Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

Peter · Jul 19, 2003, 05:39 PM

I do, I play it way to much too

This is quite possibly my favourite mac game of all time. No wait. My favourite game of all time

So, who agrees it needs a multiplayer of some kind

clam2000 · Jul 19, 2003, 05:55 PM

definately!

multiplayer would be hard (the problems of overcrowding among others), but very cool

the windows version is out too, i just noticed that early this week. It works exactly the same (same license code for mac and windows).

--will

voodoo · Jul 19, 2003, 06:28 PM

ugh. EVN is such a shallow game. it has less gameplay than the 20 year old Sundog: The Frozen Legacy (whick fitted on a 300k floppt btw)

I got bored of EVN a few days before I was going to register it. Saved me a few $$ and a few MB by throwing it away.

benb · Jul 19, 2003, 06:32 PM

Originally posted by voodoo:
ugh. EVN is such a shallow game. it has less gameplay than the 20 year old Sundog: The Frozen Legacy (whick fitted on a 300k floppt btw)

I got bored of EVN a few days before I was going to register it. Saved me a few $$ and a few MB by throwing it away.

Hm. Whatever floats your boat.

But let it be known that most people do not consider it a shallow game.

voodoo · Jul 19, 2003, 06:42 PM

Originally posted by benb:
Hm. Whatever floats your boat.

But let it be known that most people do not consider it a shallow game.

it is in comparison (to sundog)

don't get your knickers in a twist.

theory · Jul 19, 2003, 09:01 PM

Originally posted by voodoo:
ugh. EVN is such a shallow game. it has less gameplay than the 20 year old Sundog: The Frozen Legacy (whick fitted on a 300k floppt btw)

I got bored of EVN a few days before I was going to register it. Saved me a few $$ and a few MB by throwing it away.

I should point out that you cant complete
any of the special missions in the demo
version. When you register it you can complete
all the missions and they are quite nice.

I wouldn't call ev-nova shallow. I think it's a
great game. You have to register it though
to see how nice it can be.

voodoo · Jul 19, 2003, 09:55 PM

thanks for the heads-up, but I have tried the registered game as well. My friend decided to buy it.

EVN may be a lot deeper than Super Mario Bros. but it is like disasterously shallow compared to other games of its genre.. even if these games are 20 years old and had less developing budget than EVN.

The storyline is so washed up (in its attempt to be non-linear) that it reminds one of a rehash of all the B sci-fis of the 60s. Basically it is a point A to point B kinda game - and there is little meat on the bones in between. You can't stop on planets and visit the cities -- you just float around space looking for the next que.

Ah well, it was a good idea the Escape Velocity, but it was never improved upon even if it had plenty of room to do so. The developers only tried to make it bigger, not better. EVN is a much worse game than it needed to be. Mostly because of the shallowness. (linear plot *is* shallow IMO - and the plot was damn linear since there was nothing else to do in the game except finish the plot) Like Baldur's Gate 2, despite all its miniquests and subquests and sidequests the main plot always loomed in the back and the appendicequests didn't do anything to addd depth to the main plot - and the main plot was something you *had* to follow. No straying.

I stand by what I said: EVN is shallow *in comparison* to a game from 1984 thankyouverymuch.

Grey Cell · Jul 20, 2003, 09:33 AM

Originally posted by voodoo:
(linear plot *is* shallow IMO - and the plot was damn linear since there was nothing else to do in the game except finish the plot)

Just out of curiosity: which storyline(s) have you played? Most people wander into the Vell-Os storyline first, and get put off because it's so restrictive.
There are times where you have to make a decision that will influence the further development of the plot, although indeed not to such an extent that the final outcome will be changed (the McGraw subplot in the pirate string, for instance...), and some storylines will randomly branch at certain points (Polaris, Wild Geese...).

Still very limited of course, and I tend to agree that EVN is more linear than it could have been, but there's always plug-ins... several editors are also in the works, BTW, so plug-in development will become even easier.
Just because the current scenario has its shortcomings, that doesn't mean we're stuck with it - and the EVN engine is capable of a lot more than what you see in the "standard" scenario. I wouldn't give up on it just yet

voodoo · Jul 20, 2003, 10:11 AM

Ugh, I haven't played EVN since it first came out so I hope you'll excuse me if I don't remember exactly what the plot was (but it had something to do with being trained like a jedi or something)

I agree with you on that the EVN engine has a lot of potiential that is unused and is certainly a oppertunity for pluginmakers to add depth to it (as I am sure has been done already). I made my own universe and ships for EVO way back when. I loved those games.

thefamousmred · Jul 20, 2003, 11:12 AM

Originally posted by voodoo:
Ugh, I haven't played EVN since it first came out so I hope you'll excuse me if I don't remember exactly what the plot was (but it had something to do with being trained like a jedi or something).

That sounds like the Vell-Os storyline, which is quite restrictive. To your credit I don't think I'd appreciate the game as much if that were my only experience with EVN either.

There are a number of other main storylines and dozens of subplots, though, and they're completely different. You don't have to follow any storyline at all, either - you can just fly around building a trading empire, or being a vigilante, or conquering the universe on your own. Give it a try again, you might be surprised.

Peter · Jul 20, 2003, 01:29 PM

I am loving the Federation missions

Gonna get me self a Fed Carrier soon. Rawr!

invisibleX · Jul 20, 2003, 04:42 PM

I used to play it but it go boring. The fed string is dull and evil (and you get crappy ships). All the others vary but re-playability is just not there. It needs some plugs badly but many of the best ones got bogged down and many are dead now. To date one TC plug is done and countless others are nowhere near completion.

Peter · Jul 20, 2003, 06:30 PM

Wow
A fed carrier is awesome!

Nothing more fun than destorying the Auroran scum

benb · Jul 20, 2003, 06:40 PM

Originally posted by PeterClark2002:
I am loving the Federation missions
Gonna get me self a Fed Carrier soon. Rawr!

Man, the Polaris ships are so awesome. I can take out a Fed Carrier easily with just a striker.

theory · Jul 20, 2003, 08:10 PM

I got the polaris mission. You know
the one where you have to save the polaris
president. I was a shuttle when I got that
mission so I had a hard time dodging the
feds. But it was cool.

MilkmanDan · Jul 20, 2003, 08:11 PM

As much as I love the EV games, it does get old after a while. This from the guy that lost days playing all the EV games in his shattered youth. The challange kind of goes away after awhile, and the lack of multiplayer does suck. Multiplayer is what i do, cuz its no fun to play a game by yourself if you have friends who are left out. And I'd rather be killing people I know, than game sprites. (Killing, as in virtual killing, not real killing, cuz that would be bad)

invisibleX · Jul 21, 2003, 08:54 AM

According to Ambrosia there will be no multiplayer and this is the last in the EV series.

Peter · Jul 21, 2003, 09:07 AM

Originally posted by benb:
Man, the Polaris ships are so awesome. I can take out a Fed Carrier easily with just a striker.

yeah yeah. Eat EMP sucker!