hello i am new

Discussion in 'New Player Welcome' started by GuardianMehmed, Jul 9, 2021.

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  1. GuardianMehmed

    GuardianMehmed Avatar

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    i am starting the game right now, i wanted to ask why is this game has mixed reviews in steam, it looks like a pretty good game. What is it that people didn't like and it got mixed reviews?
     
  2. Vesper

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    Lots of reasons. A good portion of negetive reviews are people butt hurt that they didn't receive the game the figured they deserved in the timeframe they wanted.
     
  3. Anpu

    Anpu Avatar

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    The best thing is to just play the game and see what you think.
     
  4. Violet Ronso

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    This game has

    1. A very steep learning curve that is not fit for everyone.

    2. Barely any hand holding, if you're coming from an MMO like WoW, you might struggle with quests.

    3. One of the most complex but also skill dependant combat systems not fit for everyone.


    These things mean people are turned off before understanding the beauty of it all. Also, some people were expecting something which this game did not become, and were very upset.


    In my case, this is the best game of its genre, I am amazed by everything I can do and I still learn every day. I never play a game for longer than 3 months, and I've been at this one for 5 years now.

    Give it a shot, doesn't hurt, it's free, if you don't like it, just drop it ;)
     
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  5. necronut

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    Here's a story about another video game company... make of this what you will.

    Peter Molyneux made a lot of great games in the '80s. Into the '90s and early noughties, he was a designer who didn't code much anymore. He didn't need to code.

    But he had lost touch with his coders.. and went out into the public making massive promises, returning to the office to much disdain from his own team each time. The team kept getting handed promises they had little hope of delivering.

    They were constantly scrambling to put as much of his "on the fly" design he was doing out in the wild.

    People quit. People were fired. Some of them left the industry for good.

    None of them will ever say a bad word about Peter Molyneux, I won't either. He's still a legend. He created a genre. An actual rock star.

    In spite of Molyneux' promises of planting acorns and having babies, the team delivered Fable, a great but flawed game. The next Fable? Molyneux had an agreement with the team to not ever do that again...

    But he continued. Every promise was him writing a check with the press, but the team had no hope of cashing it as promised.

    In spite of Molyneux, Fable 2 came out. A great but flawed game.

    etc., etc.
     
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  6. majoria70

    majoria70 Avatar

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    Hello @GuardianMehmed and welcome to the game. As mentioned and referred to this game has continued all these years to be continuously developed. Many of us following and investing in it since 2013 had expectations that did not happen the way we each individually envisioned it would happen or in a time frame we would have liked. Still it is amazing the team kept plugging on and then became a much smaller team who are ATM still doing so much to bring interesting things into this game. So jump on board and find your way.

    There is universe chat where you can ask anything which is /U. If you don't get an answer right away try again another time when someone who knows the answer is online. Also. Feel free to ask here and we'll be happy to help anytime.

    Another option when you're settled in is to join a guild if you enjoy being in a guild.

    We also have teleport to zone scrolls which are craftable or purchased from player vendors. These mark places you've visited. Other players can share many recipes with you which saves a ton of cash for you.

    We do also have a music system with solo play or group play.

    Also Don't forget to do the Oracle quest choose "test" and earn daily gold and xp. Also do quests to get your free taxed land deeds. Most of all just Enjoy the journey. It's a big world to play in.
     
    Last edited: Jul 9, 2021
  7. Time Lord

    Time Lord Avatar

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    It's how the game has been developed that's shed our harsh critics...
    A portion of our early players didn't get what they wanted during early development, and by later early development, more players had come and a certain portion of those experienced the same thing, that they didn't get all of what they wanted in development, and so on this cycle of development wants of some, not being the direction our game has been aimed at by our development team.

    Some players came and still come here expecting UO2, or a game more similar to other games. SOTA is unique, being able to be played off-line, on-line and in on-line privet mode, which is just one single example of how different SOTA's direction is over other games of it's similar genre. Card combat is another unique feature which is unlike any other game. This is why those that come here looking for similarity in games they've once played can feel uncomfortable, themselves being stuck in their past game habits and habits linked with desires of familiarity they came expecting to quench.

    Our Shroud of the Avatar is a total quality developed and truly unique game, more challenging not only because our game is different, it's challenging and immersive beyond that which seems familiar, into what SOTA has become, which is deeper than most all games out there in the familiar world of what has become common medieval FTP-MMO-RPG gaming.

    Go see one of our dragons for a split second before it kills you, seek out our craft recipes which are vastly deeper than other game's common click-itty-click simple crafting, or come and see "The Confectionery Delicious inside The Time Tunnel" to see what is possible in player made, player designed housing construction.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Our game is a vast depth where many players drown when searching for similarities with other games, because our game runs deeper far beyond that which is common FTP-MMO-RPG click-bait.


    This is Game ;)!
    [​IMG]
    ~Time Lord~
     
    Last edited: Jul 17, 2021
  8. Barugon

    Barugon Avatar

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    It's a great game. Don't worry about the Steam reviews, just enjoy.
     
    Last edited: Jul 9, 2021
  9. Tahru

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    My honest opinion is it is a good game, but just not the game that people would normally expect. If you view it as a raw quirky game that has little boundaries, then its fine. There are lots of things that are challenging, just not by the common definition. It's hard to explain. I sometimes wrestle with the fact the game feels too light on pain, but then I remember how much effort it takes to do the things I want to do.

    The other common complaint is the population feels low. While not totally wrong, this game makes it easy for solo players to play alone, absolutely too easy in fact. Also, there are just lots of places for people to be because of its vastness.

    In some ways it is like minecraft in that you can just keep on creating stuff forever.
     
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  10. necronut

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    I agree.

    Having played every Ultima except UO (I did, but only briefly), SotA has the guts of Ultima. That is an important factor for me.

    The clear and present influence from the card game, Dominion, also keeps me here. The deck system is 99% of the reason I play.

    I love Ultima. I love SotA. Over 30 years of my life, I've been steeped in this. I love it, for all its flaws, faults, crazy people -both ha ha crazy, and uh oh crazy, for its community, for its complexity, for its learning curve. There's nothing that'll drive me away aside from a ban, my death, the heat death of the universe, or the death of the server.

    I criticize a lot about the game, but in the words of some guy who works on it "You don't get angry about something you're not passionate about."
     
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  11. Duke Gréagóir

    Duke Gréagóir Legend of the Hearth

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    YES Exactly! Me too. I started my journey with Ultima III Exodus. (then played U2, then U1, then U4 - U IX in order).
     
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  12. Dinsoo

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    IMO this is disingenuous as a response. It is much deeper than that, although I am sure there were some that fit into that explanation. How about giving Steam reviews some actual credibility.
     
  13. Dinsoo

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    There are several things about the game that are great! If you think it's good, it really doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, right? Go for it!
     
  14. Superbitsandbob

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    The issues people had just built up over time. To be honest you will probably not get a realistic viewpoint now as all that seem to be left are 2 small waring factions. The it's all rosy in the garden or the garden is tainted crowd.

    More than just salty people not getting what they wanted though the game is not what was originally detailed in the Kickstarter. The "Ultima" people involved seem to have mostly moved on as well and so some of that criticism is valid.

    There have also been issues with finances and the general development of the game for many years. There are more updates but check out the last year or so's and make your own decision as to what you feel is good recent progress. It may differ from the general forum's interpretation. Updates seem lacking an overall plan and can be quite random just imo.

    Ultimately the game does have some good so is worth some initial time but even as someone who believes we should support the games we play, do some research and make sure before you spend lots of your money. Despite the updates the player-base does not seem to be increasing and it can be easy to get caught up in the expensive cash shop trap if that is something you can be prone to.
     
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  15. vulcanjedi

    vulcanjedi Bug Hunter

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    Have followed this game from the very beginning but didn't bite until the first free week and continued during the second. Then bought a signed box set before it went free. I think since late 2018 I have played this almost every day except for a few weekends here and there.
    I was amazed and just spent the first six months piling up quests before I remembered there was a free deed to get a house. Then it took 11 months 23 days to complete the Shroud quest and get the village deed.
    I see this game having 2 sides. The community/deco side where you create a property and set up a vendor. And the adventuring side out killing mobs and monsters and exploring.
    In a group or solo whichever you prefer.
    The best thing I can recommend is to ask questions. Don't worry about throwing something out into universal chat. You will always get an answer. The learning curve as mentioned is HUGE but once you get it is when the fun really starts.
     
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  16. necronut

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    Which one am I in? I certainly don't think things are rosy around here, and I certainly don't think the garden is tainted.

    Bob, I'm a genuine fan of your channel, so don't take this as hostility.

    But what you just said in that quote is an actual logical fallacy called False Dilemma: "With or against", "love it or leave it", "Only 2 types of people."

    Now, to be fair, I see that you said "seem," I'm not the type to only read part of the words and latch onto what I disagree with. I just don't want someone I admire and respect to get wrapped up in the pointless ego stroke that is the anti-any game crowd.

    If you've already sipped the tea, and found it not to be for you... no one is asking you to sip it again. Nor is anyone asking you to leave. It's a video game. Like you, I imagine, I've spent decades playing all types of video games. Some are fun, some aren't, all of that is subjective though. I hated Final Fantasy 2 (IV in Japan for the Hypernerds), but I didn't join an anti-Final Fantasy 2 forum and lump the fans into a logical fallacy either.

    You've criticized SotA on your youtube channel and I found that critique to be valid, important, and worth listening to, I commented as much on your video... and you responded, iirc. And I stand by my comment on that video. That you, and level-headed players like you who would deliver concise criticism, as you did, should be heard and notes should be taken.

    All the best,

    Someone who once got wrapped up in the pointless ego stroke that is the anti-SotA crowd.
    Someone who does not think everything is rosy.
    Someone who does not think the garden is tainted.
     
  17. Superbitsandbob

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    I think we can still fall into one of the two camps (not you in particular, just anyone) We can recognise issues but still not deal with someone on the forums particularly well when their opinion falls out of our interpretation and so appear to be overly zealous.

    What I see in the negative space is people saying yeah, this game had some good ideas but grrrr, argghhh, awoooooo. It's reached a point where it is just hate for hates sake.

    On the forums people do talk about things they think need to change, like the thread about universal vendor price check for example, but generally even when valid points are made about development direction or changes/nerfs, it seems to be the same people hitting those threads with, just imo, a quite hostile, sarcastic tone that comes across as blind faith.

    The recent balance changes are a good example. When it was going on there were certain people that would hit any post even slightly questioning it that this was how it was and to suck it up as it was part of the grand plan. At the of the end of it though in a stream Chris states that this was not the intention at all. I am not sure what you would call this, some form of egotistical certainty in being absolutely right in their interpretation of a situation but ultimately being way off. And then of course not recognising that.

    Players like me stick around because we genuinely see some good but looking at the recent changes don't see the grand steps forwards that some on the forums do and so get seen as disruptive I guess. Much of the change recently is just moving numbers about (slightly downplaying it as the way the artifact system has been changed seems like good work) whereas some real progress would be to work on getting many more zones using the scaling difficulty. For example at the very least get new scenes like Aldur scaling immediately as a number of people have said to me in the past that the reason they stopped playing was because their favourite scene was changed and they couldn't go there anymore or new scenes are no go areas for them.

    Anyway mate I hope you continue to have a good time.
     
  18. majoria70

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    Yeah it's always good to let someone form their own opinions without us coloring their world. We are all different in what we enjoy and how we see things. This game definitely has lots to check out.
     
  19. Powersurge45

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    Here is the very interesting part....The game is VERY close to being what I would call "a GREAT GAME". I have said for years we need a bit more horizontal progression to give us old timers more things to do that doesnt require power increase...we have some already...decorating, maintaining a vendor(vendors), crafting is somewhat that way when you are just looking to dress yourself or create a new build, fishing, these new storage units are another...I would really like them to add treasure maps and then PLEASE OH PLEASE

    ADVERTISE THE GAME...throw in ONLINE Trailers for the game across Youtube and other outlets like movie theaters...

    No one knows about the game...word of mouth will only get you so far. If you were to get a boost from a twitch streamer with a heavy subscriber load, then WHAMO!! It would take off....finish the polish...then yes ADVERTISE!!!!!!!!!
     
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