I’m going to begin with the usual “I’ve got 3.8k hours in VT2 and have been a fanboi since I got Ursula for Kruber in VT1”
In short, I’ve played the living t*ts out of VT2 and I’m spectacularly disappointed by Fatshark and Darktide.
The beta was quite rough, Connectivity and DC’s galore for me, although the initial rush of "Wow this game look sweet " and the various different enemies looked cool, the setting is great and the aesthetic is really on point for 40k. Environment Artists; Great Job! Having been through some rough patches with VT2 (I’m looking at you WoM) I knew FS would be…experimental with their methods and directions they choose.
I’ve had maybe 19 hours in the Beta before I realised this game was f*cked.
I’ve been a fan of Fatshark for years and have had a huge amount of goodwill and understanding for some of the baffling and bonkers decisions made in the past as deep down I though FS was a company that seemed to be working with some integrity towards their internal vision, and although they sometimes dropped the ball they always attempted to keep ploughing through and work through the problems for the good of their players and community.
Unfortunately it seems FS have completely ignored anything learned from VT2 and have decided that idiotic levels of Grind and a downright insulting method of gaining weapons and upgrades is the way forward. I cannot facepalm hard enough that this is where they’ve decided to go. More grind? Really?
I don’t know what’s going on internally but there seems to be a shift from FS putting players and the community first in their efforts with the game, to making cold hard cash the one key element that overshadows everything else. The players are bottom of the list of things to GAF about.
Why would any company want to plummet their own reputation to the point they’re being compared to the revolting practices of EA and Blizzard?
I genuinely thought FS had some kind of integrity to at least try and have some self respect but clearly not.
The game is deeply flawed at launch. Weapons grind is insulting and entirely RNG. Character grind is even worse and quite frankly I don’t know why anyone would bother getting one character to 30, let alone 3,4 or 5. There’s some very deep seated issues with the way melee and ranged combat work that vary from irritating to downright infuirating, and there appears to be complete RNG over Grimoires, Scriptures, Locations, Maps, and anything whatsoever that FS feel should be RNG.
It’s like at any development meetings for Darktide anywhere ever the conclusions were; MORE RNG, PILE ON THE GRIND. Need a weapon? ,RNG AND GRIND, Character?, RNG AND GRIND, Contracts? RNG AND GRIND, Pennances? MAKE THEM SO GRINDY PLAYERS HAVE TO ACTIVELY P*SS OFF THEIR TEAMMATES TO ACHIEVE THEM.
Korean MMO’s that are Free to Play have less grindy systems than this. If it wasn’t causing so much of a pushback from the community it’d be comedy gold that someone thought this would be fine.
I have absolutely no idea how we got from 4 years of Dev on VT2 with all those painful lessons learned to… this. It’s truly stupifying that we’re here and I was a massive fanboi
I was going to have some kind of episode about the cash shop, but it seems there’s already several threads venting the utter outrage at the truly dispicable practices that are now part of FS’s repetoire.
So here’s where I’m at personally. I have no goodwill towards FS anymore, I have no intention of persuading my friends to buy it and will actively talk people out of paying for DT and sinking money into FS’s pockets.
You’ve blown in FS, you’ve sunk to the lowest level and for me at least, cannot be considered to have any interity in your actions or vision. You’re in it for the money and fck your customers, loyal players and long time fans. the VT2 group I play with are all talknig about easing off playing and generally finding something else to do. Hardcore Fans can’t be arsd with the BS you’ve put together here.
You’ve blow it. You’ve blown the goodwill, blown the engagement and simultaneously tanked your own product. [edit] I guess you’re not too bothered if everyone’s already paid?]
When’s next free update for VT2?
