Tenets of a good Zeus - hints/advices

[John Kozak 14]

After spending some 30+ hours of playing on public Zeus servers, I've thoroughly experienced the Zeus gameplay on both ends of it. There was all of bad, good, and awesome experience in it. And in all the variety of situations I've found several quite common patterns which can turn even the most awesome of mission ideas into a pitiful gameplay... or totally the opposite.

Here are the some notes that would help you become a Zeus players would thank for the game:

1.It's all about player experience

Zeus is not about you feeling good or a lot of AI dummies shooting virtual bullets at each other. Zeus is about creating a story for the players - an interactive narrative, in which players do have a role. And the more the merrier - after all, the primary reason they came on the server is to have fun. Experience comes before everything - even before the narrative. Good and coherent narrative helps, though (more on that later)

2.Keep the players occupied

IRL military is all about "hurry up and wait"; in a game it's not quite a good thing. Even in ArmA. If you need a timeout to create a base, set up tasks, think on what to do next - don't leave players dangling. Give them something to do - be it some gear containers, some driving to objective, or pop-up targets. Sitting 10 minutes at base to wait for something to happen is quite boring.

3.Don't be angry at players

Some of the players might not do what you expect. They don't go into a helicopter you've prepared for a paradrop insertion; they kill civilians encountered. But if that is happening, it usually doesn't mean the players do it from evil intent - most likely it means that they don't know something. For example, it's very hard to see/hear a message from global chat when there are explosions around.

If some players don't do what you want, give them more precise hints:

- put a "Get In" task

- set a timer to do something specific

If they still don't do what is really crucial to do (and that is a very rare thing, see below point on improvisation) - don't break the fourth wall. Punish the misbehaving players via in-game means (see point on feedback). Don't start throwing lightnings and swearing in chat - remember, that spoils the game for everyone, not just for the offender. And don't try to teach the players how to play - they won't appreciate it.

Adapt.

4.Keep it immersive

As said above, a great Zeus game is like a written story. And in a written story, you rarely see author talking with characters.

Don't interact with players as "Zeus". Speak as different characters, split talking between you and moderator, talk to players through NPCs, start every phrase with "Ground forces, this is HQ" - or just don't talk at all; tasks are a replacement good enough.

Imagine a soldier in Iraq hearing over radio "wait one, I'm spawning more enemies". Absurd? It is.

5.Improvise and reward improvisation

Did the players just take out a squad of infantry by a well-placed AP missile?

Did players end a car chase early by a perfect shot to the wheel?

Did someone request CAS in global chat, knowing that there is a friendly airfield nearby?

Congratulations - your game just became what a Zeus game must be - a playground for creativity and skills. Just play along and give them a break from the fighting; send a "good job" message from HQ; or send a Blackfoot their way. Nothing helps to create an atmosphere of live battlefield like that kind of feedback on their actions.

6.Keep the logic visible

Does your mission involve stealth and players just got detected? Spawn some flares and alarm sound before throwing in a QRF - let them know they're detected.

Want to throw in some reinforcements because players didn't blow that radio tower in time? Send a warning about it.

Players had destroyed that chopper which is needed later in the mission - did you warn them about not doing so?

Every person thinks differently; what is obvious for you may be not so for the player. There must be a logical chain visible for the player, otherwise the feeling of control evaporates.

7.Give feedback in-game

Did a player shoot a civilian? Make a reprimand from HQ

Did a player do it again? Put a Neutralize task on him for players.

Someone staying at position there was an order to retreat from? Throw some forces and/or artillery on them.

Having a player not doing what you intend for them is not a reason to ruin immersion, but a good chance to add to it.

8.Try to make the story coherent

NATO forces control the island, but do ambushes on convoys? Players are alone with no comms yet receive orders? "HQ to all OPFOR units"?

WTFs are not good for gameplay. Think of a story background before a mission.

9.Give players options

Don't make it a corridor - it's not CoD or MoH. Having yourself guided as a sheep through rings is not a memorable experience. Can tasks be given in advance, so players can choose the order of completion? Can players be given a choice of vehicles or weapons? Give it to them. But remember to give clues regarding consequences of choice.

10.Let the players feel awesome

There's nothing more rewarding than accomplishing a complex task all by skill. Let the players shoot down a helicopter via RPG or minigun; make a short "drive'n'shoot" event (speedboats are awesome for that). It all would pay off.

11.Don't overwhelm

You're here for fun, so are they; it's not fun to get killed every minute.

Putting 5 squads against 3 players is bad for everyone (unless it's a consequence of not following an order, see point about feedback; but still, give them a chance).

Remote control overuse also falls under this category - RC is to create an impression of smart enemy, not to dominate the players.

12.Create memorable moments

Even in the most hardcore games, there's a place for some WOW-effect. Remember that helicopter crashing 5 meters in front of you? One or two such moments would make the players tell tales about game with you :-)

13.And, most importantly, have fun.

See you in the field.

Edited July 1, 2014 by DarkWanderer
Refined some points

[lstor 17]

Hat off to you, Sir -- most excellent points on being a good game master. Good work!

[the_demongod 31]

The single best tip I could give a player who is an ArmA vet but new to Zeus?

Use the "Remote Control."

A lot.

I spend more time remote controlling than I do as zeus.

jumping into an AI and spraying some suppressive fire around makes a firefight a much more interesting experience.

If you are a good pilot, provide live CAS as a plane, or be the enemy CAS pilot.

I have done a car chase with my friends, where I flew an Orca, and my friends drove an SUV. I sprayed bullets and rockets at them, getting near but intentionally missing 90% of the time. They said it was the most exciting thing they've done so far in Arma 3, and their only instruction was 'run' :).

intentionally missing is your best friend, but don't tell the players you are doing it. They will be panicking under the volumes of fire unleashed from your Zafir, not knowing that you are trying to spare them.

Of course, if they stand still or not under cover, punish them! Punishing players for their mistakes is important, and must be done in order to make them cautious. Putting them under pressure will make the mission an overall more exciting experience.

[fn_Quiksilver 1633]

The single best tip I could give a player who is an ArmA vet but new to Zeus?

Use the "Remote Control."

A lot.

I spend more time remote controlling than I do as zeus.

jumping into an AI and spraying some suppressive fire around makes a firefight a much more interesting experience.

If you are a good pilot, provide live CAS as a plane, or be the enemy CAS pilot.

I have done a car chase with my friends, where I flew an Orca, and my friends drove an SUV. I sprayed bullets and rockets at them, getting near but intentionally missing 90% of the time. They said it was the most exciting thing they've done so far in Arma 3, and their only instruction was 'run' :).

intentionally missing is your best friend, but don't tell the players you are doing it. They will be panicking under the volumes of fire unleashed from your Zafir, not knowing that you are trying to spare them.

Of course, if they stand still or not under cover, punish them! Punishing players for their mistakes is important, and must be done in order to make them cautious. Putting them under pressure will make the mission an overall more exciting experience.

This is horrible advice :)

With all the options at your disposal as Zeus, you choose to step back into a human body?

The exception I have found, is when you make yourself the objective to capture. A moving target is fun and not a normal ArmA experience. So in that case, I agree you can have good effect if you are the moving objective in a mission.

But, just stepping into one enemies body in order to shoot near the players? I think that is very cheap and lacking use of curator tools.

From my experience (and I have quite a bit of Zeus experience on populated servers) ...

* Many great points were made in first post. that guy 'gets it'.

I have only two things to add, which I do not think can be disputed:

1. Whatever keeps people on the server past their bedtime, that is the right way to use Zeus.

2. What causes them to log off early, leave the server or find another server. That is the wrong way to use Zeus.

Try different things. If you are 'punishing' players for making mistakes, is that causing them to stay on your server or to log off/go elsewhere?

For me, the hardest part is finding good curators to add to the whitelist. Many people who begin to use Zeus let it get to their head, and use it as a toy for their personal enjoyment. When I add it to a mission, the intent is not for the enjoyment of one person, but for the enjoyment of most/all players.

If the players experience is not being enhanced by the curator, then you have found a bad curator and they should be immediately removed from access.

...

One other thing.

Always provide players an alternative. Without a choice, you cannot gather data. Building choices into missions allows the mission developer to gather data on what is working and what isn't. If you don't allow players a way to 'avoid' Zeus, then the only way you will notice them avoiding Zeus is when they leave your server and community.

I would put in a complaints system for Zeus. When adding a curator to white-list, let them know that if a certain number of complaints are received--regardless of validity--they will be removed from white-list.

[das attorney 857]

Some nice points in the OP.

It reminds me of GM'ing games like Shadowrun or other dice based rpgs.

As a GM, I tried always to include everyone in the game - you're all there to have fun so give them stuff to do (either as a team or individually).

React and adapt to how players handle situations and go with it. Often I would envisage a scenario going a certain way only for the players to do something completely unexpected. The resulting gameplay can be really engaging as well as sometimes spontaneously hilarious.

Also, as a GM, leave pride at the door - it's not constructive and punishing payers for not doing everything as set out means you all have a shit time.

Nice points about the RP aspect as well. You don't need to put on silly accents (unless you want to) but try and stay in character for interactions with players.

Sometimes it's nice to put in "observer" NPC's that can explain what's going on to the characters without Zeus having to spell it out for them (similar to characters in movies who explain the plot to the protagonist but really are there to explain it to the audience - so they know what's going on without the use of clunky storytelling like long voiceovers etc).

Random stuff works really well too - (man broken down in car blocking the route or shepherd and his flock getting in their way) Let the situation play out and if they ignore it and it doesn't work, then fine - just move along. But if they do something and start to interact then roll with it. Not everything has to be a violent encounter with enemy forces.

Edited July 5, 2014 by Das Attorney

[Locklear 214]

Concerning hints and advices for being a good Zeus, let me recommend you occasional #ZeusTips by @Ghostonex on Twitter. Feel free to ask him for more or for specific things which you find interesting, Ghost is more than eager to share his Zeus-related ideas. And his missions we play are quite enjoyable! :)

[John Kozak 14]

Concerning hints and advices for being a good Zeus, let me recommend you occasional #ZeusTips by @Ghostonex on Twitter. Feel free to ask him for more or for specific things which you find interesting, Ghost is more than eager to share his Zeus-related ideas. And his missions we play are quite enjoyable! :)

Unfortunately, #ZeusTips is a "dirty" tag which shows mostly crap like this, which means it's hard to follow it. It would be awesome if it could be renamed to #ArmAZeusTips or something...

[Locklear 214]

Unfortunately, #ZeusTips is a "dirty" tag which shows mostly crap like this, which means it's hard to follow it. It would be awesome if it could be renamed to #ArmAZeusTips or something...

Great suggestion, thank you. I'll pass it to Ghost, so his tips can be found more easily.

[the_demongod 31]

This is horrible advice :)

Well, maybe it is just your playstyle

To say I spend more time in remote was a bit of an exaggeration, and when all is quiet I stay in Zeus, but during firefights I always jump back and forth through units, adding a human element to the combat that the AI cannot achieve on their own. I also usually only play with about 2-4 players, in smaller engagements. So I can see how it might be different in big situations.

[ghostone 13]

Unfortunately, #ZeusTips is a "dirty" tag which shows mostly crap like this, which means it's hard to follow it. It would be awesome if it could be renamed to #ArmAZeusTips or something...

Thanks a lot. Just renamed to #Arma3ZeusTips.

Feel free to ask for tips or ideas about playing Zeus either here or at Twitter.