Hey devs and friends! I’m a big fan of Vermintide and had +500h on 2018 and I’ve been following V2 development since then and I’m really excited for Darktide since it has Fatshark working on it! But I wanted to underline some things that could be useful for Darktide’s development based on me and my friends experiences and also some other people that I saw on forums, reviews, etc.
I try to start in a chronological way so it might be easier to understand (I’ll also make some comparisons with other games of the same genre)
Topics:
CONTENT
What was on V2?
Day 1 was big, the game was really good looking although not well optimized (today it remains true but I will discuss on it’s topic later) it had and still has the gear grind system and also leveling up to level 30 with each character the maps were awesome and IMO the perfect length. But the time passes and the playerbase dropped drastically within weeks, the social media groups such as facebook were always asking for more content such as better cosmetics, some challenges or whatever and I was also thinking that the game could use more content such as that because it got boring quickly but I continued to play just for the sake of achievements.
What could be on Darktide?
I think that it would be wise to release it with a lot of challenges, some for long runs (such as kill enough enemies or whatever) and some more challenging (complete the section within 15 seconds or whatever) with a reward system that would give us some currency, skins, weapons, any kind of cosmetics.
Also would be a great idea of map easter eggs that would be way more challenging than a normal run but the rewards would be greater.
Map variations are also a cheap (but not in a bad way) of getting variety on a game. take Space Hulk for an example, you need to change your route because the standard route is blocked and also you can get creative destroying walls so you can get a shortcut… or even a bad route. Also some weather conditions or even day/night cycle would also be a big change ( For example day/night maps on Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege or weather such as rain on some maps on Left 4 Dead 2)
DLCs
What was on Vermintide 2?
Collector’s Edtion - Should be called supporters edition because it basically changes nothing besides giving the dev’s, skins that should’ve been added for everyone and they really don’t change much and… a statue.
Shadows Over Bögenhafen - The maps had some bad designs, could have been more maps. The cosmetics were just a recolor for reds… And the rest of the cosmetics did not change a thing for the characters because most hats were/are similar, same color or just a recolor… one of the most overpirced DLCs of V2 for not much quality content.
Back to Ubersreik - Something that Left 4 Dead 2 did for free, V2 charged it and with the same bugs just changing the location of the collectibles.
Winds of Magic - So far, the worst DLC that had a pretty good idea but with bad execution and besides that I do not doubt that it got Mostly Negative due to V2’s history and not by the DLC itself.
Cosmetics DLCs - Overpriced, some are ugly and some are funny but in the end it’s just a hat and they used it for dev support.
What could be on Darktide?
I think that the idea of adding weapons, game modes and classes behind a paywall is really ridiculous for any game (I know that the devs need to make money somehow but if you need to put something behind a paywall it would be better idea adding cosmetics and maps.) because it would have a way more positive feedback from a new career that everyone could use and giving a new way to play the game.
SOUNDTRACK AND VOICE ACTING
What was on V2?
Perfect
What could be on Darktide?
Keep it up!
GAMEPLAY/MECHANICS
V2
I loved the dash mechanic on this game so if you are someone with quick reflexes it is so rewarding! I do hope to see it on Darktide!
GAME SIZE AND OPTIMIZATIONS
What was on V2?
A game that got worse with time. Day 1 I was able to run on normal and nowadays it stuggles on low with shadows off
What could be on Darktide?
I think that the devs could put a lot of work on optimization not just because of me but it could be more accessible for everyone and considering that the game requires a lot of response time the avg FPS must be really stable.
GENERAL THINGS
V2
It is a solid game that if all the content it has today was released WITH the game it would be way more loved than it is today. The DLCs decisions were poor and misguided due to low quantity and quality of maps and cosmetics and giving exclusivity on careers and weapons for those that bought a dlc.
Darktide
If the devs learned with Vermintide 2, Darktide will be awesome and popular and might live the hype that it will spread when it releases but I do hope that these topics were worth the read for anyone here and I do hope that Darktide will be awesome.
Thanks for the attention and I congratulate your patience, if there is anything that needs to be added just comment it!