Aiten GROUP: Members POSTS: 1040  |
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Sep. 10 2004, 12:52 pm
Note: This is all high fantasy for impact
imagine your a Cardassian and have transported onto a Fed ship (player). As soon as you transport the Bridge has set up level 10 force fields around your team. Ecah of you move out the way as a little skinny guy comes foward, not looking as if he should be part of an assault team. The engineer places an instrument next too the force field and all of a sudden it dissapeared. Your team moves forward.
What the engineer did was actually far more complicated, he was shown a 3d view of inside the system, he managed to find which part of the system was casing the force field, a few action packed ping pong games he won and the system went down.
Do you like this idea more than say, just using stats too do it automatically? I preffer skill invloved.
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TheEngineer GROUP: Members POSTS: 117 |
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Sep. 10 2004, 1:06 pm
There should be "techincal game" action for the non-combatants (even though most starfleet personel have basic combat training). But since other players might have to wait for the scientist/engineer/operations officer to do his task before moving on, these "mini-games" have to be quick and still interesting and difficulty based on the challange of the task in comparison with the characters "skill" in the required field.
Since I often gamemaster Star Trek as a pen and paper roleplaying game I know how important it is to keep a balance between technical action and combat action without delaying the diffrent teams (combatants vs non-combatants) from the tasks they like to do.
It is all about time balance to make the game fun for all...
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Jeffk38uk GROUP: Members POSTS: 70 |
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Sep. 10 2004, 1:09 pm
One thing I just noticed, not on the idea, but on the actual game, and that is would they actually implement actual walking through the ship? Will they really recreate several decks of your own ship while your warping to your next mission? Cause that will suck alot of any computer and will also determine the size of the universe if you think a bit.
Its just a thought.
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Aiten GROUP: Members POSTS: 1040 |
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Sep. 10 2004, 1:37 pm
Your computer? You have too remember they say 2007, so they mean 2008/9.
Now say 4 year ahead, computers generally double in power do they not every year(well between 1.5 and 2), so now its 3.4, so in 2008 will shoudl have between
17.2 ghz and 54.4ghz (lol, do the math).
With that as state oft he art at release, im sure that is what their specs will be aimed at as the life span of an MMO is roughly 5-10 years (look at EQ, UO etc.)
Are you telling me that a 17ghz computer could not handle a few decks?
There is no way any of our current (even top spec) computers will be able to cope with such a game.
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admsteven GROUP: Members POSTS: 12 |
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Sep. 10 2004, 2:19 pm
What they could try doing is having only certain sections loaded at a time. Like say one portion of the deck maybe a third and say when your moving from jeffries tube to jeffries tube it loads it in the backround while your moving so you don't notice it?
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Jeffk38uk GROUP: Members POSTS: 70 |
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Sep. 10 2004, 2:22 pm
Ok, lets forget about the comp spec idea then, its still alot of work to it, you got to get it balanced with the actual dimensions in the game, while still run for hundreds of thousands of other players prob doing the same thing.
But I'm sure they'll work something out.
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GROUP: Members POSTS: 0 |
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Sep. 10 2004, 2:24 pm
With each deck being subject to a load-in screen it would be extremely practical to have a multi level ship.
And I have yet to see any UFP ship that was truly unique in design. I know there are a few prototypes involved but do you realistically believe that a Player will get command of one?
Starships in general, by design, are full of bulkheads, doors, turbolifts, etc that block the plane of view and therefore make their rendering rather easy.
I don't think that even todays computers will/would have a problem with the creation and maintenance of a larger ship.
I like the idea of skills being required, but for those of us - not including myself - that are not twitchy gamers it may be exclusive to being an engineer to add "pong" style video game requirements. It would also lessen the necessity to have a higher level engineer on board.
If anyone could repair a warp conduit just by clicking on some things in the right order then everyone should be security personnel and let the engineering to the guy sitting with a strat guide on his lap.
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Aiten GROUP: Members POSTS: 1040 |
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Sep. 10 2004, 2:47 pm
You bring up a good point, that it would lessen the need for high level engineer's.
There shoudl be a balance, whether that be within the actual prossess or by allowing restrictsions to those who do not possess the right level?
Difficult balance? lol
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GROUP: Members POSTS: 0 |
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Sep. 10 2004, 6:21 pm
Hum... difficult to implement. Before we know how "taking damage" and "healing" works in this game, I doubt I can commant that much.
However, what yoU're saying is basicly an older piece of RP games. Like in classic AD&D: The thief who has to detect and take out traps. Or the assasin who can sneak from the shadows.
It would be great to have such "supportive" people in this game as well :]
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