Will We See A Shroud 2021 Vision/Roadmap???

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Lazarus Long, Jan 5, 2021.

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  1. Lazarus Long

    Lazarus Long Avatar

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  2. that_shawn_guy

    that_shawn_guy Bug Hunter

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    Maybe one day we will get real vision document instead of a feature check/wish/want/failed-todo list.
     
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  3. A'chelata

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    hahaha, that was a good one, I almost choked on my tea when I read that.

    1 Question: would you believe it if he did?
     
  4. evillego6

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    Haymakers being thrown in here, yikes!
     
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  5. CarlNZ

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    Chris could do one, but judging from last year's one, is there any point?
     
  6. Cordelayne

    Cordelayne Bug Hunter

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    [​IMG]
     
  7. Anpu

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    He already did that once, and all that did was cause people to complain that he didn’t get everything stated in the last one done. Even though he specifically stated that was what they were hoping to get done, but not that they would. They would certainly try.

    So, why should he post another one? I wouldn’t, personally.
     
  8. Fetid SirDidy

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    This seems to be a recurring theme these days
     
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  9. macnlos

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    You do not put something down in writing unless you plan to deliver. Communications 101. Qualify it all you want, people will only see/remember the list, Chris' problem is the lack of ability to formulate an actual plan and deliver it. He is going to get beat on for not having one and he is going to get beat on when he doesn't deliver. He is CEO, big boy pants required.
     
  10. evillego6

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    Ftfy
    Agree.
     
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  11. oplek

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    There should be a vision. There should be something to get people excited over. The problem with the 2020 vision - and this was pointed out at the time - was that it was too ambitious.... NOT that it existed. But apparently we've decided to switch from "too ambitious" to "no ambition".
     
  12. CarlNZ

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    Redo the player characters, they need new animations, better customization and the plastic lego hair needs a complete redo.

    Go through and unify the look of the game. Retexture things so it doesn't look like a disparate collection of unity assets. Stove of the armour looks glossy, fix that. Robe down the garish lighting effects.

    Redo the UI. Go take a look at some of the mods for the warcraft ui, copy them.

    Fix the journal, redo it so that it works and isn't a nightmare to navigate and comprehend.

    Separate crafting / gathering from combat. Take a look at how final fantasy xiv does this, copy it.
     
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  13. Gadfrey Zukes

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  14. Astirian

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    "Polish existing content with a focus on UI" makes me cautiously optimistic. Please don't focus only on functional changes though @Chris (as important as those are), appearance and presentation are important too, especially around early player retention. The box art is a perfect example of it done well, it's a very polished look. Denis's art is, and always has been, amazing. The logo is great, the font, the style, it's all very Ultima.

    The problem is player engagement with the content that is there. Present the story in a more polished way. Bring back the Isle of Storms, strip out the obstacle course. Change the dialogue box. I know this isn't perfect, but something a bit more engaging; something that frames the story a bit better.

    [​IMG]

    Fix the journal!

    [​IMG]

    If Richard doesn't want to do the whole sorted quests thing, fine, but at least change the font. That Comic Sans looking one is very, very, jarring.

    If the story presentation is fixed, I would come back and re-sub at a high tier (if they're a thing) in a New York minute. I'd finally feel comfortable playing the story offline for the first time. I would go from lapsed player and disappointed backer to bloody brand ambassador. And I bet many others would too. Get the Dragons back on board.

    P.S: Better character models and animations probably wouldn't hurt either. NPC opening barks too, jump on Fiverr and get some good "Hail!", "Hello" and "Greetings, Outlander" voice captures. That kind of thing.
     
  15. Cirsee

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    I was kind of sorry to hear his biggest choice going forward was combat balance and bug fixes. While I get bug fixes, I disagree on the importance of combat balance until systems are polished. I think system tweek will just cause more unbalance naturally; so why fix it so you have to fix it again?
     
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  16. craftymethod

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    Why are bugs even listed in a document about 'vision'.

    Not much other purpose than to fill out some text, and for a crowd funded game, 'decisions and vision' seem to be left to fewer and fewer people.
     
  17. Beaumaris

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    What I wasn't keen on was Chris locking his thread, showing he wasn't listening to input/reactions.

    Combat balance and bug fixes are nice but they do not fix empty towns.

    SOTA needs something more bold and ... painful to fix player population at this point.

    And that means fixing its great feature. Building is SOTA's greatest feature. Building out lots. Building and filling a house. Building towns. Building scenes. Building one's own story in an Ultima-like land.

    And its not just its greatest feature. Its a truly central feature. One has to have somewhere to go with the junk the game provides.

    The problem is that doing that still costs an arm and a leg. How can I attract my young nieces or nephew to the game if they need hundreds of dollars to experience the key feature they most love?

    For SOTA to survive it has to bring in new players. And new players will only come in volume if there is a complete recalibration of its land/housing pricing model from its early backer levels to something that now attracts new gamers interesting in building.
     
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2021
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  18. Nick

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    I just wish they just bring puuk back and weave his stories in those meaningless scenes one at a time.
     
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  19. Cordelayne

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    I couldn't agree more. Every scene and quest line that he worked on was great. When he got let go, the story and quests really went downhill.
     
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  20. craftymethod

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    Pity Chris seems so terrified whenever anyone mentions a 'new' feature.
     
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