Forums » Suggestions

More variety in the race tube graphics

Oct 07, 2012 Pizzasgood link
A year ago the devs were playing with some shader changes or something, which slightly broke the rendering of the race tubes for a few days. But the effect was pretty cool, actually. So this suggestion is to have more variety in the tube graphics. Different effects, like this one, are one possibility. They could also be different colors.

Besides just making things look a little more interesting, it might help people distinguish the tracks a little more, and give them each a more unique ambiance.

Here is a screenshot of the glitched version:

Oct 07, 2012 tarenty link
There's not enough people racing for this to really make any difference, but if it proves to be good practice for the intern, +1.
Oct 08, 2012 SkinWalker link
I think if they make the station at one of the race tubes dockable, there will naturally be more people racing. Particularly if that station sells some race-gear, whatever that might be. I forget which tube that is, but set it up so it sells only ships & gear for racing. Not a place to rearm/resupply for B8.

People will naturally begin to store ships & weaps there, call it home, and the race tube will be a natural temptation. I go weeks or months forgetting we even have race tubes. And when I remember, I hit them up for a few laps.
Oct 08, 2012 Pizzasgood link
All current ships good for racing are good for combat - IBG, Rev-C, Superlight, Valk. Stockpiling weapons is easier than stockpiling ships since you can move them in bulk, so if that station sold any of those ships you'd likely see people set up large weapon stockpiles and use them as a barracks rather than a race station. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing. I'm just pointing out that though you can try to discourage it, it will probably happen unless the devs introduce weaponless race ships or something.

The real issue I have is that a local (and non-Itani) way to buy Valks and IBGs wouldn't be a good idea, nor a way to buy Superlights. And being able to buy a Rev-C in Sedina would kind of diminish the importance of Orion. I'd support selling those ships via some kind of black market that involved actual risks and large prices, but that's a bit different from this.

It would be cool if the station were at least dockable for RR though, even if it only sold the EC and perhaps basic versions of the Centurion. It could offer a special mission that just displays the current best times for all of the race tubes, and anytime somebody completes a race in any of the tubes, a message could be posted in the bar. Maybe there could also be some sort of periodic NPC races with rewards for winning in various positions. Notification missions would be available from that station, though I'd prefer if the mission itself wasn't required to participate and win a prize. There could possibly be some race-related missions (both involving actual racing (time attacks, races with individual NPCs, item-collecting races) and just related to the races (fetch items the station needs, go on missions to escort an NPC racing celebrity to the station, etc.))

Anyway, all that stuff probably belongs in another thread or two.
Oct 08, 2012 abortretryfail link
Maybe there could also be some sort of periodic NPC races with rewards for winning in various positions.

Super Vendettio Kart!
Oct 08, 2012 Armonia link
I like this a lot, it adds another aspect to VO that no other space mmo has.

+1 to making the station dockable

+1 for weaponless race ships (that way things like the SL and VALK can be included, but not used for combat). maybe they should be slightly faster than the non-race ships?

+1 for different color tubes to distinguish tracks

+1 for race missions
Oct 09, 2012 SkinWalker link
Another step further with the bar is to create some sort of mechanic that monitors all the race tubes real time and create some mechanism for placing bets on races.

The joint would fill up I think. That's the kind of thing that gives people additional reasons to play, keeps players around, and brings people together. This kind of game benefits well when people come together (furballs, nation war, station conquest, Deneb, etc.).

I'd even be tempted to create an alt just for racing.
Oct 09, 2012 Gunther Hermann link
+1000 for SkinWalker's suggestion of adding a station to one of the tracks. Should also have a mission board that displays that weeks' times on all of the tracks, and lets you take missions that challenge you to beat different times (or your previous best) in different ships.
Oct 10, 2012 Kierky link
There's already a station at one of the tracks. Just need to make it dockable.
Oct 14, 2012 Patrick Henry link
Give me a dockable track station, or give me death!