Slithereen
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Posted - 2003.11.27 02:10:00 -
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Edited by: Slithereen on 27/11/2003 02:11:06
This is still a role playing game.
In an RPG, balance isn't as critical as in, let's say, an RTS game.
In a game like the Homeworld series, the fine tuning of each ship is absolutely critical.
In a game like EVE, each ship has a role, has a specialty, has a distinct flavor. In fact, it's when ships---no matter how capable---lack that distinct flavor, they lose sales in this game. This phenomenon hit the Bellicose and the Typhoon for Minmatar.
The idea in EVE is to work together so you solve one ship's flaw (by design) with another ship and teammate. Your Armaggedon lacks EW support? Get a buddy in a Blackbird to fly with you. Your Blackbird lacks firepower? Get your buddy in the 'Geddon to fly with you.
To understand racial balancing, let's take an example. Let's say a Star Trek based game. Let's say some people like to play the Feds, others the Klingons, the Borg, the Romulans, the Cardassians, etc,. If let's say, the Borg assimilation beam is too strong, people will whine about it and it will soon be game over since the Borgies will always win.
This is a problem if you insist always in playing one race. If this is a class based MMO, where your character is preset to a class you have chosen, your character will always be trapped by the bonuses and restrictions of that class. This is where balancing becomes crucial.
But in EVE, no matter what race you are, you can always be anyone simply by the skills you acquire and train. Thus, it's all you can be. You are not restricted on anything.
I think this is one of the smarter things EVE did. If you will strictly role play one race and one race only, you will be forced to equalize race distinctions on the ships, or otherwise, the races become inbalanced and people will flock to one race over another.
But if you don't have player race restrictions, you can afford to make race ships more distinct, although balancing needs to be applied to make sure such distinctions are viable.
On the battleship issue once again. You cannot help or change this, since it is aligned with human nature.
Battleships are the big SUVs in EVE right now. If your neighbor has one, you got to have one also, the bigger the better. Even now, not even Level 1 battleships get respect, no you must have a Level 2 battleship to tell people you have arrived to the pinnacle of EVE-yuppiedom.
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"Is it me or the bad guys just getting totally pathetic?"---Clover, Totally Spies,
"Hope is wasted on the Hopeless."---Mandy, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.
"Stars are holes in the sky from which the light of the Infinite shine through."---Confucius.
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