What Are Your Top Most Wanted Improvements?

What improvements do you want to see added to SotA as soon as possible?
Which updates are most important to improve your experience in SotA?
What changes would best improve the new player experience?

If you could choose 3 to 10 priority improvements, what would they be?

Here is my Top Five list:

- Make Decorations Stackable
There are currently a lot of decorations taking up much more space than needed in banks and containers because duplicates do not stack.
Identical copies of the same decoration should usually stack.
As discussed in this thread:
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?threads/make-decorations-stackable.162625/

- Enable Buying and Selling Partial Stacks on Vendors
Having to create multiple item stacks for purchase or sale is a real pain.
Vendors need to allow buying and selling of partial item stacks, so we only have to list one stack of items for sale, or create one purchase order.
As discussed in these threads:
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...uy-and-sell-partial-stacks-on-vendors.165516/
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...ing-vendor-requests.79544/page-4#post-1281970
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...ple-items-on-vendor-with-single-price.161360/
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...shroud-2020-vision.161221/page-5#post-1272521

- Implement Town Based and/or Regional/Universal Vendor Search
We need an easier way to search vendors to find items for sale, discover purchase orders, and compare prices.
In my opinion, vendor search should be added to the Town Criers.
Let players browse all items for sale or purchase in the town, sort prices, and then set a Compass Destination marker to the vendor they want to do business with.
This would have the added benefit of providing natural spots for players to gather in towns.
A Master Crier could also be added to the main city in each region for Regional or Universal Search.
As discussed in these threads:
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...niversal-vendor-search-without-prices.165508/
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...-grand-bazaar-universal-vendor-search.162089/
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?threads/vendor-goods-search-function.161172/
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?threads/simple-town-market-vendor-npcs.162244/
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...shroud-2020-vision.161221/page-5#post-1272528
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...-do-not-add-vendor-search-through-lua.162963/

- Send Decorations to Property Manager Storage by Default
Deco needs to go to Storage in the Property Manager instead of the Bank when a player is kicked from a lot, or when lot ownership expires.
With this improvement, there would be more well decorated lots, because players would not have to worry about their deco work being destroyed if something happened to their lot.
As discussed in this thread:
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...-move-to-magic-mover-property-manager.162259/

- Add More Hair Styles and Options for Character Creation
We need more hair styles and character customization options.
Improved character visuals would also help with new player retention.
As discussed in these threads:
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...ly-a-handful-of-hairstyles-and-colors.160511/
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?threads/hair-accessories-not-new-ones.161999/
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...styles-options-for-character-creation.162553/
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...shroud-2020-vision.161221/page-5#post-1272572
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...more-choices-in-character-appearances.159573/
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?threads/ever-wonder.162884/

--- Bonus Round:

- Major improvements to the Crafting systems, so we have ways to overcome the RNG that currently makes crafting gear so painful.

As discussed in these threads:

- Durability Costs for Ench/Mw are Too High
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...bility-costs-for-ench-mw-are-too-high.162417/

- Crafting Improvements To Absorb Extra Crafted Gear
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...ovements-to-absorb-extra-crafted-gear.162414/

- [Crafting System] Revamp (move away from strict RNG)
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...stem-revamp-move-away-from-strict-rng.162539/

- Ideas to remove less desirable gear from the game
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...ove-less-desirable-gear-from-the-game.162438/

- [Suggestion] Let us combine crafted gear
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...uggestion-let-us-combine-crafted-gear.161875/

- Celestial Objects Influence Crafting
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f.../celestial-objects-influence-crafting.162558/

- CRAFTING - Tiered Ingots System
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?threads/crafting-tiered-ingots-system.157472/

- Crafting Feedback - Time for another thread
https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...ting-feedback-time-for-another-thread.162852/

--- Second Bonus Round:

- Major improvements to the Journal and Quest systems.

 

1) Bug fixes
2) More bug fixes
3) Even more bug fixes

 

Given that zoning is a major feature essential for game play, no more crashing to desktop when zoning still has to be at the top of the list.

 

"Hair Styles"??? You cannot get proper loot from a kill but hey, you can look awesome while doing it.

 

brb

 

Fix bugs, fix crashing, add a proper pvp system.

 

Improve loot system, include loot only rare mats, set items, crafting bonus potions, weaps with specific creature enchantments, and so on.

UI overhaul

NPC character, personality

 

I would like to see them completely finish one system and fix all of the bugs with it. I want them to ignore all of the rest until that is done. I don't care how many releases it takes. I don't care which system they pick.
Then, I want them to pick another and do the same. and then another after that one.

I think this would be better than leaving a bunch of half finished systems.

 

That's actually a big deal to a lot of people.

 

Whether it's a "lot" or NOT, someone there needs to set some priorities - one way or the other.

 

After 8 years of developpement and many millions of dollars, it's a shame that they have to get some priorities when dealing with such basic features (loot and character personalization) in released games if you ask me.

As an exemple, a french team created a hack and slash (Umbra/Wolcen) with much more satisfying loot and as much (if not more) character personalization options including hair styles. But they had less money and time (kickstarted in 2015) to do so.

By the way, it's great to have this brainstorming about what we need in game. It's always a good idea to have this discussion between devs and players but I think that dozens of those topics have already been made in the past and the problem finaly is not what we want but what is really done, in my opinion.

On this matter, it seems like Catnip games was not able to manage to deliver every promise of its own agenda for the first quarter. Then how can one imagine that they will promise more actually ?

 

• local VOIP, Anyone who plays DayZ or GTA5 RP will understand the gameplay importance other than just having guilds form on private voice servers. (Im realising every day the importance of hearing players actual voices! would create a boon in people hanging out putting on funny voices!)
• Triggers or some kind of response memory in custom NPC's
  
• Players being able to place an object on common ground semi-permanently.
• Pets and Custom NPC's being able to wander past lot perimeters.
  
• More lethal and hidden traps
  
• Civic LFG Also quicker ways to post pop up events and advertise them. Even alert of ones starting IN GAME.
• etc etc

 

First impressions are important, and the character creation system is one of the first things new players interact with.

What would be in your top improvements list?

 

See Chirs's 2020 Quarterly list. That's what he and the team will/are working on. Nothing more, but definitely much less. Don't forget to add in the now bi-annually exploit fix, blaming Unity issues, vacations & sicknesses.

 

Which is fine, but Chris has said that their retention rates are very good, for a free to play game, at 12% or so.

Edited to correct quote

 

He didn't say for an mmo, he said for a f2p. There's a distinction there, a rather vast one, and one that should be acknowledged.

And we don't want good statistics for a f2p that we can content ourselves with, what we -need- is an influx of more players, as many as possible, and consequently more revenue. -And- ultimately, a more diverse experience. We should always strive for more, no matter how comfortable the statistics sound. It won't do to sound so smug with our retention rate, it's laughable compared to many mmo's. 12% is good. 30% is better. Hell, why not, 100%, while we're at it? I say yea.

 

The ability to sell bags of kit on our vendors so that we can sell armour sets, etc

 

To be clear, I neither stated I agreed with his statement or that his statement was correct. I also don't believe either of us has definitive data to argue against Chris's point.

 

I'm not arguing Chris' point, to begin with, I'm referencing it against your misunderstanding. and I do have the data, that was released by Chris and pals. 12% percent of players are staying, 88% are leaving. Not good enough, in my opinion. We're done here. Get your facts right. An d don't misquote Chris in the future, either.

 

@Wilfred - I'm not saying that "Hair Styles" isn't important to people. I'm saying in the grand scheme of all that is wrong with this game, there are many other things that are more important.

@evillego6 - Chris did say retention rate of 12% for F2P.

This whole thread is well and good but what is the point? Truth here, the game has potential but the game is not doing well. It is not attracting enough new players to compensate for the low retention rates. I found this article from Ralph Koster an interesting read. Read through the different things that impact retention. Where is SotA on those? You want to improve retention, then you need to focus on one of these areas and nail it. After that, move on to the next.

@Wilfred - you asked me what my list is. I refuse to say it again. I, and many others, have said it over and over. Deaf ears. Totally sad. I've got my new POT that I spent hard earned $$$ on and it literally is a total write off at the moment. TRADING - new POT in Mistrendur for a Roll of Toilet Paper. lol

https://www.raphkoster.com/2019/01/30/what-drives-retention/