Sci-fi content is unnecessary

[Ashrakal]

Hello there,

My suggestion is to remove the sci-fi content from Project Gorgon in order to focus on what it mainly seems to represent: a classic medieval fantasy MMO.

The exact thing I have in mind is "The Wintertide", a highly advanced spaceship (which currently serves as a level 80 dungeon). It can be looked up on the Wiki, or seen as the 5th screenshot on the official Steam store page. In my opinion this piece seems to be out of the place from a player's perspective and will certainly be problematic for in-game lore later on as Project Gorgon grows (especially beyond its full launch).

From my side, it has already put off a few people that I tried to bring into the game, who otherwise loved all the concepts, yet clearly told me that they dislike putting the sci-fi into the medieval as it 'breaks their immersion'. It's exactly the first thing they see on the Steam promo video (7th second) as well as on one of the first screenshots.

If the fey / fairies need methods to travel, then they could either have 'portal coordinators' of sorts that open up gateways for them to travel, or some monoliths which they use to plan their travels, instead of the current out-of-place sci-fi content.

Thank you for reading. I understand it was a piece of work that was already done, however I highly recommend to reconsider this decision for the sake of having a more serious, bespoke lore and a clearly defined setting for bringing certain audiences into.

[ShieldBreaker]

The original Ultima and Final Fantasy have strong Sci-Fi elements. Did the online versions shy away from them completely? If they didn't, do people ask for them to be removed? I may look into those topics, if I remember to. Also what methods do they use to manage to avoid complaint, if they still mix fantasy and sci-fi.

I remember being impressed when Sci-Fi stuff showed up in Final Fantasy, it was unexpected. Of course I was just a kid then. I was actually kind of annoyed with the sci-fi stuff in Ultima. Also it was unexpected but it felt like too big of a departure or something. It probably did it first, but it was later for me timewise.

Given the fact that I name my characters after Book of Swords items, and I am also a fan of Shannara, I might already be skewed towards accepting the concept in what I choose to play.

The story in game isn't finished so it is hard to say for certain if it will be improved or more jarring, once a player is able to play it as intended. To me it seems calling for a rewrite of the world, is a bit extreme. If you had clear, reliable marketing data that sales and player engagement would go up, you would have a stronger case, assuming that the Devs aren't steadfastly committed to their current vision for the game story-wise. Maybe they only need a tiny nudge, maybe they wouldn't change it for a million dollars.

Sorry to ramble, I was just kind of interested in the topic. Would like to see other point of view on the subject.

[poulter]

The OP echoed my sentiments. Whilst WT is a 'good' and interesting dungeon and worth while to run, the 'space ship' theme breaks the immersion for me and spoils my enjoyment. Every time I enter it, I feel out of sync /unsympathetic to it.

It's only a personal feeling (& possibly too extreme), but it really impacts my enjoyment of the place to such a degree that I actively avoid running it.

[Silvonis]

Numerous Fantasy RPG and MMORPG games explore themes beyond the traditional 'fantasy' setting, often incorporating elements of science fiction. While there are a few examples mentioned above, another one that immediately springs to mind is World of Warcraft, which features a plethora of alien and sci-fi concepts. Ultimately, the preference for such themes is subjective, and we value your input. Thank you for sharing your feedback.

[poulter]

Good point, Silvonis and well made.
Strangely, the WOW sci-fi content never bothered me.
Either it blended in, or I just didn't care about it enough.

[Mikhaila]

I never really thought of Wintertide as not fitting in. For me, it evoked early memories of the ship found in DND, Barrier Peaks I think? And several other games/books which had tangential sci-fi elements. It's the Fae, and they are already scary powerful and weird.