Author: Jaime Wolf  <q2b6>    189.220.113.184 Use this link if you want to link to this message and its entire thread of discussion. Post a Msg
Date: 3/11/2010 7:46:41 PM
Subject: RE: For Jaime's Derek Smart collection

I had the uh. . . Pleasure? Of playing the original Battlecruiser 3000AD, which was a horrendously bad first experience. I never tried the 2.0 version, which I heard was better but I assume it's still as inaccessible to all but the most die-hard. This version can be downloaded freely from Smart's site if you ever feel like giving it a fair chance, though good luck locating a proper, full manual.

I've given all his other games a try out of sheer curiosity, but they never managed to hold my attention for more than a day.

Now mind you, the Battlecruiser series is synonymous with a difficulty curve that could be regarded more as a difficulty wall when it comes to complexity, but complexity itself in a game isn't the problem. The X series is also quite complex but much, MUCH more user friendly in many respects, including the UI and user input methods. The original X had a horrid UI implementation and Egosoft has made very marked improvements in this respect, where mastering the game feels like an achievement rather than a chore (Though the X series isn't without its share of problems either), Smart seems to be either unwilling or unable to come up with a UI that doesn't involve memorization.

Then there's the whole game series just having a noticeable lack of polish all throughout, whether it's the graphics, sound, music, AI. . . You name it.

One of the problems with Smart and many other like minded developers is that they chose to recreate Elite, a one of a kind absolute breakthrough of a game that no one- Not even its original creators have been able to top with their more recent attempts. Smart has been at it for almost 14 years now, with apparently no end in sight. The ones that I think came closest were ORIGIN Systems with Privateer, who seemed to understand the core element that made Elite so popular: It was FUN TO PLAY.

A similar trend can be seen with developers trying to recreate X-COM: Many have tried and all have failed miserably, including the original developers.