Wed Mar 05, 2003 8:53 pm
Musings of an open mind
I'm relatively new to this forum and have only been lurking since I'd heard the game went gold. I've resisted posting anything because I'm usually of the mind to let people state their opinions, regardless if I agreed with them or not. However, I would like to point out a few observations regarding FL.
I had refused to get the demo until last weekend and played several games for about 8 or so hours. I'm really glad I picked up this demo because I find myself enjoying it immensely. While it's not the greatest game since (Enter your favorite game here), it is a very enjoyable game, none the less. No, it's not a full-fledged space combat sim. It's not a accurate future trading market simulation, and it is not much of an RPG. However, it has a dash of everything that my old bones find refreshing.
There are many posts I see people making, detracting the game because of it's apparent brevity, lack of anything to do at the end-game, and because it's not a true "Dynamic Universe." I'd like to point out a few things that I feel will allow me to enjoy the game for what it is; a game.
For those who say the end-game is boring after 15 hours or so: You basically have all the top end equipment, you've made millions doing a lucrative trade run for a few hours, and now it's boring because there's nothing else for you to obtain. Well, all I can say is you get out of a game what you put into it. If you're looking for the fastest possible route to get the best ships and equipment, why would you not expect the game to be over quickly? Why not take your time, resisting the urge to make diamond runs? Try earning money slowly instead of cranking out 10 bounty hunting missions in a row. Every game has an end, or at least a point where it becomes "un-fun" or boring. How quickly you get to that point is up to you.
You also have to set realistic sights for how much enjoyment you get out of a game. I'm expecting roughly 30 hours of unabashed fun in FL. Which means I'll be taking it slow, seeing the sights, doing what I can to make the experience last. Your expectations may vary, but rarely will any game hold my interest for much longer than that. There are a handful that I like to re-install from time to time, just because I get the itch to play again. Typically, I like to milk what I can out of a game, then move on to the next biggest, best game that's due out.
Regarding the non-moving market prices, why is this such an issue? So, everyone knows the best routes and how to make the most money by trading, what's the big deal? Do you honestly think that making prices swing by +/-10% that it would make that much of a difference? Would buying or selling at 10-20% difference make or break this game? Give me a freakin break! The same people would still be making the same runs regardless if they make 10% less or not. "Man, This game rocks because I only made 720k in profit instead of the hard coded 800k!" How ludicrous is that? Even if it was put into the game, how much of an impact do you think it would have on the end-game? Would it make it more fun because it took an extra 15 minutes to make the same money you would have anyway?
The same goes for more varied missions, such as escort, delivery, etc. Can anyone honestly tell me that FL would never get boring or dull if they added 3 or 4 more mission types? Sure, it might extend the game a few more hours for a lot of people, maybe even 10-20 hours for those patient types, but would it magically transform FL into the "Never-ending Fun Game of the Century" some people envision it? I highly doubt it.
Really, what I think I'm trying to get at, and the purpose of all of this drivel, is that FL is not going to be all things to all people. Even if they made certain changes that people seem to whine about, it will eventually become boring, or no longer a challenge, or no longer fun. There never, ever will be a game that lasts for all eternity, doesn't get boring and has every feature we could ever dream of implementing. (If there was, it would be the end of the game industry since nobody would every want to buy anything else.)
Don't fret about what it could have been, or what you envisioned it should have been. Enjoy and savor it for what it is. Because, just like any good game, book, movie, and dare I say, life, it will eventually come to an end.
Yikes, sorry about the length!
I had refused to get the demo until last weekend and played several games for about 8 or so hours. I'm really glad I picked up this demo because I find myself enjoying it immensely. While it's not the greatest game since (Enter your favorite game here), it is a very enjoyable game, none the less. No, it's not a full-fledged space combat sim. It's not a accurate future trading market simulation, and it is not much of an RPG. However, it has a dash of everything that my old bones find refreshing.
There are many posts I see people making, detracting the game because of it's apparent brevity, lack of anything to do at the end-game, and because it's not a true "Dynamic Universe." I'd like to point out a few things that I feel will allow me to enjoy the game for what it is; a game.
For those who say the end-game is boring after 15 hours or so: You basically have all the top end equipment, you've made millions doing a lucrative trade run for a few hours, and now it's boring because there's nothing else for you to obtain. Well, all I can say is you get out of a game what you put into it. If you're looking for the fastest possible route to get the best ships and equipment, why would you not expect the game to be over quickly? Why not take your time, resisting the urge to make diamond runs? Try earning money slowly instead of cranking out 10 bounty hunting missions in a row. Every game has an end, or at least a point where it becomes "un-fun" or boring. How quickly you get to that point is up to you.
You also have to set realistic sights for how much enjoyment you get out of a game. I'm expecting roughly 30 hours of unabashed fun in FL. Which means I'll be taking it slow, seeing the sights, doing what I can to make the experience last. Your expectations may vary, but rarely will any game hold my interest for much longer than that. There are a handful that I like to re-install from time to time, just because I get the itch to play again. Typically, I like to milk what I can out of a game, then move on to the next biggest, best game that's due out.
Regarding the non-moving market prices, why is this such an issue? So, everyone knows the best routes and how to make the most money by trading, what's the big deal? Do you honestly think that making prices swing by +/-10% that it would make that much of a difference? Would buying or selling at 10-20% difference make or break this game? Give me a freakin break! The same people would still be making the same runs regardless if they make 10% less or not. "Man, This game rocks because I only made 720k in profit instead of the hard coded 800k!" How ludicrous is that? Even if it was put into the game, how much of an impact do you think it would have on the end-game? Would it make it more fun because it took an extra 15 minutes to make the same money you would have anyway?
The same goes for more varied missions, such as escort, delivery, etc. Can anyone honestly tell me that FL would never get boring or dull if they added 3 or 4 more mission types? Sure, it might extend the game a few more hours for a lot of people, maybe even 10-20 hours for those patient types, but would it magically transform FL into the "Never-ending Fun Game of the Century" some people envision it? I highly doubt it.
Really, what I think I'm trying to get at, and the purpose of all of this drivel, is that FL is not going to be all things to all people. Even if they made certain changes that people seem to whine about, it will eventually become boring, or no longer a challenge, or no longer fun. There never, ever will be a game that lasts for all eternity, doesn't get boring and has every feature we could ever dream of implementing. (If there was, it would be the end of the game industry since nobody would every want to buy anything else.)
Don't fret about what it could have been, or what you envisioned it should have been. Enjoy and savor it for what it is. Because, just like any good game, book, movie, and dare I say, life, it will eventually come to an end.
Yikes, sorry about the length!
