PlaneShift v. Everyone Else (Gameplay/Community Only)

[HadrianKross]

Unlike some, I'm not inclined to slam one game to promote another, that's not what I'm going for here.

I would like to know what people think makes PS unique (other than that it is free and is open source--both very good things).

So far I've seen some EQesque qualities (many of which I liked in EQ), but I haven't seen a whole lot that would make it stand out in a commercial setting.

So, focusing on gameplay, and perhaps community, what do you think makes PS unique, or if not unique, good.

[Under the moon]

So far, there is not much to separate PS mechanics-wise from most other MMORPGs. As the game is still being made (slowly) in our free (and not so free) time, the final version will likely be much different than what you see now. Features change as ideas change, which is a positive for a project like PS. There are no constraints to "get it done and get it out" to start making money, so we can devote more of out time to things commercial projects have to overlook. Sadly, that time -is- limited.

So, what makes PS 'good'? Our ability to grow into whatever we want to become, and a good supporting community (with some bumps).

*added from below: Support for Mac and Linux as well as PC. Few games do that.

[dragnoor]

The community itself. By that I mean the players. Alot have come & gone. The current crop make the game what it is. A group of likeminded players enjoying PS.

[Hiraghm]

Unique...

It has a unique storyline. In that it's not like other storylines.

Good...

Sometimes it looks kind of like an early version of Everquest. emphasis on "kind of".

Oh, and no plat farmers.

[Da_Kaos_Child]

the thing that stands out the most , is that all rash and click and play users
basicly cannot even get into the world

and hence makes a great community.

i dont konw if that was the creaters intention or not

[Garris Shrike]

the intense Roleplay focus.
In a game like this, its just incredible.

[Mythryndel]

I do like the fact that the game is supported on Linux (my platform of choice) and is free. Those are the most compelling things about PS for me personally, and the reasons I downloaded it in the first place.

What keeps me coming back is largely the in-game community. I frequently clash with people on the forums, but in-game is a whole different story.

[Mathy Stockington]

It is like a glove. Once you find just the right fit you know. Think how wonderful it is to find the perfect fit.

[Candy]

the intense Roleplay focus.
In a game like this, its just incredible.

Ditto. Before discovering PS, I didn't think roleplay could be so widely accepted on an MMORPG.

[Gravemind]

I think the game right now is pretty good, all we need now is character models/customization, better animations for moving and jumping and casting and etc, a LOT more spells, and the rest of the game world to be created, and all the other aesthetic stuff then I would say it's a fairly completely game

I love this game's level/xp system a lot, though like everything else it could always use a few tweaks


Also, due to the RP environment, being a high level character really means something, and that is priceless. In games like WoW, fully maxing your character is something that can be done in a couple weeks and more then 90% of the people have done

[Vengeance]

my favorite analogy this week is that this project is akin to a bunch of machinists getting together and deciding they are building their own 747... Yeah ours isn't as good as Boeing's but the fact that you are asking us what makes our plane better than 747's means we must be doing something right. :-)

[Garris Shrike]

Really can't get much better than that.
It's the love of the project that makes it what it is to everyone who's dedicated something to it, whether it's time, funds, work, or just playing it.

[zorbels]

I would like to know what people think makes PS unique (other than that it is free and is open source--both very good things).

- The Roleplay
- The freedom to choose my characters personality and direction in the game.
- The dedication of the players and planeshift staff towards the game.
- The events thrown by the GM's and players
- The developers and their interation with the commmunity. (Never seen it in any other game I have played so far)


Once the game is finished I am sure it will have alot of unique features, art and stories.  

[yanom]

12 different races. More than World of Warcraft!

[Xordan]

I don't really have a gameplay aspect that I'd say makes us unique (maybe death realm), but from a (developer) community point of view (which I'm biased towards);

PS is a great learning tool. Every compsci/eng undergrad should be forced to work on something with the scope of PS for a short time.
It's not really the technical difficulty, but the 'variety' of features you come across - and having to somehow stitch them together in a huge mass of code and have it all work well.

There may be other projects out there which provide this as well as PS, but probably not any games.