Thinking about quitting

Everything will change when that first commercial pops on on CBS so to speak. =)

 

And don't forget the Superbowl-spot. This will give the game a huge push. XD

 

What exactly about combat and crafting is lacking in your opinion?
I find it exceptionaly broad, maybe missing some mini games into the crafting mechanics but overall, I like it

 

***** GET READY AVATARS, 59 DAYS TO LAUNCH! *****

The game launches in 59 days, 2 months. This isn't early beta, please get some perspective. In Ultima Online terms this would be late beta. Late, not early. The game is almost out, it isn't pre-alpha anymore guys, this is the final game minus 2 months of polish.

 

Are you under the impression that Portalarium is going to completely halt development after "release"? Because they have said many times that they are not going to stop development. The monthly development will continue. Systems will continue to be added, things will continue to receive polish. This is not the '90s, when you press a CD and that is the final version anyone will ever see.

"Release" only means it has reached a sufficiently complete state that they can advertise the game without it being horrible.

 

My bro pre-alpha tested Ultima Online in 1996, I beta tested it beginning in June 1997. The game launched at the end of September beginning of October 1997. It's still the late beta. Many of us on the forums have alpha and beta tested many MMOs, many of us are well aware of what an early game looks like, the disclaimer when you enter SOTA says just that. It was a gamble for them to show us the early game, every release, I was there for release 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. So I have seen a great improvement, looking back, for game reviewing website reasons, if they didn't show the game to anyone until release 20, 30, 40, even 50, it might have drawn in more game reviewers and they clearly would've given more positive reviews because as you say, they probably saw the unfinished game and had the wrong impression. But Port wanted to show the game every step of the way to the kickstarters. I'm one of those kickstarters, so I understand, and release 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, while archaic were still fun, the excitement that comes from a new game no one has played can't be replaced.

 

Launch day is just the beginning my friends, the best is yet to come!!!!

 

Sadly the OP's feelings about combat echo the thoughts of the overwhelming numbers of players I have spoken to after quitting this game - every single one of them notes combat as a major issue. Also, as the OP put it (very well I might add) - it's not the polish they're upset with, it's the fundamentals that are unlikely to ever change or see serious revision.

A lot of players also noted secondary reasons for leaving, crafting, farming, performance, etc. but again nearly every quitter of this game I've spoken to still wouldn't return unless combat was also fixed in conjunction with their other complaints. Combat is the most important part of MMORPG's. Those that feature poor combat rarely survive. The roleplaying community, as passionate and active as they are, cannot keep these games afloat - how many RP servers do you see in most games, a handful? It's a very small subset of the population of video games, if it wasn't, it would get way more attention than it currently does.

Sadly, everything else aside, I doubt any of this is going anywhere without a complete overhaul of combat accompanied by a clean and feature-friendly user interface and up-front, no-nonsense mechanics that clearly give the players as much information as they'd like about the game.

As for the "Game hasn't launched" part, that's in official capacity only. Zero meaningful outlets covering this game consider it still in anything but launched in the late summer of 2016 when progress started counting - that is, the few still covering it.

Once again, Sadly, the OP's notions are correct - the big things causing the quitting consideration are the things that are not going to change any time soon, especially this close to "official" launch. They're likely going to freeze code relatively soon to ensure that launch, for whatever else it is, remains stable and no brand new bugs pop up and wreak havoc during the early days of the new player "official" launch influx.

If you're unhappy with how it is now, reach out to the community with the things you like to do and see if you're doing something wrong. Beyond that, maybe its time to shelf the game, check the patch notes every once in awhile, and hope to see the changes you're looking for.

 

That's a real mix you got there lol. Myself I play BF4 when I need abit of a break.

 

I look at the game as a book turned into a movie...It will never be the exact same thing. Movies from books are never totally the same. But i enjoy them both very much. I played UO for 10 plus years and i miss it every day...but going back to it wasnt the same. My friends werent around anymore and i just couldnt get back into it. Fond memories will keep me going. Sota is a different animal with mixes of other games in it. Just make it what you want. Dont try to make it like the other games. I been here for 2 yrs now and with every release we get new and exciting things. Yes there is frustration and disappointment but hey...life can be like that too. Step back take a day or two off and come back and try again. I do that and come back with a new outlook. But if the game isnt fun for you anymore then sorry to see you go

 

playing with my friends mostly.

Thanks to everyone for the comments

 

For me the thing is, I do burn out, I do have week-long ragequits on occasion, but I don't think there's any other MMO out right now that has the same appeal to me. I will visit other games but Sota is "home." The main reason for that is that Sota is never done, there is always something more I can learn to do on my character or skills I can develop, whereas most games have a very short shelf life - usually a couple months at most, then I max out, move on.

While I agree the crafting system is a soul destroying non-magical hate-inspired chain-failure debacle at the moment, the core system of material bonus is sound and its more than you'll get in most games where recipes are set, you've crafted a sword of xx and so has every other player who has this recipe. The combat has more nuance and customizability in deck building as well. I don't find this anywhere else, so even if we take out all the social/deco stuff that I do and just look at progression mechanics, I think Sota's pretty solid. Usually if I go play another mmo for a few weeks it makes me appreciate all the little things we've got here and I keep coming back.

What you need, is a project. A goal, something to work toward that keeps you logging in and doing stuff. Recently my interest in the game was rekindled by nominating myself as official dresser of new folks, involvement in event planning, and of course, each release the acquisition of new shiny things...

 

I agree with OP that the game does not appear to be close to ready to invite the masses into it. The combat does need lots of help, but there just seems to be so many little tweaks that I dont think 2 months is going to do it and you only get one shot at new players. I have felt this way for a long time and was really against the idea of the trial at this point - seemed silly to me to encourage lots of people to get into the game as a free trial now when so much needs work. People who backed the game and sponsored it is totally a different story as they knew what they were getting into. (yes I get that the trial people also get the message upfront but they do not understand the development process).

This said, I have been supporting this game from the beginning and am very concerned.

The bad:
Too much of the same thing - there should have been a new model/creature added every month for at least the last year.

The good:
The best thing I have seen in the last 4 years is the outskirts. Creation of a large zone and multiple plots/quests within it is how much more of the whole game should be structured. Special NPC's exist in this area this should also be in many other areas.

I hope I am proven wrong but I remain very concerned.

 

I complain often but I do want this game to succeed. We should be in closed beta without persistence. Early release and open beta is a mistake and allows the world to critique a game that’s still undergoing major changes.

Some believe that an excessive amount of resources were spent on the 2nd life aspect of the game instead of the RPG basics. I fully support all play styles but it feels like it was developed backwards due to financial considerations.

I will continue to support Port. I do think that good things are coming down the pipe that will satisfy different styles of game play.

 

I dont understand this kind of posts. I know there is 2 months to launch but... just that, NOW, and all the time you have been playing you played an unfinished game.

I read a lot of people talking about what this or another game lacks even when it is not finished. Are you nuts?

If someone has a little experience in mmorpg market knows for sure that ALL games of this kind lacks something at beggining, all of them.

Sorry to be that rude but I am tired of this no sense crying.

 

That doesn't appear to be true anymore.

https://www.pcgamer.com/ultima-spiritual-successor-shroud-of-the-avatar-has-a-release-date/

https://www.destructoid.com/shroud-...-will-finally-release-next-month-487884.phtml

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/20...r-leaves-early-access-march-27th/#more-517065

 

Just load up Ultima 4 and play it for awhile. Then come back and see how much progress has been made

 

I suggest you wait for Q2 announcement. This will be make or break. If there is nothing you like in that post, I guess you won't be the only one. Progress has been good lately. I am sure they listened a lot on customer feedback from Travian.

 

Makes sense, nobody cares that you're tired of reading posts you aren't forced to read as much as nobody should care about people expressing their opinions Devs take and leave... just another day...