Hawk Firestorm
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Posted - 2005.02.26 01:15:00 -
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Edited by: Hawk Firestorm on 26/02/2005 02:00:13
Well mate you guys have made several key blunders here design wise.
Firstly Agents are prolly the biggest.
Because now you've put so much such as research etc shunted towards em rather than it being a function of corps, which IMHO it always should have been.
It's made everyone hug empire, rather than move out into 0 space and corp life.
Also, manufacture you made it so 99% of anything has to be made in Empire, both because of how you put in rats in mining areas, preying on unarmed ships, rather than allowing combat players to go after them etc.
And the lack of manufacture and research facilites in 0 space, and well you must have seen mine and many others complaints about the slot problem in empire never mind 0 space. 
Other major structual problem in game in conquest, and how indeed corps relate to each other and the effect they have on the market and trade between each other, frankly there isn't any.
It's not possible to 'conquer' space as such, it's more of go there blow some ships they blow some of yours everyone goes home, as well as there being way too many corps for the playerbase which detracts for the games social fabric.
Sit down and look hard and the overall fundemtal design of the above, as well as other key design problems such as the fitting system and the lack of a point and shoot system for gunnery, discuss it, plan it well and implement it.
Yes it's gonna take alotta work, problem is you've always shy'd away from it which is why it's now such a monster.
I guess my main point is because you've avoided them, and tried for the quick fix rather than the correct approach, of it's wrong lets replace it, your not making headway, especially as far as the fitting system and overall game balance is concerned.
Other problem too I think from looking this end is I think because of your depts and the way you operate, your actually starting to drift off in different directions in some degree, rather than taking a steady methodical appraoch, which is one reason I believe we still have so many problems, as with beta, and it's kinda starting to drift back that way.
As well as being massively under resourced as far as manpwr to actually achive the level of developement that eve actually still requires, alot being leftovers that weren't sorted in beta due to time contraints and the complexity of the overall project.
Content is great, however at the moment I personally feel that the game would be enhanced far greater by sorting out the major issues and design flaws such as the market, fitting, agents and 0 space etc. And the other fundamental areas that have got some big design flaws and getting them sorted and laying a solid framework to work from.
By doing so you can only enhance the overall gameplay, Yes I'm fully aware of the work involved, but hiding from it isn't the way to go if you want a good long term product, and retain your playerbase, gameplay is the core along with a rich social fabric in game not skills. As well as simple areas such as travel that wear on the soul over time and bring tedium into the game.
And I think you know as well as I that at the moment that's kinda evaded you to a degree, where by every promotion you do the active number of players increases only to dwindle back afterwards, and the above I think all this is a very big part of this.
You've created a massive mountain for players to climb up skill wise, to the detrement of gameplay and diversity in game.
As far as travel is concerned well it's always been very tedious, the current problems with implant use, the huge length of trips and jumps etc has always been a drag, hence the widespread use of Bm's.
Yes you can reorganise the gate network, but you've kinda tried that and it's been a lag fest.
Personally I'm kinda hoping for a combo of far shorter routes and Jumpdrives, as well of course as being able to manage my implants and replacements being sensibly priced and available, as well as Tech 2 Items.
I know I've rambled some here however it's not just a question of one area, it's like a tree with branches etc that all interconnect with each other, and there's not gonna be one quick fix.
Like I keep sayin fix the problem stop stamping the fires. :) And yes I'll keep chanting it. heh
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