most likely to flop?

Really? Yes. SotA is currently No. 2 in a MassivelyOP conducted audience poll for the unhappy title of Most Likely to Flop in 2018, a tsunami mommy even the largest aquatic life forms would find difficult to bear.

With these sad tidings I no longer consider it premature to ask the pertinent questions: where did SotA go wrong? and, what course corrections should be applied?

 

I think i am going to wait till launch before i try to explain where Sota lost me and the people i brought in.
3 months can make a huge dif. But i dont think it will be in the directions i feel are issues.

Till then.. i think ive tried discussing issues enough.
Guess its wait and see!

( also you would have to define flop*) as people will argue the term.. just like.. alpha.. pre alpha.. kick starter.. release.. story release.. candidite release. .. commercial release.. etc etc

 

Not reaching the needed number of players to stay in the black number. 50.000 players was thrown around.

 

No Caps, SP/MP, RMT, Store Prices

very simple.

 

I don't think that this type of exercise is pertinent. This website is asking people to use a crystal ball. I suspect the reason behind this is not to get a credible result, but rather a lot of clicks. And if you look at the number of votes (1400), it's less than the actual number of active players on SotA.

It is therefore totally useless to try to draw conclusions. We are not really dealing with a representative survey.

 

Have you counted the amount of ALL voices who voted until now?
< 1500

Do you really think, the opinions of a few people can provide a correctly view of future?
(And what are 2000 voices in sum, if we are talking about games played from 100.000s of people who don't care about this internet site and voting?)

Go out and ask 100 persons on the street about what happens next year. Well, what will happen? Would you believe people you don't know?
But we believe in votings on internet without thinking about, what kind of people voted? How is their mind at the moment, what are they feeling ...
There are so many economists from past telling, what would happen in future - and they were so wrong.
Just take the weather forecast ...
... how fast can it changes even they have modern measuring instrument

 

Obviously all 114 people that voted for this game are two paid actors by Blizzard, EA and other companies afraid of SOTA's success. So those two RAW Reddit people and their alts do more social engineering on yet another website, right?

 

I'll make some suggestions regarding my 1st answer why it is like it is.

Caps
Many Games have them, UO hve them and they have it for a reason. To create dependencies in the MMO World within the players.
SotA is completely a SP Game, from Skillsystem to Adventuring Scenes and experience and the only MMO or MP Part is about socializing.
Thats not bad or wrong, but it is just not competetive nor in the SP RPG neither in the MMORPG Market and even not in the Coop RPG Market, because of its Skillsystem/ skill tree setup.

SP/MP
imho the SP need to improve if we talk about quests and quality of them, they are not bad at all, but they play clunky and are often bugged as hell and bad described, see the Virtue Banner Quest for example - 3 or 4 month since we bug reported it.
They maybe should make it an option to do the Mainstory in SP online/offline and then let people play the MP Part of the world with the option of FMO or MPO.
Those who choose SP offline need no limitations or caps, those who play SP online need that in preparation to be part of the MMO after playing the story.
The Main Story then grant you some nice items like the Shroud and other rewards, but people can choose from day one to refuse playing the story and go MPO from the scracth.
For all online Modes there need to be CAPS, at least a well working softcap where you maybe switch between roles and skills, but not on the fly. You need to unlearn this to learn that.
For example you sure can be an Archer and a Swordfighter but not switch between it including gear and all that in 3 seconds.
EIT: Additionally it's also very important for crafting and economy in a MP Sandbox imho.
some are the gatherers, some are the refiners, some are the producers, some can do a full production chain from harvesting to endproduct, but not in all professions. Otherwise i cannot imagine an economy.
I think this is also very important to make PVE Groupplay and PvP more interesting and challenging.
FMO need spawnrates very low or even no respawn at all. Go with your group and clear a scene - end of story. You sure can do it over and over, but MPO then is maybe still the better option because of fast respawns of Mobs and Ressources - therefore you have to compete with all the other Players for that.
EDIT: they also need to adjust XP reward in online Modes. A full party in FMO should null the 10% xp penalty compared to MPO.
Without limitations, Caps and a fleshed out balanced system this will never be a good MMO experience aka group PvE and PvP, except danceparties and socializing.
This way the SP Mainstory also can be separated from the sandbox, its what happened before and with consequences with what virtue alignment you join the MPO sandbox.
and people who refuse to play the SP Mainstory and want to start from day one in the MP sandbox had to earn their reputations and virtues, what hopfully become very important in the near future.
I can imagine NPC pricing in virtue related cities, factions, even MOB aggro changes or accesible or non accesible cities etc... more complexity!!!

RMT
I'm not against it but it is a two edged sword an also needs some restrictions, offering level services or Lot places only, Artifacts and crafted items should be restricted.
Ya i know i dont know how, but this just gives many players a bad taste and they fast say pay 2 win and such things.

Addon Store and Pricing
I really would like if they decide to make a row lot deed for sure purchasable in the game. Not from a player vendor, not by the deed raffle just for earned ingame gold!!!
It's good they add so many crafted versions from the Store and i'm not against havong a Store for fluff in general, but basic housing should be accesible by just playing the game!!!


Imho if they change these things and then do marketing a lot of people say: Whoooot really they did that??? Great guys, i was maybe wrong to judge them as greedy and all that.
Many people then will make their way to SotA, because the general concerns about SPO grinding/ farming imbalance, pay 2 win, bad PvP balance, one class skill system etc. end.

Sure it need some more stuff in the game, like the ever wanted treasure chests or fishing, brewing, sieges, justice/ moral system and whatnot. These things need to be in the 6 Month past release plan, ok im fine with 1 year past release plan, but if i remember what was anounced for the release or the 2 year plan i wasn't that much exited if i'm honest.

Do this @Lord British @DarkStarr and it will be a success - otherwise i forsee no good and with slight hope the game will maybe stay alive with its low population, but stagnate until you need to shutdown the services, because nobody buys the 3rd bundle, the next deed or whatever is needed to keep it alive.
And forget about another Seedinvest or even KS project to fund EP2 - i cannot imagine you will get more than 100k.


I love the game for its atmosphere, beautifull grafics, i like the Decksystem and the Housing and all the emotes, to smoke a pipe, read and write a book, all this a great RPG features, but i'm alone coming from my own, but small german community, knowing lots of players at work and from all the years i'm playing now.
I'm the RP Alien , i'm only here because i say immersion over progression, i'm here because i was able to spent enough money over some month to afford a TF PoT Town Lot and some more.
Not because i like the skillsystem in it's depth or the crafting or the experience from groupplay or the main story or the Addon Store and RMT possibilities in general.
I make all that compromise for only one hope: Meet germanspeaking roleplayers, immerse into the world and play my role all the time to have a nice evening beyond the TV programm or reading a good book

I know you can do it!!! But then DO IT!!!

 

You are asking this question in the wrong place. You won't get a real answer here because the fans are defending this game. They would never admit that the game failed in this or that regard and such polls are always fake or not representative for fans - except for when the game is presented in a positive way.

Wait until lauch - judgement day comes very soon.

 

The game has its problems but all I care about is, can I get enjoyment out of it. And I still can. So until they close the doors Im happy.

 

but this passivity lead to closed doors quicker
We who have fun playing the game however need more people around to keep it alive!!!

 

Are you seriously suggesting 114 votes is representative of anything? What kind of "real" answer will you accept other than the one you want to believe?

Although trying to fit a single player story in a multiplayer environment? = failed. But that's just my opinion. Am I still a fan? hmmmm