make it interesting. Like Lets say you have to make a crash landing at the start of the mission and now your farther away from the objectives. Or the enemy is tipped off that your coming and have MORE guys ready for you. If you have a set time for it every time it could become boring. If you have an estimated time of half an hour to an hour but a random script set makes it longer I think people would enjoy it more and not notice the extra time it takes to complete the mission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster90 Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 (edited) Yeah, what Durka said. Time is a big factor for a lot of us, especially when we have so many in wildly different timezones. It would have to be a weekend-only mission with volunteers set in place a good while ahead so people can make sure they have the time. It sounds like a lot of fun, but anything more than 2 hours you could potentially turn players off to it. Keep in mind that people can artificially make the game longer without you even having to try. There are some times when even the most simple of tasks that the developer envisions could take a player an enormous amount of time to complete. I'm sure if you made the island well populated with lots of secondary objectives, players will find a way to make the mission short or long, depending on the will of the team. Edited May 3, 2011 by Rooster90 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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