My last thread ...

Dear Avatars, @Lord British, @DarkStarr, @Lum the Mad ,

THIS is a very serious post, which I will hope you take serious, because just a few things could be done to deliver a better story feeling for every NEW and OLD (and of course elder) player!

So, what's this about:
As you know, I wrote a lot about story/quest/journal (also caught a lot of bugs, just saying, without earning 1 goldcrown! Also never won in a raffle to build my house in a little village in the perennial coast, well that's not important - and I would never complain about I am happy for each bug who left the game - no need to feed my purse And a gently soul gave me a room for resting ...)

This last time I want to tell about a few things to prevent the distraction of fun and story feeling.
Not the "big" things, of course, but a few small distractions, making this great story feeling sometimes (honestly: in a few more times) like a "broken" one

At first: The dialogues with the NPC's improved in a great way! I really was surprised about a few conversations, loot (maps) in starter scenes and the soft whispering of the Oracle! Great!
Important: My references are not about the content of the dialogues. They are good and very improved.

Now my tasks for a better story feeling:

1. Small but very distracting things ... or: standard options in Chat Window and Dialogue Window

1.1 Information from Chat Window
When NPC's start talking in a lot of times the chat window (left side of screen) opens (depends on options made for chat window! Consider, that every player who started the game in the past will have set keywords ON and misc ON, so it happens while important dialogues. You don't know, what I am talking about? Well, good you are here!).

This is really disturbing. There is no need to have the chat window opened while talking to NPC, concentrating on the story. If it opens, we have to close it (if we don’t know how to avoid it!) again and again and we are driven away from the story each time this happens ...

We should focus on the dialogue with the NPC. No pop up window should distract us.

Please consider not to open the chat window in STARTER/INTRO scenes and in best case:
never while in dialogue!

The complete information from the chat window should be set „off“ while in dialogue.
If it opens, the same text appears like in dialogue - that's not useful, but distracting ...

So, please, toggle all chat window entries to OFF for a new starting player.
Pop up chat window don't helps anyway to focus on what (s)he has to do now ...


1.2 CLICKABLE KEYWORDS

We have the Option to DISABLE Clickable Keywords. (Have you still found it? Well, it exists!)

It would be fantastic to set this to default. Why?
The reading flow is much better without underlined keywords!

If you don't believe it, make the test, please, read the text slow and ask yourself,
how your eyes feel about:


WITHOUT underlined words:
___________________________________________________________
Arabella: Hail Avatar! I am Arabella, and I have been sent to guide you. I know
you are feeling ill at ease from the journey your spirit has taken from Earth to
this place, but I assure you, your destiny has never been closer!

To speak with Arabella, click words below,
or simply type whatever you would like to say.
Michael Avatar: guide
Arabella: The first step is for you to finish your manifestation into the world of
New Britannia!
___________________________________________________________
new britannia manifestation avatar guide hello Goodbye


WITH underlined words:
___________________________________________________________
Arabella: Hail Avatar! I am Arabella, and I have been sent to guide you. I know
you are feeling ill at ease from the journey your spirit has taken from Earth to
this place, but I assure you, your destiny has never been closer!

To speak with Arabella, click on words underlined in what she says, or simply
type whatever you would like to say.
Michael Avatar: guide
Arabella: The first step is for you to finish your manifestation into the world of
New Britannia!
___________________________________________________________
new britannia manifestation avatar guide hello Goodbye




WITH underlined words:
___________________________________________________________
The Oracle: Greetings, Michael Avatar. I am the Oracle. We have determined
who you shall be as you move through New Britannia. If you wish to become a
fighter, mage, or ranger, simply tell me to reshape your choices, else it is time
for you to take the rift to New Britannia.
___________________________________________________________
fighter path of the virtues forsaken prophecy love Goodbye


WITHOUT underlined words:
___________________________________________________________
The Oracle: Greetings, Michael Avatar. I am the Oracle. We have determined
who you shall be as you move through New Britannia. If you wish to become a
fighter, mage, or ranger, simply tell me to reshape your choices, else it is time
for you to take the rift to New Britannia.
___________________________________________________________
fighter path of the virtues forsaken prophecy love Goodbye


It's a matter of fact, our eyes "jump" to marked and underlined words.
This distracts our mind while reading and trying to understand what we are reading.

The reading flow is better without underlined text – try it!
[It also is a fact, you can concentrate better on keywords in one row. A last thing: clicking keywords, we asked before brings them to "jump" to the left. This also is irritating. Better way: don't move them again. Alternate: "asked before" button near the "Goodbye" to open the words we asked before.
Please prevent "jumping" words. It's irritating like the underlined words while reading.]

Just imagine Ultima VII, how it would feel to read the text inside the dialogue box and the chat window would pop up parallel to the left, repeating the same what we just read inside the dialogue window! THAT'S one of the things, irritating players and thinking, the story is "broken", "not fluently", because it is distracting and taking concentration away!


1.3 DIALOGUE WINDOW

The information, if another player enters or leaves the game,
shouldn’t be shown inside the Dialogue Window.

It distracts and isn't such an important point, that it can't wait, until we close the dialogue.
[More people asked about here]


1.4 AUTO HIDE and Player Stats

It’s fine to Auto hide top right menu and Combat bar at the bottom.

Why not having the same with Player stats?
It is absolute not necessary to show them always on screen
Please let it auto fade while not fighting! No reason to see it all the time.
Make it standard option, please. And give a short information when it is first needed!

I think it’s absolute logical, if the stats appear, while hovering the mouse over AND automatically when attacked or clicking „z“.

It also would work as a FAST information, that we are attacked! If it is always on screen, it isn’t.
How often I was shot from behind … not noticing. If my stats would appear automatically I would notice faster.

Beside this:
All windwos could „retract“ to the screen borders instead of auto fade.
I think this would be also fine for the Chat window.


1.5 CAPES:
Until Capes aren‘t fixed, the cloth simulation (Video Options) should be generally set to OFF!
So no one would recognize this bug until it is fixed!


1.6 OFFLINE MODE
All the described things should be set off generally in offline mode.


2. SCENE LOADING ...
Isle of storms:
After entering the mirror a -random- picture is shown with a game tip.
After leaving the mirror a -random- picture is shown with a game tip.

After entering the lunar rift from Isle of storm to the starter scene
a -random- picture is shown with a game tip.

The screen loading tipps are wonderful. But - honestly - if you are a new player and want to dive into the story, viewing a (well, I don't know?) picture from wherever, with a tipp telling about a "cat massacre" or "encumbrance", or „Vendors also need sleep“, isn't exciting at this point of the game

Suggestion to keep our mind further in the storyline:
While entering/leaving the mirror, please show a picture connected to this part!

Instead of screen loading tipps the information could read:
(Entering Mirrow) "Choose how you will look like in this world, Avatar!"
(Leaving Mirrow) "You have choosen your body - now it's time to choose your path at the Oracle Confirmation, Avatar!"

After entering the lunar rift for the first time to go further to the starter scene,
please show a picture depending on the scene! We have the pictures

- Solace Bridge
"Now follow the Path of Love - you will be teleported to Solace Bridge, the beginning of your Journey, Avatar! Be aware of danger around you!"

- Highvale
"Now follow the Path of Courage you will be teleported to Highvale, the beginning of your Journey, Avatar! Be aware of danger around you!"

- Blood River
"Now follow the Path of Truth - you will be teleported to Blood River, the beginning of your Journey, Avatar! Be aware of danger around you!"

Also consider to take tipps off for offline mode generally and for new players while loading starting scenes to keep them connected to the story.

After finishing and leaving the starter scenes again shows a -random- picture.
It also would be great to show instead a pictore of

- Solace Bridge Outskirts
"Your boat brought you to the place, Edvard told you. Follow the path and look, how you can be helpful in the refugee camp ..."
- Highvale Outskirts
"F. brought you up to the hill. Follow the path and look, how you can be helpful in the refugee camp ..."
- Blood River Outskirts
"Your boat brought you to the place, Edvard told you. Follow the path and look how you can be helpful in the refugee camp ..."

I think, it is not too much work to insert a few loading pics (we have alot ) to be connected more with the story and what we are doing now ...

All these little things helps to keep us closer to the story at the beginning sequences. I think it is really important, because there is so much new to explore.
The last weeks I saw a lot of newbies telling, they don't know what to do next(!)
--> And we have sparkles and compass entries on top screen and tasks on left screen!
But if you see all this information for the first time, it is overwhelming - and can also distract ...


Further I would suggest (may be with next patches this year, I am not expecting this!):

2.1. While entering the Overworld Map the first time – after leaving Outskirts, would be good to show an excerpt of this part we are at and a few information while loading:
„Avatar, you enter the Realm of Novia, follow the path on the overworld map to your destination, your Journal tells you!“

2.2. show a picture of the scene we are entering (Soltown, Ardoris, Shuttered Eye)
At least for citys on our path of love / truth / courage
And fine, if the main cities could appear in bold letters on the map

2.3. give some information about the entered place:
You're entering the City of Ardoris.
The biggest City of the Perennial Coast and the Patron City of Love!
It is ruled by Lord Siranto and Lady Khasi.
Visit the heart of Ardoris, the Sequanna Sqauare and may be you need some food at the market?
Inhabitants: 289 ( I don’t know )

Don't forget to visit the Town Crier. May be you could do him a favor by taking some mail to another town!

So, while entering or leaving a scene we are IN the game, not viewing Ardoris, while entering Yew or viewing the Tower of the Shuttered Eye while entering Soltown.

If you could make the screen tipps optional to toggle them on/off, would be good. And also to start with Tipp 1 counting up to 101 in order the first time, so each Avatar has the possibility to read all tipps.

Try it, please: The feeling wouldn't be the same as now! It would be a red line to follow, the "breaks" from loading wouldn't disturb as they do now, with a missing reference. All other things are distracting the feeling while following the story, which starts in a very good way at the Isle of storms ...

3. Choosing our path
THE important point of the game is the moment we're choosing our destiny.
Our path - and how we start. No wrong answers can be given, the Oracle says.
Well, but wrong decisions can be made. How? Read about here.
The last two things destroying the importance of our choice:
"You can choose the path of the mage, fighter or ranger and follow the path of the Sword, bow or sword" --> This game don't need this decision anymore.
And please just tell the player in the starting scenes "take a weapon" and let decide her/him, which kind of weapon (s)he wants to use: Bow, Bludgeon, Pole, Sword/Shield ... equal, if (s)he decides to be a mage, ranger or fighter! It's additonal keywords to try and confusion, how meaningful our decisions are really ...

What could be done instead to have a meaning to ALL answers (just 2 are important to decide for a path, as we know!):
Depending on the answers:
Love - Love - Courage --> more Strength and similar Skills
Love - Love - Truth --> more Intelligence and similar Skills
Truth - Truth - Courage
Truth - Truth - Love --> more Dexterity and similar Skills
Courage - Courage - Truth
Courage - Courage - Love
provide the skills connected to the virtue:
Courage: Strength
Truth: Intelligence
Love: Dexterity

So a player choosing the path of love could have a few different skills, depending on his decision between Courage and Truth!
[Just remembering: Actually players starting with path of truth ("mage") have a huge disadvantage in skill amounts (for example: Int should be 12, but is 10) and the Skill Enlightenment is missing (for Intelligence, because Courage receives Strength of Earth and Love receives Air's Embrace! Summery can be found here]

4. Starting the game

After starting and the patch check a small window appears with
"Reading Patch Notes" and "Upgrades and Add-ons",
and also the "play" button.

Then the next window again reads "play". After clicking the further information for "accepting game terms" follow (okay).

After that the next Menu appears
…
- Online
- Offline
…

Couldn’t we start with ONE window
giving also the choice to click
„Read Patch Notes“ and „Upgrades and Add-Ons“?

We could pass 2 Klicks!

These are just a few things. Not complex to do, I assume.
But the effect would be very noticeable


Give it a try. New players and old veterans would thank it.
And the story really deserves to be more alive without unneccessary disturbing!!!

And keep in mind, what @Lord British said in the three month demo and how glad he told (starting at 1.45) about the minimal interface on screen and that it was one of the goals to keep the viewport as clean as possible! This was and IS a great goal. And it is relalistic Autofade is a keyword. Bringing UI elements on screen, when they are necessary should have priority.
It's not difficult to pin all things on screen - but it is more efficient to bring things on screen IN TIME - not all the time. This is just one thing, SotA could differentiate from other games ...

Thank you for reading! That’s it.


Last but not least:
Thank you very much to all Developers for all the good work.
I think all of us know, it wasn’t easy to fulfill expectations for 1000s of people.

I really liked to watch all the great progress over the last years. And of course a little sadness came over me, especially the last few weeks, because of people telling at 5 to 12 what’s wrong and confirming a lot of threads about Journal / Map / Quests / UI.

In my opinion the story made huge progress.
For example: The path of truth and the whole information about Elves given in the starter scene!

NOW I know these creatures are a creation of the Obsidian’s – without reading it in Sword of Midras. Funny: I just read it last weeks and a great „aha!“ came to my mind.
Today I started every scene and was impressed from the new text the NPC’s provide.

Great work, @Lum the Mad! Dealing with hundreds of NPC’s isn’t easy, I assume


So this was my last thread ...
... before launch!

Dear Avatars, @Lord British, @DarkStarr, @Lum the Mad, @Berek, and all others!
Sorry for being theatrical, I just wanted to do this one time in my SotA forum life

Farewell Avatars!

Looking forward to a great year of
- R52 and official launch ...
- receiving the SotA Box and Manual
- Q2 Schedule Update!
- raffles only for players without any deed
- fixing all bugs remaining after R52
- uncloning remaining zones
- Hidden Vale Quest revision - new hidden Vale questparts
- providing expected stuff for everybody and every sector
[Questing, Crafting, Cooking & Fishing, Housing, PVP, Party, and ... of course dancing ]
- Kickstarter for Episode 2!
- last but not least: interesting, constructive and funny talks in the community forum

Thank you for the possibility to share a great experience with each other ...
Each person is different in a lot of points, but we are very close in one point:
We all like to dive into an alternate reality
To take part in a special kind of game, which has a great potential ... and great people developing it!

 

Thanks for taking the time to provide feedback. There is a lot there. I fear that all the good feedback being given in these last few weeks will be overlooked because of the rush to release.

 

Good feedback and I hope it is implemented- especially targeted loading screens and improvements to the dialogue box sound promising.

 

Xcellent feedback!

 

Nice post Paladin Michael, ...das ist gut! ...pardon my butchering of the German language and spelling, I do the same thing in my native tongue English as well !

You brought up a lot of subtle points. Many I had thought about, but never really thought about!
I think in the future when posting in the forums, ...I will do less underlining, italicizing, changing of fonts and size, and especially my favorite habit of adding colors to different words.
When reading your examples, it definitely felt more cohesive and lighter on the brain! reminds me of the old saying... it is not what you say but how you say it that is important.

Spoiler: Can't Help Myself

...danka

 

What's a paladin ?

 

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes, yes yes yes, and yes yes yessy yes yes!

And now that you've laid it all out like that, I would love to remove the underlines and highlights and just have the keywords at the bottom. You're totally right, my eyes just jump from one keyword to the next. And they are all at the bottom anyway, so once I finish reading, I can look down there if I wish.

Your analysis of ways to improve the loading screens is excellent, please let this happen! All of it, great job.

Also, a bigger Dialog window. The text flows totally off the window sometimes, this is a serious no no. If I have to scroll back up that means my little box I'm reading in is too small.

 

Also, will like to know if the choices we make impact the quest line too in any minor way. The last time I tried, did not feel involved in the storyline at all.

Hope the changes mentioned by the OP could be taken seriously for a better initial experience. Especially if progress is wiped and Quest Lines taken again.

 

That's ME

 

That should be added to the loading screen then

 

Just click Options (Gear-Wheel) in Chat window and disable underlined Keywords. There are two wheels: one for each tab and one for the chat window!

 

Excellent, I did that, thank you. I think I'm going to like that more. Still need all the other improvements (and a bigger window!) but that will be nice I think.

 

Someone give this OP a medal for composing what is honestly one of the most well constructed, all around best posts this forum has ever seen.

 

Thank you for your detailed post. You have some really good points there that give the game an overall completeness.

 

Hey look.... in the northern hemisphere.... its spring.... and the snow is melting..........

 

So after playing some time with Keywords in the dialog turned off (I can still see them below) I find it more enjoyable, except when asking the guy to open the gate in Resolute

Since I no longer am dealing with underlined words in the middle of the text, my eyes read the entire paragraph more often, instead of jumping from one underlined word to the next.

 

Thank you, Vladamir for confirming these distracting effects. I think, this is very important, and a lot of people aren't aware of it.

The story gives an impression. And negative impacts are destroying a good story in a lot of cases, where the flow is broken by underlining, pop up windows and misc information in dialogue window, which has no connection to the dialogue itself. It's confusing and stressful.

It's a pity. People are thinking about storyparts negative ALSO because of that, but in fact don't notice, that their story feeling is affected negative by game mechanism

Remember the talk in Brittany Castle with this Bard? It's also confusing and stressful - BY DESIGN! And that's okay in this situation

Beside this:
The "Gatekeeper" in Resolute and the daily "test" at the Oracle are the only situations -yet- to type words by our own or browse the keywords
But I think it is worth doing this instead of not enjoying the whole story because of underlined words ...