Dissatisfied Players
Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 10:38 pm
So looking around the forums, most of the posts are about dissatisfaction with the update. While some of the points are entirely valid, it makes me think of when everyone wanted to push the update out. It was so boring that people threatened to quit , and now its so hard that people slap a return sticker on the whole update itself and are doing the same thing they did before. You can never please everyone. But - I'm going to point out some of the biggest areas that I've noticed detract from the long-term experience and longevity of the game, and ask that perhaps some of the solutions might be considered.
Lately, I read a lot of responses to Funnish's thread on the game being boring. I never thought the day would come, but sadly the game is slowly losing its appeal to me too. Maybe it will come back, it has many times. However, this is what I noticed. Now that we are so high leveled and so dependent upon mounds of XP, the only way that one can level efficiently (and keep up and have fun with clan mates - without feeling like an outcast) is to chug super XP elixirs. It reminds me of a time when the catacombs were all we had, and XP elixirs were non-existent. This was the highlight for me, because, the players who were on top were actually the players who put in the most effort..and not money. But as everyone knows, corporations and businesses need to profit. This game needs to lessen the grind-intensive XP-chugging madness, and rely on a different strategy, such as those yet to come (crafting, staking, outside of combat skills, territory wars, and so on). Grinding has never been the right answer to keep players addicted to the game - and while it is necessary, it should not be the only thing to do. Now that this game has been out a year, I feel like it needs to be pointed out.
Secondly, a level cap wouldn't be a bad idea. OK, yeah, I know anyone who drinks XP elixirs to stay at the top of their game (I do it too) will disagree with this idea - because they're well on the way to staying at the top of their class. However, I ask that we look at the long-term scheme. It might detract from the dullness of the grind-fest that is driving so many people to quit if we put a bright light at the end of the path. For example - once you hit level 150 (or up to 160, depending on how hard it is at that point) you're done leveling. You work on abilities, you do other things. Work on gaining money, help your clan-mates, run bosses. Do you really think not having a level cap in Stonevale kept people from quitting? Maybe for a few, but with this kind of XP and the point that this game has come to, we need to start looking at a cap. Otherwise people view this as a giant waste of time, and money, because they're never going to stop spending money to get to the top. And if they don't see it that way, well then, I guess they're content with how the game is.. But from what I've seen on the forums lately, thats not the case.
Thirdly, this game's economy is fine.. But only if you're a plat buyer. Literally, you can not make money in this game. You can only buy it, and that is a SERIOUS issue that has been here since the day the game came out. You can kill 10,000 mobs, but that might take you half of a year. There has to be some option for income, and for a while staking (betting players in duels, each player staking x amount of money and one winner taking all) was planned to be incorporated into this update. This kept my hopes up, because it allowed for the first ever non-trade cashflow, and actually gave the average joe a chance to make money outside of laying down real life money. Yet, this is still to come, but I still have heard no word on options to make money. On top of that, people are naturally greedy. Making money is one of the biggest draws to a game and..well, you can't have a successful MMO unless this is a factor.
So ultimately, all three of these options will probably cut down the company's income. Now, I know these developers are good people, I support what they do, and they've made it clear they're not wholely in it for the money. This is why I think some of these things need to be considered, because unless we start changing the grind-of-the-mill things that we're seeing, this game will not reach its full potential. I see fewer members of Prime (#1 clan on the leader boards) online recently then before the update, or not much more, and I come on to the forums to see about 10% of the community satisfied with the update. Something isn't mixing here, and these problems are some of the most evident I have seen throughout the time I've played. I'm hoping that this thread might be a last address to some of the most prominent problems that are causing so many players issues, so that they can be addressed and fixed. Please, comment if you have any valid points, as this is not meant to be a thread to vent on, but one that can help make the game a more complete experience for any given player who has been dissatisfied.
Lately, I read a lot of responses to Funnish's thread on the game being boring. I never thought the day would come, but sadly the game is slowly losing its appeal to me too. Maybe it will come back, it has many times. However, this is what I noticed. Now that we are so high leveled and so dependent upon mounds of XP, the only way that one can level efficiently (and keep up and have fun with clan mates - without feeling like an outcast) is to chug super XP elixirs. It reminds me of a time when the catacombs were all we had, and XP elixirs were non-existent. This was the highlight for me, because, the players who were on top were actually the players who put in the most effort..and not money. But as everyone knows, corporations and businesses need to profit. This game needs to lessen the grind-intensive XP-chugging madness, and rely on a different strategy, such as those yet to come (crafting, staking, outside of combat skills, territory wars, and so on). Grinding has never been the right answer to keep players addicted to the game - and while it is necessary, it should not be the only thing to do. Now that this game has been out a year, I feel like it needs to be pointed out.
Secondly, a level cap wouldn't be a bad idea. OK, yeah, I know anyone who drinks XP elixirs to stay at the top of their game (I do it too) will disagree with this idea - because they're well on the way to staying at the top of their class. However, I ask that we look at the long-term scheme. It might detract from the dullness of the grind-fest that is driving so many people to quit if we put a bright light at the end of the path. For example - once you hit level 150 (or up to 160, depending on how hard it is at that point) you're done leveling. You work on abilities, you do other things. Work on gaining money, help your clan-mates, run bosses. Do you really think not having a level cap in Stonevale kept people from quitting? Maybe for a few, but with this kind of XP and the point that this game has come to, we need to start looking at a cap. Otherwise people view this as a giant waste of time, and money, because they're never going to stop spending money to get to the top. And if they don't see it that way, well then, I guess they're content with how the game is.. But from what I've seen on the forums lately, thats not the case.
Thirdly, this game's economy is fine.. But only if you're a plat buyer. Literally, you can not make money in this game. You can only buy it, and that is a SERIOUS issue that has been here since the day the game came out. You can kill 10,000 mobs, but that might take you half of a year. There has to be some option for income, and for a while staking (betting players in duels, each player staking x amount of money and one winner taking all) was planned to be incorporated into this update. This kept my hopes up, because it allowed for the first ever non-trade cashflow, and actually gave the average joe a chance to make money outside of laying down real life money. Yet, this is still to come, but I still have heard no word on options to make money. On top of that, people are naturally greedy. Making money is one of the biggest draws to a game and..well, you can't have a successful MMO unless this is a factor.
So ultimately, all three of these options will probably cut down the company's income. Now, I know these developers are good people, I support what they do, and they've made it clear they're not wholely in it for the money. This is why I think some of these things need to be considered, because unless we start changing the grind-of-the-mill things that we're seeing, this game will not reach its full potential. I see fewer members of Prime (#1 clan on the leader boards) online recently then before the update, or not much more, and I come on to the forums to see about 10% of the community satisfied with the update. Something isn't mixing here, and these problems are some of the most evident I have seen throughout the time I've played. I'm hoping that this thread might be a last address to some of the most prominent problems that are causing so many players issues, so that they can be addressed and fixed. Please, comment if you have any valid points, as this is not meant to be a thread to vent on, but one that can help make the game a more complete experience for any given player who has been dissatisfied.
