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Fallen Earth: Does It Need Fast Travel?
Stradden
Managing EditorMember CommonPosts: 6,696
MMORPG.com Fallen Earth Correspondent Paul Cox explores the possibility of adding a fast travel system to Fallen Earth and even offers some of his own suggestions on how this might be accomplished.
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Recently, I have seen a major conern rear its head in Icarus Studios' Fallen Earth. Between people wanting to group with their friends from different sectors and other players trying to get to one of the community run in-game events from sectors that do not host these events, more and more people have been asking for some kind of fast travel system.
Now I am against the idea of fast travel myself, but in these situations it does make sense. I have found myself in both situations at some point, I even created another character and leveled it up just to avoid bringing my main character back to sector one just to travel with my friends.
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Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Comments
I've thought about this as well as although it is 'real' that it takes you a while to get from A to B, its really not that fun and I think it is contributing to my indifference to play the game right now.
I've also thought about the train idea seeing as you see those tracks all over the place around the starter towns. The idea of contributing time to bettering the world and getting it out of the stone age is a good one. MMO's don't seem to spend much time on the player base actually effecting the worlds in which they play and I think this would be a great way to go about it.
I think the train idea would be fantastic.
I do not think that instant fast travel would be a good idea but rather a certain kind of transportation between Sectors that would take an actual time, but where you wouldnt need to be present.
REALITY CHECK
I am a stern non-supporter of fast travel in any form.
No, the game does not need it, you have multiple types of vehicles and that is more than sufficient.
I could post a veritable laundry list of reasons why NOT to implement fast travel into the game, however, it is much easier to just do a search on the official forums if you are that interested. You will quite quickly see that fast travel is a minority request, and the majority of the games devoted supporters are highly opposed to the idea.
+1 !!!!
I can see some of the points listed as to why fast travel could be beneficial but to take away the "exploration" aspect of FE would completely destroy that with which FE is all about.
Exactly, that is my main reason for being opposed to the idea, and is the majority opinion from most players I`ve spoken with about the subject in my clan and on the official forums.
Exploration is a HUGE part of the game, it creates social opportunities and adds a feeling of immersion unique to the title and genre. Something that has not been present in mmos for many, many years.
I also don`t support respecs, but I can understand why certain individuals would want them.
I understand not supporting it, but demanding it never be added is going a little to far IMO. Considering you have the option to not use it, there's really no reason to argue against it. There are plenty of reasons to support either decision on the implementation of fast travel, I have to side with being for it. In limited form it makes sense, given it exists in many forms in life. Think of it less like fast travel and more as mass travel and you will know what I am talking about. In a game like fallen earth where you're back tracking over huge distances on a regular basis fast travel works well, in SWG things became such less of a pain being able to cut down travel time. Especially in PVP, or delivering resourses and checking them. Early on it was only in NPC towns or cities, only when players got their towns to a certain level did it become a possibility to have it all over. Which would be an excellent design for FE IMO.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
I do like exploration and I wouldnt mind to have one place in each sector - like a train station that would allow an automated travel between sectors - not really fast instant travel, but a travel that would take time.
REALITY CHECK
My only suggestion for fast travel in FE is to make it for 1 preferably central location in S1, S2 and S3 for people to fast travel between. 1 spot in each sector enabled for fast travel would make going back to hang with friends from S3 or S2 feasible. I really don't see the harm, as long as it's not from city to city.
ONE fast travel spot in each sector, that you have to travel to in order to "unlock," is the answer IMO.
Joined 2004 - I can't believe I've been a MMORPG.com member for 20 years! Get off my lawn!
I have to admit, I do like the train idea. I think it would compliment the setting very well.
So long as the implementation of the feature is along the lines of what you are suggesting, it would still take a pre-determined length of time to travel on the train, but you just wouldn`t have to be present for the entire duration of the trip like you currently do with your vehicles.
If multiple passengers could pile into a single train car, that would create social opportunities as well, which would make me recant my opinion on the subject entirely. If they chose to instance it and force you into a solo ride to your destination, I would probably remain opposed.
The thing is, there is nothing unfeasible about it as it currently stands.
I am involved with a 200+ member (active members, not just padding numbers here) clan that is very well known ingame and we constantly have high level or level capped players in all sectors, almost anytime of day.
It`s just a matter of what you are willing to do on a personal level, many of us have no problem making the long journey back to the previous sectors. I find that it brings back a feeling of nostalgia from the original days of mmo gaming, as well allows me to plan and prepare for whatever I might be wanting to do during that particular playsession.
Sure, it can get boring, but travel isn`t really intended to be some dramatic, exciting event.
Exactly, that is my main reason for being opposed to the idea, and is the majority opinion from most players I`ve spoken with about the subject in my clan and on the official forums.
Exploration is a HUGE part of the game, it creates social opportunities and adds a feeling of immersion unique to the title and genre. Something that has not been present in mmos for many, many years.
I also don`t support respecs, but I can understand why certain individuals would want them.
I completely agree with both of you, and you Euphoryk I agree on both stances. No respecs, no fast travel, no no no.
Automated slow travel is the way they should go.
Something like a steam powered train,that people can get on that takes them to different towns,but at a pace eqaul to current vehicle travel,plus time lost for stops along the way.
Add in events to experience while traveling on said train
- mini games like poker games(dice games),shooting contests,etc..
-events like robberies,breakdowns (in which a player with the appropriate tradeskills can reppair the train, getting it moving again) ,special npcs who have limited window specialty quests for the stops,etc..
Make is so the player can get from point a to point b, with someone else doing the driving and them able to pursue other activities during the trip.This also means travel while offline.So a player whos facing a hour long trip, can put his character on said transport, and log off ,with his character making the trip and getting off at the appropriate stop.
The thing is, there is nothing unfeasible about it as it currently stands.
I am involved with a 200+ member (active members, not just padding numbers here) clan that is very well known ingame and we constantly have high level or level capped players in all sectors, almost anytime of day.
It`s just a matter of what you are willing to do on a personal level, many of us have no problem making the long journey back to the previous sectors. I find that it brings back a feeling of nostalgia from the original days of mmo gaming, as well allows me to plan and prepare for whatever I might be wanting to do during that particular playsession.
Sure, it can get boring, but travel isn`t really intended to be some dramatic, exciting event.
Let me sweeten the pot then. Put the travel times on an 8 hour cooldown.
I'm all for nostalgia. My first and fav MMO experience was EQ1 in 1998. No maps, no fast travel...no nothing. However, you can't tell me that the shear immensity of each sector isn't enough to get that feel of epic travel. There is a point where it comes down to having options depending on people's day to day real life time constraints. I'm not looking for insta-travel between every little town, like N. Burb to S. Burb here.
What happens when S4 and S5 come out? Considering the time it takes to travel from S3 to S1, I cannot even fathom the amount of hours it would take to go from S5 to S1.
Between the ease of solo play, and the constraints on long distance travel, it's almost as if Icarus doesn't want people grouping or socializing face to face at all in this otherwise solid start to an MMO.
Joined 2004 - I can't believe I've been a MMORPG.com member for 20 years! Get off my lawn!
Blaine the monorail would be a perfect fit for that world
So can we agree that we, at mmorpg.com, are supporting the idea of the monotrail to one city in each section?
I believe its a great idea that would tighten the community alot more
One idea that Ive is that to complete the monorail hight end characters need to help some newbies out with some random tasks- like maybe help the lowbie defend one part of the monorail construction that is attacked by alot of npcs way over its head 
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I agree with thrillian on this one.
If there is going to be any other travel it needs to be automated ,be it faster than all the vehicles or just the same speed as the interceptor or even slower it really doesn't matter.
My biggest concern about a type of fast travel that you see a loading screen and poof your somewhere is if you do this there will be a problem with musical towns. It happened in WAR with the fast travel, instead of people partaking in PvP people would just fast travel to a keep that wasn't occupied by players and took it over. Thus really defeating the whole point of PvPing and were just PvEing which is totally dumb IMHO.
Im down with the travel where I can go AFK and make a sandwich or grab something to drink instead of having to keep an eye on my guy the whole making sure I don't run into something or jump off a cliff and die. Even if it takes like an hour to get from s3 to s1 im cool with that I can go clean the house while I wait instead of spending an hour bored off my ass.
Dont get me wrong I love exploring but when I need to get somewhere for an event or meeting up with friends im trying to get to there as fast as possible not to explore shit.
in a world with insta-clones, brain beaming, consciousness recording and "magical one click, walk away" crafting is fast travel really that far fetched and immersion breaking of an idea?
I cant see that happen
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Fast travel is the bane of MMO's everywhere and stickly a result of the instant gratification crowds whinning. Fast travel renders even the most exquisitly wrought gaming worlds into little more than a small series of hot spots. You might as well go the route of DDO and make everything an instance off a small meeting area.
Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do.
Benjamin Franklin
I agree with most of you about the train idea. Some sort of travel needs to be put into effect. A train is a good idea because you'd have to make it to a train station, it would most likely have a cost to it, and it goes with the theme. The farther you have to go, the higher the cost of course. It would also be cool to have certain events that revolve around the train, and I think the stations would end up becoming a meeting hub which I think this game would benefit from.
It would also be cool if they had an NPC train faction of sorts that you could become a member of, so you could run missions having to do with the train.. but thats getting alittle ahead of myself. Would be nifty to also be able to walk around the train while moving, or even jump out of the train (take damage of course) if you need to get off before your destination.
:: edit:: I was also thinking it would be a good idea that you could only ride the train to areas you've already been to. That way people in S1 can't just ride to S3 for the hell of it. Don't know why I'm talking about it like its happening.. but yes, I think a faster travel option is a good idea.
I am still sticking to NO fast travel. Though i can see a single hot spot in each sector being semi-useful I still think itll destroy the entire purpose of the game and thus makes it not worth it. Just look at EVE - no one "fast travel's" in eve to get anywhere and i dont see people whining and complaining about it on their forums. To me, the journey makes the game extremely fun. The idea of not being able to Insta-warp to someone helps keep the immersion in tact. The fact is, its the rebuilding of civilization...trains and monorails do not exist (if thats not evident from the busted a** monorail relics you pass daily i dunno what is). The only viable "mass-transit" system i could see not destroying immersion (at least at this point) should be multi-passenger vehicles with which you could move a group or so at a time in at the normal speeds provided. Perhaps if the FE devs wanted to slowly "rebuild" society as a whole (starting lets say with player towns, and moving up SLOWLY - which is a completely different topic and would make for a whole new thread) i could see it one day being implemented to follow with the story line, however that too would slowly destroy the basis of the game as it would veer away from post apocolyptic and became just another cyberpunk-eque civilization builder.
Just my two cents.
Hopefully the devs at FE stick to there vision and dont start to cave to whiny GimmeBears(that want everthing handed to them) that have destroyed so many games with requests like Fast Travel.........
Alright, the more I think about it a train or monorail idea could be kind of nifty. I think I wouldn't mind that, but people would have to pay for a ticket and it would have to be somewhat slow. Maybe faster then current travel (otherwise whats the point)? But slow enough that it doesn't ruin the game.
But I think the monorail should only go to sectors, I guess "major cities". I'd prefer if in a sector you still had to ride your mounts and such to get places.
Hope that makes sense...
I think this would work if they designated one cloning facility next to one major town in each sector, then have that act as a spawn/despawn area. For example,..maybe go to the Embry clone facility ,..pay a nice some of chips, despawn (a type of suicide I guess), then respawn in the clone facility next to New Flagstaff, but with maybe a rez/teleportation sicknes type debuff, plus a reuse cooldown ..or something. You could even add equipement wear or have the chance of some random gear being completely broken.
The train idea is better though ,..if that can actually be coded into the game.
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