Fri Mar 21, 2003 9:20 pm
General Discussion: Toughts about FL!
At first i got to admit I was very pissed off at Digital Anvil, the way the game end after SP left me with an empty sense. I was asking where is the free-ending part of the game, nothing else to do, in my wildest dream with all the hype DA created around FL I saw myself controlling my own battleship and my own fleet of fighters, fighting for my own cause. That was what I expected from this game.
I decided to stop playing it. But since there's nothing else out there that could fulfill my desire for space opera, I gave FL another chance, I end playing another 20 hours, the little surprises that the DA team left here and there in the FL universe kept me going. Now I'm lvl 38, got my eagle ship (I prefer it to the Titan that I bought at first), got all the lvl 10 weapons, explore all the universe, found the 2 unknown system and I got 2M$. Now it looks a lot like the end for me as long as there is no mod out there.
I got to admit that Da did a great job on the programming part of the engine, the transitions are fluid, no loading time (keeping in mind of all the details of one given sectors and the time it takes to load it ONLY during your "jump" time from another sector, it's nothing for me compare to other games out there!) the graphics are great and the Universe is trully huge. The problem is, that universe doesn't look so huge when exploring it is the only thing left to do.
The Star Wars factor
I think you will all agree that FL looks a lot like SW. In the SP campaign, the character of Trent is without doubt the Han Solo version in FL. The way he end up in the interstellar conflict, his remarks and all makes it pretty easy. Now, I think you'll all agree with me that we all dreamed of becoming Han Solo after we saw the 1st SW movie (4th episode if you prefer), and FL is about halfway of doing that. The problem is in the little things that make a good entertaining game like FL a GREAT GAME. 1st the lack of interactivity, in FL the only thing that is truely interactive is the faction system and let me tel you it's not well done. Cause the gray zone is too great. In FL, I'm currently in very good term (friendly) with the Corsair and the Hessians (but the 2 hates each other guts!) and I got no problem with any of the 4 houses authorities! The hacking record is in my own opinion a real bad features it makes it too easy to beciome friendly with one given factions but it doesn't affect your record with ennemies factions the same way, example: Dauban really hated me, I got it hacked, become friendly, but lost only 1 little rectangle in the friendly side with all 3 ennemies factions. The other thing I hate about that system is that it fluctuate way too easily, you attack some faction ships in a remote border world sector but it's instantly known by all ships of this factions troughout the entire universe? How so? Finally what's with a bounty Hunter faction? C'mon? Either you make a lots of smaller bounty hunter factions or you don't make one! It's in the bounty hunter nature to be independant, heck he wants the fortune for himself, so if I happen to eliminate competition I think bounty hunters troughout the universe should be thankfull not angry at me, it just rised my value to them.
Character Interaction is the other thing that really bothers me. How come you don't get to see your best friend from leeds after the SP campaign or Juni! It's a simple think that would have add a lot of playability, since they could have grant you missions, even if they are really easy or boring you would have made them just to help them out. The same thing apply to all the NPC in the game, is any of you really gave any mind to the name of the pilots you encounter in the game (except maybe if they happen to be weird ones!). How about to be able to meet a certain pilot that you just saved at the nearest base in the bar and get dialogue, or other info. That wouldn't have been tough to implement and it would have add to the experience. Other thing that would have been great is recognition, people knowing you and being impress by stuff you did like an Solo and the Kessel Run!
Last thing that really bothers me is ship classes. It seems there's only fighter, freighters or transport out there, how come military authorities doesn't have more firepower in troubled sector? Corvettes or any othe medium classes heavyships. Cause in the current state, I'm the master of the FL universe, and only with an heavyfighter! No personal reward of killing packs of bounty hunters since i's very easy!
Anyway that'S my toughts on Fl, good entertaining game that got all the basis to be a GREAT GAME.
Feel free to reply, curious of what yo guys think.
I decided to stop playing it. But since there's nothing else out there that could fulfill my desire for space opera, I gave FL another chance, I end playing another 20 hours, the little surprises that the DA team left here and there in the FL universe kept me going. Now I'm lvl 38, got my eagle ship (I prefer it to the Titan that I bought at first), got all the lvl 10 weapons, explore all the universe, found the 2 unknown system and I got 2M$. Now it looks a lot like the end for me as long as there is no mod out there.
I got to admit that Da did a great job on the programming part of the engine, the transitions are fluid, no loading time (keeping in mind of all the details of one given sectors and the time it takes to load it ONLY during your "jump" time from another sector, it's nothing for me compare to other games out there!) the graphics are great and the Universe is trully huge. The problem is, that universe doesn't look so huge when exploring it is the only thing left to do.
The Star Wars factor
I think you will all agree that FL looks a lot like SW. In the SP campaign, the character of Trent is without doubt the Han Solo version in FL. The way he end up in the interstellar conflict, his remarks and all makes it pretty easy. Now, I think you'll all agree with me that we all dreamed of becoming Han Solo after we saw the 1st SW movie (4th episode if you prefer), and FL is about halfway of doing that. The problem is in the little things that make a good entertaining game like FL a GREAT GAME. 1st the lack of interactivity, in FL the only thing that is truely interactive is the faction system and let me tel you it's not well done. Cause the gray zone is too great. In FL, I'm currently in very good term (friendly) with the Corsair and the Hessians (but the 2 hates each other guts!) and I got no problem with any of the 4 houses authorities! The hacking record is in my own opinion a real bad features it makes it too easy to beciome friendly with one given factions but it doesn't affect your record with ennemies factions the same way, example: Dauban really hated me, I got it hacked, become friendly, but lost only 1 little rectangle in the friendly side with all 3 ennemies factions. The other thing I hate about that system is that it fluctuate way too easily, you attack some faction ships in a remote border world sector but it's instantly known by all ships of this factions troughout the entire universe? How so? Finally what's with a bounty Hunter faction? C'mon? Either you make a lots of smaller bounty hunter factions or you don't make one! It's in the bounty hunter nature to be independant, heck he wants the fortune for himself, so if I happen to eliminate competition I think bounty hunters troughout the universe should be thankfull not angry at me, it just rised my value to them.
Character Interaction is the other thing that really bothers me. How come you don't get to see your best friend from leeds after the SP campaign or Juni! It's a simple think that would have add a lot of playability, since they could have grant you missions, even if they are really easy or boring you would have made them just to help them out. The same thing apply to all the NPC in the game, is any of you really gave any mind to the name of the pilots you encounter in the game (except maybe if they happen to be weird ones!). How about to be able to meet a certain pilot that you just saved at the nearest base in the bar and get dialogue, or other info. That wouldn't have been tough to implement and it would have add to the experience. Other thing that would have been great is recognition, people knowing you and being impress by stuff you did like an Solo and the Kessel Run!
Last thing that really bothers me is ship classes. It seems there's only fighter, freighters or transport out there, how come military authorities doesn't have more firepower in troubled sector? Corvettes or any othe medium classes heavyships. Cause in the current state, I'm the master of the FL universe, and only with an heavyfighter! No personal reward of killing packs of bounty hunters since i's very easy!
Anyway that'S my toughts on Fl, good entertaining game that got all the basis to be a GREAT GAME.
Feel free to reply, curious of what yo guys think.