A little bit of sadness about Mt. Fang

[Actona679]

I have been playing PL since May 2010. I did not play as hard as many here in the very beginning. Not at all. But I have been here thru many changes (most good) from the Spacetime developers. Always, I felt that they deserved to make money for their efforts and charging plat to make money was just fine.

Now, I feel a sense of ennui and also a bit of a feeling that I am being manipulated, more than I like, into buying that plat. Many games do this and I recognize that it is the nature of economics. But what do I get in return?

Is the game developing? Is the fun still there? This morning I found an email from a PL friend of mine who lives in the Netherlands. He is a great fan of the game but, like many of my friends, has been disappointed with the last couple of updates. He describes it all so well.

Here is the text from his email:


Well, and suddenly it was there, the new update: Mount Vang. Boy o boy, I couldnt sleep for days wondering how it will be to play this new update!
And yes, yesterday I finally could compare if the game was even so good as I hoped it was. Well, now I’m missing a fart option button for e-mails!

Lets start at the beginning, Once upon a time we all started to play with a small amount of free plat and 2 or 3 free chars. Life was good!
Fighting our ways in the forest and castles, defeat the bad and ugly, but dressed, Bosses ( Nuri bosses are sometime nude, and I dont like to fight with naked people)
But anyway, we get our pink and we were able to make some good money. Everybody who was starting at this point could make money and everbody could buy items. Economy was good!

But pitchdark clouds came over our forests and castles. We wanna ran away but we stayed. Couldnt leave our friends alone and we couldnt take our money with us!
So we fought harder, but the circle of buying and selling was gone.

And in the pitchdark clouds and the dense fog there appears a new Boss. The supreme boss, he showed us his real face. His name was Poor Lord. We couldnt defeat him with arrows, magic or swords. He was only to defeat with platinum and so we did! Poor Lord became a Super Lord, He started a new kingdom somewhere in the Galaxy i heard ( i’m not sure J).

So he started his new empire and forgot our world. When he left us he promised us new castles, clothes and adventures. Yesterday he came back, he didnt brought what he promised. He gave us the same old castles we already lived in and he raised the taxes!

And again he left us behind with only the memories of a ancient time, a time where we stood side by side and where we fought our ways throught new adventures.

But someday the people of our villages will raising up and revolt against these lies and taxes. And maybe just maybe our life would be as nice and beautiful as it was before!

[Suntv]

I'll be supporting 'em, supporting you. Like in real life there's inflation that should be taken care off :grin:


- Max Keiser !!

[Gaddy]

I don't think this is an accurate analogy at all. But I really hope you come to like Mt. Fang more as you learn more about it, and unlock some of the tactics that will allow you to adventure in this area with out recourse to plat elxirs....

A far a your PL vs. SL argument goes... Hasn't all this already been said?

[Tetraeder]

100% agree to Actona679 and his PL-friend.

To say it short and in my own words:
Some month ago the game was "awesome". Now it is "nice". I like it but i want back my awesome game.
In my opinion it is a bit to much plat-orientated.

[Riccits]

nice actona! well said!

[Actona679]

I don't think this is an accurate analogy at all. But I really hope you come to like Mt. Fang more as you learn more about it, and unlock some of the tactics that will allow you to adventure in this area with out recourse to plat elxirs....

A far a your PL vs. SL argument goes... Hasn't all this already been said?

Gaddy - Thanks for your nice comment on giving Mt. Fang a better look. But I think you miss the real point of what I am trying to say. Tetraeder sums it up very well and with fewer words:

To say it short and in my own words:
Some month ago the game was "awesome". Now it is "nice". I like it but i want back my awesome game.
In my opinion it is a bit to much plat-orientated.

This is what I want. I want my "awesome game" back. I am not saying that I quit; I like this game very much still and I HAVE run Mt. Fang. The best thing about it are the challenging bosses. The rest is rehashed content. Also, I have only twice bought plat elixirs but now I find myself constantly buying the 7k gold elixir in order to keep up with groups. I am always on the lookout for groups that don't have every member on an elixir; or even better, ones with no elixirs and only technique to fall back on. Now there's a challenge...an entire group fighting a boss without elixir!! (slight sarcasm there - sorry - I know that many still play without elixirs and even I rely too much on the 7k elixir)

What I am trying to say is that the game is becoming a little disappointing. Maybe I am just "old" and change is hard for me but I am seeing so much difference in the game since last August. Now we have "Roid" runs with no joy in them. They are fun while you do them like an adrenalin surge but once you do one then it just becomes a grind. And there is a total lack of fun from farming and selling in the CS. I especially miss the selling. Many people are telling me that they don't even try to sell any more.

Playing PL is not just about getting to the level cap and scoring the elite vanity item. There is more to the game than this!

But, again, I stress that I am not saying the game has gone totally bad; just that it has changed its focus and become a little less awesome. I think the plat-based economy may be somewhat to blame for this. I want the developers to benefit from their hard work but I also want the players to thrive as well!

As to the comment on SL vs PL, it was not my intent to point fingers at the other game. I happen to like that game a lot.

So now I ask you - am I just stuck in the old memories of how great PL used to be (well, after the first few months anyways)? Do I need to either change and grow with the game or find a new one that fits me better? I would be sad to do this. I really love PL. I would rather see my awesome game come back but I think that turning back the clock is probably not an option anymore :-(

[Gaddy]

I feel for you, bro. But I personally think the game is better than ever! Yes, full plat elxir parties sometimes make my eyes roll (especially if they all still suck as players...) And YES, the economy is rather out of control, but those things can be easily mitigated by not buying into the BS and just doing your own thing- who knows you might just farm amillion gold item and become insta-rich LOL.

Also, A guild of like minded individually might be the answer to your problems- it sure seems like there are a lot of ppl who feel this exact same way - BAND TOGETHER! If you and all of your mates are on the same page, who cares what all the stupid sheep with more platinium than brains are doing?

I wish you all the best, and hope your PL fun improves! Hope to run with you in the future!

G

[KTpantyhose]

There are several things I'm disapointed about in mount fang, I'll get to that in a second. First I'd like to start with things I do like.

I like that there are now quests for crafting, Nuri's lacked that greatly. I enjoy that not only are the bosses difficult but so are the little dudes before bosses. I like the look of weapons, new vanities, and armor.

What I don't like is I feel like in order to beat any of the bosses without dying a million times I need to purchase some sort of elixir. Don't take this into offense if you read this devs.. The levels look like a recycled clone of forest haven/balefort castle levels. I understand that coding and etc takes forever so that's why I'm not terribly annoyed by it. Also sometimes when you go for the next level it kicks you out and escorts you back to town.

Other than that I'm content and I'm thankful for a game that I actually enjoy.

[zeusabe]

People are open to their own opinions as long as they don't claim them as facts. First, it's not a fact that you need an elixir to beat bosses in mt.fang, I've been in groups that beat bosses many times without platinum (only the 7k gold elixir). Second, the game is definitely developing, you can click on the "updates" button at the upper right corner of the log-in screen to see details. Third, is the game fun? qualify that question because generally it is, otherwise, this game would cease to exist since a "game" not being "fun" is like a "food" that tastes like "-think of any curse words-", obviously, people who think this game is not fun is tremendously outnumbered which explains the popularity of this game and the very existence of Mt. Fang update itself. Fourth, it is a fact that people get tired of games and quit, but it's also a fact, that "new" gamers come in, you're just part of a natural gaming cycle of people leaving (should you decide to quit) and people coming in. If everyone is happy, STS wouldn't want that because they cannot accomodate the traffic anymore, think about it, if everyone plays, servers crashes then what? STS needs people to quit too, not always come in, think over population. Fifth, when you are being manipulated, psychology 101 says, you will not know (be aware) of it, therefore, according to psychologists, if you say you think you're being manipulated, then chances are you are not, similar to if you think you are crazy which means you are not because crazy people think they're sane, get it? Finally, it's a fact that if you continue to play despite ranting, it means the greater part of your gaming mind says you're still into this game which is what really matters at the end of day, no? So...good luck :)

PS: Your friend forgot to mention that during his entire adventure, he was just riding a nice chariot for free ;)

[Actona679]

Fourth, it is a fact that people get tired of games and quit, but it's also a fact, that "new" gamers come in, you're just part of a natural gaming cycle of people leaving (should you decide to quit) and people coming in.

As I suspected. My journey may be entering the end stage. Well, I will complete the ride until it is done. Hopefully it will go for a bit longer. I do love my PL!

Zeusabe - You are a gifted writer! I just got done reading your other thread on Good/Bad of Mt. Fang and I gotta tell you that your style of writing is such fun to read! Good writing doesn't start with grammar; it begins with a unique voice! And you nail it all: your analogies are entertaining, you analysis is spot on, and all with such a funny, wry tone that it made me smile and nod my head :-)


PS: Your friend forgot to mention that during his entire adventure, he was just riding a nice chariot for free ;)

Ha ha! I will be sure to remind him of this this!

See you in the crypt...

[visionairwashere]

Well said, Actona

[GELLIO77]

Actona, i have to agree with you, i have been in pl for almost a year and a half now and have battled through these forests and castles you friend speaks of and i have to say i really empathise with what you are saying.

pl has taken a turn not for the worst but a major one in that, i see that you are saying pl has become plat based and that endgame you cant find a game without the whole party on 'roids' but the way i see you combating this is through a twink. i can see from your sig that you have twinks for farming but maybe you should give pvp a go?

when my mage was at the 55 cap it was just a place to blow of some steam, fight a friend or something. pvp was like my safe haven, whenever you get bored of pve just hope into a game chat, talk, fight just relax for a bit :)

but back onto your topic, i have to say pve needs a bit more... 'spicing up' every campaign has the same shell really, its just laid out a bit differently. start at part 1 and end up at part 5 then onto the mini dungeon, i think this needs to be changed, make a different set up/shell for the pve setup

overall ive got to say the golden days are gone and i would love to see them come back, nerf the pots and implement a bit more skill into pve... peace

-Gel

[Baylakk]

My best memory playing PL was when Lvl cap was 56 and I would join a group in sewers (no elixirs) and we would farm or sewer pinks....that was also when elixirs cost gold not platinum and that long ago I didnt even know what elixirs really were so I never bought them...I'm think now that you should be able to purchase elixirs with gold or platinum...like the 4x combo elixir(40 plat) could cost 250k gold (to make most people want to use plat). But every once in a while I would pay 250k for an elixir.

[GELLIO77]

see baylak, those are the times that i miss on pl