Great game but I refuse to play this without checkpoints

webe123 wrote: Just because a game is FREE does NOT mean it cannot be improved upon.

I think checkpoints would have been a great idea, because this game is hard, that is simply a fact.

If you are keen to improve on it, you can always sacrifice hours of your personal time over the course of the next ten years, like the developers already did.

I will stand by what I have said. Just because something is FREE does NOT mean it cannot be improved upon.

And the smartelic comments you made, does nothing to change the fact that this game can use checkpoints.

I am not a coder , but even if I WAS, I would still not have the source code to be able to do it as it has not been released yet. The editor has, but not the source code.

So why don't YOU try improving it instead of making smartelic comments?

I apologise for my tone, but I stick with my argument as well. Not trying to be a smart alec, just stating the facts. The developers have poured years of effort into the game with no compensation whatsoever. And yes, some of what they did could possibly be improved upon. But ranting about it will not get you anywhere. As has been stated previously: If you refuse to play the game, that's your choice, no-one loses out except you.

I honestly suggest you focus on improving your piloting skills and enjoy the game for what it is. You may even learn to like the challenge.

I don't think the lack of checkpoints is a throwback to the original WC games that didn't have them, more likely it is simply because Freespace didn't have them so the feature is not part of the engine. The in-mission conversations in Freespace could also not be skipped, which again, is probably why they are not skippable in Saga.

The structure of a Freespace mission was significantly different than WC; you didn't fly to where the action was, you just started there and stayed there. There really wasn't a need to skip anything in-mission since conversations generally weren't holding up anything except maybe the next wave of enemies. Granted conversations in Freespace usually weren't as long because characters and relationships were not fleshed out like in WC. Making a WC game with the FS Engine therefore has some issues with the story-telling aspects as the engine wasn't really designed for it. However, the combat aspect of the engine (which is the whole point of a space combat game) is far superior to the last WC engine that was developed. 1) There is a key for everything; target bombers, target escort's attacker, increase weapon power, etc. 2) Everything is customizable; change the color of your HUD, change what key does what, change how much shield energy each side of your ship gets, etc.

The FS Engine also did not support the autopilot transition between nav. points. What if they didn't even add that? Instead of having to replay a 20 min. mission, it would take you 20 min. just to get to the the first nav point.

I'd be lying if I said replaying missions and not being able to skip the cut-scenes didn't frustrate me a few times, but I'm certainly not going to point a finger at the developers and say they should have spent more of their free time making sure the FREE game they made was more to my liking. Keep in mind they could have just as easily made the game and not distributed it at all. They could have made it, kept it to themselves, told no one and not have to deal with anyone griping about their 10 years of work. In the end I'm just happy that they not only made this great game but allow me to play it... for FREE.

Loud applause

jweav151 wrote: The FS Engine also did not support the autopilot transition between nav. points. What if they didn't even add that? Instead of having to replay a 20 min. mission, it would take you 20 min. just to get to the the first nav point.

Back in the prologue, in-game cutscenes didn't exist, the game just time-compressed to x64. I played Prophecy a few months ago; it was an interesting experience. The game felt like a proto-freespace 1, with things like mid-mission rearming, swarm missiles, big bad aliens out of nowhere, etc.

Regarding checkpoints and dialog skips: you are spot on. The first implementations of this we've seen came out roughly two years before Saga's release (in summer 2010 to be precise). By that time, I would think that the Saga team was polishing things up before going into their 1 year test phase. I thought about implementing skips myself and post them here, but I never got motivated enough to actually do it (50 missions!!!).

Herr_Koos wrote: I apologise for my tone, but I stick with my argument as well. Not trying to be a smart alec, just stating the facts. The developers have poured years of effort into the game with no compensation whatsoever. And yes, some of what they did could possibly be improved upon. But ranting about it will not get you anywhere. As has been stated previously: If you refuse to play the game, that's your choice, no-one loses out except you.

I honestly suggest you focus on improving your piloting skills and enjoy the game for what it is. You may even learn to like the challenge.

I suggest you learn to read the posts. I was NOT the one saying that I would not play the game. I was the one saying that I agreed with the poster that posted that HE refused to play, because of the checkpoints. That I understood his frustration and again, I will not back down from that viewpoint.

I think that this game needs checkpoints. It is certianly hard enough!

Again, because something is free, it does not mean people cannot find way to improve it. The original game and what they did makes no difference to weather or not something can be made better. I never said anywhere it had to be the original developers of the game now did I? If I did, please point to the post I stated this in. Because I cannot find it! Nor do I remember posting it. I simply said it could be improved, as to WHO does it, I could care less.

You are assuming an awful lot of things I never stated!

Everyone in this thread NEEDS to quit thinking the DEVELOPERS are somehow being jumped on simply because people say this game needs checkpoints! That is completely stupid!

Most people like the game and appreciate the hard work that went into it, so before you go off on a rant thinking because someone thinks this game needs checkpoints it is somehow associated with an attack against the developers, you really need to STOP and THINK about what has been suggested.

As far as I could tell, no one was jumping on the developers, but rather stating FACTS that is IS frustrating having to replay the game over and over and over again, simply because of a lack of checkpoints.

"nuff said!

KeldorKatarn wrote:

damson wrote:

KeldorKatarn wrote: Do you honestly expect any other reaction than... "So what?"

I always admired your straightforwardness Keldor.

It's a blessing and a curse

~S~

Have not even installed the game yet and I think I am really going to enjoy it!! I believe that in 10 years of refining, you would think that a gentlemen of age would respect the dedication that had to go into this. Enjoy the game now that you have made it... Or some good Drinks

webe123 wrote:

Herr_Koos wrote: I apologise for my tone, but I stick with my argument as well. Not trying to be a smart alec, just stating the facts. The developers have poured years of effort into the game with no compensation whatsoever. And yes, some of what they did could possibly be improved upon. But ranting about it will not get you anywhere. As has been stated previously: If you refuse to play the game, that's your choice, no-one loses out except you.

I honestly suggest you focus on improving your piloting skills and enjoy the game for what it is. You may even learn to like the challenge.

I suggest you learn to read the posts. I was NOT the one saying that I would not play the game. I was the one saying that I agreed with the poster that posted that HE refused to play, because of the checkpoints. That I understood his frustration and again, I will not back down from that viewpoint.

I think that this game needs checkpoints. It is certianly hard enough!

Again, because something is free, it does not mean people cannot find way to improve it. The original game and what they did makes no difference to weather or not something can be made better. I never said anywhere it had to be the original developers of the game now did I? If I did, please point to the post I stated this in. Because I cannot find it! Nor do I remember posting it. I simply said it could be improved, as to WHO does it, I could care less.

You are assuming an awful lot of things I never stated!

Everyone in this thread NEEDS to quit thinking the DEVELOPERS are somehow being jumped on simply because people say this game needs checkpoints! That is completely stupid!

Most people like the game and appreciate the hard work that went into it, so before you go off on a rant thinking because someone thinks this game needs checkpoints it is somehow associated with an attack against the developers, you really need to STOP and THINK about what has been suggested.

As far as I could tell, no one was jumping on the developers, but rather stating FACTS that is IS frustrating having to replay the game over and over and over again, simply because of a lack of checkpoints.

"nuff said!

Wing Commander III, IV, and Prophecy were even more difficult than Darkest Dawn and none of those had checkpoints. I remember one mission in IV, you had to undock from the carrier, fly to a planet, kill a few enemy ships in space, and then fly down to the planet and go through 3 waypoints of insanely difficult stuff (ships with Tachyons and constantly firing missiles, and turrets on the ground that also shoot missiles). I died at the last waypoint, and had to start all the way from the beginning again. I was mad, but the second time I got it. There were other long missions like that too, and if you got to the very end of it and died, you had to start the whole thing all over again.

If you want checkpoints, stick with Black Ops and Modern Warfare. The WC games were never about checkpoints (neither was FreeSpace 2 itself), and this one is not either.

I miss games where you were actually given a challenge, games didn't hold your hand, give you hints throughout, tell you when to push a button, and make it easy to win. Darkest Dawn is actually quite a refreshing game in that regard. Minimal hints, no "press Q to kill this enemy", no ship computer telling me what to do every few seconds... I like it.

This game does NOT need checkpoints. Nuff said.

@Hammer7....Please don't give a stupid answer like "you do not need checkpoints" in this game because it certianly DOES!

You being a fanboy and saying the game is not hard makes NO DIFFERENCE as to weather or not YOU think this game is hard.

And yes it is a LOT harder than those earlier WC games you mentioned. How you could even THINK that is beyond me!

Again, it needs checkpoints, but because the freespace engine will not allow it, probably never will.

NUFF SAID!