The length of games

I've noticed zaphodx and lots of people complaining about the length of games. I think that once the full release of this game is out the types of people who are going to play this game will change radically. Most people don't want the game to last more than 40 minutes, I know you can set it up how you like but essentially this is a long game and that is what its all about.
That is why the game needs greater complexity for the people who will play this in the end not the publicity hogs that play short games at the moment.

I don't think we should view the current state as indicative of the 'final' state considering all teh things that affect pacing including but not limited to;

Balance
Interplanetary
The Egg
Any number of gameplay changes

I think there are enough options that Uber will be able to make the 'standard' length whatever it is they want without too much trouble, they just don't have all the tools they need for that ready yet and thus aren't ready to mess with that aspect of the game.

Mike

The length of current games means practically nothing.

We complain about the length of matches when it comes to Orbital.

Orbital is way under developed and invasions are practically impossible right now. We'll be able to cut down on the game time when the game gets balanced and more Orbital stuff is added.

Are you in favor of longer or shorter games. Hard for me to tell. And if longer why?

Am I a publicity hog because I have a low average game time? Or is it maybe because I prefer 1v1s? 20 minute games can take a lot out of you so I would hope the averages stay similar to now.

If I remember correctly, the average game length is 15-20 minutes.
I think that makes for a pretty good ladder or pick-up game.
Solar system map size will obviously factor into this greatly.


But we should also keep in mind that some people will want 4v4 matches that turn into 2-hour long epic wars.
I hope there can be a balance of both.

I am all out for Jump in and out MMORTS, so if thats possible someday games can last days in my favor.

I, too, eagerly await the arrival of Galactic War

Coming from an RTS background I don't understand where the "less than 40 minutes" comes in to anything. Long games are what makes RTSs fun instead of clicking matches.

However, 70-80% of games I play end in approx. 20-30 minutes. The very few games where it's drug out, tent to be either. 1. Interplanetary(which is a pain to deal with atm, w/o the extra invasion abilities). Or 2. The teams not being aggressive enough.

Once the rest of the items are added we'll see it fluctuate. However, I don't see it as a big problem right now.

2 hours is not epic

You mean like this?

When watching sc2 matches I skip those who are only 15min-20min as it 99% of the time consist of one player building a unit in which the other could not counter within the first 1-2 engagements. Boring as hell. Back in sc2 1v1 diamond the best matches were always the ones that lasted more than 1 hours in which you actually had to think in order to win and not just win by rock paper scissor lizard spock.

For me it's not the length of the game that's important so much as there must be interesting decisions to make at every step along the way. Right now I think PA can support game of 40 minutes and after that it turns into a grind, primarily because orbital is boring.

Single planet battles feel like they're about the right length now, the issue with the game is the orbital stage, but Uber are aware and have stated they're making changes.

However, game length does matter for a lot of people. Got kids? You're not going to commit to a two hour game. Long games also reduce the number of people in rotation for games. Long games increase the odds that people drop.

Not according to pastats

average game length 28m 41s

The simple solution would be for people to pay attention to the type of game, scale of planets, starting planets and number of planets before joining a game and then run the forum to whine about games being to long or short.

Except no. I want to play with multiple planets, I don't want to commit two hours to do so. I want a game designed to accommodate this and so do many others.

Then wait for the rest of orbital to be implemented lol

If you're playing at a high level then long games are very mentally strenuous. In it's current state the game obviously isn't finished and you can end up fighting against the UI or performance issues. I have no issue with long games in concept, just with the current state of the game.

I think the problem I have with long games at the moment is just the underdeveloped state of orbital and the length of time of orbital travel.

This is kind of a pointless discussion until orbital is complete, when we will know if the long game is still as tedious.

No, I think I'll discuss it now, thanks. Discussing ideal game length after the majority of the game long-game systems are in place is a bad idea.

In fact, this entire forum needs to realise that the best time to discuss things is before implementation, not after. Making changes post-implementation is a more expensive process.

Is spazzdla the only one that wants a 10 hour war...?

The TA solution was to have expensive bases and cheap units. This made the early game buildup pretty slow with few units (which you are meant to solve with reclaim). After that, the units would pour out in droves. This gave teching a high cost, but kept army production very fast to support large battles.

All of this stuff really feeds into the overall pacing of PA. It'll take a long time and a dedicated effort to get it right. I don't think Uber can appreciate just how difficult and important it is.