After Mixed Response, Brighter Shores' Andrew Gower Explains Episode Design & How it Minimizes Dead

System · November 11

After Mixed Response, Brighter Shores' Andrew Gower Explains Episode Design & How it Minimizes Dead Content | MMORPG.com

Brighter Shores' episode designs intend to focus on separate combat professions each time, which got mixed response. Andrew Gower explains how this intends to make each episode fun for all, and minimize 'dead' content.

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Angrakhan · November 11

I just checked on Steam and it's up to Mostly Positive, so it can't be that bad. I think the monetization is pretty fair, and I hate FTP, but in my opinion this isn't really FTP. It's B2P with an optional free demo. No MTX store at all. I might check it out just for that.

figma001 · November 11

i played 8 hrs but I should have stopped around 5, its not a game for everyone, you can afk farm is a nice system but this game is for certain ppl, I enjoy how the game started but then i start to realize what this is since i never played runescape and havn't touch it since the day after release

Wargfoot · November 11

You get damned for creating Wow clones.
You get damned for not creating Wow clones.

Elidien_ga · November 11

I put in numerous hours and the skill system is fine. All the uproar was from people who wanted website clicks or video views. Let me put it simple for those who may not understand. Just like in any game, you cannot level a bow skill without a bow, a mining skill without a mine, and a logging skill without a tree. The only difference in this game is certain skills are tied to chapters/tile sets/whatever you want to call them.

I like it and its very old school. It reminds me a ton of the 1980s King's Quest games and the like. Its not for everyone at all but its a fun little game.

rhodesza · November 12

I get what he's going for, with the system currently in place, I just didn't think it was fun in its current iteration. It may be one day, but it just wasn't something I saw value in continuing. But, its EA, so things will evolve and, potentially, change over time.

Theocritus · November 12

Elidien_ga said:

I put in numerous hours and the skill system is fine. All the uproar was from people who wanted website clicks or video views. Let me put it simple for those who may not understand. Just like in any game, you cannot level a bow skill without a bow, a mining skill without a mine, and a logging skill without a tree. The only difference in this game is certain skills are tied to chapters/tile sets/whatever you want to call them.

I like it and its very old school. It reminds me a ton of the 1980s King's Quest games and the like. Its not for everyone at all but its a fun little game.

"The only difference in this game is certain skills are tied to chapters/tile sets/whatever you want to call them."

You nailed it right here why people dont like the game....We dont want to work on skills for hours then have them not even be used in the next chapter....That isnt how Runescape or any other MMO works...You can try and re-invent the wheel but that doesnt mean it is going to work as well.

olepi · November 12

I played it for a short time, don't think the game is for me. I like open worlds to explore with stuff in the distance, like a castle, that I can go explore. Or, perhaps go fish in that pond over there, or see what's on the other side of that hill.

I like games that give you many abilities to use at any one time, and the fun is picking the right ability in the right circumstance. A jack-of-all-trades hybrid type game.

And I'll confess the isometric view doesn't do it for me anymore. This game could have been fun back in the 1990's.

Elidien_ga · November 12

Theocritus said:

Elidien_ga said:

I put in numerous hours and the skill system is fine. All the uproar was from people who wanted website clicks or video views. Let me put it simple for those who may not understand. Just like in any game, you cannot level a bow skill without a bow, a mining skill without a mine, and a logging skill without a tree. The only difference in this game is certain skills are tied to chapters/tile sets/whatever you want to call them.

I like it and its very old school. It reminds me a ton of the 1980s King's Quest games and the like. Its not for everyone at all but its a fun little game.

"The only difference in this game is certain skills are tied to chapters/tile sets/whatever you want to call them."

You nailed it right here why people dont like the game....We dont want to work on skills for hours then have them not even be used in the next chapter....That isnt how Runescape or any other MMO works...You can try and re-invent the wheel but that doesnt mean it is going to work as well.

And I can agree with that. I think it would help to see a final "end game" type scenario. Would the skills come back or you have access to them all? Will the maps/tiles cater to all skills at some point? Who knows but I can understand the frustration.

Panther2103 · November 12

I thought it was fun when I played a bit. But it 100% did make me go play Runescape again as it's a bit more fun to be able to go around and do whatever.

The locked to episode skills aren't the worst, I can see why people are mad but I also can see why it's like a weird form of horizontal progression, and it's an interesting idea. Hopefully they add more to the earlier episodes at some point and make the grinding of those skills more worth doing.

Tiller · November 12

Seems they came after multi-boxing lol. People doing things to make game play bearable to be banned now.

KnightFalz · November 12

Wargfoot said:

You get damned for creating Wow clones.
You get damned for not creating Wow clones.

Pretty much. It's like people calling for new things only to reject things that are new.

KnightFalz · November 12

Tiller said:

Seems they came after multi-boxing lol. People doing things to make game play bearable to be banned now.

If I have to multi-box to make a game bearable I'm better off playing something else.

Wargfoot · November 12

I can see multi-boxing your job.
But your entertainment?

lolz...get a new game.

achesoma · November 12

Wargfoot said:

You get damned for creating Wow clones.
You get damned for not creating Wow clones.

Isn't this just a Runescape clone?

Borluc · November 12

This odd approach to a game advertised as from an og runescape dev will only minimalize the playerbase.

Wargfoot · November 13

achesoma said:

Wargfoot said:

You get damned for creating Wow clones.
You get damned for not creating Wow clones.

Isn't this just a Runescape clone?

I didn't know that was a thing.

ValdemarJ · November 13

KnightFalz said:

Wargfoot said:

You get damned for creating Wow clones.
You get damned for not creating Wow clones.

Pretty much. It's like people calling for new things only to reject things that are new.

If something is new and it's idiotic and stupid, then it will be rejected and castigated.

Is the problem that people are rejecting all new things. Maybe all the new ideas have been dumb or idiotically implemented.

This is capitalism. It isn't my job to like what they're trying to sell me. It's their job to make it appealing and show me the value.

I bought Death Stranding on Xbox within hours of it releasing on the platform. It's just a walking simulator in an interactive cinematic novel. But it does it differently than most, or any others, and it delivers on the visual experience which is core to that genre. It's a few years old now, but at the time it released it was a breath of fresh air. It really shows that game hobbyists are willing to enjoy new experiences, if they're good.

Kyleran · November 13

ValdemarJ said:

KnightFalz said:

Wargfoot said:

You get damned for creating Wow clones.
You get damned for not creating Wow clones.

Pretty much. It's like people calling for new things only to reject things that are new.

If something is new and it's idiotic and stupid, then it will be rejected and castigated.

Is the problem that people are rejecting all new things. Maybe all the new ideas have been dumb or idiotically implemented.

This is capitalism. It isn't my job to like what they're trying to sell me. It's their job to make it appealing and show me the value.

I bought Death Stranding on Xbox within hours of it releasing on the platform. It's just a walking simulator in an interactive cinematic novel. But it does it differently than most, or any others, and it delivers on the visual experience which is core to that genre. It's a few years old now, but at the time it released it was a breath of fresh air. It really shows that game hobbyists are willing to enjoy new experiences, if they're good.

Or maybe new, good ideas will be rejected by idiotic and stupid consumers who are looking for more of the same-same?

ValdemarJ · November 13

Kyleran said:

ValdemarJ said:

KnightFalz said:

Wargfoot said:

You get damned for creating Wow clones.
You get damned for not creating Wow clones.

Pretty much. It's like people calling for new things only to reject things that are new.

If something is new and it's idiotic and stupid, then it will be rejected and castigated.

Is the problem that people are rejecting all new things. Maybe all the new ideas have been dumb or idiotically implemented.

This is capitalism. It isn't my job to like what they're trying to sell me. It's their job to make it appealing and show me the value.

I bought Death Stranding on Xbox within hours of it releasing on the platform. It's just a walking simulator in an interactive cinematic novel. But it does it differently than most, or any others, and it delivers on the visual experience which is core to that genre. It's a few years old now, but at the time it released it was a breath of fresh air. It really shows that game hobbyists are willing to enjoy new experiences, if they're good.

Or maybe new, good ideas will be rejected by idiotic and stupid consumers who are looking for more of the same-same?

Didn't I already explain that this is capitalism and it isn't up to the consumer to like whatever is shoveled their way. It's up to the business to sell it.

Do you have any examples of any recent MMOs that are bringing great new things to the genre but consumers "just can't see it"?

Because I have a long list of shitty "innovations" that have been shoveled our way for over a decade, starting with horrible monetization that has directly affected game design.

I even listed an example of a 5 year old game that brought a lot of new ideas to its genre. It's now the number 3 best selling game on the Xbox platform. People will buy new ideas that are well done.

Tiller · November 13

Wargfoot said:

You get damned for creating Wow clones.
You get damned for not creating Wow clones.

I actually like the game lol.

xanthouscrown · November 13

Theocritus said:

Elidien_ga said:

I put in numerous hours and the skill system is fine. All the uproar was from people who wanted website clicks or video views. Let me put it simple for those who may not understand. Just like in any game, you cannot level a bow skill without a bow, a mining skill without a mine, and a logging skill without a tree. The only difference in this game is certain skills are tied to chapters/tile sets/whatever you want to call them.

I like it and its very old school. It reminds me a ton of the 1980s King's Quest games and the like. Its not for everyone at all but its a fun little game.

"The only difference in this game is certain skills are tied to chapters/tile sets/whatever you want to call them."

You nailed it right here why people dont like the game....We dont want to work on skills for hours then have them not even be used in the next chapter....That isnt how Runescape or any other MMO works...You can try and re-invent the wheel but that doesnt mean it is going to work as well.

It's not like that though. You don't "move on" to the next episode/zone. You unlock it and freely travel back and for from it. And the professions in one zone make use of items you get or professions you use in another zone. For example, I can gather materials from zone 2 to make potions in zone 1 (where I can use the alchemy station to make potions) and then go back to zone 2 with those potions.

Each profession has 500 levels you can grind. To put that into perspective, the first zone has five professions, so that's 2500 levels, but you only need a total level of 60 to complete the main quest of episode 1 and get to the next episode, so there is so much more to go back to and level. It's kind of a smart design that can keep all zones relevant long term.

KnightFalz · November 14

ValdemarJ said:

KnightFalz said:

Wargfoot said:

You get damned for creating Wow clones.
You get damned for not creating Wow clones.

Pretty much. It's like people calling for new things only to reject things that are new.

If something is new and it's idiotic and stupid, then it will be rejected and castigated.

Is the problem that people are rejecting all new things. Maybe all the new ideas have been dumb or idiotically implemented.

This is capitalism. It isn't my job to like what they're trying to sell me. It's their job to make it appealing and show me the value.

I bought Death Stranding on Xbox within hours of it releasing on the platform. It's just a walking simulator in an interactive cinematic novel. But it does it differently than most, or any others, and it delivers on the visual experience which is core to that genre. It's a few years old now, but at the time it released it was a breath of fresh air. It really shows that game hobbyists are willing to enjoy new experiences, if they're good.

That's all well and good once something has been established idiotic or stupid but not all are so patient in making their declarations. If the majority of things are rejected out of hand the problem becomes the tendency for baseless rejection.

Tiller · November 18

25 hours in and it's not bad. Literally a min/max game and kind of addicting, you can even xp grind offline with passive activities. Lots of people online, awesome chatty and helpful community. Some things need improvement, like combat, but everyone for the most part feels this way, and devs seem to be really keen to improving it.

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After Mixed Response, Brighter Shores' Andrew Gower Explains Episode Design & How it Minimizes Dead

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Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV

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After Mixed Response, Brighter Shores' Andrew Gower Explains Episode Design & How it Minimizes Dead

Comments

Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV