Spiral Knights - Do you remember?

Do you remember?

7 replies [Last post]

Tue, 04/02/2013 - 07:09

Dream-Harmonics

Do you remember:
Pink Angelic?
Beta Wolver Cap?
Tortodrones?

A time before accessories, lockboxes and shadow lairs, my friends. I rather miss Spiral Knight's roots and the positive heart-warming experience that I took from it. It seems that Three Rings have really departed from what the hardcore fanbase wanted and sided with Steam and SEGA to push marketing, player-base etc. I kind of see the Three Rings-SEGA partnership similar to the DICE-EA partnership (One wants your money at any cost and the other can't help but obey the "chain of command" to avoid facing the boot).

Rather than sit here like some elitist cynic and type up some long-winded post about how preview players got the short end of the stick and how much the game blows compared to the preview(s), I will simply ask this:

Do you think Spiral Knights will ever return to it's roots and become the game it deserves to be?
As much as I want to have hope for this game, I expect the answer to be no. The preview events showed the potential was there and Three Rings had the opportunity to act upon it, but the game was changed so drastically from release to by the time it hit Steam that I was starting to wonder if Spiral Knights was just going to be another fantastic game idea that fell short because of the need to push corporate/financial interests instead of player/community interests.

I may be wrong about some things since I don't know every little detail and who's responsible for waht i.e. I don't know how much of the major "Doomsday" patches etc. were down to those higher up than Three Rings with more corporate power or down to Three Rings themselves, but no doubt a vast amount of appreciation and loyalty to initial/veteran players was missing imo. My experience with the Spiral Knights community was one of a cosy little tight-knit group of friendly players that basically abandoned Spiral due to the game's direction and focus on benefiting newer players, I mean, there's both positives and negatives to having one of the fastest growing player-count (or whatever Three Rings claimed to have accomplished with SK), but I only caught the end of the beta and I thought this game was going to be a big success, so I can't imagine the feeling of disappointment in those who were playing since 2009, watching this game go downhill.

Anycase, what are your thoughts? Do you want to see SK return to it's roots or do you think we're too far from the initial vision for us to turn it around?

Tue, 04/02/2013 - 07:35

Tohru-Adachi

On A phone.....

But,

Time may heal the game...

Tue, 04/02/2013 - 07:36

Hexzyle

Not rushing anyone.

Spiral Knights is progressing slowly. Easily slow enough for it to be changed, fixed, corrected, whatever. It's not barreling down a one-way path of P2P updates and new-player-chedder. There's plenty of time for it to improve.

Tue, 04/02/2013 - 07:50

Wu-Wei

Love it

I love this game, I play no other game.

I am unsure how to answer your questions since they are loaded. (Loaded = presupposed facts)

Tue, 04/02/2013 - 07:57

Gravelord-Caste

Rather than sit here like

Do you think Spiral Knights will ever return to it's roots and become the game it deserves to be?

I'd actually like a full blown Cynical Brit-esque rant comparing the game's beta to now. I want to know what I missed, at the very least (Kat hats, Tortodrones and the AP/Setenza hybrid pierce damage are the only things that come to mind).

Yes I'm aware there's Kat hats in the game. No, I'm not considering something that's tied to a fortnight-long luck-based grindfest to be a completely legit release, and I don't care if it'll come round again.

Tue, 04/02/2013 - 08:33

Merethif

Actually it's all about

Actually it's all about whether you'd like to reach mass market or not.

Personally I don't like things like missions, but sadly it's the direction that game is heading to, whether you like it or not. I'm strongly opposed to extreme streamlining and appealing to the masses. Yet, I'm not the one who have to pay for server. Honestly every developer have to make their own decision and there's no really single right solution. Both ways may be good.

Sad thing is when a game developers change their minds after game is released. The game lose consistency. For example, thanks to the missions, we got numerous players that don't know what Arcade is, or what minerals do, or where find Twisted Targe recipe - and honestly I don't blame them as those things becomes obsolete. For example why Twisted Targe recipe can't be purchased in HoH or at Brinks? Or even better example, why Divine Veil recipe can be purchased at T3 Arcade Basil?!!! Total leftover from good, old days - now a total nonsense.

Tue, 04/02/2013 - 08:38

Zaffy-Laffy

Nothing goes back to its roots unless it's forced to be chopped down. The multiplier effect plays on.

Issue with MMORPGs like these, with in-game currency, trading etc. was the inflation. As time passes, more people join, the game currency loses its value, and the game shifts towards a more player-oriented society than a small pack of group. Remember last time when 100 CE costed 4kcr? Now it's double. That's inflation. The big picture has to be set. Inflation was met with sinks, and boredness was met with new content. To be subsistence, this must happen.

If the game wants to go to its roots, the only solution is to have 75% of the SK community quit the game. Impossible = no. Impractical = yes. Only solution = most likely.

Tue, 04/02/2013 - 09:21

Merethif

@Zaffy-Laffy

Inflation was met with sinks, and boredom was met with new content

I totally agree with above statement.
I'm all for more crown/energy sings (I love accessories, costumes, guild halls, coliseum and such).
I'm all for new content (new bosses, like Snarbolax or Roarmulus Twins, new weapons mechanic like thrusting swords, pulsars and catalysers, new levels like Candlestick Keep, new DLC like O:CH, new features like Danger Rooms, new events like Caketastrophe or Kataclysmic Confrontation).

But honestly Idk how removing essential traits of monsters (like wolver's tracking) or game features (like minerals depositing and recipe runs) prevent inflation or may be consider new content. Likewise I don't see how Shield's Health bar or health bars above every single mob or gargantuan portrait would help with any of those two vital issues you mentioned (inflation and boredom).

So basically, in my book "back to the roots" doesn't mean remove new content and vanity items/sinks. It means don't fix what isn't broken - don't nerf existing mobs, don't change drastically art style, don't streamline things that are already simple.

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Do you remember?