Time limits or not?

[Lucky_Dragon]

I'll throw in my vote for stopping the countdown while inside the complex/prison/Missile Silo/Base or while reading/writing messages. A longer time limit might also provide a decent compromise (i.e. 4 hours/day instead of 1) As was pointed out, in a multiplayer server environment, you don't have to worry as much about one person hogging the game, so a longer time limit allows for more player-vsplayer interaction. One other feature that would encourage better player interaction would be a chat system and a more advanced message system (full-screen editor, anyone?)

On a related note, what about the possiblity of 3-way (or even 4-way) combat?
For example: Player A encounters a mosnter and engages it. Player B arrives on the scene and investigates. The game server informs player B that player A is fighting a monster. Player B is then given three choices:
1) Attack the monster (useful for situations where player A & B are on the same team)
2) Attack Player A (for situations where Player A and B are enemies: now Player B has to fight the monster AND another player.)
3)avoid the fight

This would allow a few new strategies, such as:
Two man teams, where two players cooperate to take out a difficult monster, and then one player escorts his partner (who is loaded down with loot) back to the complex to sell it and they split the profit.
Tandem raids on a base, or, if the people inside the base are online, the base alerts them to intruders and they have a chance to counterattack.

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[Brandon]

I don't know how much my voice is gonna be heard among all the other posts here, but here goes:

I like OOII because it is SIMPLE, yet requires you to think smart.  I highly favor time limits.  Someone made a comment about how that makes you develop an optimal playstyle, but to me that's the whole point of the game: The person with the most optimal playstyle will be on top and not the guy with the most time to play.

Having said that, I'm also highly favor the idea someone said about stopping the clock for certain things.  Personally I think the clock only needs to stop when reading/writing messages, but just as long as it's always running while in the wasteland I wouldn't complain.  In addition to that though, I think that you should be able to continue messaging even after your time is up (but only if you are in a base/complex or have a transmitter).

And here's an idea that might possibly reconcile all our ideas:  Infinite time in beginner area, 1 hour in novice and expert areas but stop clock for messaging.

[Tarix]

I'd really like to hear a lot more ideas on alternatives to a time limit that fit with the current gameplay.

The only thing I've ever come up with a movement limit.

[Drailex Mauder]

I know this thread is a few years old, however, one thing I would like to point out - why does it have to be one or the other?

Allow the game to be configured with time limits, movement limits, and attack limits. Some may choose to limit only one aspect of the game, others may choose to set multiple types of limits.

The end result will be that the game will have a different dynamic depending on the choices made by the operator at the beginning of a new game.

DM