Hello everyone!
first of all…wow! I can’t wait for April 18th!
My curiosities are these:
Is there a “permanent/seasonal” type system? with the need/possibility of creating a new character every season, and in any case the possibility of maintaining characters permanently? (a bit like other famous exponents of the aRPG genre do)
(I love the seasons, but I also like to preserve and enhance the best characters)
Is there an (almost/semi) infinite progression system? that is, can I continue to upgrade the character in a potentially infinite way, albeit with a minimal increase once the level cap is reached? for example, for every accumulated experience, + 0.25% to the STR characteristic, or something like that?
(I love the possibility of being able to invest in a character in an (almost/semi) infinite way)
Thank you very much, and good luck!
keep up the great work!
I just want to thank people like you for posting questions/comments here. So many gaming forums have died due to the information black hole that is Discord. I don’t use Discord, so this sucks for me.
Even though this place doesn’t get much traffic, I still check it every day to see if someone has said something new, lol.
As far as a seasonal system, I don’t think it will happen in the “traditional” sense. I do think there will be something similar, however, because of the PvE arena. If no seasonal content, there could still be events or something. Whatever ends up happening, it probably won’t be available to play for quite some time.
I stopped every ARPG after the first season was over.
Lost Ark is the only ARPG without seasons and with perma char and I love this.
I do not need super power items after 10 hours. When I play such a game - I will spend my time in my speed. And not, oh season is soon over my char be downgraded…
I prefer the permanent characters. Making new characters is fun, but not on a 3 or 4 month cycle. I feel the seasonal system puts undue pressure on the developers to come up with a new theme, nerfs / buffs of items or abilities, correct this feature that folks didn’t like, implement this quality of life feature, etcetera every few months. That is not to mention that most of these seasonal type of games have extra microtransactions associated with them, i.e. battle pass.
As a player I don’t like it, and if I were a developer, there would always be a clock counting down over your head, which doesn’t sound like a healthy or fun work environment. I would prefer a permanent character with holiday themes when appropriate. I always love a good Halloween theme.
Personally, I would prefer the game not to have seasons. I’m not a fan of feeling like I’m under a time constraint to achieve certain goals or obtain time-restricted rewards, then feeling punished because I wasn’t able to play for a period of time. If anything, this makes me lose interest.
I’d much prefer if the developers permanently added new and interesting things to the game over time; whether that’s in the form of story, lore, explorable areas, enemies, dungeons, soial interactions, and so forth.
I prefer long running tasks to seasonal systems. An example I have in mind, is have a huge mining quest which would involve gathering of rare ores with a small RNG %, killing some rare monsters using rare ores or similar concepts, in order to gather materials to create a legendary Pickaxe that would serve as a Quality of Life feature like no durability, or faster speed or whatever.
Long term goals are better than short term seasonal ones, imo.
Before jumping to a conclusion, I would like to entertain an idea: Why do modern aRPGs have seasons?
To my understanding, incentives for seasonal gameplay from the perspective of players and developers are as below:
A fresh, roguelike start: Everyone starts from scratch with new goals and that breeds excitement for all walks of players and prevents burnout. New seasons often introduce temporary mechanics, challenges, and rewards. Seasons create a fair race where everyone competes on equal footing.
Power creep: As Avatars get insanely powerful, enemies need to be buffed to tussle with abusing the action economy. (on the other hand, going with max 4 players is ideal) This can lead to absurd difficulty levels and make lower-level content irrelevant, creating a “meaningless” feeling.
Economy: Maybe the most impactful reset; Inflation typically renders anything outside the top 0.1% of items virtually untradeable, relegating them to the status of ignored junk. A fresh economy keeps prices relatively accessible to all players.
New content balance: When creating a new boss or mechanic, the challenge lies in making it equally engaging for both new players and those with extensive gameplay experience. To achieve this, developers often opt for a complete wipe, which enables them to approach balance from the perspective of a fresh Avatar and build upon it. This approach ensures seasons are a good place to test experimental content before it is incorporated into the main game.
Competition: Rivalry plays a crucial role in seasonal races and serves as the main catalyst for engagement among the top players, in addition to the allure of new content that appeals to everyone else. Although these games are not PvP, multiple parameters foster competition among players. These parameters include being the first to reach level 100, defeating a specific boss, or achieving certain milestones. Leaderboards are also implemented to track and showcase players’ progress. Even simply watching their favourite streamer strive for a record can enhance player engagement, as competition brings about a sense of excitement and involvement.
The significance of achieving goals diminishes with never-ending progression. “Why strive to become stronger when it never seems sufficient?” Players may experience a lack of purpose and consequently lose their motivation.
Seasons tackle these challenges by offering specific objectives and accomplishments within a set time frame. It’s akin to scaling a mountain rather than continuously trudging uphill. Achieving the peak of each season brings a sense of fulfilment, while the reset ensures a constant sense of novelty.
Therefore, seasonal gameplay provides a means to harmonise limitless advancement with captivating trials and a revitalised sense of direction. It’s not merely about starting anew; it’s about establishing a cycle of exhilaration and communal encounters that sustains the vitality of ARPGs.
PS If Wicked had not been featuring multiplayer probably seasons would make less sense, however, that is not the case.
I understand what you are saying and appreciate the thoughtful post. However, I still think the model you are presenting lends its self to a “live service” game. Which again, comes with microtransactions and constant updates and resets. The only game that has a “main game” that incorporates some seasonal updates that I can think of is Diablo 3 / 4, then again I don’t play many of the seasonal type of games so I am sure to miss plenty.
I would still prefer holiday style themes or events, rather than the proposed seasons you speak of. I guess my bias lies in that I am tired of the fear of missing out, battle pass, online only, gacha mechanics, or the constant cycle of X weapon or class is the best this season, that we have had for the last 10 years.
The reason I am drawn to this game is because it is a fresh take on an old genre I love. If they just made it another seasonal game or live service style of game, I for one would lose interest and feel that I had wasted my $32.
I am curious of the developer perspective on this, I would imagine a state of constant crunch or tweaking of existing systems, the nerf / buff cycle. Perhaps it isn’t a big deal for large dedicated staff for these types of systems, but I would prefer new content that was properly tested, implemented, and not limited to a 3-4 month cycle. If I were in high school again and could have a game as my second unpaid job to complete these timed goals, I might not be so biased.
I often observe that many people find themselves confused when it comes to the approach of seasonal gameplay. Allow me to clarify this matter unequivocally:
Seasons do not reset your characters.
Participating in seasons is entirely optional.
This implies that there will be servers that won’t reset, known as Standard. While each other aRPG may have its own unique approach to the design aspects of seasons, the fundamental principle remains the same - they are optional and do not involve character resets.
Therefore, I believe it would greatly benefit Moon to develop its own seasonal system according to its capabilities and goals. I tend to avoid games as a service (GaaS) like the plague, just like many others.
We are all aware that the developers intend to keep Isola Sacra fresh and vibrant, hence the upcoming ALIVE, and I believe that implementing a dynamic system like Seasons would align well with their intentions and serve their self-interest. I want to emphasise that without such a system, the game may quickly become monotonous and eventually lose its appeal.
If you are not fond of seasons, you can simply opt to play the standard mode and still enjoy the latest features when they become available to you.
I just got shocked by Arpg seasonal system because my first arpg grimdawn doesnt have that , if NRFTW have a seasonal system , I hope they have a special refund service for that.
