Volgair
The Tritan Industries
259
   |
Posted - 2013.04.05 06:13:00 -
[1] - Quote
First, let us break the game into basic components compared to other games that have done something similar currently or in the recent past.
I will admit to my bias up front that I do not like COD or CSS they represent the lowest common denominator in FPS and gaming gaming in general. BF I feel is also a let down in terms of ground combat and pacing, but the team-objective based game play and destructible environments are a redeeming factor.
Ground Game-
Dust as it exists is most like BF and COD in the sense that character models move slowly, and health pools 1 on 1 allow fractions of seconds to be expected survival times. Fully leveled unmodified Basic AR, to fully leveled unmodified drop suit of any meta level. Scout .3sec, Assault .5sec, Logi .4sec, and Heavy .8sec. Assuming every shot hit. Not that combat is that fast in application, but it is fast. With most lasting 2 or 3 seconds. Unlike UT or Quake where depending on the weapon, exchanges between skilled players in most cases lasted upwards of 10 or 20 seconds.
(Before any one says the arcade feel to Unreal or Quake deviates from the games over sense of realism. Allow me to remind you, that we are genetically and mechanically modified super beings that change the housing of their consciousness at will. Your point is moot.)
The potential for this being a Roll based shooter like TF2 only better, has become poorly realized. Being instead replaced with suits that can fill any roll with a few minor trade offs and no bonus. That leads to the current game of big DPS and mobs being the only tactic in pubs, and even more unfortunately the only viable tactic in the "high end." The first team to gain an advantage of numbers usually wins the match. This is most apparent in Ambush but is no less true in Skirmish.
Hopefully the mob to win strategy and mentality will change with an increase to the size of maps and increase to player count. However i doubt it. Unless they greatly increase the value of logistics and dependency of DPS on specialized rolls... not to mention the aforementioned increase to survival time. A movement speed increase across the board (especially in the case of the scout) wouldn't hurt either.
Vehicle-
BF is once again most similar, this time however with a touch of EVE. The balance is generally considered poor reguardless of whom you ask. With HAV's being the most used, LAV and Drop Ship being considered mostly an expensive, unfortunate punch line.
A lot of the issues seem to stem from CCP wanting to make as many people happy as possible instead of embracing a niche. Then those many people wanting far to many different things. The COD guys tend to want more twitch, instant gratification, and the Ability to kill HAV's with small arms fire. All to many vehicle dedicated guys regardless of their back ground seem to want to be unchallenged with unmitigated dominance of the field.
Again the balance is just not there... What is the balance? As before, team play. As in needing those around you to do the correct thing for success and vice versa. It should go with out saying yet the point was missed... In a team based game coordination and cooperation should be greater then the sum of the individual parts... Which currently as with the ground game is not the case.
Unit Customization-
I will start this by saying I do not care if novelty items ever exist. That is not what I meant by customization, fugg funny hats and pink dropsuits.
The fitting wheel is honestly the best and most unique part of DUST, not that this type of customization exclusive but it is the part with the most New Eden flair. Its value however is down played. More so with Dropsuits then Vehicles. Specific modules should determine the value, purpose and roll of what ever it is fitted to. right now the differences are noticeable, and certainly not negligible. However not in any sense of the term, roll changing.
Meta Game-
Currently the only meta game is persistent stats and currency... One could argue community, I would agree. I know that is supposed to change with PC on the sixth so i wont say much more on the subject..
What has DUST done well?-
- CCP has managed to hype this product up to epic levels. Most older players do not play this game, for this game. They play this game for what it could become. PC, RTS Command roll, etc etc... (ellipsis for emphasis... and a lol, for those of you still reading.)
- Reward or consequence by way of persistent measurable gain and loss.
What are DUST's short comings?- (with out getting into specifics...)
- Poor balance... As i stated before this is mostly due to pacing and the ignored need to incentive rolls other then that of "guy with gun" or "guy in tank."
- DUST is still a simple game for simple minds. Attached to another game that takes pride in the punishment of ignorance. Strategy by way of changing the purpose of pieces on the board should be paramount, instead of the mob mentality.
- No segregation of new and old. SP be dam*ed old players will in most cases wreck new players. Old players hate the new because they do stupid things with stunning regularity and awkward precision.
- Public games as the only way to gain SP and ISK.... Awful idea as it is currently implemented.
Have fun with this, I'm curious to see the response fall out. |
Volgair
The Tritan Industries
260
|
Posted - 2013.04.05 08:29:00 -
[3] - Quote
trollsroyce wrote:The strongest disagreement I have with op is the ask for segregation of old and new players. The opposite should be the goal, give newbies roles they can fill effectively on the battlefield. This should be a design starting point, because it has kept eve running for 10 years, a game with the worst skillpoint imbalance.
That is true i suppose, but i feel guilty that I am taking advantage of them. Not to mention angered that they fail to perform simple tasks. |