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I like the look of this

Oct 10, 2003 Telson Darv link
A few questions, (yet to actually play this thing)
is there a design goal spec for this game.
ie I'd like to know a few things...

I Presume as its in the test that PVP will happen.
I've only seen Stations Pictures from the outside.
Will it be possible to Board the station & run around inside, ie to go to the Stores to buy stuff?
(Yep I've been in ENB since beta & think its a valuable plus point over other more recent Space MMORPGS)
Shipboard equipment, will you be able to buy/sell different ships/weapons/shields/hulls/devices etc to enhance your ship.
Noticed a reference to a paintshop to be able to decorate ya ship.
No sign of person avatars, obviously tied into the walking around a stn question, but will there be scope for these too.
Property ownership, will there be any player (or guild) owned stations etc.

I like what I see in the screenies, and am really hoping this is gonna be what EnB was meant to be.(ie Good)
Oct 10, 2003 Phoenix_I link
I believe the devs have some idea of what their trying to get to. No, it will not be possible to run around in stations, that would be like developing 2 engines at once. Of course there will be devices to enhance the performance of your ship, but they my be hard to get. The devs said it may be possible to implement a paint shop in the future. Players will be able to own stores, stations, etc.
Oct 10, 2003 Telson Darv link
mmmm Ok,
well I could possibly live without running around in stations (tho it really does add to the fun of it IMHO)
Player owned property is a good news.
how about trading up ships etc,
I'd have thought that buying kit etc to equip your ship
especially in a MMORPG would be a pre-req of the game.

Also when is it destined to become a finished product (I get the feel that its early days still.)

Tempted to start up a guildy type community site to support this if it does meet my hopes my dreams etc

__________
Desperatly seeking a Decent Space MMORPG
Oct 10, 2003 Celebrim link
"A few questions, (yet to actually play this thing) is there a design goal spec for this game."

Yes, there is. However, most of it is secret and propriatary. The devs can be quite tight lipped about some of the games final goals. It's definately worth reading the boards extensively, the FAQ, and the other information. From that we've deduced a few things, and I try to answer as best I can. Definitive answers are of course the province of the devs.

"I Presume as its in the test that PVP will happen."

Yes.

"I've only seen Stations Pictures from the outside.
Will it be possible to Board the station & run around inside, ie to go to the Stores to buy stuff?"

Not in the sense of a 1st person shooter. Like many space games, the player's avatar will be his ship. The current in-station interface is something like a file folder. If I had to guess probably the final in-station interface will be more like a console, perhaps simulating a communications or computer terminal, with alot of subscreens depending on what you are wanting to do (administering the inventory in your warehouse, have your ship fixed in the repair bay, managing a bank account, voting on a faction referendum, etc.) or who you are talking to (another player, an NPC merchant, a potential customer, a military liason, the station administration, etc.). The devs want to make the space combat engine the focus of the game, and don't want (or need) the extra labor of trying to make two high quality and disparate 3D game environments at once.

"Shipboard equipment, will you be able to buy/sell different ships/weapons/shields/hulls/devices etc to enhance your ship."

Yes. In fact, in some limited fashions, you already can. Currently there are about a dozen different ships, mostly all in a narrow range of small fighters but a few smallish attack ships, freighters, and 'bombers' as well. Each ship is configurable with different engines, batteries (more of a powerplant really), and weapons. At present there are about 20 diverse weapons: precision 'blasters', explosive rockets, gatling weapons that spray areas, homing missiles of various types, mines, and so forth. It is presumed, but not necessarily officially confirmed, that they will become more and more configurable over time.

"Noticed a reference to a paintshop to be able to decorate ya ship."

This is a feature request, and while everyone wants it, there are definate bandwidth limitations limiting the configurability of a paintjob (not to mention RP concerns). I'd expect at most the ability to chose an icon from a selection of standard icons, and a two or three tone paint scheme for the ship.

"Property ownership, will there be any player (or guild) owned stations etc."

We know guilds or something like them is part of the design sheet, but the exact details are still under wraps.
Oct 10, 2003 Telson Darv link
Great replies, all thanks guys (about to power up in a minute to try this thing out)
Shame about the lack of 1st person in station type of avatar stuff.
Basically from what your saying station interactions will be more akin to EvE type of thing rather than EnB type thing,
Spose that wont mean netyhing unless you've tried both of those things.
my hope was that this would kinda be a cross between the 2 as the 1st person type element in EnB added a whole dimension which EvE lacked, but the PvP & Property owning thing in Eve added a whole dimension that EnB lacked.

and so somewhere in the middleground is where a very nice spot for making cash from a game which fits the crossover.

But hey ho, gonna have a go now & see what this baby can do.
Oct 10, 2003 Celebrim link
With regards to comparisons with EVE: Online and E&B:

While the genera is the same, the comparison really isn't fair. Vendetta is a true shooter with full tactical combat in which the player is really flying his ship and not merely (as it where) hitting the 'a' button to attack. The gameplay in Vendetta has more in common with Descent Freespace and X-Wing.

Neither of the commercial titles you mention can match Vendetta in that respect. It remains to be seen how much of EVE's grand simulation gets mixed in with Vendetta's tacticle sim.
Oct 11, 2003 Telson Darv link
Not true,
Vendetta is being billed as an MMORPG as such it's ultimate mold shurely isn't simply point & click & Shoot FPS in a spaceship!

speaking more for ENB (Didn't like the characterisations in EvE so didn't pursue it past beta) these 2 titles are not merely hit the fire key when near the enemy to shoot it.
there is a tremendous amount of tactical playing involved, ranging from the actual battles to planning support craft etc.

EvE is more of a Business simulation from what I understand fform my friends still in it, with a whole load of space stuff thrown in.
NEway I'll shut up now before this thread deviates completely.

back to Ven, I dived in last night for 5 mins, I Know its a test & everything,
The GFX look alright (not exceptional) but I didn't get hooked.
Maybe I'll come back in 6 months & find that missing something but for now I don't think I'm a vendetta kinda guy

thanks for the assistance above, & maybe I'll see you in there sometime in the future.
Oct 11, 2003 fenix link
Ok, I don't see how you're going to be "hooked" in less than 5 minutes...but hey....
Oct 11, 2003 Celebrim link
Telson Darv said : "Not true, Vendetta is being billed as an MMORPG as such it's ultimate mold shurely isn't simply point & click & Shoot FPS in a spaceship."

This is simply not true. Quoting from the FAQ:

"What's the difference between the Vendetta Test and the final MMORPG product?

The Vendetta Test is an evolving game-engine testbed. It gives us a platform with a live testing audience, where we can try various different ideas and get an impression of real-world performance. In essence, the Test is really just an "engine", the gameplay that exists within it has progressed (so far) from "absolutely minimal" to "pretty simplistic". There are similarities between the Test and our stated intentions for the final game, but the differences are so large as to make the similarities almost meaningless.

Over time the Vendetta Test will evolve into the final MMORPG product. However, gameplay within the Test, at any given time, shouldn't be considered "final", and may not even have any bearing on the final game at all. At various times, many different gameplay concepts have been added or remove from the Test, to temporarily make things a little more fun."

Right now the Vendetta test _IS_ basically a first person shooter. There are some small RPG elements added like trading to aid in developing these ideas, but right now the game has alot more in common with Descent Freespace than it has with E&B. But don't for a second try to tell me that combat in Vendetta is comparable to combat in ENB. The difference is as great as the difference in tactical combat in Warcraft and tactical combat in Unreal tournament.

"to planning support craft etc"

Is an Operational level simulation, not a tactical one.

"Desperatly seeking a Decent Space MMORPG"

Well some of us are desperately seeking a _Descent_ (or Wing Commander, or X-Wing, or you get the idea) space MMORPG with the best elements of a flight sim and a RPG like Fallout. Alot of us old grognards cut our teeth on graphicless but highly social MUSH's and MUD's, and really well made (but basicly) single player games like Elite and X-Wing.

Maybe this isn't your thing. I'm sorry to hear that.