I was really excited.

I was really excited when i heard of SotA, i had some really great memories playing UO with people that are no longer around today. I love absolutely everything to devs are trying to do expect for three things that have totally killed it for me.

SotA is not a sandbox mmorpg, too much loading into different zones its more like an old final fantasy game doesn't feel right at all.

The level system, i could deal with a level system but i would think that SotA would go with a skill based system like we saw in UO. I really loved the skill cap/stat cap system UO had in place.

The deck system, this was the final blow i had to any hope of playing SotA. It forces you to rely on a random number generator instead of choosing the rotation of your choice. If you want to use a static bar you will consume significantly more focus, i really don't think this is right.

All in all i think the game has great potential but the game mechanics so far have utterly crushed my hopes of actually playing this game.

 

Indeed Sota IS a sandbox game.

I dont know about how caps will work (i thinks devs have not been clear about that), do you know something more about that? There is a lot of discussion on the forum about this subject.

Are the glyphs of your deck really random? I think they are not.

I hope you come back later to see how things develop, you may be positively surprised (we all want that).

Cheers.

 

1: Not to nitpick but 'sandbox' is not defined by lack of transition screens. That's not to say it's not a valid concern cause it is. It will be a matter of both the average amount of time players spend in a particular instance and average load times. These are both skewed right now in pre-alpha. There isn't a lot of content to keep you in spot so you're running around from place to place more frequency.. and performance is still being find tuned which means longer load times. Both of these should improve as time goes on.

2: A little apprehensive on the level system myself I admit. However, they do appear to be succeeding in keeping power level between levels competitive and seem dedicated to keeping it that way. So for me this is a matter of well balanced skill progression. I prefer a more skill based system myself though UO's model is perhaps overly simplistic for SotA's needs.

3: The deck system looks to be one of those things everyone hates at first and then loves later. It's new. It's unusual. It has the unfortunate trait of being called a "deck" or "card" system which I think really carries with the idea of traditional card battle systems which this is not. Lot of skeptics at first but a lot of folks coming around. It just seems like something people will have to get used to and then the realize it's really not a bad thing.

I think what would really help the card/deck system is just a good series of tutorials. Will go a long way. That said I do really like the concept but someone more experienced with it would be better to address your concern but I do know there's a lot of different ways to use the system.

For now there certainly seems to be a learning curve in SotA. It certainly breaks with a lot of tradition many of us are used to. I don't think it's a bad thing but it will challenge players to accept the way things work in the game.

Also, not to sound like the broken record but.. pre-alpha. It's hard to accurately judge much of anything at this stage. We see systems taking shape but it's all far from finished.. or balanced.

 

Ah well, the game cannot be everyone's cup of tea.

Personally, I am quite excited about the game mechanics so far displayed in the game, and expect them to get even better over time.

I wish you the best of luck in locating a game that best suits your play-style.

 

Hi, I feel your pain on a few things but the game has a LOT to offer.. I'm a really hardcore pvp UO player and have been for 10+ years, the game certainly is not the exact same as uo, but it does have a lot of uo style features.
I agree that the deck system is such a terrible idea especially the rotating system which destroys any type of spell strategy you would have... punishing you by making it so that your focus drops much faster when using a locked deck is just plain silly..

I also agree I would have loved to see a uo style skills system.. but I can deal with this one if that is what they choose :<

and again I agree with what you have stated about the traveling, the loading system is a failure I believe there should be a UO style recalling feature in this game instead of the long travel times.

 

The desk system simulates memory to some degree. The idea being that you character thinks of certain moves during combat that you've prepared for. In reality we don't always think of something until after the fact. Locking a skill is like concentrating (applying focus) on keeping specific moves in mind. I would argue then that it's not necessarily punishing to use more focus for locked skills. The amount of focus used probably needs adjusting.. but the concept in itself is consistent with what the deck system is designed to do.

 

1) Yep, agreed. Zones can be problematic as the loading times makes the experience that much worse that it goes from dislike to hate. If loading times were 2-3 seconds, a lot of the complaints about the segmented world would go away, but not completely. I'm hoping that with the new map strategy that the zones, especially the wilderness ones, are much larger rather than having them split up into tiny zones like before.

2) Level/xp based vs skill based...the debate continues. Just know that in a recent article the devs mentioned exploring a skill use system instead. Anything and everything about this game is subject to change.

3) Agreed here too, but only about the heavy focus cost when using the fully locked deck option. I think this was intentional currently but I believe they were going to get rid of that penalty in future builds. No idea when that's going to happen but they are aware of it.

Stick around, the ride is a bumpy one as the train is being built while you're on it. Should be hectic but fun.

 

(In response to the kind Bowen Bloodgood)
The concept behind simulating memory makes sense enough, but why not let players bind their spells to keys and use their real memory to figure out how to play? (Because it's too hard). It's not like UO was just a button rotation where you press 1-5 in that order repeatedly. If gaming, or at least PvP is going to be competitive, it has to be expected that you'll not only be able to use all of your options coherently, but also react to your opponents decisions. The push for immersion suspension of disbelief (is Mishri still around to care what we call it? Shoutouts if he is) is noble enough, but that isn't really why they're using RNG mechanics.

They're using random number generation to balance the playing field so they can broaden their potential audience. For obvious reasons, they don't want an entire part of their game (PvP) dominated by a small group of players who play daily and constantly strive to hone their skills. That's why they added tripping to Super Smash Brothers Brawl, item-based combat to the Age of Shadows expansion for Ultima Online, and why they removed all those advanced techniques from Halo 2 (BXRing, BXBing, Superjumping, etc.).

 

I'd argue the deck system simulates reflexes more than it simulates memory. Its not that you don't remember moves, its you don't reflexively apply them. The more skilled your character becomes, the better you'll be able to apply them consistently.

 

The deck/glyph combat system is my least favorite part of SotA. In fact, I completely skipped combat in R10 because I found it frustrating and almost nonsensical. I understand what they're going for and I totally support going for something a little bit different. I don't like the rotating glyphs so I have them locked. Of course this incurs a penalty which doesn't make sense to me. Why is it harder to use the same skill or spell over and over again versus changing each time? But anyway, for R11 I forced myself to try it out and with the ability to put points into different attributes it makes a little more sense. I'm still not a fan, but again, this is alpha and a break from the norm. And, I've seen people annihilate enemies using spells and attack so there must be some method to the madness.

If it were locked all the time with no loss of focus I would like it more. I liken it to Diablo II where you set your primary and secondary combat types. I like the idea of multiple styles of attack, but I agree, the every changing slot machine of combat is highly annoying. Let me select my combat skills and assign my innate skills and I think it will work better.

But we're all learning so it's way too early to give up based on the combat of today. We didn't even really have combat a few releases ago so no doubt this is going to change and be refined. Not all feedback on combat has been positive so I have no doubt changes will come and a balance will evolve. We're still alpha and this is the first long term test people have had with it, at least as I see it.

I'm still in this game for the quests rather than out and out combat and I think those are coming along very nicely.

 

SotA is not a sandbox game and devs have never claim that it would be neither, devs are clear on that point that it's not a proper MMORPG neither. SotA are foremost a roleplaying game with a rich and compelling story. A game with a virtual world more interactive than Ultima VII is what we have been promised. But yea the loading times are a pain to endure!

 

Have no fear! Wait it out until official release and I am sure it will be as right as rain. Imo, this game and the entire community is a hidden gem that is leading the parade in how game development is headed. A proper gamble that is a sure fire win for everyone involved.

 

If you want to try a real SandBox, Seamless persistent world, terramorfing, housing, open pvp, full loot, skill based then check "Life is Feudal" made by UO fan (you can find in steam).

 

SOTA has made huge leaps from R1 to R11. But it is still in Alpha. Give it time to keep baking and see.