Q4 2016 Schedule Update

I remember when I played Diablo I and joined bnet for the first time. That chat was so rude, global, AND entertaining! However, hard to role-play when everyone is talking out of character and cursing

I think the main thing we need to worry about is the player's first impression... because it really matters in an epic sandbox game such as SOTA.

And finally let's characterize the human element with one word: unpredictable.

 

honestly I have not seen any arguments for or against a new player guild that makes a case for it or against it. effectively this is all about communication.

a new player guild gives new players a chat room. that's it. there is no other advantage.

at the end of the day. the Developers need to decide what's the easiest fasted why to give new players better communication.

a guild or added better chat functions. which would benefit all played not just new players

 

with all due respect.... a good explanation as to WHY this is needed would seem more appropriate. I hear "we asked" asked whom? If there was a full forum post from a dev outlining the proposal and soliciting votes it'd be different. I have LONG advocated for a global chat.. the naysayers there almost always fell back on the "we'll have gold seller spam" or.. it'll break my immersion (sry but *gag*) as the main reasons. As others have pointed out... many people offer help/assistance when possible regardless of whether they have turned on the Hospitaller tag. Sorry but this seems again like a few loud voices being mistaken as speaking for the "masses".

 

Isn't the solution to just have Hospitalers hang out near the newbie areas, making it clear they are there to help?

It just seems like creating a default guild for them is extra nonsense and goes against the idea that this game is not here to hold your hand like the other games (not that there is anything bad about them). What's the next step? Exclamation points over NPC heads?

[Edit: Maybe even set up Hospitaler Info stations in some scenes so players can use them if they like, or avoid them altogether. Hospitalers can set up a schedule or something to man them.]

 

I think its time to revisit the kickstarter video. It has Richard talking about no handholding and wanting players to think for themselves and make choices for themselves. Start at about 3:10

 

funny thing.. we got ? hats didn't we!

 

I didn't get nuttin' until it shows up in my bank!

 

I just recently reached the conclusion of the Love path and I wanted to post some feedback.
I do note that the story and the path of Love specifically are the first dot points for the next 2 releases.
For that reason I do hope this is now the opportunity for some of the long standing issues about the story line to be addressed-

Without going too far into spoiler territory I felt strongly about 3 aspects of the path:

1. The progression from the new character scenes to Soltown and eventually Ardoris was smooth and easy to follow. The steps that followed from there seemed to involve a significant jump in difficulty that was not well explained or justified.
   
   
   
2. It feels like we are not impacting the world when things don't actually change. The same could be said for control points - wasn't the idea of "winning" those scenes supposed to be opening up unimpeded travel past the choke points?
   Spoiler

   The continued presence of storyline NPC characters in places after events would have left them elsewhere was a real disconnect from the experience. Conversely the visibility of NPC characters in places before your story has led them to be there is equally offputting
   
   
   
3. I still think the current chat window format doesn't really suit NPC dialogue when it comes to critical plot interaction.
   Spoiler

   I felt the interaction in the final scenes was not as emotionally engaging as it could have been. I just didn't feel very invested in the blocks of text in the chat screen. Even pacing the delivery could help but some dramatic gestures or more work with the camera to emphasize the moment.
   As it is, with reference to my first point re: the step in difficulty and everything that led up to that point, I'm half expecting the conversation to be interrupted at any moment by some random mob attacking me.
   Spoiler

   the one thing that I really did like is that some of the key plot moments were not triggered by a highlighted keyword, but by inferring from the things that had been said and improvising my own replies

 

Yea I did not like it where it was said we would need help to escort us .... to gather, I don't like that ...

 

this is VERY intriguing for me. i've always wanted to be able to play a game that allowed me to progress with the only violence being that for harvesting purpsoes like to skin an animal for its hide, etc. since UO, i havn't really been able to find one that wasn't a 'survival' style game of recent, and i really dislike that genre for some reason.

only obstacle i see for this to be implemented, really, is the idea that the best/most materials is to be in pvp zones/shardfalls, a decision made eons ago by the devs here...how would you propose this obstacle gets resolved without messing too much with that previous decision?


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there was many public discussions about alliances and multi-guilding on the forums months ago. many of which got very heated in all directions, and many of which had fantastic reasons for all sides of the debates. it was not just a hospitallers request, it is just the most prevelant one that currently exists to explain the deicsion made. do not lump this decision the devs made to only reflect that group's intentions.

that being said, i wish it was an opt-in system, not an opt-out system, because of the global chat thing. while i've utilized the /n chat from time to time, and i will continue to do so, so far everyone who uses that has been respectful to not spam on it. that will not be the case if this is an opt-out system that everyone is by default opted into.

 

@DarkStarr i do not see anything specific to brewing in this quarter, i know it has to come AFTER cooking, so was that lumped in with cooking, or is that on the long-list for 1Q17?

 

I for one have absolutely no problem with it. I have seen it in many games I have played, and those guilds were a huge plus for the newbies, and as they got more and more familiar with the game, they joined other guilds. Seems to be a win win to me ...

 

Oh mah gad I need my bubblies!

 

Rare materials are a useful mechanic to simulate an artificial limit to supply. I'd like to see unique and rare materials come inclusively from all sort of places, including PvP zones. Even better is when the unique materials feedback into that particular play-style. E.g., rare resources from PvP zones could be used to give a +dmg bonus against outlanders; rare resources from fishing could be used to make interesting lures or rods and rare resources awarded from putting on a play or a concert could provide special cosmetics that would be used in roleplaying activities.

 

That issue got solved in the other post in the general forum.
@dallas was actually talking about the alliance system. So no multiguilds for the moment and i sincerly hope it stays like that.

 

That sir gravidy, is a fantastic idea. Please please please go post that in its own thread in the general forums in that wish list subsection. I will make a point to look for that and add my thoughts as well. =)

 

Town Sieges: The first iteration of Town Sieges will come online where periodically you will have to fight through battle lines to get into and out of a town under siege by the 8 Obsidian Cabalists for dec .....

Is this PRT's or what. What towns will this happen in? And what lvl are the 8 Obsidian Cabalists Sure does not sound like fun to me. I like defending a ton like maybe guard towers etc.... And if this includes PRT's then I want the ability to bind to my HOUSE where we can use the Recalls scrolls to....

 

@DarkStarr

Will this make all the items we made already junk or will these new changes be retro for the old items?
Will types of ore, leather ext give diff bonuses per type?

 

You can bind to your house via your lot marker, it puts you right in front of it.

 

I think it would be interesting if teleports and recalls were restricted when a town was under siege. Make it more likely people will fight through it to get it ended quicker.