Random Encounter Survey

After wasting hours of play time just trying to find an exit from random encounter maps I became curious how does the player base feel about the play benefits of the random encounter maps.

Please post your # response to this thread on how you feel about random encounters system:

1] I love it
2] Its alright
3] I dislike it

Thanks!

 

Generally, dislike it. The encounters seem pointless in their current state. I understand they may just be making initial tests of the system in R12.

If special items or quests were added, I'd enjoy encounters more.
If we were given the OPTION to enter into an encounter, I think most everyone would be happier. Seems like a simple solution so people's individual play styles are better respected.

That said, as an early complainer about the random encounter (RE) system, I'll now say this:

1) Now I am NEVER pulled into a RE when I'm careful to stay on the roads. THANK YOU DEVS.
2) Wandering the forest between the main road and Greymark Forest, I am very infrequently pulled into a RE. I haven't tested the whole map but REs seem less frequent that in the first few days of R12, when I nearly rage quit over the RE system (because I was getting pulled into so many pointless REs). THANK YOU DEVS.

I'm sure (I hope) the system will improve dramatically over time.

 

I think having random encounters is better than not having them.

I'd like some encounters that feel more like events, perhaps some with NPCs and decisions.

 

1

 

Well did you watch the telethon where they talked about random encounters and what the plan is for them? They said they want to get to the point where we will be excited to have a random encounter since they will be something special, you'll have a chance to get rares, or there will be a scene where someone has died and you have something to do about it and on and on. Better post for this subject would be to give ideas of cool random encounters that you would like to see, not discussing a first redition of encounters which is changing. I do agree with you at the point random encounters are at present, but it is changing. **cheers everyone**

 

ya i hated them when they first came out you couldn't go 10 steps without getting pulled into one and then getting turned around when it ended but they are much better now

 

How can you make a judgement on whether a system is good or bad when the system is simply:

1) enter a new hex
2) generate a random number
3) pull into encounter
4) yes it worked

There is no meat behind the system at all yet. This was just a test to see if the random encounters work or not. Nothing more.

So sorry I can't judge whether or good or not, not in their current state. All I can say is that I think the design idea is a good one. We won't know more until they put in the real encounter and not some placeholder scene.

 

While I agree the current implementation is purely a basic test, it can be highly annoying (especially before they reduced the rate to 5% per hex). But I'm looking forward to seeing how much value they can add to random encounters. I like the idea of unique rewards or experiences in completing the encounter.

 

@majoria70 I did not get a chance to participate, but that to me is just bright lipstick applied to a pig (please read below for explanation)

@jiirc Following your logic, we cannot and should not give feedback ever, because every piece of software is a constant work in progress.

My concern is that this specific feature was not designed with a specific intent, but rather added as a way to make world map serve a purpose.

Not being a fan of having to walk overworld map in the first place to get places and and not being a fan of loading screens, I see the entire fiasco as a bit of a wrong direction for what can be a great game. It is to me, a disaster waiting to happen with series of bandaids and patches coming to address issues for game systems that were not important to focus on in the first place (such as a better and more fun way to move around the world).

There is a part of me that is worried deeply when I see any sign of lipstick being applied to what already is a pig (world map navigation, square zone maps with visible walls and painful asset loading times to enter new areas). In this day and age surely there are some better ways of implementing a virtual environment? I've played UO on dialup modem in 1997 and it was a seamless, believable fantasy world with no fake barriers and a simple way for my character to navigate areas without watching a loading screen every 5 minutes.

I would like to wrap this up by saying that I love the game, but I worry about snowball effect of all the wrong technical and game design choices.

 

@vitadakonia, yes I do hear you in regards to the map, but the map is not going anywhere at this point in development so we just have to go forward to make this the best game we can in spite of it.
Welcome to shrouds by the way and you do a great job of writing.

 

@majoria70 Ignoring UX in early stages of development is what causes really large problems down the road. I'll just say this... later, when people are flocking to another shiny new game that has an open world to explore and does not torture its users with loading screens, it will all make sense. As it stands now, i disagree with you strongly. Early development is all about testing User Experience and fixing issues. Map is broken. So now or never...

Here is a good read to understand how things should be done properly -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_viable_product

I simply just want this game to have a chance. Right now it is looking 50/50 to me.

Cheers,

V

 

1... keep in mind this is a VERY small part of the game. The main continent is huge compared to this. It just speeds up travel in the old school Ultima way. Give it time to get optimized
and tweaked. It will be good ..you will see.

 

I love what they are GOING to be.

 

@vitadrakonia, oh believe me I am not arguing with you on this point. There has been lots of frustration about having the map period. I would not have chosen this route, well and what do I know
The map conversation has gone on WAY before you arrived on the scene. You may want to search for map and you'll find some of the threads and then you will have the information you need to discuss this being up to speed. So thank you for caring and I am with you for wanting this game to succeed. I believe it will succeed in spite of defiencies that are there for some people due to what you will see if you hang around more. Im not sure excactly what the link you gave is telling me, but I did check it out. And remember I am not against what you are saying.

 

Watch the telethon video they put up you can find the link on the main page. They addressed all the issues that has been bought up and it will help give you an idea from their perspective. You don't even have to watch very far in since they talked about these issues in the first hour or so.

Basically the random encounters will eventually have resource nodes in them or random events like some sort of caravan attacks that you can help save. They will give rewards eventually. But right now this is just a first pass where they put it in just to see if it even works or not, so it's just punishment and no reward entering one

 

I like the idea of random encounters (it leaves a lot to expand on)! I agree… We are testing the basic system of does it work and how to tweak it. I never been stuck in a RE for more than 5mins if I choose to the not kill the NPC’s that are presented.
I’m sure the DEV’s have many plans for these. My input is add: Harvesting crafting items, special quest lines, merchant NPS’s…to name a few.

I believe some frustration is generated because when you enter the map the player wants to get from point A to point B as fast as possible. That said perhaps pop a window asking if you want to join the RE.


- Boleroff

 

@majoria70 Thanks for words of support. The link is simply saying that any knowledge & learnings gathered early from customers (for example: as you say map was a huge topic of vocal dissatisfaction even before me) should be used to improve product before its too late (doors open to all customers). Once the development is complete and doors open however, changing features is expensive and nearly impossible. Changing them now is still beneficial because customers may have more loyalty to the game. However loyalty will be very low and customers may leave if too many compromises are made on quality and the end result is not satisfying to the user.

V

 

LOL ahh vitadrakonia you don't know us yet. Believe me many things have changed due to our strong feedback and discussions, and that will continue. This is unlike any other game going out there, and it is fine that you pledged whatever you did. So don't give up on what is important to you, and check out the overhead map discussions. I believe you can make a difference.

 

Hi everyone!

So, i was about to state my opinion on the overmap, but i couldn't find any clear place to do it, so i'll use this topic instead.

I have to agree with vitadrakonia and state that i do believe the usage of an overmap is not a very good choice. You see, an overmap pretends to be a continuous space when it is actually a discrete space, and could be easily represented by a menu like this:

* [EXPLORE]
* Braemar
* Valeway South
*Kingsroad

Other than presenting these choices, the overmap means and does nothing else, and also makes the task of finding and walking to different locations a chore, specially with random encounters halting your progress (good thing they don't occur a lot). Also, grinding for these rare items in the future will also turn into a chore, since there's a random amount of time between each encounter.

BUT

In an MMO like this, the overmap does serve good for one thing: allowing easier travel between locations. You see, a lot of these initial quests require some walking back-and-forth, now, imagine if the overmap was not there and we had to pass through several other locations to get, for example, from Braemar to Kingsport just to talk to a NPC and then go back, it would be a HUGE chore, specially when the only thing you have to guide you in these quests is your journal (and that's cool, i like it a lot!). So that leaves us with one option: keep the overmap, but fix the encounters in it.
In this case my suggestion is to add an "explore" button on the screen when the player is in the overmap, generating a random encounter for the player when pressed. Once this random encounter issue is fixed, we can then start to think on ways to spice it up, and i'm eager to share what i have in mind about this too

 

Welcome refridelagosta!

I prefer a giant, open, seamless world like many of you. But the overland map was a key part of how this game was architected and it is here to stay.

It is no fun in an online game because you can't play with your friends because they are on different servers. This eliminates that. SotA is designed for everyone on a single server, with the overland map and instances determining who you see in a given scene (with your friends list).