Any plans for the next game?

[Jabberwocky]

Communal research is an interesting idea. Having long research periods would certainly help slow down the power curve of the game. I'm not sure if people would be patient enough to wait a year for research - I guess maybe if the game was awesome they would. Many Eve players seem to have stuck with the game for many years.

If you could specialize as a scientist, you'd need some way to make it interesting. You'd need some kind of day to day activity, rather than just clicking "research engine" and waiting for weeks/months/a year. Any thoughts on that?

[DJ Die]

well as ex-EVE player i can say that there are 2 things that keep you playing: getting better and better ships equipment etc. over time and also getting better and better with what you have AND people you play with when my old corporation(clan) broke apart because of idiots trying to gain more power i simply stopped playing

most people regarded research as a way to make profit and just a few of them really made it their profession of choice

[palaslet]

If you could specialize as a scientist, you'd need some way to make it interesting. You'd need some kind of day to day activity, rather than just clicking "research engine" and waiting for weeks/months/a year. Any thoughts on that?

Haven't really thought on that, but one possibility might be to combine professions so that scientists might also be good at exploring/scavenging/archaeology. The artifacts they find might be used to speed up research, or to develop new equipment for the lab etc.

Maybe we should introduce "The Ancients" (ref. Stargate series), and say that only Scientist type characters are able to operate/convert such technology. Maybe introduce some real in game engineering tasks to be done to make it work also. That way an exploration party on distant planets must hire a scientist to be able to make use of what they find.

Just some suggestions...

[palaslet]

most people regarded research as a way to make profit and just a few of them really made it their profession of choice

And that's the way it should be. So most of the research to improve technology and invent new stuff can be done by most players, but more advanced stuff like antimatter stuff etc must be done in labs operated by one or more scientists.

[Jabberwocky]

one possibility might be to combine professions so that scientists might also be good at exploring/scavenging/archaeology.

That's a good idea. I've seen this sort of thing work well in fantasy games. It's like a "lore" skill which allows you to see or use things other people can't. And some kind of crafting to cover the scavenging part.

[echo]

I hope Salvation Prophecy is successful, and that you can continue developing games like it. I am very happy you are making a single player game. I enjoy them much more. The trend these days is to focus on multi-player and I think the single player experience suffers as a result.

[Jabberwocky]

Hey echo,

I enjoy both single- and multi-player games. But yeah, I knew with Salvation Prophecy if I tried to add multiplayer, I'd be spread too thin, and the single player would have sucked.

I have played MMOs in the past and enjoyed them. But for most other games, I'm like you - I prefer just sticking to single player.

[palaslet]

I totally agree. I see all too often game developers who try to develop multiplayer versions of singleplayer games. I think it's time to turn the table. It should be possible to create a "near singleplayer" experience in a multiplayer game. Thus my comment about exploration and archaeology. Should be possible to do "faction-missions" related to the overall political and economical situation in the gameworld.

Of course... if the main goal of the singleplayer genre is to meet the "final boss" and to beat the game and see the spectacular ending, no multiplayer universe can ever give you that. Ehh... well... One might be able to produce singleplayer spin-off games based on the same engine and parts of the same universe, maybe also based on major events in the MMORPG such as the assasination of a faction millitary leader etc.

Impossible is nothing.

[Jabberwocky]

An interesting article about single player games, by the guy who made Elite: Used games 'killing' single player titles, says Braben

[sabinesaba]

Well their is no doubt that games are good source of entertainment.I am addicted of games . Whenever i have some free time than i started playing games. Recently I played Mass effect 2. The game is excellent everytime. I am looking for the latest versions of this game.