Durnin Stormbrow
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Posted - 2010.10.28 15:57:00 -
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Edited by: Durnin Stormbrow on 28/10/2010 16:00:22
 Originally by: Malcanis
I'm still struggling to understand how, after over 4 years since the project started, CCP still haven't decided what we're going to be able to actually do in Incarna. For the love of God, tell us you're sandbagging us. Please tell us that.
I mean guys, come on - you're supposed to be releasing this thing in the next 8 months, you've had 70 devs working on it for god knows how long, and at least some working on it for much longer than that, you had a semi-working Demo in 2008, and you STILL haven't even got to the point where you've decided what's going to happen?
What? The? Hell?
Once again, I have to agree with Malcanis. We've been told many times what we will not be able to do in Incarna for the foreseeable future, but we've never been told what we will be able to do, let alone when we'll be able to do it.
If Incarna is just going to be E&B with better graphics, that's a load of developer hours tossed into re-making the wheel, and adding a feature that I really didn't miss to begin with. Back in the day, I described EvE to my friends as 'E&B, all grown up.' Being able to access station services without needing to run around the station to the various terminals was a feature to us. I will never miss trying to find the RE terminal through mobs of players. Running around looking for the dark shady NPCs scattered around the station got old real quick, and getting there to find 30 people talking to him didn't do anything for immersion. People in EvE today ***** that they have to fly back to station to turn in their missions. Needing to run through the station to stand in his office (along with the other 200 mission runners working for that agent) isn't going to make it any better.
There's been a ton of talk among the players about what Incarna could become; but much of it is not very practical, involving as much or more game design than EvE itself. I really fear that CCP's silence on the future of Incarna is allowing players to create their own expectations, most of which will never be met.
There has been talk of Incarna being the dark underworld of EvE. So it might replace parts of the contract system? While it's actually viable, what do those developer hours add to the game that wouldn't be better spent elsewhere?
There has been talk of Incarna introducing player owned shops. So it'll replace parts of the market system? That worked great in SWG, where each craftsman, resource gatherer, and merchant had stock of products that could be unique to them (people passed by other shops to get my PvP grade Vibro Knucks & Power Hammers. "You can find lower prices. You might even find better weapons, but you'll never find better value!"). In EvE, as long as Trit is Trit and all Mega Beam IIs are created equal, then the price is decided by the open market. That's one of EvE's headline selling points.
Is station missions? We've been told that there is no combat engine for the foreseeable future, so missions are either gofer missions, logic puzzles, or snipe hunts.
In station PvP? Without a combat engine, were pretty much limited to harsh language.
Decorating our quartersą With what? Is CCP gonna allow players to create items for use in game ala 2nd Life, or is CCP actually going to create a model for everything so that we can drop it our living room? (I'm gonna have a 75mm Gatling rail in my living room for use as a mechanical bull.)
I really believe that CCP needs to go public with some of their expectations for what Incarna will be, or set some limitations on what it could be and start asking what we want within those limits. If they don't, I suspect that the PR mess that'll follow will make this last summer look like a day at the park. |