I'm still surprised that people are calling this a survival game, it's not. Do survival games have towns were you can log off safely and craft? I don't think so. Just because you have to gather resources to craft items, doesn't make it a survival game.
I played Alpha for 5 months. Each month there was a wipe. The majority of us who were in companies did the following. We picked the starter class that had decent armor and weapon. We then ran up to the northern areas to farm/kill mobs for gold/xp. That way, we could hurry up and grab the land we wanted and get started on our settlements.
That was the key focus to the start of the game. Make sure to get the spot that you wanted on the map and then start upgrading it. Players would then have to go out and gather resources for the settlement.
In Alpha, that was the focus. So, if you played the game solo, I could see how you could think it was a survival game, but it's not. One of the keys to this game is joining a company.
Now, I know towards the end, they were trying to do smaller settlements for solo players and such, but with the amount of resources settlements take, you'd have to play 24/7.
As for Magic and Spells, yes they were just working on that when they closed Alpha. Magic was based off of gauntlets, so not sure how they are working it now.
I am still interested in this game, and hope that they can pull it off. However, I am concerned with the changes to PvP. Removing the constant threat of PvP changes the entire dynamic of the game.
For me, it's a survival game if you have hunger and thirst type bars that have to be replenished.
This game doesn't have that. You are gathering resources mainly to make weapons and armor. Also, you can purchase weapons and armor at outposts. So, you don't really need to gather resources.
Going back to server wipes, we tackled one wipe by splitting up our groups. We had groups up north farming gold/xp and then groups down south gathering resources.
I can't speak for p4ttythep3rf3ct, but the overall response to Alpha was that it was a fun polished game. It's already been said that the Alpha played better than some fully released games. I also think this comes down to how you played. I was in a Company since the first wipe all the way until the end. There was always something to do, whether is was getting a group together and doing PvP, or it was getting a group together to farm the North and gather resources, or to just hang out at the settlement and crank out weapons and armor for company members.
Again, I think it comes down to how you are playing the game. If you are playing as part of a Company, then it seems like there is always something to do. As a solo player, I could see how the perception could be that it's a boring game.
From the sounds of it, open world PvP will not be in the game anymore, which again changes the whole dynamic of the game. So, you don't have to worry about all those stories of the PvP ganking and such. That really didn't even seem to be a problem until they doubled the population.
Also, as far as this idea that it was released too early, or people shouldn't have had access to it at that stage, I just don't get that. They changed the game every time there was a wipe. They were constantly tweaking things to try things out. As Alpha tester, we were happy to work with them on the developments that they were trying out.
I have been beta testing video games since the early 2000's, mainly MMO's. I think I stopped at about 15 MMO's that I was invited to test during their beta/alpha stages. Of all of those, I can say that this development team was the best. They were very responsive and actually listened to us when we had suggestions/comments.
Love all the speculation by those that have yet to play it!! It's amazing!! Nothing has been published and set in stone by Amazon Gaming Studios that says its any one kind of game from all the previous posts. The game is ever changing at this point because its not even in BETA yet. The publishers diary posts on twitter is the best way to keep up with the progression and best way to get news about the game. It's not your typical any kind of game. It's going to be a new take on the genre.
Comments
I played Alpha for 5 months. Each month there was a wipe. The majority of us who were in companies did the following. We picked the starter class that had decent armor and weapon. We then ran up to the northern areas to farm/kill mobs for gold/xp. That way, we could hurry up and grab the land we wanted and get started on our settlements.
That was the key focus to the start of the game. Make sure to get the spot that you wanted on the map and then start upgrading it. Players would then have to go out and gather resources for the settlement.
In Alpha, that was the focus. So, if you played the game solo, I could see how you could think it was a survival game, but it's not. One of the keys to this game is joining a company.
Now, I know towards the end, they were trying to do smaller settlements for solo players and such, but with the amount of resources settlements take, you'd have to play 24/7.
As for Magic and Spells, yes they were just working on that when they closed Alpha. Magic was based off of gauntlets, so not sure how they are working it now.
I am still interested in this game, and hope that they can pull it off. However, I am concerned with the changes to PvP. Removing the constant threat of PvP changes the entire dynamic of the game.
This is why it's a huge pity that developers share their work before it's done.
And sort of a rock and a hard place for them.
Developers "We're sharing our work so that you the players can help steer development!"
Players "we don't understand what early development means so we will judge it as if it is a finished product."
Sure, this game very well might be the most boring, worst game "evah."
But Developers can't win to save their lives with this "let's give people Alpha access."
I really hope they can pull of something remarkable to warrant letting people in from the start.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
This game doesn't have that. You are gathering resources mainly to make weapons and armor. Also, you can purchase weapons and armor at outposts. So, you don't really need to gather resources.
Going back to server wipes, we tackled one wipe by splitting up our groups. We had groups up north farming gold/xp and then groups down south gathering resources.
I can't speak for p4ttythep3rf3ct, but the overall response to Alpha was that it was a fun polished game. It's already been said that the Alpha played better than some fully released games. I also think this comes down to how you played. I was in a Company since the first wipe all the way until the end. There was always something to do, whether is was getting a group together and doing PvP, or it was getting a group together to farm the North and gather resources, or to just hang out at the settlement and crank out weapons and armor for company members.
Again, I think it comes down to how you are playing the game. If you are playing as part of a Company, then it seems like there is always something to do. As a solo player, I could see how the perception could be that it's a boring game.
From the sounds of it, open world PvP will not be in the game anymore, which again changes the whole dynamic of the game. So, you don't have to worry about all those stories of the PvP ganking and such. That really didn't even seem to be a problem until they doubled the population.
Also, as far as this idea that it was released too early, or people shouldn't have had access to it at that stage, I just don't get that. They changed the game every time there was a wipe. They were constantly tweaking things to try things out. As Alpha tester, we were happy to work with them on the developments that they were trying out.
I have been beta testing video games since the early 2000's, mainly MMO's. I think I stopped at about 15 MMO's that I was invited to test during their beta/alpha stages. Of all of those, I can say that this development team was the best. They were very responsive and actually listened to us when we had suggestions/comments.