NS2 Dead?
TrC
Join Date: 2008-11-30 Member: 65612Members
Join Date: 2008-11-30 Member: 65612Members
Comments
<!--sizeo:1--><span style="font-size:8pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo-->edit: also, everything dragon said.<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
I can summarize my problems in 5 points
- Hit Detection/FPS
- Fade Blink Damage Reduction
- Skulk Walljump
- Onos
- Augmentation
#2) Onos. Everything about the Onos is killing "competitive" play.
#3) End-game RTS mechanics (there are none aside from spamming static D or arcs to counter static D)
#4) Resource sinks for aliens are nonexistant.
Basically, the typical game goes like this:
0-8minutes - Competitive vanilla or shotgun marine vs skulk/lerk/fade. A game of RT control but the possibility of a rush, or base attack.
8-12minutes - Still relatively competitive. The fades come out, marines can fight back if they did well early game.
12-20 minutes - Multiple Onos come out and either stabilize a clearly losing alien team or end an even (or alien favored) game.
20+ minutes - If the marines are still alive, they have full tech and are now trying to build arc trains to counter the 8923789 whips, crags, and cysts around every corner.
What I'm trying to say is that early game marine vs skulk/gorge/lerk is fun, engaging, and skillful. Lategame 3-3 JP marine, arc trains, spam onos stomps with unlimited tres and pres for the winning side sucks. Performance goes down the drain, hits don't register, and you spend most of your time fighting NPCs (arcs, whips, crags, cysts) that have a trivial value to the team losing them.
it's half-ok for some public play though.
<center><object width="450" height="356"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QuoKNZjr8_U"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QuoKNZjr8_U" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="450" height="356"></embed></object></center>
#1 Performance
Sure its bad but its better than some weeks/months ago and there definitely was more competetitive play going on. So this can not be the reason.
#2 Onos
Yeah its bad. Everybody knows it, but how is it different e.g. from op Hydras in Build 150/160. Just agree on a limit of one onos at a time. Since its competetive play and most of us are grown ups that shouldnt be to hard to establish.
Also if something is unbalanced and both teams agree it is, why not use the balance mod again? I am unsure if it is still updated.
Again I can not see the reason here.
#3/#4 See #1. Same as performance. It got better not more boring. At least IMO.
For me the only logic reason is
<!--quoteo(post=1939135:date=May 26 2012, 04:38 PM:name=Koruyo)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Koruyo @ May 26 2012, 04:38 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1939135"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Mostly Diablo 3...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I just had an idea of for another reason. That one also always killed ns1 during this time of the year.
Summer.
If not please tell us why are you not motivated to play NS2. Discuss<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Hello tomb raider chronicles,
in germany we call this phenomenon "Sommerloch". Sommerloch translates to "summer hole". It has nothing to do with holes (<i>directly</i>), but it describes the lack of interest in something, because of that strange warm glowing ball in the sky. I don't know what you scandinavian people are doing in the summer time, other than sharpening your axes, growing epic viking beards and playing natural selection, but some of my clan mates tend to use this time to go outside (freaks).
Personally, I would love to get my butt kicked more often by you guys.
- Some play diablo.
- Others are going for the first festivals and enjoy the weather.
- Some play Pub but dont like the build in competitive
AND
Maybe teams are still motivated but not as much like you.
Being asked EVERY day for an pcw is going on my nerves a little, sorry.
"Could you guys step up and get some activity going! Make a new team or something."
My answer:
Could you guys calm down and get some other activity going! Play a new game or something.
This break is normal, its not the first time is see this. So, be cool.
IM telling you, i havent been seeing people since The free hydras went lose.
They log in every time theres a patch, play for a day, ###### off.
And Diablo 3? Yeah, I know that you are a D3 junkie koruyo, but is that truly the reason why you cant spare 1h for playing a pcw one or two days of the week?
And while I don't know whats in the next patch, considering how many experimental failures which has been added to the game recently, I fail to see how the next patch are going to be the one which saves everything, unless they start to revert stuff.
And regarding balance, well, I believe that if we really thought balance was the main issue, we could just balance the game ourselves. The game is kinda modifiable I´ve heard
What I'm more afraid of, and why I think we lost interest and what is making me almost completely uninterested to play is that I lost faith. Some recent changes just doesn't make any sense, and I'm afraid that future builds will continue on this. Lerk bilebomb (a fast flying seige unit, really?), free hydras (free buildings in a game about resources, really?), more crucial core stuff on energy like meds and cysts (energy as a <b>core </b>resource which accumulate by doing nothing, really?), augmentation (just be passive, wait and get it almost for free, really?) The list could go on. I believe this is killing the competitive scene more than D3 and summer ever could do.
1. The game is still as broken as ever, both in performance and gameplay.
2. Summer inactivity. I played NS1 competitively for eight years, and this happened every year.
3. No competitions. The best motivation for practicing is actually having something to practice for.
4. Fatigue. Unsurprisingly, given the poor gameplay, people get tired of the game and simply prefer to spend their time on other activities instead. NS2, in its current state, simply isn't a game that is conducive to long-term play -- the core gameplay mechanics are too silly, convoluted and destroy any semblance of variety after the first 100 or so hours of play. The devs haven't shown any signs of recognizing this either (as evidenced by the addition of augmentation and maturing, accepting the suggestion of a TF2 style scoreboard and the whole energy debacle), nor do most of the mindless drones on the forums ("have patience, exo-suit will fix everything!").
This is definitely a big point that resonates with my feelings about playing NS2. A lot of the recent changes seem to be attempting to fix things that aren't broken. We've had broken onos for a solid 10 patches now. People just kind of burn out on playing that.
But it is a beta, and that is also important to remember.
I want to thank all of the teams out there for even being around, I mean this is a beta and this community does some amazing things! keep it up all and cant wait to see you on the battlefield.
Server Performance
Balance
PS. Granted, only 10 maps total, so only 2 rounds in most matches.
If not please tell us why are you not motivated to play NS2. Discuss<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The game is broken.
Marines only win by outright domination of the map or by alien stupidity.
Who wants to play a game where within the first 8-15 minutes, the whole alien team goes onos and ends the game?
Even the PUBS are EMPTY now.
People are getting terrible impressions about this game and even I have stopped playing as much as I used to.
This game is so broken right now that I have no idea how ANYONE plays "competitively" at all. And I'm just talking about the gameplay. Let's not forget that this game makes my computer think it's running Crysis 5
Also the maps are ****ing SMALL and one-dimensional. And there's only 2 of them (mineshaft has never worked -- it's been fun sometimes but it's not a balanced map at all and 99% of the time it sucks).
NS2 feels like it should be played in a videogame arcade right now. So fix it and obviously people might start playing again.
You asked why people aren't playing, so theres the truth.
edit: maybe an alternative patch cycle should be considered. A big patch (new features, large changes) every 2 weeks like it is currently, but then a minor change patch on the offweeks....this is where small balance tweaks could be done, or any glaring issues fixed.
Alien structures and abilities are often frustrating and when you experience the same broken/buggy gameplay on the same 2 maps you've been playing for a year(?), there isn't much left to enjoy.
If I was in charge of marketing I'd push UW to make another 'gorilla' release with the exo, and another awesome youtube trailer. But that's basically 1.0 isn't it!
So I might just wait for 1.0
Good luck and keep at it UW
And please make the exo look and feel super cool, it could be a BIG selling point. Remember people pay money for mech games, so you can attract them if you don't skimp on the exo.
It's not gonna end by making a thread here. It will most likely end when UWE have a more finalized game.
edit: maybe an alternative patch cycle should be considered. A big patch (new features, large changes) every 2 weeks like it is currently, but then a minor change patch on the offweeks....this is where small balance tweaks could be done, or any glaring issues fixed.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I was thinking this also. But just performance patches.
It's not gonna end by making a thread here. It will most likely end when UWE have a more finalized game.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
This.
Plus the whole summer lull in gaming that fana mentioned.
Also, the competitive scene has grown if not always consistently. This time last year, I could count the number of NS2 clans on one hand. Now, not only have we had about a month and a half of casted, multi-matchedup competitive scrims, but we're almost at the point that we can have a proper tournament.
Starting with the original lurker flight redesign they subsequently destroyed NS1 with patches ending with the coup de grace that was NS combat, so it's hard to think they are capable of turning this poop-storm of broken features into a complete and balanced game.
If someone wants to buy the game for me I'll play on your team for the summer but for now I'm refusing to support the people who basically deleted what was my favorite game of all time. What was once a complex and hard to master but rewarding flight mechanic was changed into a hovering piece of crap that spammed gas clouds... I haven't played NS in so long but the pain of that horrible patch still burns my skull.
Reading over these forums does not give me any hope, as the DEVs appear to lock suggestion threads if the criticism isn't 100% constructive kiss-ass. All the while being reminded of the knee-jerk attitude that caused the original Damage Net leader to bring down all of his servers and leave the community.