And the emphasis on Release 1... Housing. Boo!

So, I've spent a bit of time with Release 1, and I realize it's Pre-Alpha, and that's fine. But, it seems like most of the focus has been on housing! Just like in the updates - endless talk about housing. You walk around a town full of the different houses! There's basically nothing else to do.

Looking at the kickstarter page, only 3% or so of people actually pledged at a level that included housing. I understand that you want to be able to sell more stuff and raise more funds ala Chris Roberts and Star Citizen, but they key difference: In Star Citizen, your ship is what you spend most of your time in. Here, an adventure game, you spend most of your time _away_ from your home. So, trying to get people to spend ridiculous amounts of real money for something that won't be especially important in game (and which you'll have to pay taxes on - ugg - don't get me started!), is just not a good use of time and effort.

So, again: please focus on the important stuff (quests, combat, fun, etc) that most people are interested in, instead of one tiny subsystem that 97% of people weren't willing to spend money on.

 

I took it from the Release notes that this was mainly just to test drive the patcher, login system, etc. I didn't expect to see a quest arc at all so it was nice to see the makings of one in the NPC conversations, but yea the town was like 80% "for sale" signs and almost all objects available were decorations and furniture. Maybe it was just "easy" for them to plop a bunch of houses down to make a town for this release, I don't know.

Personally I bought in when RG said "we are targeting Ultima 7" so I'm (perhaps foolishly) clinging to that, looking for that sort of experience in a modern 3D engine. This is so darn early though that if we are being honest here, we can only speculate on such matters.

 

They told us what was going to be in release 1 so this shouldn't come as a surprise. I'm guessing that they showed what they've made the most progress on which is housing. I don't believe you're correct in assuming only 3% of all players want a house. That's like saying only 500 of the 300,000+ (1.6%) SC pledgers want an Idris.

 

Whilst they're aiming for Ultima 7, they'll draw as much from the Ultima Online crowd as they possibly can, a crowd that for better or for worse absolutely LOVE their housing. You mention that the Devs should concentrate on "fun"? Well, for many (more than you'd be willing to admit) housing IS fun. Decorating, designing, redecorating. Add in npc merchants and crafting and a large portion of the player base will spend the majority of their time in their homes providing players like you with the goods you need to do the stuff you enjoy.

It's Release 1. Lots more to go where I'm sure housingn won't be the hidden agenda.

 

Try looking at it this way:
Housing is the least controversial system they can deal with. Had they introduced magic or combat in this release, people would not be focused on bug fixes, but those systems. Housing doesn't have the controversy surrounding it that other systems do, so they are dealing with that first to keep the focus on correcting bugs in the primary systems.
It's a good strategy.

 

Housing was probably the easiest way to test out the "immersion" aspect. The ability to interact with everything in the world. And it seems there is a lot of work that is needed there.
Also the conversation system needs input from us. Did you find and talk to all the NPCs? Did you weasel out of them all the information that could be obtained? Did you get inside the Tesla Tower?
This release is the first baby step in the development of a game. The basic mechanics need to be tested out and polished before moving on. You've probably never seen a game this early in development. The larger companies have many, many more personnel working a game to do this part of development. We are the testers! Its a very boring job, but it has to be done.

 

Housing will be an aspect of the game for a lot of people, not just those who pledge to get it at launch. Many will get it with in-game gold.

Remember, complaining about having a look at the game in a PRE-ALPHA release is quite off the mark. This is something they didn't promise and didn't have to show us.

 

I think it's giving us a really nice feel for how things are coming together. I've enjoyed search all the nooks and crannies in the town to find the chests. Even if you don't want a house these lots are where a lot of people will setup shop and home. . I've had more fun with the alpha than I've had the last few games I've tried out. (wow, aion and lotro)

 

I’m with you on this, the whole housing thing has been an ongoing topic of discussion in previous forums and I personally hate it. I feel that the only reason it’s in the game was to make money for the devs. Some of their stuff they offered was incredibly overpriced. I’m afraid this game is turning into a micro transaction based money grind. I dont know what the precentage really is that people want a house. but im betting its not as high as some people think it is.

Id rather they focus on the core game, graphics and char models especially and fix up the UI and key mapping aspect of the game.

 

Good thing you will be able to play this game without needing housing.

I think the evidence that "this game is turning into a micro transaction based money grind" is not there. There is nothing from ks or in the store that is essential to being successful in the game. If you want to present evidence to the contrary, feel free to do so, but I guarantee it's not there.

 

I have some mixed feelings on housing, it's nice to have your own pad, but it shouldn't be the focus of the game.
But you should consider that plenty of people have put actual money into housing at this point, they get to have a nice way of testing their investment with this release.

At any rate, wait for the other releases, those will focus more on the other aspects of the game.

 

I think the real focus of RE1 "Pre"-Alpha is installing/patching and server communications. Conversations are there for them to monitor us to flesh out the system. House was probably at a stage where they needed feedback. Things will be pretty simple until the full alpha starts which I think is like RE4. Until then they will gradually fill in functionality as they integrate more systems.

 

Next releases will not focusing in housing, but at this time I think that was important, since most of the backers put money for houses that they have no idea how they will look. And its much more easier than any other system. Now I want to see the crafting and combat system.

 

I just loved the housing system... Just be patient, this game will be epic... my only concern at the moment is about the combat.

 

You and I have very different definitions of 'micro'

All joking aside, what they have offered in general have been larger asset purchases. Micro-transactions are often focused on smaller-prices and more frequent purchases.

 

OP needs to re-read the early access thread which explains whats in R1 and future updates. If you don't like it just wait till a future release...

 

I just assumed the stuff in the shop was there to help create funding for the game. I for one am glad the stuff is there, any extra cash on hand should translate into a better game for all of us. I am sure once the game is up and running the traditional transactions will be the norm.

 

Here's how I see it... Most games with housing, even the original Ultima Online, typically have housing tacked on as a secondary feature. If housing is to be the big deal that Portalarium seems to want it to be, then they need to make sure that it works as intended. this was pre-alpha release 1. It's not even beta yet. And housing actually makes sense to be an element that has the enough progress on it that it is ready to be shown. What is it really other than the ability to place structures in the environment? While I am sure that getting that coded and set up presented a lot of challenges, I cannot imagine it being more challenging than the combat system, the crafting system, and all of the many interconnected elements that will tie everything together for the finished product. Houses and land plots are also tied to the perks that have been promised to applicable backers. Part of the return on those backers' investment in terms of what the product will offer them. Some of us may feel that Portalarium should not have made housing a part of the backing perks, especially considering the limit on how many lots will be available. But that is beside the point. They have chosen to do so. That means that it had better bloody well work when the game launches. Bugs always happen with MMOs. It won't be any different than this one. But housing has incentivized a subset of the backers to donate a certain amount of money. If what was promised to them is not delivered or not delivered in working order, then bad things will happen.

This game will not launch until it's ready. Of that I have no doubt. And release 1 is not going to be the only pre-alpha release, of that I have no doubt. And as others have pointed out, they announced in advanced what release 1 would entail. If you were expecting more, then that is YOUR fault, not theirs. How often does a pre-alpha build of any game get shared with the community? Just sayin'

 

ppl will always find something to complain about. Instead of taking into view that the housing is in and working well, it has to be a complaint that its even there or a big feature.... It wouldn't matter what feature they emphasized in R1, someone would complain about it

 

In UO, housing was a huge issue. So huge, that people were going to Ebay (even though it was a bannable and punishable offense to sell on there, because there truly are Chinese sweatshops that have these folks play all day, mining, and camping house plots, etc.) and buying UO houses for real cash, up to $1000 US dollars. So to include it in an expensive pledge to develop the game is not out of line. I personally can't afford the Kickstarter level to own a house. I really wish I could, because I'd do it! It's not that people aren't willing to spend the money, most people can't afford that level of pledge.

Should people be doing things away from their house? That is entirely up to game play style. What you consider important (quests, combat, "fun..."??) is different than what another person thinks is important.

Housing was probably one of the reasons UO had such long subscriber retention. A game, complete with achievements, socializing, house, items, money, and even transportation (horses) made it a virtual home away from home.

It seems condescending to tell the devs what they should be spending their "effort" on.