Is it just me or are the forums hurting for new material

Lots of conjecture my friend... you skip very important logical steps, and you generalize.

People who are fed up with the "general chatter" you seem to focus on generally focus all their efforts on bugs and feedback, you just don't see all of it and the fact you can't be bothered to look for it should be a wake up call.

 

IMHO a combination of shifted focus in last release to fewer "new" stuff (I don't count maps here), stagnant or decreasing player base and a board where critical discussion isn't fun.
Critical topics tend to attract derailing and at some point deletion of threads or posts.
A healthy board thrives on new things to discuss and a discussion culture that values different viewpoints and allows for free expression.

I am not going into my opinion of the moderation style or behavior of the "avid supporters " or "critics" as it leads nowhere.

 

Ahhh yes I do know people have a variety of interests that are important to them that they want in the game. I know not everyone knows me and mostly for those who do I am more likely to be out there in my armor than at social events. I'm not a role player really.

What I want and support is everything. Not just fishing, but treasure hunting, boating, questing,fun and satisfying PvP, and that goes for everything. I want to do what I want.

It may be playing music with friends, perhaps flirting a bit, or it may be doing dungeons, killing bosses, or trying my hand at a bit of capture the flag PvP.

Later I may want to have horse races when mounts come in or horse breeding perhaps creating a stronger breed to pull our caravans or maybe a faster horse for horse races.

Imagine treasure hunting like UO. I would love that.

Imagine trade routes and all or many towns even pots have trade vendors in them next to the town crier to go from area to area with their caravans of goods in danger from bandits or if PvP flagged other players.
Imagine those caravans needing repairs and needing to jump into the nearest town to get them so you can out run the bad guys. Each town maybe has its own resources to get. Like wizards rest may have the special fish from their ice fishing you could do there. This might be considered a valuable commodity to other locations that pay more for them.

I see a huge picture for this game. I see logging into huge events to players perhaps a fishing contests to catch the fish who swallowed the tax-free deed, or cotos or some enticing thing.

To me this game is to be much more and perhaps not what any of us thought we came here for but the evolution of that and perhaps what it becomes will still be special with this team and stubborn loyal backers pulling for it to not settle for not pulling it off. However that looks it needs all of us imo.

Edited

 

I see people who ignore the problems in this game and that gives me the feeling like they dont care about the future of this game. After release, new player will join and they have not invested any money, how long do you guys think they will stay if the game is still broken and not what they expected?
And then i see people who fight against this madness and try to open eyes. Give ignored feedback over and over again. Who cares more for the game, the active or the passive?

 

And because we continue to rally for this game in our own ways does not mean players are blind to issues. This is a conversation. I play the game. I see problems that need fixed also to make this a good game. I don't need to be right and make others wrong in their opinions. It takes all of us imo.

 

Actually, yeah, you do. I find many "vets" here have lost sight of what brought them here to begin with. Honestly, I have no idea why some of you (not you specifically) are still here by the way your posts read. If I had never played the game and just came to these forums, you all would convince me quite well that the game is a pile of steaming dung.

The amount of time people have been playing an unfinished game is long. Not only are they waiting for new content, but new personalities in the form of players. It's understandable there would be a decline in active players. Who wants to continue playing the same thing for years that changes little due to it being in development? I know I wouldn't because I've played several MMOs in alpha/beta. It gets old and frustrating and I'm guessing many didn't think they signed up for the hard part but you did and now it's time to get on and ride.

There is a reason you will see I've been a member since 2015 but didn't start playing till now. I knew this is what it would be like if I started too soon. Hats off to you vets, for sure. That is, those of you that haven't let this experience turn you into a whiny 2 year old.

I'm a new active player, comparatively, for about 3 months now. I really like the game and so does my husband. I play for hours every day and am really excited about it. Don't us new people count in these conversations at all? You all talk about us (or the lack of us) like we're not even in the same room.

 

My problem here is that many people argue about topics even if they dont fully understand what they rly want to explain. Best example are the decay threads where people defend it like it is a miracle and days later they open a thread with questions about it. Thats a prove that they sometimes talk about stuff they didnt understand and just reflect their own feelings. There are players who deeply test the game and gets insult as progress gamer for doing it, and there are player who just play and dont wont to go deep in the systems.

 

All I can say at 3:24AM is the following:

If you're in a relationship, there are always things that just aren't hitting the mark. Guy leaves the toilet seat up after taking a leak and you (the chick) sit on a cold rim of porcelain in the middle of the night...check and gross. Couple has dinner plans, but because chick can't figure out what damn dress to wear, you're an hour late...check and aggravating much? Grandpa washes dishes, puts them away and then grandma finds that there's dried cheese on a utensil that'supposed to be clean...check, *sigh - not again* and put back in sink to soak.

I could go on, but the point is clear - you find the fun, forgive the crap that's annoying and move on. Or you get a divorce. Or you suffer through and hope things get better. ETC.

So when did the forums become a toxic stew of discontent and lack of calm discourse? When did helping develop SoTA become something so onerous that some people no longer feel any joy or wonder in accomplishing the goal of getting the game out the door? I. Don't. Know.

What I do know is that grousing, beating dead horses, ranting, posting *I'm quitting* threads and the like may let everyone know *how you really feel*, but is it productive? I mean, that's like people who have nasty break ups and then post revenge crap on social media just to get even.

There are some things I don't like about SoTA...but there are many more things I DO like. Yes, SoTA has morning breath, stinky feet and farts under the covers at night...so what? Those of us who actually love the game, warts and all, are busy playing the game and having fun. Because the reality is, nothing in life is perfect. And to get all twisted up over game features you want, but don't have, is a huge waste of energy. It is time wasted that you will never get back.

So if you hate SoTA and no longer play, please go find something you enjoy. Smiling and laughing is healthier than stressing and frowning.

If you love SoTA, please continue giving constructive feedback and if things don't work out 100% just deal with it.

If you are on the fence or a new player - make up your own mind about the game by playing it yourself. It's the only way to be sure.

Ok...I am done. It is 4:01 AM and I need sleep.

 

HA! Now that gave me a good wake-up laugh and if you were here, I would give you a big hug of thanks.

 

I'll just add some mandatory qq about skill decay.

 

Thats interesting, because I have been laughed at for comparing my relation with the game to a real relationship, and here we are now it truely is a love story for me, I love the dream, dearly and it caused me more lucid dreams and visions which to me is a clear indicator that the vision is aligned with "spiritual successor".

As you say, to all those people that feel like victims in their relationships I'd say, well touch with your hands before sitting on a toilet, prepare your dress and kit a day in advance, besides I have sometimes used and reused plates which were crusty with cheese and the same utensils for weeks at a time (yes, gross) but I never even got a slight hint of a digestive problem. In fact nowadays I can eat spoiled food (not on purpose mind you) but when it happens I'm the only one that does not get sick, I can even beat gastro viruses almost without any symptoms, coincidence ?

I think not and this is why I've been putting emphasis on our collective immune system as a community. Right now the "flu virus" *metaphor* is just changing its envelope slightly and we get a strong immune reaction every time it merry goes round, not good... after 2 electric shocks in a row, even the mouse understands.

Bring me to this point... forgiving and ignoring is not the same thing at all... if I don't blow the whistle, we'll get sick over and over again, and at one point some of the potential players will see this place as "infectious" and prefer to stay away, even after the clash is over. People like to fake that they have no 6th sense and have weak memory, it means less responsibility and less stress, but it also means less fun and less complete game. We should know better... people will and do remember these things in my experience.

Oh, hey I have explained this at least 10 times by now, but here we go again :

We have chosen an elitist attitude and promised players a perfect social environment with no open world pvp and no strategic aspect to social iterations. That is a pipe dream, when you ban a certain type of playstyle from the get go, and even get confused about its different shades of grey, that is what you get, every single time.

Sure its nice to have a ruly crowd, no stress, game becomes a place to enjoy social and relax, but those games have a limited lifespan, whereas a game that is INCLUSIVE and even if it does not have the TECHNOLOGY to make things happen for a certain playstyle, it keeps discussion OPEN and ORGANIZED, so those players keep shoveling clouds while they wait, it gives them hope and hope is contagious.

Getting a game out the door, well pretty much any respectable publisher can do this... that is out the scope of this thread, I personally think Portalarium is very professional, but just stuck with deep deep ethical dilemma that brings everyone down at critical crossroads.

But this isn't social media, we are encouraged to "play ourselves" as per Richard's instructions, and we do so at our choice under a certain cover of anonymity... well let me see, most of those people who are here actually making the effort to tell people why they feel like quitting (even more if they have "quit" 10 times) is a very good sign for SotA, most people who have specific playstyles won't even bother, so there's an emotional element to the rants, that originates from feelings of belonging (very good).

Also like it or not, those naysayers have encouraged many people on here to speak up and rectify perspectives in ways they didn't at first, sure there is some heavy cases of white knighting and thats why I call for an arbitrator, but mostly it made many people like @Stundorn really feel confident about his own expression and have less superficial filters which is the best attitude to have on a forum during a beta phase (DLMB).

Noble sentiment, but people spend their time as they see fit, and they have the right like @Lord_Darkmoon to keep on pushing on features that have been promised and that makes them want to play *key word*. So sure, waste of energy, but still within their rights and prerogative.

There we go again, telling people to go elsewhere because *you* are tired of hearing the complaints. Well take example on the devs if you will, sure they have banned many playstyles straight at the start but they never censored people on here, they will take and leave some of it, possibly even ignore a few players if they get too emotional, but NEVER EVER will they censor without good reason and tell people to look elsewhere. Richard himself told *everyone* to NOT hold ANY punches back because this is the final phase before release which is the most important time to receive unadulterated feedback.

I love SotA, but I have stopped giving feedback, now I'll let you guess the reason, and at the same time I represent a very tiny fraction of our niche, I'm not needed here. Yet Ultima games have changed my life in ways as deep as certain books and artform did, it moved me to tears and colored my dreams. I am here as a fan, and sometimes fans are not happy.

 

Indeed ! They do count Lady Dragonfyre, as long as they know that by entering critical threads, its considered good form to actually read the threads and counter arguments before feeling "offended" at the harsh feedback and repeating the same narrative that caused those threads in the first place. Problem is a social one, and cannot be solved by moderation.

I'm kind of sad that you never had fun in an alpha or beta... all my experiences have been exiting and rewarding and very often I've made a real difference and felt warm fuzzy feelings of accomplishment. Strangely here I feel like a thorn in the foot, even if I'm no stalker, even if I took over 5 long breaks from the forums and never harassed anyone about my wishes.

Also there is strong indication in your tone that you lack perspective, you say the game changes little ? Go read the bug forums, go read the patch notes... the amount of changes is impressive even if the focus is narrow. If anyone on here can convince anyone that this game is a pile of dung, then they also lack perspective, there are no victims here : fact is the game is HUGE and the spider web is being weaved.

 

Well I just stepped away from the game and only now make the occasional post on the forums. Sadly my enthusiasm is now similar to someone who has had a very bad and costly day at the races........as such I have abandoned my sotasuburbia.com project and my shroudreloaded.com project is now on hold until launch (at which point I can assess whether its worth the time and effort to continue).
(EDIT - The straw that broke camels back for me was having a character name moderated for being called "Harry Potter"...... @Lord British sorry but I just feel that level of pettiness and moderation is ridiculous and has no place in an MMO)

I'm looking forward to launch, to have a go at the story quests (bug free) and of course to see what engaging content has been improved upon or been added.

In particular i'm interested to see what voodoo and meme magic will be used to get people playing the game again..........and keep them interested in playing..........at which point I can rejoice.

 

Virtues guide you, friend!

 

Never said that I didn't enjoy beta testing. I just didn't want to experience the fatigue a lot of you are experiencing. This is too special of a game to have that happen, to me, anyway.

I lack perspective? Really? I come in here and EXPLAIN to you my perspective as a new player and you tell me that I'm wrong. Nice. Ok fine, everything is perfect and you should just carry on. Again, I am told my opinion is wrong compared to others.

 

There's no need for a "shroud reloaded" forum when we have a great forum actively being used right here. No offense intended.

 

Maybe turn the light on...less chance of nastiness getting on your hands...lol

I agree they are not the same. But I'm not proposing anyone ignore things. What I'm proposing is that some things can't or won't change and so we have to make some choices with how to deal with that reality. Accepting what we can't change isn't the same as ignoring. Forgiving and accepting go hand in hand.

*Queue Serenity Prayer*

I can't say I agree with this. It's a sandbox game. SoTA never promised me a "perfect social environment". And I don't see any play-styles being banned. What I do see is a lot of anger, animosity and a breaking down of the social fabric of the forums to a point where I feel like I'm in a movie where the villagers have their torches out and they want to "kill the beast!" But that's just me.

No. I am encouraging people to find something that makes them happy. Not because I'm tired of hearing them complain. But because I'm tired of the vitriol, anger and animosity that is part and parcel of some of those complaints. Hating and offering up constructive ideas to make the game better are not the same thing. Spewing hatred for anything and everything being done to develop the game is not the same as offering up a rational complaint about something perceived as detrimental to the overall game development. What does hating on SoTA accomplish other than trying to kill it...see it fail...discourage others from playing?

I'm not telling anyone to go elsewhere, I'm suggesting that all the energy being use to spread a cloud of negativity over the forums is energy that can be better used in the pursuit of finding what makes you happy. Otherwise you end up like the couple who hates each other, but remain married anyway. Constantly bickering, constantly finding fault and always unhappy.

People need to continue giving feedback. Do I really have to point out that giving feedback is not the same as the angry villagers looking to burn things down? Do I really have to point out that giving feedback has no guarantee of being implemented? I hope you continue to give feedback. I hope you never become an angry villager. I hope that you can be happy with SoTA and if you find you aren't happy, then I hope you find something that DOES make you happy

 

Going off topic for a second......primarily its not a forum. If it were a forum it wouldn't exactly be a "project" would it?

For example: http://shroudreloaded.com/kb/quests/

 

Oh, that's pretty neat! My apologies, I thought it was mainly a forum.

 

The Alan Parsons Project wasn't a forum either.

 

Haha yes ! some people can't see if they wake up in the middle of the night even with the lights on, and besides that often wakes me up and I can't go back to sleep, one could consider a small baby light I guess

When things can't or won't change who has the responsibility to point it out to stop unwanted clutter ? Someone in the dev team, alas they are too busy sooo... its part of the elitism mentality to just ignore. So yes easier said than done !

Hmm I'm curious, have you played the ultimas ? Have you seen Spoony's videos where he is very very critical of obvious errors and plot holes ? Even Richard thinks its funny and he gave him an interview, it was even a part of the kickstarter promises !

Richard always said, talk good talk bad, but talk about it. He uses reverse psychology all along his games, and UO was the culmination. So have you played UO ? If not maybe that explains your lack of perspectives on the gameplay styles it has created and why people band in mobs to burn the bridge... I'm not saying its right, but it was to be expected...

UO gave us the definition of sandbox, SotA with statements like "there will never ever be non-consensual pvp" (this also means no negative alignement except in roleplay that is removed from the game mechanics, I encourage that btw), was meant to be a "safe-space"... it probably was a very hard decision for the team because we know what Richard really loves...

That is better phrased thanks for hoping for my wellbeing, however I cannot become an angry villager, since I am the original avatar

There will always be people who will attempt to stir the pot, that is the nature of anonymous forums... however its up to US to know not to feed the trolls, and so it always was on forums forever. My point in short I often say to people who seem to jump on every critical thread, just ignore the guy and wait, if he starts to get dozen reples then maybe weight in, but don't be a jerk.

Peace...