All the other parts of the map are locked away [for now] in other instances [for now] that the player cannot affect [for now.] It just remains an abstract set of lines on a map [for now.] Everything I've heard and everything I've read tells me that when the team is finished its going to be (within a certain tolerance and barring the chronically butthurt complainers out there) damn near exactly what you guys are saying you want it to be. People are too impatient to let the dev team finish their vision before telling them they are wrong.
Because devs never over-promise and under-deliver right? Because it seems you are referring to what the devs have said they're planning to do post-launch, a.k.a, something they're under no obligation to actually implement. Meh whatever, I guess I'm just bitter from years of mmos failing to live up to their potential *edit* Also, you only get to make ONE first impression. If EC releases and all everyone says about it is "oh EC? you mean that crappy little 40k arena shooter pretending to be an MMO?", EC wont live long enough to implement the grand vision. Just playing devils advocate here. I'm to much of a 40k fanboy not to at least give EC a chance.
Thats basically my biggest worry here. Those people that come on launch and see a instanced arena game will see just that, an instanced arena game. You cant really for all intents and purposes go "i-its okay guys, i-in 2-3 years its gonna be open world maybe". Its not just the fact that the game is getting changed from what it previously was, but that the same changed game might not be as popular nor accumulate enough dosh to transition into something open that we wanted from the start.
Well when you HAVE to beat the competition to market, you get Warframe. Damn near two years in open beta now and no official launch date in sight. Cuz after all, keep the "beta" tag on and you can use it for every slight malfunction... As for EC, they aren't failing at all. They are just showing us the development process that all software developers keep under lock and key until the final months, and that means the occasional skinned knee. It shows us they give a shit about constructive feedback.
There is a huge reason to have a seamless Open Arena world, so that we can have the massive multi faction combined arms battles like you get in PS2, which are absolutely epic.
This is the time to let the devs know exactly what we want because the game really hasnt been built yet. Time is definitely not our friend right now. Every day the devs work towards arena 40k is another day lost to making a truly seemless 40k experience. Further down the road changing the game might be quite a bit more difficult. So now is the time to bitch about the direction these devs are taking the game.
I realize the truth of using the definition of Open World as it is defined to describe a world that according to the definition of Open World is an Open World. All the statements I made are true because that is how the game Planetside 2 plays. You do realize the irony of claiming I am being ironic with no evidence to support your claim over mine, right? You worked on EVE Online. Cool. That isn't Planetside 2. Yet, on that note, just because Planetside 2 is not EVE Online does not mean it is not an Open World game. Unless you have empirical evidence showing that Planetside 2 isn't/cannot be played in the way that I described it(my descriptions coming directly from the game-play of Planetside 2), I am not being ironic; I am being truthful.
Which can still be done in an instanced variant, if each instance is big enough(lets say, stronghold takes 5% of the map and it is surrounded by other 95% of the combat zone). But I guess that's just me. I don't like the idea of massive battles. The more players you have, the less influence you have as an individual. It looks good on paper, but it usually devolves into most of the players banding together and trying to attack enemy positions. At this point, you just have to join this mob. If you want to try a different approach it won't work, because even if you can take your opponents by surprise there isn't much you can do against 20+ players.
This may not be the game for you, then, as it's focus is more on balanced, tactical and strategic team-work, not Rambos that take outposts/strongholds by themselves. There has been a lot I could do against swarms of Mosquitos and other enemy aircraft, even as just a single Max with 2 Bursters. You don't have to kill an enemy to drive them away in droves, allowing allies to take the point.
