Why SotA is not as fun as UO was. What I enjoy/dislike & overall feelings.

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Zylo, Apr 29, 2015.

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  1. Exialch Qualthian

    Exialch Qualthian Avatar

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    I am not saying it should be instant, where are you getting this, can you read my post again? I have very clearly explained that resource gathering for a long duration has no place in a pre-alpha game. The current phase of the game is to test the features. If you make them difficult, less people will test them. It adds nothing to the purpose of pre-alpha. I am saying that it should be shorter and with higher success chance. Leveling and gathering in pre-alpha state should be as quick as possible to allow users to test higher level features.
     
  2. TantX

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    I think his point is that even UO was just a double-click and drag to plop garlic out of the ground. I'm no gardener, but I'm fairly confident in my flower and herb picking skills, and it wouldn't take me 30 seconds.

    Another thing to take from this is that there are people who maybe don't want to spend 30 seconds watching a bar fill up just to fail multiple times. It isn't that they want resources to be easy, just rather not so boring and repetitive. Look at Star Citizen's plans for mining: you need an entire crew and a massive ship to even begin. Deploying drones, sending out scanners to determine what minerals are in an asteroid, piloting the big ass spider laser-cutter to start the excavating, then monitoring the heat to make sure the laser bit doesn't explode or that the integrity of the asteroid isn't compromised and comes apart. Then there's watching for asteroids in the belt colliding with the ship during this process, plus watching out for pirates and such. It's all very involved, and makes mining look like a deep, risky process that will bear great rewards.

    Ting, ting, ting? Success or fail? There's a line between bringing back that nostalgia and just copy-pasting 20-year-old code. I'd wager that's where his complaint's coming from.
     
  3. 4EverLost

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    But isn't that what they might be testing? The feature as a whole? Because if you put in enough points into your crafting skills, you hardly if ever find any failures. Hell, there were times when you could get 3 successes from a single node.

    We already tested the instant versions before when there were no skills involved with crafting/gathering, so now they're testing the skills involved with those - with failures included?
     
  4. TantX

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    Fair point, but picking garlic out of the ground isn't spurring a new thread about how terrible combat is every week. Mining success and failure isn't motivating people to go out of their way to download SotA on Steam just to leave a negative review about how much they despise card combat. I think most of us understand other features still need working on, but at the same time, that ain't what's keepin' folks from backing this game.

    There's a comet the size of Texas plummeting towards Earth, expected to wipe all human life from the planet, and Congress is complaining about marriage rights. That's how this feels to some of us.
     
  5. Freeman

    Freeman Avatar

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    Exactly. It's about respecting the time of the player. Time sinks are bad game design. Waiting should mean something, or serve a purpose. When you're just sitting there, becoming disengaged from what's happening, it's a bad mechanic.
     
  6. Katrina Bekers

    Katrina Bekers Localization Team

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    That's exactly why I'm trying to help.

    It's fairly obvious that there are no redeeming values in this game for you. You have been quite clear on that.

    That's why, without taking any offense, I presented my offer. I'm serious, I'm interested in an Adventurer/Steam level, actually. I'll spare you the pain to having to play a game you have clearly no interest in AND I give you money.

    As an added bonus, you actually would keep your account, I guess also able to post in forums, and keep enlightening us of how bad this game is, in case we forget.

    (Honestly not entirely sure, but my understanding is that players not owning a pledge can post.)

    It's a win-win deal, ain't it?
     
  7. 4EverLost

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    Yes, you can post without pledging first.
     
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  8. Merick

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    They did. More than once even. For years players could choose between the 3D client and the 2D client. But the 3D client was so poorly executed that almost nobody used it. It was a major combat disadvantage because it was slower. I heard that there were more attempts to overhaul the graphics engine at Mythic, but I had left Britannia by then.
     
  9. Merick

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    This. Many of us are looking for something that is very different from the cookie cutter MMO formulas that we are being offered these days. Portalarium is listening to their core audience more than I've ever seen a company do before. They are truly building a place for "the rest of us". We are all co-creating and investing in this new project.
     
  10. Zylo

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    I really do hope the game gets better...I really do...

    I know there will be some fun elements..

    The discussions have been interesting...

    Katrina Bekers, I'll stick around until launch.. Just to see the final game.. I'll make you a deal, if I don't like it you can just have my pledge for free ☺️

    I don't see any hope for a good combat system though.. I hope they can simply improve on what is there and listen to the players that love combat... Give us a reason to play.. Give us a reason to collect and create good armour and weapons..

    If I can't go out and enjoy the combat with it all, what's the point?

    Thanks everyone,

    I think you're right... I don't think I am in their core audience.. Maybe that's just it... Most players in UO wanted Tram.. and the dev team didn't give two craps about the PvP players or giving them anything. I feel like Shroud is just a giant remake of Trammel... Pixel crack and house deco... full of ways to waste time like taking 3 tries to watch a "loading" bar fill up and decide if I got the garlic or whatever...

    I want to play the game, not double click resources and waste hours on end doing it.....only to double click things again to craft 1,000 daggers....
     
  11. TantX

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    Don't sell yourself short. RG went specifically to Felucca-only freeshards to push this game to UOers. Everything the man said for the last five years would lead anyone looking on those interviews alone to expect something along the lines of complete immersion through VR or Occulus Rift, something like Star Citizen, and not anything SotA has whatsoever. RG isn't saying "this is the game for everyone else"; he marketed it to us, too. If it doesn't stand up to our expectations, including combat, then that isn't because we weren't the target audience - it's because he failed.
     
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  12. The Hendoman

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    tes5 skyrim looks and plays so much better and it was released in 2011. So it was written in what, 2009?2010 technology? So right there, Sota is losing the graphics battle.

    the card combat system has been brought up for a year now, Dev's are building speed trees or something instead. They aren't listening. They arent listening to relevant PvP either. that whole "dev's react to input" is just a marketing ploy. We stare at the bottom part of the screen for random combat glyphs and nothing else. Sota is losing the battle to be hip.

    the game employs a - b - then back to a quests. and click and wait resource gathering. all 15 to 20 year old game concepts. Sota loses the innovation in gameplay match.

    TBH, i can't imagine what else you *can* do in a medeveal type game. I JUST realized that the game is full of random encounters and places to gather resources that are FULL of enemies that try to attack you. So combat *is* an important part of this game. Wow! you CANNOT gather a resource without fending off attacks. Nor simply walk from town to town without randoms, so we are all fighting mailmen. Sota loses on character development.

    even if they moved the combat deck to transparent glyphs in a halo around the head ( who thought that bottom bar was a good idea? for over a YEAR now? even though 90% complain about it? isnt that where the party member portraits go 20 years ago?) it will still be a skills deck boringfest of speed vs defense. Skills are just a distraction in the true core of this combat system. Sota lost that battle too.

    so.... i still gave it a go, last month put major hours doing stuff, for no other gain than personal knowledge, knowing there would be a wipe. so these aren't off the cuff comments. Nor new ones. sadly. Sota is pretty vanilla : it'll maybe make a decent introductory game to people new to rpgs or something.

    The Hendoman
     
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  13. mikeaw1101

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    Hey, I just had a TRULY NOVEL idea... Maybe stop belittling new guys for criticizing this game? Even if Zylo did start playing a few weeks ago (and isn't somebody's alt), so what?! He already has a lot of valid points, that maybe are... I dunno... shared by other backers? A fresh pair of eyes usually isn't a bad thing! Unless, of course, you have a vested interest in preserving the status quo for whatever reason... Just remember, there's going to be MORE and MORE of these "new players" coming down the pike (at least that's what you should be HOPING for if you truly support the game). Exactly how do you think they'll react when they see how this "community" treats others voicing honest (if blunt) criticisms?

    This is what I was talking about last year - too many FANBOYS (fanGIRLS?) on here trying to squelch out dissenting opinions... Not nearly as many now as the beginning, but those few stragglers more than make up for their dwindling numbers with excruciatingly lengthy, transparently willful, and vitriolic misinterpretations - replies dripping with condescension. I can only read them and wonder: are they meant to be roleplay?? Cos dude, not really that funny.

    Even though I quoted a specific post, my reply wasn't directed towards any single person - it's for several who seem to believe they will be rewarded somehow for their "loyalty"... HA, your "reward" just might be a game that FIZZLES due to a critically stagnant player base.

    Seriously, not helping anyone, least of all the developers, with blind faith and "witty remarks". If significant changes aren't made, and soon, this game is going to tank - hard.
     
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  14. Gypsy Lou

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    Disappointing to see the community reaction to an honest post that reflects genuine concerns shared by so many. Yes, it's pre-alpha and far from complete. But the uncontroverted point made by the OP and shared by me is that every other game that I've played in pre-alpha state was more fun than this. It's hard to imagine how they can improve the game to make it fun using the existing combat model. If it's not fun now, I see little chance it will become fun later. He speaks the inconvenient truth.
     
  15. majoria70

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    Well don't be so sure it won't be more fun. This game has many more secrets than your average game. I totally don't want to be running along and find everything right now. Yeah combat needs much work as do many things. And if anyone is calling me a fanboy well I'm a girl of course, so be it. Now comments about improving combat, hell improving anything is great. I say you have no idea of what you're looking at, but we've gone down this road before. I don't say don't have your good opinions, but ask yourself, am I looking at something that is complete, am I looking at something that has all of it's depth and detail in, and there is no way that is happening. To even compare this game to anything out there won't work, the developers can't show you, and they shouldn't have to show you to have you like the game, that is bull. Those of us who care to participate will, those who wan't to provide feedback will, those who want to bash will. So it is of course up to everyone how they participate and this thread has turned into something that aint it. I love to hear new peoples feedback usually, I understand where they are coming from, and many also mistakenly think the game is done or that the game should be there to entertain them. Perhaps, but remember what you are looking at, it's not the average type of game, no symplistic game here, you have to dig in. I say we don't have a clue to what's coming, I'm willing to hang in there and watch it unfold. Let the team fix it if it needs fixed and also give them a break and don't break them.

    ***edited** the dangers of posting late night. **cheers**
     
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  16. Haukeye

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    Lot's of people are saying "well it's Alpha" yeah it is... Is this NOT the time to be weighing in on the things we do an do not like? If they see that so many of us are not satisfied with combat, I for one would be asking my backers how and what needs to change.
    I for one dislike the combat as well for all the same reasons as most others. I also HATE the sound of wolves HATE IT! I hope it is only a place holder sound. I sometimes wonder why we do not get more Dev interaction in the general forums, where a lot of good posts such as this one are made that should get a reply too. I shelled out over 1600 bucks for this game, and I have to say I am still worried I made a mistake. I want to believe in this game, please Devs help me believe that you are as committed as I hope you are to listening to your backers.
     
  17. majoria70

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    lol pretty much all sounds are place holders, so no worries. I so do not like barking wolves or barking any thing else besides a barking dog would be fine;) I do think next release will be about combat. Everything in time. They probably aren't going to answer about combat yet. I'm sure Chris will attack it next release.;)
     
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  18. Haukeye

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    We can only hope so on both accounts hehe. Those dang wolves! I feel like I am beating up a puppy :(
     
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  19. Haukeye

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    I enjoy most of your posts, so please understand I do not mean any harm with what I am about to say.
    After reading this I have to say you are wrong. Saying you hope the Devs do not read this? Well how else do they get constructive feedback? Being a fanboy or girl has nothing to do with it. The game is still in it's very early stages, I agree, but this IS the time to give this type of feedback. We need to let them know what we like and do not like. WE are paying for this game you and me. So in my eyes we are entitled to our opinions and feedback each and every one of us. AND the Devs should be reading this stuff, if they truly care about us AND the game.
    In the end WE will make or break this game "the players and payers" Not the Devs. People have to understand to not get upset when someone who does not agree with them gives their feedback. We are all entitled to our opinions.
    My opinion is the Devs need to be more active with the folks on the forums. Sure they can make an appearance in game, but I would rather get info on the forums in the form of posts from them addressing issues people are having or are concerned about. And right now my biggest complaints are the combat system and crafting nodes being to hard to come by.
     
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  20. Katrina Bekers

    Katrina Bekers Localization Team

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    Absolutely.

    The crusade I started against limiting passives is my pet peeve at the moment, and I will plant a C4 charge in that dead horse, if I have to.

    But modus in rebus.
     
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