Feeback from a (former) loyal customer

...we are talking about a game not about the donation if an organ....*sigh*

 

You're obviously new to this, so we forgive you.

 

Agree to some degree, but
It's a little bit more complicated, at least for Sir Cabirus because he is a Ultima Fan like no other running a Website what for sure help building becoming Ultima Games a legend.
http://www.sircabirus.com/index.php
I think this debate comes up, because of the Ep2 funding, but not finished the Ep1 promises like the SP Version.
Or just make it better comparable to the Ultima Games.
It's just provocation you posted.
Not judging here, i am sure i made provocative postings too.
In this case i just feel for Sir Cabirus, because he is mostly silent, afaik a very polite and thankfull person with deep and authentic passion for Ultima Games.

 

Elitist much?

 

Agreed, Sir Cabrius is like me, but with manners and more maturity.

 

Oh common, tell me you never heard people comparing their passion to a limb ?

Its a common nerd thing to really be furiously engaged in their immersion, whatever their definition, elitist or not we're here creating our own experience in make-believe. I agree lots of people will find a great experience in SOTA, I know I attracted funny and generous friends when I really tried.

Some people might only encounter the bad sides... so that is what the community manager's job is... to enlighten, to point out and call out community spearheads to share a different perspective.

 

Dear Player, Investor, Avatar, and last but not least: Developer

At one point I am sorry reading the thread postings, on another point I am happy.
What? Why? How can I tell this?

Just a short point of view from someone here since 2014, playing, bug reporting a lot and trying to make constructive feedback.

1. Good or bad Emotions people feeling can't be discussed away - they feel them. If someone feels sad, you just can't say: "Don't worry, be happy, because I AM!". Well, you can, but it won't work in most cases
Accepting, someone feels (however) is an important way of understanding. So, it is useless to attack someone for the feelings or because of a "wrong" word (s)he used because of that feeling (or because someone isn't a native speaker) ...

And consider: Our opinions are often triggered by our emotions! We are no Vulcans!

2. Arguing with logic and facts (Well, I just mean GAME FACTS which can be proofed) is the only way to push a discussion in a positive way to help the whole game.

Unfortunately - again - we aren't Vulcans!

I really can understand both sides. Expectations, not fullfilled are making us sad and sometimes in worst case angry. That's a fact.
And if you are wearing the glasses of ULTIMA (offline) over so many years and kept this feeling(!) in your heart, your expectation can only be:
I want to receive that feeling - again!

And if you are still wearing the glasses of ULTIMA (online) over so many years and you kept this feeling(!) in your heart, your expectation can only be:
I want to receive that feeling - again!

And players who never played Ultima offline will be pleased, and a lot of UO offline AND UO online fans will be pleased, may be they loved both sides of the game feelings?

Well, I am something between and sometimes I am more Ultima offline and sometimes I am more Ultima online player.

So: nobody is only "right" or "wrong". It's our current feeling - and sometimes this is so immense, that it becomes our opinion! Be aware!

For now, let's talking about facts I found inside the game:
You can find a lot threads of mine, I started posting from 2014(!) about Quest Journal, Dialogue System, Map, please find the current state of them here

And from that point of view I have to say: the OP is right from his point of view.
And beside this (to talk more about game facts!) he is right with some words (what not means all other opinions are not right!)
Why? Because there are some no goes for a game (equal which kind of game):
Disturbing and Distracting elements aren't a good game design.

And players who report a bug and get the message, this was "by design" or the bug is still in game after x releases, well, equal what kind of UO (offline or online) soul you are:
What should someone think about?
Spending a lot of our time for game testing for nothing?
Don't say, we get prizes for doing this - they are not given in a fair way for the effort a tester put in (only my opinion).
And at first I don't want a prize, I want the bug get fixed as soon as possilbe to not find it again over the next years (I am not talking about a few releases).

So please, Avatars, in the name of all virtues (the first reason why I like this game!)
Try to be virtuous in talking about stuff, and talking to each other.
In real life, alot of players would wear a deep black Shroud, I assume
(And I am thinking, Starr wouldn't be one of them! - "sorry", darkstarr, for saying that, your heart seems on the right and bright side of life - and that's really good! )

Telling bugs is one thing. Telling about how sad I am is another thing.
If you mix it up and ONLY write your frustration here and there, may be it will help you for a few moments, maybe for exactly that moment, unfortunately it will not heal your sadness (all the repeating threads showing this!) and it will help nothing to improve anything.

A few things could be considered:
1. It is important to say what you are worrying about.
After that, it's important to tell the facts, and how they are influencing your feeling!
And at last: Just ask friendly if this could be considered (must not be yet - but someday) - means for the game process: write a nice bug report and a (not only emotional) feedback instead. Well, do both, if you like, but first: don't forget to tell the facts, please

2. If your counterpart is serious and accepts the feelings and really wants to change something:
(s)he makes no promise (s)he can't become true! Only make promises you can manage.

3. After that it would be a very good idea to fix the most criticized things first which prevents from moving on. If I am serious interested not to harm other(s) (feelings) I will try my best.

4. and it would be awesome to fix it first and then move on.

I also like the game because of the variety, I like the idea behind and I really like the story. STOP, hold on! I like the story. (Also like the book sword of midras!)
This means not, I like the current quest system and presentation and journal ...
I wouldn't have to write my fingers bloody if I would

And please, don't say things won't or can't change! The last Releases showed a lot can change!

After 4 years there are two points (as far as possible) fixed I am very very glad about:
1. Cloth animations
2. "Player xyz is on/offline flooding our dialogue(!) window"

There are more points getting fixed in this release and that one before.
So I see things get fixed faster than before. That's a fact giving hope!
If it continues this way, I am expecting, what I said before, the game will be end of year in a state most of us expected at launch time.

And I am still excited about the new Quest and Dialogue system and Journal coming with Episode 2 getting us closer to an Ultima offline feeling ...
And I assume this is the last chance for fulfilling something what Ultima (offline) players are waiting for (because it was and is their expectation) and to give them a reason to come back to this game.
Don't forget the important part: both would benefit from: online and offline fans!
If it is done more serious (and if the developers test the game by playing it like we do - no developer engine ) iit could be great and it could unite both fans of Ultima ...
Why I am saying that?

Honestly:
Could all the quest bugs be in over years, if -for example- Lum tested and played the quests like we do?
I suppose not! (And to be honest, again: I assume, there were too many to fix them by only one person?)

Take this example:
1. Another feedback from 9/2017
2. Another bug report
3. Another bug report
4. Another feedback IT GOT FIXED NOW - IN R 56! 7/2018 THANK YOU!
This saved my Avatar from sitting infront of the Oracle Temple any longer! Why? Well ...

And that's the point, why Corv and other people (FANS of Ultima and of @Lord British!) - beside some choosen words or emotions I won't share - are right with what they want to tell and asking for ...

It's necessary to listen to their emotions between the lines. Most of them aren't against the game or against the developers and for sure not against the online part!
They are against an unbalanced part of their beloved storyline (and as this game wants to have 5 Episodes, don't tell them and neither @Lord British it isn't important for the whole game - it IS!
Well, until Lord British tells it is not, and that's what Corv asked for, if I got his point ...)

The last postings and release notes were promising.
So, please, @DarkStarr, don't forget to fix the Journal, Quest and Dialogue engine, because the "do it yourself dungeon" or "horses" or other "more important stuff" will take more time as supposed...
(It means not I don't like these features! It just means: give us the "forsaken" features and than move on, please ...)

Farewell Everybody on your own path to blessedness

 

You think everyone that dares criticize the game is a social engineer and one of the 5 (no wait now 10! They are growing!) RAW people, so f-it, wear it proudly. You throw "social engineer" around all the time everywhere. I am sorry if I tread over your trademarked catch phrase.

What if I just want to eventually be a real social crafter making things in game? Nope, can't be that, because I dared say something bad against the game, so everything I will ever say or do and myself is just evil to the core and should just be banished.

Get real.

I am quite surprised to see the thread still viewable and not locked. And I directly thanked him for it, and responding. How many times have we seen a dev or mod swoop in, make a remark, and lock a thread, or a dev make a comment and a mod swoop in shortly and lock it?

Even when I applaud a decision by a dev to take time to respond and keep the thread open for responses, despite what I personally feel about the response itself, because I am one of those evil social engineers everything I say is immediately dismissed, overlooked, because I am such an evil person?

Wonderful community, folks.

 

This is far from a jab @DarkStarr btw...

I hope everyone remembers how often I posted threads of appreciation for the constant pouring out of updates and the consequent patch notes in a very professional manner.

Often, very often I told people #goreadthepatchnotes... we all do this kind of link when passionate.

We also understand the devs not wanting to drop in heated threads, but I think that is where most of us got confused.

The community manager is supposed to open doors, not close them... so if the hat fits you can wear it, but I doubt its the case.

 

Nailed it.

 

Meh.

I've been playing UO for 19 years now. I have been to people's weddings and funerals that I met in UO. I also made a living off of UO for a while and because of UO, I met someone who did YouTube, he taught me how to and now I work less than 2 hours a week but still support my family from it.

If you play online games as "just a game", that's fine. You're more than allowed to. However there's a lot of people that use it as an extension of their life. Be is social, financial or whatnot.

My faith in this team was greater than any other team. I didn't throw over $10,000 at their faces for "just a game". My cap for just a game is around $60. I did it based on the hopes that this would become my new extension of myself, leaving UO in my past.

So simply walking away so easily would be also walking away from potential other weddings and funerals I would attend of people met in SotA. And THIS is why I have consumed every interview Port has done, why I watch every livestream, why I'm on the forums still and why I voice my opinions.

judge me all you wish for that.

 

Ah, so you're part of the RMT 'problem' that so consumes the thought processes of the RAW crowd? You were expecting to make Shroud of the Avatar your profession. I can understand your frustration with things not turning out like you imagined they would.

 

Exactly how I feel, with less money but proportional to my condition and goals I guess.

I still feel I would have paid as much to learn those "lessons" this in a series of courses and conferences... but the apology feels not enough. It's indeed heartwrenching to have to complain while still appreciating alot of what was done... and it shouldn't be. Some attitudes make it hard, some accusations and generalizations make it harsh.

Gratitude goes both ways...

 

*jaw drops*

 

I did...

Admitedly I made an assumption that you intended to do with Shroud of the Avatar what you did with Ultima Online... the implication is strong... and also backed up by your previous argument that Shroud of the Avatar was advertised specifically as the successor to UO and not the whole of the Ultima Series.

Is it not your intention to make a living off of Shroud of the Avatar as you've done off of Ultima Online? I think being able to support one's family off of an Online Game that was published by someone else is a Laudable achievement! Entrepreneurial! Congratulations on that... But, I'd also think it definitely qualifies as Real Money Transaction...

 

I make my living off of Pokemon. If you think UO is even popular enough to make a living off of a UO YT channel, that means you must not have ever paid attention to UO's numbers.

I said and I'll quote it; " I also made a living off of UO for a while". It was a part of my experience. A part that ended in 2003 when it became a diablo clone. Making the assumption that I'm here for SotA because of my post is stupid. I said many other things. When I lived off of UO, I was single and lived in an apartment, how in the Hell would that be possible now to support a family off of SotA with its whole >1,000 players?

And that's assuming I would even WANT to do RMT here, which I don't.

If it was about money and not passion, I would have left this game in the past the moment it was clear to be a failure.

Let me try it this way, If you made a post and within it you said "I fought the monkey boss" how stupid would you think I was if I said "so literally every time you log into SotA, you spend 10 hours a day fighting the monkey boss? dude, try something else this game offers".

You're clearly defensive over other people like neverdie who sees SotA as dollar signs. But still, you had no logical reason to assume based on my post that's what I was here for.

 

Congratulations.

Thank you for the clarification. I'll now assume that never intended to repeat that success with this title.

The rest of your post was an unnecessary Ad Hominem attack.

 

I don't get the constant RAW / MMORPG community attacks that are allowed to remain here. People shouldn't be negative against Shroud if they haven't played it recently and seen all the changes. Seen that argument a lot and used as a way to trash other communities. But due to the constant RAW / MMORPG / others bashing, everyone must be following their own advice by not criticizing those communities unless they have been a part of it recently.

So, to you mighty fine folks, take the advice of Starr and accept it or choose to move on.

 

@Stundorn , @Vyrin , @StrangerDiamond Thank you for defending me

I don't understand why a critical view from the SP lovers on the SP part of the game every time is judged as an attack on the MMO part. This is not the case, we SP fans are not the foes of the MMO fans, we have just different tastes

The difference between SotA MMO and single player fans is that you are always in the defense as a SP fan. If someone complains about the status of the SP part the MMO friends tell you 1000 reasons why they are happy, why MMO is cool and SP meh. Not to forget to mention that you should move on if you are not satisfied with the game. This is a totally egocentric view of the game. I can not remember reading a post where an SP fan explains that MMO is crap and SP is the only true thing. But all this doesn't matter for me, as I told you already, I lost all my hope.

 

Again, someone posted links to what they say about you (the players reading this), the dev's, the game and the company. Go read for yourself. One word, INSANITY!!!!