I notice mmorpg has had 5k salem keys to give away and its been up there for like a month or more and only about 1800 keys have been used.. I wonder if the people are like me where they see the "hardcore perma death and open pvp" ruleset and then just lose all interest in the game? It had me up until I read that line: "Salem features a cute, gothic art style that offsets its hardcore permadeath rules and open PvP combat." I don't mind the graphics, but the second i seen permadeath and open gankfest pvp in the same line I just droped the game entirely. Why don't these devs get it that open pvp with permadeath and or looting of pked players (or ones who were killed in pve) just do not make it? The market of players for that type of gameplay is extremly small, not more than a few thousand people at most, not enough to sustain most mmo's now a days.
Being a pessimist is a win-win pattern of thinking. If you're a pessimist (I'll admit that I am!) you're either:
A. Proven right (if something bad happens)
or
B. Pleasantly surprised (if something good happens)
Either way, you can't lose! Try it out sometime!
Comments
Multiple rulesets spread out amongst different servers introduces imbalances in the game mechanics.
salem is enjoyable to some extent but its not for everyone. the perma death can hurt at times but most of the main PKers roll several alts for pvp while keeping their crafter main hidden away. thats typically how its best to play.
roll a jack of all trades toon or get a group together and make a city then after you get the food and econ set roll several alts all for pure pvp/looting. that way if they die its owell. alt 169 is dead ill use 170 now ect
their first game haven and hearth held an avg of about 5000 people i think. so there are people who like it others will rather play WoW or something i guess
This game has not been made for you, forget about it, stop trying to change it.
"It's a sandbox, if you are not willing to create a castle then all you have is sand" - jtcgs
I think your opinions could possibly change (probably) if you read up on crimes committed and the consequences you will suffer in this game regardless if you are online or offline.
I will give an example, because i doubt most of you could be bothered to read a wiki and/or research the game.
Player A;
Breaks into my base, destroys/steals/mischief ensues.
Player B;
Logs on and sees he has been raided.
Player B can now track that player back to his homestead or current abode, summon his character to that location, even while the criminal is offline, and kill him (permanently). Now, im skipping a few details and possible outcomes of this situation, however, these are exact game mechanics. There are different levels of crime in Salem, and there are extreme consequences.
Dont get me wrong, although it hasnt happened to me (yet), i can only imagine the feeling of devastation when you log on and see your land has been raised and/or burned to the ground so to speak, however, extreme consequences await that person if you know actual game rules and mechanics. Once again, to even break through your defense requires a character that has had quite a bit of work put into them by one, or even a full village of players. The point is, there are consequences for every action in this game and it isnt quite like you percieve, or anything ive ever played before.
If you don't like permadeath, go play something else.
Why must everything cater to your needs?
Get over it.
And what if player B is permakilled, you don't have a chance to pay back...so to speak.
They should have called it "Farmville - plymouth rock edition"
Perma-death and forced pvp sounds great on paper but in reality caters to only those who like to kill and control the sheep, without sheep you have nothing, hence Salem.
Not only have their publishers dropped them, but the majority of players have too, all you have left are the complete blood thirsty morons/griefers who have complete and utter control over anything you might ever do. Spend months building up your base and character and someone comes and griefs you putting you back to square one. No matter how you truss it up, its not fun. Even seeking revenge achieves nothing, it doesn't get back all your hard work.
Just check out their forums for the current state of their community, its full of immature smack talk and until they take a serious step back and consider that forced pvp permadeath isn't very good, the game will never be anything more than it is now, on its last legs.
You can add a PvP environment that is fun and rewarding but force it on people and they leave your game in droves.