What's It Gonna Take... to Launch a fun and successful game

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by majoria70, Jan 3, 2018.

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  1. HoustonDragon

    HoustonDragon Avatar

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    Honestly, one thing I've always thought would help drive the game more would be either Seers (like they had in UO) to help push some story elements and mini-quests, or else just throwing some actual IN-CHARACTER game events out there. Not bashing the dance parties or hot tub shenanigans that players put together, but that's not really anything stemming from the actual game world or story itself.

    Get people involved with their CHARACTERS so they can start to build and tell their own stories as it relates to the in-game world. Otherwise, it's basically Medieval Sims.
     
  2. Oeneusc

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    Seers have no pearl and can still cast energy bolt. Cheaters. :D

    I think it's a great idea but there's one question that always pops up. Are they employees in the eyes of the law? :eek: It would be tough to even classify them as interns.
     
  3. StrangerDiamond

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    I was a seer for UO pacific/atlantic circa 1998-until the death of the program. Our followers of armageddon questline was one of the most memorable moments of the game. Not many people seem to remember UO had a live storyline, I was even told I was crazy for thinking it (lol I wrote parts of it, but to be honest I participated to merely 1% of it, but I was playing Bal-Lem as a NPC, so I know).

    Sadly the GM team participating in RMT had the whole team fired because of conflict of interest. The story was trashed (we had used less than 50% of our script people worked for YEARS on, which was very sad)... and EA turned the game into a RMT item-based machine.
     
  4. StrangerDiamond

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    We used to be 100% volunteer, the elder seers, those who made the calls, were real paid employees.

    There was a slight scare when two counselors pulled out a special law against companies using volunteers for profit purposes. My inside info tells me it was only a distraction tactic, in order to give time for EA to modify the TOS and after that, every EM (who replaced seers) have been EA employees (I knew most of them because EA re-hired me as a companion and programmer) who were sadly only making mass hack and slash scenes with ridiculous loot (in order to fuel the RMT machine).

    Everything felt diluted, it was a treason against the vision.
     
  5. Deadly Habit

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    Simply put a wipe and good NUE. With persistence being well over a year new players are going to feel the imbalance and almost cheated out of core systems like housing due to the land rush being over. Wanna be top PVP? Too bad people already have gamed the system and are like gods now (not to mention exploited broken systems like the control points but got to keep their ill gotten gains).
     
  6. StrangerDiamond

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    You can't wipe a virtual collector game... sadly.

    The game will evolve and make it so we all can catch up to the powergamers, I'm certain of that. What worries me is the collateral damage of keeping this agenda occulted to stabilize the virtual economy.

    The discussion about the proposed solutions should not have been closed and should end with a resolution, even if it does not change. Our lack of structure is harmful right now...
     
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  7. Deadly Habit

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    What I'm worried about is the "commercial release" if you will later on next month and retaining those potential new players. Like I said for most of the MMO community they know of this game and considered it released once persistence and the land rush happened. I'm sure more balance can be applied to make it a more fair system for new players and even things like soft caps, what has me pessimistic is even with the free trials and "marketing" about the upcoming releases is it's such a niche title that is still dependent on telethons and such for operating funds instead of actual sales of the title, and frankly I don't think even selling it as a Lord British title or Ultima spiritual sequel is going to keep it afloat.

    edit: I'm also hopeful this doesn't get moderated for being negative or such as I want this project to succeed, just you can call it realistic or pessimistic expectations when it comes to MMO titles seems to support what I'm thinking and I'd like to have critical discussions on here vs being in that "organized group of trolls" on reddit.
     
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  8. Earl Atogrim von Draken

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    Not going to pretend that they will be a majority but just today I talked to two friends about sota and they actually said they aren't going to touch it untill Port says its released because they want to give the developer the time they think they need to finish the game. No joke.
    Though, as I said, I doubt those two represent the majority of players out there^^
     
  9. StrangerDiamond

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    I think their plan and international expansion plan is realistic and sound... there is no doubt anymore that the playerbase we have right now is enough to keep the game afloat with regular patches and content. Ultima has international fame because of UO, and Tabula Rasa also has a fanbase whom will be much less vocal on forums.

    The problem is the type of players we attract, because you will agree that many of us are here because of the community and what becomes possible because of it.

    We want it to be a royal niche, where people are respected for their contributions and everyone smiles and is here to have fun.

    Those sensitive, creative people are the first to be discouraged on sight of injustice. Then 99% of the time they will go on and try to "get heard" on the forums, and 99% of the time people on the forums will perceive it as an ultimatum or an attack of the integrity of the logic behind the game.

    A few steps later that player is gone and not only gone, he's gone with an emotional trauma. And you will never hear about it again because those players are looking for a feeling of belonging. What just happened to them is the total opposite.

    I know personally of two players who are exceptional writers and community members who wanted to create a theater and plays... they left because of an issue that is completely minor.

    The pattern sets in and its like having an emotional shield when you want to build an intimate engaged relationship which you feel good about dedicating time to. It doesn't work, soon you realize that you trigger what you're trying to avoid, and that will be it.

    Then we're left with the players from all around the world who didn't necessarily study ultima and the lore of the game for years before uniting players from all over to create aforementioned theater and enhance everyone's knowledge of the depth of the game and its possibilities.

    The community is not united without those leaders, the collateral damage becomes real.
     
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  10. Deadly Habit

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    Oh I get that mindset, but do they know the game has been persistent for over a year? Like I said I want this to succeed, but I think new (MMO) players are going to be especially harsh with that realization that it's been persistent for well over a year when it comes to reviews and refunds on Steam.
     
  11. StrangerDiamond

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    The shadow playerbase is here and very real as well... which is why my message has NEVER, EVER, been a message of doom... just a lil gloom.
     
  12. Earl Atogrim von Draken

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    Oh they are both aware. Both are backers since 2014 or 2015.

    About the rest I really don't know. I prefer to find a active world when I start playing an mmo. I don't have to be there on the start and do everything first. There will be other opportunities later in the development cycle of such games to become the first in whatever. Mmo live by that principles otherwise they wouldn't exist anymore.
    No I am still concerned if this game offers enough endgame content beside hosusing. Though I know from my uo and swg times that housing can be a strong long-term motivation....
    In other words: I really don't know ^^
     
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  13. Stundorn

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    What makes you certain?
     
  14. redfish

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    Honestly, I think the types of the game mechanics you see in many survival RPGs, and are in games like the Sims too, helps players create their own adventures and view just going out on adventures in the game world as a kind of story.

    A comparison in the Ultima world would be how in the Ultima games, you'd prepare with provisions, set up camp at night to avoid monsters and deal with injuries, stop to repair your ship, unexpectedly run into bandits on the road, etc.

    When you just teleport to a zone, grind for an hour, teleport home... not much of an adventure.

    I would compare dance parties and stuff as it currently exists more to Second Life gameplay than Sims gameplay, honestly. Not that I'm against this either! Festivals and events and so on can be part of role-playing. Though I think the more RP elements structure the game, the more they naturally become around RP and less of just a virtual chat room experience, and so more rewarding for players...

    ie. Bowen starting a player event around astronomy, Vyrin & Womby around books, etc, a PvP event in Vengeance around a guild feud.
     
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  15. StrangerDiamond

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    Because I know what to expect from @DarkStarr and the expansions of the game will be a medley of chaos and tabula rasas :)

    Remember :

    [​IMG] :D

    Have some faith, if our devs didn't learn from UO, they sure learned from Tabula Rasa :p

    This game will reward the spiritual and the clever, as per stated intentions.
     
  16. Cock of the North

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    I didnt want to ruin this game for myself by playing when I originally tried it close to release so I waited until now to play it and have to say it seems a pretty decent standard to me in comparison to a lot of other games I have played.

    The real money transactions thing always gets me though. I dont mind using it, hell I have bought several useless items off the store already.

    My two main huge beefs with this game are how all the NPC towns are completely dead and make the game look completely and utterly abandoned, and the fact that I basically HAVE to buy cotos to repair my weapons. Games that look and feel dead will not retain new players imho. I guess we have singleplayer and friends online to thank for not having a proper persistant world mmo similar to why Elite Dangerous is such an awful MMO. Yeah you can do all this stuff but its completely useless because situations where you can use it are non-existant thanks to our amazing design. Sure people will argue with that. But all I can say is, neither I, or anyone I know who has tried Elite actually play it at all.

    Those two things are painfully awful to me. Nothing else really stick outs as that bad to me. I am throughly enjoying the PvE in the game.

    I am a little sad about how there appear to be absolutely zero opportunities to PvP with anyone except going to the highest level PvP zone available and trying to contend with people who will absolutely smash me resulting in me paying a ransom equivalent to buying a house lot deed. Which after a month of hard binge grinding I still cannot afford yet.

    Unfinished skills in the table looks bad too though, like lockpicking.

    I am also an alchemist and actually get so many potions from killing things that I doubt I would ever have to actually craft any. Should probably look at this. I am vendoring potions I loot because there are too mqny on drops. And only ever craft corpion poison non stop every day.

    Im not trying to bash the game I am basically sharing my honest views based on actual experiences and well, common sense which a lot of people seem to lack.

    :D I mean that in the nicest way possible of course.

    Hopefully see you all in game.
     
    Last edited: Feb 27, 2018
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  17. Rada Torment

    Rada Torment Community Ambassador (ES)

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    Like some of our community friends, I already completed all the pve content the game has to offer, and 90% quests (I can't say all because there are always some new). So for me and those who are in my same position looking for the "sandbox" paradise, the tools are the key.

    - Sandbox tools and interactivity in the game world.

    This is the only way to stand out from others.
     
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  18. Lord Blackthorne

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    I still can't ask a guard where the exits are. Lol.

    --

    I agree that we need to stop adding new content right now and polish what is already in game.

    One of my biggest objections to this game currently is that the trailer which showcases the game and lures new players in is nothing short of awful (in terms of being used to sell a product). It was cute and acceptable for our little group of friends - but it needs to be updated now - and done professionally.

    This game is unable to compete against other MMORPGs in its present state of advertisement related media. We need a proper trailer and a polished-for-its-current-state game.
     
    Last edited: Feb 27, 2018
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  19. HoustonDragon

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    Definitely keep Bill Johnson for voicing, but yeah, it needs some updated love.
     
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  20. Rada Torment

    Rada Torment Community Ambassador (ES)

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    Seems like I'm the only one who likes the trailer we have.
     
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