MMORPG: Review Part 2 - A Shroud of Confusion

If they updated the character models it would go a long way to changing the perception. The environments are great, but the people....ugh.

EDIT: Oh, and that new oracle in the starter zone? Please blow it to pieces and start over.

 

I agree with wiki part, I was near Resolute at the beginning of the game and I had no idea what I was doing for the first 2 hours of the game other then talking to literally all the npc's and getting a few quests and then going to highvale to find this guy with a caravan that will take me to Soltown (spoiler here) *there was no caravan come to find out after investigating for a considerable amount of time and visiting some websites. I wasn't upset I just ran across the world, no biggie. The game is fun but it should be required to play as an mmo for everyone and no singleplayer to create more of a community. I'll stick with it but I am dreading the end game portion because well no one pvp's which was the reason why I bought this in hopes for a similar experience to UO with guild warfare / faction wars *M-C
monster crew.

 

This is pretty much spot on for the most part. Still a bit of kids gloves on some issues that should be called out on so history does not repeat itself with other developers.

 

That's a fair review.

 

I think the review is fairly accurate. I backed a few years ago, but haven't been able to play more than 30 minutes before failing to have any fun and logging off. Since persistence, I have actually enjoyed myself and have the itch to play often and raise all of my skills. I had lost all hope, but now am pleasantly suprised to find there is at least a game here now. However, it is still frustrating to see after two years, the same handful of npc models are all that populates towns, yet there's a plethora of useless junk in the add on store. I realize being a crowdfunded game is by nature going to cause their priorities to be called into question all of the time, but their main priority is to make money no matter what. I just hope they are spending their resources well. I want to see this game succeed. I'll remain optimistic, and continue enjoying the crafting. (The crafting, with a bit more work and fleshing it out could be nothing short of amazing). If this game came together I'd have NO problem paying a monthly fee to play.

 

For me that's a fair review. Most of us are playing the game for years, we know the mechanics and we know us - we, as a part of the long-standing community. I think the proverbial view beyond the horizon is important for the success of SotA. What are the first impressions for a new player - maybe with some Ultima background? A player who never played SotA, a player who starts without any lore of this game? And here the review clearly put its finger on the sore.

Maybe some of us don't like such reviews, because there a happy with the current state and the direction of the development. They use their own satisfaction as projection surface for the success of the game. Please remember there are different tastes. And again, this game cannot be successful in the long term without new players. Therefore I think such reviews with constructive criticism are badly needed and valuable - as long as Port is willing to listen.

 

That is a very fair and mostly spot on review. It fairly gives credit where it is due and shines light on some of the negatives. It even apologizes for making the assumption in the first part of the review, "The second aspect is the confusion about the vision and direction of the game itself. It was promised as some jack of all trades, combining all the best aspects from the Ultima series, including Ultima Online. Yes, my expectations in the previous article that it was supposed to be the successor of Ultima Online only, were wrong. I apologize for that..."

I have to admit that I am a bit curious what the direction of the game is as well. There are many fair points on quests being very few and non interesting and plenty of warning that this game is still heavily under construction. However, this was my fear about going persistant so soon. You are still playing around with crafting, skill trees, quests, loot balancing, mobs, pvp, group and guild dynamics and you will be judged despite the "Under Construction" signs everywhere. My further concern is that with persistence now, how long will it be till the game actually launches? Maybe it is the end of the year or more like Q1-2 2017. That means you have an unfinished game with an established and older player economy and higher level players that you will be throwing brand new players into. It could be 4 months to a full year before real launch and you are already persistant. The problem with this is the impact to a new player and their economy. Newer gear won't be available because everyone will be in a different tier and they won't want to buy your new player crafted cotton hat. The new player won't be able to afford existing player made stuff because inflation has taken place in those many months leading up to release.

What I think Port really needs to do is take a real look at the summary review of this article and focus on fixing those cons and the tedious part of the crafting system (the "excessive gathering" part). The single biggest complaint I hear about the game is actually the glyph system ("Immersion breaking glyph system & combat lacks dynamics"). Not sure how you can fix it as I have gotten used to it, but a tutorial mini game might be a good start for new players; coupled with the whole pooled adventure experience and locking skills, etc. A popup box with a wall of text generally won't get read. When the UI gets its pass, that should help, but you might want to make the deck skills look more card like with a fancier image for the skills that fits the game's artistry. I will also add that you can't really deal with group and PVP and raid dynamic balancing until you get the combat system really nailed down; don't nerf till it is all in there first. You have skill trees that need a lot of work, aren't very helpful (light armor) or aren't even done yet and none of them really feel interesting outside of taming and maybe chaos. I have no real feel for how you expect them to be combined, but they don't feel independent and I feel guided to a "class" with passive buffs of dexterity, strength or intellect built into certain trees. Things like really needing a weapon just for the auto attack alone when focus is used up and having earth magic really pair well with melee players. It doesn't give an independent feel or even a new and interesting feel.

The second complaint I hear is how expensive the game is for players to get into. I know you guys are fully funded by the players, but you have to give people who can only afford $45 a real game experience or you will have a ghost town. I really think the way it is now is going to put off a lot of new players; especially with merchant payments for loot drops, the cost of taming, the cost of spell casting, and the fluctuating cost of crafting reagents. The game is too expensive is what I hear a lot and it keeps new players away and the article confirms what I hear from friends, "Housing is the big alternative. Until recently, with the big land rush it was hidden behind a huge paywall, so there was no way for me to give it a try". It is a big discussion I know, but something needs to be done about it as that cool air ship for $400 is not something most people can afford or even that new outfit for $15. Most games charge $10 or less for clothing and mounts; let alone housing. Yes I can get it in the game, but if I can never afford that $300 house or $450 plot of land to plant my cotton on will I get frustrated with the game and move on? More to the point, will I then tell the same to anyone else that asks me about the game and thus perpetuating the pay wall mentality.

Third, your questing, "Far too few quests, those that are there lack inspiration", this really needs a lot of work and a bit faster. You are persistent and people are trying to make progression; this affects that in a huge way. Story is one of the huge good points of a Lord British game. People are really expecting that and it just isn't there. I suggest giving the players some tools to help. They can write some quests and you can have a contest for players and you to judge what gets placed in game. You can add constraints or lore for them to abide by to fit the theme of the game or area. This can add to your positive press as well. Another suggestion is in the sandbox mentality; give players the ability to craft dungeon content on their own. Make it meaningfull with existing game mobs and the loot that goes with them, plus the experience. You already have the tools for chests and notes to help aid quest lines. You just need some more puzzle and dynamic abilities to flesh it out more (mobs spawners and customized NPCs). These could take place in basements that people can enter in houses or POTs. They can be PVP designed or not; either way it adds to the game content in new and interesting ways. Players will pass on this new great feature and host lots of streaming events to help advertise.

Lastly, your strong point is your connection to the community. Of late changes have hit the game right out of left field and with no warning. They aren't small changes like "We changed Sally's name because she is really Harry." You are altering crafting, skills, and the econoy without getting a WIDE range of feedback from the community. Make polls and run them for a week or so to gather greater feedback on your changes or to get new ideas. If you truly want a community to help you build the game they want to play and you want to create then you need to cast a wider net and accept that not everyone agrees with you and maybe they aren't wrong if they do. I have heard way to many times that a dev discussed a change or talked about a future feature in IRC or Discord chat. That isn't a wide enough net. Not everyone uses it or can participate in a random unplanned discussion at the drop of a hat. Most people here generally want the game to succeed and are happy to help it get that way, please keep in touch with us; we just might have the answer you are looking for.

 

No MMO before has offered players as much of a sandbox or freedom as Shroud of the Avatar. POTS are really a revolution to the genre, providing nearly total freedom for players to create their own content.

The other negatives within the review will mostly be fixed as the content and improvements are added.

5/10 isn't really fair. Some valid points were made but compared to the rest of the MMO industry SOTA is a breath of fresh air even in the early state.

 

Alot of it contradicts features that are well known to be in the works and intended to be in by episode.

Doesnt matter who's "fault" an opinion is, but this game is factually under construction and not yet feature complete. As long as that is mentioned in the review then its legit.

 

This type of game is obviously not for this reviewer. Based upon some of his commentary I don't think he really has a grasp of what type of gamer he actually is. He obviously needs his hand held through a game in the early stages and doesn't like to gain knowledge through experience. He wants it spoon fed. There are some valid criticisms, but I wouldn't use this review as a basis for judging wether to purchase or try SotA. You'd be missing a diamond in the rough.

 

As a single player experience and a story based one as they try to sell it, I wouldn't give this game more than a 2/10. The whole Npc conversation system needs a massive overhaul. Compared to other single player Rpgs this game would be a total fail.

Now as a sandbox MMORPG I'd already give this game a solid 6/10. Not only does it have some of the best housing around, it also has good characters emotes, descent crafting and an acceptable skill system.

With some focus this could be a successful sandbox MMO, but the developers have to give up on the failed idea of this being a successful single player game. In a world of Witcher 3, Oblivion and Fallout 4 (For less money too when on sale) they just can't compete.

There isn't many good sandbox MMO games available right now, and that's where it should be focused.

 

I don't know what this guy is talking about regarding games before the Internet.

I cannot think of a single MMO that existed before the Internet, and also I remember have a well organized explaiation of everything in UO all on one website called UO Stratics.

It was a lot of info on stratics and it took me a few months to really know exactly what I wanted to do with my character development to make sure it is exactly what I want. We haven't had those moths and we don't have all the info in one website in fact I don't think there is a such thing as all the info or at least I'm still far from knowing even 30% of what a veteran player should know.

As for the story, why is that newsworthy? They clearly stated only one part of the story is finished, with the rest coming soon. So basically here except writing so that readers can feel like they have a service from the author. ..

Maybe game designers should get to gether and start their own collaborative critical review website that reviews and holds accountable all of the game review websites to give the player base something else to think about.... reviewing these writers might hold them accountable to actually do some serious work to make sure they do their research and write solid stories instead of take a look at what other people say about the game and make up their own persuasive think piece.

 

And this has been the problem all along...only listening to big wallets with positive feedback.

Hoping this will change...oh, who am I kidding.

 

Not exactly true. I've witnessed feedback both positive and negative being taken into consideration and from those without lordly pocketbooks.

What I didn't understand is that they cannot personally reply immediately to every single piece of feedback. They must have internal meetings or whatever... not sure... but after a few years it is clear that even if it seemed like they didn't hear or didnt care, they actually did but they put things into motion in a logical and even paced series of updates.

I took a year off and was shocked and cut to the heart that much of what was a concern wasn't because they did hear and they put things together in an orderly and thoughtful mannar instead of making crazy shifts back and forth... Although it did feel like that at times this project has matured fantasticly.

However I have also witnessed that no single person or group of people have forced their opinions on portalarium EVER. This game is right on track with the original concept still in tact. They've cherry picked some good ideas and tried some other ideas but to be honest this game is really looking like the concept we all backed in 2013. I wouldn't have predicted the way it looks today, and I may have pictured some things differently but after the fact I remember all of the times there was friction between player opinion (including myself) between portalarium and they stuck to their plan. Now I see that even the stuff I was distraught about had been for nothing since they were able to bring things into being that I (a consumer not a pro developer) could not comprehend because of my limited vision and also not having access to the private conversations in their meetings.

However that being said there is one thing that gets wierd in the forums is that ideas go out that make people fearful of an outcome or fearful that the devs have ill intent that can cause us who are passionate about the project to panic since we don't really know what has been said in the meeting. Speciation by persuasive speakers is by far the most destructive force in any community. It is best not to speculate unless it is positive.

Think a wonderful thought. Faith trust pixy dust. Expecto Petronum... or whatever. Keep the good memories and don't let the dementors suck the life out of you.

 

Not a bad review overall, like the reviewer I am enjoying the crafting system although I am enjoying experimenting with the recipes to see what I get. I have literally just made my first shield, a meteoric iron triangle shield that I used constantan bindings on and it blows my starter royal founders shield out of the water. I also have to agree we could do with more quests, they need to populate the towns and villages more with these, especially important as most of our experience is gained from questing. Perhaps we'll see this happening the closer we get to release sometime early next year. Please don't rush it for the year end release .

 

I didn't read fmthe review i only read the quote and the title. I guess that isn't a good practice. Ill read it

 

This would be awesome if that's what they delivered. That's why I invested in the game! That sales pitch (or rather in my case because of nostalgia and RG's reputation). Sadly, it's mostly snake oil. Port does not have the resources to deliver their promises. You explained one example yourself quite clearly here
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?threads/necropolis-spoilers.35526/

How long are you willing to wait? Even when they fix the bugs based on the current direction their bold new approach is a bold letdown.

 

I'm having a lot of fun in the game right now. I had written a long reply but I decided it just didn't matter. The game will either become something you like one day or it won't. It's something I really love right now, so I'm going to keep playing it.

 

I'm enjoying this game, one thing i feel is wrong is there shouldn't be instanced mining spots or areas it should in my eyes be all open. I know mining spots that can be mined all day and well i hate to say it needs to be contested; On this same token though make way more gathering nodes and rare nodes in Shard Falls so it influences people to go a bit out in the open for more of a risk vs reward. When i played UO I believe I only did one quest and that was taking some dude from Yew to Minoc which btw took forever on a 56k modem at the time, after that I didn't do any other quests and enjoyed the open sand box which is what I enjoy about this game, however not enough content for PvP in my humble opinion. I came to craft, PvP, eventually own a house and once in a while do some end game content (more pvp though). "War is coming. With all its glory... and all its horror." -Arcturus Mengsk

 

Amen