Easy to read; easy to plug into AI.
When speaking to @fartbox I said something that I wanted to refine. I am a purist, so I want to break things down to the most simple 'blocks' required for a real sandbox. It is simple, to me, but maybe it won't make sense?
Basically, I believe a hardcore sandbox is suited to three types of people: the strong willed, the skilled, and the intelligent.
These are the types that are most able to be successful, and those blocks or cogs are used to create larger systems to accomplish goals. Forgetting this 'root' of sandboxes, I believe, leads to games that become more sandbox.
First step: everything is equal when you are naked. No bonuses. Gear can be lost. Territory can be lost. MO has permabanks, that's enough of a cruch.
Second step, the three types:
We have the strong willed people, those who can go out and mine 50 stacks, taking deaths every 5th time and do it over and over again. Those like @Speznat in MO1 who can farm 10,000 bandits, or my boy Killindar who farmed massive Akreps in Sardu. These are the people who put in work in the midst of people trying to contest them.
We have the skilled people, those who are good at the game. They are able to succeed in pvp and (hopefully if the game is ever better) movement to escape. These are the soldiers, of course. There could be strong willed 'meat' soldiers, but skilled players should have a huge impact on the game. You should be able to find a place in MO JUST by being skilled.
Lastly, we have the intelligent people, those who are able to create systems of people or set up logistics to accomplish tasks. These are usually leaders or people working within the system to influence the system.
You can have a guild of more strong willed people that are slightly skilled and be like RPK and grief towers until people respect you. You can have a guild of skilled people who are somewhat intelligent and become good mercs. All of this comes together.
Now, does MO2 fit that? I argue it doesn't. I would lay out the argument, but I doubt many are even gonna read this. I believe strongly in the idea that there are 3 main types of players in sandboxes and that those should be capable of achieving equal success, relative to their 'types.' I believe that things such as defender set siege windows and soulbound boosts make the game simply about zerging. There will always be a zerg aspect, but if you are constantly at risk of losing you investment, it's still OK.
When speaking to @fartbox I said something that I wanted to refine. I am a purist, so I want to break things down to the most simple 'blocks' required for a real sandbox. It is simple, to me, but maybe it won't make sense?
Basically, I believe a hardcore sandbox is suited to three types of people: the strong willed, the skilled, and the intelligent.
These are the types that are most able to be successful, and those blocks or cogs are used to create larger systems to accomplish goals. Forgetting this 'root' of sandboxes, I believe, leads to games that become more sandbox.
First step: everything is equal when you are naked. No bonuses. Gear can be lost. Territory can be lost. MO has permabanks, that's enough of a cruch.
Second step, the three types:
We have the strong willed people, those who can go out and mine 50 stacks, taking deaths every 5th time and do it over and over again. Those like @Speznat in MO1 who can farm 10,000 bandits, or my boy Killindar who farmed massive Akreps in Sardu. These are the people who put in work in the midst of people trying to contest them.
We have the skilled people, those who are good at the game. They are able to succeed in pvp and (hopefully if the game is ever better) movement to escape. These are the soldiers, of course. There could be strong willed 'meat' soldiers, but skilled players should have a huge impact on the game. You should be able to find a place in MO JUST by being skilled.
Lastly, we have the intelligent people, those who are able to create systems of people or set up logistics to accomplish tasks. These are usually leaders or people working within the system to influence the system.
You can have a guild of more strong willed people that are slightly skilled and be like RPK and grief towers until people respect you. You can have a guild of skilled people who are somewhat intelligent and become good mercs. All of this comes together.
Now, does MO2 fit that? I argue it doesn't. I would lay out the argument, but I doubt many are even gonna read this. I believe strongly in the idea that there are 3 main types of players in sandboxes and that those should be capable of achieving equal success, relative to their 'types.' I believe that things such as defender set siege windows and soulbound boosts make the game simply about zerging. There will always be a zerg aspect, but if you are constantly at risk of losing you investment, it's still OK.
