In belated response the the original topic, I would say that depends on whether you plan on building a Virtual World (Morrowind, Sims series, etc.) or a classic "game", with direct competition (against other players or the environment) and well-defined victory conditions.

In the specific case of this space game, it all depends on if you want a strong plot running throughout the story; in that case it is like the classic RPG. Such games often have strong virtual world elements (minigames, sidequests, etc.) that foster the immersion of the player. The most effective of the ones with a strong story often put the player on rails (even if the rails are invisible and the players don''t mind). If you envision your game more like the classic Elite, than I would say focus on the virtual world element, include storylines that the player can be swept into at the designer''s will (even cheat a little with the random encounter tables to make sure he does?), and make sure there are many things to do- including driving and fighting in vehicles on planetary surfaces or environments, if you so choose.

quote:Original post by SteevR
If you envision your game more like the classic Elite, than I would say focus on the virtual world element, include storylines that the player can be swept into at the designer''s will (even cheat a little with the random encounter tables to make sure he does?), and make sure there are many things to do- including driving and fighting in vehicles on planetary surfaces or environments, if you so choose.

Thanks for the input! Definitely going for more of the open-ended idea here. The fighting in vehicles works out just fine-- in fact, fighting in anything works out just fine-- but as with flying in Elite, I''ve got to cut out the boring parts.

The best approach right now is looking like a minimap with an auto-pilot feature for driving, and a large (but not too large) virtual city otherwise for those who simply want the feel of being in other worlds.

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Just waiting for the mothership...