Any news on progress of Offline game?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Kara Brae, Jul 21, 2018.

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  1. Floors

    Floors Avatar

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    Also, when R52 released, I decided to get back in at "Launch" and at least "beat" the game.

    I had stayed away because I felt the game wasn't ready yet, and I was pleasantly surprised on return, although it was still clear it wasn't as complete as it
    perhaps should have been, in a perfect world anyway.

    So for a few months, I basically played as mostly a single player, which you can totally do while online, btw. It even might enhance it a bit.
    So when people say they're waiting for a mythical offline game to save them, I really don't understand it... the game, whether you like it or not, has been made, storyline is what it is and it's not going to majorly deviate at this late, late date, so why the angst ?

    Why not just play and join the online community instead of "I was promised a SP game first and foremost" ? It's weird too, because from the beginning I realized this was an MMO, and it's hard to understand the almost retroactive idea that anyone expected the MMO portion to be not the main function of the game.....
     
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  2. Corv

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    If the summary of the project's goal by the creator and leader of the project (which he repeated over and over in 2013 and which is the basis for my and many other pledges) is "cherry picking" in your eyes then we really have no logical basis for this discussion and I see no point whatsoever in continuing it.
     
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  3. DeadnGone

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    You weeded out it was "single player" focused from the kickstarter... how is that not cherry picking?
     
  4. Barugon

    Barugon Avatar

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    "What I'm hoping we can do is to create a story driven solo player experience that harkens back to somewhere between Ultima IV and Ultima VII but that also has the ability to play online, sort of with an opt-in method or opt out, depending on where you start, as to how multiplayer you want that to be... how close to an MMO you want it to be or whether you're really just interested in your friends and family."

    So yeah, you're cherry picking.
     
  5. Ashlynn [Pax]

    Ashlynn [Pax] Avatar

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    Portalarium spent years insisting this game wasn't an MMO and a proper solo experience was a major part of the kickstarter sales pitch. Sure, the main focus quickly shifted to MMO in the first year (though they still insisted it wasn't an MMO game, as did many vocal backers here) And some of us always wondered if the two modes were reconcilable, including myself. But hey, go ahead and insist he's cherry picking regarding the single player promises. I know that's BS.
     
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  6. smack

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    It's amazing how things change around here...it was only just a couple years ago...

    I mean, a lot has changed...

    So about offline mode...
     
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  7. Barugon

    Barugon Avatar

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    You all really should watch the video. He said, even back then, that it's a game with single player, MMO and selective multi-player aspects, which is exactly what it turned out to be. Also, vastly more people are interested in multi-player than offline.
     
  8. Sir_Hemlock

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    The following message is classified 'NBC' Non-Banworthy Content, 'NR' Non-Reportable & 'NF' Nobody's Fool

    Did Darksar really say this?
    "As you should! Lord Darkmoon thank you for being a champion for Offline mode. We will do our very best to live up to your incredibly high expectations. Don't let these other folks talk you down from your impassioned diatribes."
     
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  9. Mykll

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    When did he say it was also going to be an MMO? On one of those KS vids? The same KS, that has this listed as a FAQ:
    So even the messaging from Portalarium was not clear and consistent. No wonder everyone thought they were getting the game they wanted, too many conflicting and vague statements.

    But I will agree with you. Vastly more people are interested in MMO. As of today, because all the single player offline people have been chased away.
     
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  10. Kara Brae

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    My intent in mentioning Minecraft was not to suggest that SotA is similar in scope or should be re-made to be a sandbox world-building game.

    My intention was merely to point out that there is a huge market for people who enjoy being creative and that in my opinion the current housing/decorating system in SotA would speak to that interest, if only it were easier to access in the offline game.

    This is what the entire world looks like in the offline game. Ugly, ugly, ugly. Imagine if players could turn this lot (and all the surrounding lots) into a flowering paradise. Imagine if they could create whole differently themed neighborhoods. There are loads of creative people who would enjoy doing that. No development time needed except to lower prices and remove taxes.

    [​IMG]


    I read with interest the discussion about the original Kickstarter expectations regarding online/offline.

    At this point in time there are disappointed parties on both sides.

    I personally have given up any expectations of a worthy offline successor to the old Ultima games. Nevertheless I see potential in SotA to be an offline success. Not for being a "spiritual successor" to the old offline Ultima games with an intriguing story line and brilliant quests (which are lacking), but by appealing to a completely different audience of creative folk whose interest in quests may only be of a secondary nature.

    It is painful to me to see this opportunity to appeal to a wider offline audience be disregarded. The Devs may not want to water down the image of the game they are trying to project, but that is all a matter of good marketing.
     
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  11. majoria70

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    Ummm this thread got a bit off topic and we've had the argument for years about what this game was supposed to do and which direction it should have gone in but it didn't go the way most any of us who have been around from the beginning expected it to. That is true for offline and online.

    I even agree and feel the offline got the short end of the stick. It should have been a separate entity for one thing not left over pieces of an online game with companions and save your game features, woo hoo. Well maybe I'm exaggerating but only kind of. But what game development company promises 2 games? Well this one.

    Now here we are trying to make the best of it and cheer this game on to success. I truly don't feel trying to concebtrate on both can do justice to the offline game without sabotating the online game being stretched too thin but what do I know.

    If as mentioned there are a few things they can do to help the offline game I hope they will do it for the offline game to be a better experience.

    I never understood the desire to play alone since I was looking for a UO type of experience and virtual home for years to come but that is just me. Once I play a single player offline rpg I'm done with it and that's not why I'm here but I don't have to understand it and I wish the best for offline and online, and I believe it will just take more time and feedback to pull it together for both.
     
  12. Kara Brae

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    Great, then the offline game is not for you and you don't have to worry about how it is doing :D
     
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  13. DeadnGone

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    I don't even know what a lot of you people are even complaining about. They work and put out stuff every month in these releases. Are you telling me that all these quests they work on and put out each month are not available in the "offline" story mode? Are you telling me that the companions they've been working on are not in "offline" mode? Are you telling me they didn't implement their ability to join you in your adventures and help you in different ways as well? Are you telling me the quests for their gear aren't in "offline" mode as well? Have these things not been mention in the past 4-5 releases? Haven't they been implementing these things all along? Is everyone willingly ignoring those facts to push the agenda that "offline" mode is abandoned and forgotten? Seriously people?

    My original point was they should FOCUS, i can't emphasize "FOCUS" enough, on their main issues and NOT everything at once or it really will never get done in a timely fashion. Yes, I'd rather the MP aspect run smoothly and be successful before anything else, but that doesn't mean other issues aren't important or their forgotten. Hell, even with their MP focus they are still working on the offline side/compatibility as well. Does no one here read the release notes or watch the livestreams? Or does everyone just listen to negative threads, outside forums and reddit?
     
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  14. Mykll

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    The release notes and telethons tell me that Portalarium and most online people care about the next shiny thing, instead of hammering down a good foundation of a game first. They (release notes and telethons and Portalarium and a lot of people not wanting to hear about issues with the game) have told me in the past to not worry about the story, or quests, or any of the bugs, or offline, or anything else, because it is a game forever in development with polishing coming SOON.

    Yes a lot of the things made for online transfers to offline, and should be changed specifically for offline. But if you are going to make a single player RPG then everything needs to be buttoned up even more because you won't be running around with people to tell you how to get around all the issues. And offline people won't care about all the costumes or dance parties or any of that stuff, they care about the core game stuff like quests, combat, etc.

    When the core game is in such a mess in various places, that shows up for both online and offline, and seemingly people care more about barns and horses and double rainbows and costumes and decorations than functional quest logs, dialog, sparklies and maps, then we have what we have now. People are frustrated with the direction. Supporters and Portalarium can't fathom how anyone could possibly be frustrated so those frustrated people are shouted down, moderated, banned, told to not worry, for years. So a large Exodus of people happen, both disgruntled and former supporters of the game. And those left that dare say anything, are called trolls, reddit social engineers, lumped into that "same 5 people that show up everywhere!" or completely dismissed.

    I agree, Port should FOCUS on what is there first. And should have focused on a constant art direction instead of this mixed mess we have. Guess not enough Unity assets to follow a coherent theme and they just grabbed whatever. And you guys keep buying it all up instead of holding them accountable for what is not working or missing of a good RPG game.
     
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  15. Earl Atogrim von Draken

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    Ah, the SC discussion.
    All we are missing is the feature creep part.
    Can somebody start that as well please?
     
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2018
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  16. Duke Gréagóir

    Duke Gréagóir Legend of the Hearth

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    All of your opinions are hilarious.

    I have been playing Skyrim lately too see what all the hype is and SotA is as good in it’s offline mode as Skyrim is. Seriously. The only advantage to Skyrim is the mods and extra stuff the vanilla game does not provide.

    SotA has the Worst feature if U7 - not schedules. Yeech. This is the best time waster feature that a game could implement.

    As an Ultima single player from way back in the early 1980s, I see and feel Ultima everywhere in SotA. I too have been playing the offline mode more than online so I can have my
    Shroud in both versions and offline is Good. I enjoy it.
     
  17. Corv

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    They made LD lose his mind, he was driven into being sarcastic, something out of character for him and that sarcasm out of desperation got him PERMA banned. Keep in mind, LD is the guy that gave SotA the highest score world wide - it's on metacritic (Gamestar). He always seemed extremely reasonable and patient, but I guess after 5 years his patience ran out. So the champion of single player mode, the author of the best SotA review is perma banned on the stoa forum. Hilarious.

    yeah that indeed was hilarious, thanks

    (oh btw: we want a game that hearkens back to Ultima VII, not Skyrim)
     
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2018
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  18. Vyrin

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    You know why. People don't have to like the same styles of game. You can't force people to have fun.

    Yeah so wierd when the Kickstarter FAQ (still up) and many other posts and interviews said Shroud would not be an MMO. But good for you for not taking their statements at face value and discerning the opposite motivation behind it.
     
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  19. Corv

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    I agree
     
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  20. Vyrin

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    This really makes me wonder if you've even looked at the quests in detail. Most of them are riddled with issues even though you are technically able to complete them. Some are not even spell-checked. If you'd like details, I will link for you some detailed quest reviews I completed. Most quests are limited by the poor quest mechanics which they are going to overhaul in Ep. 2 hopefully - Darkstarr literally said in the telethon "overhauling and replacing the quest architecture completely" meaning they know they themselves realize they didn't hit the mark. Chris literally admitted that they didn't plan for the quest system and that in Ep. 2 the plan is to do that. The story/lore may be rich, but as it is implemented in-game, leaves a lot to be desired. So even if they are incrementally improving things (and they need more than incremental improvements), it's not enough. You don't need to defend this part of the game when the devs themselves have admitted it needs an overhaul.
     
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2018
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