The reason(s) I left this game...

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Fenrus MacRath, Oct 4, 2019.

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  1. Pavlitto

    Pavlitto Avatar

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    ok... I have 600 million experience in Archer tree, I spent many millions of gold to create the best equipment in the game.
    and I have 100 million in the tree of fire and equipment worth 100 thousand gold. and I'm much more efficient with fire.
    with 100 million experience and 100 thousand gold I can farm all content in the game except dragons and spider Queen.
    Where's the logic?
    I have to say, I have never played through a charged attack. always used skills. now these skills do not cause damage.
     
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  2. Violet Ronso

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    But you actually can play an archer with no magic at all, using potions and warding gear to pick up some of the stuff you are missing from magic. The only thing you cant reproduce at all from the OP build that got nerfed is the Shield of Air, basically the 2nd health bar, everything else was achievable through potions and gear, just slightly weaker.

    Sometimes the problem people have with this game is their lack of understanding of the mechanics, and not the actual game not permitting them to do things.
     
  3. DavidDC

    DavidDC Programmer Moderator SOTA Developer

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    Its actually quite often the case, which lead to frustration and anger from the people trying to play this game. I said many time game is too complicated, maybe not for us left which are pretty much all hardcore gamer, but the normal people, the 90% of the mass, cant play.

    Just look at forum, discord, stream. We all seem to be programmers, designer, architect, entrepreneur, that like complicated stuff obviously. Following Chris stream with technical stuff almost daily.

    There many way to lighten the game from this burden. I proposed a few during the past but once we hit the wall i guess people will start understanding what i meant, thats how it usually goes ;p
     
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  4. Pawz

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    My bear has been using archery and he loves it! I think some of the people crying, need to work on their bear! :D
     
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  5. Violet Ronso

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    Bears are OP and should be nerfed, prove me otherwise!
     
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  6. Pawz

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    My bear isn't op lol
     
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  7. Fenrus MacRath

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    An exaggeration, but still it takes forever to charge a rapid fire.
     
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  8. Fenrus MacRath

    Fenrus MacRath Avatar

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    Man, you touched it with a NEEDLE! That is exactly right.
     
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  9. Fenrus MacRath

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    LOL, man you got your way, just enjoy your game until its not around any more. tick tock
     
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  10. Fenrus MacRath

    Fenrus MacRath Avatar

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    @kaeshiva I hear you. I know I could still take out a lot of mobs and be considered a powerful character. I also know that there are lots of other builds who suffer worse than I have. I am not trying to down play that at all.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 8, 2019
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  11. Forum Name

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    To try and get this back on track - here's why I left (or, why I haven't spent one penny in 14 months - I do still log in once a quarter to so to see if the game improves, just in case, but I will likely always be a non-spender unless I see massive change in Port):

    1. The company's lack of perspective on all of the commitments it made during its big money raising years. Basically, when the going gets tough, Port changes it stance or just outright ignores things in ways that I do not like to see a business operate. I was long done spending before the Vault, but it is just a great example of them chasing new money while totally ignoring or forgetting the commitments made when they first sold those items (buy now! these are expiring! Expiring!). Too many past choices to go through (but will highlight Vault, Duke Head fiasco, how shipping was put on the back burner and dragged out for almost a year, complete lack of any info. on the book, making expired TF lots buy-able again, un-bundling bundle items, and totally forgetting about seedinvest). Yes, Port needs to make income and pivot at times to do that; I guess I got tired of how they do it - pitching items are rare, expiring, bundles only, etc. and just walking it back later when they need more revenue. There are other ways to raise money without these actions, but the mantra here is always "your money already spent means nothing to us, the money you might spend tomorrow means everything to us". Hoping at some point they get to a model like a good car dealer "I don't want to just sell you a car today, I want to sell you 10 cars over the next 40 years by treating you right", but not likely given the history.

    2. Most parts of the game just are't very fun, at least for me. Hashed over in a thousand threads, but too many things from Ep. 1 are not polished, unfinished and forgotten. Too many pivots to new shiny systems that, hey guess what, entice you to spend more money while Port builds it (dungeons, I am looking at you!), but eventually get largely forgotten, probably once spending on those items slows down. Combat is clunky, crafting is clunky, loot and content is clunky, quests are beyond clunky. Only housing feels fleshed out - and while it kept me entertained for a long time, after a while it wasn't enough to paper over the rest of the game. The community in game is largely awesome too, but again, without fun content, combat or group activities, eventually even good folks aren't enough.
     
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2019
  12. Terrence Phillip

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    Exactly! Thit is the reason I'm still playing (although not as much a before), and the reason I still subscribe. But man am I frustrated with the state of the game after 6 years... No kidding, I've played games in alpha that were more polished than Sota. I can't understand how 1 1/2 years after launch the game is still in this state. The presentation of the story and single player experience is, lets be honest , a mess and this does not seem to be a priority to fix (or ever). I've always seen the single player component of the game as a way to get people hooked and ease the transition to the mmo aspect. I was wrong. The single player experience is not enticing at all compared to what is out there.
     
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2019
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  13. Lord Tachys al`Fahn

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    Only thing that keeps me coming back when I have time... time that I am not otherwise spending playing games that remind me that games are supposed to be fun diversions.
     
  14. Cordelayne

    Cordelayne Bug Hunter

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    While I have not completely left the game, the amount of time I spend in it, is de minimis compared to what it used to be. As is the money I used to spend. I cancelled my subscription about a year ago and have spent maybe about $20 since then. My personal reasons for this is due to the fact that I have diminishing faith that the areas of the game I care about will ever be addressed, fixed, polished and/or implemented. While I truly love the friends I have made here and met in real life, I see them online less and less; making me want to play less and less.

    Firstly, I have been patiently waiting for an Episode 1 story/quest overhaul. I know this is a major undertaking, but in my humble opinion it is probably one of the most important factors to generate new players and excite those who enjoy the story aspects of the game. There is nothing I loved more than doing quests with my friends and exploring new areas with them to advance the story. Unfortunately, the story really isn't all that compelling. Plus it is still somewhat "clunky" and non-intuitive in parts. So to me, an overhaul of this, with better NPC dialogue, a new, slick, polished UI and working journal system; would have reinvigorated my passion for the game. I would have gladly kept my subscription going if I saw work being done on this alone.

    Secondly, the endless amount of balancing/nerfing just got way to tedious and made it difficult for me (as a filthy casual ;)) to keep up with what I needed to do to be a viable player. I don't blame Chris for this at all. I think he truly has an impossible task in this regard and have mentioned this in countless posts. A near limitless system allows for near limitless possibilities; making actual game balance extremely difficult. This of course leads to players min/maxing in order to figure out what current skill combinations are the best. Totally understand that, it is human nature to do this. Especially if you have limitless amounts of time on your hands! However, in the end, this type of system just isn't fun for me because I constantly felt like I was going "back to drawing board". Eventually I just stopped trying and took my enjoyment where I could.

    Thirdly, the endless grinding and awful loot. I totally understand that any MMO is going to have a bit of grind, but my goodness Shroud has WAY too much. What makes this especially egregious, is that it was initially touted as a minimum grind game. Sure, the introduction of UT can expedite that grind, but it is still a grind! A grind to what end mind you? There is no endgame content that would compel me to put in the time and effort to do this. Which, in turn, leads me to my other point, in that loot sucks. This isn't anything new, folks have been harping on this for the longest time. However, if I killed a dragon the loot drop shouldn't be: a spade, 20 gp, a ruby, and a pair of rusty plate gloves. It should drop some freaking awesome looking magical sword or shield. I know, I know, this a player item crafted game and I'm cool with that. So why not make these item drops cosmetic? At least that would be something to differentiate me from looking like every other Avatar, while at the same time giving boss fights some fun purpose!

    Lastly, what is happening with Episode 2? They rolled out a map, got people really excited for these new lands and a new story, but then...nothing. We haven't heard anything about what is happening with Episode 2 in months! It would be nice if they addressed Episode 2 during one of their livestreams. I actually worry for those folks who paid thousands of dollars for a new POT or to move their nested POT, to these new lands. Never mind those individuals that bought the Lord of the Isle packages. Some transparency here would be greatly appreciated, because I am actually looking forward to playing Episode 2.

    At the end of the day, there are many things that this game does right. Housing for example, I find to be excellent and have enjoyed this component immensely. Plus I love the community and friends that I have made here. Yet the lack of transparency and attention to some of the aforementioned points, bothers me. If there isn't going to be a quest overhaul, just tell us! If Episode 2 is going to be delayed for another five years, just tell us! If I knew these things were actually an area of focus, I would get more involved again and happily contribute to the betterment of the game in this regard. I know I might be critical at times, but I truly want this game to succeed. It has a lot of positive components but we need more structure and transparency so all players feel engaged!

    Thanks for listening...:)
     
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  15. Lord Tachys al`Fahn

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    Communication has always been Port's weak suit. Especially when they make a decision they KNOW is going to be unpopular... then they ignore any and all calls for clarification until LONG after (in some cases, a year and more) people first started asking questions. VERY rarely have those types of decisions been declared openly with the intent to get out in front of the furor, but I'll give Port credit in this, they HAVE made an occasional attempt at being forthright.

    One of the most recent and imho disastrous decisions on the communication front: Twitch streams.

    My dislike for this medium is not unknown. I think it is a fantastic way to demonstrate things that you want to show off, but as a means of communicating new ideas and upcoming changes directly with your player base? Thumbs down, @Chris. That use of Twitch streaming is the absolute worst idea you (Chris) or anyone at Portalarium has had since your inception.

    Just some other things that came to mind thanks to Cord's excellent post.
     
  16. Sentinel2

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    either way I wouldn't worry about it. Either Port finally fixes it and makes money, or I learned a very expensive lesson. The other games I've backed in case things go south mean one will have to win. So far I'm betting on Ashes of Creation but hoping for Shroud.

    It's a game. This is an experience. Right or wrong. Something will shake out sooner than later IMIO.
     
  17. Oracle Watcher

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    Bzzt. Thread locked due to a large ammount of personal attacks going back and forth.
     
  18. Oracle Watcher

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    Bzzt! Thread cleanup initiated

    *flies through with a floor buffer*
     
  19. Katu

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    Right right. So, My messages went away and I'm now waiting for approval of messages.

    OP, I get you. It's the constant changes to builds and skills, with tooltips that lag behind and mobs that are suddenly boosted by strenght and nerfed by loot.
    I understand agile development very well, they are obviously using it and iterating throught stuff, but they lack big picture. ( After this many years, skill changes should be tiny tweaks, not major overhauls every month )

    EDIT: Now I'm not in need of approvals.
     
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2019
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