Story still needs work, please provide your feedback!

I got my Shroud. It was a very unsatisfying experience for me. I wonder if the devs are getting enough feedback on the story. I don't see enough on the forum.

My point with this post is to encourage more of you to experience the story and provide your own feedback.

I lay out a huge list of inconsistencies and unanswered story questions here for the Path of the Oracle. Caution: SPOILERS:

https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...eting-the-path-of-the-oracle-spoilers.101346/

I also wrote up comprehensive comments about the 3 virtue paths:

LOVE: https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...uly-is-it-ready-i-dont-think-so-do-you.91821/

COURAGE: https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...july-continuing-on-the-path-of-courage.92704/

TRUTH: https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...f-july-continuing-on-the-path-of-truth.91910/

We need a story reset so those of us who are willing to test can do it again. And maybe even a few more resets.

I still have hope it can get better, but I think it will take more speaking about their experience of the story.

 

I am in complete agreement @Vyrin. The story/lore is the most important part of the game for me and unfortunately it is still lacking a lot of depth. I thoroughly enjoyed the new content that has been added since "story complete" but the loose ends need to be tightened and tied up. Story reset will be a good litmus test for us and the devs to go back and really drill down on the parts that are lacking or just plain confusing. It is my hope that collectively we can all offer the devs constructive feedback that can expeditiously fix the glaring holes that currently exist in the game story. Like you Vyrin, I still have hope that things will get better, but we definitely need to keep this dialogue going to ensure that it comes to fruition!

 

Here are some of my comments on the truth quest from a couple of releses back (obviously, I don't know if they are still valid, as I can't re-run it): https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?threads/spoilers-observations-on-truth.97952/
I also wrote up some issues I had with Boreas Colossus: https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/forum/index.php?threads/boreas-colossus.98690/

I probably should have wrote ones on other sections too, but even doing those was exasperating.

Even without the XP, if they gave me a quest-reset and told me "okay, we think it's ready now" I'd have it another pass through. When I went through, there was enough that needed work that I would want them to actually tell us they think it's ready. I'm willing to put the time in, because getting this right is really important to the future of the game, but I need to know that time isn't going to be wasted.

 

I was going to write how I felt about the two paths I've completed, Love and Courage, but Vyrin articulated my feelings exactly in his posts.

Please listen to what he says.

 

To improve the storyline, just my opinion, I feel it is important ...
1. removing obvious bugs, disturbings and unlogical elements
2. polishing and improving things, which are important for a better story feeling (for example: map, journal)
3. having the feeling of a good flow. If this is not given, which moments prevent it?
4. considering what can be done to support the story (May be with graphic or music elements, is phasing a solution?).
Have a look at the graphics of Ultima VII. It wasn't the graphic, which excited people. No highend effects!
It was the spirit of storytelling and how characters were illustrated ... And I think, @Lord British is the one who can spend a huge experience
It's just the tightrope walk to transfer the right things between and inside the actual storyelements ... to connect the parts to a meaningful experience (offline and online).

Everybody can start a new offline character to test the three intros for each path (until the outskirts).
How is the feeling at the beginning?
After the possibility to reset the whole questline in R.47 I recommend to play with your online character and follow the whole path.
Constructive Feedback is necessary to tell, where our fun and game flow was broken and by what?

There are a few Threads from me about quests, story, quest journal, map.
I also will try to provide actual feedback after Storyreset. Actual I do it for the start sequences in offline mode.

 

1. @Vyrin, don't forget we can use the offline mode, too. Just save and make a new character
2. It would be a very good idea to have FOUR Threads with beginning of R.47 for each path to collect constructive feedback to make it more useful for the developers!

May be
1. Love / 2. Courage / 3. Truth / 4. Oracle (Britain - no Outskirts on the path of Oracle )
Points of interest:
1.1 starting sequence - from the lunar rift until the outskirts
1.2 Solace Bridge Outskirts / 2.2 Highvale Outskirts / 3.2 Bloodriver Outskirts
1.3 Soltown/2.3 Resolute/3.3 Aerie until the end of path

 

That is an excellent point. My main fear is having to grind myself up to the point where I can do the combat that needs to be done. Especially the path of the Oracle - there are some tough spots there.

I also like your suggestion for a format for providing feedback on the story - wish something like that could be organized on the forum.

 

I don't even know how you'd get over the the deep lava-flow without two people.

 

You can do it - but the chance to die is very high!

Short answer: try it, min. 50% Chance to die. When transformed into a ghost:
Jump up on the other side (right corner) of the lava flow.
It works ( I did it three times). Not easy to find the right way, but it works ...

 

@Berek, @DarkStarr, @Lord British
any chances to have a new main forum point with R47 to provide more structured and targeted feedback to the storyparts next months?

Something like this:
< STORY POLISH - feedback >

0 Arival - until choosing our path and entering the lunar rift

1.1 Path of Love - Intro
1.2 Path of Love - Solace Bridge Outskirts
1.3 Path of Love - Mainpath (No Sidequests!)
1.4 Path of Love - Finale

2.1 Path of Courage - Intro
2.2 Path of Courage - Highvale Outskirts
2.3 Path of Courage - Mainpath (No Sidequests!)
2.4 Path of Love - Finale

3.1 Path of Truth - Intro
3.2 Path of Truth - Bloodriver Outskirts
3.3 Path of Truth - Mainpath (No Sidequests!)
3.4 Path of Love - Finale

4.1 Path of the Oracle - Intro
4.2 Search for the lenses (Titans)
4.3 Search for the Virtue Scrolls (Brittany and Vaults)
4.4 Path of Love - Finale

5.1 Sidequests Path of Love
5.2 Sidequests Path of Courage
5.3 Sidequests Path of Truth

Thank you for considering this

 

I like this idea! What if you create the post to kick it off, would that work?

 

@Paladin Michael, take Berek up on this opporunity! An announcement of a new feedback section like this would hopefully stir up some interest.... and would be great to have before the story wipe.

 

In fact, @Berek, could the devs make a special request in their upcoming telethon and other events to ask people to provide feedback on the story?

 

Sounds good, we can mention that!

 

iirc i blinked or/and had soothing rain, iceshield abd douse active

 

I have a Shroud. I have no idea what the story was about. None of it made any sense to me, I have no idea what the oracle is or wanted from me. All I know is I found some pieces of paper and now I have a white piece of cloth in the bank.

 

Can we also make a very special request that we get feedback on the pages of feedback we've given? It's really frustrating to write a 2 page article about your feelings on a quest, and not even know if anyone's bothered to read it.

 

I will ask the team to be more proactive here, a good idea.

 

It might be helpful for the team to tell us what parts of the story y'all most want feedback on in a given release. This might provide testers with confidence that feedback provided is desired and meaningful to the team. Its a bit heartbreaking to invest time to write up thoughtful notes to only then be told that we shouldn't have clicked a link that we did, as if we were wrong to play the game or something. Most of us want to provide feedback meaningfully. Tell us what problems you want feedback on and ask us to see if it makes more sense now, and we will provide that feedback.

 

@Vryin,
first, sorry for answering late. My PC crashed and I am still in proofing, what happened

I asked Berek about the possibilities what he can provide in the forum.
I didn't want to make the forum a tech talk
He told me, that he cold create a 'master thread' that has a sort of Table of Contents in it.
I appreciate this and we will try, if it works in this way. I will create the posts like I told above, when the master thread is here.
I think with start of R47