SHOULD I BUYTHIS GAME?

[PA1NK1LL3R]

Hi,

The game looks great and the concept also but what I don't like is that there is no campaign or any single player, against AI, and no BOTS i've read in MP?

I had such a games in the past and the first 2 to 6 months alot of servers, alot of games but after most people played it for a while servers drained empty and the game is totally useless.

You understand I don't wan't that to happen again and because I still read Positive reviews but also that servers are empty, this confuses me a little in buying this game, even in discount atm.

Please your opinions!

[Kissamies]

Normally I'd tell you to try the free demo, but Ludocraft sites are down. There is bots, but they are basically just ships that fly themselves, and you have to go to a server to play with them.

The main reason there are no players is because there is no one playing. It's a vicious cycle. However, I think there is 4 reasons for the game never getting that critical mass of players:

1. Learning curve. It's not your typical FPS. Some items aren't used for the purpose you'd think or how you'd think. A smart player can figure this game out by himself, but most should RTFM, and because the said FM is not shoved to your face, like how it's usually done in this time and age, people don't find it. Newbies get frustrated because they can't seem to do anything and more experienced players get frustrated of the newbies because they are being useless, maybe even harmful, crewmates. The in-game tutorial is a joke, but there is decent guides out there. A separate tutorial, maybe even a mandatory one, would be really good.

2. Team balance. You select the team before you join a server and there is no autobalance or team joining restrictions. A player might not even realise he's team stacking if he doesn't look at the scoreboard. Also, the higher level players tend to be much more effective due to both skill and having more effective perks (points 1 and 3 basically). Unfair teams frustrate players.

3. Unbalanced perks/flaws and exploits. Doesn't happen alot in small games, but on the rare bigger matches you will encounter players who use these. Getting repeatedly dropped at ranges you can't match with your own cannons or boarded by a player who bounced from half a map away makes people rage quit.

4. Server crashes and maintenance. Despite the 3 points above, there might still be matches that start small, but slowly snowball as more people join than leave. I have seen the beginnings of it many times. However, the servers periodically reboot because of some issue with Unity engine the devs were unable to solve. This kicks the players off the server and breaks off the match. Some decide to go do something else and the others scatter to the other servers. Crashes are pretty rare but they sometimes happen too with same results.

In short, Ludocraft should patch their game, but haven't. Probably never will. It's still fun, but not fun enough to keep the crowd.

[PA1NK1LL3R]

Thnaks for the reply, I still managed to get the free demo from Desura and InfieDB.
I just want this game to play local or co-op with friends so...

[Epicstein]

i just bought it on amazon for 3 bucks... no one plays though :/

[Kenwood]

They never fixed the balance issues with the game so the community slowly bled off.

[ZomPaul]

Its a good game when ppl are on. Cheap and doesnt take up much space. Id say buy it and check online occasionally.

[ℬüḓḓнїṧт_Gamer7☸]

don't waste your money.. the trading cards are worth more than the game lol

[Vinteri]

Lets play tomorrow 5:30(pm) gmt!

[Sindex]

Don't, I bought both this and Guns of Icarus Online when they first came out, both were pretty rough around the edges, but the GoIO team took their time to work on the game and make it awesome.

These guys on the other hand? They just gave up on it.

[🚁 Artos 🚁]

I have to say, I was a die hard fan of the game and I have to agree. Some of the issues with balance could be fixed with a few lines of code, or even just by adjusting a few existing values, but they haven't bothered.

Maybe I'm wrong, maybe they'll start doing their job again, but even if they do I'm not convinced it'll be enough to save the game.

[The Cheat]

i will say no

[PA1NK1LL3R]

I downloaded the mod with Desura or was it IndieDB, installed it and now enjoy playing it with friends online. That was my initial intention but was wondering why a game, that seems not too bad to me, can't keep people playing for longer than a few months.

Alot of such MP only games have same issues, so I don't buy them anymore or they must be stable and well known titles.

Thanks for all the advices!!! You are all much abliged.

[Kissamies]

Oh by the way the site is no longer down and here's the link to the demo if someone wants it:
http://www.airbuccaneers.com/download/

Likewise for the curious who happen to have UT2004 installed, the mod can be obtained here:
http://www.moddb.com/mods/airbuccaneers

Heh, they have some vintage screenshots there, like the original player models from 2003.

[🚁 Artos 🚁]

Most of the screenshots are prett ancient XD

The new website looks nice, but they seem to have closed the forums and the "support" page 404s which means there's no way of contacting them.

I'd be inclined to take that as a sign they're not going to live up to their committments.

[Kissamies]

Depends where you click the support link. Works from one direction, doesn't from other. Probably copypasted it from the old site and didn't check, which probably tells us something about the priority as well. Looks like it's harmonized with the rest of the Ludocraft pages now.

As for the forums, I suspect they are not as high priority now because there is also this forum. I have noticed that when someone ask about a showstopper problem here, Nobah is quick to answer.

[🚁 Artos 🚁]

Are they actually reading these forums? Any sign of releasing a patch :/

Heck, even if they posted a note to say "here's what we're working on" it'd be something. Seriously, some of the issues like balloon bouncing could probably be solved by changing a single value in a single line of code.