This is a brand new system to Path of the Vampire, for use in either PVP or PVE (against NPC factions). The map system itself displays current owners of each 'criminal underground' territory, and allows faction and bloodline leaders to invade a territory of their choice each month. Territories are not representations of owned land or buildings, however, they indicate which faction is in control of which area of the city from an organised crime perspective.
The system was set up to co-inside with chapter 5, but will exist long past the end of this chapter. Please read the following carefully if you're planning on taking part at all:
The Territory Map
- The city has been split up in 19 territories. Right now, each of them have an NPC faction in charge.
- Each territory can be attacked once per month.
- Each faction can attack once per month, each, but can defend multiple owned territories.
- When a territory is invaded, a random time and date is chosen. This scheduled start time can be anywhere between 2 and 5 days from the time that the faction leader chooses to invade.
- Faction leaders on either side select their representative champions for the forthcoming battles. You're advised to speak with your faction to find out who will be available for the battle on the designated time and date.
- When faction leaders designate new teams, alerts are sent out to the entire faction to say who will be participating.
- Fights are 6 VS 6 for now, but may go up to 8 vs 8 in future. NPC factions can have between 5 and 9 champions, depending on the faction in question and their current strength (chapter mechanic only).
- NPCs fill their ranks automatically when the fight starts. Some NPC factions are all-out attack, some have tons of healers, some are sneaky, some lay traps, and so on.
- When the fight starts, champions from either team are teleported to either side of the stronghold (Bullwood Stronghold, for example).
- Each champion on a team has 2 moves to make before the turn switches to the other team. All champions on a team take their turns at the same time as one another.
- A team has 2 minutes to use up their moves, and if they do not then the page will refresh and the turn will be switched to the other team.
- The turn timer does not need to reach 0 every time in order for the turns to switch. If a team uses all their moves, then the enemy team start their turn. Because of this, you are advised to regularly use the refresh button on the bottom-left of the grid in order to check to see if it's your turn. This will be improved a little later.
- Actions which take up one of your moves include attacking, changing modes, laying a trap, disarming a trap, using a power, or killing a summoned NPC.
- If you're losing a fight, you can flee in order to escape death (being killed in a territorial fight WILL mean you die or are hospitalized). To flee, go to the point on the map where the attackers entered, and use the door marked "FLEE BATTLE". This will end your part in the fight.
- Fights continue until a side has been defeated or has fled. The other team wins control of the territory.
- Selected champions gain experience rewards for winning. The winning team gains 1000 exp, and the losers gain 200 exp.
- There will be territorial bonuses which go out to all the members of a faction in control of a territory each month, but this will be implemented after the chapter has ended.
- Not all of these anti-cheat system are coded to work automatically yet, so please take care when participating in a battle.
- Two or more alts cannot be involved in the same battle, even on opposing sides.
- Two or more alts cannot fight for the same faction during one calendar month, in attack OR defense.
- Your character can only fight for your faction once per month (coded to stop you automatically).
- Two factions who take their orders from the same leaders (directly or indirectly) cannot attack territories during the same month. For example, X might lead both groups A and B, and also give orders to faction C in secret. In this case, group A might have to attack a territory during January, but leave B and C to attack other territories during February and March respectively. This will be policed on a case-by-case basis, so please ask a developer if you're unsure if your two factions are allowed to attack or not. Note: this rule does not apply to defending territories. It is only in place to stop fragmented factions from attacking multiple times per month.
- Yes, NPC factions can attack your owned territories. They also have 'relationship' ratings for each faction, so taking their territory will make them dislike your faction more, and thus they'll be more likely to attack you during another month.
- Roles for hackers and ritualists in turn-based-battles will be forthcoming. Hackers will be able to attempt to out-hack one another for control of powerful defensive turrets, and ritualists will have a few new rituals they can perform during a fight which helps their own team out in various ways.
- There will be a lot of bugs with this new system, so please report them as you see them. A developer will try to be online and in chat during the first few battles in order to help iron out any serious problems live, if they occur.
- Battles in which there are bugs will not be re-fought after they have ended, unless the bug was so bad that an entire team was unable to move, or something similar. Bug should in theory affect both sides, and will be fixed a matter of days after they are discovered, so there are no do-overs.