Why I have close to 2k hours in VT2 and won't in DT

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide Gameplay Feedback
1

“A new patch ? Neat !
Let me read the patch notes while it installs.
New weapons, new maps ? Nice.”

In Vermintide here’s how this scenario plays out :
Open crafting menu, craft the new weapon.
298 blue. Craft another. 300 white. Craft another. 300 blue. Mark as favourite. Scrap the first two. Upgrade to orange. Reroll Heroic Intervention to something decent. Reroll properties (crit power, push/block angle), get +12% BCR and 4.2% attack speed. Ok, I’ll roll with that. Hit a couple dummies.
Open map selection. Select new map. Private lobby. Champion. Take time to explore. Enjoy the design. Finish the map, open map selection, select the same map, Caraclysm, tick host, let’s go !

Here’s how the same scenario plays out in DT :
Open shop. No new weapon. “Sigh…”
Open mission selection. New mission, grims, diff 5. “Eeeh, no.”. New mission, diff 1. “Ugh, sure.”
Start game. No solo private lobby. Allies rush, I can’t take the time to look around without being told to keep up or being jumped by specials. Not happy with the game.
Finish the mission. Check the store again. No weapon. Esc → quit to desktop. “I’ll check next patch.” Back on the shelf.

Fatshark, why ? What is your intent here ? I’d love to love the game… what was brilliant about VT was how easy it was not to get bored. Swap classes, swap weapons, swap ult, swap weapon traits, swap jewlery effects, chose map - endless mix’n’match possibilities that kept the game fresh and exciting, and all the keys were in my hands. Granted, the crafting’s RNG ain’t amazing, but at least I know I can get what I want within a reasonable amount of rerolls, and the game gives me enough materials to afford them.
When the new Sienna arrives in Vermintide, she’ll be level 30. I’ll pick talents, craft the new weapons, try them out, hop on the new map.

When a new class arrives in DT, I’ll have to level them, rely on the shop’s rng to get weapons and a clunky craft system to tweak a single one of the properties.
What is the desing intent ? Make me spend hours on end to end up not being able to enjoy the game ? Cause mechanics that are trying to force me to spend hours in your game will make me not want to play it at all.
On the other hand, if your design philosophy were to make these systems as player friendly as possible, I wouldn’t even think about whether I want to click the DT icon because I’d know I wouldn’t be disappointed.

8 Likes
2

You saw the new map? Good for you. The map selection is pure torment.

Iam not looking forward to new classes in the current state of the game.
It takes forever to visit the store on a bunch of classes, thanks to the Loadingstar. No more press “H” to quickly switch. No tabs in the store that lets you buy stuff for different classes.

Then there is the constant dread that a perfect weapon might drop on a toon that doesnt need it. I still feel the knot in my gut that appeared when I dropped a high stat, suppression immunity XII on my Zealot. Thanks game. I don’t need this kind of BS in my life.

I don’t want to feel like getting sucker punched for playing different classes, but the current loot and crafting system achieves exactly that.

3

Yeah the amount of agency is lacking, would love to see big adjustments not just tweaks to some systems. I don’t mind doing a couple missions to get the resources so I can make a thing I want, but when that thing could show up today or two weeks from now then heck it.

4

Me neither, but I have to know that I can get it. Gives a reason to play, a feeling of progression.

RNG shop is the polar opposite of that. Want a weapon ? Literally “good luck”. Progression ? No point in playing higher difficulties.
Someone who never plays and just logs in every other hour has the same chance at getting a specific ‘good’ weapon as someone who plays all the time.

How is that any good design for a primary progression system ?

1 Like
5

i have about 1200 hours in v2 and i think the most thing that kept me in the game is in depth class exploration and theorycrafting in general.
i didn’t even touched elf yet and i don’t feel urge to do so still.

i have all types of red weapons, tons of red trinkets and crafting mats long ago. so any progression stopped for me for a long time already, yet i keep playing.
not because it exciting to level up classes while playing flat and boring versions of them,
not because i love to feel constant urge for grinding stuff,
not because i love to see how bars filing up.
but because the game is so deep and have a lot of content to play with, that it seems it will never run out and you always will find new things to try and have old things to master.

i hope Darktide will eventually hold up to this kind of game, it’s a rarity this days.

1 Like