ANEURISM IV - Faction Balance and Netcode Issues

[ཧསཡཐཊ⁧⁧bamBi]

Pros:
Unique faction-based gameplay
Interesting upgrade system with Anamnecytes
Engaging PvP elements

Cons:
Severe faction imbalance favoring Scumbags
Frequent server wipes due to Cortex losses
Lack of incentive to play as Cortex
Netcode struggles with high player counts

Faction Imbalance
The Scumbag faction, part of the Scum alliance, has become overpowered, leading to quick victories and server wipes. This imbalance stems from:

Lower Anamnecyte costs for upgrades
Perceived "cool factor" as underdogs
Popularity among PvP-focused players

The result is a vicious cycle where Cortex struggles to maintain a player base, almost guaranteeing (99.9% chance) a server wipe upon their defeat. This creates a frustrating experience for all players, as progress is frequently reset.

Netcode Issues
When servers reach 40+ players, the netcode falters, leading to unbearable lag. Symptoms include:
Desynchronization: Players experience actions like "dying behind walls" due to delayed state updates
FPS drops: High server load can indirectly reduce client FPS
General Rubberbanding and Lag

Community Impact
Ironically, the community's best interest lies in supporting the Cortex faction to ensure server stability and longevity. However, the current mechanics discourage this behavior.

Suggestions for Improvement
Rebalance Anamnecyte costs between factions
Introduce incentives for playing as Cortex
Implement measures to prevent rapid server wipes
Optimize netcode for high player counts
Consider player caps or regional servers to reduce lag

While ANEURISM IV shows promise, these balance issues and netcode problems need addressing to create a more enjoyable and sustainable gameplay experience for all players.

[🥤ʑ ɨ ł 🌊 ✡🔯☪ bȍgъdȃrъ 👌]

I strongly believe that both sides should have counters:
Cortex should have corporations vs enforcement.
Rot should have Gangbangers vs Scumbags.

They fight each other for control. Creating more chaos in the city. Right now cities fluctuate from trolling enforcement to zerging scumbags with nothing to stop each other from owning the server.

[Snowcrash]

My guy. Very few people play as scum, and scum rarely actually do anything.

The game needs scum otherwise it's just laundry simulator.

The role and goal of the scum is to wipe the server. Eventually they'll win. Eventually they should win. Nothing you make in this game is meant to be permanent.

Scum will occasionally wipe a server. Cool, build whatever you built again or do something different. Make a trader who only accepts rats as currency. Play a cop who guards the vending machines with his life. Join a cult. Start a cult. The chaos is the point. that's the fun part of the game.

[TheEpicBengal]

I dont think scumbags are overpowered as a class in terms of guns, health, balancing. They gave them coal, water, skintape bandages. The only thing I would change is make the autostitcher refillable with organs and make dealers/bankers not become limited when going into the underground bazaar.

If anything limitators are OP and there needs to be a cap on the class with just controllers running around. There shouldnt be 6 limitators camping the exits.

I do think rot progression needs to be rebalanced, because yes scum causes it and it is broken.

There should not be situations where a server resets twice per day or once ever 2 days. A server should at least be active for 3 days.

Resets should be a hard thing to achieve and should have a set number of players on like 30 at least to occur. IDK im not a balancing expert.

Why would anyone continue playing if the time investment is worthless. I think thats more of a problem with the lack of content and game design as the jobs are quite basic and there's no customizing in the game or long term goals after you get guns as scumbag.

[Potion Seller]

Totally agree with everything you said - I made a similar post yesterday regarding the faction imbalance, but yours is worded a lot better.

[Spaceium]

You forgot to mention how easy it is to become a corrupt cortex. If two friends hop on a server one goes cultist and the other corrupt cortex the server is nearly 100% doomed. Becoming a corrupt cortex should cost a LOT of ammencytes like maybe 50 of them.

[Zeebob]

Originally posted by Snowcrash:

My guy. Very few people play as scum, and scum rarely actually do anything.

The game needs scum otherwise it's just laundry simulator.

The role and goal of the scum is to wipe the server. Eventually they'll win. Eventually they should win. Nothing you make in this game is meant to be permanent.

Scum will occasionally wipe a server. Cool, build whatever you built again or do something different. Make a trader who only accepts rats as currency. Play a cop who guards the vending machines with his life. Join a cult. Start a cult. The chaos is the point. that's the fun part of the game.

I agree with your sentiment, but we son't see this kind of talk until more fate roles open up to diversify play. Right now end goal is either the Cortex Executioner or Banker, everything else is just a rung in the ladder.

There needs to be more fates dedicated to just having fun and not grinding. I Don't know the answer to this, but for now what OP is complaining about is mostly due to Capitalism in the economy. Over saturation of traders and bankers, not enough Proles. Not enough materials being produced, and the stuff that Fates like Liquidators and doctors do need are sold at exorbitant prices.

Scum are indeed needed for this kind of clean wipe, otherwise Bankers and Traders just sit on everything. I'd laugh if there was a Fate added designed just to screw them over.

[Snowcrash]

Originally posted by Zeebob:

Originally posted by Snowcrash:

My guy. Very few people play as scum, and scum rarely actually do anything.

The game needs scum otherwise it's just laundry simulator.

The role and goal of the scum is to wipe the server. Eventually they'll win. Eventually they should win. Nothing you make in this game is meant to be permanent.

Scum will occasionally wipe a server. Cool, build whatever you built again or do something different. Make a trader who only accepts rats as currency. Play a cop who guards the vending machines with his life. Join a cult. Start a cult. The chaos is the point. that's the fun part of the game.

I agree with your sentiment, but we son't see this kind of talk until more fate roles open up to diversify play. Right now end goal is either the Cortex Executioner or Banker, everything else is just a rung in the ladder.

There needs to be more fates dedicated to just having fun and not grinding. I Don't know the answer to this, but for now what OP is complaining about is mostly due to Capitalism in the economy. Over saturation of traders and bankers, not enough Proles. Not enough materials being produced, and the stuff that Fates like Liquidators and doctors do need are sold at exorbitant prices.

Scum are indeed needed for this kind of clean wipe, otherwise Bankers and Traders just sit on everything. I'd laugh if there was a Fate added designed just to screw them over.

Traders and bankers can do prole jobs and arguably should. They can still get cytes for it (to the best of my knowledge) and doing so puts you on the state's payroll, in addition to the other stuff they can do for money and supplies. Trader roles let you use dealernet to get supplies for your other lives in addition to making money as a trader. Right now the problem isn't traders, it's entrenched Cortex players and ill-advised search for permanence.

Having the majority of the population of a server be proles is usually a sign that the player base of that server is new or a wipe recently happened. You only need 5 cytes to get out of being a prole, and from there you can start doing other things. Aneurism is a rules-lite sandbox. While there is opportunity for roleplay, there isn't going to be much of a playerbase for a *really committed* roleplay in this setting. The roleplay aspect lets you make your own fun within the rules specifically to ♥♥♥♥ with other people. It's an improv game.

[jugs buntley]

Originally posted by Snowcrash:

My guy. Very few people play as scum, and scum rarely actually do anything.

The game needs scum otherwise it's just laundry simulator.

The role and goal of the scum is to wipe the server. Eventually they'll win. Eventually they should win. Nothing you make in this game is meant to be permanent.

Scum will occasionally wipe a server. Cool, build whatever you built again or do something different. Make a trader who only accepts rats as currency. Play a cop who guards the vending machines with his life. Join a cult. Start a cult. The chaos is the point. that's the fun part of the game.

what game have you been playing where frequent server wipes aren't an issue? i've had so many issues finding a good server to play on because i keep getting killed within minutes of spawning, other proles randomly deciding to kill me or steal my ♥♥♥♥ with no consequences, etc, so i rarely earn enough anamnecytes to change class. then when i do, i get killed within minutes of spawning because if you aren't scum, you're shot on sight by them because you're a threat, and it's impossible to counter unless you also have a gun, and only one second-tier fate does. the only servers i've been able to actually experience the gameplay in is <5 player count servers, and then i die to hunger or another need because the economy is nonexistent and it's impossible to meet your needs.
yes, the scum faction is interesting, chaos is the point, i'm not against that. it's a really fun, interesting idea. but as a beginner, it's not fun gameplay to not be able to experience the game i paid for unless i happen across a miraculous community server.

[Snowcrash]

Originally posted by jugs buntley:

Originally posted by Snowcrash:

My guy. Very few people play as scum, and scum rarely actually do anything.

The game needs scum otherwise it's just laundry simulator.

The role and goal of the scum is to wipe the server. Eventually they'll win. Eventually they should win. Nothing you make in this game is meant to be permanent.

Scum will occasionally wipe a server. Cool, build whatever you built again or do something different. Make a trader who only accepts rats as currency. Play a cop who guards the vending machines with his life. Join a cult. Start a cult. The chaos is the point. that's the fun part of the game.

what game have you been playing where frequent server wipes aren't an issue? i've had so many issues finding a good server to play on because i keep getting killed within minutes of spawning, other proles randomly deciding to kill me or steal my ♥♥♥♥ with no consequences, etc, so i rarely earn enough anamnecytes to change class. then when i do, i get killed within minutes of spawning because if you aren't scum, you're shot on sight by them because you're a threat, and it's impossible to counter unless you also have a gun, and only one second-tier fate does. the only servers i've been able to actually experience the gameplay in is <5 player count servers, and then i die to hunger or another need because the economy is nonexistent and it's impossible to meet your needs.
yes, the scum faction is interesting, chaos is the point, i'm not against that. it's a really fun, interesting idea. but as a beginner, it's not fun gameplay to not be able to experience the game i paid for unless i happen across a miraculous community server.

The impermanence is part of the fun. That's the game you signed up for.

Steal back. Fight back. Be a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ back. You're in dystopia.

[Çrunch]

the only bad thing with this game is the awful LAG. 95% of my deaths are lag related.

[BunnyAlex321]

Originally posted by Snowcrash:

The impermanence is part of the fun. That's the game you signed up for.

Not really, I signed up for a "A dystopian simulator where your choices shape a decaying city" that allows you to play defensively as cortex protecting the city, offensively as scum to decay the city, or neutrally just living life as a citizen in a city,

I mean if being a person living in chicago city was a videogame advertised where you could life your life as any job, from law to criminal, I wouldn't think of impermanence because my second day of playing omni-man destroys half the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ city.

[Snowcrash]

Originally posted by BunnyAlex321:

Originally posted by Snowcrash:

The impermanence is part of the fun. That's the game you signed up for.

I signed up for a "A dystopian simulator where your choices shape a decaying city"

And that's what you got. When the city collapses entirely it resets and you get to do it again. So what are you complaining about, exactly? You sound like you have live service brain fungus.

[Sigma Phoenix]

Originally posted by Spaceium:

You forgot to mention how easy it is to become a corrupt cortex. If two friends hop on a server one goes cultist and the other corrupt cortex the server is nearly 100% doomed. Becoming a corrupt cortex should cost a LOT of ammencytes like maybe 50 of them.

There's a fate called Rogue that is LITERALLY a corrupt cortex. Easy to spot up close, but from a distance or certain angles they look just like a controller, which I believe is the point.
But I do agree a normal cortex role working with the scum is kinda lame, and breaks the whole point of the game. I imagine it makes for some pretty interesting RP gameplay tho, if people stay in RP.

[BunnyAlex321]

Originally posted by Snowcrash:

And that's what you got. When the city collapses entirely it resets and you get to do it again. So what are you complaining about, exactly? You sound like you have live service brain fungus.

I only got a decaying city, not one where I have choices that can affect it.

The only choice I actually get that really changed the city is if I pick a cortex fate, neutral fate, or scum fate.

If you have a copy of the game where what you do actually and directly helps or hurts the city and not just whatever fate you choose, I’d love to have it.

[Snowcrash]

Originally posted by BunnyAlex321:

Originally posted by Snowcrash:

And that's what you got. When the city collapses entirely it resets and you get to do it again. So what are you complaining about, exactly? You sound like you have live service brain fungus.

I only got a decaying city, not one where I have choices that can affect it.

The only choice I actually get that really changed the city is if I pick a cortex fate, neutral fate, or scum fate.

If you have a copy of the game where what you do actually and directly helps or hurts the city and not just whatever fate you choose, I’d love to have it.

Pick scum and afk for 20 minutes, see if the rot changes. Pick Controller and afk, see how effectively you keep the scum at bay.