Are the devs trying too hard?

[foxgamer]

Over the past few days, (not including the forums as I have, honestly, not been paying too much attention) but in the chat room, I have noticed many people arguing over PS. Where has it come from and where is it going?

I would like to know your opinion. I don't want to start a flame war. Far from it. And if you are wanting to do this, then please, do not post here. What I would like to know is;

Do you think that the PS dev team are trying to stretch themselves beyong their original idea of PS to accommodate the many, many members that are currently playing the game? I can understand that when the devs (the people who started the project) first decided to go '3D' they had a specific 'route' where they were hoping PS would go. I feel that, because the devs are in fact human and do actually listen to their 'members' that they may (or may not have) lost sight of their original 'plan'.

So, really I would like to know x things.

1) Do you think the PS team are still on track for their original view of PS
2) Do you think that the PS team have changed their views enough to encompass the views of the members to develop PS
3) Do you think that the PS team have changed their views too much and lost track slightly of their original 'map' of where PS is going

As mentioned above, I do not want this post to turn into a flame war. If it does, the mod of the forum has instant permission to lock this thread, but I would like to know real and genuine, thoughtful responses to these questions so that it may help either the devs, or just members (or just for information and interest) to find out where PS is going. Where you hope it to go, or where you would wish it to go.

I must state that this has nothing to do with the devs or the other members. If the information is used by the devs or other members, then this is entirely down to the people that use the information. I have posted this off my own back and I am just interested in what people thing.

[steuben]

given that it is still headed by talad, who first put the whole thing together, i'm going to say yes it is on track. there has perhaps been ome drift as technology has changed, but the original goal is there.

[Zan]

I think that this project, like any good longterm project, is evolving. Yes, I do think they're sometimes moving away a bit from their original intentions when they see that the community doesn't enjoy them but I don't see that as a negative thing.

Personally I may be a bit heavy on the roleplaying side when comparing myself to the grander community. I'm sure I'm seen by people as an 'elite' rper and to be honest I sometimes catch myself acting like that So because I'm on one side of the player pool I may not always agree with the course that is taken, potentially because of community opinions. However all in all I rather like the direction I see this project evolve into. I've noticed major changes in the way the Devs and the community interact and I think they're for the best ... even though they sometimes bring along more frustration than is healthy.

[Garon]

Personally I think that the game itself is going along just as planned, with perhaps a few changes for technological changes in the last 5 or 6 years, but without much change in the actual -content- ideals (although I'm the type of person who, if creating such a project, would write up exactly what I would want by exactly what release, with the biggest stuff last after the frameworks were down, and then pray to the god of computer development that computers would be good enough to handle what I'd thought up years before by the time we got there ).

I have a feeling the Devs have always intended Planeshift not only to be a free 3d mmorpg, but to be the biggest and the best 3d mmorpg in terms of content, etc.  Considering it now has as many features as some "finished" games (although those games use a different system for combat, leveling, etc., so although feature wise they're about equal they're ahead insofar as that they have developed their system to fit a much more narrow thing), and is only .3 (meaning .7 versions to go till it's considered a "full" game), and the fact that development of features is going along at a much more rapid pace (as far as I can tell) then it had been before Crystalspace was 1.0...  I think as far as dev team aspirations, the sky's the limit (perhaps literally--it is called "planeshift", which gives the idea of going to different planes, as opposed to "Big Stalactite", or "Yliakum 3d" ).  (Look out WoW, open source freeware is coming up behind you).

I do think the community is going in a way the devs perhaps didn't originally intend (when people spend more time killing things then roleplaying), and predictably so, but from Dev hintings, that could change.  (and I've shamelessly advocated another possible solution for it that I've thought up in no less then 2 threads.   Perhaps a third, if this counts as advocating it. X.X)

Despite all this praise, which I wholeheartedly agree with (since I barely play anymore, there isn't any benefit to me to making the devs like me ), all my previous complaining about powerleveling v. roleplaying still stands, and I am a shameless elitist (although as long as they're making an effort, I commemorate them, and then sometimes explain what they're doing wrong in my typical elitist way).  That's a devs-community thing, not a devs-game thing.  I think the game itself is going along fine

[Ver]

For a 100% freeware project, what they've been able to accomplish so far is incredible. PS is also one of the most beautiful, original fantasy worlds I've had the pleasure of experiencing. I say that with all honesty.

My biggest critique remains that it is simply taking too long, even for a no-budget project. It's been almost 7 years since the very first 3D release and the project is still only a 0.3. That's a full 7 versions left before it's considered a "completed" game with no less quality than any commercial MMO out right now (such as EQ2, WoW, EVE, etc.). So at a conservative estimate one would think it would take at least 7 more years to get to 1.0, which is just scary.

[neko kyouran]

Until you yourself make a game the size of what the PS project is, I will ask you to shut yer trap about how long it takes to do something, especially when its a handful of people doing it as a hobby for fun in their free time. 

[zanzibar]

For a 100% freeware project, what they've been able to accomplish so far is incredible. PS is also one of the most beautiful, original fantasy worlds I've had the pleasure of experiencing. I say that with all honesty.

My biggest critique remains that it is simply taking too long, even for a no-budget project. It's been almost 7 years since the very first 3D release and the project is still only a 0.3. That's a full 7 versions left before it's considered a "completed" game with no less quality than any commercial MMO out right now (such as EQ2, WoW, EVE, etc.). So at a conservative estimate one would think it would take at least 7 more years to get to 1.0, which is just scary.

So in other words, you have nothing to complain about?

[acraig]

A project like this has no real end.  It's like any sort of hobby.  When does a stamp collector end?  When does a coin collector end?  When does an artist stop painting. 

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway."

[zanzibar]

A project like this has no real end.  It's like any sort of hobby.  When does a stamp collector end?  When does a coin collector end?  When does an artist stop painting. 

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway."

That's a wonderful argument for why we should judge Planeshift's playability and game-ballance by the standards of completion.

[Irri]

That's a wonderful argument for why we should judge Planeshift's playability and game-ballance by the standards of completion.

We are looking at a garden that has yet to produce most of its flowers. They will come in time.

[zanzibar]

That's a wonderful argument for why we should judge Planeshift's playability and game-ballance by the standards of completion.

We are looking at a garden that has yet to produce most of its flowers. They will come in time.

That's looking at things backwards though.  People don't stick around for the game, they stick around for the community, and the community is playing the game today.  It's obvious that the devs care about the enjoyment people get from playing the game right now.  So really, the fact that new features are being added every so often is rather inconsequential.  The devs could code the whole thing in secret if they wanted to.

[Kieve]

For the most part, they do. Bear in mind, 90% of the stuff that gets added in subsequent versions, you usually don't hear about until after the fact. Of course, that boils back down to the NDA/"Why are you working on X instead of Y?" discussion, which has no point or purpose here. (I'm simply pointing out that the majority of subsequent improvements per version are kept under wraps until release.)

As for direction, I would agree that in the overall scheme of things, everything is moving along as intended. Perhaps not all components are moving at the same rate, but the direction is consistant.

[eldoth_terevan]

The systems that have been brought together to make PS are highly detailed and perhaps, not meant to have created such a thing in the first place. Unless you have programmed systems like this, it is best not to judge progress on a project like this. Once a certain level of crystallization has been reached in the project, the progress from the player perspective will come fast and furious. Otherwise, I do believe the project is evolving, but sticking to its original roadmap. And there have been many changes that were influenced by the community.

[zanzibar]

For the most part, they do.

They're constantly making new releases.  The game is free for anyone to try.  Isn't that's the opposite of secret?

[Sangwa]

The devs are trying hard indeed. And they're going towards the right direction. At least that's what the new updates tell me.

Let me take the chance to thank the devs for their splendid work. May changes like these keep coming.