Engaging the Player

Synixe has members with varying playstyles, it is important to keep this in mind when designing a mission. The goal of this guide is to help you create a mission that is engaging for all players.

Some members like to just show up a shoot bad guys with their friends, others like to roleplay and immerse themselves in the mission. While some missions will lean more towards one playstyle than the other, it is important to take both into consideration when designing a mission.

Investigation Missions

A mission that is solely focused on investigation and roleplay may be very engaging for the Operation Lead and other members who enjoy that playstyle, but it may not be very engaging for the members who are just tagging along to shoot and aren't very involved in the investigation.

Some ways to make an investigation mission more engaging for all members:

  1. Have the investigation lead to small skirmishes with the enemy, perhaps the enemy is trying to cover up the evidence.

  2. Have enemies patrol the area, ambush the players, or have them respond to the players' presence. A Lamb's Hunt module can be great to have the players chased as they try to move through the operation area.

  3. Have the investigation lead to a larger battle, perhaps the enemy is protecting a secret base or a cache of weapons.

  4. Have a blocking force that protects the players conducting the investigation from being attacked while they are busy. Perhaps they are investigating an area but an enemy force wants to move in to disrupt and stop the investigation.

Combat Missions

One the other hand, a mission that is solely focused on combat can get boring for members who are looking for more than just a shooting gallery.

Some ways to make a combat mission more engaging for all members:

  1. Have multiple objectives that the players only have the ability to complete one or some of. This will force the players to make a decision and will create a need for information gathering and decision making.

  2. Have some of the locations unknown to the players, they need to gather intel on the location of the enemy base before they can attack it. A simple puzzle can also be used to create a discussion and decision making process.

  3. Have non-combatants in the area, perhaps the players need to protect them or they need to be extracted. This will create objectives that are not solely focused on combat.

  4. Don't make the enemy force static, have them move around and respond to the players' actions. This will create a more dynamic battlefield and will force the players to adapt to the situation. Lamb's modules can be used to create a more dynamic battlefield.