Interesting take on game design.

https://devgamecourse.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-art-of-imitative-design.html

Where does SotA fit? Where should it fit? It has some features that are unique. Are they enough for commercial success?

 

Facebook vs Google+ in a nutshell.

I think that sums up SOTA. The things they could have focused on, like the virtues, have been pushed aside for yet another game with mounts.

It's a continuous process of trying to fix the game by adding more stuff... like continually adding ingredients to a soup until it's a brownish-grey mush. That's why I hint at the prospect of cutting things from the game, and trying to focus on a core vision.

 

I agree that more focus on the story side as well core vision including virtues. however mounts was a long term backer goal that has been in waiting for a long time. also need to remember there are players that have been playing over 7 years that still need new things too. With a small team its would be pretty hard to cover everything which is why we have a little of this and that each patch. if player base increases and more funds and or sales from store than I perceive they will add more people to work on things over time. over all though they have been working very hard the last few months to get a lot of things moving forward which is really nice.

 

True, but "new things" in this context doesn't necessarily mean to add a new system to them game, just look at the latest food rework! I had been using the same food since as far back as I can remember, because why change, its all the same, with slight stat variations that were barely noticeable, but now, I actually have compared a long time all the new foods, and bought a bunch of different ones to try with my build and find the sweet spot where I will feel good about my deck (still looking for some bacon gents). This means I had fun with food, but cooks must have had fun making all these previously useless recipes.

I think that reworking current content can act even better than adding content, because New content for most only means a new unfinished, broken or unfun new thing that will cause frustrations, meanwhile reworked content can mean an upgrade to the game as we know it. I know that if other reworked content gets reworked like food did, I would be happy.

Warframe did this a few times, with melee 2.0, melee 3.0, damage 2.0, elements 2.0, stuff like that, and pretty much every time meant plenty of new things for people to try, because while nothing "new" was added to the game like a new zone, a new mission, or a new frame, the fact that these things players knew so well all became unknown and now there was a system to re-discover, filled with suggestions that finally made it in and endless new possibilities.

New stuff for players can simply mean giving a new life to old content, and this will surprisingly benefit everyone at the same time, not just the veterans.

 

Greetings all
I agree that new content comes into the game without being fully tested and that causes it to seem unfinished. But using that example would require you to admit that combat was added unfinished. Many changes have been added (Skills) or changed (Balance) over the years and new content like the final inclusion of Kickstarter pledges seem like a constant revision. If there was no DLC or Balance to current content the game would get boring and we would all stop playing. As it is now people are quitting because current content is not being "Balanced" enough.

And really when you think about it every game is a imitation of the game it was inspired from. The Age changes, the hero and enemy change but but it is all hunter, killer, gather, craft. Enjoy what you are doing or go find one you like better. I am having fun with all there is to do with SotA.

 

OMG! If the mathematics were hidden, we'd be forced into a fantasy role playing game ~Time Lord~

 

I'm not really onboard with the idea that a thing is wrong merely because it is imitative. The game would be unintelligible if it shared precisely 0% with any other game we've experienced.

The problem I have is that the development here is only an imitation. Virtues could be something, pushed, that would be a draw. Heck, mounts could be. As much as I bash on it, they could push the throttle to the max and make people say "Have you heard about Shroud of the Avatar? It has mounts that will annihilate your world view!" Instead, it's something to check off a list, and hopefully monetize.

Subnautica's draw isn't that it's yet another a survival game (if you correctly choose that mode) with base-building, it's that it took exploring the depths of the ocean to a whole new level.

 

And I think they try to do much, and are spread so thin, they can't do much more than check things off lists.

 

Greetings oplek
Subnautica is a wonderful change to the medieval world environments. IMHO underwater realms were first in alternate game themes and was what space adventures imitated. Twenty five years ago there was a game called "Odel Down Under" set underwater at the great barrier reef and all you could do was eat, have other fish clean parasites off you and try not to get eaten by bigger fish. But is was gorgeous. Subnautica has come along way with new content and soon to have a whole new separate version but they also have 29 people listed in the company profile. How much more could Port get done with that many people? Maps are key like so many games and to have a story line like GW2 has would be wonderful. I am also looking forward to Sannio's development on adding consequences for virtues. Things are happening .. Slowly .. To speed it up you need to add money resources to the game which lets you hire more people and buy more assets To do this you either have to monetize in game things for a free to play game, charge for the game, or have all players pay a subscription to play. Better yet just have more players, more friends convinced to play an indie game, and more small purchases, or big ones. Thank you to all of the LOTI owners.