Aeon Amadi
A.N.O.N.Y.M.O.U.S.
Renegade Alliance
3961
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Posted - 2013.11.29 05:07:00 -
[1] - Quote
Eve Online and Dust 514 are supposed to be brutal but it is in this player's opinion that, at current, it is more punitive (punishing). Here's why I feel this way.
Don't consider this aspect from that of a veteran, but from a new player. Considering the disparity between a new player and an old player, the gameplay is slightly skewed. There's nothing fun about being protostomped but in a way it's somewhat healthy as it provides a player with a challenge that can (potentially) be overcome. On the other hand, there are some game mechanics in place that make this challenge seem over-bearing and largely punishing toward a new player.
Point in case: Frames.
Exhibit A.
A player starting out is restricted to playing with militia gear and frames from the start as they accumulate ISK and SP to further along their character. This is fine -but- there are some inconsistencies. The first being that Frames are more expensive than the suits they are associated with. For example:
Gallente Medium Frame: 6,800 ISK
Assault G-I: 3,000 ISK
This price scales with the tier with a Medium Frame being considerably higher in the advanced/prototype tier.
Advanced Frame: 14,280
Advanced Suit: 8,040
Prototype Frame: 62,960
Prototype Suit: 57,690
One could say this is to incentivize the expansion into a specialization instead of utilizing the frame itself - however, there is already incentive to specialize as the dropsuits the frame is associated with bear skills that have a variety of beneficial effects. That being said, why pay more for something less useful?
Exhibit B.
The frames themselves are finicky in their nature. A medium frame is based on the suit's Assault class while a Heavy frame is (arguably) better than the Sentinel that it expands into by way of slot layouts. This is not only inconsistent but it doesn't give a new player a feel of a specialization that they wish to branch into. The medium frame being based on the Assault does not give a player a feel of how a Logistics may perform and a heavy frame gives a completely DIFFERENT feel between the Sentinel and the Commando with some players arguing that there is not much worth in specializing into either as the Heavy Frame performs well on it's own agenda.
That being said the frames should reflect a specialization, having separate types which act more in accordance to what the specialization provides. For instance, a Type-I Frame may act more like an Assault and a Type-II Frame may act more like a Logistics.
Exhibit C.
There is little incentive to utilize a frame in the Medium/Light department as they are more expensive and lack the significant bonuses that are applied with the specialization suits associated to them. Specialization suits are costly in the skill-point department but the benefits out-way the cost, it's simply better overall as it performs better and has less of an impact on the wallet.
That being said, it is in my opinion that the frame should reflect, partially, how the suit will perform by having a single bonus from the specialization suit. Scout suits, for example, have two bonuses: one for the specialization, one for the racial philosophy. Either of these would work well for the frame and give a new player something to work with and a greater understanding (early on) of how the suit will perform.
I would even argue to say that a Specialization shouldn't receive the full benefits of BOTH skill bonuses unless one has the Frame to level 5 but I will admit that my opinion on this may be skewed as I was dumb enough to figure that it worked like Eve Online and invested SP in order to attain Medium Frame 5. Feel free to provide input on your thoughts of this.
That's all I have to say for now.
TL;DR - Frames need to cost less, operate more akin to what they branch into and have a single bonus from their specialization dropsuit, making the new player experience better overall.
I Support SP Rollover ^_^
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Aeon Amadi
A.N.O.N.Y.M.O.U.S.
Renegade Alliance
3967
|
Posted - 2013.11.29 19:17:00 -
[2] - Quote
Vyzion Eyri wrote:Agreed, the higher costs for the frames may have had a reason behind them but I never use them ever because of the prices. Making the prices drop below the specialisation suits (or raising specialisations' costs) would make the basic frames perfect for pub match suits.
I'm not opposed to price increases but I think it would be detrimental for the newer players, which we're already having trouble getting to stay around until they hit a point where the game is less frustrating. Frames should have at least some benefit toward their use apart from being just cheaper, in my opinion. They need a bonus - otherwise the skill is just an unnecessary SP sink. On the other hand, the Heavy Frame does have some variation to it that the Commando/Sentinel don't with it's 2 highs and 3 lows in the prototype tier - so if you want to sacrifice some armor tank for more damage mods, it's a perfectly valid reason to go into the frame. Not sure that I agree with this for reasons of inconsistency.
I Support SP Rollover ^_^
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