Adam and Steve
OSG Planetary Operations
Covert Intervention
12
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Posted - 2013.05.30 19:21:00 -
[1] - Quote
It's been a few weeks since Uprising (and the new Star Map) has been released, and I feel like enough time has passed for me to give an objective review.
First, let me congratulate and thank you for the great work you've done to make the Star Map not only decipherable, but functional. You listed a great deal of challenges you had to overcome in the dev blog, and though I do agree some compromises were made, I feel like you arrived at a more than satisfactory product. The working DUST 514 Star Map is an essential tool in Planetary Conquest.
So instead, the only request I really have is: Can you please bring back the old, 3-dimensional Star Map in addition to the existing map?
DUST 514 has grown steadily in userbase and content since I started during the closed beta. CCP has created a 10-year roadmap for the game with the plans to continually evolve the universe and create new content. DUST's "promise of the future" and "one universe" are core selling points of the game to entice new players and retain existing players, connecting players new and old alike to the game.
I feel that being able to view and manipulate the 3-dimensional Star Map did more to connect me to the universe and entice me to play than any other social function of DUST.
The Star Map, as it currently exists, though functional, does not adequately convey a sense of scale and scope of the universe. And without it, it does not assist players in making them feel connected to the game. Humans feel little to no emotional attachment to blank and colored hexagons, making players literally unable to "find their place" in the universe.
The old Star Map was able to inspire me, and filled me with a sense of awe akin to looking up at the night sky and gazing at the stars. Simply being able to play around with it was a welcome escape from the claustrophobic holding cell known as the "Merc Quarters." I became free to explore the universe, dreaming of the countless adventures that undoubtedly awaited me.
In its current form for DUST players, the Star Map exists only as a functional tool to aid players in Planetary Conquest. Unfortunately due to awoxing, the majority of corporations participating in Planetary Conquest have closed recruitment to new players, and new players are deprived of the chance to feel connected to a slice of hexagon pie. Yet, in its 3-dimensional form, the Star Map can serve as an interactive work of art that binds the player to the universe and gives them a sense of belonging.
Surely I cannot be the only one who would like to see it return.
P.S. Being able to view the Star Map from the War Barge would be a great addition, too.
Sorry for the fluff. I figured I had to appeal to both your sense of business and empathy in order to have any chance of enacting change. Here's the
TL;DR
Quote:I feel that being able to view and manipulate the 3-dimensional Star Map did more to connect me to the universe and entice me to play than any other social function of DUST. |