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Cooling · 13 Sep 2010, 09:46

Planetarion does not need more features, it needs an axe put through it.

I have been reading with dismay the myriad of suggestions in this forum and elsewhere on ideas to improve Planetarion. Excluding basic gui improvements, these suggestions are variously horrendously overcomplicated, hopelessly overambitious and/or completely unnecessary. Without fail they involve adding something 'new and better' to the game.

This approach to improving the game is fundamentally flawed. Planetarion does not need more features, nor does it need improved features. This may come as a shock to you the reader, but some of the features you want to improve are shit. They are not worth fixing. Planetarion would be a better game without them. Adding more to these so-called 'features' (such as covert ops, population and governments) is utterly futile and won't improve the game one bit. Planetarion needs you to come up with ideas on how to refine, improve, or jettison aspects of the core game. It does not need you to come up with a creative new way to **** up a feature that serves no useful purpose and never has.

The last thing the game needs is more irrelevant bolt on shit. Ultimately these so-called 'features' add little to, and do much to detract from, the core game. The game is overburdened already with so-called features and will not necessarily be improved by adding 'more things'. I offer but a few examples: unnecessary variables (production sliders), crazy restrictions (ingame alliance limits), pointless one-offs (governments), trite minigames (covert ops, scanners), overcomplication (a myriad of construction/research options) and overambitious useless claptrap (population).

Most importantly, the five races and fifty odd ship classes should be cut back to two/three races and fifteen ships at most. You can obtain just as much tactical and strategic depth from that many ships as you can from the current incomprehensible plethora of similar or identical shiptypes. If you want to make the game interesting, add unique ships and a branching tech tree. Force people to specialise and co-operate.

If you think that the general idea of cutting the game back is too radical, it might be worth pausing to think about what Planetarion is. It is a space themed wargame where people co-operate and build fleets in order to attack and capture asteroids from other players. That's it.

You, the players, need to start looking at the features of this game through a more critical lens. Ask: what does this feature add to the core game? Is it easy to understand? Is it fun? Is it necessary?

Right now, Planetarion is completely ****ing incomprehensible for the new player. It needs to be easier, simpler and more intuitive. Simply rewriting the (frankly dreadful) manual and adding 'quests' are band-aid solutions that won't do jack. The developers need to refocus Planetarion on what it does well (space combat/co-operation), not on adding new and irrelevant shit to an already hopelessly overdeveloped game.

I offer but a few suggestions: get back to basics, get rid of the useless features, and let the players make their own fun.

Thoughts?

13 Sep 2010, 09:46	#1
Cooling Tilting at windmills Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 579	Planetarion - Put an Axe through it Planetarion does not need more features, it needs an axe put through it. I have been reading with dismay the myriad of suggestions in this forum and elsewhere on ideas to improve Planetarion. Excluding basic gui improvements, these suggestions are variously horrendously overcomplicated, hopelessly overambitious and/or completely unnecessary. Without fail they involve adding something 'new and better' to the game. This approach to improving the game is fundamentally flawed. Planetarion does not need more features, nor does it need improved features. This may come as a shock to you the reader, but some of the features you want to improve are shit. They are not worth fixing. Planetarion would be a better game without them. Adding more to these so-called 'features' (such as covert ops, population and governments) is utterly futile and won't improve the game one bit. Planetarion needs you to come up with ideas on how to refine, improve, or jettison aspects of the core game. It does not need you to come up with a creative new way to ** up a feature that serves no useful purpose and never has. The last thing the game needs is more irrelevant bolt on shit. Ultimately these so-called 'features' add little to, and do much to detract from, the core game. The game is overburdened already with so-called features and will not necessarily be improved by adding 'more things'. I offer but a few examples: unnecessary variables (production sliders), crazy restrictions (ingame alliance limits), pointless one-offs (governments), trite minigames (covert ops, scanners), overcomplication (a myriad of construction/research options) and overambitious useless claptrap (population). Most importantly, the five races and fifty odd ship classes should be cut back to two/three races and fifteen ships at most. You can obtain just as much tactical and strategic depth from that many ships as you can from the current incomprehensible plethora of similar or identical shiptypes. If you want to make the game interesting, add unique ships and a branching tech tree. Force people to specialise and co-operate. If you think that the general idea of cutting the game back is too radical, it might be worth pausing to think about what Planetarion is. It is a space themed wargame where people co-operate and build fleets in order to attack and capture asteroids from other players. That's it. You, the players, need to start looking at the features of this game through a more critical lens. Ask: what does this feature add to the core game? Is it easy to understand? Is it fun? Is it necessary? Right now, Planetarion is completely **ing incomprehensible for the new player. It needs to be easier, simpler and more intuitive. Simply rewriting the (frankly dreadful) manual and adding 'quests' are band-aid solutions that won't do jack. The developers need to refocus Planetarion on what it does well (space combat/co-operation), not on adding new and irrelevant shit to an already hopelessly overdeveloped game. I offer but a few suggestions: get back to basics, get rid of the useless features, and let the players make their own fun. Thoughts? __________________ [Fury] [1up] [Ascendancy]