Aighun
Zumari Force Projection
Caldari State
716
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Posted - 2013.04.03 15:41:00 -
[1] - Quote
Iron Wolf Saber wrote:
I will throw a few ideas out on how to achieve this following below. Just rememember I have to adhere to one main rule.
"Must be able to operate without Eve Online"
Well, in the beginning yes. But the approach CCP seem to be taking is one where each design decision they make will be one that can be used down the road, and that they are using planetary conquest to test ideas that can then be implemented in the true sandbox of Null Sec.
And one of the axioms of null sec game play might very well be "can only operate with Eve Online." So everything must be designed in such a way that anything that supports the structure, any mechanic, anything at all introduced into planetary conquest has to have some eventual counterpart in Eve Online. So that as they move towards true sandbox game play, those structures can be removed, and actual players will begin to take their place.
For example, in the current plan movement of clones from district to dstrict is automated. How would this work in a sandbox that "can only operate with Eve online"? Capsuleers would have to move the clones through space. It almost looks as if they were (in a very rough way) approximating a possible rate of clone loss that would occur when ship pilots attempted to move clones to attack a district. The more jumps you have to make away from your home base, as it were, the greater chance there is of another fleet intercepting your clone transports and blowing them up.
So planetary conquest is not so much a complete game mode as it is a model that can be used to interpolate how gameplay in a interdependent sandbox will play out.
And yes, I do agree that making "you must not make a blue donut" the foundation of your game design is anti sandbox. It would be futile to force players to make or to not make a blue blob. You just want to give them enough options so that it could go either way. But you should still allow them to make a blue donut if they want to put a lot of work and effort into doing that.
I would like to see some sort of entropy mechanic that would put a sort of "the longer you sit on your ass, the worse it is going to get" dynamic into large scale empire building type game play. |