Casual Player Frustrated / Hanging Up My Armor

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Deathadder, Dec 19, 2019.

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  1. Deathadder

    Deathadder Avatar

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    Kept going back and forth with myself if I was going to post or not, because two things will happen. I will lay out why I am leaving, there will be ten page debate and rehash of why others have quit like myself and or there are changes coming that will make the game play / story / crafting mechanics etc.. etc.. better…

    So, I will say is this… this is not an attack but the truth that I have witnessed time and time again outside projects such as this. This time I have seen it in something that I backed since 3-18-2014 when I did my Knights pledge, then again with the Seedvest. Developers do not make good businessmen… developers do not make good PM’s, developers do not make good marketers and salesmen. I can go on and on about what developers are 95% not good at. The blame is not all on the developers here, its also on those that created and sold us this dream and now have limited to no interaction with this community. The leadership is gone from the front, and there is no motivation from behind.

    Communication should be a daily task (with a project like this, a digital scrum board would let us backers know what was being done, in all honesty we are the product owner) this is where Starr as a PM should have had key responsibly here. And sorry Twitch streaming is not a method to communicate to your customers; if I did that to my customers/users I would be fired.

    I do not feel there is no amount of fixing this project or turning it into something meaningful for enough people… If the forums are any indication of activity, then all hope is lost. In game the numbers are just as dismal, the few that are left cannot sustain this project. Getting and retaining new players at a level to pay for continued development that would need to make this project thrive is not there.

    Again, I could go and on we can hash out why people are sticking around and why people are leaving. Will I still come back and read the forums in hope something magical happens, most likely because something inside me still hopes somehow, someway this can be pulled off (I’m an optimist). Will I return, I don't know...
     
  2. Jackrabbit

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    But wait . . . . . don't forget Lua to the rescue?

    But seriously tho, have you ever seen a business try so hard to ignore what it's customers want for years? And on top of that, take BOLD steps to implement decision after decision that alienates even more of your dwindling customer base? This project deserves to be a case study for the textbooks. Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees . . . . .

    I'll stop here before I tell you what I really think. As it is, that's probably enough to get this account forum banned as well, but then again, who really cares at this point.
     
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  3. Deathadder

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    Haha, you made me laugh... you pointed out something many have. But this is something I am dealing with in my current role in RL and there are striking similarities. I have CSO that unfortunately does not report to me, through his action over the past year, he has dismissed all of us that have logical, valid security concerns for our organization even when people have held his role like myself. Previously, security fell to my group and I always allowed other groups and departments to have input with direction from us. This has changed, for the past year it has been dictated to us, what we need as an organization even when it doesn't fit or align with us. See, there is no oversight now because he reports to the CEO which has no understanding of IT. In our case in the game, instead of implementing or fixing what the players are asking, I feel we are dismissed and or trinkets such as LUA, Inky etc are dangled in front of us to throw the scent from the hounds. Keep building onto something that is broke and doesn't fit our needs but what they think is needed. It's a complex issue now, more so than ever now because they have to churn something out to keep people baited... the problem is, I like many have pulled the lines out of the water.
     
    Last edited: Dec 19, 2019
  4. Sulaene Moon

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    They're not only communicating on twitch but have now added twitter! RG and Starr are still around, you can see them on a monthly stream or few. Plus there is sooo much in the works, Ep2, Bards, new arties, theater system, quests, and the list goes on and on.
     
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  5. Proteus Tempest

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    Been here since R10 or so.

    This team RG, Starr and all the devs have done something that I have not seen in any other game.

    They listened to us and talked to us to let us know they are listening AND they did nearly everything we asked and if what we asked has not been done I believe they will do it in the future.

    A few of the ideas I shot their direction have been made reality.

    These guys return messages to me that I send through the forums.

    They have let the players make content for the game and upcoming player made quests.


    I hope for the best for sota and if it eventually dies I am likely as a early backer Lord Marshal and Governor going to be here until the end.

    I can't get service like this anywhere else.

    Blessings for @Deathadder wherever you go. I hope you find a game with devs as awesome as sota.
     
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  6. Maslax

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    This game is not designed for casuals. It is designed for "whales". These whales can buy listening. The ideas of these whales have been incorporated into the game.

    Casuals have different ideas. For example, they do not want eternal progress in skills or char development. They want a level cap, so that at least at some point they are equal to the other players.

    Casuals also have no interest in developing game content, they simply don't have time for it. They won't program for the LUA interface either.

    Any reasoned casual will turn away in disgust when he sees the prices of x thousand dollars for "golden castles" or for exclusive dinners with Lord British. It is not his world.

    The whales got what they wanted. Now there are only a few. Their number will not grow because the game design will not change.

    (Edit: I was an early baker too.)



    This post will be deleted in 5 - 4 - 3 ...
     
    Last edited: Dec 20, 2019
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  7. Lars vonDrachental

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    As far as I remember there were several discussions about this topic and the majority was simply for “no skill cap” and this way the system was designed to have no limits and the general appeal to train everything. I would say even today the majority would not like a skill cap…I guess a reason could be that SotA has a lot of players who like to do most content on their own without the direct need of someone else’s help.

    Well LUA-development is of course just interesting for a small group but the created contend is interesting for quite large group. Modifications of the interface or additional info-boxes are used a lot in other games…even if I prefer to play games as designed without adjustments.

    Maybe you are right and they should remove the big bundles and just offer them on request but otherwise everyone should know that these bundles are not for everyone and a lot of games are offering some kind of special high priced products for the wealthier fans. I guess at least they could do it as they did in the beginning and just show one LotI-Bundle and just if the first set is sold the second more expensive set gets visible.

    Well I actually think it has nothing to do with being a “whale” or not to get your ideas into the game…of course paying a lot might help but I guess even more implemented ideas came from avatars who got the friendship of one dev or were able to stimulate attention. I would say there are a lot of good ideas buried in this forum (from whales and non-whales) that got no chance e.g. because someone was simply screaming “fix this” loud enough and the devs got sidetracked or enough people replied that they wouldn't like that change or the devs do not see at first view a simple implementation or …
     
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  8. Maslax

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    Casuals were always underrepresented in these discussions. That's only natural. Now and today, casuals are almost completely absent from the game. Therefore, no decisions are in their interest - and therefore no new players come.
     
  9. Pawz

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    To the OP I'm curious, can you name 10 MMO's that communicate more/better than the SOTA devs? I have played most major MMO's and have never seen more communication form any game devs than I have from the SOTA devs. Other than patch notes, most dev teams have close to zero communication with the player base. If you could please take a few minutes of your time and show us examples of these MMO's that communicate at a level you feel is more communicative/informative than the devs here, I think those examples would help us better understand what you feel is so lacking.
     
  10. oplek

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    And also make sure that top-10 list is also crowdfunded and crowdsourced projects with specifically player-feedback-driven development cycles, just to help ensure that we're not comparing apples and oranges. Thanks!
     
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  11. Maslax

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    The experiment obviously failed, recognizable by the number of players. First, this communication happened and is happening to the wrong people. It's only those who either scream the loudest or pay the most money. And why should these people know how to make a successful game? Game design cannot be the job of the players - it must be the job of the game designers!
     
  12. Proteus Tempest

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    Let's not confuse things.

    The players with the very large or small bundles and pledges were the people that funded 10 million dollars to build the game itself.

    I have thought of this and with a small player base the non pledgers view the pledgers as pay to play.
    If we had gotten a really large player base the pledgers would have been viewed as the people who funded the game. Check out our titles. Those titles would have represented something in a larger player base.

    Sadly it did not happen that way... Yet.

    Yet still The devs pay attention like no other game I have played.
     
  13. Gorthyn

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    The Devs don't pay attention like no other game, except to the chosen few, hence why it's only the chosen few who still play the game. It's really not rocket science.
     
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  14. macnlos

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    Go checkout UO Outlands. Their interactions with the community is outstanding and is something the folks here could learn a few things from.
     
  15. Curse2

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    Blah, blah, blah...

    Bah Humbug!

    What on earth will some folks rant about when the TEAM get's farther down the road with what they have planned?

    All the nay-saying whiners will have to move on to some other board I guess. It will be so sad to see them go...

    There are some good points to be made that I might ave agreed with in the past, and yes they are still making some mistakes, but they do seem cognizant of the mistakes, the feedback, and do seem to be willing to change!

    You know what I rarely see? Anyone that designs games, buildings, art, etc.; that is humble enough to admit mistakes and validate criticism from time to time...it's a rare breed indeed!
     
  16. City Slicker

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    your whining about the whiners lol
     
  17. Mugly Wumple

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    I keep hearing about those who yell the loudest, befriend devs, or pay big bucks. These are all synonyms for those who play the most, are most active in the commodity and/or most supportive of the game. Now, who are the devs listening to?
     
  18. Drilikath

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    You must be new here. Let me tell you a story... For about 3 years we can tell you the same exact bugs that have, and still persist to this day. But you keep on drinking the kool-aid.
     
  19. Brink1123

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    i wish there was a laughing emote like on facebook for this reply
     
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  20. Pawz

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    So, I just went to check that out and it's a private UO shard. That's not even a commercial game company.
     
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