f13.net forums - "Beyond Protocol:" Enlighten Me

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April 24, 2024, 03:57:10 PM

we're back, baby

http://www.beyondprotocol.com/phpnuke/html/

Anyone have any 411 on this title? Saw it profiled on Gamespy and read that it was well received at GenCon. Not sure if that's a good thing though, since anything remotely Dork is well received at GenCon, and this game seems pretty damned Dork. Good for me ('cause I like Dork), bad for the public.

If I had to put a generic finger on this game it looks just like GalCiv but in MMO form, with shades of Lost Empire instilled. Definitely grognardish, definitely a small studio (2 brothers?), but interesting nonetheless. My curiosity got me and I signed up for beta, so I await their reply.

Ok, this is interesting. Signing up.

Anyone get into this thing yet? I'm bored... need new game...

Update: I just got an email from these guys expressing that I can get into the Closed Beta IMMEDIATELY if I pre-order their game, which comes with a 30-day free trial after release. $49.95 Ummm... I are afraid. Anyone else wanna take the plunge?
https://www.beyondprotocol.com/shop~~~/

How do they handle AFK/logout?

Quote

Everything you do remains when you log off and your empire continues to build, grow and battle even while offline in this truly persistent universe.

Seems such monumentally bad idea. Ether your input, as a player, does not matter and game can play itself or you have one huge game of nightly wallbashers (SB reference).

Quote from: sinij on September 01, 2008, 07:46:36 PM

How do they handle AFK/logout?

Quote

Everything you do remains when you log off and your empire continues to build, grow and battle even while offline in this truly persistent universe.

Seems such monumentally bad idea. Ether your input, as a player, does not matter and game can play itself or you have one huge game of nightly wallbashers (SB reference).

Just like (cough) EVE.

I was thinking urban dead...

I spent some time in the tutorial and it's not bad*, but of course I'm not currently exposed to the real game of catasses mowing down my bases while I'm away at work.

* So far. Also it needs some POLISH before it goes retail.

I'm getting the this guy looks legit

feeling from DSE. Is it my imagination or are these guys moneygrubbers?

Quote from: Dark Sky Entertainment Informative Email

If you have been to the shop area lately to preorder, you will notice there are two pricing models for Beyond Protocol.

The Premium Account provides the player a much cheaper subscription basis for the long term player.
The cost for the account is 49.95USD. The subscriptions for the premium account are:

* $12USD every 30-days
* $30USD every 90-days
* $100USD every year

The Standard Account provides the player that is unsure of their length of stay a less expensive option up front. However, this player will be required to pay a higher subscription.
The cost for the standard account is 19.99USD. The subscriptions for the standard account are:

* $15USD every 30-days
* $42USD every 90-days
* $75USD every 180-days
* $140USD every year

Accounts cannot transfer from standard to premium under any conditions. Premium accounts will have additional offers not provided to the standard accounts. An example will be access to our test servers to try out upcoming features or games.

DSE has always discussed a strategy guide that was coming soon. It will be a locked PDF that is allowed to be installed on one machine. It will be given to the first 10,000 buyers of the game. This 300+ page book provides all of the tricks and tips for agents, commerce, research, combat, and diplomacy. It includes charts, worksheets, and instruction on how to get the most efficient use of the game systems. It was written by testers and editted for accuracy by DSE. This book will be provided enhancements, revisions, and additions as the game evolves. The price of the strategy guide will be $19.95USD. We expect to keep it up to date on a regular basis as the game deems necessary.

The guild promotion is still kicking and active. If a guild presents itself with 20 preorders before October 31st, 2008, the guild members will be required to only have 5 days of /played time.

In all of our surveys and recommendations, four things were told to us:

* The price point of the game needs to consider the long-term and short-term player. (new pricing model)
* The intense depth of the game needs to be addressed through documentation and other assets. (the strategy guide for those who purchase)
* The UI needs to be more intuitive and useful (we have addressed over 150 bugs in one week, focusing on the ease of the interfaces...400 more to go...plus any more we can have told to us)
* The graphics of the units and structures need work (today, we released a MAJOR update of graphics to allow for hulls to be customized across many textures, bumps, and illuminations)

I haven't checked out the updates. I have too many finished and paid-for games to play.

I started deleting their emails to me once I realized the same thing Yeg... which was a while ago. Seems like they're FIXATED on making any amount of money possible, even to the point of charging to be in the beta, or signing your life away just to take a peek. Nope, I refuse to even DL this game until somewhere, somehow, it becomes free in some way. For now, they charge you just to spit in their general direction.

I like how they address the problem of "Your game is really fucking complex, how about some documentation?" by forcing you to buy a $20 strategy guide. Sounds like a company I'd like to work for.