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Where's the tech?

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
Many of us have posted in threads or have seen the re-hashed and often-quoted posts where a developer has said "there are tech limitations," or "the tech isn't there," or "we're working on the tech." The heavy instancing, ship interior travel, and chair-sitting strike me as the most prevalent examples. To this, I recently posted in a ship interiors thread with an analogy I thought was very appropriate. Let me set it up for you...

We have been told that because of issues with the combat camera, interiors needed to be scaled up. Citing examples where games have created appropriately-scaled interiors that worked with the camera successfully, this seems like a silly response to me. Here's the analogy I used: We are sick. This sickness is being caused by a bug known as "bad camera scripting" which is causing us symptoms ranging from "flickering" to "huge interiors." The doctor (development team) figures that we'll just get over the illness with some symptom-relievers so he prescribes "shorter doors that swoosh." We feel a little bit better, but we're still sick. We're going to need some heavy-duty antibiotics on this one, I think.

Does this analogy ring true? Does it seem to you that while we are getting new content and updates to the game, they really don't address the fundamental causes of the community's discontent?

It seems to me that where we have been getting the "tech is not there" rationale, they've all the while been highlighting to us the very problem with the game.

Thoughts? Criticisms? Trolls in need of doggy daycare?
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited July 2010
    I agree that there are many tech concerns Cryptic has to look into. Alot of it stems from the fact that this is a game engine not orginally designed from the ground up for STO.

    On the other hand, wouldnt you agree that putting out more content takes less time than rebuilding the engine?

    This game might have issues with inadequate tech. But it also has content issues, so that should have higher priority. Do what you can do fastest first.

    Higher priority than tech is meeting our demands for new features too. For example, we wanted interiors, so we got interiors. Now interiors are plagued by camera tech issues, so they're not as great as we would have wanted.

    But look at it this way. From their point of view, at least they could put out a feature at a playable level of quality. Dealing with the quality of it means fixing the tech, and that will take longer, in the meantime we have some form of interiors rather than just a bridge.

    Symptoms have to be dealt with first before tackling the disease. Unless you dont mind your patient suffering like hell in the meantime.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited July 2010
    DLRevan,
    Issues that have been described have nothing to do with not having a game engine designed from the ground up for STO.

    The problems mentioned would be problems with any IP or any type of MMO setting. So while these problems may have to do with the game engine it is not due to the fact that it was not specifically designed for STO.

    Of further note the game engine has little to do with the style or quality of game content.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited July 2010
    Does it seem to you that while we are getting new content and updates to the game, they really don't address the fundamental causes of the community's discontent?

    Who's discontent to address first? The Klingons? The PvPers? the C-Store haters? Those who pretty much hate everything about the game? I get the impression that in order to address as many concerns as possible they're only focusing a little bit on several areas rather than focus exclusively on a single area and make it perfect. To extend your analogy, think of a doctor not addressing a single patient, but trying to address dozens of patients all with varying degrees of injury. The guy with scrapes and bruises will get some symptom relievers while the one with the broken bones is going to get more attention.

    It's no secret the dev team is smaller than it was. However, I still think the team is capable of great things despite having fewer people directly involved. I have to assume STO was built upon some existing tech and TRIBBLE some to work for this game. I'm quite confident in their ability to rework the tech to fit *exactly* the wants of the players, however at what expense does that come?

    Everyone has their own views as to what is most important to them in the game. Cryptic has the job of deciding what is best for the game overall, and their success or failure depends on making the right call. I have to believe their decisions boil down to getting the greatest return for the least investment of resources. It may sound like a cheap/lazy/stupid way of doing things, but it's the only way to stay in business.

    Speaking of resources, I think given how transparent they are, the website needs a "meet the team" section. I think it'd be cool to get to know a bit more about the guys and gals responsible for the game.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited July 2010
    WarpVis wrote: »
    DLRevan,
    Issues that have been described have nothing to do with not having a game engine designed from the ground up for STO.

    The problems mentioned would be problems with any IP or any type of MMO setting. So while these problems may have to do with the game engine it is not due to the fact that it was not specifically designed for STO.

    Of further note the game engine has little to do with the style or quality of game content.

    You are right in that many of the problems are in fact common among MMOs, such as the camera issues. However, i'll point out that given enough resources and priority, you can build an engine that circumvents a particular problem because the game you're making it for has a feature that requires it.

    Tech does have some effect on quality of content, because it affects your experience of it. You'll have less limitations in making content that you would like to make as well.

    The game engine isnt really my point anyway. This is more about priorities, and priorities will always be higher for putting out content and less-work intensive features.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited July 2010
    Bump. Should the STO team refocus on these apparent tech limitations even if it would mean less content in the short term, but solid content in the long term? I'm of the impression that unless the architecture of the game itself improves, the game will never quite deliver what we're hoping for (interior travel, fewer instances, etc).
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited July 2010
    I'm torn. I think they should keep working on content, but I realize that alot of things they and we want implemented need more tech development. I'm going with fix the tech. better in the long haul IMO
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited July 2010
    I think putting out more content before its really polished isnt the best move on their part....however they need to do as much as they can to keep people playing.
    This game isnt established enough to make us wait forever for something and not risk losing a huge number of subscribers.
    Its an unfair postition the devs are in IMO.
    Do they keep putting out material to keep people moderately happy or do they take the time necessary to put out fantastic material and risk not having anyone around to play it once its released?
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