Disappointment

[madnak]

In the past few months, the players have asked again and again how this is a living world, how players can shape it, and how they can influence the story. We have never received a straight answer. I can understand a reluctance to commit here, as I'm something of a student of interactive narrative forms and am aware of the significant compromises that such forms entail. Nevertheless, I think we deserve an answer.

So far the events in this game have almost always been largely scripted. The outcomes of the events have been predetermined. I believed that would change, particularly with the new tools available to the GMs. It seemed very likely to me that these tools would facilitate player interaction with the story and world.

Yesterday's event was extremely scripted and barely interactive even on a superficial level. More importantly, it happened twice. To me this means an interactive story has been sacrificed for convenient play times. If an event happens twice in the same world, it can only be assumed that the outcome of the event is predetermined. It also means that players can have no significant effects on the storyline within the event. We have one world - if our events are dynamic, then having two of them is impossible. Two outcomes don't fit into the same world.

So far players haven't been able to alter atys, haven't been able to alter the story, haven't played major roles in the plotline, and haven't even been able to interact with any of the important characters. I'm here for player interaction. I make no bones about that. I'm here for a living world, for a story that's determined by players, looking to be in the head of the Atysian comet that was mentioned in a FAQ. If the roads we travel are going to be defined for us, I'm not interested. I'm beginning to feel, with one scripted and predetermined event after another, that I'm being "strung along" until the game ultimately becomes a PvP kill-fest. I don't like that feeling.

GMs, developers, community relations staff - I want a clear answer. Will I ever be able to affect Atys? Will I ever be able to affect the story? I'll keep paying for my subscription, whatever the answer. But I want to know that answer, and I think it's unfair that after 6 months we still have no idea where this game is going.

[raynes]

In the past few months, the players have asked again and again how this is a living world, how players can shape it, and how they can influence the story. We have never received a straight answer. I can understand a reluctance to commit here, as I'm something of a student of interactive narrative forms and am aware of the significant compromises that such forms entail. Nevertheless, I think we deserve an answer.

So far the events in this game have almost always been largely scripted. The outcomes of the events have been predetermined. I believed that would change, particularly with the new tools available to the GMs. It seemed very likely to me that these tools would facilitate player interaction with the story and world.

Yesterday's event was extremely scripted and barely interactive even on a superficial level. More importantly, it happened twice. To me this means an interactive story has been sacrificed for convenient play times. If an event happens twice in the same world, it can only be assumed that the outcome of the event is predetermined. It also means that players can have no significant effects on the storyline within the event. We have one world - if our events are dynamic, then having two of them is impossible. Two outcomes don't fit into the same world.

So far players haven't been able to alter atys, haven't been able to alter the story, haven't played major roles in the plotline, and haven't even been able to interact with any of the important characters. I'm here for player interaction. I make no bones about that. I'm here for a living world, for a story that's determined by players, looking to be in the head of the Atysian comet that was mentioned in a FAQ. If the roads we travel are going to be defined for us, I'm not interested. I'm beginning to feel, with one scripted and predetermined event after another, that I'm being "strung along" until the game ultimately becomes a PvP kill-fest. I don't like that feeling.

GMs, developers, community relations staff - I want a clear answer. Will I ever be able to affect Atys? Will I ever be able to affect the story? I'll keep paying for my subscription, whatever the answer. But I want to know that answer, and I think it's unfair that after 6 months we still have no idea where this game is going.

First off I do agree with you, the game feels static. David Choen said that the part where we will be able to effect the story is the expansion that will be shown at E3.