indiegames
February 19th, 2010, 05:05
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/9/2010/02/500x_star-trek-year-one_dead-jim.jpg (http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/9/2010/02/star-trek-year-one_dead-jim.jpg)Death in Star Trek Online seems to be a disappointing experience for its fans, lacking narrative oomph and encouraging unreasonably risky behavior. The game's executive producer says the studio is listening and considering a change.
"We are looking into finding a meaningful way to give players a deeper sense of loss when something bad happens," Cryptic's Craig Zinkievich told IncGamers. "But we want it to feel right, rather than just like an arbitrary penalty."
Zinkievich said Cryptic's philosophy has been that death penalties in the genre are typically just a time penalty, and they prevent players from getting back into their game and enjoying it.
"I get that people want to feel a sense of risk when they're fighting in battles, but if the only emotion you feel when you're playing a game is fear that you're going to lose some time due to an arbitrary gameplay mechanic, we're probably not doing something right, " he said to IncGamers.
He's got a point. And from the perspective of making a product, someone's bought the game, you don't want to discourage its use. But there can't be risk without consequences. So it's a vexing design issue.
I suggest that Cryptic do far worse than kill you, admiral. It hurts you. And it wishes to go on ... hurting you ... leaving you marooned for all eternity in the center of a dead planet. Buried alive. Buried aliiiiiiiiiiive ...
Star Trek Online: "Meaningful" Death Penalty Needed (http://www.incgamers.com/News/21015/star-trek-online-meaningful-death-penalty-needed--) [IncGamers via Blue's News]
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More... (http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/viAR-m6t_is/cryptic-considering-a-more-meaningful-death-penalty-for-star-trek-online)
"We are looking into finding a meaningful way to give players a deeper sense of loss when something bad happens," Cryptic's Craig Zinkievich told IncGamers. "But we want it to feel right, rather than just like an arbitrary penalty."
Zinkievich said Cryptic's philosophy has been that death penalties in the genre are typically just a time penalty, and they prevent players from getting back into their game and enjoying it.
"I get that people want to feel a sense of risk when they're fighting in battles, but if the only emotion you feel when you're playing a game is fear that you're going to lose some time due to an arbitrary gameplay mechanic, we're probably not doing something right, " he said to IncGamers.
He's got a point. And from the perspective of making a product, someone's bought the game, you don't want to discourage its use. But there can't be risk without consequences. So it's a vexing design issue.
I suggest that Cryptic do far worse than kill you, admiral. It hurts you. And it wishes to go on ... hurting you ... leaving you marooned for all eternity in the center of a dead planet. Buried alive. Buried aliiiiiiiiiiive ...
Star Trek Online: "Meaningful" Death Penalty Needed (http://www.incgamers.com/News/21015/star-trek-online-meaningful-death-penalty-needed--) [IncGamers via Blue's News]
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