New article about SotA - objective and interesting, worth a read

Just saw the thread, and yeah. This article pretty is pretty much a look back at where we've been up until now.

Some of it certainly up for debate -- if possible, and if you ask me, a good heart to heart is really a necessity. Personally, this is something so dear to me, that it would break my heart if single player loving people like me, are branded undesirables in the end, because we wouldn't cease trying to be a positive influence (on all aspects of the game). It's not bashing in any way, and I hope that the forum will continue to allow for criticism. What some of you really do not understand is, that I absolutely want you to have what you're craving. That multiplayer part. I'm not opposing any of it, we can all be friends.

I don't see the broad misconceptions, the false narrative, the selfish purpose in that article. Perhaps mistakes were made, but that only speaks volumes about how hollow I feel every time someone insists that it's "this" way, not that way. If it boils down to this being a question of interpretation, we might as well stop right here, because this is going nowhere fast.

I see truth in it. In this article. A lot of it. Sad truth. Not a mere matter of perception, or in the eye of the beholder. I've supported SotA; and when I did, what I was willing to support, matches the description in that article and the original kickstarter, as well as the statements Richard made back then. Looking at it now, I'm just disappointed. Change is good, they say, but not all of it. We're already here, and I'm not asking anyone to give up on their dreams, or take a step backwards. All I am hoping for, is that everyone can agree that this can truly *be* both, but it takes work, a whole lot of work, and criticism like this is meant to push for just that. I am not asking the impossible. I think I've earned the right to say, that I'm unhappy with what singleplayer is like, today.

And I and fans like me have explained in exhaustive splendor and detail - at every little chance we got - what we think, is missing from the big picture. These are details that will not get in the hair of the Multiplayer mode at all. They would enhance it greatly, not be in conflict, where not optional. Who in the world wouldn't appreciate nicely written descriptive/dramatic narrative? You can skip it, if you want. Perhaps hand drawn portraits? These are cheaper to create than worthwhile textured 3D model. Easy to show in dialog screens. Charismatic. And artists are crying for attention left and right, over at Deviantart. Commission them? Fair prices, with talent enough to have your jaw drop. All Portalarium would have to do - is look, and pick.

There are so many details we've talked about. You may not agree with that article, but it *does* closely reflect some of our nearly bursting and shattered hopes and dreams. Simply stating that the article is one sided, or negative, or wrong, will not change that we feel that it's fair, constructive and quite on-point. We *still* love what we're here for, and we still want to have fun in the community.

The article is one more symptom. Please don't just dismiss it. Help us, who hope to finally find something like Ultima in it, please. This is pretty much it's last breath. I don't want it to be a dying gasp, but a new start. Helping us means you'd be also helping your own cause. PvP, PvE, everything matters.

 

There are things in the the video that Baron Drocis Fondorlatos posted that are very interesting.

I wonder when the Devs will get around to adding them to the game?

 

For me the game isn't anything like I expected, which was a gamble to begin with, but what turned me sour is the seemingly focus on upselling everything .. housing costumes, telethon after telethon. It seemed like the first years of the game was just designing housing assets to sell to players. For those who were looking for a fantasy "world" to live in, that's great, but I think a LOT of us were expecting a compelling single-player RPG storyline (set in an MMORPG world).

Maybe seeing it from the bare bones up isn't the best way to go. While it was fun to see components of the game get developed over time, I just never was on board with their design decisions. I felt bored and haven't seen enough to come back. May not even come back after the "full" release ... whenever that will be.

I've seen plenty of other kickstarter games come to fruition in half the time SOTA has been going on.

Like a previous poster said .. they simply tried to do too much .. promised too much (to draw in as many people as possible).

This doesn't feel like they are creating a game as much as revenue stream to string the "whales" along in this "alpha" phase as long as possible.

Will the game every be truly "finished?"

 

it would be good if you could link the video (not just the user)

 

Too bad “launch” will be nothing more than a statement of “ok we are launched now”

Telethons and sales are not going to draw in more people. They better have something up their sleeve because they’ve ruled out a wipe to send the message of a fresh start.

 

I support everything you did say. I must confess that I've reached a state in the meantime where I'm nearly not very interested in the release of this game. Sad but true

 

As far as I remember it was @Lord_Darkmoon who posted this video first.

 

A story driven, basically single-player experience like ultimas 4-7... a world interactivity like ultima 7... with the wonderful open non-combat roles and persistent world of ultima online.

Yup, that's the game I wanted, hoped for, and pledged for.

:/

 

Remember these are early days for this game still. It is just a baby. For all those who like it so far, for all those who do not, or feel some things are lacking, this is true with every child if nurtured and given love it can flourish. We still have every chance and for those who have given up, lost hope, and even walked away. I truly wish you happy adventures. This game will blossom and surprise the world one day. Stay tuned as Darkstarr said. Your feedback will count, who are we if not the critiques, the audience, the players. We say if it is a good game. Will this game be everything you dreamed of well who knows, that will be in the eye of the beholder? Time will tell so much. If it is an all pvp, all rpg, all anything that part will not happen for this game, but in each of those systems time will truly be their friend. In the case of this game:



Go Shroud of the Avatar Go!!!!

 

sorry, i don't accept that statement anymore. it has been 4 1/2 years since the kickstarter has completed, and almost a year and a half since they went persistent. The early days are long past, and the game that we have now is the game we will have at "launch".

Will it be a bit more polished? Undoubtedly. Will some of the issues be solved? Hopefully.

But saying "its still early" or "its still alpha/beta/pre-release/whatever" at this point and insinuating that some major shift is going to happen where the focus and design of the game will suddenly become what everyone wants and hopes for is a pipe dream, plain and simple.

 

Agree.
The game has dropped off my radar so much that the "release" could come and go, and I probably wouldn't notice it (I mean I've stopped reading the e-mail updates telling me about the latest cosmetic I can buy or when the next fundraising telethon is).

There is just too much competition out there for a mediocre game to be successful and it seems like this game will probably live off its backers forever (I mean it has for four 1/2 years already).

Also agree. .. 4 1/2 years is not "early" anymore.

 

I work with MMO developers in asia. The game they are developing at the moment has been worked on 4 years and is about to start beta testing next year.
Granted this takes longer in China as the goverment has to approve the content, but that usually takes only a couple of months off their dev time.
That doesn't change the fact though that SotA has very little content for their 4 1/2 years.

 

We had SO many (locked) threads about asking for this. Locked because as soon as you ask for Ultima content everyone who fears it takes away from the MMO aspect trolls the thread and it goes downhill.

 

So many of us want to re-live that great feeling of the Ultimas in what ever form. Myself included.

It's time to look forward with what we know and help make something even better. It will take time and possible undoing and redoing a thing but I do believe this will happen.

RG started something years ago that captured so many people and I know his intention is to do even better this time. The technology is so much better now, that anything that could not be done in the past can be done now.

Positive attitudes and letting the Devs know what we want and any new ideas is needed.

Although this game will be like many other games at a basic level, RG and the Devs are already going further than some games that have been around for years.

I have faith that RG, Starr, the Devs and all of us will be apart of something very big.

Patience people.

 

again, see my post above.

If you had made this statement 2 or 3 years ago, I would have agreed with you. At this point, it just smacks of denial. No offense intended, of course.

 

No offense taken.

It's been a long time in this development of this game.

I have never been apart of the development of a game like this (except simple beta play) and I will say.... It's been a long time but I like what I have been through. It's also been a lot of work and waiting.

From where this game started, a room with a chair and a chicken if my information is correct, I will say that the Devs have done a tremendous job with the small team that they had to start with.

No one can argue that it still has a long ways to go but the Devs are plugging along at a pretty good pace.

Once again about the development part. We as players are not players. WE are investors and developers as well. Whether you would like to see it that way or not WE ARE.

We are seeing the game in all of its stages of development that most people will not see in any other game. I think that normally Developers would test internally until a certain level and then release to the public. We (at least I) have gotten to see things about development that we (I) would have never seen before and after so many years it's taking its toll on all of us.

That's the angle I am seeing this from.

Whether we thought this is what was going to happen, this is what it is like to develop a game. It's been a long time but it's also been very interesting.

I have played many online games and this team is going so much farther on so many subjects that I asked and asked about on other game forums and never got a response.
This Dev is going where the other games WILL NOT.

I'm still sticking with Team Portal.

 

That's why I said, "when they declare the game launched". It actually launched according to anything that matters the day it went persistent, that I won't bother to look up, August last year. We agree - a wipe after persistence was never on the table, anyway. That's what their use of persistence meant in this game world.

I'm not sure what was the bigger mistake. Even considering an offline mode and the complete and total waste of resources it would come with, or declaring that progress begins at a state in the game where it was last year.

On one hand, where would the game be if they didn't include a mode an irrelevant amount of people play? But on the other, the game launched, was covered as a launch, and was in a pretty bad state with numerous well documented and abused mechanics. What if they didn't launch then?

Lots of what if's. That's about all that you can really point to here, these days.

 

If offline was nothing more than the ability to play when you don't have internet there wouldn't be an issue. When offline carries an expectation of something more than online then offline starts to become more baggage than it's worth.

 

...and if that's what people were sold 4.5 years ago when they pledged, there also wouldn't be an issue.