Not a big fan of the HEX system overhead map

You might not enjoy open world spaces, but as you can see from that list provided, it is an extremely sought after feature by many MMO players.

Going on dangerous dungeon runs in UO was among some of the best pve experiences I've had in games. Mostly because I don't find pve challenging, but rather it's the social aspect, or the possibility of something utterly unpredictable happening. This could be for instance a gang of reds popping out of nowhere, which you would have to fight off. Did I care whether 100s of others were in that dungeon with me? No! The more the merrier really. In an instance, I know there will be nothing that will truly shock me, I know what I'm going to get after awhile.

As someone else has said before, this game is attempting to be two games at the same time, and as Darkstarr said in a recent podcast, "We need to piss off everyone equally" or something like that. This practice or way of thinking has a bad track record in games. Look at SWTOR. An extremely instanced game, with companions, and very much based in Story. It was more of a Single Player game with a bit of Co Op gameplay when it came down to it. That game had an extremely negative reception amongst online players. What makes you so certain or hopeful that SOTA with a tiny fraction of SWTORs budget, and without the massively popular IP to back it up can do any better?

 

Exactly, I am well aware of this but if they can't stand toe-to-toe in a civil debate, there must be a reason and I believe most people, including moderators, will see that.

 

It seems like you guys are continuing this derogatory dialog on your own, everyone else has moved on to discussing the topic at hand. You are more than welcome to join the rest of us when you are finished.

 

I'm fine with the hex system - and dual scale map and the 3d or the 2d map

 

Yes, and that's exactly why some people have been getting angry at me for pointing it out.

 

I can understand this. I really enjoyed UO and the ability to explore an open map. If the developers decided to go this route I would not have a problem with it but I am also open to the dual map version being produced by the developers. I think that it will make for an interesting game once everything is done and in place. I'm not stating a fact here, just an opinion. Most players coming from an open world map though are and will be reluctant to give that up. Nothing wrong with that either but their reluctance does not make this method of design wrong, just different.

Everybody has an opinion of what it is they are looking for. Personally I would like to have both options.

 

Edit: Nevermind.

 

Open worlds REALLY can be boring. SWGs was good but the maps were tiny and oh, the rubberbanding. EVE is an open world, but while it may be called something else, aren't we technically 'loading in' to a new hex whenever we jump through a gate? And your ability to fly around is limited to what you can warp to. Wurm has an open world, but again, servers are tiny and a giant lag fest. MMO open worlds have more limitations than single player and console games as well, even if they are multimillion dollar games.If people can't play it, that's not helping anyone.

I would love to run from hex to hex myself, but since the world is going to be huge, that might not even make sense, in the long run. A good game, good crafting, good story and good community tops fancy graphics, or the ability to run through endless fields, to me.

 

Wow, comparison of the opposites SWTOR vs SoTA? How more different can 2 games possibly be?
SWTOR was a great game, loved it. Until I finished the story and there was nothing left to do. Which is how most people I knew felt about it. I tried finding things to do, but they really didn't have much. I tried a lot of PVP stuff but it got boring fairly quickly. - The Dev's should know that they need to include a lot of things to do after finishing the episode story line. Although they don't need to keep subscribers, they need to keep people interested in the game and buying items from the store. It sounds like crafting and raising adventuring skills and fighting big encounters will be part of that, likely rare hunting as well. - no level cap, classless system, should be fun... though I'm opposed to the no level cap, we'll see how it works out. I think magic will once again be the primary focus for people.


UO during it's peak, seemed like every dungeon was completely full, getting farmed unless you went in off hours, and then you were guaranteed to get ganked by reds. It was a bit of a love/hate experience. I'm fine with areas like that, but it shouldn't be all there is for options. WoW has areas like that, where people farm dailies or farm resources. I've gotten in a lot of PVP matches in those areas. (I always play on open-pvp servers). UO today wouldn't work, even with fancy new graphics and a story. Most people stood around and socialized and experimented with their first encounter in an online multiplayer game like that. We've had 16 years of this experience, most people aren't content to stand around and socialize and RP with each other anymore. People aren't sharing secrets/tips in game, finding good players to ask them how they do things. They are going to websites. Yes, UO had stratics, but I didn't learn about stratics till someone in game told me, and then a lot of the information (like rares) wasn't in there... farming glacial staffs and true black sandals for months before stratics ever learned where even glacial staffs came from, I don't think the true black sandals ever got leaked before it was removed.

 

The reason why I brought up SWTOR was not to compare each game with one another, it was to point out that hybrid games are generally not favourably received. Once again, I think the main issue SOTA has, and has split the playerbase somewhat is the fact that it is both a Single Player game and an MMORPG. Naturally, this distinction will inevitably alienate one playerbase more than the other. If you're going for a true remake or spiritual successor of the Ultima Series, this game could be amazing. For those seeking a more modern return to UO, it will be a let-down, as a true modern version of UO cannot happen with a overhead map in my opinion.

 

Greetings Avatars! @DarkStarr has addressed the issue of dual scale maps many times. There are budgetary and design reasons behind the dual scale map. I suggest leaving your feedback in Navigation through New Britannia after reading DarkStarr's post.