SPO and SP Offline

Exactly. We have enough vocal PvP-Threads here, so let us vocal about PvE and SPO also

 

When did they say that?

 

In one of the developer Q&As:

 

Hmm, then I wonder what the final conversation interface will look like...

 

Honestly. I know Lum has enhancements for us; he's said as much. But my guess is that, in the end, we'll be using mmo chat to play a single player game.

 

Oh my god. I hope not. I don't want to do an IRC chat with NPCs in a fantasy world...

 

Agree 100%. While PvP can be fun and engaging, I am far more of a PvE guy. The lions share of the focus definitely seems to be going into MMO elements and PvP atm. That being said, I am hoping once they hash out all of the PvP stuff that other areas of the game will get more focus.

I am sure a lot of backers are expecting a rich single player experience as well, and they deserve a delivery on that promise! Personally, I would be happy to see some more attention go into PvE

 

Captain Jack does think it seems a bit unfair to the people who wish to play this game "not connected" like a traditional SP RPG. The reason is because when Captain Jack first came across SotA, he believes that the focus was there on elements which brought the game to an end result closer to what he was hearing about in Kickstarter.

Captain Jack loves PvP though and that is how I ultimately came across SotA, googling PvP. Clearly now we can see a shift from a Single Player or more adventurous Single Player+ with online connections game though, to a more traditionally accepted MMO type game from when I first came in.

This goes to show you how powerful a very small number of people can be in shaping the game! Captain Jack has heard it all about the magical numbers of backers and totally small insignificant doesn't matter amount of people who give feedback from the forum or to the devs in anyway. But you see it isn't insignificant after all, it has clearly changed this game, and for some of us not for the better!

 

With the number of times some fanboy gets into a rage over things they say as the devs are answering questions in the chats and the rage is based on the fanboy's assumptions and not on what the actual intent of the devs is, I'm amazed they talk about anything.

Solo has to come after multi-player is much closer to completion as solo play is by definition a subset of multi-player. When the world goes semi-persistent and we're testing the economy & leveling in multi-player, then is the time to work on solo. If they make statements about solo play now and then there's a change to multi-player that keeps them from being able to match the statement they made, there's a bunch of people who'd go nuts. I personally doubt solo play is getting the short shrift as some seem to think. I think when all the major elements of the game are in place we'll start to see how they intend solo play to work. Until that point the only thing useful people can say is how and what they'd like to see. Any claims of anything else, especially negative claims are based on peoples imaginations and not anything substantive.

This team isn't a bunch of amateurs, they're experienced and are doing things in the order they are because they know not to put the cart before the horse.

Those are my opinions and as always YMMV

 

SP offline vs. online does not seem earth-shaking to me. Didn't Diablo 2 allow for both online and offline play? Seems the technology is ten years old. Is there something different about how SOTA will handle it?

So long as the online and offline characters are separate so that exploits are not imported into the online space, I think it will be ok.

 

I don't think so. Solo isn't a subset of mmo. Solo play has to be regarded - and integrated - from the beginning of the development of the game. Otherwise the solo game isn't as good as it should be. You may ask why. AndiZ275 published a very good explanation about that.

So let us be vocal for PvE and solo play.

 

Maybe you meant something a little different than you said, but what definition of solo play are you referencing that says it must be a subset of multi-player?

I've played many dozens of single player rpgs and only handful even had multi-player capability. The ones that did had multi-player as subset of the single-player game (like Mass Effect 3).

It seems to me that you're stating opinions as facts. You're correct that as of yet, single player has been treated like a subset of mulit player, but that's only because that's where the focus has been. You can start from either mode, develop, and branch out. Which direction you go is based on what importance you place on each mode. Evidence points to Portalarium (who I love despite being disgruntled about this aspect of the game) believing that the multi-player side is more important.

They could have just as easily started with a classic single player game and gotten all of those mechanics nailed down: Companions and their ability to interact, a convo system with portraits or camera close ups, etc. and then decided what needed to be added to make the game have a multi-player aspect. That route would have sent the message that SoTA is an RPG first and an MMO second, but it wouldn't have been illogical or unworkable.

As long as their stance is: get multi-player just right and whatever time is left will be spent giving this multi-player game a single player aspect, then those of us on the single player side of the fence are going to feel left out.

 

As someone who is normally optimistic about this game I must say that I to am a bit worried about the story and single player aspects. At this point all the NPCs seem flat and lifeless and the release date is looming! I really hope this gets some focus soon from the team.

 

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I'm not saying stay quiet. I'm encouraging everyone to tell the devs what they'd like to see and how they'd like it to work.

That's what constructive criticism is, anything else is pretty much just noise.

 

That is the whole point of this thread, to get some notice in the area's that a lot of us care about. We have hundreds of PVP posts, many saying the same thing, but very few threads that focus on this side of the game. I don't see why having this one is a bad thing if it does bring notice to the subject.

I have noticed that throughout development thinks tend to change depending on ferver of the forums. I don't think it is a bad thing to at least say "hey, we are still here.", since if you were to jump into the forums lately you would think the game was a pvp centric game or UO2. On a rpg site i goto they have already written this game off, no matter how much I tell them it will also be single player. They think of it as a budget MMO.

Staying silent about a subject doesn't help it at all.

 

I can only chime in here as a new supporter but I came to this game first and foremost for a rich singleplayer experience. Like the classics of the past.
But I will say a big part of what really made me look at this game was that it seemed I could have that but also with a social aspect. I am certainly not looking for nor do I want another MMO.
I want to see a rich deep story single player game that I can also log in and share that experience with friends and others IF I choose to.

I certainly hope that is what I paid for at least.

fingers crossed

 

Fear not, solo player remains important.
While we generally have forward progress going on many fronts, it is common for one suite of features to feel dominant for months at a time, while we solve various areas of major issues. These lats and next couple months that will be combat, right behind that will be finishing out the crafting, finally that last to come online will be the full story. The story, which will be most essential for bringing the solo player (online or offline) to prominence, comes last for two reasons. First, it must all be resolved somewhat concurrently. Also, we don't want to expose it much before you play it, as it will be fun mostly the first time. Systematized activities like crafting and combat, will get "better with age", the story based experience, while it does have branches and replay worthy activities, we still wish to held back as long as possible.

We are not strictly speaking making an MMO... at least not like previous ones. We are not strickty speaking making a traditional solo player game... at least not like previous ones. We are making Shroud of the Avatar. My prediction is that most people will play in the default multi-player mode, as I don't think it will interfere with your feeling special which usually requires a solo player game. However, until its playable, taking "sides" is moot. We will know when we get there! But I remain a believer that we are building a NEW game type that IS a strong intersection between solo and multi-player. It will take some massaging to get it perfected. It will change over time, often based on your feedback.

We are developing in the open, and with all of you playing and commenting along the way, so we better insure we make a game you will all like!

- Lord British

 

Thank you for responding Richard. I don't think any of us are worried that the story won't be fantastic. We have faith in a good story. What we fear is not experiencing that story in a fashion which suits a single player experience. It's our belief that single player DOES have systematized activities that require the same kind of attention given to combat and crafting. Chief among these are a convo interface that is more intimate than MMO chat and companions who can impact the story and our character in a meaningful way (i.e. not just servants or mercenaries who cover our combat weaknesses).

Most people probably will play in multi-player. But some of us won't. I just hope the single player experience will be made to FEEL like a single player game, not like an empty mmo.

Thanks for your time Lord British.

 

A tip on how to live a perfect life: frequent massages.

 

I'm not at all worried about the single player experience because I won't be experiencing it. But I think you made an excellent set of points in your reply.

I actually have the same concern about player towns in the multiplayer part of the game. It's still very difficult for me to imagine them not seeming "dead" as players are not online and nothing is really going on inside of them. It seems like a very difficult thing to balance if you're focused on one type of gaming experience let alone two (single vs. multi). Although I have a great amount of faith in this development team, I haven't heard a good answer to address this concern yet.