Stay true to the original vision of SotA!

And here I thought we'd see the end of your anti-MMO campaign... I was wrong.

Don't blame other people for what the devs are doing.

If the game is the way it is now, it's because the devs thought it was a good idea.

The game was merely a pitch. It's being designed NOW.

You think the "MMO crowd" is happy with the grind? Maybe people grind because THERE IS NOTHING ELSE. The game is incomplete; it is EMPTY.

They're just BARELY putting the story and quests together and you're still rambling about how it's not holding up to the original vision... How unreasonable can you get?

 

you got to bake the cake before you put on the icing.

(the icing is the rich story and interactive environment)

but yes... I too am sad to see this game become extremely grindy.

 

You cannot "pitch" a game, charge money up front for this pitch but then design something else.

I am just stating what I see and how I feel. And I think that as it is now the game moves away from the original "pitch" and I think this is because people here are pushing it away from this original vision. I still hope that we will get a game like the one that was announced during the Kickstarter... But right now it looks like something else.

 

Welcome to crowd-funding. No wait: welcome to the video game industry.

You pitch an idea for a video game to get the money to make the game. Someone (a publisher or crowd) has to pay up front. During production, specifics will change.

If Bungie had stuck to their original pitch, the Halo franchise would look like this:

Why? Because it was supposed to be an RTS...

No one ever goes into making a game exactly the way they've planned. It just doesn't happen.

Someone from a software development company would argue differently, but there's a lot of subjective feelings involved in the process of making a video game.

 

So basically I could pitch a shooter on Kickstarter, get the crowd interested in the game and after I got the money I decide to instead do a racing game and those who gave me money have to accept it?

 

Works for pretty much every garage full of indie developers.

If anything came out of my time supporting SotA, it's NEVER give money to a Kickstarter or "early access" game again.

 

This game needs more MMORPG-like elements to survive, to be successful. Players need Ultima Online spirit. If you do not like MMO-elements - you are free to play offline mode or "Single player online". But please, do not oppress people who like online gaming.

Right now SotA has great issue with "MMO vs SINGLE" modes struggle. Most of people who like multiplayer still have to play "single online" mode, cause there are more resources, more monsters, more loot & etc. Its painful for people who like MMORPG - to get disadvantage cause they like to play with other players. Why MMO-mode has to be harder then solo experience? Its not fair. We (people who play MMO-mode) need some conpensation for competition - more exp and bonus loot may be... Its simple - we got huge competition for resources, no point to play together... Other way game would be always "single player" mode, exept community events

 

Problem is that the selective multiplayer and single online modes are ruining the economy of the mmo crowd. There should be no way that you can amass wealth and gold without competition and strife of other players. This devalues in game currency and goods and drives more people into playing alone, making the mmo mode a barren wasteland.

Play your game, play it with friends, but not at the cost of the mmo economy.

Games and visions evolve. Persistence changes things. It is clear the"original" version is broken.

Edit: just to be clear, I'm advocating for a separation of the economy or at the very least a conversion rate, which would probably be much easier to implement in terms of simply increasing skill, loot, resource and gold gain in mmo mode.

 

Yes and no, if you shooter involved cars? you could. If it was an on rails shooter and during development testers thought the on rails section was the best part? sure myb.

What i find humorous is the idea that "grinding" is only a mmorpg element. I know plenty of single player games you have to grind in... what are you talking about, once again?
You posted this exact thread so many times over the past year, its just ...illogical.

Many have pointed out, that youve only read what you "wanted" to read on the kickstarter page.
Game has always been designed to be Multiplayer, never has had a solid promise that you can swap modes whenever,
and is still at a point of devlopment that meaningful content is still around the corner.

seperating the modes would only be a benefit at this point. But as ive stated before, private servers with modding support would actualy be the best.

 

There's always a risk involved in paying developers early on; THAT's why publishers put their money on shooters because there's very little risk. There's always risks, of course, but the odds of a shooter being anything than a shooter is very slim, because shooters are easy to do.

You can be very disappointed or angry about it, I won't blame you for that. What you shouldn't do (and what I'm trying to say) is:

• Pretend that deviation from the original pitch never happens and use that as an excuse to rile up folks to grab their pitchforks.
• Blame the devs for doing what they feel is right for the project.
• Blame the players/community for anything you dislike about the game.

If you do get investors to fund your project, you have to give them a good reason why you're changing from the original vision. Usually a "we think it'll make the game better" is enough... what stops you or other devs from constantly doing that is that, unless you're making them happy (usually by releasing a successful product), investors will think twice before funding you ever again.

The only part that I agree with is the part about oppressing "people who like online gaming".

What the game really needs right now goes beyond simple single-player/MMO features. It has enough sandbox, now it needs a bit more of a cohesive experience focused on game-play.

Right now, people grind because there's nothing else to do in the game. Grinding is never fun and it's worse when none of the game systems have yet to be harmonized.

I don't need Ultima anything. I want a fun, thought-provoking video game.

I actually find it more humorous to associate "grinding" to the MMO crowd and blaming them for it.

 

I agree with Darkmoon .. i have become disillusioned with the came expecting more of a single player "Ultima" with some online elements instead of just a standard MMORPG.

Following the game since the beginning it feels the developerers were more focused on appeasing the fans and creating dozens upon dozens of "houses" and other items you can buy from the shop rather than focusing on the mechanics of the game (which still feel very clunky).

The game has a sandbox feel (I like the exploration part of that) and hopefully now they can focus on actual gameplay and mechanics.

 

THAT, we can agree on. The whole housing and decoration thing is out of control. You make the system work, then you move on to other systems.... they've spent WAY too much time on housing.

 

Houses for $ - it isn't typical MMORPG feature. In UO housing was _very_ different. But as game needs crowd funding, its understandable politic$... Anyway, housing isn't problem there. MMORPG spirit in _live_ world, in interaction between players, not in items from shop. Right now there is no interaction between players because everyone sitting in "single player online mode" cause it gives you MUCH moar resources, them MMO-mode.

Of couse, game has to be polished. Game mechanics would be improved in time.. But general concept of single VS online modes has to be changed asap. Its deadly boring for me to play alone. But with another players around I have to wait for quests, mobs, resource nodes MUCH more. Its not fun to have such system - we all forced to play single player mode atm..... Where is the reason to play MMO-mode? Currently its only disadvantages. Its weird.

 

Have you ever thought that doing the story and quests was maybe meant to be a solo or friends only experience in the first place and that you have the option to do this in OPO? From videos and interviews I got the impression that the story of SotA was basically meant to be experienced like a single player game. But if you like you can add some friends now and then or go into OPO for events or if you want to meet strangers. And with the Selective Multiplayer modes this would fit perfectly.

Have I really been so wrong with how I though the games was meant to be? Has it really been a MMORPG from the beginning first and foremost and SPO and FPO are just "afterthoughts" or options? I mean this could be the case, I could be wrong in everything I know about this game.
Maybe SotA was meant to be a classic MMORPG in which you play with hundreds or thousands of others and only if you want you can be alone or together with friends.
Is this the case? I would really like to know if I got it all wrong from what was said at the beginning.

 

Right? I thought this dead horse had been beaten to a pulp. I think the only way this will ever stop is when we all stop posting in the threads he creates on this. Sad but true.

 

It's fine folks. We're all here because we know who the developers are and trust in them to deliver their vision.

If that wasn't the case we wouldn't be here now.

It's good to air our feelings though

 

I don't know the history here, however this thread reminds me of Derek Smart's criticism against Star Citizen and how it has changed from a "New Wing Commander Game" to the massive ambitious project it is today.

Personally, I am all for change if it enables the game to be a success. I guess that this direction changed once they realised that there was more to be gained from an online-based experiences rather than a single-player off-line game (This awesome community for one)

 

Does this apply to other "dead horse threads" like Open PvP, too?

There is a difference here: The SP part of Star Citizen is a separate game with separate mechanics etc. And they are still working to create a true SP space experience.

So you feel like the premise of the game has changed too from what was originally announced?

 

I guess that is true.

I don't think it is right for me to comment on this matter as I am not an original backer (Backed at the end of 2014), so I was well aware of the type of game which was being designed. However if I was in your shoes and had similar expectations I wouldn't be overly concerned as long as the story-based content lives up to the expectations. The game does have an off-line component, so at least that box is ticked