MMORPG SotA Column: Concerns Worthy of Note

At the rate they are being funded... it has been about 3 months and most of them are barely funded at 1%... at that rate, the most popular will finally be funded by what...2023?

Edit: Sorry... bad info. The megapost for the stretch goal store was june 5th, 3 months ago. Adjusted time estimate.

 

Any of them. They've barely moved since the initial enthusiasm.

They needed the funds to continue development.

 

Thats what came to mind / when I first heard of it - I did not log in here for about 3 months so it was a little bit of a surprise

 

They have already made comments that suggest all stretch goals are POST E1 anyway, so I don't think it's a good indication that they were ever supposed to be done quickly. I think the stretch goals will get more love when they're serious about putting resources to them. Like one day after E1 has been launched they'll say "I guess now it's time to give people more incentive to meet the stretch goals!" Then we'll see the needle really move and then we'll see the devs actually want them on the development schedule.

 

We'll see... *grins*

 

I don't think the mounts matter a great deal - right now

The big one for me is the siege mechanics and guild warfare / with the inclusion of player own towns - there is probably going to be a much stronger focus on this now (feature creep - its written all over it )

 

Darkstarr looks like far too much of a task-master to allow that without money to pay for it lol

 

I've been trying to think of good E2 things to ask for. At the top of my list is Ritual Magic, a Bounty System, and a Judicial System.

 

As long as they give us a great game to play I'll be happy

 

Crime! Please, crime! Justice systems add so much depth to games when done well.

 

Judicial system could be fun ... (my version would teleport you to a secluded part of the world with no armor, food or shelter - just a sword and you would have to trek back to civilization - and it would be filled with labyrinths and deadly creature )

When it comes to features - I would like to see what they are doing with their current plans / I would like for those features to really be "solid"

As for E2 - I would like to have the ability to create and in world map - that I can edit - and ideally mark every hex ... that there would be "points" "markers" in a hex - or a mechanism that determines how much of the hex you have explored and it will generate the map with resources available and valuable info

The map - could be sold / but it would only give / image base clues as to what is in the hex ... but the detail one would only show to the person who explored

I'm an explorer in game - so things like this would make my gaming experience jump for joy ... exploring for exploration sake / not so much about exploring for resources ...

 

That's almost a better (more fitting) way to ask for it too. Dear Developers, please put crime into the world.

It's funny because that's the only thing that we can stop if we really want to. It could be a near crime free world. No stealing, no murder, etc... Yet without those things, what's the point?

 

Darkstarr and RG recently said they were pushing hard to get map creation into E1 (that it's going to be hard for them to do but it's an internal stretch goal that everyone would love to make happen if possible). That's from the long video tour that smack put up in the Town Hall forum.

 

It's not that I like their system as much, as it hasn't detracted from my enjoyment of the game quite like I expected.

That's not to say I don't like it either, though. I don't like it as much as I like skill-based progression, but I do like it much better than the generic level-based progression you see in most MMOs.

 

ok - maps check

We have clockwork - why not a profession base on it? - I know the tinker is based of trap building etc ... but who is to say that the tinker in the new world would could not "build pets"

 

Expanding on the idea - mining for resources - metals for casing, jewels for conductivity, we have coils - dyes for paint ... the infrastructure is there ...

expanding a little further - the whole concept of the chimera is already in the game - "Fullmetal Alchemist" - a blend of necromancy with clockwork tech ... there are a lot of possibilities

 

Pet clock! I'd buy one.

I think that can wait for a future episode, though. Mounts, ships, factions (guild alliances), and crime all feel like more integral features to me.

Oh, and guild stones. Guild stones were the coolest.

 

But the one thing I want most of all is a Ferret ... a battle ferret ... it doesn't have to be this large - I'll take one half the size ... and yeah it may mess up the lore of the game but look at it ... its awesome!

 

Getting a lot now with player owned towns shouldn't be an issue. I'm pretty sure you will be able to get a lot with in game currency in the end.

They seem to be wanting to add a lot with a lot of the features that are supposed to be in not in yet, it has a bit of featur creep happening. I'm not against great new ideas but realistic goals so that you can meet them is better in my book.

 

I absolutely loved the Gypsy wagon In Ultima where you were given choices and to determine your role by making decisions from real world scenarios. I am not saying that we set players up this way but if we could come up with an interesting system that introduces them to the different systems of the game it would definitly go a long way to making the game more fun. For example, I want to begin my travels as a fighter and so I am directed to a trainer of melee arts or something. That trainer could introduce me to the combat system in an interactive manner. This beats the heck out of player manuals and second hand information and adds a whole new depth to the game that new players will appreciate and remember. Add a few interactive tutorials that are fun so that people can get their feet under them and more people will want to stay and play.