Game Development: Breath of Air

[darkulrich]

I am always amazed by the drama posts in this forum.
Maybe some of you could consider some spanish telenovelas, you would find them very entertaining.
I think the update is good. Map expansion and cap removal should help understand if players really want this as endgame. I don't, me and my girlfriend are basically like hermits. But still, I am really curious.
I guess if numbers don't go up it does not really matter (still, the new world variable is missing). And world expansion is basically like a reset with added security due to low number and bigger map.
So devs, thanks for the update, keep up the good work some people have been always supporting your creative development
By the way, I cannot login. What's the exp cost of the new prayers?

[LadyGoo]

In regards to the people's numbers. I think it is better to see whether the new updates stop the population decline or not in a long term, rather than being overly ambitious and expect everyone to come back.
From what I have observed, the quest changes has affected the population drop: the decrease rate has slowed down significantly. There has even been some activity increase. With further work on the system it might drag more people in (I have actually heard of some people returning back to the game).
Will write down the feedback regarding the quest system later next week in C&I.

[Enjoyment]

They also lose faith when they release a rushed half assed/rushed patch constantly and them being really small. I think having longer time developed patches is less evil.

You missed one thing - Seatribe is really bad in implementing new things. They are good in implementing "New interesting and promising mechanics (NIPM)" ("with 50% off on Sundays, only in our market!").
Let's take a look on w9 development.
03 Mar 2016 - Knarr were implemented.
New? Yes!
Interesting? Sure!
Promising? Without doubts - so many uses: water pirating, battles or even sieges. Huge possibilities for settlements to move their stuff into the new unknown lands. Big hunting parties.
Gameplay influence? Minimal. Security issues (with tons of community solutions provided) make them nearly unplayable. No one wants to spend its cost for one use.
Current idea state - waiting for finishing. (almost half-year).

10 Mar 2016 - Multitexturing!
New? Yes!
Interesting? Sure!
Promising? Without doubts - so many uses: different colors for containers to store different stuff. Color variety for barrels to ease the indication of low/high-quality water.
Gameplay influence? Minimal. 95% of stuff taking materials into account use it only for esthetic purpose. Most of the needed changes (providing functionality) weren't implemented.
Current idea state - waiting for finishing. (almost half-year).

04 May 2016 - Gilding!
New? Yes!
Interesting? Sure!
Promising? Without doubts - so many uses: replacing "all jobs have 1-3 cloth-build" with "all jobs have their own builds".
Gameplay influence? Sure - much more grind of flax - 'cause the only almost-full-gildable set of cloth is cooking-farming-sewing. Other skills/stats can barely count 2-3 suitable clothes. So you basically just cloth up all of the professions in same cloth with 1 different gild in it. Situation, where you should have high charisma and melee to craft a carpentry gilding, which should be inserted in strength-affinity-cloth, requiring sewing for gilding itself, counts as normal (will look it this, aware).
Current idea state - waiting for finishing. (a couple of months).

08 Jul 2016 - Quests!
New? Yes!
Interesting? Sure!
Promising? Without doubts - so many uses: gaining unique rewards, getting people out of their bases, learning newbies, etc.
Gameplay influence? Somewhat - depends on your luck and the will of RNG - you can spend a couple of hours wandering among q-givers, gain 3x123 LP, 0-1% hunger reduction and 250 exp.
Current idea state - waiting for finishing. (just a couple of weeks by now, but it can easily become a couple of months or years).

That's just most obvious ones. But almost all of the changes in w9 are all this like - they've implemented something, get the feedback and then forget about it "till we have some free-time" or "to take a little breath").

I should admit, I don't mind against all this huge work they do to overhaul combat/PvP system, or floatin'-point coords, or object-controlled-object. These are indeed the very good changes, but while they at the development state, I can't stop to compare them with what have been "done".

So when someone suggests to take a "monthly-update system with big new content", I say "No, let's bag the devs to stop producing NIPMs, and finish all that crap they've already implemented!"
And when Jord says "I've read all the LadyGoo's (sounds like Lady Goose UPD: I didn't saw your last post, when I was typing it, Freya, but now I think I know the words for spell of your summoning) posts with interest" I think "Goddamit, man, this wasn't a leaked chapter from new "Song of Ice and Fire" book - this was C&I forum of YOUR game. You shouldn't read it, you should react on it"

P.S. No sarcasm were used in this post. An author deeply likes all of said changes and do find them new, interesting and promissing. Just unfinshed, but still.

Sorry for another text-wall.

[Enjoyment]

...a little text...

And I assume, this game just need a more efficient dev-player-feedback system to solve these issues (if devs will count them as issues, not the game-features (they're aren't a Microsoft)). More streams by Jorb with some Q&A and devs-plans sharing. More Loftar's "interesting server statistics" posts. Better structured C&I-forum. Or at least any small step into that direction to show you do need community feedback. To show that you hear its voice and it is matters.

[LadyGoo]

To be honest, it would be rather beneficial if J&Lo would spend their time on the development than replying to everyone and spending time doing some streams.
C&I needs to be structured, indeed. As well as the players should provide some better feedback of how exactly they experience the game as well. There are hundreds of nuanses that the devs won't notice or know regardless whether they'll spend time streaming. It would be helpful if the folk with different experience levels would tell how they find the certain aspects, why exactly it is frustrating, show some screenshots and calculations and etc. The forum severely lacks this kind of feedback.

[Enjoyment]

To be honest, it would be rather beneficial if J&Lo would spend their time on the development than replying to everyone and spending time doing some streams.

I was talking about like one 2-hours stream in a month, and some funny (or serious) Loftars statistics like one in a week. It could make them closer to community.

[Potjeh]

There's more than enough decent feedback, they're just not acting on it (see Enjoyment's post).

[LadyGoo]

There's more than enough decent feedback, they're just not acting on it (see Enjoyment's post).

Never intending to act and acting immidietly are different things

[Enjoyment]

acting immidietly

I assume Potjeh is talking about this:

waiting for finishing. (almost half-year).

And no one was talking about implementing perfect things. It was about devs don't care about finishing their own un-done things after a half-year has passed, no matter what feedback they have. And so on - what is the reason for the player to leave the feedback if nothing will be done based on it, no matter of its quality, popularity or deepness.
Again, I don't blame devs in anything - they've made great game - Im just sad and disappointed a little in way they do their progress. And I assume, that better feedback could solve my anxiety (hey, new word from Google!). But even strongest of us could lose their hopes and thought that devs just don't care about feedback, when reality comes and punch you into the face with some solid facts.

[ArvinJA]

Granger has been a scourge on these forums for far too long. How much did he pay to be mod again, if I pay double it will you take it away?

Please stop it. Granger is actually pretty level-headed and rational. Overall, I think he's a good mod. And above all, he's not spotty. If you make a plea to him he'll actually respond quite fast. There's tremendous value in having a mod as active as him.