Feedback : Solo/Grp Content - Storage - Random
Feedback on a number of issues. To put it into context I'm a 50 year old male with well over 25,000 hrs played in a variety of MMOs. My preference is EQ1/UO/AC/AO rather than WoW, where I played most of the content but never got attached to it.
1. Storage
The game forces you into choices that demand a lot of storage space - eg cooking is a requirement, amazing trade skills. Minimal universal storage is interesting, but across the board there just isn't close to workable storage space. Trying to cope with this just gets me down and kills my desire to play what is a great game with many great systems. I hate logging in with a full inventory of stuff I need to keep but I have to spend a half hour or more muling etc so I can think about playing.
Equipment storage space is adequate it's the food and trade skills components storage that isn't.
Aside - I bought a second account to help with muling, but because its now on Steam you have to log the accounts in on separate PCs so that's another PITA running between desks to trade stuff.
Suggestions :
i) give all inns significant storage space for food / fish /fruit /veg etc like Laura Neth, but ease the restrictions so they can store cooked meals and all components;
ii) significantly reduce the cost of expanding universal storage at Huton for the first 50 slots. Present cost is prohibitive for the first weeks of play which is when people will decide to stick or leave.
2. Game moving towards group content
A group based MMO needs two things to survive :
i) a constant supply of needed classes (eg tank / healer / cc)
ii) a group finder / matching system;
OR
a) an NPC bot system, where NPCs can replace needed classes.
If those things aren't available and implemented an MMO that is aiming for group based content is doomed. EQ1/ FFXI et al would be dead many years ago except they implemented a bot system where you can use NPCs as group members, so you can still play solo but with a group of support NPCs.
Suggestion : Project Gorgon moving towards group based content for it's end game is a mistake IMO. It's a game whose strengths are about solo and small group play.
3. Vendor NPCs need a confirmation button before you hire them - state of play is you move around dozens of NPCs clicking on the 'show me your wares' button so it's far too easy to go carpal tunnel and click on 'hire me'. Four times I accidentally hired vendors now I don't want to move into trying vending because the price to hire them has more than doubled due to hiring multiple times already this month.
Suggestion : implement confirmation button on hiring NPC vendors.
4. Game needs a delete item function. Items dropped on the ground can take hours to disappear. Areas/dungeons cluttered with random trash look bad and surely have some hardware overhead at both client and server. Option presently is give your trash to NPCs as gifts but its really tiresome and it's not always available.
Suggestion : implement delete icon function on inventory screen.
5. Abilities requiring components to use that are a huge pita to farm. I'd like to use Unnatural Wrath on my AH but farming Anchor Runes I got five in two hours keeping the spawns cleared that drop them when I'm 30-40 levels above them. I just don't use Unnatural Wrath ever. Not sure what the thinking is here - happy to need components, happy to farm them - not happy to farm trash for two hours for components that I'm going to use up in a few minutes.
Suggestion : if components are needed for class skills they should be readily available - either sold by an NPC or high drop rate.
6. Wipe at Launch - Launch for Shroud of the Avatar Online has been a disaster in terms of player uptake. People are simply not interested in playing in an environment at launch when numerous systems have been persistent for years giving beta testers a huge head start.
Suggestion : Full wipe at launch. Optionally have two servers - one for the existing population and one that is fresh and new.
I'd like to close by balancing what may come across as a lot of criticism by saying this is a great game, with many enjoyable and innovative systems and encourage and thank the team working on it. I look forward to many years supporting you.
