Let me preface my comments by confessing that I am a "former" player. I voluntarily discontinued my participation after, what I consider, the "MetaVerse debacle" that ended in several prominent players being removed under allegation of cheating by re-submitting hacked game files--a charge that I remain dubious of to this day. I have dropped in to the forums from time to time since then (using my cloaking shields, of course) and noted that that event significantly, and perhaps irreparably, effected the community that made GalCiv stand out from any other games of this type.
Let me be clear: it IS absolutely necessary for StarDock to monitor, identify, and discipline cheaters in order to preserve a fairness within a community such as the MetaVerse. But the WAY that is was done in this instance, in my opinion, destroyed the very community that made GalCiv unique. And it is my personal opinion that the MetaVerse was the primary feature that added replayability and incentive to this game. It added a "multiplayer," competitive aspect to a single-player game. It added a very active, and interactive, community aspect that for many--including myself--came to define GalCiv. When that became tarnished--at least for me--so was the game.
Also, it is NOT my desire to reopen "old wounds." If this thread becomes a rehashing of the back-and-forth, attack-and-defend threads that followed that event, or if my above comments are in any way considered to be inappropriate by the folks at StarDock, I would ask that this thread be removed post haste. My intent was to 1) admit my bias, 2) state a perceived problem, and 3) open a discussion of how the MetaVerse--the community aspect of GalCiv--could be improved for GalCiv2.
Rant mode off.
I would recommend two changes to the MetaVerse--and I'm certain (and hopeful) that others with greater creativity and insight will add and refine these recommendations.
First, I believe that there should be a clearly stated procedure for the identification, investigation, "challenge", and discipline of players suspected of cheating in any multi-player form of participation. (Note: A have become a Star Wars Galaxies player since my GalCiv days, and there have been several instances of cheating that have been very smoothly dealt with, with no apparent harm to the sense of community there. I offer it as one example of how this process might be implemented better, and I'm certain there are other, and perhaps better, examples as well.
Second, I believe that the algorithms behind the MetaVerse should be implemented in such a way that a player is consistently rewarded for playing. After approximately 1 year of intensive game submissions (and seemingly after a 1-month lapse, as well) there appeared to be "penalties" for subsequent submissions. In the first case, those penalties appeared to be insurmountable, while in the second case they were merely a recurring nuisance that would "slap you on the wrist" for having nglected that month.
I look forward to hearing what others have to say on how the MetaVerse could be improved in support of GalCiv2.
