142705-observations-from-a-returning-player

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Well, here we are; the free to play launch. And here I am, happily playing along a year later. For those who might remember me, I was here in the Beta and after launch for a few months. I doubt anyone will remember me though, I'm wasn't the most vocal person on these boards.
 
Anyway, enough introduction. I wanted to catalog some of the good and bad I saw since I've returned. Word of warning, I don't have any characters at 50 as of yet. I'm not that fast and I level slowly and at my own pace. I like to savor the levelling experience, and frankly find the end game content of most MMOs boring. Raids and PVP do not constitute fun to me, and dailies are a soul killing grind.
 
Anyway, with all this in mind, on with the show!
 
 
Good:
 
I'm quite pleased to see a few classes rebalanced (especially Esper, I remember how bad a shape they were in at launch), and the increased levelling speed is a wonderful bonus.
 
The relaunch has indeed brought in the much needed new blood that was required for the game to continue. While I worry the first week or so of problems might chase the less patient ones away, hopefully things will smooth out as we progress. Besides, when demand outstrips supply by THAT much, you know you've done something right.
 
The fact the cash shop encompasses only cosmetic changes is a real plus in my book. While right now I can't afford what's there (personal finance reasons), I can see myself taking advantage of some of it in the future. The other...  will talk about in the other section.
 
The revamped tutorials were a pleasant surprise too. Yes, I'm an experienced player, but I went through the basic and advanced tutorials to see what had changed. The most basic one is pleasant and should be very good for first time MMO players. The revamped arkships and their tutorial streamlining is good, but I will admit I miss some of the flavor of the old version (Like the Exile Bar and the Dominion Church, not to mention the museums). Still, this is more direct and far more able to draw in the new player. I will note the Dommy side is by far my favorite revamp, changing the infiltrator from just a guy that gets shot down in a cut scene to some cute Aurin you have to chase all over the place really adds a good bit of flavor.
 
A minor thing that I really think is good, how the abilities were reshuffled a bit to give a second interrupt to every class (I think, I've tested this on 3 classes, not all) at level 10. The protostar academy to teach players how to USE these interrupts is a good idea as well, but I fear it is poorly implemented. Every time I checked it out, it was completely empty, and most new players were simply getting their new guns and running off, never bothering to do this important bit of instruction. Even I haven't managed to do it, because no player seems to stick around long enough to bother with it. This might work better if there was an optional single player mode for this. Don't force the group content on those who aren't interested, just to teach a fundamental skill...
 
New shiphand missions, and starting earlier on! And that first single player dungeon...  please PLEASE do more of these! They are just so much fun!
 
Anyway, that's all I can think of for good right this moment. Now...
 
 
Bad:
 
Back in beta we were told that the original intent was for ever race to be capable of being every class, but you ran out of time to implement it, specifically noting you didn't have time to finish the animations. It's been a year, and this hasn't been addressed at all? Seriously? Three races can only be 3 classes (Aurin, Granok, Draken), while humans get all 6. Mordesh get 5, and the remaining 2 races (mechari, Chua) get 4. This isn't even close to "okay". Honestly, whatever lore reasons you've come up with to cover this in the meantime mean zilch to players who just want to play the race they think looks cool, and the class they think they'd like. It's long past time this was addressed (and no, Lore doesn't address it AT ALL). Even if it's just one class in one race at a time, moving slowly along, it would be better than no progress at all!
 
Unfortunately the community is still as divided as I remember when I left. Back then it was the "filthy casuals" and the "elite raider" types going round and round. Now it's the "vets" vs. the "Free to play noobs". Seriously, there needs to be some way to smooth some of this out. I understand Carbine can't do much about it, but the elitism on the boards here, and sometimes in game, will only hurt the population.
 
Carbine's answer to the lock box, Madam whatever-her-hame is (Fay, I think). Seriously. Just let me BUY what I want!! Don't make me struggle with an RNG and my own terrible luck just because I think one or two things in there are cool. Either let me buy it straight, or I simply won't bother buying at all. Period.
 
The UI. Sorry, but this really needs an overhaul. I keep breaking parts of it just by adjusting the size downwards by %10 (the worst offender is the scanbot customization window). And worse, parts of it break for no apparant reason! I can only imagine how confused some newbie would be when the "Challenges" part of the UI breaks like it did on mine the other day.
 
Paths are in dire need of an overhaul. I know this one is on the "to do" list, so I won't harp on it much. but at the least a way to swap out of paths we find out we dislike without having to reroll would be appreciated.
 
Prices. The ingame prices have gotten absurdly inflated, especially for dying clothing and repairs. This really needs to be addressed and reduced. I think you expect us to be pulling in more in game currency than we really are...
 
Too hectic. The game tries a little too hard to be in your face and amped up at all times. Please, give us some spots where we can catch our breath, or just relax and quest a little bit. Others have made this point better than I can, but I wanted to add my 2 cents worth on it as well. An entire MMO pumped up to 11 is just exausting. It should ramp up and down with the story arcs, otherwise you just become numb to the whole thing. This is bad, especially when the story is trying to make us care.
 
The Aurin stampede. 'nuff said. ;)
 
 
Really, despite my complaints, Carbine has a good game on their hands. Once they get the experience smoothed out and the lag tweaked, it should enjoy a second coming for at least another few years. At the least, they learned some good lessons for the next game they try to make...
 
..and maybe, just maybe, I'll stick around for longer this time around.	
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Most of what you have said has been pointed out in various forums already.
 
I'm not sure I agree with the attempt to make it sound like an objective overview from an experienced source, when many of the features you touch on as being bad or good are subject to personal opinion, and you haven't tried end game yet. I agree with some points (prices are high, new class combinations, ui bugs etc - Already mentioned many times) and others I disagree with (too hectic? reroll paths? madam fay? ... seriously?)
 
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 I like to savor the levelling experience, and frankly find the end game content of most MMOs boring. Raids and PVP do not constitute fun to me, and dailies are a soul killing grind.
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Most of what you have said has been pointed out in various forums already.
 
I'm not sure I agree with the attempt to make it sound like an objective overview from an experienced source, when many of the features you touch on as being bad or good are subject to personal opinion, and you haven't tried end game yet. I agree with some points (prices are high, new class combinations, ui bugs etc - Already mentioned many times) and others I disagree with (too hectic? reroll paths? madam fay? ... seriously?)
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I see what you're trying to do. Stop doing that. If these are issues that people feel strongly enough about, then they need to be continuously brought up over and over again by as many people as possible until they are addressed. That's exactly how players make their voices heard to the developers. If you don't want to hear about certain issues anymore, then you should direct your efforts at getting Carbine and NCSoft to notice them rather than trying to silence players from voicing their opinions.
 
Or we can go with option two, where all the players leave again because they're unhappy with the state of the game. Which one would you rather see happen?
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Except I didn't say that. What I said was that if you ignore your playerbase, that has a tendency to drive them away. Do you disagree?
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Or we can cut the hyperbole and stop saying every little thing in the game is going to make people leave.
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Dispite the fact you both are falling into the very problem I mentioned about community divisions, I simply noted how I felt. As for my "qualifications", eh. I played WoW for 6 or 7 years, CoH until NCSoft killed it, I still play STO, Tera, Guild Wars 2, and the like. I stand by my statement. I find the "endgame" to be overhyped and the least enjoyable part of an MMO (with one exception, "The Secret World"). A well made levelling arc is far more satisfying to me, and far more enjoyable. PVP I don't enjoy unless it's a shooter, honestly (Team Fortress Classic and 2 vet), and dailies...  yeah, they're just soul crushing, and I've yet to hear anyone really disagree with that.
 
Honestly, I left all that out because it's not important. I commented on what I saw, and while some things have been rehashed, a few of the others I don't recall seeing. Plus I wanted to say what I felt was done well, because some things this game does excellently, and other things fall a little flat.
			
				
	Edited October 12, 2015 by Polecat	
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			Ignore the fanboys. Been playing since launch and love this game but I can handle players voicing their opinions. If this game was absolutely perfect free to play wouldn't have been. Necessary.	
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I see what you're trying to do. Stop doing that. If these are issues that people feel strongly enough about, then they need to be continuously brought up over and over again by as many people as possible until they are addressed. That's exactly how players make their voices heard to the developers. If you don't want to hear about certain issues anymore, then you should direct your efforts at getting Carbine and NCSoft to notice them rather than trying to silence players from voicing their opinions.
 
Or we can go with option two, where all the players leave again because they're unhappy with the state of the game. Which one would you rather see happen?
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I refer to the fact that you did not mention specific games. Your comment implied that you dislike 90% of what Makes MMOs what they are. You generalized and said "and frankly find the end game content of most MMOs boring. Raids and PVP do not constitute fun to me, and dailies are a soul killing grind." 
 
If you take these parts out its no longer the genre you refer to and thus are unqualified to comment on it. imo
 
No hating. Just Stating
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Erh, no
 
You can shout and shout about it all you want, if the issue is know and has been addressed as "under review" then shouting more about it does nothing but waste your energy. If you bothered to check the developer tracker threads, you would realize that pretty much every topic discussed has been acknowledged and responded to, now its just angry people churning the same regurgitated complaints over and over like privileged little flowers.
 
They know about it, crying more wont make it get fixed faster.
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 Now it's the "vets" vs. the "Free to play noobs".
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If you take these parts out its no longer the genre you refer to and thus are unqualified to comment on it. imo
 
 
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Despite the fact you both are falling into the very problem I mentioned about community divisions, I simply noted how I felt. As for my "qualifications", eh. I played WoW for 6 or 7 years, CoH until NCSoft killed it, I still play STO, Tera, Guild Wars 2, and the like. I stand by my statement. I find the "endgame" to be overhyped and the least enjoyable part of an MMO (with one exception, "The Secret World"). A well made levelling arc is far more satisfying to me, and far more enjoyable. PVP I don't enjoy unless it's a shooter, honestly (Team Fortress Classic and 2 vet), and dailies...  yeah, they're just soul crushing, and I've yet to hear anyone really disagree with that.
 
Honestly, I left all that out because it's not important. I commented on what I saw, and while some things have been rehashed, a few of the others I don't recall seeing. Plus I wanted to say what I felt was done well, because some things this game does excellently, and other things fall a little flat.
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Carbine's answer to the lock box, Madam whatever-her-hame is (Fay, I think). Seriously. Just let me BUY what I want!! Don't make me struggle with an RNG and my own terrible luck just because I think one or two things in there are cool. Either let me buy it straight, or I simply won't bother buying at all. Period.
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Dispite the fact you both are falling into the very problem I mentioned about community divisions, I simply noted how I felt. As for my "qualifications", eh. I played WoW for 6 or 7 years, CoH until NCSoft killed it, I still play STO, Tera, Guild Wars 2, and the like. I stand by my statement. I find the "endgame" to be overhyped and the least enjoyable part of an MMO (with one exception, "The Secret World").
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I believe everything from Madame Fay is BoE, so it can be sold on the AH. Give it another week or two and even the rare drops should appear there, maybe even at only horrifically inflated prices.
 
Sounds like someone is in need of a free hug!
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A lot of the problem is that MMO developers also seem to think that Raids, PvP and dailies should form 90% of the game. Such a blinkered view risks sinking any game that doggedly sticks to this outdated design structure. The MMO genre is evolving, like it or not. And the future isn't niche hardcore raiding for the elitists funded by a grindathon and cash shop for the casuals. 
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Carbine's answer to the lock box, Madam whatever-her-hame is (Fay, I think). Seriously. Just let me BUY what I want!! Don't make me struggle with an RNG and my own terrible luck just because I think one or two things in there are cool. Either let me buy it straight, or I simply won't bother buying at all. Period.
 
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So many games need to learn this as a matter of urgency.
 
I simply will not spend RL money on a 0.1% chance to get what I want and a 99.9% of getting a pile of crapolla.
 
It ain't going to happen, they may as well just destroy Fay's button on the UI because I am NEVER going to go there.
 
Stick it in the Store, and set a price, and then allow me to buy it when I feel that a) I really need it, and B) I consider if VFM.
 
A 0.1% chance at something I like is NEVER, EVER VFM.
 
All The Best
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