Can ED even be technically called an MMO? Last I checked, 16 players in an instance doing a thing is an aspect that described just normal multiplayer online games. That massively aspect comes from the persistence and the scale of the player space.
Yes, because an MMO is where lots of players connect to a game world - not each other. Hence games like Robocraft, World of Tanks, Mechwarrior Online are all classed as MMOs.
(Not saying I agree with it, but in a technical sense ED fits MMO just fine)
Wikipedia;
A massively multiplayer online game (also called MMO and MMOG) is a multiplayer video game which is capable of supporting large numbers of players simultaneously. By necessity, they are played on the Internet. MMOs usually have at least one persistent world, however some games differ.
Oxford English Dictionary (Online);
An online video game which can be played by a very large number of people simultaneously .
In 1.2 we could through some massaging of the mechanics get good battles of 24 to 32 players. Now it is impossible. What more is, just getting a single wing in an instance is a struggle.
Nevermind trying to chase an opponent from normal space into supercruise, chances are, he's gone. In another instance.
Through back-channels I've gotten notion that through ninja-nerf, the instancing have been reduced from a max of 32 down to 16...
I mean really, is this now what this supposed MMO is, pandering only to single wings with no organized PvP?
I am sick and tired of the limitations of the current P2P system. It hinders all kinds of organized effort. And the problem is just made worse by PowerPlay. How is one supposed to fight ghosts in Solo, group and god forbid Xbone in order to achive a Powers goals for a given cycle? I am sorry, but tilting at windmills is not fun. This need change. Soon.
Give us MASSIVE instances - put some dedicated servers to the task. As an added bonus, it would kill cheats pretty fast. Yes, it will cost, but that could be distributed by letting player-groups have the ability to rent dedicated instancing servers that would cover a given number of systems for instance. P2P is fine for the not very populated outback of the galaxy, but for the central hubs of activity, not so much.
Anything would be better than the current disaster that is the P2P model with regards to well player-populated areas. As it is now, it ruins the game for a lot of us.
Dear me, where to start on this.
Most players do not "massage" game mechanics, so if there has been a reduction in player cap per instance island - very few would even notice it (related to the following reasons).
Chasing someone is done through their wake, which overrides the random matchmaking / instance system and places you in to their instance island - if they are gone by the time you get in to their wake, you were either too slow and they have jumped out of the system or they logged out (and possibly back in to spawn another instance or used Groups / Solo to get away from you).
A "single wing" is 4 players - so how would a change from 32, to 16 pander to a "single wing"? Last time I checked, 16 by 4 was 4. So 4 wings can fit in to one instance island (as for MMO, see above).
Power Play has nothing to do with PvP in a direct combat way - it is done through the Powers Prep/Expand and Fortify system. It was not designed to promote PvP. This is a PvE game with the ability to PvP, not a PvP game - big difference.
As for the P2P system, it is fine for the purpose it was chosen - this is not EVE Online and it is not a pew pew gank fest COD. There is a reason fast paced games do not have "massive" instances or tons of players in one area (EVEs time dilatation does not work for fast paced action games - hence would not work here). Also a Client/Server set up requires a lot of money to maintain - don't see you opening your wallet, so you're stuck with cheap and cheerful.
Define "a lot of us" - PvP crowds have always been a minority in mixed PvE / PvP games. Forum users are less than 10% of the overall player base, so vocal PvP players on game forums are what? 1% of the total player base, less than 1% maybe?
The game has sold over 600,000 copies. The forums total user base, for FD entire game forums (as more than ED is covered by these forums) is under 100,000 registered users spread out over 12 games. This does not filter out those who have alts.
And as far as I know, you speak for you and no one else - the game may be ruined for YOU, but other people are able to speak for themselves - don't presume you speak for an entire demographic. I like the game the way it is.
