Darn I need to read this whole thing but so far I totally agree!!!

Right now the game is a race to the space stage then, once there, you are constantly hastled and must play the baby sitter.

This game need more options/complexity, Fleets and less micromanaging at the space stage. I think the space stage could be mostly fixed by new items... read my comment here for my views on the space stage.

That said, I love Spore!

^-^ you are right on the money, all of you! Spore is awesome! It has a great look and everything... BUT Gameplay aspects are lacking... I'm gonna throw in my 2 cents. I've sad a lot of this in other places but i like my ideas and i want people to include them>,<

BTW Cell Phase is exactly what i expected and i love it for that, as simple as it is.

Creature phase

You need wandering creatures who have territories instead of nests.

There needs to be mini games for competing for the best mates, and for finding a good nest, and raising your nestlings.

There needs to be competition between the types of eaters so that theres an actual ecosystem.

Parts on the creature actually need to stack. As it is its too simplified and everything turns into a biped because anything else is a waste of dna.

Need to have a population of your creatures to keep alive, so that when you die the number goes down. You should be able to fail and have your species go extinct. How fun would it be to start over and see your failed creature try to eat you next time ^-^
Tribal
There needs to be minigames to discover technology, like fire or tools or instruments. to advance into tribal.
Civilization
More strategy/technology involved in civilization phase.
Space
As for space stage, i think you guys said everything. Oh, except cutting back on the number of different races... Sheesh is space crouded! I am tired of seeing so many spidering lines of colors. I want to kill them off so its a bit more peaceful...
Sporepedia
One last thing, is that your creature should have at the most 1 sporepedia slot for each stage of the game, and have them all be linked. Also your play style should be saved to the creature as well so when it goes to the sporepedia or appears in your game as an NPC it behaves the way you evolved it to. My warrior should be a follower of force, and my ecologist should be a follower of life... not the other way around due to the game just randomizing everything.


I'll say it again: Spore is great, but its incomplete. Darn it, if they'd make the ideas listed in this post in a patch or an expansion i would be ecstatic. As irksome as it would be to spend another 50$ on the completion of a game i already own(2 copies btw, one of which is Galactic edition), Spore would definitely be worth it.

You need wandering creatures who have territories instead of nests.

Truth.

All really excellent feedback so far.

By the way, I just bought the Uber Turret, and it's awesome, while you're on-planet. Unfortunately it sucks badly when you're not there to personally babysit it. is this just a glitch? Why cant properly built colonies defend themselves?


And why cant planets build their own fleets of defensive ships? In my last civilization stage game, i had about twenty aircraft guarding my airspace. The space stage would be so much better if they didnt disappear when I progressed.

But then you'd still need fleets.

I tell you what, though, a fleet of your very own player designed space craft would be completely awesome, even if you only got to have a dozen or so. Soooooo sweet. Especially if your space ship could manufacture them.

the economy needs to be auto-managing. in the Civ stage, you capture spice mines, and then the money trickles in on its own. In space, you have to barter your spice personally? What sense does that make?

I wrote this over at the UK site cause they actually have a subject "What do you dislike about Spore?" stickied(why do they have one and we don't? I thought we hate on stuff more, or is it just the moderators being lame here and cool over there?).

BUT, all the stuff I talked about are relevant here too and are ideas that the devs, even though I'm sure they are SPORE off all over their sales and couldn't care less about us(ALTHOUGH, when I bought Supreme Commander, I was actually SHOCKED to see how much the DEVS were on the forums, they were like "WOW! GOOD IDEA!" and they PUT IT IN THE GAME! it wasn't a GUESSING GAME, but then again they are not EA, so they are not forced to be quiet with the giant EA-SPORE-O-Doom™ lurking behind them.

CLICK ME TO READ

There are a few things I did rant about that I didn't see skimming over this thread, so give it a read.

For the love of god please patch the space stage soon! This is really killing my buzz.

I went through this game as an aggressive, militaristic, carnivorous race. Now suddenly I'm in space and I cant have a fleet unless I ALLY with people? What? I cant just blow them up and take their planets? Did I miss something? Did my carnivorous aggressive militaristic race of heartless killing machines suddenly become The Federation? Did they decide after that last global war of unification that they didnt want to fight any more?

Where the hell are my battalions of space fighters and planet bombers to accompany my mighty space ship in it's exciting five-year mission to seek out new life and new civilizations, carpet bomb their cities, and plant my flag where no civilization will ever rise again until the radiation dissipates?

IF I WANTED TO BE A PEACEFUL RACE WHO MAKES TREATIES AND ALLIES WITH MY NEIGHBORS I WOULD HAVE PLAYED AN ECONOMIC GAME AS AN HERBIVORE AND UNIFIED MY CIVILIZATION DIPLOMATICALLY!!! I AM AN AGGRESSIVE MILITARISTIC CARNIVORE, I WANT TO BLOW THINGS UP!!!

i hate it when ppl dont like my favorite stage... the space stage:

http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/list/2879.page

Read up my dear friend and i think 99% of those space gripes will go away.

And to the post above me...

Quit crying... 5000 Hit points with a shield is more than enough. especially when you conquer planets and can heal the ship almost instantaneously. And the point across with the allying with other species is to prove that you CANNOT take on the Grox without allies....
If you can find an easier way to take over 400+ stars of the Grox territory then let me know. But sending my allies out to clear half of the stars certainly help. By paying them not by allying with them.
Also, allies are only as strong as the size of their galaxy so if you're wondering why they die so quick that is probably why.

But its HELLA fun when you have 5 other ships behind you with 5000 Hitpoints... its a invincible machine.

I agree on a lot of the points made here. Space is hard; it requires a LOT of patience to build up to power.

I'd really like to see the earlier stages become... *sigh*, deeper.

Creature -
Yeah, needs an aquatic stage. I think it'd be safe to integrate aquatic and creature directly into eachother, allowing you to start out with a selection of fins for aquatic movement, and as you befriend/hunt underwater, you might happen to find legs or graspers to help you advance to the surface... Of course, if you never do, you'll just be an aquatic creature!

And, while I don't particularly like the whole idea of investing points into improving stats on parts, I'd say I have to agree there; to me it seems a bit needlessly complex or something, but there simply is no better way to allow customization of your creatures form. I also agree with you on the need for segmented skin type and the ability to shape the body more; I think the skin should be quite easy to implement.

Tribal -
I agree on the lack of options on expansion. Conquering villages to build on them could be cool... I had this idea of 'Chieftan Duels' that centered around that, where two chieftans would engage in a turn-based, click-and-drag battle, where you could move the different parts of your creature to do attacks. Kind of like a simplified Toribash, but of course, that sounds way too complex to implement.

Someone mentioned implementing a feudal age. YES. I'd LOVE to see a feudal age, which operated similarly to the Civilization age, but used infantry units or perhaps simple carts/siege tools instead of tanks and stuff... Seriously, RELIGIOUS VEHICLES, WHAT THE HECK? Sending robed missions would make a lot more sense in that case.

Civilization -
I kind of like the Vehicle creator as is, but that's probably because I focus more on just creating whatever rather than focusing on a truly powerful combination. No matter what I do, those enemies burn to the ground!!

But yeah, I definitely agree on your point of the loss of personal-ness that comes with controling an empire. Just simply being able to zoom in on someone and see what they do would be nice (though it seems you can kind of do that already.)

And space... Yeah, you're spot on. If you could at least build some defense ships that patrol your planet, or better yet, have collector ships that could just swoop up your spice crop in a system for some easy gathering, would be incredibly excellent!

dhandi wrote:

You need wandering creatures who have territories instead of nests.

Truth.

That's something I addressed in my "Me making spore" thing. It would be easy to code.

ok i've reached 49 'achievements' so far, i just got my badge for 100 hours of sporeplay and i've a few others where some players just might be jealous about but ...

i've read similar reactions like in this topic on about every forum related to spore and after 100 hours i can only confirm the criticism and ideas for improvement i read. i wonder if Spore has actually been tested by some regular gamers. although i knew pretty much what to expect: worlds and evolution with increadible possibilities to have some fun with (which i did and also the reason i bought Spore) but also to expect: overall mediocre in game depth ...

even when knowing this i can still only come to the sad conclusion: i know much better dos games. they might not look this pretty but have a lot more substance than the original, wonderfull, creative fantastic but -even with millions of creations - contentless and repetitive world of spore. i've the impression to have payed to be playing as a beta tester. i'm bored by the lack of depth for ALL gameplayparts, functionality and mechanics except the cellstage which is actually build as a simple yet enjoyable and real game.

i've had most fun seeing my own creations evolve and cheered for other players creations but as for the rest? the whole game seems to be made to work against you instead of playing with you. i see no point launching my 11th race from cell to space where disasters, pirates and multiple wars -at the same time- drive me mad by annoyance because of the whole lack of set-up and functionality to either do something about it yourself or let some of the AI handle it because i happen to be at the opposite side of the galaxy socialising or killing (great variation in choices lol).

the never ending space age is just a tool of terror: you're constantly forced away from what was promised: a choice ranging from planet sculpting to crusade against the inbeatable grox (preferably with more than just your tiny suicide squad). instead you've to whipe out things or find stuff which only annoy you about 100 times ... but on the other hand: 'just blow up your ship ... it's no problem we can clone you'. but oh wait you've lost your colonies anyway oh and your relations got worse because you decided to defend yourself, maybe you should go to battle with your hippy ship against those bullies while on the other side of the universe some ecosystem is collapsing. just stop caring about it ... unless there's some miraclous update that's exactly what i've decided to do.

i've enjoyed toying with the creators and actually made and saw some magnificent designs, enjoyed some of the playing (which i did as a spore maniac) but after a while you'll mostly understand one thing: when you want to make your creature do something meaningfull you notice that the whole game complexity consists of a very limited set of actions and gameplay. even with the best imagination and cute animations this simplicity and extremity makes the whole spore world lifeless and you're bound to lose interest even with so many wonderfull things in spore.

you've awesome creations, awesome creators, great scenes, a vast galaxy, awesome new worlds to explore but it's basically all cosmetic appearance mangled up in an impossible attempt to please both 10 year olds and adults with all kinds of gaming interest together. great concept, great scenery, great creators, great creations but one great missed opportunity.

Shesh you would think they would pick up on these ideas on a beta... Did they have a beta?

How odd... Most (if not all) of your complaints are identical to mine.

Your viewpoint and play style seem similar to mine (although it seems you prefer a different archetype) ...

I also like to linger, savor, peruse... I also feel the early stages are too short...

And the RTS system of the galactic phase is ... as you put it ... CLUMSY...

Allies and colonies don't defend themselves at all... You have to gofer all over the galaxy to HAVE allies... and there isn't really any combat ... per se. Sure, you get to click at some ships... IF you're on planet ... And if you're on a defend mission... you MIGHT not even hit your allies ships in the heat of battle ... but beyond that... there isn't any real battle build ... Not one that makes any sense, anyway ...

I could go on, and on ... and ...

Oh... yeah ... Fish stage would be nice... and I EXPECTED it ... but it's not there

My final word on the game ... It has GALACTIC potential (pun intended) ... but it seems rushed, incomplete, modular...

It just seems ... unfinished ... and NOT because it's waiting for users like us to add to it ...

I seriously mean that the different portions of the game just don't really flow together. It's as if they tried really hard to make the deadline, realized they wouldn't, and had to rush sew together the proto-types of each phase into a workable game... (especially considering that the space phase seems the largest portion of the game... )

I pretty much agree with what everyone else has said before, but there are a few small things that I would like to add.

First is that there really should be some sort of diplomacy screen ala Civilization (the game, not the Spore level), because half the time in the Space stage I just ignore my allies requests for military aid because I'm like "huh, the --- Empire is attacking you... Am I allied to that empire too? Meh, if they can't take care of themselves that's their problem."

Also, I would like to be able to move the location of buttons in the various screens that control what my UFO can do, because I would rather like to organize things like my weapons array (or cargo hold) to my own liking, and not have it default to whatever tool I happened to buy first.

But yeah, the massive amount of micromanagement, pirate attacks, biodisasters, and the like really bugs me because they usually happen right when I'm in the middle of terraforming, exploring, and generally having fun, and pretty much kill the mood.

airfire0 wrote:

But yeah, the massive amount of micromanagement, pirate attacks, biodisasters, and the like really bugs me because they usually happen right when I'm in the middle of terraforming, exploring, and generally having fun, and pretty much kill the mood.

Exactly my feelings.

I'm on Planet Jironidas or whatever, laying down trees and shrubs, basically gardening, and i just used my planetary atmosphere vacuum and my heat ray to bring my planet into the T3 range, then JUST as I realize that I'm missing the T3 medium plant i need to stabilize the rapidly declining biosphere, i get a message that says my colony is being raided by something called The Duckulon Empire, which I cant find and didnt even know I was at war with (I probably brassed them off when I was exploring closer to the center of the galaxy).

Now as if having to personally terraform every single planet by myself as if my colonists dont have ecologists of their own wasnt bad enough, I also have to babysit every single other colony in my empire WHILE I personally terraform every single colony in my empire AND ferry spice between every single colony in my empire.

Where exactly does the fun part come in? Is it the tedium? The OH MY GOD WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO PLACATE YOU PEOPLE?! The sense of soul crushing weight as you finally realize that the more you build your empire, the more of this crap you're going to have to deal with, and weighing the possibility of conquering a sizeable empire against the probability of going insane from rescuing your planets and those of your allies from eco disasters which threaten to destroy the T3 ecosystem you worked so hard to establish?


Cell stage, short and simple, but yes, fun, the first few times. Unfortunately it has very low replayability because theres very little room for variation.

Creature stage, much better but still only fun the first few times because once you've killed everything, made friends with everything, or killed half of everything and made friends with the other half, you're pretty much done.

Tribe stage, no. Good idea, but BAD execution. Where the hell is the rest of the planet? From a huge world full of dozens, even hundreds of different creatures to five tiny villages?

Civilization stage, kinda. Good idea, ok execution, not enough cities, very little diplomacy. I liked it, but i didnt love it.

Space stage.... yes, but not quite. Needs fixing, BADLY. It would be awesome if it was finished, but it's not. There isnt even anything of significance at the center of the galaxy that I can see. I tried zooming in when I got there. Couldnt even do that. You cant visit it, you can go there, and theres a big white glowing blob that says center of the universe, and then you get blown up by aliens because you cant visit it.

i agree 100% developers need to look at this.
however, if they do change the trade system they need to lower the amount of money you make otherwise making money is going to be really easy.