An extremely controversial patch that essentially reworks the entire game, coming out in 2 days, that not only is not working properly on the test server, but has over all damning consequences to the game and player’s enjoyment, and not a word back from Funcom on the issue as to why they are redesigning their game so far after release…
Whats the excuse for the silence and complete ignoring of the ‘New Follower Limit’ feed back thread, when Funcom stated they were listening?
I suppose the silence is exactly what it indicates… Lack of care or interest in their customer base? Certainly how it comes across.
Before the patch is released and the game suffers from its biggest failing yet, what about the following?:
A. Worse case scenario this will likely not help with the lag issue, it may even make it worse as the new systems will essentially be a trade off . Best case scenario, lag stays about the same or has a minor improvement, all for a couple of additions a vocal minority pestered Funcom about, when many of us never wanted the pointless additions. This patch has the right intentions, but is poorly designed currently and not a worthwhile trade off for players or Funcom.
B. Funcom has destroyed hours worth of time with past patches. As this one is so game changing, as in, completely reworking it from its foundations, I believe its very likely they break peoples current bases, the game, and who knows how long (or how severe) things will be broken. Hell, they are already consciously destroying peoples thralls.
C. The heavy handed limit as planned is currently designed to greatly negatively effect nearly every style of player of the game save for a specific game style of building solo, small, and potentially infrequently. Every other player is boned. Big clans, small clans, PvE, PvP… Its like Funcom was looking for specifically the absolutely most controversial way of implementation and went with that. Why are small clans boned with +5 a person? How come a big clan can’t have enough thrall to protect one big clan base (or in contrast, not enough thralls to protect smaller satellite bases)? They took one of the main mechanics about the game (thralling) and knee capped it back to be a side feature. The limit doesn’t even facilitate searching out and collecting of rare thralls (which was one of the main time sinks in this game. Pitifully short sighted to axe this).
D. The current implementation doesn’t even facilitate all the problems it brings with it (let alone tackle the problem intended to resolve) and will leave the game in a worse state after then before. There is no thrall locator, or even a counter. Putting in such a ‘afterthought’ of a solution that fall so extremely short of handling the problem, only to generate more problems seems like taking a gun and shooting yourself in the temple. People will have no ideas where thralls are, how many are left, thralls stuck in the world, and all the other bugs that are almost guaranteed to come with…
Seems like it’d be much smarter to fix the game in small pieces, then later after release, nudging it into a place where Funcom wants it, not break the game trying to fix it, then fix the broken solution, and then trying to tackle the problem again. I have seen enough other gaming companies go around and around doing this same thing until it ends development.
E. As mentioned in A. the new systems are nothing more then a bad trade. Mounts are pointless. Sure, I can see jousting being entertaining, yes its one more type of pet in the game, small excitement, but past that, entirely pointless. You don’t need them for travel. The world is small. You don’t need them for thralling or gathering resources as a normal thrall proves to be better for that any how and you can’t run around with a thrall with your hose because your horse is taking up that slot, and for all we know, you can’t thrall with your horse because Funcom hasn’t mentioned (to my knowledge) that you can use your tether while riding. Mounts/riding in conan is something Funcom stated couldn’t come to the game, didn’t really need to come to the game, and I would argue is as much a additive to the game as any other single piece of decor. The fact that this is partly is why we are getting such a low thrall limit is just a bad joke. Like taking off the tires of your car so flashy rims can fit, but you don’t have the tires for the rims.
F. Thrall levels and perks: See ‘E’. Entirely pointless as well. This can be enjoyable for a single thrall. Or maybe another thrall once that first single thrall died… but not much past that. Defending thralls (in PvE at least) don’t need perks. Thralls are already extremely over powered. 1 single follower is all that at most needs the perks (i would argue thralls are currently so strong, none of them need perks or levels) but even looking at the system positively, you only need the 1. Past that, your other 54 thralls will have the perk/leveling system for absolutely no reason save for further server resources and a lower thrall cap. This is actually worse then the mount situation. The mounts is a trade off for something minorly interesting for a big negative. The thrall leveling system is actually handicapping the game for no reason.
A much better implementation would be our current thralling system with a option to ‘Champion’ one of our normal thralls, to give the Champion the levels and perks. You then couldn’t make another champion until that one dies. You keep the thrall perks/leveling, you don’t cripple the servers and thrall limits with a really poorly designed system, you don’t have a bunch of useless thralls standing around with lvl 1 and no perks, being a demand on the system for no reason, and Funcom wouldn’t been implementing a half baked idea with greater ramifications then benefits.
G. There is no replacement system, trade off for the players that focus on building and populating their bases coming with this patch. I know its not everyone, but a very large portion of Funcom’s player base is this style of player. Funcom, through their own DLC, contests, and interaction with the community have encouraged building, building in detail, and sharing it. Its a large portion of the success of this game (the survival aspect certainly wasn’t the main draw). Funcom is facilitating a short sighted patch, that adds 2 essentially useless systems to the game, that will very negatively effect a large portion of their consistent player base with no solution to what they are destroying. These people, if they can not continue to enjoy what they have been doing in the game in the future, will leave and find other games. Funcom is treating this group of players as a niche player base when I personally believe it is a significant portion of why Funcom was successful with this game. It is one of the best base builders out there. Much better then Ark and other similar games. After this patch, it will not even be close to the best base builder out there. Funcom destroying this aspect of the game is just so backwards to the idea of game and development growth, as well player acquisition/retention that I don’t even really know how to react other then in disbelief. I mean, what kind of inexperienced company makes those decisions? And Funcom has tons of experience…?
They could use the idea from ‘F’ or they could add in a system for populating a base with ‘non-follower’ decor type thralls, or a number of any other idea. But we hear nothing. They are destroying our game and we get no words from Funcom regarding the subject.
All these points have not once been addressed by Funcom and they are walking into this disaster, eyes open, face first, like this is the first game they have ever made and don’t have a care in the world…
How can a company with experience exhibit this sort of behavior?
Or is it truly my worst fear? That the game is already suffering, and this is a last ditch effort (veteran players be damned) to pull in a new crowed and a new pool of profit before the game flops on self crippling decisions?
What is actually going on for such illogical, unexplained, and bullheaded ideas from this company?
