[Sparta] Season: Open World Adjustments White Paper

Greetings warlords, In [Sparta] Season, we plan to make a series of adjustments to the Open World gameplay, bring impactful gameplay changes, and help establish diverse player identities while strengthening bonds within Houses. By modifying in-game and external rules, we aim to enrich the Open World ecosystem. We look forward to the freshness and challenges that these adjustments will bring in Sparta Season. [h2]Why design such rules?[/h2]

• We want to make the Territory War ecosystem more dynamic. The current rules heavily favor alliances with larger active player bases by emphasizing coordination of combat forces. However, we believe smaller alliances should also have opportunities to showcase their elite combat strength. With the Sparta theme, we introduced rules that limit the number of participants, creating a fair battleground for all.

[h2]Where will the rules apply?[/h2]

• We understand the risks of such experiments. As a result, the rules will only apply to Fort-type locations in the Open World during this season. Other locations such as Villages, Cities, Regional Capitals, and the Gates or main fief of the Conqueror’s City will not be affected by this rule.

[h2]When will the rules take effect? Why this update schedule?[/h2]

• For this season, all Forts will require Houses to reach level 6 before they can Declare War and experience the new Warriors Showdown mechanics. This means the rule will officially go live after the update on January 9th.
• We want to quickly turn our ideas into tangible gameplay changes for players to experience. In the past, our experiments with season or region-specific mechanics were more conservative. This time, we’ve adopted a more aggressive strategy for updating Open World content.
• A PTR test will be arranged before the update goes live to ensure the gameplay experience is complete and correct. Feedback from the test will also be used to adjust the rule if necessary.

[h2]What is the future of this rule?[/h2]

• After the season ends, we will decide whether to continue applying this rule to Fort locations based on the season's data and player feedback.
• Ideally, this rule could become a "right" for alliances, where one side can decide to apply it under specific conditions. The exact implementation will be determined after confirming the rule’s potential for broader application, followed by communication with players before its release.
• We hope this marks the beginning of introducing more rules or mechanics that impose restrictions on the number of participants in Open World battles. This will make the ecosystem richer, allowing players to enjoy different playstyles and ensuring that not everyone has to rely on large alliances to find their fun and purpose in the game.

[h2]Specific Rules Explanation[/h2]

• Changes to Fort Battle Rules:
  • A Declare War action is required to attack a Fort. After declaring, the system will select the Command House based on existing rules.
    • If the Fort is controlled by NPC forces or if a Legion successfully Pitches Camp at the Fort, players with a Title of Decanos or Patrol Leader and above in the Legion can register for the battle.
  • After the Command House is determined, both sides have a 5-minute registration phase to prepare for battle.
    • Members of The Free Houses alliance must register near or inside the Fort.
    • Legion players can use the reinforcement function to register remotely.
  • During the registration phase, the Command House and the defending House will have their House Leaders, Deputy Leaders, and Marshals select 15 participants from the registered players.
    • If the Legion is participating, the top 15 players with the highest Acclaim will be selected from the registration list once the countdown ends.
  • Once both sides have finalized their 15 participants or the registration phase ends, no further changes can be made. The battle will begin after a 30-second countdown.
  • If either side fails to select the full lineup of 15 players, the remaining spots will be filled randomly from the registration queue.
    • If the Attackers fail to register 15 participants, the attack is considered a failure, and a new Command House will be selected.
      • The new Command House will be determined based on the Reputation rankings of the Houses that declared war.
    • If the Defenders fail to register 15 participants, all registered players will enter the battle, even if the lineup is incomplete.
  • Once the battle begins, no additional players can join the Front.
• Changes to Fort Battlefield Rules
  • The Capture rules in Fort battles are identical to other Territory War battles. There are three Banners: the Attackers’ Base, the Central Point, and the Defenders’ Base. Each Banner requires 1 minute of uninterrupted control after the capture phase progress bar is completed to fully switch ownership.
  • Each participating player has two respawns. Players cannot return to battle after losing their third life.
  • Units cannot be replenished during the battle. Units are determined based on what the players bring into the battlefield.
  • Both sides have a limit on the number of Artillery they can deploy. Each player can set up to three Artillery.
    • Players can use Artillery stored in their Wagons.
    • Defending players who have relocated their Camp to the Fort can use Artillery from the Supplies stored in the Artillery Warehouse.
  • Level comes equipped with Siege Towers, Battering Rams, and Trebuchet.
• Exclusive Honour Displays:
  • Players who participate in Warriors Showdown and achieve 5 victories in a single Season will receive an Avatar Frame available in the current Season.
    • The Frame will be removed at the start of the next Season, and the victory count will be reset.
  • If a House joins an alliance and the alliance achieves 5 Warriors Showdown victories in a single Season, the House will receive a House Arms frame available in the current Season.
    • The House Arms frame will be removed at the start of the next Season, and the alliance’s victory count will be reset.

[h2]Why was this system designed?[/h2]

• We aim to provide players who enjoy gathering and crafting with a unique role in Territory Wars, making them valuable to combat-focused players and enabling them to contribute meaningfully in group activities. Our vision is to create an ecosystem where players with different preferences can collaborate and support their House in their own way.
• Enhancing player identities and diversifying gameplay in the World is an ongoing project that requires continuous updates. This system combines existing mechanics into a new House-built structure, allowing players to experience stronger connections while giving us the opportunity to observe its impact in the world of Conqueror’s Blade.

[h2]Future Updates for Player Roles[/h2]

• More diverse Season evaluations and rewards: Currently, all Season rewards in the World are focused on Territory Wars and House performance, making the system overly simplistic. However, players engage in many activities, such as gathering, defeating Rebels, and Pursuing others. We aim to create more diverse goals and rewards, ensuring every active player in the World feels recognized and rewarded for their contributions during the Season.
• World role systems: We are considering introducing functional systems for the World, such as logistics or reconnaissance roles. For example, gathering technologies have existed since the early days of the game but have not been updated for five years, something we deeply regret. In an ancient war setting, each player could serve a meaningful purpose -- vanguards charging into battle, logisticians quickly gathering resources, and scouts detecting enemy movements early. These are just a few examples of the rich potential for design, and we plan to refine and discuss these concepts with players soon.

[h2]Rules and Mechanics[/h2]

• Construction Rules
  • Players with House-built structure permissions can construct an Artillery Warehouse, including:
    • House Leaders, Deputy Leaders, Marshals, and Treasurers.
  • Building an Artillery Warehouse costs 100,000 House Funds.
  • Warehouses can only be built during Territory Wars or their preparation periods. A House can construct up to 3 Artillery Warehouses at the same time.
  • Once construction begins, the warehouse requires 300 seconds to complete and will automatically self-destruct after 7,200 seconds.
• Storage and Retrieval Rules
  • House members can deposit non-bound Artillery from their Wagons into the Artillery Warehouse:
    • If a member retrieves their own deposited Artillery, it remains non-bound.
    • If a member retrieves Artillery deposited by others, it becomes bound.
      • Additionally, the original depositor earns House Contribution based on the quality of the Artillery.
  • A maximum of 40 Artillery can be stored in the warehouse at any time.
  • Artillery Retrieval limits per member:
    • Each member has a maximum of 4 Artillery Retrieval slots.
    • Retrieving one Artillery piece consumes one Retrieval slot.
    • When Retrieval slots are insufficient, Artillery cannot be retrieved, and the retrieval button will be invalid.
    • One Retrieval slot regenerates every 60 seconds, up to a maximum of 4.
  • Cadet members cannot use the warehouse's storage or retrieval functions.
  • For other House members (excluding Cadet members):
    • A maximum of 40 Artillery pieces can be deposited daily.
    • A maximum of 20 Artillery pieces can be retrieved daily.
• Destruction Rules
  • An Artillery Warehouse can be destroyed in three ways:
    • Manual destruction by the House Leader, Deputy Leader, Marshal, or Treasurer.
    • Reaching the time limit.
    • Defeat in the Front battle.
      • The warehouse follows the same battlefield level and rules as a Field Camp.
  • When a warehouse is destroyed while still containing Artillery:
    • 15% of the Artillery will be randomly removed by the system.
    • The remaining Artillery will be returned to the Supplies of the players who originally stored it.

[h2]Why was this system designed?[/h2]

• We observed that attacking undefended points during Territory Wars often results in a dull and repetitive process, offering little variation or excitement on the battlefield. Additionally, there are frequent situations where the Defenders cannot re-enter the fight effectively. This is often because the Attackers can easily capture and suppress the Supply Points in the Defenders' rear, preventing their reinforcements from entering the battlefield.
• To address this, we’ve optimized the default garrison deployment and strength for Defenders. This provides Attackers with more engaging challenges while giving Defenders additional opportunities to respond. Our vision for the garrison system is twofold: to enhance the strategic decision-making for Attackers on the battlefield and to offer Defenders more flexibility in their World dispatch. This is part of our broader effort to balance in-battle and out-of-battle strategies under the Conqueror's Blade Territory War rules.
• Additionally, our bot AI system has undergone significant improvements. These enhanced bots, now integrated into the garrison system, perform more effectively by retaking Supply Points and Central Points, rather than mindlessly sacrificing themselves like before.

[h2]What’s next for this system?[/h2]

• The current garrison system can be considered Phase 1, where we’ve primarily optimized deployment and strength based on existing mechanics. In the future, we hope to give players control over garrison deployment, allowing them to allocate defensive forces, set behavioral patterns, and even plan patrol routes on a sandbox-like map for each point. Players will also be able to contribute their own Units, extending the strategy of war beyond main armies to include reserve forces within the barracks.
• On the other hand, Attackers could engage in recon and espionage gameplay to counter these garrisons, gaining rewards from fighting garrisons rather than simply being hindered during sieges.
• While this vision is ambitious and will require significant development, we are committed to breaking it into manageable steps and delivering a more immersive war system to our players, one phase at a time.