I think there’s a key wording here that is stumbled over. I agree that you believe the game is worse, but I don’t feel the same way and I think that, given a step-back to view the changes and approach the game as though it were new, anyone could appreciate 2.0
I still really enjoy the game and feel that it’s fantastic; Stagger hardly changed the way I approached the game and added (at most) 10-20 additional swings per horde. That’s a whopping 5 seconds that I love; the part I love is where I get to smack bad-guy shaped things with my whacky-bats.
I’ve institued a break period though. . . only checking in to see how I feel about new patches.
Sounds like there will be numerous things to check out moving forward! I hope I can get back to loving the game enough to want to complete the available content.
I’m cheering for my team even though they’ve just had some bad games via metaphor. Go Fatshark Go!
Cosmetics via Commendation Chests are indeed rare. However you do have the base game cosmetics when it comes to unlocking them by increasing a characters level / playing x amount of games with said character. If you want more cosmetics Shadows over Burgertown has that as well and owning it will technically give you bonus cosmetics whenever Lohner’s Emporium of Wonders is released.
Compare Fatshark to other companies that sell cosmetics at ridiculous prices, loot boxes, etc… A lot of game companies sell AAA priced games and then tack on more microtransactions from the start or the loot boxes. Releasing free maps which keeps the community together and support said content via optional cosmetic purchases is fine so long as they are not stupidly priced.
Winds of Magic I’m not sure if it was really successful or not. I wouldn’t be surprised if the base game sold more when it was heavily discounted before WoM’s release. Update 2.0 and Winds of Magic having a number of issues would have impacted sales to some degree.
If you read the patch notes there have been fixes and they developers are aware of the Beastmen issue. Imo it’s a combination of Wargor Standard Bearer, certain enemy attack animations and spear beastmen stabbing through bigger gor infantry + bugs when it comes to spawns/sounds.
I agree that Fatshark has made a number of mistakes and falsely advertising certain things such as Dedicated Servers and I have been rather disappointed. But I will give it to them in that they are trying to fix the game and support it as opposed to abandoning said game like a lot of other game companies do soon after the initial release.
This is why I hope the cosmetics they release will be in bundles and fairly priced unlike a lot of other cases where 1 skin could be like… $20 which is simply ridiculous. Microtransactions are fine if they implemented well but it’s still a bit of a fine line.
I still enjoy VT2’s gameplay and though I do have my reservations I honestly hope that Fatshark is continually learning from both their successes and failures as they figure out how best to proceed in supporting VT2.
Taken a leaf out of Frontier Developments book I think. They’ve long since left their franchise to rot, created in game micro transactions and left the game in maintenance mode for 2 years
The cosmetic dlc isn’t in game though. The in game cosmetics I believe will be more like what we already have except tied into a progression system based on a currency as opposed to x characters level or x amount of games played with class. It at least allows dailies and weeklies a little bit more significance as opposed to a meh chest or pure challenge.
From what I can tell VT2 isn’t near maintenance mode state. So long as the developer continue to add content and reasonably priced microtransactions to support the game + continue to advertise/hype the game and the community VT2 could possibly do well in the foreseeable future.
Yeah, I recognize that some of my criticisms of 2.0 are subjective, and other people might enjoy things that I don’t.
The bugs part of things is just objectively bad, though. Inexcusably bad, to me. Version control and code branching/merging is not a new problem; it’s crazy that a successful software company in 2019 can be so bad at that. It was understandable (still disappointing, but everyone does it) at release, but it’s not understandable for the software quality in prod to regress so much after it’s already been stable for many months. (Maybe if I had bought WoM right away, this wouldn’t bother me as much, because it’d be “new” software that was full of bugs, but I didn’t. So to me, it’s not new content that has bugs; it’s just a game that was already working pretty well getting completely broken by a new patch.)
As for the stagger damage bonus, I think it’s fundamentally flawed because it makes the easy parts of the game even easier, and the hard parts more frustrating. Stagger already had a benefit in that it made you safer, but with the bonus damage, now when you’re grouped up “properly”, the stagger systems make the game way too easy. But when you’re on your own, the extra hit points on enemies (that were added to at least partly offset the stagger damage bonus) just make everything more of a meat shield. The only thing that the stagger system adds that is even remotely interesting to me is that it makes break points more “fuzzy”, in that it’s harder to know how much damage you’re doing & therefore know how many hits it will take to kill bigger enemies, and that (at least in theory) makes you have to react more in real-time because you don’t know in advance when an enemy will die. Oddly, that’s the part of the stagger system that seems to have the most consensus dislike on the forums.
In short, stagger tweaks were unnecessary and add nothing significant to the gameplay, but they make combat harder to understand and combat tuning more difficult to accomplish. It doesn’t change the game a ton, but all of the ways that it does change the game make it worse.
So much for the “no microtransactions” promise from the Fatshark developers and customer support representatives.
Fatshark is a joke if they continue on this slippery slope of failed promises and outright lies.
You know they wouldn’t be hurting for money if they worked on real content instead of releasing the Winds of Vomit flops-pansion.
Oh, well, the game was fun while it lasted.
I can’t support a company that constantly lies about their product to trick people into buying it. If I knew this is where V2 was headed, I never would have bought in the first place.
Woah, some animosity here. By technicality these are micro-transactions but they are, at the very least, honest ones. There’s no lootbox purchasing or “Random Chance” stuff that are indicative of the modern Free-to-Play gaming setup. They only become an issue when you go down the Payday 2 route; that was a travesty to witness (lootboxing for cosmetics is almost worse, IMO, hence why I don’t spend money on Overwatch).
I think we are getting 3 maps for absolutely no cost; I’d say that is a pretty good deal.
They were never on one, if I’m not wrong. Moreover, if the micro-transactions don’t fit your fancy, just don’t buy them; they’ll have zero impact on gameplay. Much like Planetside, there are a ton of silly items that are just cosmetic, which isn’t a bad thing The slippery slope is when you introduce game-affecting transactions that can’t be achieved otherwise (or can only be achieved by a TON of grinding)… then things get a little wild.
Also, what lies are we talking about? What trickery occurred? I don’t feel I’ve been deceived in any way.
Lastly: gratz on the recovery! I haven’t really been around a lot, recently, but it’s good to see that you’re still doing well. Keep fighting the good fight; lymphoma is brutal. Nothing but good thoughts going your way!
What actually worked for one game may not work for another. Remember that l4d was easily modded, every single pleb coyld download hammer editor (source dk) watch a guide or tho on youtube and create a map.
But do you know that these maps were already sold as DLC and already made a profit? Selling the same dlc again would probably not be fair, right?
Adding them again as free content to the game is, let’s call it, an attempt to redemption after a failure which was WoM.
Personally, I would prefer to spend money on DLC which offers NEW maps in the form of mini campaigns.
Well, would you not like to enjoy the old maps with the new combat capabilities/enemies/weapons for free?
I sure would love to play the Drachenfels darkness chambers again but with the knowledge that I’ve got a Shade Stealth or Sienna Flamewalk at my disposal. I think it would be really cool
As a side note: part of releasing a game with a # appended to the end of it is that it will likely recycle a lot of stuff. Total War Warhammer, for instance, does the same thing but requires you to buy the original game in order to play it with the updated tools. That purchase, for 1 and 2 side by side, is $120, no characters included. While stiff, it’s also worth noting that it’s still doing brilliantly and a considerably worse deal than getting the DLC maps for free in the best combat game ever, Vermintide 2.
I get what you’d prefer (and I hope you know that I absolutely respect that point of view), but I’m confused why you’d want to call it “Redemption” over “Gift.” We aren’t owed anything nor should we feel entitled to get free stuff.
Yet we’re getting free stuff! Personally, I’m super flattered that we’d get this at all; it’s a treat I know I’m going to get value out of
I’d argue that many QoL changes are indeed owed to the players and the rebalancing of talents (again) weapon traits and properties is also on the short list next to the daily/weekly/deed rework.
And then there is the dedicated servers issue, on which the “better keep quiet and maybe it will be forgotten” policy seems to be in place…
Hedge recently commented about the servers; they’re still being worked on. I’d dig it up, but I’m actually headed out the door; perhaps when I return!
QoL updates are pleasant and necessary to keep the game running, but not owed. Rebalancing is pleasant and necessary to keep the game running, but not owed. Much like eating at a restaurant, we are entitled to nothing but what we bought (even if we don’t like the food), but it goes a long way when the chef is more than happy to accommodate our tastes, give us additional sides (Lohner’s, free maps), and check on us periodically and, with good service, it will keep people coming back because we know they care.
A silly simile, sure, but I don’t feel it’s inaccurate as usual, this is all IMHO and no one is required to share that opinion!
This is nothing but disgusting hyperbole based on your personal fears instead of reality.
And, really? Halfway to being indignant?! They spend a large amount of time introducing a new enemy race, a new game mode (it may be derivative, but people absolutely loved the Geheimnisnacht event where all it did was add a 2nd moon and some ambient lighting), new weapons, talent revamps, etc.
And they mention releasing 3 maps for free (another collection of favorites, basically requested by the players) and you’re upset 'cause it took them “this long?”
Weak-at-best comparisons to EA aside, it’s consumers like you that are among the real problem with today’s society. This is literally entitlement at its finest.
Of course they’re going to design repeatable content; do you realize how much people complain when a game doesn’t have replay value? Or are you conveniently oblivious to everything but your own narrow opinions?
I’m happy about the maps. I’m upset because it’s what they should have been doing for the past 10 months instead of this weaves fiasco that’s already dead because it’s impossible to queue into.
Also, it is a customers right to vote with their wallet. That’s what being a customer - and a retailer - means. I am not entitle to get what I want from FS - and they are not entitled to have me pay them for garbage products! That’s how commercialism works.
If, by speaking, I can increase the odds of them making something that I’m willing to pay for, then I will speak. If by listening, they can increase the odds of getting more money out of me, they will listen. Or should, if they are actually a business. They haven’t been, and the WOM reviews say the rest.
Actually, what 2.0 has taught many of us is that we aren’t even entitled to what we bought. They might just patch out the things we liked & reintroduce lots of long-solved bugs at any time.
I agree that it’s a disappointment that the developers focused on a flawed game mode that little to no one asked for as opposed to new maps / VT1 maps / map editor etc… At least they are looking into improving weaves though from my perspective that game mode from the very base is problematic so improving on what is there may not yield much.
As for entitlement, I think it’s a bit of a problem when you have a product that is sold but then changed/remade multiple times after it’s release. With some good communication and more carrot then stick you can please a lot of those who would otherwise be upset but Fatshark hasn’t really been good with either communication or carrot.
I can understand the frustration when it comes to the changes done or the lack of changes in some cases when it comes to VT2. I myself am and have been frustrated by a lot of Fatshark choices.
Weaves itself is imo pooly done due to it sitting on a progression / competitive platform as opposed to catering to the major demographic of VT2 players that being pve co-operative.
You’ve had like 3 opportunities to accept a refund and haven’t acted on it. I suppose playing a game you hate and seeking attention is a better past time though.
and, with good service, it will keep people coming back because we know they care.