Dear Developers, we are tired of being Guinea pigs

[Axelris]

Edit: I think some people have misunderstood my post.

I definitely thank space-time for the creation of such a miraculous game. An MMO that runs on 3g/wifi on a hand-held is truly something to marvel.

The developers have done the magnificent job with recent changes of 1.5 cs / new quest / items / instances.

However, my main issue is that too much is happening all at once, and in certain areas some simple solutions for simple problems are not being addressed.

Therefore the purpose of the thread, as a discussion to further improve the game using feedback.



Here are some of my issues.

Spacetime studios is focusing on too many things at once.
ie. Android release, droid contest, new content, game balance.

Because of this, there is too much diversification, resulting in poor quality. Below are the areas discussed.

1. Android

Understandably this leads larger community / cashflow. But the PL iapp is starting to get rather unstable, crashes more often than ever.


Different type of lag issues occurring, chat lag, combat lag etc.

Friend list is still buggy why is a simple issue like this not fixed?

Why did something as simple as confirm purchase button for cs take so long to implement?


2. Droid contest


No proper ground regulations and only initial feedback with regards to account multiple posts.

No examples given people don't even know if they are on the right track. Lot of people don't even understand the contest.

No standardize formatt for entries. Everyone is just blinding guessing what the right format should be.

Sure I can understand that you want people to creative and somewhat no rules apply, but many players English not their first language and/or are young but wish to compete, how is this fair?

3. New content / Game Balance.

Alright this is the issue that bugs me the most. Why the constant update and changes?

This frequent tweaking, changes and constant update is getting quite out of hand.

Players are struggling to cope with changes and its messing up the economy.

I understand that developers are trying to balance the game and make future progress, but how it does affect us if you do not properly test results first before implementation?

Even the new update, armor was nerf. Why is it not on patch notes?


Rift, Void and Cosmos armor nerfs were not intentional. :-|

Tomorrow's update will address this.

- Cinco

Edit: Dev have clarified this.


The bottom line is this, I somewhat believe the developers are just not spending enough time listening to the community. Sure there is alot of random and nonsensical requests. But some of us who want to improve the game are not being heard.


Just my 2cents.

[KingFu]

Eh, personally I think you're nitpicking. So you can't say we if "we" all don't agree, but you can say "I" :D

[Axelris]

the only place i used we was the title

[Lesrider]

I don't think you're nitpicking.
I said on update 1.5 that I never signed up to be a lab rat, but according to others, I did. Who knew?

[KingFu]

Eh, I think the devs should develop, and use some of our advice. If you put yourself in their shoes. They're stressed, working on prolly a million things, reading forums, looking at suggestions, and tons of other stuff, not to mention some people telling them how to do their job. I can't even think of all the stuff they have to do.


Personally, I think the worst move was making a road map since that's when people started complaining and being on high demand.

[Arterra]

Well still beta am I right? Also what's this of not knowing? You agreed to the contract right? So they can do as They wish.

[Lesrider]

How is this still beta?

[Gaabob]

Well you could almost say PL is in a meh type of beta testing all around until Alterra complete where(hopefully) there will never ever be a Nerf ever ever again, and everything will be completed and balanced perfectly (too good to imagine right?)

However in a beta testing environment devs listen to everything players have to say, fix simple issues right away, and generally work to improve the game based on collaboration between the community and the dev team. Currently I feel that either devs have stopped listening to the community, and if they do listen nothing registers to them, or some special hidden uber smart person quit(hope not :( ), or power somehow shifted in dev team to someone less open minded towards the community, or they are for some reason listening to a couple random people that spam their mailboxes with basically governmental arguments (extremely complex, well written ideas- that are complete idiocy even though you read and are convinced).


I am most disappointed in the continued non-response by devs to many peoples concerns or quandaries that Futumsh doesn't answer to (and he only replies to stuff that is an actual bug/glitch that he is in the mood to fix). Back when I joined devs were fairly connected to the players, but as time has gone on I have seen a downhill trend with that. I have also heard that in the first weeks devs were super awesome. Hopefully this trend reverses itself.

[Lesrider]

Aren't betas usually free, since they're still working out the bugs? You don't usually pay to be in a beta.

beta test
n.
The final stage in the testing of new software before its commercial release, conducted by testers other than its developers.
beta-test (bt-tst, b-) v.

We are paying for this game, so it is beyond commercial release. Hence, not a beta.

[Kalielle]

I think Axel has a very good point, which is that there has to be a balance between newness and stability. I don't mean to be "nitpicking", and I appreciate how hard Spacetime has worked to bring us new content and make the game more playable with the updates, and I love a lot of the new content like the new dungeons.

But I also miss the predictability of the days of AO2, when gear stayed the same for months at a time and if people spent a month farming for a new rare or saving up money, then we knew that rare would not have its stats changed the next day. Every week now it seems I log in after an update to find that the whole world has turned around... I know some of these changes were necessary for the rebalance, and I do feel a little bit better now that it was made clear that the latest armor nerfs will be reversed. I just hope that now that the rebalance is over, we can have a period of stability where we can count on gear having the same stats from one day to the next. I think people panicked so much over the accidental nerf precisely because they don't know anymore if they can count on that.

[Axelris]

edited initial post.

[icantgetkills]

IMO all the devs need is a what is coming but with no dates just so I new what I can expect in the future I don't care about dates... As long I there I'n order :)

[Barbamitsos]

Ye but its not beta cause to develop u need tO pay (o).(o) i agree with ure views dude

[juhnken773]

Either they need more devs (yes more) or they need to make like snipers and one hit KO this thing.

Devs should be a little more active in forums, and not try avoidin questions.


Other then that, it's all a work in progress. Jss takes a little time. Little time. Little time. Little time.

[KingFu]

Aren't betas usually free, since they're still working out the bugs? You don't usually pay to be in a beta.

beta test
n.
The final stage in the testing of new software before its commercial release, conducted by testers other than its developers.
beta-test (bt-tst, b-) v.

We are paying for this game, so it is beyond commercial release. Hence, not a beta.

It's a free game, you don't have to pay to play also, beta indicates to me that things aren't permanent, and can change at any second, it doesn't necessarily mean the app will be 100%, everything it free.

[Lesrider]

It's not a free game!! It's only free to level 18. Please don't insult my intelligence with such absurdities. I paid to play this game.

I understand if they're still adding/changing/improving, but this should not mean turning everything upside down every other week. The changes over these last few weeks feel more like experiments than anything else. And that should be done in a beta, not a game that has already been paid for by many consumers.

If they messed around with only the low-level free stuff, then you might be able to call it a beta. But they're messing with the level cap areas, where people have invested the most time and money.

[Inching]

i think if the reason the Devs said that they keep nerfing the stats down is because they need to save room for expansions later on, then if this is the case, it is very poor planning from a business point of view in there part. Their short sightedness at the beginning is why we are here discussing this issue.

If they had the vision of having this game such a success (which I hope they did to start this) then they shouldn’t have to nerf anything because their original road map would have accounted for these level and stats cap.

I know someone is ganna say “but MMOs change all the time, bla bla bla”, well if that’s the case I don’t see WOW having this problem or Asheron’s Call or any other full fledged MMO. Unless STS comes out and makes a proper statement saying everything we do is work in progress and this game will never amount to even close to the caliber of a full fledged MMO like WOW, etc then fine… nerf all you want. But if this is not the case, then its just wrong to keep nerfing the game and affecting the players who have made you the success you are today, plane and simple.

I think we need to stop comparing this game to WOW or any other MMO as its made very clear that PL is nothing like other MMOs. We need to start to correct people and others who compare PL to other MMOs as this is definitely NOT LIKE OTHER MMOs. Might be fun on a phone platform but you and I all know the difference and nothing needs to be said anymore.

[Axelris]

It's not a free game!! It's only free to level 18. Please don't insult my intelligence with such absurdities. I paid to play this game.

I understand if they're still adding/changing/improving, but this should not mean turning everything upside down every other week. The changes over these last few weeks feel more like experiments than anything else. And that should be done in a beta, not a game that has already been paid for by many consumers.

If they messed around with only the low-level free stuff, then you might be able to call it a beta. But they're messing with the level cap areas, where people have invested the most time and money.


I totally agree.

Experimental implementations should definitely be avoided as this has drastic impacts especially on higher levels where many players invest lot of time, gold and/or money.

[Axelris]

i think if the reason the Devs said that they keep nerfing the stats down is because they need to save room for expansions later on, then if this is the case, it is very poor planning from a business point of view in there part. Their short sightedness at the beginning is why we are here discussing this issue.

If they had the vision of having this game such a success (which I hope they did to start this) then they shouldn’t have to nerf anything because their original road map would have accounted for these level and stats cap.

I know someone is ganna say “but MMOs change all the time, bla bla bla”, well if that’s the case I don’t see WOW having this problem or Asheron’s Call or any other full fledged MMO. Unless STS comes out and makes a proper statement saying everything we do is work in progress and this game will never amount to even close to the caliber of a full fledged MMO like WOW, etc then fine… nerf all you want. But if this is not the case, then its just wrong to keep nerfing the game and affecting the players who have made you the success you are today, plane and simple.

I think we need to stop comparing this game to WOW or any other MMO as its made very clear that PL is nothing like other MMOs. We need to start to correct people and others who compare PL to other MMOs as this is definitely NOT LIKE OTHER MMOs. Might be fun on a phone platform but you and I all know the difference and nothing needs to be said anymore.


Inching,

I totally understand where you are coming from.

Many players reference other MMOs, and the developers did not foresee the success of PL.

That being said, the main purpose of this thread still stands at the recent experimental changes and its effects, and the point that developers are not addressing issues being raised by the community.

[Axelris]

Edit, dev have clarified armor reduction not intentional. Patch tomorrow.

[Inching]

Edit, dev have clarified armor reduction not intentional. Patch tomorrow.

where it say this?

[Arterra]

I think its the money we spend on it that keeps it going and keeps it improving... stop pushing that free issue already, it is a pseudo beta as it is still clearing bugs and implementing new ideas to be rated by the public.

[Lesrider]

Fixing bugs is not the same as what they've been doing these last few weeks.

I think Kalielle said it best.

[MoarPewPew]

Did it ever occur to you that STS needs money to continue making this game. They made a smart move releasing the android BETA client.

STS addresses all matters with a professional fashion. They are also hiring a new lead designer.
So making the statement of being a guinea pig is ridiculous. If you are playing on an android,(sounds like you are) it is in Beta so if you don't like it right now come back when the bugs are sorted out.

Do not bash a company that gives you a privilege to play there product. Yes you have to pay for there product but you and I have no right to be obligated to have this game.

[jughed38]

Nerfing is done in all mmo's and is usually done with a good purpose in mind though it tends to anger some of the players. But if they are looking for room to grow, they need to realize that there is no ceiling for dificulty of mobs or quests. As you add more diffult quests and more powerful mobs you raise the lvl cap and add better gear to the game to deal with the new evil that has been released. Nerfing the current items to make room for items that will carry similar stats to the current items doesn't make a lot of sense.