Voice your concerns at the PT-Boats forum

Sonarman · 04-06-08, 05:54 AM

I've posted the following over at the official PT Boats forum 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."

SUBMAN1 · 04-13-08, 05:05 PM

I'm not too excited. It probably has some lame copyprotection that will screw up my computer.

-S

CCIP · 04-14-08, 07:26 PM

While I doubt Akella will actually be publishing on their own in the west, as an owner of a few of their Russian releases I can vouch that they're fans of Starforce. They even put starforce on originally non-starforce games that they licensed for Russian distribution, including Dangerous Waters and Combat Mission

CaptHawkeye · 04-15-08, 07:43 PM

Starforce is some funny stuff. You've got to wonder what someone is on to make them think that having that kind of blatent malware installed on their product is going to be A-OK with the people using it. Even though gamers have always been finicky about the sub programs that come installed with any game. It's Gallipoli level stupidity.

Mudpig · 04-18-08, 04:22 AM

Personally I don't worry too much about copyprotection stuff. What I worry about is that with every Screenshot that appears, PT-Boats look more like a "Shooter"...pray this doesn't endup like one more of those Sim lookalikes...
I have more faith in the S-Boot Mod for SH3 then in PT-Boats which most important feature seems to be Eyecandy-DX10-Support.

Well, lets wait for them to finish and lets hope it shines!

nikimcbee · 04-20-08, 02:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptHawkeye

It's Gallipoli level stupidity.

:rotfl: There's no dynamic campaign. That says to me: play once, uninstall. None of my computer games that have a linear campaign have lasted very long on my machine. I'm not that well versed in Russian MTB history, so I hope the missions aren't silly ones to fill up space. It would be neat if they were like Il-2's campaign.

Sonarman · 04-20-08, 03:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

:rotfl: There's no dynamic campaign.

No that's true, although the devs have stated there are "dynamic elements" and you can play from both sides of the conflict which should be good. I don't think it will have the same living world concept as the SH series, I think it will be closer to a mix of Fighting Steel and Enigma Rising tide.

nikimcbee · 04-20-08, 03:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sonarman

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

:rotfl: There's no dynamic campaign.

No that's true, although the devs have stated there are "dynamic elements" and you can play from both sides of the conflict which should be good. I don't think it will have the same living world concept as the SH series, I think it will be closer to a mix of Fighting Steel and Enigma Rising tide.

So it's still a linear campaign

. PT-boats aren't my thing anyway, so it doesn't really bother me.

04-06-08, 05:54 AM	#1
Sonarman The Old Man Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Ayr,Scotland,UK Posts: 1,392 Downloads: 79 Uploads: 0	Voice your concerns at the PT-Boats forum I've posted the following over at the official PT Boats forum 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." __________________ "The action is simulated...the excitement is real!" Microprose Simulation Software. Last edited by Sonarman; 04-07-08 at 08:16 PM.

04-13-08, 05:05 PM	#2
SUBMAN1 Rear Admiral Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 11,866 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I'm not too excited. It probably has some lame copyprotection that will screw up my computer. -S __________________

04-14-08, 07:26 PM	#3
CCIP Navy Seal Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Waterloo, Canada Posts: 8,700 Downloads: 29 Uploads: 2	While I doubt Akella will actually be publishing on their own in the west, as an owner of a few of their Russian releases I can vouch that they're fans of Starforce. They even put starforce on originally non-starforce games that they licensed for Russian distribution, including Dangerous Waters and Combat Mission __________________ There are only forty people in the world and five of them are hamburgers. -Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart)

04-15-08, 07:43 PM	#4
CaptHawkeye Weps Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 354 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Starforce is some funny stuff. You've got to wonder what someone is on to make them think that having that kind of blatent malware installed on their product is going to be A-OK with the people using it. Even though gamers have always been finicky about the sub programs that come installed with any game. It's Gallipoli level stupidity.

04-18-08, 04:22 AM	#5
Mudpig Watch Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 24 Downloads: 75 Uploads: 0	Personally I don't worry too much about copyprotection stuff. What I worry about is that with every Screenshot that appears, PT-Boats look more like a "Shooter"...pray this doesn't endup like one more of those Sim lookalikes... I have more faith in the S-Boot Mod for SH3 then in PT-Boats which most important feature seems to be Eyecandy-DX10-Support. Well, lets wait for them to finish and lets hope it shines!