My failed expectations on SOtA.

Ask them yourselves.....

https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...ance-in-uo-the-second-age-jan-26th-2014.6072/

 

Idk where you live but here if you go to a bakery and they make you a mess of a cake or its just not like you figured it out they try to fit it out without cost just to get a satisfied customer, so comparing that to a SOtA is like comparing apples with unicorns.

Maybe a good example on how things should work would be when you buy a phone, computer or whatever and if you just don't like it you can get a refund on the first weeks and just return the item, but maybe that doesn't work under my bed where you and Mr Chuck live D:

 

That just reminded me of this for some reason...

 

But there's a portal under your bed that leads to New Britannia. A whole new world of imagination to explore, and enjoy with others.

 

UO had EA marketing muscle.

SOtA has RG marketing and cash and on the top of that they have our cash.

 

I like the point at 1:15 in the video, where the narrator says: "it's finally here, ready to eat". I didn't realize the SotA is finally here, ready to play.

 

I didn't compared it to SOtA did I? Ok yeah that was kind of offtopic but some people might see a certain connection.

I don't want to fall on the pool of sarcasticism...

 

Having read and listened to RG's interviews when he announced SotA, he's owned up to the market failures of U8, 9, and Tabula Rasa and claims that they were mainly due to pressure by the publishers. I can go with that and I support SotA's concept of being an independent studio game (the game I'm actively playing now is an Indie FTP game as well... Path of Exile) and I think the industry has come full circle in that the Indie companies can make a comeback to provide better gaming options.

However, that being said, even as a supporter and admitted fanboy of the SotA project... I like what I saw in the demos and R1, I like the team put together, and I like the vision of the game... there is still a BIG hurdle that RG has to clear and a lot he has to prove in game quality in order to call SotA a success (and even more so for the industry/media to do the same). So my support is not without seeing the reality of the situation. I enjoyed my time in R1 and look forward to what (less) time I will have available for R2 since this is our busy time at my work, we're working this month and probably next month under extended hours which is going to cut into R2 time and have me REALLY wanting to be at home instead of work... and I LIKE my job.

 

Is it really worth it to walk around and find bugs as a tester? Or you just enjoy seeing what its done so far? I think beeing able to see the process and all the releases are good since we can see what they are doing rather than just getting an end up product so I completely agree with you on that.

Bug report and testing is kind of doing their job for free, no its better than that its people paying to test things, something that normaly would have costed them money since they should have hired people to do that job (like most companies do). I've heard from a lot of people here things like "Its to help the game get better" or "That way I will enjoy a less buggy game", idk games have always bugs but it should be something the company should fix. Do people that report bugs atleast get something or its like a big company throwing their program on open source so you can make it better but then you need to pay for the product? (And yea i know open source its not synonym of free). This starts to sound like a big modding tool where everyone that pays can get into with all the comunnity donations etc, and I don't doubt that the guys donating art and assets are good or the ones fiding bugs don't spend their time into it...

 

If you can get happy bug testing volunteers why not? The more people trying to check & break things the better the data. The only caveat is volume; but they seem to be able to manage.

 

The great thing is you don't have to test the game at all. You can close your eyes until public release day. Watching a game get developed is ugly, that's the point everyone is making.

We're all sorry you're disappointed, I'm sure, but I honestly think you're looking for things to get frustrated about.

 

The more people trying to check & break things the better the data. <- That is bery true indeed...

I must admit that it is atleast one of the smartest business and financial ideas of the last decade, make people pay you to work and even be happy about it.

 

If I'm a baker, and I know the ingredients that are going into the cake, I can tell you in advance if it's going to taste good or not before it's finished baking.

 

In one way... yes, and that's called "being part of the process". Even if you're not being compensated, there's a bit of an ego boost when you can point to something and be able to say "I provided the idea for that!" or "They noticed and fixed that bug/thing I noticed.". I've played UO since Jan 1998 and it wasn't long after I started playing that I was posting lists of ideas and in some cases designs. One such design made it to Test Center back in 1999 or 2000... difficult to remember and was set aside lost in the code after a bug was found with it. Fast forward to just a few years ago when Stygian Abyss was in production and the newer Team found the code and finished the project. Beyond that, with the Kingdom Reborn and Enhanced Clients for UO, I worked with several other players to develop and package User Interface Mods (which are legal for the newer client(s)).

For SotA, it's a combination of getting into the game early at a time when UO's management has really been disappointing me, seeing the vision behind SotA being put together, and having at least a minor say in that vision. It's also fun to see how a game develops visually. Case in point with UO, I still have batches of screenshots from the early through latter days of the Third Dawn client as well as the Kingdom Reborn client. They always make for fun and interesting viewing on occasion and I expect the same will be true in regards to SotA and how it develops over time.

I like the development part and I like to see and know how the things are put together (yeah, I'm the type who will sit and watch a marathon of How It's Made if I run across it on TV) as much as I like to play the game itself.

 

@eon

I think you are confusing crowdfunding with purchasing. It is not. It is donating. Many don't understand that. It sounds like you want a complete product and don't care about what it takes to create one. That's understandable as most people don't. Since you don't seem willing to crowdfund again this should not be a problem for you in the future.

I would suggest you contact support@portalarium.com and ask about a refund or another solution. I don't think posting here will get you want, but perhaps I don't understand what you expected your post to accomplish. Sounds like you heard from all sides. You are not alone in your concerns, but many backed the projected knowing the uncertainty of supporting "concepts". As I said before this is not for everyone.

Good luck.

 

Which is why it is quite useful to discuss all those ingredients already as the cake is being made. A good baker will have a reason for them and can explain what their role is, and those too inexperienced to tell the difference will learn and get experience.
Discussing this without the cook present is also useful. Quite typically people learn best in a group from their peers.

My point: Dismissing questions is much simpler than answering them as answering them takes actual understanding.

 

Actually I know from someone that tried to get a refund and I readed the mail they sended and it was clearly stated that there is no refund and the mail just confirmed what there is posted on the website, honestly I didn't expected as many people replying me here and to be honest that was the last thing i needed to do here besides maybe just wait for the end up product. And since people keep telling me things I kinda feel the polite urge to reply them, not that i want to make a drama here or try to get something at all, just wanted to say what I felt at the moment so maybe someone that was the same way around found confort knowing hes not the only one. Also i would like to thank AGAIN people that reply/post/discuss and give hopes here, not just to me, but for the others too.

 

To be honest: Unless I would get to hear the opinion of the publishers as well I rather would not form an opinion about that.
Anyway that should not matter here and when SotA gets released (and not before) it can be judged by the decision made, and great success or failure, there will be no publisher to hide behind =)

 

I would still try contacting them. The reason for no refunds is you are funding a game, so the money is bring actively spent. If EA funded a game and asked for tjier money back the developer would just go bankrupt and they would get nothing. However you are not EA and your pledge and personal reason may be heard. Its worth trying.

You could also try to sell you pledge. I know others have done this as well.

 

If he's not able or willing to stick it out and see how things turn out, he's not really at risk for losing his money. But I would still think on it a few days, and make sure that's what he wants. It's not going anywhere.