Kiaora! Hello!
As a long time fan of Fatshark games, I just wanted to leave some feedback for the team in charge of business decisions. This post may end up long but the feedback is brief:
This is my favorite game. I have no desire to spend money on it and struggle to recommend it to others.
This is a problem. I love this game. The gameplay, art and music are all phenomenal. Why then, do I still feel like I’m being ripped off? Why do I struggle to recommend it so much?
I’ll try and explain this as best as I can so you can go back to making cool games and money.
The problem is I just don’t feel like I’ve had value for money, even though at this point, several hundred hours in, I definitely do. So with that in mind our problem isn’t gameplay, it’s psychology.
When I got this game it was a broken mess. Half of the systems were unfinished, the story was rubbish, the gameplay had some glaring balance issues and bugs. Even still, I got the special edition with the extra currency. Why? Because I’d played your other games and although they had their own issues, they were fun and the monetization was fair.
In vermintide I can earn small amounts of premium currency towards fancy skins. This makes me feel like I’m getting something for free, even though I’m paying for it with time. In darktide, no such system exists.
In vermintide, I have significantly less hours of playtime, but I’ve spent much more money. Psychology matters. My perception of getting a good deal has lead me to purchase skins and expansions. I bought something, I enjoyed it, I felt like I got value for my money, I stopped playing for a while, when I started playing again, I bought something, because the last experience was positive and it made me happy.
So what’s gone wrong in Darktide? Our hub is the crux. It contains all the blemishes of Darktide in one antisocial room.
First up: This is a social hub without social interaction.
We walk from spot to spot and go into a mission. You’d think it would be a cool place to check out people’s drip. But why would I when there’s nothing to do here? It’s basically a mildly interactive loading screen. So add ways to interact. Proximity voice chat, a bar to buy drinks and gamble harmlessly at, an arm wrestling mini game, a physical screen that shows current parties in the party finder, some interactacle props. If we hang out and interact in this space, we see each other’s cool drip and share stories.
Next: The cosmetic shops.
The “free” one. Has had some recolored skins and hasn’t been updated in a very long time. Nothing to be excited about here.
The “real money” one. Has some awesome skins, most of which we can’t even buy. You have all this cool stuff you’ve made and you won’t sell it to us. Shop rotations suck. I’m not going to check back every week to see what’s in the shop when I’m the only one of my mates still playing this game regularly. Put your whole catalog up please.
Overall the shops make me feel like I’m poor. Everything from the free shop is recolored rags I already have. Everything from the real money shop is way overvalued. Why would I spend over $10 on a skin when in Helldivers I can get far more value for money? I can buy a whole new game on steam for that much money. Looking in either shop leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, so I don’t engage.
Maybe that’s the intention. I’m supposed to feel like a poor regect the entire time. If that’s the case, that’s some bold big brain move on your part.
The mission board:
Please give us the option to pick any mission. I understand in lore why you have done this, I just don’t think it’s been as fun as you hoped. Also please add quick play filters so we can just quick play into anything. I just want to hop in a game and help people out most of the time.
Everything else in the hub is functionally alright at this point in time. They serve their purpose, except Melk who I just seen to amass currency for and never spend on anything.
Anyway. That’s most of it. Thank you for taking the time to read if you did. This isn’t a personal attack against anyone. I’m just a fan of your games who would like a reason to support your studio and feel valued for it. The world is getting harder at the moment and probably will for some time longer. The amount of money I have to spend on entertainment grows smaller, and I’m doing pretty well in my country. Please give me a reason for my friends to play again and for me to spend money on your game again.
Looking forward to the update when it drops.
A loving fan.