I said from day 1,this game design "Shards"was a great idea but we and the computers and the tech are not ready for this,not for at least another 10-15 years.So what EVERYONE should expect is a rather ho hum game,definitely not your AAA mmorpg,if you are ok with that,great ,enjoy yourself but let's not pretend this is going to be AAA mmorpg.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
These guys are going to need a lot of luck to keep the lights on. Then again it appears to be pretty financially sustainable so they may be able to keep it going with a small player-base.
I like the idea of "niche MMOs". It means that devs don't have to try to be all things to all players and can focus on the things that they and their players want. Honestly, it's the wave of the future: Smaller-scale games that cater to small, but ardent communities. I think that's aces.
It's working for Albion Online. The whiners are just noise, the dedicated players and devs know it and just ignore them. The game will happily go on with a small player base and that's OK with me.
Hopefully, LoA gets the same chance to build that type of community.
Dedicated players and devs will always back their game 100%. It's the neutral players just looking for a good game that makes a game a success, imo. Get them and it means you've got a good game on your hands. There's niche but popular and niche barely keeping the doors open looking like a ghost town. I'm not against this game, I just hope they are flexible enough to make the game a big success.
"We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." SR Covey
The game still lacks life/fauna and an immersive world/atmosphere....
Two words and a number for you: CLOSED BETA 2.
Extra words: It's not a finished, or even Early Access, product.
Ahh.. someone who follows MMO's... Yet doesn't understand the development of them. MMORPG, you can do better... Seriously man. Games change VERY VERY little from closed beta into launch. An entire history of MMO's is available to you for proof.
Having tested over a dozen MMORPGs over the last decade in both Alpha and Beta I can safely say that is nonsense, especially on the performance and polish front. We are talking about an actual closed Beta then, not that promotional EA crap, then you are right.
/Cheers, Lanmir
ESO was a mess at launch and it took them about a year or two before they had a decent game. SWG launched without half the stuff they were supposed to have and added mounts and a list of other things later that year. Most MMOs have launched really before they were ready and spent a lot of time putting in content that should have been there at launch.
"We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." SR Covey
The game still lacks life/fauna and an immersive world/atmosphere....
Two words and a number for you: CLOSED BETA 2.
Extra words: It's not a finished, or even Early Access, product.
Ahh.. someone who follows MMO's... Yet doesn't understand the development of them. MMORPG, you can do better... Seriously man. Games change VERY VERY little from closed beta into launch. An entire history of MMO's is available to you for proof.
Having tested over a dozen MMORPGs over the last decade in both Alpha and Beta I can safely say that is nonsense, especially on the performance and polish front. We are talking about an actual closed Beta then, not that promotional EA crap, then you are right.
/Cheers, Lanmir
ESO was a mess at launch and it took them about a year or two before they had a decent game. SWG launched without half the stuff they were supposed to have and added mounts and a list of other things later that year. Most MMOs have launched really before they were ready and spent a lot of time putting in content that should have been there at launch.
As a Bio-Engineer at launch... I can attest that it was a mess
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
"I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator
Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017.
Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018
"Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018
The game still lacks life/fauna and an immersive world/atmosphere....
Two words and a number for you: CLOSED BETA 2.
Extra words: It's not a finished, or even Early Access, product.
I hate this argument. Its as if people have forgotten that this same argument has been used over a decade now to defend poor game design decisions.
---------------------
i dont know anything about this game, which is why I am here to learn. whats the hype people?
You would be less likely to make this kind of statement if you stopped playing alphas and betas as if they're released games, which is what I suspect you do.
It's the biggest problem this industry has. Developers need to stop making pre-releases of their games available to play (except for a late beta to a small group for feedback). Let people try the finished game and then decide to play or not to play.
I played a bit earlier this week. I never made it out of the starting city. I found a few things difficult to deal with. The radar map was tiny and there was no world map. Labels on buildings were small and hard to read. In other words, finding what I wanted was entirely hit or miss. I had watched a YouTuber and was able to find the first low level dungeon. Wasn't able to see the mobs, however. Found a guy being attacked by two rats and killed one, to a "Jerk" response from the guy I thought I was helping out. Turns out, this is how you level your skills. Sit in a dungeon and allow yourself to be attacked.
I decided I had spent enough time in the game to get a good sense of how it, and the community, would play.
LOL yeah that's how it works. It's funny because proponents of these super old-school games with their rose-tinted glasses seem to forget that things weren't as good as they think.
I would know, I played those types of games...namely Tibia/UO.
There's always this soapbox talk about interdependency and players working together but (just like modern mmos) 90% of your play time was solo leveling skills, or having to waste time running around finding a hunting spot because someone was there and you didn't want to be rude (or you couldn't kill them), etc etc.
There were definitely shitty parts to these types of games too.
The game still lacks life/fauna and an immersive world/atmosphere....
Two words and a number for you: CLOSED BETA 2.
Extra words: It's not a finished, or even Early Access, product.
Ahh.. someone who follows MMO's... Yet doesn't understand the development of them. MMORPG, you can do better... Seriously man. Games change VERY VERY little from closed beta into launch. An entire history of MMO's is available to you for proof.
Having tested over a dozen MMORPGs over the last decade in both Alpha and Beta I can safely say that is nonsense, especially on the performance and polish front. We are talking about an actual closed Beta then, not that promotional EA crap, then you are right.
/Cheers, Lanmir
Alpha? *MAYBE*
I have never seen a single game change core systems between beta and release. Tweak a bit or polish? Sure, but to change the core of the game? Has never happened.
The game still lacks life/fauna and an immersive world/atmosphere....
Two words and a number for you: CLOSED BETA 2.
Extra words: It's not a finished, or even Early Access, product.
Ahh.. someone who follows MMO's... Yet doesn't understand the development of them. MMORPG, you can do better... Seriously man. Games change VERY VERY little from closed beta into launch. An entire history of MMO's is available to you for proof.
Having tested over a dozen MMORPGs over the last decade in both Alpha and Beta I can safely say that is nonsense, especially on the performance and polish front. We are talking about an actual closed Beta then, not that promotional EA crap, then you are right.
/Cheers, Lanmir
Alpha? *MAYBE*
I have never seen a single game change core systems between beta and release. Tweak a bit or polish? Sure, but to change the core of the game? Has never happened.
RIFT changed their whole soul system.
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
"I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator
Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017.
Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018
"Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018
The game still lacks life/fauna and an immersive world/atmosphere....
Two words and a number for you: CLOSED BETA 2.
Extra words: It's not a finished, or even Early Access, product.
Ahh.. someone who follows MMO's... Yet doesn't understand the development of them. MMORPG, you can do better... Seriously man. Games change VERY VERY little from closed beta into launch. An entire history of MMO's is available to you for proof.
Having tested over a dozen MMORPGs over the last decade in both Alpha and Beta I can safely say that is nonsense, especially on the performance and polish front. We are talking about an actual closed Beta then, not that promotional EA crap, then you are right.
/Cheers, Lanmir
Alpha? *MAYBE*
I have never seen a single game change core systems between beta and release. Tweak a bit or polish? Sure, but to change the core of the game? Has never happened.
RIFT changed their whole soul system.
No, they didn't. They changed the acquisition rates (start with more options) but the system itself works exactly the same.
Edit: A word. Also, this falls under the category of "tweak" not "complete rework". That would be like FFXIV vs ARR; not necessarily the entire game, but pick any one thing and its totally different from the original, from combat to progression to quests to zones.
The game still lacks life/fauna and an immersive world/atmosphere....
Two words and a number for you: CLOSED BETA 2.
Extra words: It's not a finished, or even Early Access, product.
Ahh.. someone who follows MMO's... Yet doesn't understand the development of them. MMORPG, you can do better... Seriously man. Games change VERY VERY little from closed beta into launch. An entire history of MMO's is available to you for proof.
Having tested over a dozen MMORPGs over the last decade in both Alpha and Beta I can safely say that is nonsense, especially on the performance and polish front. We are talking about an actual closed Beta then, not that promotional EA crap, then you are right.
/Cheers, Lanmir
Alpha? *MAYBE*
I have never seen a single game change core systems between beta and release. Tweak a bit or polish? Sure, but to change the core of the game? Has never happened.
RIFT changed their whole soul system.
No, they didn't. They change the acquisition rates (start with more options) but the system itself works exactly the same.
Nope. You used to have to go quest and find the souls and integrate them into your character. For instance, you had to go kill the Hag to get one of the early ones. I think it was Fire. Also, (memory is a bit fuzzy) I do not believe that you could simply switch up your souls and make a jack of a trades.
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
"I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator
Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017.
Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018
"Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018
The game still lacks life/fauna and an immersive world/atmosphere....
Two words and a number for you: CLOSED BETA 2.
Extra words: It's not a finished, or even Early Access, product.
Ahh.. someone who follows MMO's... Yet doesn't understand the development of them. MMORPG, you can do better... Seriously man. Games change VERY VERY little from closed beta into launch. An entire history of MMO's is available to you for proof.
Having tested over a dozen MMORPGs over the last decade in both Alpha and Beta I can safely say that is nonsense, especially on the performance and polish front. We are talking about an actual closed Beta then, not that promotional EA crap, then you are right.
/Cheers, Lanmir
Alpha? *MAYBE*
I have never seen a single game change core systems between beta and release. Tweak a bit or polish? Sure, but to change the core of the game? Has never happened.
RIFT changed their whole soul system.
No, they didn't. They change the acquisition rates (start with more options) but the system itself works exactly the same.
Nope. You used to have to go quest and find the souls and integrate them into your character. Also, (memory is a bit fuzzy) I do not believe that you could simply switch up your souls and make a jack of a trades.
Souls still function the same way they have since beta (at 30,000 feet, obviously patches have adjusted stats/skills etc). Again, change in acquisition does not= rework
The game still lacks life/fauna and an immersive world/atmosphere....
Two words and a number for you: CLOSED BETA 2.
Extra words: It's not a finished, or even Early Access, product.
Ahh.. someone who follows MMO's... Yet doesn't understand the development of them. MMORPG, you can do better... Seriously man. Games change VERY VERY little from closed beta into launch. An entire history of MMO's is available to you for proof.
Having tested over a dozen MMORPGs over the last decade in both Alpha and Beta I can safely say that is nonsense, especially on the performance and polish front. We are talking about an actual closed Beta then, not that promotional EA crap, then you are right.
/Cheers, Lanmir
Alpha? *MAYBE*
I have never seen a single game change core systems between beta and release. Tweak a bit or polish? Sure, but to change the core of the game? Has never happened.
Alpha? Almost always, Beta's not so much, but this was a direct response to fleshing out the world more with flora and fauna, no core features although it still happens ocasionally.
The game still lacks life/fauna and an immersive world/atmosphere....
Two words and a number for you: CLOSED BETA 2.
Extra words: It's not a finished, or even Early Access, product.
Ahh.. someone who follows MMO's... Yet doesn't understand the development of them. MMORPG, you can do better... Seriously man. Games change VERY VERY little from closed beta into launch. An entire history of MMO's is available to you for proof.
Having tested over a dozen MMORPGs over the last decade in both Alpha and Beta I can safely say that is nonsense, especially on the performance and polish front. We are talking about an actual closed Beta then, not that promotional EA crap, then you are right.
/Cheers, Lanmir
ESO was a mess at launch and it took them about a year or two before they had a decent game. SWG launched without half the stuff they were supposed to have and added mounts and a list of other things later that year. Most MMOs have launched really before they were ready and spent a lot of time putting in content that should have been there at launch.
How messy a game is at launch says nothing about how much it has changed between Beta and release. A good example is WAR, the Beta was a technical disaster just a month away from release, what actually released was a completely different game on a technical front, it still wasn't a really good and finished game though.
/Cheers, Lahnmir
'the only way he could nail it any better is if he used a cross.'
Kyleran on yours sincerely
'But there are many. You can play them entirely solo, and even offline. Also, you are wrong by default.'
Ikcin in response to yours sincerely debating whether or not single-player offline MMOs exist...
'This does not apply just to ED but SC or any other game. What they will get is Rebirth/X4, likely prettier but equally underwhelming and pointless.
It is incredibly difficult to design some meaningfull leg content that would fit a space ship game - simply because it is not a leg game.
It is just huge resource waste....'
Gdemami absolutely not being an armchair developer
The game still lacks life/fauna and an immersive world/atmosphere....
Two words and a number for you: CLOSED BETA 2.
Extra words: It's not a finished, or even Early Access, product.
Ahh.. someone who follows MMO's... Yet doesn't understand the development of them. MMORPG, you can do better... Seriously man. Games change VERY VERY little from closed beta into launch. An entire history of MMO's is available to you for proof.
Having tested over a dozen MMORPGs over the last decade in both Alpha and Beta I can safely say that is nonsense, especially on the performance and polish front. We are talking about an actual closed Beta then, not that promotional EA crap, then you are right.
/Cheers, Lanmir
Alpha? *MAYBE*
I have never seen a single game change core systems between beta and release. Tweak a bit or polish? Sure, but to change the core of the game? Has never happened.
Alpha? Almost always, Beta's not so much, but this was a direct response to fleshing out the world more with flora and fauna, no core features although it still happens ocasionally.
The game still lacks life/fauna and an immersive world/atmosphere....
Two words and a number for you: CLOSED BETA 2.
Extra words: It's not a finished, or even Early Access, product.
Ahh.. someone who follows MMO's... Yet doesn't understand the development of them. MMORPG, you can do better... Seriously man. Games change VERY VERY little from closed beta into launch. An entire history of MMO's is available to you for proof.
Having tested over a dozen MMORPGs over the last decade in both Alpha and Beta I can safely say that is nonsense, especially on the performance and polish front. We are talking about an actual closed Beta then, not that promotional EA crap, then you are right.
/Cheers, Lanmir
ESO was a mess at launch and it took them about a year or two before they had a decent game. SWG launched without half the stuff they were supposed to have and added mounts and a list of other things later that year. Most MMOs have launched really before they were ready and spent a lot of time putting in content that should have been there at launch.
How messy a game is at launch says nothing about how much it has changed between Beta and release. A good example is WAR, the Beta was a technical disaster just a month away from release, what actually released was a completely different game on a technical front, it still wasn't a really good and finished game though.
/Cheers, Lahnmir
That's a good point. Seems I misunderstood where the conversation was coming from, and derailed it. Shame!
Yeah, I'm sorry buddy if you think everything is magically going to be patched and changed before Early Access/Open Beta for Legends of Aria or any mmorpg for that matter. History has proven that however the game is in Beta/Early Access is pretty spot on with how the game will be when it launches. Sure, they might change like 5% of the game, but the overall game will be exactly as is.
Which brings the big feeling of doom for me for this game. I've been playing the Alpha and now the Betas and honestly...nothing much has changed. Well yes, better graphics...which wasn't really needed because the jarring red light issues have yet to be addressed at all.
The world has been empty and soulless since so last year. Crafting has been de-evolving backwards instead of being better. Refusal to change the coin conversion and weight system, forcing players to basically only hunt for about 10 mins and leave a spot (or you can choose to throw all your copper away and only save the silver coins but for newer/weaker players this is bogus). Combat, stats, weapons, dmg modifiers...all this has been hashed and rehashed enough times now that nothing makes sense. Str adds damage value to all weapons and carry weight (carry weight is stupid low and each Str only adds 1 extra point in weight..lols) but not dmg..even archers? You know, the guys that only gain dex with using a bow...and yes, dex gives no dmg mods for daggers or bows, it only gives stamina. You get more dmg as you skill up?
Speaking of weapons and gear. Mobs don't drop jack shit. A few paltry cons, some regents, maybe a crappy low level scroll or worthless treasure map, which yet again holds crappy loot that's cut and pasted with every other chest in game is what you'll get. Gear is like 3 per category, so don't expect to look any different than Joe and Jane. And you know the cool image they have for their Logo? The people with the awesome looking armor and cloaked hood? Nope, not going to get that, sorry. UO had better armor designs than this, more realistic/immersive looking as well. The full plate armor looks like crap.
Mobs are only relegated to spawn camps, no free roaming mobs like they even have in UO. Again, the world feels like an empty soulless cut and paste. Dungeon designs are literally 9/10 the same. All the sewers in all the towns, same mobs, same layout. Ruin, Contempt dungeon..same layout, different mobs. Speaking of mobs, they're super limited in types as well.
Many people, myself included, have been voicing our complaints on the forums about how they're just rushing the game into E.A on Steam and that they're going backwards instead of forwards. That and every patch seems to do not much for the big things mentioned above, but yes, give us better graphics.
Soooo many things wrong with the game and the only good thing is the community content/servers. Legends of Ultima Server, sadly and joyously, has better content than the official servers. That and they seem to be doing things right with crafting, world building, etc than Citadel Studios does. Which clearly gives me much much confidence in how they'll tank their own game with crappy mechanics and dated systems that were extinct for a reason. Even their pvp ruleset and set up is shite....god...might as well just copied UO from 2000 and just updated the graphics because these guys are so damn lost.
Yeah, I'm sorry buddy if you think everything is magically going to be patched and changed before Early Access/Open Beta for Legends of Aria or any mmorpg for that matter. History has proven that however the game is in Beta/Early Access is pretty spot on with how the game will be when it launches. Sure, they might change like 5% of the game, but the overall game will be exactly as is.
Which brings the big feeling of doom for me for this game. I've been playing the Alpha and now the Betas and honestly...nothing much has changed. Well yes, better graphics...which wasn't really needed because the jarring red light issues have yet to be addressed at all.
The world has been empty and soulless since so last year. Crafting has been de-evolving backwards instead of being better. Refusal to change the coin conversion and weight system, forcing players to basically only hunt for about 10 mins and leave a spot (or you can choose to throw all your copper away and only save the silver coins but for newer/weaker players this is bogus). Combat, stats, weapons, dmg modifiers...all this has been hashed and rehashed enough times now that nothing makes sense. Str adds damage value to all weapons and carry weight (carry weight is stupid low and each Str only adds 1 extra point in weight..lols) but not dmg..even archers? You know, the guys that only gain dex with using a bow...and yes, dex gives no dmg mods for daggers or bows, it only gives stamina. You get more dmg as you skill up?
Speaking of weapons and gear. Mobs don't drop jack shit. A few paltry cons, some regents, maybe a crappy low level scroll or worthless treasure map, which yet again holds crappy loot that's cut and pasted with every other chest in game is what you'll get. Gear is like 3 per category, so don't expect to look any different than Joe and Jane. And you know the cool image they have for their Logo? The people with the awesome looking armor and cloaked hood? Nope, not going to get that, sorry. UO had better armor designs than this, more realistic/immersive looking as well. The full plate armor looks like crap.
Mobs are only relegated to spawn camps, no free roaming mobs like they even have in UO. Again, the world feels like an empty soulless cut and paste. Dungeon designs are literally 9/10 the same. All the sewers in all the towns, same mobs, same layout. Ruin, Contempt dungeon..same layout, different mobs. Speaking of mobs, they're super limited in types as well.
Many people, myself included, have been voicing our complaints on the forums about how they're just rushing the game into E.A on Steam and that they're going backwards instead of forwards. That and every patch seems to do not much for the big things mentioned above, but yes, give us better graphics.
Soooo many things wrong with the game and the only good thing is the community content/servers. Legends of Ultima Server, sadly and joyously, has better content than the official servers. That and they seem to be doing things right with crafting, world building, etc than Citadel Studios does. Which clearly gives me much much confidence in how they'll tank their own game with crappy mechanics and dated systems that were extinct for a reason. Even their pvp ruleset and set up is shite....god...might as well just copied UO from 2000 and just updated the graphics because these guys are so damn lost.
The only hope for this will be the player-run shards. Even then, I give it a couple years tops.
This is one of the few crowd funded MMO's that I've backed. Unfortunately, this one looks to be another flop. Everything I've experienced in the game is just uninspired. Unless they have some unexpected success on Steam, they're going to fold in short order. Who cares if you can play under different rulesets on different shards, if the game isn't any fun to begin with?
Comments
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Dedicated players and devs will always back their game 100%. It's the neutral players just looking for a good game that makes a game a success, imo. Get them and it means you've got a good game on your hands. There's niche but popular and niche barely keeping the doors open looking like a ghost town. I'm not against this game, I just hope they are flexible enough to make the game a big success.
"We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." SR Covey
ESO was a mess at launch and it took them about a year or two before they had a decent game. SWG launched without half the stuff they were supposed to have and added mounts and a list of other things later that year. Most MMOs have launched really before they were ready and spent a lot of time putting in content that should have been there at launch.
"We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." SR Covey
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
"I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator
Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017.
Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018
"Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018
It's the biggest problem this industry has. Developers need to stop making pre-releases of their games available to play (except for a late beta to a small group for feedback). Let people try the finished game and then decide to play or not to play.
~~ postlarval ~~
I would know, I played those types of games...namely Tibia/UO.
There's always this soapbox talk about interdependency and players working together but (just like modern mmos) 90% of your play time was solo leveling skills, or having to waste time running around finding a hunting spot because someone was there and you didn't want to be rude (or you couldn't kill them), etc etc.
There were definitely shitty parts to these types of games too.
I have never seen a single game change core systems between beta and release. Tweak a bit or polish? Sure, but to change the core of the game? Has never happened.
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
"I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator
Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017.
Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018
"Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018
Edit: A word.
Also, this falls under the category of "tweak" not "complete rework". That would be like FFXIV vs ARR; not necessarily the entire game, but pick any one thing and its totally different from the original, from combat to progression to quests to zones.
Also, (memory is a bit fuzzy) I do not believe that you could simply switch up your souls and make a jack of a trades.
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
"I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator
Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017.
Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018
"Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018
How messy a game is at launch says nothing about how much it has changed between Beta and release. A good example is WAR, the Beta was a technical disaster just a month away from release, what actually released was a completely different game on a technical front, it still wasn't a really good and finished game though.
/Cheers,
Lahnmir
Kyleran on yours sincerely
'But there are many. You can play them entirely solo, and even offline. Also, you are wrong by default.'
Ikcin in response to yours sincerely debating whether or not single-player offline MMOs exist...
'This does not apply just to ED but SC or any other game. What they will get is Rebirth/X4, likely prettier but equally underwhelming and pointless.
It is incredibly difficult to design some meaningfull leg content that would fit a space ship game - simply because it is not a leg game.
It is just huge resource waste....'
Gdemami absolutely not being an armchair developer
You're the last person i thought would be dumb enough to use the "it's a closed beta" excuse in 2018.
Which brings the big feeling of doom for me for this game. I've been playing the Alpha and now the Betas and honestly...nothing much has changed. Well yes, better graphics...which wasn't really needed because the jarring red light issues have yet to be addressed at all.
The world has been empty and soulless since so last year. Crafting has been de-evolving backwards instead of being better. Refusal to change the coin conversion and weight system, forcing players to basically only hunt for about 10 mins and leave a spot (or you can choose to throw all your copper away and only save the silver coins but for newer/weaker players this is bogus). Combat, stats, weapons, dmg modifiers...all this has been hashed and rehashed enough times now that nothing makes sense. Str adds damage value to all weapons and carry weight (carry weight is stupid low and each Str only adds 1 extra point in weight..lols) but not dmg..even archers? You know, the guys that only gain dex with using a bow...and yes, dex gives no dmg mods for daggers or bows, it only gives stamina. You get more dmg as you skill up?
Speaking of weapons and gear. Mobs don't drop jack shit. A few paltry cons, some regents, maybe a crappy low level scroll or worthless treasure map, which yet again holds crappy loot that's cut and pasted with every other chest in game is what you'll get. Gear is like 3 per category, so don't expect to look any different than Joe and Jane. And you know the cool image they have for their Logo? The people with the awesome looking armor and cloaked hood? Nope, not going to get that, sorry. UO had better armor designs than this, more realistic/immersive looking as well. The full plate armor looks like crap.
Mobs are only relegated to spawn camps, no free roaming mobs like they even have in UO. Again, the world feels like an empty soulless cut and paste. Dungeon designs are literally 9/10 the same. All the sewers in all the towns, same mobs, same layout. Ruin, Contempt dungeon..same layout, different mobs. Speaking of mobs, they're super limited in types as well.
Many people, myself included, have been voicing our complaints on the forums about how they're just rushing the game into E.A on Steam and that they're going backwards instead of forwards. That and every patch seems to do not much for the big things mentioned above, but yes, give us better graphics.
Soooo many things wrong with the game and the only good thing is the community content/servers. Legends of Ultima Server, sadly and joyously, has better content than the official servers. That and they seem to be doing things right with crafting, world building, etc than Citadel Studios does. Which clearly gives me much much confidence in how they'll tank their own game with crappy mechanics and dated systems that were extinct for a reason. Even their pvp ruleset and set up is shite....god...might as well just copied UO from 2000 and just updated the graphics because these guys are so damn lost.
You reap what you sow.
The only hope for this will be the player-run shards. Even then, I give it a couple years tops.