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Games Potential
Digna
Member UncommonPosts: 1,994
My concern for this game is its relatively limited ‘potential’
scope. Skills, crafting, questing and exploring
(as in a traditional MMO) would seem to me to be relatively low in number, thus
limiting the potential options.
In my opinion this game is an
opportunity to get some hype for Flying Lab Software and the chance to get a
title past development (potentially) and thereby make a mark in the software
development community. If they can do so, the otherwise inevitable 'broken
bank' syndrome and 'time to disband the guild' might be staved off.
I think the graphics look pretty in the screen shots and if
it is released, will garner a hard core group of select gamers who like this
type of genre, but the rest will grumble (or whine) and move on to the next
FOTM. Personally, I have a small core of hope for this game, and will Beta it
if invited, just to see if the potential for greatness is really there, but I
am not going to wait with baited breath given what I have seen/heard so far.
Comments
That's how you should wait for any game. Getting your hopes up only means disappointment. No game will satisfy everyone. Give it a shot, when the time is right, and see what you think. If it's not your type of game, move on.
Flying Lab's greatest enemy is the clock, and they don't seem to be too worried.
Digna,
I've been playing MMORPGs for years. Over those years, I've learned to read the dev posts, read the forums, and watch the direction of a game's development. If I'm lucky, I get to play Beta and that gives me the final measure of a game. If I don't get Beta, I will then buy the game and give anything that looks good a try.
First, you do have the problem that this game exists in a historical genre. Now, if you don't like pirates, sailing ships, muskets, etc... I would be very cautious with this game. They are going for a level of realism that might be difficult to swallow.
Second, does PvP or RvR drive you nuts? If so, I think you would avoid this game. The heart of the game will revolve around this activities. If you don't care for this type of action, the game will not be for you.
Third, I think this will be an easy game to play, but hard to master. I think this will also be a game that supports solo play, but at some point you will find yourself teaming for some activities.
Fourth, they have added an economy and that will effect the game. The economy reminds many people of EVE and SWG. I would say the economy is simple, but offers opportunities to those who grab the opportunity.
Now, I also judge a game by my gut. So far, I have not seen a design decision that makes me think this game won't be a winner for me. Now, that does not mean the game will automatically work for you. Why does the game work for me?
I was a big fan of Sid Mier's Pirates played long ago on an Amiga. I'm a fan of the Age of Fighting Sail. I was a huge fan of the SWG/EVE economic systems. I don't mind large group battles in a RvR situation.
Your mileage may vary.
Captain John Matin
Royal Red
This game looks like it has the potential to be a great game but I think the developers are making too many mistakes. For example, they will lose most of the player base who do not want to buy and pay for a game online. There will be no advertising in stores like ebgames.
In my opinion, the RvR ruins the game. It should be pure PvP. People should freely be able to change their faction but there should be a penalty. Also, there should be stuff like invasions of nations.
Originally posted by Digna
My concern for this game is its relatively limited ‘potential’
scope. Skills, crafting, questing and exploring
(as in a traditional MMO) would seem to me to be relatively low in number, thus
limiting the potential options.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I question just how much you know about this game...There is a huge potential scope for development here.Lets take you headings:
Skills
Yup, there is a clear skill set which deevelops your characters skills, carefully created so there is no magic or anything but still can enhance play and your character adding abilites like being able to sail fast while close hauled....It has what most MMO's have in this respect
Crafting
The scope for crafting in PotBS is greater than just about any MMO in development. The economy is totally player controlled all good are made by players for players. They have also learnt lessons from SWG and made sure there are money sinks and means to ensure economic stability. There are hundreds possibly thousands of recipies the goods for which have to be produced by players, there are markets in every port, and large auction houses in capitals... the system is fully supply and demand based allowing traders to make profit running cargo and the market will change with the game because all the supply and demand is created by players... It has at least the potential of EVE online, which is arguably the most succesful MMO economy in operation. So clearly here there is far more scope than most games.
Questing
The quest and mission system has also just seen a dramatic overhaul, with again several thousand missions. Dynamic stoyline arcs unique to each player where you make contacts and either befriend or make enemies with and the quests you are offered will depend on your choices. The storyline system and missions are far more dynamic and in depth than games like World of Warcraft and more are being done be a team of designers all the time.
Exploring
Well you have the whole of the damm Carribean to explore and the world is constantly changing ports change hands, value of good change hands, good availible change hand as a major guld moves in and sets up a huge shipyard or whatever. Unlike most MMO's where once you have been round the world once it's over there is nothing new to see... in PotBS its constantly chaning and so every time you go for a sail its different.
Combat
A new section i felt i had to add in. The combat in PotBS is far more tactical and skill based than in many games. You need to consider your position relative to the wind, how to attack the enemy best... get the best point of sail and raise every bit of canvas you can to avoid the 104 gun Ship of the Line. It's not just mashing button 4 and waiting for your fireball you are continually moving with the wind and considering your options... should i diable the ship with chain shot or kill the crew with caniser or do i just sink it with round shot? the possibilites are endless and the skillful elemnt of controlling your ship to get into the right position to fire again rare amongst MMO's and will give you huge scope as you spend you time mastering this system and continually improving your understandin.
RvR
Again felt this needed to be mentioned. Here it is far ahead of other games, battles between fleets for who controls the ports. Almost every port in the game is conquerable and can be taken by your enemies. This has greater impact still if all your guilds shipyards are in that port only for it to be taken then you have to pay a 50% tax to use it, or worse still can't get within 2 miles because of so many naval patrols. Regular large scale PvP battles where no two fights are the same...how many traditional MMO's offer this at the moment? DAoC maybe but that lacks other areas and is starting to look a bit tired and its combat is still largly button mashing and not the unique system offerned by PotBS.
So Next time mate before you say a game has no scope take time to actually read what the developers are saying, whats going on on the fourms and what is planned for the future... there is a lot i havnt mentioned, like the possibility of Avatar Combat at a later date....
Enjoy
Sandiman
Amark_8,
I don't believe the decision to totally market and distribute the game on-line is actually written in stone. I think the devs are having second thoughts already. I also believe that launching around the same time as a block-buster movie release might provide some synergy and raise this game's profile. In addition, to many players that already play MMORPGs, downloading and patching a game before playing is old hat. Personally, many of the people looking at this game are veterans of the MMORPG genre.
RvR is actually a design feature driven by the historical period. Not everyone was fighting everyone in this time period. To stay true to the historical period, they were bound to have RvR instead of all out PvP. You might bet the Spanish fighting the British and French. You might get France and Spain fighting the British. You will basically get everyone hunting pirates, but then again you might find pirates being used by someone to hurt someone else's trade. In addition, the RvR in the first build really comes down to controlling ports. This has diplomatic and economic implications for the whole region. I know free for all PvP sounds like fun to some, but that doesn't really fit the historical period.
The devs have also expanded their definition of what goes into the first release of PotBS. They are talking about releasing the game with 1000 missions. They already put in the player driven economy that has old SWG and EVE crafter/merchant types very excited about this game. They are seriously considering adding avatar combat. They have always said they will have land battles based on taking ports in a later build. Like most MMORPGs, this one has grown in terms of the feature set.
Again, I'm not saying this will be the game for everyone. For myself, I'm looking forward to building ships in the new economic system, hauling freight from port to port, pirate hunting, scouting for a fleet, and saving the girl. I'm expecting to do all those things with the same character.
Captain John Matin
Royal Red
I gotta agree with Matin on the donwloading the game front....
PotBS is mainly attracting people who have played numerous MMORPG's before and they are confortable with and in some cases (like myself) prefer downloading them and save the time buying a disc from my local game store.....As for advertising and the like.....
Well its and online game for the online community, and with it gettin new on places like MMORPG.com or Gamespy people will take notice and take part especially when its sittting in the top 10 most hyped game son MMORPG
all them things boxing shipping handeling paying people to box the product then u got wages health bennefits Advertisements people to put advertisements their is more to a bizz then meets the eye
personaly i dont mind dling a game as long as the price is lower than all the other games in stores.
if they can cut cost by this and put it back into the game im all for it it dont matter what game it is i like the idea of dling games and not going to order a game from ebgames or driving their so i can play today.
heck after u buy a game u dl all the patchs why not dl everything all at once?
just my thoughts
Captain John Matin
Royal Red