MMORPG: Review Part 2 - A Shroud of Confusion

Can you explain why you are having so much fun in the game right now? What am I missing out on?

 

I love this game already and can't imaging why a game in progress get so much negativity. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the skill system, and how different the deck system can make combat. But what makes this game so good right now is the community, everyone really brings this game to life! Why call the MMORPG article a 'review' anyway? Do people review half built cars, and say it can only fit one passenger as the rear seats aren't developed yet, therefore 4/10. Enjoy the test drive!

 

Why put out a review of an unfinished product, you ask? Why tell people they aren't going to enjoy a crowdfunded game so don't bother sponsoring it?

The answer is fear.

Fear of losing playerbase on other MMO's where the reviewers have already invested their time.

Fear that a better quality product is on it's way and is a clear threat to other games in the genre.

I mean honestly, take a look at UO, will it ever die? Doubtful. There's still tens of thousands of players who log onto UO every year and it's almost two decades old.

Maybe it's the history, or the housing system, the PvP, or the community. Who can really say, everyone has their own opinion of why it's lasted so long and still thrives. One thing is for certain, SOTA is going to be the exact same. It'll never die, so any publicity is good publicity, even if it's well worded, seemingly unbiased yet desperate negativity for the sole purpose of extinguishing a threat.

 

Objective Game Reviews

 

Right, that site that has a friend of the developers, himself invested in the game for thousands of dollars, working for it, that site that was given the exclusive opportunity to write overwhelmingly positive press releases like exclusive monthly previews promoting the game for 3 solid years, the site that had regular in person visits with Starr and Chris and praised the history, the housing system, the community. That same site, you are suggesting, has decided to lash out and attempt to destroy the company where one of their friends works and a game they spent years helping to promote in a conspiracy to protect the mmo industry from its certain usurper? Seems reasonable.

Or maybe the guy simply thinks the game's current state is of poor quality. Doesn't mean you have to agree with his assessment. Also doesn't mean if you don't agree with his assessment that it is truly a ploy to bring down a company by writing a little read review on some small independent website that lives off advertisements from this very type of game.

 

about as reasonable as a backer writing a mostly negative review of an unfinished, crowdfunded product expressly informing his viewers that it's not worth supporting as a concluding statement.

 

you know what amuses me, look at final fantasy 14 when it was released the very first time. This game is way more polished then that piece of garbage was. The game is in early release and I'm sure the last thing Lord British or the dev team want to do is ruin the game and have a bad product. The game is fun and is good, sure it can be tedious to get mats but it needs some TLC in some areas.

 

I must say first that I have not read the article. I like to let my own experience e the judge for me. With that said yes this does have many issues within the game. Somethings not completed some not implemented, some just polish. But I still am having fun playing with my guild mates and others from other guilds and always happy to meet new avatars. So yes we have an incomplete game and the score is most likely correct but it is far from finished.

I still like it and do still recommend it to my friends.


So to all hope you just have fun

 

Thing is port has something going here. It is not finished yet... but they need to listen to other people as some of the poster before me mentioned.

 

I think the "caravan" is currently the wagon at the far exit of the tutorial version of Highvale, that a new player might not even know how to interact with. Unless you take the other exit off to the left, that is, in which case you would completely miss it.

 

They fixed it in less time then SOTA's current projects time to 'feature complete'.

 

The final score really does hit the high and low points, though graphics aren't really important to me, the UI really does need some work. His final score is about right for the current state. The glyph system I don't mind, it's the staring at the combat bar constantly and carpal tunnel syndrome stacking that's the worse part for me. No matter which way you do it, using R and number key buttons, clicking & dragging etc......it's still too tedious and needs a redesign if it's to stay.

Final Score
5

Pros
Player driven economy
Rich, tedious crafting system
Sandbox invites you to explore & write your own story
Skill-based progression
Cons
Confusing new player experience; can be a deterrent
Dated visuals and UI
Far too few quests, those that are there lack inspiration
Immersion breaking glyph system & combat lacks dynamics
Single-player & MMO mix leads to issues with both

 

The concept of player owned towns is great. Selling them in the store was a lazy cash grab.

I still have hope that there remains enough demand for housing to push this through the mechanics of the game. People should be driven to do things in game for what they want.

 

Let me try this another way...

City of Heroes would like its idea back.

 

I saw this earlier on Facebook, so I'll say what I said there. I agree with the need for more involvement and help for newer players coming into the game, and that yeah, it's still a bit rough around the edges for certain systems. We knew that from the get-go, and that there remains polishing and adjustments to be done for the actual "release".

As a long time Ultima nerd and fan myself, though, I will also state the "Ultima sequel ONLY" bit is crap as people have mentioned before. There were always going to be multiplayer aspects to the game, and it CANNOT be a direct Ultima clone, for the simple fact that RG doesn't OWN Ultima anymore. Has it changed from the original scope? Yeah, some of which I think is both good and bad. The housing thing is probably one of the most polarizing issues considering the amount of time and effort put into it, but even as someone who's not really a fan, I also am aware and cognizant that there are PLENTY of others who are, and who have backed the game with some considerable monetary involvement.

Shroud will not be the game for everyone, in my opinion. I think there are certainly enjoyable aspects, and for myself, the biggest thing I wanted to see (and am presently delving into) was the story/lore of Novia and how it all comes together to relate to my character. I think it's more than misleading to claim that nothing has been done, and that the Devs aren't doing anything about it, when we can see direct and constant updates so far.

To be fair, there's always been a lot of anticipation and expectations (myself included) to see RG produce another title that would rival the Ultima series. Are we there yet with Shroud? Oh HELL no. There's a good start, and certainly some passionate players who are invested in the game. But that level of enjoyment also didn't exactly happen overnight. The Ultima series spanned over 30 years of production, with some incredible groundbreaking features that essentially shaped computer gaming development. Of course people are looking to reclaim that level of involvement and enjoyment, but that also will not only take time, but it will also take a serious community as well.

Bottom line, this is meant as the first of several episodes, and we're not at the final stage of that release yet. I agree there is still a lot of work to do, and the game will surely undergo several tweaks and balances to gameplay over the course of time, but I neither agree or am willing to simply wash my hands either. If it's not the game for you, I understand. But I also think some folks are looking for an excuse, and are going overboard on the criticism.

/2 Cents

 

This is ridiculous. Do you realize how delusional this sounds? Take a step back and ask yourself this: how much money have you spent based on this delusion? Don't feel obligated to answer here in the forums. I don't want to know that answer

 

@Raxhelm

Here's what I don't understand. If you've "taken a break from SOTA indefinitely". Those are your words in a recent thread you started. Yet here you are complaining about it on the forums. What's the problem, no better games to play?

I don't understand people. It's as if whenever they can't be happy, no one is allowed to be happy. Listen, I don't particularly care for soccer. I don't watch it, I don't really understand it. Based on what little I do understand I think it's a really stupid sport. But there are plenty of people in the world that disagree with me. I don't go to soccer forums and troll them. I don't tell people that I've "taken a break from soccer indefinitely" and then proceed to torment the people that enjoy it. I move on, I do stuff I like to do.

I have no idea why people do this on our forums. At least the guy that wrote that review has an excuse, he's not very good at his job.

 

From the point of view of someone who never played any of the Ultima series of games, I think the review was fair (if not a bit premature). I followed RG into this adventure solely on the strength of Tabula Rasa. I was not a gamer before that game hooked me. I love that game with every fiber of my being, and would still be playing it today if not for some politics that snuffed it out. So I can certainly understand the attitude and loyalty of long time Ultima fans. I'm still not sure this is a game for me (I'm really an explore and quest player), but I believe in RG and his team and am willing to keep supporting it until it goes live, and then and only then, decide for myself regardless of reviewers opinions.

 

Why do people attack others instead of discussing the article?