Asphalt 9 Dev Chat (October - Special Events)

The October Dev Chat was the 2nd Dev-Chat and was done on October 2, 2020. it was centered in disscussing changes and improvements to the Special Events appart of other extra stuff
==Full #Dev-Talk-Answer==
Chris718: Welcome back everyone to the Q&A, let me start out with a big thanks to everyone who submitted questions, I’ll try and answer as many as I can and while your specific question might not appear don’t worry we have read through them all and will try to answer them if not now in a future Q&A.
====Special Events in General====
Okay so let’s get things rolling and start with some general special event (SE) questions. Again thanks for everyone who submitted questionsFirst up we got a bunch of questions about new formats for special events (I'll use SE going forward as to lazy to type more)
It's great to see questions about this as this is something the entire team has been discussing and we are planning to add new formats in the coming updates.  We have been discussing a number of different types of events and formats and hope to have both single player variations (e.g. similar to how the Gran Prix work but different game mechanic) and multiplayer variations (not a MP series but a stand alone SE). I'll go into a few more specifics down the line.
But first I'd like to say that in addition to new types of SE we also are planning to have a new game type for you to all try out. It should launch hopefully in the next update (we are just doing testing, bugs and polish and I have to say I'm enjoying). As well as this we having started the work on a big new game mode for next year (more news will be shared on this when we get closer).
So to start the morning/afternoon/evening (wherever you are) off I have a question for everyone:  Do you prefer single player modes were you are competing against yourself? Or would you prefere competing against others (e.g. leaderboards)?A poll should come up in #dev-chat-vote in a min or soplease go vote and let us know what type you like betterI'll give it a min or 2 more before moving onok next question that got raised was (and I'm paraphrasing)
"Too many SE that encourage spending tokens & token payouts for support cars are very low for most players. Investing in them"So talking about tokens (seems to be a common topic that comes up) is a bit of a tricky subject.  Something we are doing continually and will keep doing is look at the balance of the game economy (tokens are a key part of this).   As changes to the economy have a huge impact on the game and each update affects the economy differently (popular cars = more people play, new cars, new rewards etc all change the balance) we have to be careful with the changes and slowly make incremental changes.What I can say is we do make changes as we go along and are continually evaluating how many tokens are in the economy, how many are being earnt vs. spent as well as how many people might "need" at any point in order to progressso unfortunately there is no clear cut answer where I can say we will give more/less or do X to the tokens. All I can really say is we do look at it and will keep tweaking it as we want everyone to have a chance at unlocking all cars and progressing.
Ok back onto a more fun topicThanks to @#MTMguy#4070 & @KSK #f2pDSpls for the question about adding older events back into the game and letting players have a chance to collect older cars. (I think I just saw a few other questions about this as well)Oddly enough this was something that was just discussed last week in our live-ops meeting.  We are aware that as new players come into the game they face quite a daunting tasks of unlocking all the cars (over 100 cars in the game at the moment and growing). As well as longer term players who may have missed out on the car they want.Some of the things we have been discussing and will be looking to add into the cycle in the future  to give everyone a chance to collect and complete older cars (be it a past season or a year) is to introduce specific new car hunts for old cars, a revamp of the career mode to make it easier for new players to collect cars (e.g. imagine the car hunt mechanic as part of career).  Adding in "old car" GACHA packs as rewards for new SE and game modes. As well as opening up rewards from club activities to include older cars so clubs who recruit new players can help them progress further
@Raanan S. thanks for your question with regards to bringing back Drive Syndicate and reserving one or two cars for drive syndicate only.This 1 is a really easy one to answer, stick around for the Christmas update to see what we have planned The update just before Christmas has some cool cars in it and we are planning to launch a brand new Drive SyndicateI was looking at the design for it today and it looks to be bigger than the previous 2 events and will continue the story of Blue Rabbit and Red Fox (as well as introduce some new characters)Okay, next question that has come up in a few forms
"Please have SE similar to the ones in A8"so question for everyone here are there any particular events in A8 that you thought were the most fun?obviously can't do a poll but drop a comment in the #dev-chat-discussion and if you see it mentioned add a  or  and we will compile the info later to see what people liked@Danny good point vote on that comment if you want more "new" and less recycled as it is a valid point
Next question from me, I've seen some mentions about having more Skill based SE. My question is what do you consider skill based?
Is it having to use manual drive, perform specific actions in a race or having everyone use the same car? Or is it something else?
Let's do 2 things #1 vote in #dev-chat-vote on the poll and if there is something not in the poll raise it in the discussions
While people are voting let me answer the next question that came upFrom @Paul Hank#6612 with regards to your question about long lasting events that people can play to obtain new cars.  As well as setting milestones, and people have to accomplish them with the cars of that same class.We are starting to work some of these elements in with the career element (hope everyone plays the new career we are adding each season) we are adding each season as well as by slowly changing the different season pass missions to make them more varied. For instance. we are looking at adding season pass specific TLE’s to let you try out the new cars (who doesn't like trying cars)  as well as adding free tries into new career mode.
One thing we do want to avoid is to many season long events that are mandatory or to big of a grind as people have said that they don’t find this fun and suffer from burnout as it becomes a chore to play. As a philosophy we want to try and give you the players more options and variety to play.so free tries with season pass cars, ways to get additional progression on them outside of TLE and other SE but still part of the season@Teddy26#1997 asked about introducing new club SE and rewards (and I saw a few other comments in the other channel around this)This is something that is near and dear to me (1/2 the reason I play games is to be in clubs with people).  We are looking at doing a revamp to clubs next year (talked about it in the last Q&A).  As part of this we will be bringing in more club based activities (both solo and cooperative in your club).  We really want people to join clubs and for clubs to play together and compete so having SE and game modes that are aimed at clubs is one of our key goals.
This may range from a club only SE (have to be in a club to be able to enter) to a club based game modes and other cooperative aspects (e.g. club head to head MP or club head to head GP maybe)quick answer @Pro Ski regarding getting an event calendar, it is something we can look into. It all depends a bit on how far in advance the calendar would be "Accurate" we often have to adjust things on the flyNext one we got a few questions about "Free try stages and chance to play around with new cars for beginners"I kind of mentioned it before, but to reiterate a bit .  Free try events and stages are something that the team is bringing in for some events (e.g. the mini gran prix in the Stars & stripes season) additionally we are looking at ways to bring it in more as part of the season pass and career so as to give everyone a chance to try the cool new cars.
Additionally we have been talking about a concept of "loaner cars" as a feature which would allow you to borrow a car from a club mate to use for a period of timeAnother idea that was raised was to "Make extra conditions with good rewards for legend pass player's who have exclusive LP car"I quite like this idea, so the question would be if we were to bring this in what sort of conditions would you find fun? Let's put a poll up for everyone to vote
====New SEs Ideas====
Okay let's move on to the real fun part new SE ideas
We are aware that over time the game can start to feel a bit stale and boring if the events are always the same. We address this with some variations but in the end what makes the biggest difference is when we are able to bring in new game modes and ways to play the game. As such one of our goals for next year is to bring in some new SE types.first up @Avengersman | I 🧡 F1 LM I really like your idea for the new event type: Stunts Galore. Asphalt Studios is making a film. The player helps the director make it by being the stuntman. Scenes vary from races, chases, time trials, etc. Players will use select cars as the stunt vehicles.One of the things we have been talking about is bringing in more narrative and story based elements into the game. We have this with our drive syndicate which is a ton of work for the team so we want to look at smaller ways we can do this more often and give some more themes to our special events. Something like this is exactly what we have been discussingAnd a great idea like this is a nice intro to something I want to ask everyone about. As I’ve mentioned we are looking at bringing in some new game modes for SE and I’d like to get a quick reaction from you on what you think about these ideas.  We will put a poll in the other channel for you to react like/dislike.I've split these ideas into 2 groups
=====Multiplayer Events=====
1st set of ideas are focused on introducing some multiplayer variations. Each of these would provide a reward for participation as well as allow you to grind for additional rewards (won't discuss specific rewards as yet as still way to early.)Also all of these are very high level ideas so don't read to much into "how" they will work
* - Idea 1: Infection mode, the aim of this is to take the mode which you might have seen in A8 and bring it into A9 with a few tweaks. For those who don’t know it the player in last position becomes infected and will “self destruct” after a set period of time. Your goal is to infect other players (extending your time) and make it over the finish line alive.
* - Idea 2: Asphalt Jungle: It’s demolition time, respawn time will be almost instantaneous and you will receive points for destroying objects and other players. We want this mode to feel like a chaotic demolition derby. Finishing the race would give you an immediate reward and the points you earn in each race will allow you to progress and unlock bonus rewards (so even if you keep getting knocked out you can still earn great rewards by destroying things).
* - Idea 3: Risk vs. Reward: This mode is a real test of skill and nerves, each time you use your nitro the total amount of nitro you can hold is reduced, so it will refill quicker but you need to be strategic when you use it.
* - Idea 4: Cops & Robbers: The idea for this mode is 1 player gets a tag as a robber with the other players tagged as cops, the goal for the robber is to escape and for the cops to eliminate the robber. If you eliminate the robber you get that role.  Basically it’s a game of tag played with cars and last but not least
* - Idea 5: Nitro drop: Each time you perform a nitro move you drop a bottle of nitro behind you which can help the other players catch up and pass you.also names are all coming from my brain early in the morning so def not final 
I'll let everyone add emoji's above (please keep it to like/dislike as that makes it easier to judge)or go to #dev-chat-vote a poll is going up there
=====Solo Events=====
Alright well what about solo ones? We also have some ideas for these as we know not everyone likes multiplayer
* Idea 1: Money run: We want to bring this mode out from the drive syndicate. As during the drive syndicate event you would be racing to reach the end of the track keeping as much money as possible (and collect some more on the way).  We would use these values to rank players in leaderboards and tiers in a similar manner to the Gran Prix but using the money kept and not just time.
* Idea 2: Stunt mode: With this mode we want to bring an element from fighting games into A9. As a player you will need to link stunts together in order to earn “points” as you link stunts together you will build up combo multipliers (Think Street Fighter Combo bonuses). In order to pass a stage you will need a specific “score” so you will have to plan your tricks and link your combos together.
see @Avengersman | I 🧡 F1 LM great minds think alike. and 
* Idea 3: Slalom: This idea is aimed at those who like manual drive or want to practice their skills. We would setup a track with a large number of obstacles forcing you to continually make choices and control the car to weave through them and reach the finish line.
Ok as we are coming towards the end of the Q&A let me also get your opinion on an entirely new game mode.
====Endless Dungeon====
The idea behind this mode is to bring the feeling of an endless dungeon into the game (or an endless race in this case).  Everyone playing would start with the same stock car and as you progress through the races you would be able to upgrade it how you want (different upgrade mechanism) and apply various boosts (new mechanic) to modify how it plays.  Each race would be 1 stage of a dungeon (made up of multiple “levels” each consisting of multiple stages) and would have a series of requirements you need to meet to pass. Failing a stage would send you back to the previous checkpoint. You would earn rewards for completing stages, levels and of course how far you manage to get through the "dungeon".
Gameplay would stay the same the big change would be on what you can do with the car as you progress.Does that sound interesting?
@Danny car catalog is still a thing, in face we have a design and now need to work out when we can build it. It is part of our discussions for the next year. Not sure when we will get it in but it is still planned.
Thanks everyone for your time and participation. Hopefully I was able to answer some questions and give you a bit of insight into some of the things coming down the pipeline.
We will try to do another one of these in about a month and there will be a poll going around before to determine the topic and then gather questions again.
==#Dev-Chat-Vote==
Mina:
=====1st Vote=====
Do you prefer single player modes were you are competing against yourself? Or would you prefer competing against others (e.g. leaderboards)?
[Most voted one was Single Player Modes]
=====2nd Vote=====
What are you favorite SE in Asphalt 8.- EDD- Championship- RnD- Festivals- World Tour- I don't want events from A8
[Most voted one was Champhionship]
=====3rd Vote=====
What do you think indicated that the event is "skilled based"- Manual Control- Having to perform specific actions- Locking cars so everyone has the same- None of above
[Most voted one was Locking Cars so everyone has the same.]
=====4th Vote=====
Would you like to be able to borrow a car from a club mate for limited time?
Would you like to have the following feature implemented - extra conditions with good rewards for legend pass player's who have exclusive LP car.
[Although the 1st idea got accepted by the Players, the 2nd idea got rejected.]
=====5th Vote=====
Special Events Ideas - Multiplayer
* Idea 1: Infection mode, the aim of this is to take the mode which you might have seen in A8 and bring it into A9 with a few tweaks. For those who don’t know it the player in last position becomes infected and will “self destruct” after a set period of time. Your goal is to infect other players (extending your time) and make it over the finish line alive.
* Idea 2: Asphalt Jungle: It’s demolition time, respawn time will be almost instantaneous and you will receive points for destroying objects and other players. We want this mode to feel like a chaotic demolition derby. Finishing the race would give you an immediate reward and the points you earn in each race will allow you to progress and unlock bonus rewards (so even if you keep getting knocked out you can still earn great rewards by destroying things).
* Idea 3: Risk vs. Reward: This mode is a real test of skill and nerves, each time you use your nitro the total amount of nitro you can hold is reduced, so it will refill quicker but you need to be strategic when you use it.
* Idea 4: Cops & Robbers: The idea for this mode is 1 player gets a tag as a robber with the other players tagged as cops, the goal for the robber is to escape and for the cops to eliminate the robber. If you eliminate the robber you get that role.  Basically it’s a game of tag played with cars 
* Idea 5: Nitro drop: Each time you perform a nitro move you drop a bottle of nitro behind you which can help the other players catch up and pass you.
* None of above
[Most voted one was Cops & Robbers]
=====6th Vote=====
Special Events Ideas - Single Player
* Idea 1: Money run: We want to bring this mode out from the drive syndicate. As during the drive syndicate event you would be racing to reach the end of the track keeping as much money as possible (and collect some more on the way).  We would use these values to rank players in leaderboards and tiers in a similar manner to the Gran Prix but using the money kept and not just time.
* Idea 2: Stunt mode: With this mode we want to bring an element from fighting games into A9. As a player you will need to link stunts together in order to earn “points” as you link stunts together you will build up combo multipliers (Think Street Fighter Combo bonuses). In order to pass a stage you will need a specific “score” so you will have to plan your tricks and link your combos together.
* Idea 3: Slalom: This idea is aimed at those who like manual drive or want to practice their skills. We would setup a track with a large number of obstacles forcing you to continually make choices and control the car to weave through them and reach the finish line.
* None of above
[Most voted one was Money Run]
7th Vote
One final question for today. How did you like this DevChat? (1 - I do not like it at all, 5  - I love it)
[Most people loved the Dev-Chat]
Category:Asphalt 9 Dev Chats