[POLL] What is your *overall* rating for this Pre-Alpha Release 6? (UNOFFICIAL)

R6 was a surprisingly vital experience to restoring a modicum of hope about where this game is headed for me.
After I funded the project last year, I followed the forums and progress leading up to Release 1 voraciously. I was so excited to try it and when I finally got in, the reality of a PRE-alpha release hit me.
I've never tested a game that early in the development process and was basically aghast at how far away from anything remotely resembling a playable game SotA was.
Release 2 was a decidedly horrible experience for me as I was only able to actually get into the game for 30 minutes before it violently crashed. I didn't like the way this was going.
I was unable to get into Release 3 at all and that point basically told myself that I would just move on with my life and return to the game whenever it was finally finished in 2054 or whenever.
I got newsletter for Release 6 on the long holiday weekend and decided to give it a try.
I am really happy I did.
Not only was I able to log into the game with ease but I was actually able to spend a good 4-5 hours running about New Brittania.
I set aside my cynicism for a while and killed spiders, traipsed through all of the homes that were claimed, and as I flirted with the NPC guard at the lighthouse in Kingsport, I fell back in love with the project.
I felt a gush of delight in a virtual world that I haven't experienced since the days of UO.
I can't really explain why as the world still feels very sterile and weird to me, but something about the time I spent in there has stuck with me in the days that have dissolved since then.
I am totally back on board.

 

Can't give it more than a 2. Not living up to the legacy for me and I can't visualize it doing so with the current design direction, production values and standards.

Housing feature holds promise, as does crafting, as does the inventory and character paperdoll. That's why I'm not giving it a 1. Everything else is a disappointment to me, even at this stage of the game.

Didn't see too many issues with networking this time around but I don't think it's been stressed yet either so I can't give any points on that. The technical underpinnings of the game seem mostly sound, although I saw a lot of people were having graphical glitches. Again, can't give any points for the technical side of things yet because it remains to be seen how all that will shake out.

Major negatives for me:
- Overall lack of quality
- Not a lot innovation. The only thing I consider even relatively innovative yet is the housing system.

 

I had to rate this as a 3 because the focus was just on polish only. The lighting was an improvement, and in some cases. awesome. However, it still needs work. The night sky was incredible.
Bright areas were over saturated. Experienced lag every time I opened up my back pack. I had wondered whether Chris was doing something different with item counts in this release. It seems
to be a bit more lagged. It was nice to see Pax Lair creating their own community in the game.

 

I can't judge the game yet because it is not fully done. I due hope the map travel is like ultima 9 was like.I am waiting for the armor to be more realistic too. I due wish I could have afforded the Dukes awsome castle. Some day I hope to get it some way. I had fun bringing life into my home. Thank you

 

This is what armour looks like

 

I have to say that I really enjoyed this release. Visually stunning (maybe the new rig helped) but I just wanted to stare at the landscape. And some of the screenshots posted by others (especially @Fireangel) were sublime. Combat is getting better, more balanced - most enemies were a bit tougher this time around, and defeating liches with a party really gave a sense of achievement. Player trade was easy and fantastic. New areas - the sewers of Owlshead - brilliant. I LOVED the lighting there - very moody and mysterious. Really need a torch or light spell; makes it feel very realistic.
I did crash once, and was a disembodied head occasionally, but these are teething problems; I'm sure the devs are all over it.
Again, I am judging this on development, not a finished product. If I were looking at a scan of a 20-week baby, I would note that organs were developing nicely, everything seemed to be in the right place, and I would say "perfect". If that baby was then born, it would die. It is nowhere near ready for the world. But with another 20 weeks of growth and development, there is every prospect of a beautiful, healthy child. SotA is a lot like that - a fair way to go, but looking brilliant so far. On that basis I gave it a 5.

 

i gave this one a 4. The extra work on the visuals worked out for me - the improvements were very discernible even on my laptop.

I'm going to be tougher on R7 though , I expect it to get a 3

 

Has anyone done some really good screen shot comparisons (and by good I mean the same area from the same angle etc) between R5 and 6?

I really really really looked for the improvements and polish that people are talking about but on my screen for the most part things seemed the same. Wondering if the quality setting (mine has always been on max) has anything to do with it.

 

I love the new benefactor Lord home. The graphics are a lot better. I did have problems getting bugged crafting, and zoning, and stuck a lot when zoning. I suppose this is to be expected. I do see improvements and can't wait for R7

 

From R3 to R6, yes. There are zero texturing improvements in the SS's I took.

Lighting, yes, textures, no.

 

I had to give a lower vote to this one than normal, because even though I had a blast with it, most of their stated 'improvements' on the user end were actually worse than before. Now, I realize that this mainly has to do with the fact that they changed the underlying systems to be more efficient/resilient/whatever in the long run, but for the user/player, they were worse, not more polished. It was also by FAR the least stable release for me. I didn't have this many connection issues even in R1. It crashed my spouse's whole computer multiple times.

 

I had to give a lower vote to this one than normal, because even though I had a blast with it, most of their stated 'improvements' on the user end were actually worse than before. Now, I realize that this mainly has to do with the fact that they changed the underlying systems to be more efficient/resilient/whatever in the long run, but for the user/player, they were worse, not more polished. It was also by FAR the least stable release for me. I didn't have this many connection issues even in R1. It crashed my spouse's whole computer multiple times.

 

The switch from gamma to linear lighting did make a small difference but the lighting still looks off and sub-par compared to other games.

Shaders are still not being used very well. A lot of the materials are just flat and lifeless. As their technical artist mentioned, there's no specularity. Metal doesn't look like metal.

I expect Unity 5 will help greatly but to be honest, it's possible to make Unity 4 look awesome as well. It's just a matter of knowing your textures, materials and shaders and using the right tools to create good quality art. There's no reason why Unity games can't look AAA. It's not the engine's fault.

PBR will take things to the next level, though.

 

Thanks all for your votes so far and extra thanks to those that elaborated in the comments! Keep them coming! Currently R6 is actually trending just slightly lower (-2.2%) than R5. Overall the trend has been down since R1 but the overall / combined average is still favorable at about 3.6. R1 remains the high point at 3.8 and R4 the low point at 3.3.

 

As we play through these pre-alphas or early releases lets keep in mind. Even big budget games have their flaws with fully launched games.

 

I Confess i did not get to play much but, it looked good and ill leave it at that ........ I know Chris and his team can hand it .. im just doing my best to be patient and objective

 

I said 4. I love the continuing improvement on visuals - but the last two releases were mostly related to performance & visuals which meant I was seeing same old same old.

 

Even with a second shot at R6 this week (R6 week for me was rather busy and I had less playtime, and when I was ingame, lack of new systems/content kind of left me just sitting around after getting my "outfits"), I still have to give it a 3.

Plus was the lighting of course, which had to be tweaked a few times, but looks good IMO now.

BIG Minus goes to the Item lag which in the same location causes my FPS to go from 29 - 30 with no inventory or extra UI open to 4 - 5 with inventory packs open.

Another big Minus goes to the bugs that have crept into crafting this Release. Coupled with the item lag, crafting is difficult at best, unplayable at worst.

Really a let down from the 4 - 5 qualities I have given previous releases.

 

Yep, I doubt their UI draws are optimized in any way, shape or form. They're likely making draw calls for every item whether it's visible or not. My FPS drops tremendously as well. But as a side effect of the item lag that you mention, you get the crafting dupe bug! Craft items without even having the ingredients!

 

I give it a 3. I Had fun with it just like 5, but as has already been stated, some new crafting bugs were very irritating, like the time I had the stuff on the crafting table disappear completely.

I did enjoy decorating my house, crafting and and just exploring around. I did float around as a head without a body at times. I swam down a road and of course, had the game get locked loading scenes at 86% many times, with those usually being non-descript hexes out of towns or dungeons. Occasionally the game just crashed and made me re-log in.

Oh, one of the highlights was chatting with a neighbor outside Owls Head that started with UO in '98 like I did.

I am looking forward to release 7.

 

I'm so new to the game I squeak when I swing an axe. This was my first opportunity to actually get into the game and play with the "toys", wandering around town and looking at the scenery during day and night. I was constantly delighted by little things discovered, like lighting the torches in the Red Sash cave, and getting my leg chewed off by the "treasure" chest! I gave the poll a 5, based entirely on the answer to the questions "Did you have fun?", "Were you challenged?", and "Were you entertained?". Darned right I was... to all questions!

I could have used more instruction on basic mechanics of the game, but was fortunate to acquire a guide who assisted me greatly with sticking points. (Thanks for your time and trouble, Karrolanth!)

I'm already looking forward to doing more exploring, and hoping to acquire a longbow soon, to use on those pesky rabbits!

-Sam