Spiral Knights - No new content?

No new content?

18 replies [Last post]

Mon, 10/13/2014 - 04:04

Arelic

I can deal.

I mean, the "new" content that gets pumped out every two or so weeks is not exactly useful towards playing the game itself. I can assume it is how the game can rake in funds. But when I read something like Operation Thwack or Operation Zap, I halfheartedly expect a temporarily available prestige mission to dish out another story element. And I was perfectly fine finding substitutes for costumes to imitate an enemy such as the War Master or the Duke himself.

But, while the node slime stuff and other prior items stood apart from the game's content in depicting their own thing, the later costumes have made it too easy. As I still have agendas in the game that are independent of new releases, such as that Gunner Update many have lost hope or patience for, I believe that I would prefer to go without new content for at least six months.

In place of the challenge mode that we do not have, I would also like to seek out those threads that were proposed challenges for INDIVIDUALS to complete as well as proposing some of my own for individual and group runs. Isn't one strength of anything that is accessible to the public community based? (uh oh. went off on a tangent there)

Do you still need new content? Why or why not?

Mon, 10/13/2014 - 04:11

Midnight-Dj

I don't need new content! I need you for the German highsea fleet( or the Japanese imperial Navy) ! Enlist to Navyfield now!!!

Mon, 10/13/2014 - 05:13

Odd-Look

I really just wish they'd add

I really just wish they'd add a ton more end game missions.
Multiple choice would be great too.
Gets really boring vana-running 24/7

Mon, 10/13/2014 - 08:05

Jabbzz

Which is why I think people shouldn't run Vana 24/7, too repetitive. Now some people like to grind Vana until their fingers pop off, but you really shouldn't have to force yourself to do it. If you are forcing yourself to do anything I wouldn't exactly call that fun. Game needs new missions and more types of Clockwork depths, that would really give something for the end game players to spend their time and effort on.

Mon, 10/13/2014 - 08:32

Turn-Me-On

You actually can make

You actually can make Vanaduke more interesting. Just gotta get creative

Mon, 10/13/2014 - 12:17

Ironclaw-Mender

Get a party and try to beat FSC in proto armour and weapons.

Mon, 10/13/2014 - 12:42

Avihr

@Octodad

And then lets all agree to never get creative again.

Mon, 10/13/2014 - 18:26

Fehzor

New content is what separates this game from say, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. No matter how much you like Ocarina of Time, there is never going to be anything new added to it. They might remake the engine, or add new mechanics in a later installment, but there will never be another boss battle or area added into the game, or any more enemies, or any new secrets and items for you to collect.

Spiral Knights and other games of the genre however, aren't like this. The ability for them to improve and build onto their game world adds huge potential and draw. For Spiral Knights to NOT utilize this draw would be to destroy it and move it into the category of fading games like Ocarina of Time- loved, but not played or kept forever.

As for whether I need new content, yeah, I'd say I do. Not every single day or two weeks, but like plants vs zombies 2 does it- new plants, new items to work towards, reasonable goals, things like that keep me invested. I log in, and see "oh, they are making a beach world" and I look forward to it. But as time goes on and games don't release new things, I begin to play less of their game and more of other games until I gradually forget and uninstall the software.

It's less that I the consumer need to be fed new content because I'm greedy and terrible, and more that the game needs to offer me and others like me new content if it wants us to keep caring about it because that is one of its biggest natural fortes as a game. And no, not everyone will be like this, but you can judge that for yourself using the steam statistics that we all love to link to so often.

Mon, 10/13/2014 - 23:26

Nolidor

I'm a GM of a guild that at

I'm a GM of a guild that at one point had 150 active members. We ran regular parties for several months, and joked around by making artificial challenges with gear and time attacks. We also did regular cash grabs to help newer players level up instead of just begging us for support. After all, it's a social game, so we encouraged socializing.

The problem is the game really doesn't have much to socialize over. Even in our guild hall, we had a bar where we'd host dance parties and serve drinks, but it gets lame and awkward after a while.

What's needed isn't new content, but original content. SK is very superficial. There's no real motivator to socialize in it. You can run depths over and over, but eventually, you get the gear that's effective and looks nice, and you hang out with other people who are similar, but there's no real bond or glue to your relationships, so you get bored. It all just feels very fake.

Tue, 10/14/2014 - 02:19

Exerpa

October 19, 2011 That was the

October 19, 2011

That was the day Shadow Lairs were added, almost 3 years ago.

SK has added quite a number of post-FSC playgrounds, even though it might not feel like it at times. The problem being, since the day the Shadow Lairs debuted, all those new areas are locked behind pay or time walls.

4x Shadow Lairs - Pay wall
Operation Crimson Hammer - Pay wall
4x Danger missions - Time wall
Kataclysmic Confrontation - Time wall
Shroud of the Apocrea - Time wall
Grinchlin Assault! - Time wall
March of the Tortodrones - Time wall

Might have missed a few, but you get the point. While having a wall may or may not be a bad thing, if the rewards don't justify the existence of the wall then you could ask why is something walled off to begin with. Crimson Hammer is a reasonable wall (now but for a long time it wasn't), you only need to pay once and in turn get a significant reward. The long term time walled events have the problem that they need to keep coming up with new rewards every so often to justify the wall - but for how long should they keep thinking up new rewards? Then you have short term time walls such as the Danger Missions, which don't really offer any particular reward at all (stupid useless Prestige).

It should be noted that the 4 mainline Boss runs give significant rewards in the form of redeemable gear in which you can trash for profit or take your chances in the unbind market. That's the benchmark as to whether your walled run if worth it or not; for some of them it is, for others, definitely not.

Also, no fun allowed.

Tue, 10/14/2014 - 05:35

#10

Plancker

The cost for shadow lairs can

The cost for shadow lairs can barely be considered a wall. Finding keys for 1600 ce or less from other players isnt that hard, so its about 400 ce per person to enter. Affordable for end game players, and a great way to get 5* armor for newer players, the 400 ce is less than what you'd pay for recipes to craft a regular 5* armor. OCH gives you 2 useful unique 5* weapons for free as well as a cheaply craftable unique 5* helm. Time walls are necessary to make sure those missions dont become the next vana grind. Making them limited will keep them harder than unlimited missions like FSC, because theres less chances to get used to the mission. The time walls for prestige also make sense lore-wise, it would be pretty silly if we could repeat A pinch of salt non-stop, while the description of the mission is that the knights at the camp run out of salt to keep the slimes at bay every once in a while, and we need to go resupply them..

Tue, 10/14/2014 - 06:49

#11

Nolidor

The problem with SLs and DMs

The problem with SLs and DMs is they're too hard for most players. Vana is tough enough, but the jump from Vana to those is nuts.

As someone who's skilled, I can enjoy them, but people get bored after beating the main storyline. They play arcade for a little while after, but get bored from the redundancy. I've tried encouraging teamwork on them to make them easier, but people don't like to do that. They like running off in their own directions and spreading out instead of staying near each other to team up on bad guys...

...and of course there's LD, but that's screwed beyond repair. A few players are really good at it, and they prevent anyone new from getting involved. Tier 1 and 2 get ignored completely as introductions as well.

Therefore, even the gear from SLs becomes pointless because you're not going to get a fair shot at using it in LD.

SK just doesn't have the social atmosphere needed to develop perpetual teamwork among players. If it did, then newcomers could constantly challenge oldtimers, but it doesn't, so they don't. Instead, only a handful of newcomers end up challenging oldtimers, and the overwhelming majority of players leave by the time they finish Vana.

Tue, 10/14/2014 - 07:00

#12

Fehzor

I did SLs twice daily a while ago and it just wasn't fun at all. Finding people, carrying them, getting them to pay.... It's just so much tedious work, it kills the experience... Even if you had groups constantly, UFSC is just dull and long when mastered. It kind of reminds me of being killed by a spoon, slowly.

Tue, 10/14/2014 - 07:04

#13

Agentz

BLARGH

Seriously guys. How many more of these threads are we going to have, it seems like the forums are stuck in a loop; can't we stop focusing on the lack of content and focus on almost ANYTHING else?? Game investors come and see this stuff on the FRONT PAGE and think "this game has no potential, better not spend money on it" when in fact we need the exact opposite, kind of making these negative threads part of the reason it seems like SK is "dying" :P ~Z

Tue, 10/14/2014 - 07:06

#14

Fehzor

Well isn't that what they should see? It isn't like people are making anything up.

Tue, 10/14/2014 - 08:33

#15

Avihr

@agentz

Many

Tue, 10/14/2014 - 10:12

#16

Bopp

ethical quandary

Three Rings knows what the problems are. They don't need to be told them every day. Solving them comes down to the realities of limited resources and talent. So all of these "game is dead" threads do not constitute constructive criticism that helps Three Rings improve the game.

Fehzor argues that we have a responsibility to prospective players, to warn them that the game might die. To make this ethical problem more concrete, imagine that the prospective player is a friend of yours in real life. Would you advise her to play Spiral Knights?

Yes, I would. People have been declaring the game dead for at least three years. I'm glad that I've ignored them and played anyway. There is evidence of declining population, but it probably has many months of life left. Depending on her interests, that might be enough time to finish/exhaust the game anyway. She can have lots of fun with this great game, while it lasts, however long that might be.

Tue, 10/14/2014 - 10:41

#17

Black-Altear

Nolidor

I am the co founder of the guild "Gremlin Brothers" i may not have played sk back in "ye olde days" but i do play it long enough to know what im talking about when i say "the game is social" true you cant have a drink with your pals but you can form bonds with them.My co-GMs and i are great friends,we dont do runs all the time"even for a few months" but when we do they are full of joy and laughter and emotions becous i bonded with these people and i know them for who they are,we exchanged emails and met on skype,i met genuine real life friends that i care for as much as my family. That reason alone is why i love this game,it gave me something more than flashy gear and timesinks...it gave me friends,and it pains me to see it stagnate to dust like this,i have seen a ton of people leave the game and never return,the promo spams and lack of content are driving the players away and the game will die...i quess everything good must come to an end.

Wed, 10/15/2014 - 09:59

#18

Morgomir

@Aviri

Worry not, little green chromalisk, I got that reference and I'm proud of you.

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