I currently play in a universe with a low number of players (465 in writing) and it can be really difficult to obtain resources in order to catch up to those players who has played for months in the same universe.

In order to help new players in old universes and in order to get a good start in a new universe, I suggest that bots are added until a certain number of players has joined the server. To be more specific I suggest that there will always be at least 1.000 “players” in any universes at any given time. When the number of real players exceed 1.000 players, the last bot should be removed from the universe, and when the number of players drop below 1.000 new bots should join the universe. Mind that the number 1.000 is only a suggestion and is open for discussion.

Note: When I say 1.000 players, I mean 1.000 REAL players, mot counting inactive or V-mode players. This way it is harder to tell exactly how many real players are present. Bots should not respond to mail send InGame.

These bots should look like ordinary players, grow at a certain rate (slower than a typical player), send resources between own planets, just like ordinary players does. These bots should generate resources for low players to loot. The bots should have some kind of minor defense, just to prevent looting only with transporters. It will force new players to obtain a minor fleet in order to loot these bots. The bots will always have a certain amount of resources on the planets compared to the capacity of the storages

I will leave the discussion open as to whether or not these bots should attack each other and /or normal players. If the majority is for, then so be it, if majority doesn’t want the bots to attack then they won’t.

This suggestion is ment to increase action in universes with low number of players. But specially to increase action among the lower ranked players. The bots should grow until a certain point has been reached, like 100.000 points and then start over from 0 points. If a player joins a universe and happens to have the same nick as a bot, the bot should quit the universe and start over by a new name.

If there are things I haven’t addressed or though of, then feel free to ask. I know the problem isn’t an issue on most .org servers, but we are only 5.3 mil Danes so the number of danish players are rather limited and the Danish servers would really benefit from such a system.

I know that such a change can take time to implement, but I still hope that this suggestion will be taken seriously as a method to improve activity on servers with low numbers of players and I believe that this would also help keep some players on the servers. Players who would otherwise quit the servers.

--EDIT--
Exactly how these bots grow, I'll leave to develop team to decide. It is a rather complex situation and I think it best to leave it to experts to decide this. Dev team knows best how to implement this.

I know of other browser games where bots simply grow at random over time. One could look to Tribal Wars to understand Barbarian Villages and their growth. Perhaps something similar could be done in Ogame??
-- END EDIT--

@DeltaT
Really I DO understand that implementing bots should be done VERY carefully and only after a HUGE "think it over". I must admit, I wouldn't want to play against bots any more than you. But in a universe with less than 500 people, including inactive and v-modes, it's really no fun at all. I have all the same doubts as you might have, I just see more benefits than problems.



@TGWoI'm delighted to see that you are trying to find ways to make it work. EXACTLY how the bots are to grow, I do not know. I mentioned Tribal Wars and that one could look towards their system, where a building or a defense structure just appears at random after a given time period, regardless if there are resources for it on the planet. That is a possibility. But the bots shall still be affected by the attacks from the real players. So defense structures should have the same chance of being rebuild/destroyed. And the resources taken will need time to regenerate on the planet.

And yes, some sort of algorithm would control the growth of the bot. But we would also need some different ways the bots would grow, so they are not all just the same. Are you suggesting some kind of AI, where the bot will increase defense if attacker win? I don't know if that is a good idea. But I know that we'll have to be really careful when designing these bots.


I understand that this is a potential disaster waiting to happen if not done right, so for once I'll encourage GF to take their time (they usually do after accepting a suggestion) and not implement bots before they are 100% sure they won't have a negative impact on the servers. That is also why I suggest that the number of bots drops as the number of active players increase. Because lets be fair. No one wants to play against bots if we don't have to.

LOL. When I suggested this I had just startet the current server. Now I'm rank 13 out of 401 players (including inactive and V-moders). But as time has gone by, I realize that new players would NEVER be able to catch up to us in front, so they'll never start... Unless of cause there were some "dumb" bots to farm. I also realize that if there were bots for the smaller players to farm, perhaps not so many would have quit?

In my original suggestion I suggested that the bots should grow up to 100.000 points. I might have a change of heart on that one. I'd like for the bots to grow all the way op to the noob protection limit, 499.999 points. This will allow ONLY smaller players to attack them, thereby benefit the ones the system were intended for, the smaller players. This will allow the smaller players to catch up to the higher ones.

The biggest issue I see with the bot system is that a bot might take a position that I'd want for strategic purposes, but it's a minor detail and a work around should be fairly simple. Not allowing bots to take up position 1, position 8, position 12 or position 15 in a system. This will always keep the "hot" position 1 available a real player. It will also keep the "large" position 8 available for real players, and the deut producing pos 12 and 15 free as well.

Ofc some sort of algorithm should make sure that the bots are spread out evenly throughout the universe and that there will be tops 1 bot player in a single system.