Nykali
Caldari
Havoc Violence and Chaos
BricK sQuAD.
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Posted - 2011.01.20 04:44:00 -
[1]
Committment to Excellence was raised by the CSM already, and I daresay hasn't been forgotten.
The number of incomplete features rises, but the problem becomes more unavoidable at the same time.
CCP's in a tough spot, really - they're faced with the daunting task of keeping a comparatively ancient game modern and competitive in a market increasingly filled with Free-to-Play games.
The saving grace is partly that there is very little else in the space-sim MMO genre (and with JGE apparently doomed, it's bound to stay that way), and that CCP continue to provide new and exciting content - exciting in its innovation and concept at least, if not its execution.
One could argue that the uniterated features were intentionally left to stew in the player-pot - seeing what players do with an incomplete toolbox and the feedback that results from it. (For instance: Shares - relatively useless in-game function, used mostly in player-invented metagaming).
However, as the OP illustrates, there are a number of features where their flexibility is limited to start with, and the function is incomplete or also limited.
FW and Sov Warfare are probably the prime candidates here - strict zero-one mechanics in the game - a plastic fort in the sandbox.
PI is a little better - players have made forge worlds purely for processing masses of low-P gunk, utilising trade-smarts.
The concept is somewhat cooler than the function itself, though - see Xenocracy for what I mean, but it's still a greatly improved method of producing basic stuff.
(Personally, the ECU is a god-send. Setting an extraction run that covers from morning coffee to home-from-work beer, and no less, no more. Love it).
I find the Character Creator a bit of a mix.
It's beautiful, functional, and entertaining. The options are very limited.
However, check out some of the threads celebrating the variety that folks have made with those limited options. It's amazing. (Captain Jew and "Balls Balls Balls" come to mind as very... unique... portraits.)
It will require additional StuffÖ, bodymods and tatts especially, but remember that it's a one-off tool.
Character made? Cool. Never frequent these halls again.
I agree that there ought to be more bug/balance fixes compared to feature additions.
I'd be happy with 1/2 bugfixes, Low-Hanging-Fruit and balance, 1/4 new features and 1/4 iteration on existing ones.
That being the case, magically, I imagine folks (including me) would still be clamouring for re-doing the few remaining Piles of Olde, like the Roles system, the S&I function, Mining as gameplay, POS management, Black Ops, etc etc.
-- Nykali Kama |