TL;DR :
Game still suffers from
* performance issues for average users
* shortness of accessibility features and things that encourage people to play and discover the depth of gameplay, though this is being improved
*single player and co-op modes for a large segment of potential players who need a gentler learning curve
Reading the steam discussion groups actually crystallized for me why NS2 will - unfortunately, despite my most fervent wishes otherwise - stay small, the following 3 simple reasons
1. Performance - The average player with their average pc will load this game up, have it stall at the optimization screen for 5 minutes+, then wonder if it's crashed or frozen, and then either uninstall it right there or after they join a game only to find they have 40-60 fps that drops down to unplayable levels once the action gets intense.
RIght on the extreme other end of the spectrum we have WOW. A game that essentially bends time and space with its ability to run on the SHITTEST ASS SYSTEMS imaginable and still be fairly playable.
2. Accessibility - I have in mind a range of things when I say this word: basically everything that encourages the player to play and makes it easier for them to do so.
This is how I imagine it: at its core NS2 is a great game packed with some awesome moments. BUT, and this is a big BUT: there is a big wall separating the casual player from its juicy core. Performance is part of this wall but its such a huge stumbling block and presents itself so immediately that I listed it alone above.
The recent patch with its improved tutorial and the general trend in the past few updates have seen steady progress towards making NS more accessible, but it still lacks:
a. Persistence - Debated to death, I know, but the hard facts are there: giving people achievements and points and rankings and hats and whatever gamification gimmick that strokes the players ego/vanity WILL make people play your game more. Everyone has an ego. Everyone will respond positively to some kind of persistent proof of their achievements, EVEN (and especially) the ones who argue vocally that it makes the game less "pure" or "old-school"
The new skill rating is a promising first step but I'm seeing ALOT of work needed to get this aspect of the game up to snuff.
b. Alternate play systems - Starting with the simple idea of a chat lobby that allows players to organise their own PUGs, the possibilities are endless, and I look forward cautiously to the promised "Organised Play Systems". Here's one I've always envisioned for the game: Campaigns that are run in the same structure as real life tabletop gaming Campaigns: players participate in sanctioned matches where the results affect an over-arching "storyline" and give incentives for players to form social groups that are larger scale than clans. Heroic marine victories and terrifying Fade killing sprees alike are reported for players to narrate, discuss and enjoy.
3. Lack of single player or co-op - Finally, we need to admit the existence of the casual. The casual player is someone who is not that great at the game and probably has neither the time or motivation to compete with the best.
Here is the important thing: no player likes being stomped. Not many player want to be thrown in the deep end at first. The casual player is no exception. Now before you start dismissing this casual player, know that we are in the age of casual gaming. Know also that everyone is "casual" at something (or in fact most things) and good at a few certain things, and games are no exception. I play CIV5 on deity and at first i'd laugh at casuals who post on CIV forums complaining they can't win on Prince. But you know what? That individual probably beats me handily at some other game like COD or whatever. In the same vein 95% of the time when I play League of Legends I play co-op vs AI BECAUSE I LIKE WINNING AND I ADMIT I CANT WIN AGAINST ACTUAL HUMAN PLAYERS DONT JUDGE ME OK?
The bottom-line is there will always be a LARGE sub-set of NS2 purchasers who simply do not find appeal in the way the game is commonly played and find it unrewarding. Why? because they're not good enough at it. But who are you to judge them for that insignificant fact, and why shouldn't they get their money's worth of entertainment?
EDIT: bump got modded, so I'm just gonna keep it all in one post and rename this more fittingly to my personal rant.
I would also add my thoughts on the efforts expended by UWE on making NS2 an e-sport: To successfully launch an e-sport phenomenon like LOL or SC2, you need BOTH an audience and game balance. While I see frenetic effort directed towards the latter, it is the former that should precede: You first need a base number of players who care about the game to make an E-Sport, there's no point in polishing the game to become an E-sport when new players don't stick with it long enough to care, so my opinion is that having prize money and more PR for the game doesn't fundamentally address the issue that the average game experience for the new-comer is inconsistent and often not fun enough to warrant sticking around.
Game still suffers from
* performance issues for average users
* shortness of accessibility features and things that encourage people to play and discover the depth of gameplay, though this is being improved
*single player and co-op modes for a large segment of potential players who need a gentler learning curve
Reading the steam discussion groups actually crystallized for me why NS2 will - unfortunately, despite my most fervent wishes otherwise - stay small, the following 3 simple reasons
1. Performance - The average player with their average pc will load this game up, have it stall at the optimization screen for 5 minutes+, then wonder if it's crashed or frozen, and then either uninstall it right there or after they join a game only to find they have 40-60 fps that drops down to unplayable levels once the action gets intense.
RIght on the extreme other end of the spectrum we have WOW. A game that essentially bends time and space with its ability to run on the SHITTEST ASS SYSTEMS imaginable and still be fairly playable.
2. Accessibility - I have in mind a range of things when I say this word: basically everything that encourages the player to play and makes it easier for them to do so.
This is how I imagine it: at its core NS2 is a great game packed with some awesome moments. BUT, and this is a big BUT: there is a big wall separating the casual player from its juicy core. Performance is part of this wall but its such a huge stumbling block and presents itself so immediately that I listed it alone above.
The recent patch with its improved tutorial and the general trend in the past few updates have seen steady progress towards making NS more accessible, but it still lacks:
a. Persistence - Debated to death, I know, but the hard facts are there: giving people achievements and points and rankings and hats and whatever gamification gimmick that strokes the players ego/vanity WILL make people play your game more. Everyone has an ego. Everyone will respond positively to some kind of persistent proof of their achievements, EVEN (and especially) the ones who argue vocally that it makes the game less "pure" or "old-school"
The new skill rating is a promising first step but I'm seeing ALOT of work needed to get this aspect of the game up to snuff.
b. Alternate play systems - Starting with the simple idea of a chat lobby that allows players to organise their own PUGs, the possibilities are endless, and I look forward cautiously to the promised "Organised Play Systems". Here's one I've always envisioned for the game: Campaigns that are run in the same structure as real life tabletop gaming Campaigns: players participate in sanctioned matches where the results affect an over-arching "storyline" and give incentives for players to form social groups that are larger scale than clans. Heroic marine victories and terrifying Fade killing sprees alike are reported for players to narrate, discuss and enjoy.
3. Lack of single player or co-op - Finally, we need to admit the existence of the casual. The casual player is someone who is not that great at the game and probably has neither the time or motivation to compete with the best.
Here is the important thing: no player likes being stomped. Not many player want to be thrown in the deep end at first. The casual player is no exception. Now before you start dismissing this casual player, know that we are in the age of casual gaming. Know also that everyone is "casual" at something (or in fact most things) and good at a few certain things, and games are no exception. I play CIV5 on deity and at first i'd laugh at casuals who post on CIV forums complaining they can't win on Prince. But you know what? That individual probably beats me handily at some other game like COD or whatever. In the same vein 95% of the time when I play League of Legends I play co-op vs AI BECAUSE I LIKE WINNING AND I ADMIT I CANT WIN AGAINST ACTUAL HUMAN PLAYERS DONT JUDGE ME OK?
The bottom-line is there will always be a LARGE sub-set of NS2 purchasers who simply do not find appeal in the way the game is commonly played and find it unrewarding. Why? because they're not good enough at it. But who are you to judge them for that insignificant fact, and why shouldn't they get their money's worth of entertainment?
EDIT: bump got modded, so I'm just gonna keep it all in one post and rename this more fittingly to my personal rant.
I would also add my thoughts on the efforts expended by UWE on making NS2 an e-sport: To successfully launch an e-sport phenomenon like LOL or SC2, you need BOTH an audience and game balance. While I see frenetic effort directed towards the latter, it is the former that should precede: You first need a base number of players who care about the game to make an E-Sport, there's no point in polishing the game to become an E-sport when new players don't stick with it long enough to care, so my opinion is that having prize money and more PR for the game doesn't fundamentally address the issue that the average game experience for the new-comer is inconsistent and often not fun enough to warrant sticking around.