Does anyone play multiplayer?

I've been reluctant to buy Freelancer ever since I heard about the joystick thing. I've read more bad press about it than I care to recall. The other day, I found a bargain bin copy of it, and stood there in line to buy it, as it was very cheap. Then I saw a copy of Tron 2.0 on sale for the same price. I switched boxes and bought the Tron game.

As a space sim junkie and fan of the genre, and someone who often complains that people aren't buying enough games in this genre to support those brave developers willing to make more of 'em, I feel a little ashamed. Then again, if it sucks it sucks, and I don't have limitless funds or time. I AM picking up my copy of X2 tomorrow, even if its a stinker, it at least has some of the gameplay I'm seeking.

On the MP note, broadband is soon to be coming to the rural area where I live, so I'll be looking for someone to play WhatRocks, or Epic Online with in the near future.

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Hot4Darmat

On the MP note, broadband is soon to be coming to the rural area where I live, so I'll be looking for someone to play WhatRocks, or Epic Online with in the near future.

I'm on broadband now (or, at least I will be when I get around to integrating my EoC computer into my network). We'll plan some games.

I look forward to giving you a shellacking.

I'm going to wait a little until I see the X2 reaction on the North American release. I've been burned one too many times. If PS intends to make no more space-sim games I will simply mod EoC's brains out endlessly.

I'm curious to know what you think of Tron... when you get into the game a little, post some thoughts. Since you and I are pretty much from the same generation (and remember the movie and what it meant to sci-fi animation), I'd very much like to hear your perspective.

No confusion; just wrong or right ... Only Solutions

Will do, Shane. Though it may take awhile. I'm resisting any more gameplaying until I get a few important things done, like my mod involvement, the fiction piece that is SO close to being done, but somehow managing to evade me for that final motivation push, etc. etc. I've had Tron 2.0 on my list for a while as a wait-til-bargain-bin game purchase, just because I was such a big fan of the movie (the recent DVD release was well worth the purchase)...so, yes, it's a nostalgia thing. A friend of mine runs a LAN gaming place in town and he fired up a copy of it, just so I could get a boo at it, and it looked brilliant...very true to the glowy, 80's computer generated look of the movie. The discs flew wickedly fast though, the AI was brutally accurate, and the game-within-a-game of the light cycle racing was strictly for the twitch-gaming generation. So I imagine it'll offer some good challenges. I'll save the light cycle races for those highly caffeinated weekend early mornings.

As for your challenging words about online combat...we'll see who gets shellacked! Actually, we should start up some kind of team/co-op thing that pits the old farts against the twitch-gen. I did this much to my chagrin when I organized a space sim night at the aforementioned LAN-gaming place. The only game people would play was Starlancer, which wasn't so bad, but the arse-kicking I suffered 'cause I had only been playing EoC was downright humiliating.

I save my taunts and cocky threats for when I REALLY know I'm going to win, now.

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Hot4Darmat

Sage advice, Hot4. I've got a few projects I'm working to finish before Christmas myself. And maybe a surprise or two. Perhaps in the new year.

I grabbed the Tron DVD set also... even managed to get my kids interested in it (told them they probably wouldn't like it - reverse psychology wins again ). You did the right thing, waiting for Tron 2.0 to hit the bargin bin. I spent $50 on it when it first came out, and just didn't feel I got my money's worth (except, maybe, the lightcycles They're fun).

And, of course, I'm just joking about the shellacking. I'd most likely be plastered in the first minute; I've spent too much time against predictable computer opponents, and I've a suspicion that I'm not quite as quick-on-the-draw as I used to be.

No confusion; just wrong or right ... Only Solutions

I beta tested Eve for a few months up to release. It's a great game, despite the usual MMORPG bugs and glitches.

The problem though is that the game has no soul. Past all the well-designed econmics and corporation system, the game has nothing real to grasp onto. Game progrssion is extremely tedious, the skill learning-timesinks are huge (last I remember it took two months just to learn how to use 10 combat drones), and the combat system is lacking any real-time ingenuity.

A funny thing about that game was that any ship could just warp away during a battle, since engaging their warp engines meant complete invunerability to everything. Then they could just warp around untill their engine stalled in the middle of nowhere, and be completely safe to recharge/rearm. There was no way you could get destroyed unless you were either careless or hit by a warp disruptor. However the Warp Disruptors were costly, bulky, time-consuming, and very range-deprived devices. It was hard to stick that thing even on a Cruiser without sacrificing alot of your ships resources.

Another funny moment: During the beta, they had this "giveaway" kind of event where special pilots would deliver juicy blueprints and cargo from point A to point B. You could choose to escort these ships and possibly get a reward, or try to shoot them down. Only problem is each time they had the event, they placed the ships on the opposite ends of the galaxy. This means doing 50+ jumps, MANUALLY (there was no autopilot). It took about an hour to do this, not to mention that these ships were spawned near the HQ of certain clan-corporations, whom (big suprise) ended up getting all of the treasure.


Ahh, memories.

I think the future of space sims is in the MMOG, but, from what I've heard, EVE could only take the first baby-steps into that realm. The technology simply hasn't caught up yet.

I certainly hope I live long enough to see a persistant, interactive, online universe where I can fly my ships and blow the crap out of honest merchants with my online buddies. Or get online with a group and take down a large cruiser using advanced tactics. But I figure it's about six-to-ten years away before we see anything which can create an actual 'universe' for online gamers to run around in... maybe longer.

Until then, I can dream.



No confusion; just wrong or right ... Only Solutions