Things I never understood but learned to appreciate.

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Jekyll, Feb 28, 2019.

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  1. Sketch_

    Sketch_ Avatar

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    I'm really enjoying the game these days - not so much because I'm out adventuring - tbf I've been losing lots of gold experimenting with player housing...

    But it wasn't always this way - I remember being incredibly upset about things that I now understand as being pretty silly. Things like zones/overland map rather than a full streaming "open world" experience. I wasn't very outspoken about it on the forum, but man have I ranted indignantly about a plethora of Portalarium's design choices through the years.

    I think most recently is when the global banking and open-passes patch went in. I couldn't wrap my head around it.

    It created an incredible sensation of confusion, and a huge inner conflict of logic. I had no real chance of rationalizing my inner turmoil, so mostly it was incomprehensible rambling about the emotional sensations it created - which of course is a lot like trying to "Pull" open a door which is clearly labeled "Push".

    My emotional fervor blinded me, in that way.

    When I had a chance to calm down, cool my jets, and get at it again -- it was business as usual, funnily enough.

    SOTA has made me a better gamer, and a more appreciative gamer - for what its worth.

    IF something sets you off, like a strange patch or design decision - I encourage you to endure and investigate, or at the least take a small break and try it out once you've calmed down. I see a lot of people getting really upset about things now and then, which if they took a step back they might be able to approach it with a cool head, and a touch of patience.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2019
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  2. Woodchuck

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    @Stealth2 regarding your inner turmoil with “zones/overland map rather than a full streaming open world” are you saying you’ve learned to appreciate the loading screens?
     
  3. Sketch_

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    You mean the loading screens as in the days/weeks/months we go without so much of a whisper regarding our simple and elegantly organized ideas and plans about how to fix everything we think is wrong with this videogame? Or like, when you leave a zone and you see like the artwork and the progress bar that sort of thing? Nah I don't mind those too much, they don't happen very frequently tbf - I spend much more time "in zone" than moving betwixt said zones.
     
  4. Woodchuck

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    Gotcha. The loading screens didn’t bother me when i first started playing. But now I hate them with a passion. I can’t stand how long it takes.

    A full streaming open world design where there are no loading screens would have been an amazing achievement not only by this game’s standards but by gaming history standards. Personally, I’ve resigned/conceeded to the fact that will never happen, rather than appreciate it.
     
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  5. Adam Crow

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    Great post @Stealth2 ! I have felt the same way about a lot of things. My playstyle is probably a much wider range than most of the players here because I engage in almost everything. I enjoy RP, PvP, PvE, crafting, economy, writing, deco, and I'm sure I'm missing some other things. When changes go in, they almost always affect me in some way and change can be hard especially when you disagree or don't understand the reason behind it.

    I think we all know by now, this is such a small team they are going to make mistakes here and there. Sometimes they get corrected, sometimes not. But I would like to say that over the years when certain things have been changed and I honestly thought about quitting, those changes have been either reverted or rectified in a way that kept me happy or at least content. These guys are trying their best, and I'd be willing to bet the devs want this game to succeed more then any of us players do.

    When something gets you upset, the first instinct for anyone is to lash out and be angry. That usually doesn't help matters, so take a step back and try to be constructive with feedback. I can get very argumentative at times and very emotional and I've made mistake after mistake here on the forums when I have tried to put my thoughts into words. I've been wrong on countless occasions because I haven't had patience and let my emotions get the better of me. As I get older I have tried my best to look at every issue from all sides and not just the side I initially agree with.

    If you have an issue with something that just seems completely bonkers, after taking a step back to calm down, sometimes the best thing to do is just send a personal message to one of the devs. You might not get a response, but if you keep it short, constructive, and to the point, I bet they will at least read it!

    Over the years on the few occasions I have reached out like this, I have almost always gotten a response or at the very least, the concern was answered in an announcement somewhere.
     
  6. Floors

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    There is another side to this tho, which is that you are just undergoing Stockholm Syndrome, and the concerns you have really are, in fact, valid ones :)
     
  7. Sketch_

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    yes, probably.

    EDIT: How SOTA slowly and gradually beat me into submission
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2019
  8. Sketch_

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  9. Steevodeevo

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    Good post, but there is a justification for the frustration, it isn't you, it's the inconsistent logic in a number of the changes.

    I would like to say they have all been for the betterment of the game in the end, even if I was baffled by them or disliked them at first, I don't think this is the case.

    Some game changes have been fundamental, euphemistically called 'quality of life' changes where Lord British's hardcore vision for the game has been scrapped due to low player numbers and poor reception. Some due to influential player pressures, others in desparate effort to 'popularise' the game (understandably) to grow revenue, some, it seems as foundations of features subsequently scrapped or put on ice, and others .... I still have no idea.
     
  10. Jason_M

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    I appreciate the honesty and clear headedness of the OP.

    Something that I always try to remind myself is that the developers have worked extremely hard to accomodate as large a number of playstyles as possible. They're trying to build a world that everyone can enjoy, and that is a terribly challenging balance to strike.

    So, when something happens that I think is ridiculoua, I try to understand which playstyle thay that is accomodating.

    It helps some of the time.

    When that fails, though, the best solution is to stop dwelling on it and have some fun.
     
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