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Tarmageddon XIII
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Posted - 2013.05.05 07:16:00 -
[1] - Quote
Hi there,
Look, I know I'll get a lot of flak for this, but I did read the forum rules carefully before posting and see that constructive critiscism is encouraged, but flaming and trolling is not, so please think about that before you reply.
This is purely intended to be constructive. I WANT DUST as much as anyone else, but that doesn't mean I will pretend that everything is perfect just because I want it to be.
Ok, so here goes. I am something of a veteran FPS player on PS, X-Box and PC. I am also an EvE player, so naturally when I heard about DUST coming out I was excited. A mixture of my two favourite genres, what could be better?
Whilst I don't like comparing computer games to each other, sometimes it's necessary when they share certain elements or themes. For this reason if I make any comparisons to CoD or Battlefield it is because they are currently at the top of the console-gaming market, they set the bar.
I'll start with what I love about DUST so you can see I am a gamer not a hater.
First the whole idea is awesome, not only do you get to play an FPS based on a futuristic universe, but id you find yourself wondering "I wonder what the rest of the universe is like in this futuristic game" you need not wonder, since the universe is beautifully laid out for you with EvE Online.
I am also really impressed with the way CCP intergrated the EvE-style skills system with DUST, and managed to make it work. With CoD and BF3 I get almost as much enjoyment out of messing about with my character in between matches as I do from playing the fps itself, and DUST is no disappointment in that respect. Theory-craft is FUN, and being an EvE player I feel like I am already "in the know" as to how the game works.
Unfortunately, the let-down for me comes when I actually play the battles, and considering that is the core of the game, it was a really big let-down for me.
The first thing which is immediately noticable is the quality of the graphics. I know graphics aren't everything, I still love playing games from the beginnings of my gaming hobby such as F29 Retaliator or Wolf 3D. Game-play is first and foremost, but graphics ARE important when you release a brand-new FPS. FPS games are (the clue is in the name) FIRST PERSON Shooters, which means when you view the world around you you're supposed to be "seeing" it from the eyes of your avatar. The more realistic the graphics are, the more you believe in your character and the more immersing the game is. When FarCry 2 came out you could practically taste the seat-fabric in the Land-Rover in the opening scene (I don't lick car seats by the way) and that is the level graphics are expected to be at nowadays. Again, sorry for comparing, but BF3 pulled it off, the later CoD games pulled it off, so as a veteran of these games I felt like I was going back in time.
The next hitch was the controls. As in, what button does what. FPS games from all different developers have, over the years, come to almost a "standard" set of controls for FPS. CCP changed it. Why? Of course, it is their perogative, it's THEIR game so of course they can use whatever controls they like. Also, a good chunk of DUST players may well come straight from EvE and never have played a FPS, or at least not seriously before, so they wouldn't have any expectations - but for those players who DO come from other FPS and want DUST to take over as THE FPS to play, it's just confusing. Yeah, sure, I can get used to it, but surely it would have drawn people in quicker if they could jump straight in with the controls they are used to.
To put it another way, if a car manufacturer brought out a new car with the accelerator on the left, the brake on the right and the clutch in the middle, people wouldn't buy it because the test-drive would suck. Yes, they could get used to it, but the clunky test-drive would be enough to put most of them off for good.
Then I tried driving a jeep. Although I know this ISN'T Battlefield, I still think it's important when developing anything, to see how others have done something and use some of their ideas and experience when they have done something right. If the CCP devs spent some time playing BF3 just to see how the opposition was looking, they would have found that BF3 vehicles are a real joy to drive. They have realistic controls to make you feel involved, just hard enough to drive well to keep you interested, yet easy enough that it isn't frustrating. You can jump into a BF3 jeep and get it from A to B in no-time. With practice you can be Jack Brabbham. Driving the DUST jeeps just feels like a chore, swerving wildly to and fro bumping into things and ultimately getting shot. Again, I am sure with a lot of practice you can master them, but why make them so user-unfriendly?
Continued..... |
Tarmageddon XIII
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Posted - 2013.05.05 07:21:00 -
[2] - Quote
There are a number of other quibbles and gripes, but I will leave them alone because they are just that, quibbles and gripes not make-or-break failures, but here is the fundimental thing which makes me feel that DUST 514 has missed the mark as a modern FPS:
With CoD and BF3 I have lost countless days to them, the reason being that they are massively addictive. You play a level and you finish up wanting more, whether it be that you are THAT close to unlocking the next weapon or upgrade, or whether it is because you have been sparring against someone in your lobby (which doesn't seem to exist at the moment on DUST) all morning and JUST want to get him one more time, or whether you think "I'll just play until I level up once more" or you are headed for that last prestige, SOMETHING always keeps you interested. This applies especially to Battlefield 3 as it is a far superior game to CoD, and also with the vehicles, aircraft and large maps a lot closer to DUST. I relish the playing the next round of BF3, I wait for that count-down to run out so I can waste another 10-30 minutes on playing it. With DUST it just feels like a chore, two or three rounds is all it takes for me to have had enough, and what makes or breaks an FPS is that with a really REALLY good one, you can never get enough.
So again, I am really sorry to CCP for feeling this way, and maybe I have been over-critical, to be fair DUST is pretty good, but we are talking about CCP here, they developed EvE which is SO far ahead of any other MMORPG out there that it might as well be on another planet (no pun intended) so I wasn't expecting an OK FPS or even a GOOD FPS, I was expecting something so mind-blowingly awesome that everything else paled into comparison, and with so few tweaks and lessons taken from other leading FPS games they could have achieved it, but unfortunately, sorry to say this, DUST 514 missed.... 
Lastly I am sure some of you will say, hey, if you don't like it, don't play, no need to write an essay about it, and with any other game from any other developer I would have done just that, but I WANT DUST to succeed, and I know that when it is released to hundreds of thousands of other ex-fps players a good number of them will be thinking exactly the same as me, so I figured I HAD to say something or I would feel that I had done nothing. Hope this explains it.
Gòª |
Tarmageddon XIII
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Posted - 2013.05.05 12:35:00 -
[3] - Quote
Hi guys, thanks for the replies.
With regard to this thread being in the wrong section, I saw that one of the rules in the Feedback section was not to make a list of items for feedback, I felt that my thread constituted a list as opposed to a single item for feedback, and that is why it went here. Apologies to the mods if I got it wrong.
With regards to CoD I know it has a lot of followers and a lot of haters. From my point of view it fills a slot in the FPS market, and that is rapid, arcade-style gameplay with focus on speed and adrenaline rather than realism. Some people hate that, some people thrive on it. I see it as part of my expansive gaming menu. If I want a more battle-simulator type of FPS I will play BF3 or Arma, but if I am in the need of a "quick fix" rather than the focus of a proper battle I'll pick up CoD.
I also appreciate that my comment about them setting the bar will go against the grain for a lot of people, but you only have to look at the sales success of both games to see that even if it's not your own PERSONAL cup of tea, they must be doing something right or no-one would buy it. I wasn't trying to pass off CoD as the last word in combat simulation, and I apologise for the mis-understanding if that's what you thought.
Finally, to the person who said they hope I carry on playing and see how it ends up, I fully intend to. I can't play tomorrow when the patch comes out on account of being stuck on a ship working in the South China Sea at the moment, but it is definitely on the list to catch up with when I'm home.
Thanks again for the replies, critiscisms and support.
Gòª |
Tarmageddon XIII
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Imperius Legio Victrix
9
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Posted - 2013.05.05 16:45:00 -
[4] - Quote
Rasatsu wrote:Let me guess; you started writing the post a few weeks ago, you procrastinated, trying to get something down day after day, then realized they're releasing a build that fixes most of the stuff you complain about so you finally got serious about writing the rest?
Wrong on all counts I'm afraid.
I started thinking about writing the post a few weeks ago right after my last DUST session when I realised that the "X" factor that it was missing was the ability to keep me addicted to playing for more than three or four rounds on the trot. I then came to work (as I mentioned before I work on a ship) and haven't had time to scratch my behind, far less write long posts about my gaming experiences for over a month. Then, earlier today I got my first half-hour free that I've had in weeks and decided to get it done. I found out about the patch from the replies on this thread.
Sorry.
SILENTSAM 69 wrote:I face palmed at BF3 and CoD "setting the bar."
Those games are examples of failure and what not to do. I would say you need to play more before you will understand how wrong you are here. Not to mention the update will deal with most of this
I'm not entirely sure how you can justify calling one of the highest grossing games franchises ever an example of failure, I'd be the first to admit that CoD is an acquired taste, and kind of like the MacDonalds of the gaming world (everyone knows it's junk and it'll make you fat, but millions of people eat there anyway) but unless you're Bill Gates I'm guessing they make more money than you!
And again, maybe it's a matter of opinion, but BF3 is an extremely well executed FPS game. If BF3 is an example of "failure and what not to do" I would be very interested to hear your examples of success and what TO do, as I have played a LOT of games of all genres and the reason I am happy to use BF3 as an example of "setting the bar" is because for me, in my humble opinion, there aren't many console-based online FPS (yes I know it's also on PC, but we are talking about console games here) that come anywhere near it.
Thanks again for replying.
Gòª
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Tarmageddon XIII
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Imperius Legio Victrix
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Posted - 2013.05.06 05:04:00 -
[5] - Quote
Sinned Deluvian you are right in what you are saying, DUST is very far removed from CoD and I should probably have stuck to BF3 when making comparisons to other FPS. CoD is relevant because of its popularity in the genre, and also has some relevance to my comments about graphics and controller layout, but other than that I retract any comparisons to CoD.
The main reason I used BF3 as a reference is because it shares a lot of aspects with DUST, the ability to drive land and airborne vehicles, actual long range sniping as opposed to CoD style quick-scoping, and realistic effective range on weapons. Along with that the graphics in BF3 are a good benchmark to use as they are as good as any other console-based shooter currently on the market, and it also has this elusive X-factor which I keep coming back to which just keeps you hooked into playing for hours on end.
The reason I kept coming back to Battlefield in my original post is because the aspects that the games DO share happen to be the aspects that BF3 got right, and DUST didn't.
Please don't get me wrong, I dont want DUST to be like Battlefield, I appreciate and respect the fact that DUST is it's own game and wouldn't have it any other way, but I think that if (for example) you jump into an armoured jeep in one game, it is only natural that you are going to compare it to your experience driving an armoured jeep in another game. Regardless of whether the games are totally different, that particular action (in this case driving an armoured jeep) is exactly the same.
In my opinion, and again, it's only an opinion, if you want to create something new and groundbreaking, whether it be a computer game, a car, a mobile phone, whatever... you have to look at the aspects that it will share with the leaders of it's type, whether it be technology, styling, user-compatibility etc, and you have to make sure that anything shared is either the same or better than the opposition, THEN you can add your own genius to it in order to make it a better product.
DUST certainly has it's own genius, the skills layout from EvE, the link with the EvE universe, it's all totally new and amazing, but I think what it needed to turn this from a good idea to absolutely the best FPS ever concieved is for CCP to look at what they WILL be sharing with their neighbours in the genre and steal the best of everything. In other words, if you want to make a new car you don't need to start off by working out what shape you want the wheels to be!
I hope this explains a little more where I am coming from. Thanks again for the responses.
Gòª |
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