Topic: SFC as an MMO

[JackSparrowJive]

If SFC was released as an online-only MMO, with servers that allowed for, say, a thousand players each, how do you think it would do?

[GE-Raven]

Doubt it would sell more than 100,000.

MMO's are based on HUGE worlds, with tons of "quest" story lines.  I just don't see enough people being interested in such a thing and it really isn't applicable to SFC as we know it.

Heck we can't even get the few souls left here to aggree what the best form of a mythical future sfc would be.

GE-Raven

[JackSparrowJive]

Doubt it would sell more than 100,000.

MMO's are based on HUGE worlds, with tons of "quest" story lines.  I just don't see enough people being interested in such a thing and it really isn't applicable to SFC as we know it.

Heck we can't even get the few souls left here to aggree what the best form of a mythical future sfc would be.

GE-Raven

Well, I agree that the game in its exact form probably wouldnt be an ideal MMO, but I think it could be with not *too* much work. For instance, if all the best features of *each* game were included into one: meaning you have up to 16 races like in OP, you also are able to customize your ships weapons/armor/engines/etc like in SFC III, you have your ability to recruit officers for certain stations, etc. I think if they had all of that, a larger map, as well as adding new missions on a regular baisis(like they do in most MMOs) that it would be pretty awsome

[RazalYllib]

SFC as MMORPG...Id play...

I perceive what I would be playing as such:

Instead of gaining lvls, you gain access to available hulls for your race. Instead of a traditional "charactor" you literally play the ship/squadren/fleet. 

The campaign map would be gigandumundeous in scale with as much REAL galactic topography as possilble then overlay the FnE map over it and go from there...may take a little tweak here and there, but possibley doable.

Game would happen in "real time" and random encounters the whole bit.

With a robust enough game design, a lot of RPGness could be injected into a mish w/ a programable "parlay" interface w/ AI...

It would take some thinking out side the box as it were to turn what is basicallly a tactical game into an RPG but all RPGs (there are exceptions) generally involve some manner of combat...generally of tactical naturel...tactical is SFC...it would take serious design sweat to pull it off, but I feel it is doable, but is there a market for it?

[Lieutenant_Q]

My vision for an SFC MMO...

16 races is a bit much...first off.

I'd get rid of the whole overlay, and just fly in the ship the whole time.  Everything that's accessible in the Supply Dock Screen would be available from the "Hail" and "Transporter" Menu.  If your ship was damaged, youd have to fly to an empty drydock to repair it.  You could re-supply in the field by beaming parts and drones and marines off of Freighters.  Each "Map" is huge, you'd have tactical warp (although different from the way they implemented it in SFC3) so two ships could be on the same "Map" (Sector) and not see each other.  When you fly off the edge of the sector, you immediately spawn in the next map with the exact same X or Y (which ever one wasn't 0 or 10,000) coordinate in the same status level you were at for all of your weapons.  If players wanted an "Overlay" they could call up a strategic map from thier tactical officer, they could set their course from there and fly there if they wanted to...everything abstract.  Different Hulls are detected at different ranges, (so that a cloaked Frigate could get to within 20 of a standard ship with out being spotted) scouts and stations have stronger sensors so they can see further away...

ahh.. the possibilities 

[FA Frey XC]

Sounds a lot like Earth & Beyond.... in Star Trek of course.

E&B lasted all of two years after 1 year almost of beta testing online.

[JackSparrowJive]

E&B didnt have 1 important thing: Trekkies 

[Centurus]

Just thought I'd mention the one thing that an MMO wouldn't have that SFC currently does have, the ability for the players to mod it. 

Correct me if I'm wrong, and here I will admit that I've never played MMO at all, but if memory serves, if a game is MMO, there's not much the player can add, such as new ships and mission scripts.  Granted, the game developer can add that stuff, but it's usually what they want to add.  That isn't a bad thing.  Helps a game to have variety, but it's always limited to the game developer.

In the SFC community, we can add different kinds of ships all the time.  I don't think MMO can do that.  These days, since the game is being kept alive by the community, we determine what's released for it.  What better way for the people to get what they want half the time then make it themselves. 

Just my two cents.

[Age]

  I wouldn't say MMO I would say CCO Competive Cooperative Online.This is much like Guild Wars is not an MMO as some might think and it has somethings in common with the Dyna.

[EmeraldEdge]

Thumbs down to ship customization! lol.  Just a personal preference.  Starfleet isn't Johnny Freelancer wheeling around the universe in his custom cargo cruiser with all sorts of parts and pieces rigged together, you know.

More on the subject, I'd love to see a Trek MMO that was territory based.  You fly missions and whatnot, but every planet or whatever has a allegiance level, so territory can change.  I don't care for MMO's where you take over an enemy town, but the NPC keep respawning unfriendly.  At some point the unfriendlies just arne't going to be there in meaningful numbers and friendly NPC's should spawn, right?  Sure, this could mean that some race may get wiped off the board (or a least mostly) but there is always a chance for a comeback, especially if they have crafty admins helping to shape the storylines, without looking too much like they are trying to keep one race from being wiped completely off the board.   I would like to see more than just combat missions, however.  Missions of mercy, to help colonists, and whatever, for those who aren't interested in war (I'm assuming all those players will be Fed ).

I actually like the concept behind STO where each player has a job to do on the ship and in order to do combat, you have to have all the stations manned.  But, the lack of meaningful pvp (holodeck only?  What's that?) is a major let down.  Then the whole instance thing/undefeatable, unseeable rookie ships idea really leaves me wanting.  Anyway...  I'd probably give something like SFC a go if it were an mmo, but it would have to have the combat depth and leave out ship customization ala SFC3.

[SkyFlyer]

Actually, imho, if the Dyna was completed (admit it, it was not completed), SFC would truely have been an MMO (massively multiplayer online).

If the netcode were cleaned up, I'm sure the dyna map server could hold at least 200-500 people.... Is that massive enough for you?

So, in the traditional sense... SFC is an MMO... it just never got enough people for the massively part.

[EmeraldEdge]

True, although it could have had enough people if it had been completed at releast.  It didn't get enough people on any single server, because of the issues you stated.   Very sad.

[SkyFlyer]

True, although it could have had enough people if it had been completed at releast.  It didn't get enough people on any single server, because of the issues you stated.   Very sad.

Werent there upwards of 100 people on the triangle servers?

Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me..,.

[EmeraldEdge]

I think there were a few servers back in the day that did pop over the 100 mark but I think it caused major stability issues which eventually lead to people having smaller and smaller caps on population.  Articfire's might have been one, I don't remember, but the map was so huge on those who could tell. heh.  I think 100 on a small map would be crazy fun, but can you imagine if there were the numbers of people who used to play SFC1 online or EAW all playing on just a handful of servers?  That would be where your real role playing could come in.  You could actually form fleets that defend fronts, rather than everyone running from this border then to that.

[SkyFlyer]

I think there were a few servers back in the day that did pop over the 100 mark but I think it caused major stability issues which eventually lead to people having smaller and smaller caps on population.  Articfire's might have been one, I don't remember, but the map was so huge on those who could tell. heh.  I think 100 on a small map would be crazy fun, but can you imagine if there were the numbers of people who used to play SFC1 online or EAW all playing on just a handful of servers?  That would be where your real role playing could come in.  You could actually form fleets that defend fronts, rather than everyone running from this border then to that.

True. Unfortunately PR never really did anything for SFC (I ran across SFC2: OP in the back of Comp USA collecting dust for God's sake... and that was a few months after it came out).

Also, the Dynaverse was never completed.... imagine if it had all of the kinks out of it... I'm sure it could handle upwards of 200 or 300 people.

[Mog]

200 - 300 people an MMO? Lol.

EVE has 26000+ on at the same time. Their new China server went open beta recently, and that kicked off with 30000 people on at once.

[SkyFlyer]

200 - 300 people an MMO? Lol.

EVE has 26000+ on at the same time. Their new China server went open beta recently, and that kicked off with 30000 people on at once.

What would you consider a game that has 200 to 300 people?

Quake 3 only allows 32. Half Life 2 64. Battlefield 2, 70.

For a game that came out in 1999 it was an mmo.