Grind has being discussed for a long time by many people, and my thoughts will often cross it, but the things i really want to talk about is some design choices that i stumble upon each time i want to "actually play the game", and things that just look strange for me as a player. And it not about grind, transfer, long time travels, all that kind of stuff. Its about things that cause them.
My points are simple.
If it takes time for no actual reason get rid of it.
And if you claim that your game is "1","2","3". Make sure it stays that way.
Mistake number 1. Listen to the fans.
I mean, feedback is important. But if you're making a game based on wishes of a particular group of people, with nostalgia + "perfect survival, horror, survival-horror syndrome" (wish for game-play-related features which are ought to build connection with real world, but eventually suck, especially if its about cosmosim) they will make a game for themselves, and that's kinda *censor*.
By the way. If someone is thinking that Elite Dangerous is the only game that deserves to be called as COSMIC SIMULATOR because every other game is more arcade than Elite. Check your life biggest achievements, the most important thing there should be "Playing Elite Dangerous". But really, the word cosmosim describes any game, which main game-play involves piloting a spaceship in space. The only thing why there can't be cosmosims in literal meaning of this word, is because there is nothing to simulate. Spaceship that can fly from star to star in seconds isn't invented yet. So stop talking nonsense.
Mistake number 2. Not to smooth sharp edges of a game-play structure consequences.
I like the way ships flying through space in this game really. It gives a unique experience of travelling star systems than any other cosmosim. But as always, impression will go away, and soon you'll find that flying 7 extra minutes just to buy another 4a grade *censor* or lurking through stations to find a ship you want without a 3d party tools like EDDB is frustrating in worst way possible.
Pretty much all game-play mechanics are suffocating because of this. Its taking too much time to land so all settlement-scanning *censor* gets even more frustrating, for some reason it cannot be done by a ship itself, you have to use this obnoxious thing that does have required setup that ship cannot have because you. *trigg* i mean *immersion warning*.
Mistake number 3. Having a wrong understanding of a "sandbox".
"Sandbox" type of game-play offers player different approaches to reach something that he/she wants in the game. Elite Dangerous at the more deep level than "Combat, Trading, Exploring" doesn't have it at all. To design situations, having in mind the only way player will go through them, in game that you call "sandbox" is wrong. And pretty much everything in this game falls under it, especially stuff i was talking before.
You cant acquire a ship, or a module for it, any other way except of buying it. You cant afford a ship that require rank, any other way except of having rank(no buying from hands, no pirate versions).
Mistake number 4. Unnecessary simplifications will lead into terrible workarounds and biased decisions.
In real world anything can be described as commodity, or goods, or whatever. That also means, everything can be described as cargo. Many games doesn't require to simulate it that accurately.
BUT THIS GAME NEEDS IT AS *censor*!!!
Seriously. The decision to make a ship and module transfer is ok (though id like it more if it would be instant *immersion warning*). But it was maid just because ships cant transport other ships and module as a cargo. In game that tries to be realistic in some ways, this is the one of them that is really has actual reason for a game, also *immersion warning*.
Mistake number 5. Don't make "Wannabe hardcore/realistic" kind of stuff.
I'm talking about how ships are collect stuff. Seriously. Guys. You literally have a module, that can collect *censor* from distance. The only problem is. Someones sick mind decided that it should be a separate module, and it souldn't have its own place in ship, so it stores in cargo bay. And it self-destructs itself, because it stores a lot of place in cargo bay, because you need a lot of them, because it self-destructs itself. *censor* brilliant.
Mistake number 6. Don't make stupid *censor*.
For example. Every time the Engineer finishes his/her work he/she he/she he/she he/she he/she he/she he/she he/she gonna say that its his/her PASSION. However, if you ask them for doing something special, they will act like your a worst *censor* being in a galaxy, and afterwards you'll get -2 relations *immersion warning*. Which not only send you backwards, but its pointless, cause people with of steel will get their full heat and *censor* upgrades eventually. The rest of a people who don't want to be lobotomized to enjoy the game will barely use it. Situation became better when they removed commodities from recipes, i hope permanently.
The Engineers actually deserve a separate topic. Really, this random upgrades are just ridiculous. Its like all engineers were in a car accident and now they forget every day after, and that's why we have every time a different result, which can be even worse.
It comes to the top of its hideousness when you want to upgrade rocket launchers. Now i have one with 10 rockets in magazine, and another with 11. :|
And the last one nag.
Despite having a problem that money in the game doesn't feel as money(more like as XP), because you cant spend them on decorating stuff, buying some garbage(if its not Hauler). That's why they decided to make your real money to feel more even more real. Thus began the age of micro-transactions in game that you pay only once. And for a very lazy stuff like changing color of a weapon. Before 255.0.255. After 255.255.0. OHHH IM A MILLIONAIRE BABY, GET SOME ES AND COCAINE WERE GOING TO RIDE THE *censor* GALAXY ON MY *censor* DOLPHIN YYYEEAAAAAAHHHHHH.
My points are simple.
If it takes time for no actual reason get rid of it.
And if you claim that your game is "1","2","3". Make sure it stays that way.
Mistake number 1. Listen to the fans.
I mean, feedback is important. But if you're making a game based on wishes of a particular group of people, with nostalgia + "perfect survival, horror, survival-horror syndrome" (wish for game-play-related features which are ought to build connection with real world, but eventually suck, especially if its about cosmosim) they will make a game for themselves, and that's kinda *censor*.
By the way. If someone is thinking that Elite Dangerous is the only game that deserves to be called as COSMIC SIMULATOR because every other game is more arcade than Elite. Check your life biggest achievements, the most important thing there should be "Playing Elite Dangerous". But really, the word cosmosim describes any game, which main game-play involves piloting a spaceship in space. The only thing why there can't be cosmosims in literal meaning of this word, is because there is nothing to simulate. Spaceship that can fly from star to star in seconds isn't invented yet. So stop talking nonsense.
Mistake number 2. Not to smooth sharp edges of a game-play structure consequences.
I like the way ships flying through space in this game really. It gives a unique experience of travelling star systems than any other cosmosim. But as always, impression will go away, and soon you'll find that flying 7 extra minutes just to buy another 4a grade *censor* or lurking through stations to find a ship you want without a 3d party tools like EDDB is frustrating in worst way possible.
Pretty much all game-play mechanics are suffocating because of this. Its taking too much time to land so all settlement-scanning *censor* gets even more frustrating, for some reason it cannot be done by a ship itself, you have to use this obnoxious thing that does have required setup that ship cannot have because you. *trigg* i mean *immersion warning*.
Mistake number 3. Having a wrong understanding of a "sandbox".
"Sandbox" type of game-play offers player different approaches to reach something that he/she wants in the game. Elite Dangerous at the more deep level than "Combat, Trading, Exploring" doesn't have it at all. To design situations, having in mind the only way player will go through them, in game that you call "sandbox" is wrong. And pretty much everything in this game falls under it, especially stuff i was talking before.
You cant acquire a ship, or a module for it, any other way except of buying it. You cant afford a ship that require rank, any other way except of having rank(no buying from hands, no pirate versions).
Mistake number 4. Unnecessary simplifications will lead into terrible workarounds and biased decisions.
In real world anything can be described as commodity, or goods, or whatever. That also means, everything can be described as cargo. Many games doesn't require to simulate it that accurately.
BUT THIS GAME NEEDS IT AS *censor*!!!
Seriously. The decision to make a ship and module transfer is ok (though id like it more if it would be instant *immersion warning*). But it was maid just because ships cant transport other ships and module as a cargo. In game that tries to be realistic in some ways, this is the one of them that is really has actual reason for a game, also *immersion warning*.
Mistake number 5. Don't make "Wannabe hardcore/realistic" kind of stuff.
I'm talking about how ships are collect stuff. Seriously. Guys. You literally have a module, that can collect *censor* from distance. The only problem is. Someones sick mind decided that it should be a separate module, and it souldn't have its own place in ship, so it stores in cargo bay. And it self-destructs itself, because it stores a lot of place in cargo bay, because you need a lot of them, because it self-destructs itself. *censor* brilliant.
Mistake number 6. Don't make stupid *censor*.
For example. Every time the Engineer finishes his/her work he/she he/she he/she he/she he/she he/she he/she he/she gonna say that its his/her PASSION. However, if you ask them for doing something special, they will act like your a worst *censor* being in a galaxy, and afterwards you'll get -2 relations *immersion warning*. Which not only send you backwards, but its pointless, cause people with of steel will get their full heat and *censor* upgrades eventually. The rest of a people who don't want to be lobotomized to enjoy the game will barely use it. Situation became better when they removed commodities from recipes, i hope permanently.
The Engineers actually deserve a separate topic. Really, this random upgrades are just ridiculous. Its like all engineers were in a car accident and now they forget every day after, and that's why we have every time a different result, which can be even worse.
It comes to the top of its hideousness when you want to upgrade rocket launchers. Now i have one with 10 rockets in magazine, and another with 11. :|
And the last one nag.
Despite having a problem that money in the game doesn't feel as money(more like as XP), because you cant spend them on decorating stuff, buying some garbage(if its not Hauler). That's why they decided to make your real money to feel more even more real. Thus began the age of micro-transactions in game that you pay only once. And for a very lazy stuff like changing color of a weapon. Before 255.0.255. After 255.255.0. OHHH IM A MILLIONAIRE BABY, GET SOME ES AND COCAINE WERE GOING TO RIDE THE *censor* GALAXY ON MY *censor* DOLPHIN YYYEEAAAAAAHHHHHH.
