Now vs 1 year ago?

[Blueclaw666]

I'm new to the game (Level 55).

Looking back at some of the comments from 2021, it seems like the game had some real issues.
I'm thankful to be able to say, I don't currently experience any of the issues laid out in some discussions. Errors, downtime, broken updates, lost resources, waste of time, all of it was a mess.

Any long-time players want to say anything about your own experience over the years?
Old and new players - Are you guys now relatively issue free? Not content, that's a separate discussion, but are coding, network, server, app issues gone?


Now, Devs, Can we talk? Two words: INVENTORY. MANAGEMENT.

[dragonmat89]

I agree a lot of errors etc. have been ironed out over time. We do still see the odd event where something isn't right but I think we've had maybe 2 or 3 compensation packs/adjusted event end dates over the past few months whereas a year ago it was almost every event - things have definitely improved.



The main back end issue (apart from bugs with abilities etc.) that I still experience is resource loss if there is a network interruption when loading a level. As someone who often plays the game while commuting on the train this does cause issues, especially with scarcer resources like Sands of Blood. The issue seems to be that the current hierarchy is:

1. Press Play
2. Remove resources (sands cost, character availability for Gauntlet/Raids)
3. Load level

If there is an issue with 3 then you lose everything spent in 2 and sometimes the game will automatically spend your resources again trying to load the level a second time. What would be a better system (although probably a lot harder than it looks in terms of back end coding) would be:

1. Press Play
2. *Check* resources available
3. Load Level
4. Remove resources as soon as level successfully loads.

This would also get rid of the main recurrence of the Disco bug that I still see - this happens if I have, e.g., 1 SoB left which is then lost due to a network issue but the level still loads after giving the "Network Error" message. When I then complete the Raid, the game thinks I have done a raid on -1 sands and just replays the last half a second of combat until I force quit the game and notice I have lost the sand, lost the ability to use characters but have not gained any rewards for completing the battle

As an aside, I know that the reason resources are taken before loading is to prevent people loading a battle then force quitting if they see they aren't going first in Arena/Gauntlet, thus getting the Sand of War back. As players always go first in Raids that shouldn't be needed here plus if the resource is taken as soon as the game successfully loads then there shouldn't be an issue with this anyway.

[Blueclaw666]

That's good info. Thanks for replying.

Also, I'm glad to see there are still people active on here. I was beginning to think I totally missed the boat on the player interaction piece of the game, which can be more rewarding than the game itself. A lot of people have stopped contributing to the discussions, but there's enough here for a relative n00b like me to enjoy.

[dragonmat89]

The player interaction on here started dropping off when Clans launched - there were a lot more open posts and discussions about tactics etc. for new dungeons but most people now just work things out within their clans. It's a shame in some ways but there is still some larger scale interaction on here :)

[Blazpheme]

I was thinking the same, the Clan aspect did more to divide the player base than any other factors. It was a great concept, so not necessarily the root cause, but I think the prospect of "Clan War" is what started the knowledge-hoarding around here. It felt like everyone stopped sharing tips and strategies with the Raid Bosses because of the possible advantages they might gain against opposing Clans - hell, there were a number of rivalries that arose right here on the forum.

Friendly competition aside, I really noticed a change when Discord came into the picture. It seemed like most of the Clans preferred to exchange ideas in their own private space - away from the prying eyes of potential adversaries and even the developers themselves. I can't say I blame them, given a handful of bogus incidents that occurred (not to mention the endless complaints from a few chuckleheads who never had anything positive to say) I understand the appeal. So a bunch of folks left for Discord and never came back.

Another thing to consider is that we've had a few people over the years that went above and beyond in creating detailed guides for things like Dungeons, characters and talismans - out of their enthusiasm for the game. The reality of this is that it takes a considerable amount of time (and resources) to do it well, and some of these cats just don't have the time anymore or have left the game altogether. Life happens... Maybe those days are gone, or maybe it just needs some new blood to come along and continue the tradition.

[Blueclaw666]

Ahh yes, Discord. That certainly pulls focus away from this forum, doesn't it? I know from other games like this one, with a forum that the actual game company participates in, many players don't feel like sharing because they think "the devs will nerf or negate our tips and tricks" if they do share publicly.
That's a fine line to balance all around.

I find it crucial to the enjoyment of this game however, to share information. Talismans, effects, abilities, fragments, souls, currency, events, achievements, missions, cosmos, time rift, dungeons... It is so vast that most new players will need help. The learning curve is almost too high for new players to keep interest for very long. I wonder if NG sees this in the install/uninstall metrics on the app? I'm only here because of my love for Maiden. If the characters were replaced with something generic, I doubt I'd stick around to learn all the complexity.

One thing that does concern me as a late-comer to the game, is the staying power and longevity of the game itself, and the continued involvement/support from Navigator Games (NG). We know the potential for continued revenue is huge for NG IF they make the right decisions. Game Content and Game Improvements are key to longevity.



UP THE IRONS!!

[dragonmat89]

I find it crucial to the enjoyment of this game however, to share information. Talismans, effects, abilities, fragments, souls, currency, events, achievements, missions, cosmos, time rift, dungeons... It is so vast that most new players will need help. The learning curve is almost too high for new players to keep interest for very long. I wonder if NG sees this in the install/uninstall metrics on the app? I'm only here because of my love for Maiden. If the characters were replaced with something generic, I doubt I'd stick around to learn all the complexity.

Having been in the game from almost day 1 I can say I probably wouldn't have bothered if I'd joined later on - the game was a lot simpler at the start (no Troopers, cosmic/bespoke talismans, awakening, clans, Iron/Frontier Coins, sacrifice feature or even soul fragments) and all of the other features have been added a bit at a time, which has never been too much new to figure out at once. If I came into it now and saw the complexity I would definitely be more than a bit put off without a lot of guidance/info being available.

[waymo]

I remember way back when people complained there wasn't enough to do! :):)

[The Educated fool]

I remember way back when people complained there wasn't enough to do! :):)

I remember it well. We spent a year-ish basically just farming Powerslave for our Troopers, waiting for literally anything new! Fortunately, a mere decade (ish ;) ) later, we had Night City. lol

As far as the complexity of the game goes, I sometimes marvel at what it must be like now, starting as a new player. I seriously doubt I'd get into it, if I started now. Maiden fandom got me in the door though, and divisive as the clans have been in some ways, I can honestly say that without my clan, and the people I've met because of it--new content or not--there's absolutely no way I'd still be playing. Now, whether or not it's good that I am still playing is debatable, but that's another discussion! lol :cool:

[MetalKing]

We are still out there.yes, we got involved in Discord, as you can have almost instant communication in discussions about the game, and get to know your fellow clan members. I think the main thing was that we were waiting for new zones like silent planet, where it would make you want to play it on manual again instead of burning through temporary dungeons and zones on auto to grind for something. Plus a lot of us have had real life affect our gaming time. In addition, many of us have gotten to the stage where the only useful souls are the heroic souls and event souls. Even mythical souls hold nothing new. Some parts of the game are great and some is a grind. I suffered from fomo for a whe, which can turn to burnout if not for a little variety In the game. Plus with so many new characters now, we think-my present roster can handle this challenge, why grind for the new One? Perhaps a refocus of the game with new permanent areas, and some non grinding. Issuing, and perhaps some challenges that require certain champion teams or ooperation with other players to compete, or new meta champions that you have to work for by completing areas or challenges in order to get. Let that character be needed for the next area.
Signed Metalking-3386. Keep up the irons!

[InkieSquid]

As a long-time player I agree that things are better now than they have been but that's not to say there aren't areas for improvement. For example, I noticed that there's a compensation pack available today which might be down to the event counter for achievements not working properly. To explain that, I've completed 300 runs of the Gathering Storm level "A New Era" and yet according to the tally in the event tab I had only completed 122 total runs of all event levels which obviously isn't correct. It's also truly disappointing that I've spent so much ironite to fund the 50 Sands per run but the compensation pack is a few keys to run the event again, a pitiful amount of gold and I think either 300 or 600 tokens for the monthly event.

So while usually the compensation pack is thoughtfully compiled with things that the player will find useful, this one is just an even bigger drain on resources since it costs so much to run the dungeon even when the keys are free.
Other things they could improve come under the heading of quality of life improvements. For example, they could, and should, allow stylus / mouse interaction in the game for accessibility reasons. It's pretty crap that in 2023 we have to remind companies that disabled people exist and easy solutions like this can be life-changing. Another one would be a better way to sell off excess talismans since they don't always bundle up in that massive table (looking at you Cosmic Angel Talisman) - I've had more than one example where going through the selling table I think I've only got 3 or 4 examples of each talisman at most, but a search in the character screen shows 7 or more that are not already bound to a character.

Anyway, like I said, mostly it's quality-of-life improvements that could be looked at rather than game-breaking bugs now, so the state of the game has certainly improved significantly over the years.