Looks like they are just going for the easy option and doing a FPS game in space.

This sort of thinking (simplifying everything) is what nearly killed the space sim genre. No wonder you are not happy Darkone. We really need something more complex with a greater depth to its gameplay. Yes shooting everything in sight can be fun for a while, but in my view a modern space sim needs to do more. As for rants, I have had a few myself on this very subject on the Frontier Forum, so I can sympathise with you! 😆 For sure trading, mining, exploring ect will not to be everyone's taste, but the option should be there for those who want a break from the constant fighting. I hope JGE takes this into account before it's released.

I look at it this way, if a game developer has a forum they should read it and if possible interact with the community and get an understanding in what they want. What is so hard about that? It's a real shame to see millions of dollars and years spent making a game that people had a lot of promise for and not really deliver what the community wants.

Yes. Players want fast based combat and nice visuals. But after that wears off you are stuck with a game that will not have the little things. Most of the features people want can be added to a combat/war focused game as 'support' for the effort. Like I said previous all factions at war need resources, manufacturing and scouting. They don't need to be dedicated jobs or skills, it just needs to be available to people to do when they want a change from the daily grind of battling.

Another thing about the game I didn't care for much is the communication between factions. It's not allowed at all you cannot group, trade or communicate with them. It would be nice least to smack talk your enemy 🙂

I hope they do change there minds about some of the features in JGE but only time will tell.

I was reading the article in Game Informer, and I have to say, I really don't see this as anything other then an FPS set in space. The developer even mentioned that was pretty much their exclusive goal, massive, hundred plus space furballs. I really think that they will forgo any sort of economy model, and focus entirely on combat. A shame, but it makes sense, they are obviously pandering to the Call of Duty crowd. Whatever makes money. 😀

In the meantime I sincerely hope that BP sticks with its original goals, and that Evochron's new clan warefare and station building system will be make up for the loss. PLus, it will be out sooner.

But will thousands of people P2P a game like JGE? Back a few months ago when we thought the game would be on par with BP then maybe yes. But NetDevil really does need to pay attention to the games that will be entering the market soon like Naumchia: Space Warfare and Combat Simulation System which are MP only based games that both are looking great. Then there is Black Prophecy (probably the main competitor) and Taikodom which both of these will be F2P.

Most of the games I just mentioned will be out in 2010. I am really looking forward to BP myself and cannot wait to play that one. And I hope to see a bunch of SSC members in there. 😉

Maybe they have an eye on doing a console version of the game.

If they do I think it would be a good move financially for them. Maybe i'm just getting older and grumpier and want things my way 🙂 hahaha

But they do say the average hardcore gamer is between 22-40... i'm near the top end of that age scale.

Sounds to me they've changed it for the worse, i don't want another dumbed down space shooter 🙁

I hope they don't dumb it down to much Neagoth. Because the only saving grace for JGE will be its combat and how they implement it. I know I hated the idea of not being able to communicate with the other factions (no pm, global chat or email). They better make the grouping and mass pvp something to die for or it will be just classified as a glorified counterstrike.

Wow, reading the JGE forum responses, this looks to have turned into a PR disaster. It's not that a space combat MMO is necessarily doomed to fail. But it's rough when a developer promises, then has to backtrack on a wide range of other features. So I can certainly understand people's disappointment.

That being said, there's an argument to be made that it is better to have one great thing in your game (space combat) than no great things in your game and a bunch of mediocre half-implemented disjointed features. Which must have been what they had if they were forced to throw it all away and completely revision the game.

I agree - Netdevil is going to need something pretty phenomenal to justify a P2P MMO (assuming that's what it is). And while I have my significant doubts, you never know. Just because 2 games focus on multiplayer space combat, doesn't mean they're created equal. Analogy: Chess and checkers are both "games played on a checker-board", but one is significantly better than the other.

I have been following JGE for some time and remember when they were promising a lot of great things and when they delayed the game in June of '09 to retool. The community thought they were polishing everything and fixing content and instancing complaints. Because Black Prophecy came out with a 8min video showing off their in-game mechanics and I personally thought that was a big reason for the shift and community reaction to their direction.

Do I think they probably made the mistake of over-promising to the community... probably. And the community will forgive you if you just give them hope that they will get what they have been talking about in the forums for months now. I'm sure the PvP combat will be great because the videos showing flight and combat do look smooth and fast. But if that is really all that is in the game how will it hook you past a few months of play? MMO's make money by keep subscriptions or least selling a lot of boxed copies like Guild Wars does.

I am just a tad irritated about the big shift and hope that Netdevil least puts something great together in the end. Yes everyone wants to play a good game but most of the community also wants to see space games rise to the level they deserve in the gaming community. 🙂