The side mission givers may be one-dimensional but they seemed a lot more interesting and fun to deal with than MOST NPCs from MOST other games in existence so I wouldn't really call it "bad writing" when they're way better than 95% of the shit out there that passes for "NPC chatter."
As someone who generally hates fighting games but got into Rising Thunder and was awaiting more game modes so I could properly play with my friends.... This bums me the fuck out.
3: This statement suggests that there is multiplayer but it is rare to encounter because the universe is too vast for multiple people to trip over being in the same place at the same time. If this is true, then what is the point of being able to name the planets, flora, and fauna? Shouldn't it be equally rare (relative to the total number of planets in the universe) to encounter planets that have already been discovered and named?
There is a pretty big difference between encountering the same planet as someone else over the life of the game and encountering another person on that planet at the exact same time.
That said, if they have some kind of robust multiplayer I'm sure they'll be all excited to tell people about it. In the meantime, don't pre-order games, ever.
According to an article which explains that "it's difficult to meet people because traveling across the galaxy will take a really long time" (which is its own can of shitty worms) quote: "18,446,744,073,709,551,616 procedurally generated planets" will exist in the game.
I going to do some shitty math here. Let's say you somehow managed to visit, oh, 100,000 planets in this game on which you named things. Does that seem possible? That you'll visit 100,000 planet during your playthrough? I'm gonna say "maybe if I spend 500 hours in the game." So, what are the chances that a person will hit one of your planets? Well, looking at the numbers, the chances are 1 in 18,446,744,073,709. Or 0.00000000000005%
Now just multiply that by, let's say, 10 million people playing the game and the chances that just one, only one of those 10 million people will see anything you touched is.... 1 in 1,844,674 or .0000005%
Do you see, now, how little that matters? You're naming things for yourself, not anyone else.
I'll be interested in seeing how hackers play with the PC port.
I wish I had a proper platform like Brad to ask the important questions about multiplayer that everyone is going to pretend to have amnesia over once the game is released.
Sean has stated factually that you can meet other players if you land on the same planet that they are on but that it would be a rare occurrence due to the sheer number of planets in existence. This brings up very fucking important questions that ought to be answered before the release of the game. And no, this stuff shouldn't be a secret to await those who buy and play the game when they're adding pre-purchase bonuses that give you better traveling ships.
1: Does this statement mean you cannot actually search for named planets to go to?
2: Does this statement mean that there IS a multiplayer component to the game in which two or more people can be in the same space and interact with each other in real time?
3: This statement suggests that there is multiplayer but it is rare to encounter because the universe is too vast for multiple people to trip over being in the same place at the same time. If this is true, then what is the point of being able to name the planets, flora, and fauna? Shouldn't it be equally rare (relative to the total number of planets in the universe) to encounter planets that have already been discovered and named?
Please, people, please do not sweep Sean's previous statements under the rug like I know you will. :(
DaveKap's comments