Sonarman
04-06-08, 05:54 AM
I've posted the following over at the official PT Boats forum (http://www.pt-boats.net/enforum/viewtopic.php?t=519) hopefully Akella will take some notice of it! Please add any thoughts you have over there, hopefully we can effect some change before the game ships.
"Here are some suggestions for Akella based on feedback I have received on various community sites in relation to screenshot images and interviews with the game designers of PT-Boats.
1. Use your community, please listen to us and talk to us both here and at major community sites such as Subsim.com Marinesims.de and Sim HQ.com people are very hungry for news. Make sure these sites get review copies they are the lifeblood of your game.
2. Make the yellow health bars and selection rings around ships optional, I have already seen many people complaining about this in forum posts a lot of sim strategy players do not like anything that detracts from the visual realism.
3. I realise the interface is designed to appeal to the casual gaming market and is more colourful etc than normal I wouldn't suggest changing it but make it moddable so that the community can develop/change it.
4. Leave the game as open as possible for modding, the many community mods for Silent Hunter 4 I am sure have helped sales dramatically increase for that game and build a huge user base for the potential sequels.
5. Make sure the simulation part is not arcadey, allow users to use the 3D controls to control the ship if they wish.
6. If it's not in the release game be sure to add a multiplayer mode where multiple players can man different stations on the boat, this would be a first for a WW2 naval sim, and even if the more static features of some of the missions put people off this feature alone may make them buy the game.
7. Use any DVD-ROM protection system you want but not Starforce it has become a pariah in the sim community and it's inclusion would probably cost you a massive lot of sales.
I want nothing more that for this game to give Akella the success it so richly deserves, too many of their recent games have fallen just short of the mark, inches away from fulfilling their full potential. This I hope marks only the first in a series of WWII naval sims from Akella."
"Here are some suggestions for Akella based on feedback I have received on various community sites in relation to screenshot images and interviews with the game designers of PT-Boats.
1. Use your community, please listen to us and talk to us both here and at major community sites such as Subsim.com Marinesims.de and Sim HQ.com people are very hungry for news. Make sure these sites get review copies they are the lifeblood of your game.
2. Make the yellow health bars and selection rings around ships optional, I have already seen many people complaining about this in forum posts a lot of sim strategy players do not like anything that detracts from the visual realism.
3. I realise the interface is designed to appeal to the casual gaming market and is more colourful etc than normal I wouldn't suggest changing it but make it moddable so that the community can develop/change it.
4. Leave the game as open as possible for modding, the many community mods for Silent Hunter 4 I am sure have helped sales dramatically increase for that game and build a huge user base for the potential sequels.
5. Make sure the simulation part is not arcadey, allow users to use the 3D controls to control the ship if they wish.
6. If it's not in the release game be sure to add a multiplayer mode where multiple players can man different stations on the boat, this would be a first for a WW2 naval sim, and even if the more static features of some of the missions put people off this feature alone may make them buy the game.
7. Use any DVD-ROM protection system you want but not Starforce it has become a pariah in the sim community and it's inclusion would probably cost you a massive lot of sales.
I want nothing more that for this game to give Akella the success it so richly deserves, too many of their recent games have fallen just short of the mark, inches away from fulfilling their full potential. This I hope marks only the first in a series of WWII naval sims from Akella."