New Black Prophecy trailer
-
Von Paulus
- Lieutenant
- Posts: 141
- Joined: Tue Aug 10, 2010 11:18 am
- Location: Portugal
New Black Prophecy trailer
It's looking good.
But I always suspect when the word free is used.
What's the payback?
[Edited on 19-8-2010 by Von Paulus]
But I always suspect when the word free is used.
What's the payback?
[Edited on 19-8-2010 by Von Paulus]
-
Blackthorne
- Lieutenant
- Posts: 239
- Joined: Wed Dec 10, 2008 9:27 pm
- Location: Germany
New Black Prophecy trailer
A man named Heinlein summed up the issue of "free" rather nicely.Originally posted by Von Paulus
It's looking good.
But I always suspect when the word free is used.
What's the payback?
[Edited on 19-8-2010 by Von Paulus]
TANSTAAFL - "There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch."
(He also wrote a couple of interesting novels, but you're here for the "Free MMO", right?)
Free-to-Play MMOs usually feature an "item shop", where you can buy such useful things as reduced or nulled death penalties, experience point and gold booster (which means you level faster and get more in-game money), crafting resources, crafting blueprints, special costumes, limited edition items and/or equipment.
Of course, they WANT you to buy those things (that's how they earn their pay and keep the server running), so basically the game is designed around the paying customer. Those that don't face atrocious drop rates, level-grinding and/or shitty equipment drops. Yes, you can archieve all of what the "paying" players can archieve, but it'll take you an eternity or three. Oh, and you won't get the funky monkey cap and flame decal for your ship/avatar either.
I had high hopes for Black Prophecy, but it went from Pay to Play to Free to Play. That itself wouldn't be that bad, but it's PVP-centered. So you basically face off against people with more money than common sense, and against people who spent more time in front of a screen that is healthy for them. Sometimes those two factions combine, and you get people that pay far more than a monthly fee's worth AND play 23/7 to boot. And since it's PVP-centered, it's of course their divine right to go noob hunting in their uberships. And since it's basically "free", expect your coplayers to behave like the semiretarded teenage douchebags that they, in fact, are.
(Yeah, that was a tad strongly worded, but those games attract a clientele that can safely be described as the internet's equivalent to a bottom-feeding mouthbreather.)
Black Prophecy suffers from a couple of other defects, though. It's heavily instanced (accepting a mission basically drops you off into your very own instanced "room"), it's grindy (well, if you read the opening paragraph you might have already guessed that), and it's got one of the most unfun flying models I had the doubtful pleasure to witness.
Your ships agility is keyed directly to your speed (which has a set limit and can't be properly set via say, a throttle). If you go slow, your ship doesn't turn at all. Turning while standing still? No way. And as you approach top speed, you will find yourself constantly overtaking your intended target. Seriously, whoever thought that this was a good idea needs to die in a fire.
Those nifty station visuals in the trailer? You get an animated "picture" after selecting docking from a menu. No docking sequence, no manual landing, no walking around. No free travel, either, as the universe is merely a collection of instanced boxes outside of the hubs (which will likely be spammed with "WTS" and "WTB" offers along with the ubiquitous real money traders spamming their illicit transactions before long).
As you can see, you get pretty much what you pay for.
-Blackthorne
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.
If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.
-
Von Paulus
- Lieutenant
- Posts: 141
- Joined: Tue Aug 10, 2010 11:18 am
- Location: Portugal
New Black Prophecy trailer
Blackthorne , you really have enlighten me.
All you've said make sense.
The word free, will attract every kid and grown up kid. It will be impossible to play.
That Heinlein gentleman you refer, his the same who wrote Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land among others?
The last time I read a Heinlein's book, was more than 20 years ago. Lately I've been thinking a lot in Starship Troopers. Maybe it's time to read again. I just hated the movie but the book stayed in my mind. I think he was called a fascist for that one. Never understood why people sometimes can only read in one layer.
All you've said make sense.
The word free, will attract every kid and grown up kid. It will be impossible to play.
That Heinlein gentleman you refer, his the same who wrote Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land among others?
The last time I read a Heinlein's book, was more than 20 years ago. Lately I've been thinking a lot in Starship Troopers. Maybe it's time to read again. I just hated the movie but the book stayed in my mind. I think he was called a fascist for that one. Never understood why people sometimes can only read in one layer.
-
Maarschalk
- Captain
- Posts: 7645
- Joined: Wed Feb 25, 2009 12:24 am
- Location: USA, Also check your six!
New Black Prophecy trailer
LOL, the trailer is awsome, to bad about the rest.......
:P:P:P:P
:P:P:P:PArvoch Alliance Stat:
Evochron Legends Stats:
Evochron Mercenary Stats:
Darkness is the absence of Light as Evil is the absence of Good
Evochron Legends Stats:
Evochron Mercenary Stats:
Darkness is the absence of Light as Evil is the absence of Good
-
warsign
- Captain
- Posts: 1775
- Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2008 10:04 am
New Black Prophecy trailer
Easy to show a game as "cool" with 3d animation intro. I saw many games, end of intro animation, when you face real engine of the game, real futures... There would be only frustrated players out there...
Thanks for the info...
[Edited on 8-20-2010 by warsign]