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Lt. Commander
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 120
# 30
02-20-2012, 07:50 PM
Originally Posted by Alastor_Forthright View Post
My biggest complaint is not that I had to read so much, but that I had to read so much and have it do nothing to progress the story. We're still at the same point we were when we finished Second Wave, the only difference is now we're on Bajor instead of sitting in orbit looking at a massive group of ships and wondering "why can't I go take the station back with these guys?"

I have no issue against thinking games and puzzles in a game, and the one (singular, because click up and down the frequencies till you get it right and click on some books till the game tells you the answer isn't a puzzle) instance of this, the Soil mission, was entertaining, if a bit out of place considering the situation. I also find your use of the term "pew-pewers" to be somewhat degrading, you're using it as though you look down on people who like more action oriented gameplay in a game revolving around a war.

And this may be pointing out the biggest flaw in this episode, it's not an episode. It's a tutorial mission, like the one you get on ESD and First City that has you moving around a place to get a feel of it. Thats why me, and a few others at TIE, are pretty underwhelmed by it. It's got very little substance (be that substance narrative story or action in any form), it's simply a bunch of fetch quests common of a tutorial with a small bit of actual plot connected story at the end that serves to progress the story ahead almost none. A none combat mission with this much dialog and reading should heavily advance a plot, I don't feel it did this.
Fair enough. I just prefer substance to my stories. What's plot if there are no characters to care about when the plot happens?

I know it's not quite the same as a novel, and the characters we meet on Bajor don't necessarily provide us with a ton of emotion to draw us in -- however I really need to point out that the mission that involves reading the religious texts was a-mazing. And that opinion is coming from someone who usually stuffs her finger down her throat when it comes to the whole "Prophets" thing. But these were a joy to read and, I really felt they added a LOT to the foundation of the mission. They provided me with a very rich history and insight to a species that is VERY unlike me and I needed to know more about them in order to interact with them - just like a real Starfleet officer would have to and if that's not adding to the plot of a story that my character is a part of, I wouldn't want to read any books that merely "advance a plot" without aiming for being a rich story to begin with.

The puzzles were pretty simple, I admit. One I realized the trick to the soil corrections, it was a breeze. I also loved going and talking to the ***t-disturber in the plaza! That WHOLE sequence was really well written and a blast to play. It was one of the first times I felt like I really needed to say the right thing at the right time.

Was it the best mission in the game? Oh heck no, nor did I mean for my overview of it to even remotely say so. But I did enjoy it very much.

But I can also understand why so many didn't like it.

I also mean absolutely nothing degrading by using the term pew-pewers. Although there are times I wonder why there might be a person who plays a game merely to skip over the foundation and backbone of the game (meaning the story content). I have trouble comprehending that concept, but that doesn't mean I disrespect anyone who does. I have many friends who seem not to have the patience to read dialogue and would much rather "get to the good stuff."

It's just that their definition of "the good stuff" is 180 degree from my own. The good news is, without the people who love to do battle, we wouldn't have a game - so no disrespect was ever intended.

I love pew-pewers. They bring out the Klingon in me.