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Brian Rubin (space game junkie) criticizes Vendetta Online

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Apr 13, 2018 Phaserlight link
For any who are interested, begin at 1 hr, 16 m, 45 s:

https://youtu.be/ypYvEnoOjfg

Set aside that they are playing Eve, or that Brian is a Jumpgate veteran; I found it to be a fairly astute criticism. The language is somewhat over the top and flowery, but I've had similar thoughts over the years and it's quite a different take from your odd Google or Gear VR 5 second lambast I'm used to occasionally seeing. This is a group of people who sat down to play VO for a decent time and have quite a bit of space game experience.
Apr 13, 2018 Whistler link
It's a pretty interesting discussion. The chief concern seems to be that there's nothing interesting inherent in VO's transit system.

Certainly the current system allows for piracy and border patrol, but that's fairly infrequent in most areas - and not everyone likes surprise combat. This got me thinking about what else we could encounter on our travels that would make travel more interesting and make the universe seem less empty.

Roaming NPCs that provide missions or provide actual hot tips on local trade
Space creature sightings
Abandoned shipping containers with a little loot in them, maybe a rare drop
Temporary wormhole takes you to an unusual location
Roaming NPC makes repairs on your ship
Moving asteroid with rare ore floats through. It could be mined or perhaps just destroyed and ore scooped
Apr 13, 2018 greenwall link
*shrugs*

no duh transit is boring, among many other pursuits in VO. That they didn't speak of pvp at all tells me they didn't play long enough to get into any. PVP is where it's at, but the journey to being competitive and prepared for it is long and hard and most don't make it.
Apr 14, 2018 Luxen link
I do have a slight issue with SGJ (Veloxi in-game, even if he hasn't logged since November), which I only realized during their #241 Podcast, Dream MMOs. Everything they ask for is, yes, an interesting facet of systems, whether it be some golden automated trade system to encounters, but they never really say how such a thing improves the actual gameplay. Yes, it would be cool for various in-travel encounters, and that's especially true for VO where space can seem empty for periods of time, but in the end such encounters are merely part of a repeatable system that will lose their value as the game goes on. such overly complex ideas they wish for really only need their dumbed down equivalent, so that real pilots are still able to take center stage. otherwise, why play an MMO?
Apr 16, 2018 Ichitomi link
I do wonder, though: is this the same person who made the video where he complained about the slow travel while he would not use turbo, because then it would "run out"?

Aside from that, I agree travel can be slow in VO.

Whistler wrote: "Roaming NPC makes repairs on your ship."
You might still get the UDV Ninjr.
Apr 20, 2018 Phaserlight link
Part of this I believe is a relic from Vendetta's cosmic inflation from an 18 sector world into a 7,000+ sector world in 2004. At the time it seemed a matter of course that details would be filled in whether by players or game content. This came true to an extent but there still is a gap. Most of the time, as a veteran player, I just ignore it as I understand where and how good times are to be had. It takes someone like Brian Rubin to point out that 'hey, this universe has the potential to feel a lot more alive in most places'.

As it stands, Vendetta still feels like an 18 sector world living in a 7,000 sector world if I pay close attention. Maybe 1.9 or 2.0 will change this.

I really like Whistler's proposed solutions.
Apr 20, 2018 greenwall link
VO 2.0 should go back to 18 sectors
Apr 20, 2018 Mi5 link
and PC only
Apr 20, 2018 Darth Nihilus link
What would you guys say about reducing the 3000m jumping distance? Maybe reduce that to 1500m, and expand the "jumped to sector" notification to 2000m instead of the 1000m it is now.

I feel like this would make travel significantly less tedious, while also keeping prospects of chasing someone down alive.
Apr 21, 2018 Pizzasgood link
No. Sectors need to be bigger, not smaller. The smaller you make things, the more time you spend staring at loading screens while you magically teleport around instead of actually flying your damned space ship.

Best would be to eliminate the idea of sectors entirely. Replace jumps with warp drive and make the individual systems seamless.
Apr 21, 2018 Nico Okarr link
Best would be to eliminate the idea of sectors entirely. Replace jumps with warp drive and make the individual systems seamless.

Can you elaborate on that pizzasgood? It sounds cool but I don’t see how it would be any different in working than the current system of jumping.
Apr 21, 2018 joylessjoker link
Have you ever played Elite Dangerous, Nico? Of course you have not, please go and play it to get the concept.
Apr 21, 2018 Nico Okarr link
I don’t need to have played ED to know what he is trying to say, I like his idea and I want him to expand upon it.
Apr 21, 2018 joylessjoker link
You would rather that pizza waste his time explaining it to you than to be proactive and check out ED yourself? Millennials.
Apr 21, 2018 Nico Okarr link
You seem to be lacking in brain cells.

I know how warping in ED works, I want him to explain how it could possibly work/be implemented in VO since the idea seems interesting.

To explain that bit is up to him, maybe let him decide that?

And maybe don’t fill a constructive discussion with your noise?
Apr 21, 2018 joylessjoker link
Here's your quote from above:

It sounds cool but I don’t see how it would be any different in working than the current system of jumping.

It's pretty evident from this that you do not have a good understanding of warping in ED. Case closed.

If you really wanted to demand that pizza write a doctoral dissertation on how traveling can be improved in VO that could lead to a constructive discussion, you're better off making a new thread in Suggestions, not here. This is Off Topic, in case you didn't bother to check.
Apr 21, 2018 Nico Okarr link
Don’t blow what I’m asking out of proportion.

Warping in ED is not exactly rocket science.

AFAIK maps in ED are very different from the maps in VO. Specifically I’m asking how a player would be able to reach other regions of space within a system, for say mining a bunch of roids in vendetta.

There’s no way such an idea would ever be considered, it involves completely overhauling the travel system in the game. Hence it’s in off-topic and not in suggestions.
Apr 21, 2018 joylessjoker link
There’s no way such an idea would ever be considered

If that's what you believe, why waste your time on it? Don't you think your time would be more productively spent on things that can be realistically considered?
Apr 21, 2018 greenwall link
A better question to be asked is why waste one's times responding to joylessjoker the resident forum troll?
Apr 21, 2018 Pizzasgood link
"Specifically I’m asking how a player would be able to reach other regions of space within a system, for say mining a bunch of roids in vendetta."

I'm not sure how this is confusing if you already know how Elite or other games with warp drives work (e.g. Vega Strike, Shores of Hazeron), but sure. An E:D-like implementation could work like this:

Open the nav map and click on a point in space you want to reach. A marker appears in your radar and HUD, much like jump points now, indicating which way you need to point to reach your destination. Point your ship that way and move away from any massive objects. Engage the warp drive. Fly very fast until you near the destination. Slow down, exit warp, and proceed as usual.

You aren't locked into a course while in warp; you can still steer and fly to wherever. Points of interest are marked by HUD indicators since the distances are too far to see things like stations and asteroids. Your ship can also be detected from a much longer range while warping, and pirates with an interdiction device equipped may try to yank you out of warp (ion storms / reefs would also do this if you don't go around them). If your destination is near a sufficiently massive object, your warp factor will automatically diminish as you get deeper in the gravity well. Otherwise, you'll need to pay attention and slow down as you get close to your destination so you don't overshoot.

Of course, this doesn't remove the need to load assets, but they can be loaded in the background as you slow down to exit warp, since that takes a little bit. The process would need to be shorter than in Elite, since this is a much faster paced game, but it can still take long enough for the majority of computers to get everything loaded. If there's a delay for some reason, then the process of disengaging warp would just be extended as needed. It can be optimized further by taking advantage of a plotted route to start preloading assets even before you begin the deceleration phase of the trip, though care would be needed to avoid degrading performance.

But yeah, this would be a lot of work to change at this point.