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I admit it: I'm a fog skeptic. Yes, I-5 looks kinda cool and eerie, flying through the guts of the station there in the fog is visually spectacular. However, I'm not sure what the gameplay benefit is. I get the point of ion storms -- they keep people from getting complacent in navigation, and make trading a bit riskier if you're not careful (having your XC drop into a sector full of bots at random can really ruin your day). Fog, though? I Just Don't Get It.
Can anyone explain to me the actual benefit of fog sectors, from a gameplay point of view?
Can anyone explain to me the actual benefit of fog sectors, from a gameplay point of view?
Like this?
Fog will be cool when it looks likes this:
http://outerlimitsgfx.com/Pics/ion.png
http://outerlimitsgfx.com/Pics/ion.png
and maybe some volumetric lightning with it :drool:
"Like this?"
So it changes the nature of combat, and allows for larger visual infrastructure because the client doesn't have to render it all at once. Considering storm extenders don't work in fog, I can't see how combat will be anything other than a two person game of blind man's bluff on a football field. I can't even imagine pirates liking it, since you can't find your prey in the soup. It also makes mining a hit-and-miss affair, since reliably finding anything is impossible without a space compass.
Not seeing the win, sorry.
So it changes the nature of combat, and allows for larger visual infrastructure because the client doesn't have to render it all at once. Considering storm extenders don't work in fog, I can't see how combat will be anything other than a two person game of blind man's bluff on a football field. I can't even imagine pirates liking it, since you can't find your prey in the soup. It also makes mining a hit-and-miss affair, since reliably finding anything is impossible without a space compass.
Not seeing the win, sorry.
People who are running from pirates will like it.
And it looks cool.
And if there's fog in a place where you want to mine, odds are that there isn't a whole lot left there to mine anyhow.
And it looks cool.
And if there's fog in a place where you want to mine, odds are that there isn't a whole lot left there to mine anyhow.
womble: Storm extenders will work in fog. We haven't actually finished implementing fog yet, perhaps you can reserve judgement until that happens.
I've also written much more extensively on the subject in past Suggestions forum posts. You can search that forum if you like. This thread would probably be a good starting place.
I've also written much more extensively on the subject in past Suggestions forum posts. You can search that forum if you like. This thread would probably be a good starting place.
"People who are running from pirates will like it."
I'm not a fan of pirates, but I don't think it needs to be any easier to run from them. I've got to be pretty unlucky to get nailed by one at the moment.
"And it looks cool."
That's not a gameplay reason.
"And if there's fog in a place where you want to mine, odds are that there isn't a whole lot left there to mine anyhow."
As I understand it, the fog == lots of mining activity relationship isn't implemented yet, and mining isn't planned as being the only fog generator anyway.
I'm not a fan of pirates, but I don't think it needs to be any easier to run from them. I've got to be pretty unlucky to get nailed by one at the moment.
"And it looks cool."
That's not a gameplay reason.
"And if there's fog in a place where you want to mine, odds are that there isn't a whole lot left there to mine anyhow."
As I understand it, the fog == lots of mining activity relationship isn't implemented yet, and mining isn't planned as being the only fog generator anyway.
We need fewer naysayers and more visionaries. Rather than saying "This sucks because..." we need more people to say "It would be awesome if this could also...".
I have no problem with skepticism, but I'm not going to re-write a bunch of stuff I already wrote. People can search if they want.
"Storm extenders will work in fog. We haven't actually finished implementing fog yet, perhaps you can reserve judgement until that happens."
I'm willing to do that. In return, can the insidious expansion of fog throughout the galaxy be halted until fog is fully implemented?
I'm willing to do that. In return, can the insidious expansion of fog throughout the galaxy be halted until fog is fully implemented?
What expansion? We used one sector for testing purposes, and it's been fogged for a couple of months now. There has been no expansion.
"I have no problem with skepticism, but I'm not going to re-write a bunch of stuff I already wrote. People can search if they want."
OK, now that starts to sound a lot better. I did search for information on the forums about fog, but didn't come up with that thread. Too many threads full of vague "yay fog" comments clogging up the search results, I guess.
OK, now that starts to sound a lot better. I did search for information on the forums about fog, but didn't come up with that thread. Too many threads full of vague "yay fog" comments clogging up the search results, I guess.
Our search can be troublesome to use (I used google, actually. "site:vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/3 fog reefs", sans quotes). I'm glad the idea appears better now.
I haven't expanded anything, and don't expect to until a number of basic development pre-requisites are established, including the storm-extender issue.
I haven't expanded anything, and don't expect to until a number of basic development pre-requisites are established, including the storm-extender issue.
I hit fog in a station sector in Verasi (not I-5), Dau, or Nyrius last week sometime, one with a long, thin asteroid belt. If you've got logs of my account activity, look for a session when I crashed out instead of logging out, a session in which I didn't visit Verasi I-5. One of the stations I visited in the hour or so previous to that crash was fogged. It was before the last update, but not too long before.
I also apparently misinterpreted the changelog from the last release as meaning that more fogged sectors had arrived, rather that there was merely the possibility of more fog without a server restart.
(As far as the search goes, I used Google, but didn't know about the reefs reference, and didn't restrict it to a particular board because I wasn't sure where the good info might have been)
I also apparently misinterpreted the changelog from the last release as meaning that more fogged sectors had arrived, rather that there was merely the possibility of more fog without a server restart.
(As far as the search goes, I used Google, but didn't know about the reefs reference, and didn't restrict it to a particular board because I wasn't sure where the good info might have been)
The sector grid is meaningless without fog or storms. This is because without them every sector is connected to every other. Unfortionatly in the storm era there was no way to employ strategy on the sector map because storms were random events.
Since fog is the byproduct of mining, it can be created by players. If fog is implemented so it builds quickly, then it could add a strategic dimension to the sector geography of the game.
For example, lets say a group of ITAN are doing Boarder Skirmish. Their serco competitors could mine sectors in line between the Skirmish sector and Itani stations. Therefore, when an ITAN dies, he would have to transit around or through the fogged sectors. The extra transit time would deny the ITAN force time in the BS sector, perhaps determining the tide of battle.
Since fog is the byproduct of mining, it can be created by players. If fog is implemented so it builds quickly, then it could add a strategic dimension to the sector geography of the game.
For example, lets say a group of ITAN are doing Boarder Skirmish. Their serco competitors could mine sectors in line between the Skirmish sector and Itani stations. Therefore, when an ITAN dies, he would have to transit around or through the fogged sectors. The extra transit time would deny the ITAN force time in the BS sector, perhaps determining the tide of battle.
There's only one fogged sector. Womble, if you saw other fogged sectors.. you were either in a storm, or something was seriously awry.
There are two, Incarnate. Dau K-10 and Verasi I-5.
Unless you removed the fog from one of them in the last update.
Unless you removed the fog from one of them in the last update.
"There's only one fogged sector. Womble, if you saw other fogged sectors.. you were either in a storm, or something was seriously awry."
If I can't tell the difference between a fog and a storm, there's bigger problems. Also, if it was a storm, it was a storm in a station sector, which also doesn't bode well.
[time passes]
From MSKanaka's hint, I've just rechecked Dau K-10 and lo and behold, still fogged. Screenshots available on request.
So, seriously awry it is, then.
If I can't tell the difference between a fog and a storm, there's bigger problems. Also, if it was a storm, it was a storm in a station sector, which also doesn't bode well.
[time passes]
From MSKanaka's hint, I've just rechecked Dau K-10 and lo and behold, still fogged. Screenshots available on request.
So, seriously awry it is, then.
speaking of which Incarnate could you move the fog around say every week or two.... its getting a bit old in k10... the party there is long over and I am sure the hat we tossed out of the airlock has long drifted out of the sector....
:D
:D