I hope Derek Smart reads this somehow
Ahhh, Battlecruiser. I remember when I was in 6th grade, I had the chance to play the very first Battlecruiser game ever. "A space simulator that just lets you fly around the solar system? Golly gosh, sign me up!". Turns out the game was unbelievably buggy, rendering it totally unplayable by my system. I rejoiced at the next version, featuring new working code. Hell, I was so happy, I bought the retail version and spent a whole week trying to learn all of the little nuances in the wonderfully deep game. Unfortunatly, the depth was crushed under the destructive weight of missing features, wonky A.I., and bugs that survived the code-overhaul. Dissapointed that what could have been the greatest game ever flopped miserably AGAIN, I turned to sucking my thumbs and playing with pretend sock puppets. Years later, the next iteration of the Battlecruiser series, BC Millenium, hits the shelves and I couldn't be happier to see what progress the box says the developers have made. I saved and saved until I could buy that game, and again I brought my hopes up that I would be able to play the space simulation of my dreams. The first thing I tried was the multiplayer.....oh, wait...no multiplayer out of the box? Wait for a patch, it says? Well, that just gives me a chance to play for a while and be one step ahead of my frinds. Uh oh, more bugs. Why do I still see the swirly vortex of sickness when the doctor said I was cured.....3 hours ago? Why do I control my ATV from the outside, when I'm trying to walk on the surface of this dead, lonely planet? I'm supposed to walk forward, not in place while my ATV floats by me. Another release of Battlecruiser, another summer of sickening sock-puppetry. Months later I hear word of a patch. Multiplayer, perhaps? OOooo, maybe they fixed enough of the bugs to make the game playable! Again I buy the game (used, so I wouldn't have spent so much money twice). Besides, I hear this game has a huge fan base, so it's got to be good by now, right? Wrong. Multiplayer barley works on EITHER of my new computers, many of the bugs still persist, and who ever I was emailing for tech support must've had sand in thier rectum. Star date - Feburary 14th, 2004: I download the Universal Combat demo, hoping the game will finally kick as much ass as the box advertises. *Sigh* It's like Derek Smart and team has thier eyes closed to what actually works in a game and what doesn't. Here's a list of what would make the game playable without compramising thier current, hardcore fan base
1. Ok, Mr. Smart has given a very good case why the graphics arn't, and shouldn't be, top of the line. They are fine just they way they are, and I would rather have smooth running gameplay within a huge space battle than have uber-spank glitter at slideshow speeds. So why then, did my more than competent system stutter and hicup so much? This is just judging by the demo, but if the 3000a.d. development team hasn't done any optimization since then, I'd look into it.
2. This is my biggest problem with the game. Why the hell does being a marine/infantry man feel like I'm controlling a marionette? Forgive my burst of frustration but GET A FUCKING CLUE GOD DAMMIT!!!! First, simplify the controls. I like complexity when I'm piloting a ship, not when I'm trying to walk around on my own two digital feet. Second, smooth the movement. I'm sure you guys think you have to "break the mold" and go off to do your own independant "thing", but just soothe your egos and make movement less frustrating. When I want to side step, I'm usually NOT in the situation where I want to stop moving forward to SLOWLY side step. Fluidity in the movements WILL make the game more fun to play, no matter who you ask, you have my sock puppet garuntee.
3. Ok, this is another infantry complaint: why am I 3 feet tall? OR, why is the grass 8 feet tall? This fauna, while making the world seem plesantly....not dead, unrealistically limits vison. Please stop it.
4. Why are all of the targets labled? This isn't really a problem in space, but on the crowded ground or in the atmosphere, the density of the target names makes it IMPOSSIBLE to choose a target and pursue it with ease. I imagine this must be an even bigger problem for the people with a lower leve computer system (those very people you're tailoring the graphics engie to, don't forget). I don't see how ANY civilization could survive with such an inadequate targeting system.
These are my main complaints, and in my opinion, the only things that keep this game franchise from true greatness. I understand the difficult niche that 3000a.d. are trying to fill, and I commend them for trying. This is a game genre I really want to see come to the level of completion that Derek Smart undoubtably has in mind. Unfortunatly, I think these developers also have a horrible ego problem which keeps them from using game mechanics which have worked well in the past. If this team of otherwise excellently talented individuals would fix these issues hithero discussed, and do more rigorous testing for bugs, I think we could have a real great classic on our hands.
Steve's site.
