R4 has shaken my faith in SotA

Hey SotA Folk,

First let me say thanks for letting me test. I paid for this and was fully aware of what I was getting into so by no means am I upset, simply disappointed. Below is a list of items that have shaken my faith for this game. Some you may already be working on some not but it's my feedback for the state of the game at the R4 stage.

1. When you zone into an area and out then back in it's the same area with same monsters, same quests, etc. These areas are also small and underwhelming. I find myself not wanting to explore them due to their simplistic nature.

2. Quests are either broken, unfinished or just too hard for me to figure out. An example of this is Danny & Vince Targen. Here we have a brother and sister who have lost ways due to a dragon attack! Great!! Let me try and bring them together. After an hour and a half of talking and making one or the other follow me they simply just walk through each other but never talk or see one another, colossal waste of time.

3. Conversation system is a disaster. Ask "What's your favorite color?" to any NPC and the answer is yellow. Great everyone loves the same color in the entire world....so immersion breaking. See thread on conversation system for more ideas and suggestions on this one.

4. Animations are horribly off-putting, with an exception of swimming and the emotes

5. The quests I have experienced are so simplistic. The cave outside Owl's Head is just so off in so many ways. Everyone looks the same, no interaction when I arrive there, so small and easy I feel my 2 year old could clear it. It's just really, really bad and disappointing.

6. There is no story line at all of why we arrive, we just are there (typically standing on someone's head or on someone's head). A simple note at the start that gives any explanation would be better then as it is.

7. Everyone looks the same. I played for well over 4 hrs last night and by the end all npc's & players just looked the same.

8. So many sounds in game are so nerve grating and simply starts the player off in a poor mood, either subconsciously or consciously. I enjoy the music but the sound effects are a bit overwhelming. The tesla towers for one are just too loud. The walking or running sound is the same everywhere. Can we not make different sounds when we are on stones or grass?

Again I'm not upset with anyone I just feel a tremendous let down at this point in the development cycle. The new "Pre-Alpha" that companies are using as the new cool word I understand, however, compared to the other "Pre-Alpha" games I'm testing SotA is dreadfully behind them....I mean eons behind.

 

And what pre-alpha games are those?
What kind of staff/budget do they have ?
Very few people ever get to see a pre-alpha, so am very interested in what your comparing too.
Personally I think they are doing fine.

 

I agree with some of your points and disagree with others, but I'd love to know what other games you are getting into that are 'pre-alpha' because really, I was under the impression that what SotA and SC are doing regarding how early they are showing code in the development cycle is brand new.

 

It might be new in terms of allowing average Joe's to play pre-alpha but knowing the right people, vendor, etc and getting pre-alpha isn't a new concept.

 

It's relatively new but been going on for over a year or so (at least from what I have experienced). The current games that I am participating in pre-alpha are:

SotA, Star Citizen, Gloria Victus, Camelot Unchained, TUG and EQ Next Landmark. EQ Next Landmark honestly does not belong here because that is a massive company but the others, particularly Gloria Victus do. Gloria Victus is in Pre-Alpha and being developed by a Polish team about the size of SotA and it's fantastic. I really don't want to go into each of these games because this is about SotA and I very much want it to succeed. As I posted earlier I'm not upset with anyone just feel a deep hole of sadness...well that's a bit too much lol but yeah feel a bit let down. I still appreciate everything this team has done and Richard's vision and contributions to the gaming world.

SotA still has a long way to go till launch and I feel that giving my honest opinions to them are the best way to help the game. It's my hopes that much of this will be rolling before then and my faith is "shaken" not lost

 

There's nothing real new about pre-alphas. Ultima Online had one too in '96 before moving on to the betas. It was also a primitive, dumbed down version of what released the next year.

 

Dude, it's pre-Alpha... nothing is finished yet...

 

Kultan, there's arguably a more substantial difference between "Pre-Alpha" and "Alpha", than there is between "Alpha" and "Beta".

Emphasizing "Pre", there is not a finished game loop in R4. The purpose for pre-alpha release is to test smaller systems the developers have been working on. Nothing will feel tied together or resemble an actual game until "Alpha".

I understand the expectations, but I just don't think enough people understand how primitive these releases really are, compared to what we usually expect from a Beta or even Alpha state of the game. This is not either.

 

Did you mean to direct that at me? I was just pointing out that releasing pre-alphas to the player base for testing is not new, as it was done for UO nearly 18 years ago. UO didn't have public alpha testing (only pre-alpha and beta). The UO pre-alpha was a very early build missing many of the graphics and features that would later be seen in the initial launch.

 

You're not alone, a number of us feel the same way; however, we have invested in the game, (some of us a considerable amount) therefore we need to give the developers our faith that they will publish a game fit for purpose.

 

Sure but they want feedback. What type of feedback would you like me to give?

 

LordRussell, check this out:


https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...chedule-update-releases-4-7.8124/#post-136405

Hopefully, it will give you an idea of whats coming and when.

 

Yes good to review that DNA it certainly helps the feeling I have currently lol. As I stated I am rooting for them!

 

We have to admit that this R4 still feel too similar to the "3 months" video. And we are near of the end of the pledges... This should be the "seller" demo.

 

I think the inter-town travel system is terrible -- I hope it is a pre-alpha place holder!!!!! One of the defining aspects of the Ultima series was the "non-linearity" of both the plot and the gameplay. You were able to wander throughout the whole world and explore every location of the map, not just pre-determined locations. I would much rather be able to walk through a world freely. If the "chess board" style travel is to be kept, using it as a "fast travel" tool is more acceptable (such as in Skyrim). I'd rather see a world of trees, rocks and orcs than that awful system.

 

Do you mean the overhead map? I was not fond of it at first but it's grown on me...a bit like Dragon Age. I'm pretty positive that will not be going away and they have some valid reasons for it. The best one I've heard is that there is a ton of time involved to create those open spaces and most of it is just "fluff" i.e. trees, rocks, a few trash mobs, etc. It does add to immersion factor though so there is that counter argument. For me though it did not make my "wish" list because there are just so many other elements out in R4 that have me worried.

 

Yes LR, the overhead map. I agree that there are quite a few deficiencies in R4 and am also worried that they have devoted too much time to an extraordinarily complex crafting system (one that may make us feel like we have a second job, rather than an RPG). I understand the open space "fluff" rationale -- I've played games that had the same type of overhead map system and always felt that although some were good, they lacked the depth of the Ultima series. I expected something more innovative from this team, not a poorly adapted version of someone else's system. If I want to hide in the woods for the duration of the game, craft nothing, live no where and kill orcs, bandits, brigands and trolls, I should have that ability. I will remain open-minded and optimistic -- were are only in pre-alpha (and besides, this is all non-refundable anyway). Good luck Richard Garriott!

 

as a developer I really don't expect systems to be cohesive and fully functional until well into ALPHA. right now we are experiencing more system-level testing... the team sets up a new system, tests it internally, then lets us into a pre-alpha weekend to load test that system. they add more bells and whistles, but are not expecting them all to function at even 70%... as they are testing and tweaking base systems experiencing load (many players) in preparation for more base systems.

all these complaints of ppl wanting this and expecting that, comparing to other games (pre-alpha, alpha & even betas!) are really not aware of development cycles.

how about pitching in something worthwhile?

feedback be awesome and the OP has only a few valid points. most are complaints.

i'm curious to see the "private" game we haven't even seen yet. the one where all the fun stuff _really_ is.

 

This is interesting: https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f.../fireangels-journal-pre-alpha-release-4.8751/

Maybe we really need to go easy on pre alpha after all...

 

I can tell you with a large degree of certainty that the devs already understand everything you have pointed out and want to build on it constantly. You have to understand that this is like building a house - you can't really comment on the colour of the walls until the walls are actually built (and withstand the pressures placed upon them).
Your comments are not invalid of course, but they are directed toward a bunch of systems that aren't finished and are subject to drastic design changes.