Summer Expansion - Incarna

[eldaec]

How would this completely new game help Eve?

For starters. It would be better. No one said anything about a completely new game.

In fact no-one said anything about *any* game.

[Mrbloodworth]

 

[eldaec]

My point is that literally no gameplay has even been promised for the vampire section of the game.

There has been a vague allusion to possibly forcing us to use the buttons-in-furniture interface to access the market for yet-to-be-introduced commodities, but that is it.

[Mrbloodworth]

You lost me.

[eldaec]

I'm not sure what is complicated, even when 'public areas' are patched in, the design so far is for you to walk into them, see other eveguys, communicate using the same chat channels you use today, and trade using the same market interface that exists today.

That is the entire vision at this point. There is no gameplay at all. Think Everquest, but without combat and in a setting where instant remote trading is already possible.

And unless they plan to turn it into a third person shooter, I can't think of anything I'd want them to add. All I can think of that they could do is maybe have location specific contracts and markets which would have no obvious value over the existing interface. Fedex quests for NPCs inside a station maybe?

RP weddings?

[Mrbloodworth]

Ohh, Now I understand what you mean. You should have said that.

I would not wave my hand to the need of people to play dress up. Its kinda a big thing. Also, people have more of a connection to an avatar than a ship. I recall them talking about Casinos, Shops, Social areas and clan stations as some ideas for this area of the game. Apartment customization is also a big deal. However, it looks like they are laying the ground work down for the subsystems needed to do ANYTHING with avatars and interiors. This is a good direction, I understand you may wish for a larger game in this area, but behind the scenes, this is a ton of work just for what they have proposed.

Its very true if you don't care about such things, you won't care. I suspect many however DO care. Like myself. Or they would not be doing it. First with what is now going to be Dust, and now this. People do care.

Adding a shooter in the ground game would also be hotness. But with Eves click and Waite combat, its highly unlikely, hence, Dust.


When was all this talked about...like 2003? Better late than never I suppose.

[Gets]

I'm glad them spending 5 years of development resources lets you have the Mr. Potato Head experience you've always wanted.

In more recent news, today's patch was mainly a UI overhaul. The consequences however so far have been the inability to warp to moons without bookmarks and T3 ships flying backwards.

[eldaec]

And I'd have no issue at all if CCP weren't using 70% of EVE development resource over several years just to provide dress-up-while-waiting-for-an-op, all the while raising expectations by implictly promising mysterious hotness which pubbies are already frothing about.

I recall them talking about Casinos, Shops, Social areas and clan stations as some ideas for this area of the game.

Casinos, ok, but why do you need avatars for casinos?

Social areas, definitely, but the real social aspect is the chat channel you talk in while stood in the appropriate area, and server wide chat already exists.

Markets, in practice you just mean an existing market that you have to stand in spot X to access? How do you sell this as an improvement over the existing market and contract system?

Clan Stations, isn't this just a room to stand in while talking in alliance chat (which is anyway obsoleted by jabber and voice comms in major corps and alliances)?

[Gets]

Oh, and viewing the logo of some random alliance in-game makes everyone's client crash.

Edit: And PI is broken.

[Numtini]

The casino thing has always driven me up a wall. Real online poker doesn't have Avatars. And in real online poker, nobody tries to blow you up on your way to the table. (Well other than the Justice Dept.)

[eldaec]

During development of magic the gathering online v3, wizards management honestly believed that what that game needed was 3d avatars to walk around between tables.

[Numtini]

Incarna is Second Life for Eve.

[Mrbloodworth]

During development of magic the gathering online v3, wizards management honestly believed that what that game needed was 3d avatars to walk around between tables.

I'm guessing this is the first you have personally heard of avatars for eve? Its not like this is a new development direction. Its not even the first implementation. I suppose if you like MUDS, then its fine in its current form, but no one plays muds anymore.

I guess you feel they could be doing something else for the ship bound folk, IMO, I'm not sure where you go after ships the size of plants that wipe zones out personally. Avatars have been request from the first day Eve was talked about. and was promised, or at least told about in detail sense what '03? And heavily in 08'.

Eve is building a universe, not just a space ship game.

Incarna is Second Life for Eve.

As of October 2006, the average age of an Eve Online player was 27, of which 95% were male and 5% were female.

[eldaec]

Yes the reason no women play eve is the inability to walk around in a poorly lit shoebox I can see this now.

Or possibly the fact that I cannot make it rain penises idk.

[Mrbloodworth]

It may help.

[Endie]

This is a pretty central case of an f13 thread.  Someone go back and collect all the "walking in stations will never be released" prophecies please.

[eldaec]

I don't remember anyone really pushing that, I do remember a lot of 'meh - no combat' discussion, and later 'meh - no gameplay', and later still 'jesus christ how many man years of development time for this!?'.

[Gets]

People will vote with their money. I'm voting 100 bucks in favor of World of Tanks this summer.

I'm not really sure why these days the game content we don't want comes for free though, and the content we want is being sold separately, a là DoW2: Last Standalone + Wargear DLC sold separately (must own original or expansion depending on purchase).

[Mrbloodworth]

Heard this went live today. Doom?

[Morfiend]

Heard this went live today. Doom?

In a move that shocked everyone, the downtime was extended by 4 hours.

[luckton]

Another expansion, another new player experience overhaul.  I guess I could try firing this up again and see how far up the learning curve cliff I get this time before I say "F*** it" and move on...

Does your Corporation have need of a mission runner/cannon fodder person for stuff? 

[VainEldritch]

Does your Corporation have need of a mission runner/cannon fodder person for stuff? 

They never let me in.  Bastards. 

Although one kind soul from here gave me 10k to get started and I paid him back when I could.

Now I'm a multi billionaire, so ner ner... 

If these gits wont help ya shoot me mail IG and I'll give you leg up if you want it. It's a strangely addictive game and it's oddly satisfying.

[Morfiend]

Another expansion, another new player experience overhaul.  I guess I could try firing this up again and see how far up the learning curve cliff I get this time before I say "F*** it" and move on...

Does your Corporation have need of a mission runner/cannon fodder person for stuff? 

You can't do much mission running right now I think if you are in the corp as they are at war. You are welcome to join the F13 in game channel and chat with anyone who is ideling in there. If I am there I am usually not afk. I have a little group of people hanging out in amarr empire space right now just sort of learning the ropes by scanning down anomalies and running those.

I think I need a bit more general game experience before I rejoin BAT, as I just felt a bit helpless and worthless down in 0.0. Yeah, I can tackle in fleets, but that was about it. I am currently up to around 5 mil SP, so still total newb, but I am able to scan down some decent stuff and my friend can tank most of the complexes we find in his drake or caracel.

[Phildo]

There's also a huge brawl going on right now on the test server.  I got doomsdayed and went right back in with another capital.

[Thrawn]

Walking in stations indeed.    Now I can walk across a room to click on something instead of just clicking on my UI if I want!  I see they have a shop with AUR as currency where you can buy clothing for your character, 1 Plex for 3,500 AUR and a dress shirt for your character costs 3,600.  Just what I always wanted!  

*edit*

[JWIV]

15 fucking USD FOR A GOD DAMN PRETEND SHIRT?   

[Thrawn]

15 fucking USD FOR A GOD DAMN PRETEND SHIRT?   

Don't miss the monacle that costs 4 plex. 

[Gets]

This stuff costs more than the stuff in my wardrobe.

[Gets]

Can I wear two monocles?

[Kageru]

I don't think I've ever seen MT done so badly. A destructable eyepatch costing the equivalent of 4 months gameplay? They have to be delusional.

Incarna is exactly what I expected. A tedious and complex way to press the same buttons you used before. Attempting to sell this change with no content or gameplay, as a full expansion, will damage their reputation... which is a bit on the nose anyway.

[luckton]

Well I tried to reactivate my account, but because I can't seem to remember one of the names of my characters, I can't login to account management.  gg CCP, gg.

[Gets]

T3s are still backwards!

[Elaen Todir]

T3s are still backwards!

Press esc ingame, find button "Clear cache", press it and problem solved.

[Kageru]

I think consuming all the "content" in the expansion in about 10 minutes is a new record. And a fair amount of that was double checking I'd got the aurum conversion rate right. It's now switched off so my hangar is a rusty metal door. Thanks CCP!

If they'd called this a foundation patch, admitted they didn't have the resources to do an expansion (with some meat on the bones) till WoD/Dust were out they might have kept player respect.

[eldaec]

T3s are still backwards!

Press esc ingame, find button "Clear cache", press it and problem solved.

Never do this.

Backward T3s forever crew checking in.