Posted December 21, 2022
@Developer
I'd like to take a moment to comment on the new story line added to the game. It only becomes available if you gain access to the contraband aspect of the game, which is entirely against my playing style... and means that in a normal game, I would never actually encounter the vast majority of the story line. Needing to join an illegal organization in order to proceed with the game is counter-intuitive in a game which is not inherently associated with illegal activity.
That being said, I'm not so much bothered by being forced to play my game in a style counter to my gaming preferences as I am by the fact that currently, it is not only counter-intuitive but also non-directed. There is nothing in the game that motivates the character to join the smugglers' faction apart from a comment written by you in the patch notes.
Seriously? The only way to get to the main story content is by acting on hints written in the version patch notes ?!?
You really need to have something in the game that directs the player to speak to this unsavory individual, because I would normally never even discuss joining his group in a game. I'm probably not your primary target audience... but that's going to leave a lot of people playing in an endless sandbox doing random quests for faction agents unless you give them some IN-GAME logical reason to speak to Forley Coresh. The suggestion that everyone should be ABLE to smuggle even if they choose not to makes as much sense as saying I really need to learn how to cook meth... even if I never decide to do it. WHY should everyone need to be able to smuggle?? And why would you presume that anyone would have any interest in joining a smuggling organization if they don't have any desire to be a smuggler? That's one heck of an assumption to base access to the entire main story line on.
Well... either that, or assume all your customers will read your version patch notes.
At least with Phestus, I was given a good reason to go talk to him. I was directed by a starting quest to speak to Scarby Hurzog who then directed me to Phestus. If you had just automatically assumed I would go chat with him, I probably would have floated around in Achmedius, mining and killing bandits for a week or two and eventually given up on this game without ever having left the first star system.
For example... maybe, after playing for a certain length of time, you either get a quest to go to a specific location and speak to Doctor Rhamus or he appears the next time you enter a starbase and tells you that he needs a particular item to complete some critical research. The only problem, is that the item itself is illegal, and he needs you to speak to one of his smuggler contacts and acquire this black-market item for him. That would give the player a reason to deal with the smugglers even if they had no interest in becoming a smuggler (at least beyond getting Dr. Rhamus his contraband equipment).
I'd like to take a moment to comment on the new story line added to the game. It only becomes available if you gain access to the contraband aspect of the game, which is entirely against my playing style... and means that in a normal game, I would never actually encounter the vast majority of the story line. Needing to join an illegal organization in order to proceed with the game is counter-intuitive in a game which is not inherently associated with illegal activity.
That being said, I'm not so much bothered by being forced to play my game in a style counter to my gaming preferences as I am by the fact that currently, it is not only counter-intuitive but also non-directed. There is nothing in the game that motivates the character to join the smugglers' faction apart from a comment written by you in the patch notes.
Seriously? The only way to get to the main story content is by acting on hints written in the version patch notes ?!?
You really need to have something in the game that directs the player to speak to this unsavory individual, because I would normally never even discuss joining his group in a game. I'm probably not your primary target audience... but that's going to leave a lot of people playing in an endless sandbox doing random quests for faction agents unless you give them some IN-GAME logical reason to speak to Forley Coresh. The suggestion that everyone should be ABLE to smuggle even if they choose not to makes as much sense as saying I really need to learn how to cook meth... even if I never decide to do it. WHY should everyone need to be able to smuggle?? And why would you presume that anyone would have any interest in joining a smuggling organization if they don't have any desire to be a smuggler? That's one heck of an assumption to base access to the entire main story line on.
Well... either that, or assume all your customers will read your version patch notes.
At least with Phestus, I was given a good reason to go talk to him. I was directed by a starting quest to speak to Scarby Hurzog who then directed me to Phestus. If you had just automatically assumed I would go chat with him, I probably would have floated around in Achmedius, mining and killing bandits for a week or two and eventually given up on this game without ever having left the first star system.
For example... maybe, after playing for a certain length of time, you either get a quest to go to a specific location and speak to Doctor Rhamus or he appears the next time you enter a starbase and tells you that he needs a particular item to complete some critical research. The only problem, is that the item itself is illegal, and he needs you to speak to one of his smuggler contacts and acquire this black-market item for him. That would give the player a reason to deal with the smugglers even if they had no interest in becoming a smuggler (at least beyond getting Dr. Rhamus his contraband equipment).
Post edited December 21, 2022 by Toccatta
