The Sentinel=pathetic

5 posts · 2008-02-12 09:16:00 to 2008-02-13 19:05:00

#36300404768 02/12/2008 09:16 Re:The Sentinel=pathetic

I remember decoding/finding meeting times and places and beating Zion to Morpheus, spying on masked meetings etc, etc, twas fun............

Do current story events actually affect the city or redpills in any material way any more?  The sad lack of connection between the story and the environment leaves very little for a Newspaper supposedly written in the city to convey....

#36300405379 02/13/2008 05:10 Re:The Sentinel=pathetic

In considering this problem I concede that the lack of the sentinel is one of those factors that is severely missed and contributing in my case to a lack of feel that we have any connection to what is going on. It or something like it needs to return to bring the world to life, and all players especially newbies need to be given a reason to keep in touch with the world we occupy.....it is a key part of the unique appeal of this mmo over any other.

The problem for Lesig is transparency, we have all seen the venom hurled out when accusations of favortism and insider knowledge are made, actually allowing LESIG to leak info in some subtle form places them in an impossible situation. Equally while players can generate content from events gone by all that will become is an event recap whipped up by spin, any new sentinel needs to look into the furture, it needs to give us some ambition, some hope that progress is occuring and that there is some consequence for things that have occured, it needs to draw new players into the plot and make them a part of this world. It would take creative dev time but it plays to the strengths of the game and would be more worthwhile than adding more disconnected mechanical gameplay. 

There are some issues with regard to the story - The loss of the truce places credibility issues on a public newspaper as a information source, this isnt a neutral zone or occupied territory it is the land of the Machines, the Sentinel would either be a pure propagander tool or else shut down altogther. In Zion's case use of the matrix as a place to plot, plan or play lacks any real conviction, for them it is literally the worse place to transfer information. The mutual investment and real connection all orgs had in the Matrix is now a lot more tenuous. It still has a place but perhaps it's bias needs to reflect these factors.

#36300405397 02/13/2008 05:47 Re:The Sentinel=pathetic
With the truce in place it is reasonable that people sympathetic to all sides would have access and input to the paper, I can't really see that being the case in an open war....the obituaries column would be filled with reporters! Equally during a truce it is credible that all operatives would casually occupy the Matrix and in that scenario the sentinel is a credible communication tool, today it would be a crazy way for Zion to coordinate operations when they have the assured security of their own 'impregnable' city.
#36300405443 02/13/2008 08:29 Re:The Sentinel=pathetic

Chadwick was fired from MxO(meaning that he's not writing anything for this game since....a lot) but, somehow, he still have some rights about the Sentinel(he wrote it and created some characters, like Andres Bonifacio). That's the reason why SOE can't touch anything or release a new sentinel...and that's the reason why Rarebit said no to a LESIG Sentinel.

This is only a guess, not a fact...but I really think it's accurate. Another proof that the game is going downhill.

#36300405888 02/13/2008 19:05 Re:The Sentinel=pathetic

Contrary to popular belief, there is life outside teh internets.

Not updating your blog doesn't necessarily mean you're dead...although I have to agree it's strange.