Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
The Universe..
CallsignVega
Member UncommonPosts: 288
in Star Citizen
I'm still quite vague on the SC universe and how the game operates.
Is this a MMO with a persistent world?
Is there one large server or individual server ala WoW?
Can I fly anywhere and interact and fight other pilots all around the universe without restrictions? Open PvP?
Comments
the word on this game seems to be -
they keep releasing rediculously expensive ships for real money, but have barely shown any gameplay or indication that they are doing anything but taking money and blowing it all at the track.
but I have no idea, that's just the vibe I get from glancing at posts around here
One server but instanced.
There is a PVP slider. You can opt to 'rarely' see other players (not on your friends list) to always see other players. The instances will attempt to group you with anyone you have been interacting with in game previously.
There is also a form of high/null sec space. In null sec there is no NPC security and will instance you with anyone.
its one shard, single server but multiple instances to handle it all, yes its persistent universe and you can go where you want to go, and do what you want to do (be a racer, pirate, bounty hunter, miner, explorer).
PU isn't out yet and will be the last module to be released, they currently have AC (arena commander) which is suppose to be an in-game simulation so you don't lose your actual ship (more of a practice mode), and it has a capture the core pvp mode as well and battle royale, free flight, and vanduul swarm (defend against a horde of enemies with your friends.)
pax east will be soon as well as citizen con, they will be showing fps module and showing us something else they won't say but say its good.
it will probably be very much like Elite Dangerous online gameplay.
it's basically a whole bunch of instances connected to each other, and the game creates more instances as more player come into the same zone. you will never see more than the maximum amount of player each instance allows (50 or 60 i think?), even thought there might be tens of thousand of players all playing in the same spot in the universe. but technically you can play with everyone in the universe, if you happen to be put in the same instance that is.
you have no way to choose which instance you are in, but if you have friends assigned the game will try and put you in the same instance.
unlike WoW there won't be any loading screens when you go fro instance to instance, but you are still playing in a limited instance.
having played Elite i must say that the whole thing works very well, and smooth. you are never really aware of being in an instance. the only "loading screens" are cleverly disguised as "Hyper jump" and " entering/exiting Super Cruse" which are basically a couple of seconds of fancy animation (much like EvE's gate jumps).
the problem does arise when you want to play with certain people and the game automatically puts you in different instances, but hopefully they will have a good enough system that makes pairing up with friends easy enough.
Flying around in big squads won't be possible, or at least not very fun, as you will either have every instance with only your group and no space for anyone else, or everyone will always be in different instances and unable to see each other.
- yes, full scale server based persistent MMO universe. No wonky peer2peer nonsense
- probably one mega server for each region NA/Europe/...
- yes you can fly anywhere you can get if you buy a jump,drive, otherwise just system travel, open PvP you bet, lots of PvP
plus epic story, Intelligent NPCs on planets,...
Get it and be sure not to waste money on cheaper knock-offs, there is only one Star Citizen
My god, man! Save some Kool-Aid for the others.
Free to play = content updates for the cash shop. Buy to play = content updates for the cash shop.
Subscription = Actual content updates!
It's the most crowdfunded anything in the Guiness Book of World Records. .
Hmm, if the universe is just divided into these small instances with say 32-64 people, I wouldn't really call it a MMO. In say EvE, thousands of people could play in one system and come as go as they please (up to a certain large number).
I'd remove the massively and just say it's a multi-player ORPG. I does have it's positives though, EvE would come to a crawl once you got past a couple hundred people in system all fighting.
As for the ship kool-aid, I'm not falling for it. I have the LTI Colonel package that comes with a Hornet, that's good enough for me. I couldn't imagine spending thousands of dollars on ships you could get by playing the game, for a game that is 2+ years out like a lot of people have.
yes that is correct.
but as you say even EvE does have limits on how many people can enter a system. sure, that limit is in the thousands, but it does happen from time to time (especially around Jitta). so EvE just has much larger capacity instances.
Star Citizen has already said that each "instance"(they never use that word, but that's what they are) will be capped at a specific amount of players. i can't remember exactly the number, but it was less than 100. he did say that eventually he would like to increase that number, but currently its just not feasible with the amount of details and complexity of FPS shooting. lag would become unbearable.
as far as the pvp sliders it's pretty much like turning your flag on and off in WoW. If you put the pvp slider on you will be funnled in instances with other pvpers. if you turn it off it puts you back into pve only instances.
the biggest challenge with this system will be creating a sense of community. community is really important to create a sense of belonging in any virtual world, and the only way to create it is by familiarize yourself with other players. but to do that you need to play and interact with the same players on a consistent basis.
it's really hard to foster any sort of community in a game where anyone you meet you will probably never see again, as the chances of being put in the same instance again are so small (think MOBA). the perfect example is WoW. Once they implemented their random LFD the community went completely down the drain as players no longer needed to interact with other players from their own servers. all they had to do is queue up for a LFD, be instantly grouped with complete strangers, clear the dungeon, and go home with loot. i've been in LFD groups where not 1 word was uttered, and people were kicked, or left without saying a single thing. nobody gave a shit anymore and player interaction became almost non existent. Everyone just sat in the main cities and queued up for dungeons/BG.
i hope they have some cleaver way of avoiding the MOBA community syndrome.