Are there any post-launch reviews/news stories?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Vyrin, Apr 6, 2018.

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  1. Gorthyn

    Gorthyn Avatar

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    I agree it seems odd with almost total lack of advertising at launch, I really don't get it at the moment

    Wasn't the whole Seed Invest issue geared to raising money for the launch and advertising ?

    What reviews we have to date are pretty much as expected so far though some clearly have a negative agenda regardless of any of the facts others are fair in their assessments.
     
  2. Elwyn

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    Have you even been paying attention to the threads about advertising? That is for when games go on the shelf in stores, to generate pre-order hype and ensure more shelf space. SotA is neither being sold on shelves, nor having pre-order sales at retail.

    I can understand if they think R52 really isn't good enough. There was more than one need for "release", and apparently the international distribution issues were more important than the game being good enough for an advertising push.
     
  3. Lord_Darkmoon

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    And yet, even for online games which are distributed digital only, there is advertisment before launch or at least at launch. Neverwinter, Bless, Dual Universe, Ashes of Creation, Chronicles of Elyria... I even hear more about Pantheon than SotA and this game is at least a year away from launch.

    Maybe they should have done a more "traditional" approach with pre-orders etc. Other games - even small indie games - generate a lot of money and fuss this way: https://www.pcgamesn.com/phoenix-point/phoenix-point-pre-orders

    Yet with SotA, we had launch, we have reviews but everything feels so lackluster as if no one really cares.
     
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  4. Timmy Vortex

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    The release that isn't and the mmo that isn't either...

    hmm... i'm starting to see a pattern here.
     
  5. Nietzsche

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    Regarding the mediocre reviews. If you look at previous games by Lord British starting with Ultima 8, Ultima IX and even Ultima Online , these all had mediocre reviews at launch. Ultima 8 had a terrible jump mechanic and bugs that were patched, Ultima IX was so full of bugs that was almost unplayable until the patches a few months later were applied. Even the beloved Ultima Online suffered from similar mediocre reviews as SOTA due to overpopulation and lag issues.

    I'm too young to remember what Ultima VII launch was like , I'm surprised LB hasn't learned from the past. As where it stands I believe SOTA is a gem of a game, but needs a LOT of polishing still. For the past 3 months heavy focus has been on optimising load times and frame rates. The reviews still hammer this issue. If you look at the next 3 month plan they still have a heavy focus on frame rate and load times. I'm sorry but when you spend 6 months of dedicated focus to frame rate and load times . maybe , just maybe there is a problem with the game engine selected to make game to begin with. SOTA is still a fantastic game and I'm going to keep playing it for as much time as I have been. These lingering early design issues from choosing a premade game engine are going to be around for a long time. There is still hope I feel. Ultima Online after a not so great launch recovered and fixed the lag issues SOTA also has potential to fix the issues.. I just hope the next Q3 schedule doesn't include more optimising of frame rate and load times as the main focus and we start getting the rest of the game looked at
     
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  6. Barugon

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    I don't worry about reviews, just play and enjoy.
     
  7. 2112Starman

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    Agreed.

    One thing I learned long ago which applies even more today in the internet world is that reviews are worthless.... whether its video games, cars, comic books, bikes, matrices.... its all BS.

    Im a car guy and I've owned about 20 now in my 25 years of driving. All the Toyota car guys rip on you if you got a Honda, all the Honda guys rip on you if you got a Chevy, the BMW guys rip on you if you got a Audi, the Audi guys rip on your if you got a Mercedes, the Mercedes guys rip on your if you got a Lexus, etc....etc....etc...

    If you see a new game like SOTA that fits the genera you like and it looks interesting then try playing it. SOTA is easy for this with free trials make up your own mind.
     
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  8. Roycestein Kaelstrom

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    Ultima 7, which many considered to be one of the greatest CRPG of all time also had sorta crap review back then too.

    https://twitter.com/Collieuk/status/980520638564765701

    I remember some guy was trashing the game for eating too much RAM, I wonder if it's the same person trashing SotA now :rolleyes:
     
  9. 2112Starman

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    Bingo.
     
  10. Unseen [ONBE]

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    That link is for U VII-Part2: Serpent's Isle, a game that was well known for having a fantastic story, but being buggy as heck and a rushed finish. I certainly remember when Ultima VII: Black Gate came out, it was very well reviewed.

    Unseen
     
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  11. Blackghost

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    Well, I disagree, reviews are good for the visibility of the game , the more they talk about the game , the better is.
    That help to get a better player base. So, why they don't get real reviews.... We all know why.
    Realistically, I have doubts about the lifespan of this game .
     
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  12. Lord_Darkmoon

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    This sentence and attidutde alone is good marketing for a game going from Early Access to launch (from a press release of Funcom regarding the launch of Conan Exiles):

    “We wanted to make sure leaving Early Access is something more than just removing the Early Access label and saying we’re done,” says Funcom CEO Rui Casais.
     
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  13. Greyfox

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    Everyone in the community realizes SOTA has some significant issues. Yet somewhere hidden deep under a pile of <FILTER> is a beautiful gem. Those of us who stick around have gotten really dirty digging for the gem, but we realize eventually our patience, efforts, and time will be rewarded. Of course we could be wrong and just end up empty handed covered in a pile of <FILTER>.

    Most of the current reviews have been stating the exact same. The game needs an incredible amount of polish but at the core there is the possibility of an incredible MMO.

    If the Dev team stops listening to a small vocal group that insists on continued masochism with extreme death penalties, extreme grind, little reward, restricted trade, punitive PVP, and list of other annoyances and continues to push towards a rewarding experience focused on RP and fun. We will have a VERY successful game. If not we are going to need a long shower and a full course of antibiotics.

    I quote from the MMORPG review, "Even so, there’s something about Shroud of the Avatar that’s managed to grab my curiosity. For all I gripe about it being a leathery old skin draped over a sprightly game engine and decorated with gaudy glass jewelry, there’s something about the way and the how that makes it compelling, as if it’s humming a tune that’s just on the edge of memory. Whether that’s enough to sustain my interest longer term as the novel uniqueness gives way to familiarity remains to be seen."

    Read more at https://www.mmorpg.com/shroud-of-th...-new-britannia-1000012578#TsEEu7XAo7oeBgdy.99"
     
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  14. Sorthious

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    I read the PCGamesN review and here is the excerpt...

    "As do some of their design decisions. A jump key that triggers not when you press it,
    but when you let go. Combat so hands-off it can comfortably be conducted with a single
    hand. A conversation system that grants the option of typing in keywords. It all leads to
    predictably hit-and-miss results."

    What game was this guy playing? The jump button works with a single tap. If you want to jump higher you can hold it down and prime it. Combat in this game is anything but hands off, at least for a mage. Not sure how you could do combat in the game with one hand. I will agree with the issues he raised with regards to the conversation system, but the rest seems like he just made it up.
     
  15. Elwyn

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    I don't know what game you have been playing, but it activates when the space bar is released, no matter how short a time you may hold it down. And apparently there are only two jump strengths, depending on if you hold it down longer than a threshold. Even worse, any commanded movement that bumps you into an object like a little rock on the ground prevents the jump from working at all. So when going up a shallow slope of things slightly too tall to walk up without jumping, I constantly have to:
    - press space bar to jump
    - release space bar, and get no jump because of that dumb rock/step that my toes are bumping against
    - let up on the W key
    - press the space bar
    - release the space bar
    - press the W key again (hopefully soon enough that I make it onto the rock)
    - bump into the next step, and repeat again
    I get real tired of having to press and release the W key just to go forward a few inches at a time. I hate getting stuck on steps more than I do the jump-on-release.
     
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  16. Sorthious

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    I suppose technically you are correct; you do have to press and release the spacebar, but, you are playing semantics. You can tap the spacebar(release included) and jump in a fraction of a second. You don't have to hold the spacebar down for a specific amount of time to jump. Also, the longer you hold down the spacebar before jumping, the higher you jump. It's not two jump strengths only. I know from experience when trying to get to areas that are nearly out of reach. What do you mean by "Commanded Movement"? The problem you are describing in your post is nothing more than you trying to jump after you've run into something that blocks movement. Annoying, yes. But it isn't what the reviewer was complaining about.
     
  17. Barugon

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    This is a pretty amazing statement. I constantly find myself wishing for a third hand.
     
  18. Sorthious

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    Not only "one-hand", but can be comfortably conducted with one hand. I have no problem with legitimate criticism of the game, but it sounds like this person that reviewed it made things up. He criticised the NPC conversation system and I totally agreed with that, but his complaints about combat aren't even real(or at least hasn't been my experience of the game.( I do use Linux and not Windows, so maybe I'm entirely offbase in regards to gameplay of a Windows user.))
     
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  19. TheBalance

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    It actually is odd, but only from certain perspectives. Most games that get reviewed have those reviews available on launch day or as close to it, before, launch day as possible. Some games don't allow this and place an embargo on reviews until release day, or they don't let the press play the game until then (like everyone else, etc). If reviews aren't out the same week a game launches, they're going to miss the surge of people making game-day decisions on purchasing it.

    All I'm trying to say here is that yes, it's odd reviews didn't come out during 'official' launch, and noting that if they're not out by now, there's no reason to think they ever will be.
     
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  20. smack

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    :)
     
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