Why all the hate/negativity?

[Jackhammer (Wholf)]

Cause I have been playing and streaming this game for 3+ hours and all I experience is fun, relaxation and just a great time. Why the hate?

[Roan]

Exploding_Acorn の投稿を引用：

Valimure の投稿を引用：

The sub-60% rating says that it's more than just a "handful" of people angry about the game.

Not many bother with reviews. Heck I've only bothered doing two myself and this kind of game dev stuff actually interests me. Even fewer are going to bother with a forum.

But lets look at numbers. 681 Negatives reviews is what that 59% sits at. The 24 hour peak was 11,000 on Steam. No clue how many stayed on the EGS or standalone launcher, nor what the Switch population looks like.

That's 6% of the Steam population on day two of it's release here. The entire review pool would only equate to 15% of only the Steam population. I figure most of these early reviews were people, myself included, that generally already had their minds made up.

You forget that I loved the game at first. I was one of their biggest supporters for the first couple of years. Opinions of a game can change over time as you learn the company's bad habits and see that, while the beginning of the game is fun, there's just not enough content to keep most people occupied and they've left themselves little room to grow.

If you want to look at numbers, don't forget that it's not just some people that like the game that don't post reviews; that also applies to people who didn't as well. The population is already down about 40% from release.

We'll see how this weekend looks I suppose. I am certainly curious about how it will pan out!

[eyore_11]

Exploding_Acorn の投稿を引用：

eyore_11 の投稿を引用：

but if it's just us being overdramatic then why did the devs respond to us?

and also, you didnt even count how many found those reviews helpful, to vote it as helpful-- some of the negative ones getting upto 1100~ which is well over 10% of the steam population logged on at any given time

Steam overall % doesn't count that so it's pointless and way more than I'm willing to put into this conversation. As far as I'm aware the helpful reviews only increases the visibility of that review.

I personally find the whole beta thing to be silly, but to say I'm calling all of the negative reviews over-dramatic would be a gross misrepresentation. The people calling for more accessibility sliders I'm 100% on board there.

I'm assuming the dev blog where they reiterated that they consider the game as an open beta to be the generally good business sense to acknowledge the squeaky wheel.

just say u didnt think of that and it's a good point lol its okay

[Exploding_Acorn]

eyore_11 の投稿を引用：

Exploding_Acorn の投稿を引用：

Steam overall % doesn't count that so it's pointless and way more than I'm willing to put into this conversation. As far as I'm aware the helpful reviews only increases the visibility of that review.

I personally find the whole beta thing to be silly, but to say I'm calling all of the negative reviews over-dramatic would be a gross misrepresentation. The people calling for more accessibility sliders I'm 100% on board there.

I'm assuming the dev blog where they reiterated that they consider the game as an open beta to be the generally good business sense to acknowledge the squeaky wheel.

just say u didnt think of that and it's a good point lol its okay

Thats... not how math works. Percentages were covered in like 3rd or 4th grade. It's not Calvinball with the rules. That's how math works.

[Subxeno]

Rich の投稿を引用：

Could it be that people are getting sick of ESG-DEI? I haven't played this, but the aesthetics are giving me those vibes 🤢

Same. It screams "Look how diverse our game is! What do you mean gameplay? There are no genders and you can customize your pronouns :)...You don't care about that? What are you some kind of transphobe???"

Yeah not interested in that energy.

[Moonwitch]

Ugh, here we go again with this.

[Legion]

SheepyCakes の投稿を引用：

Since most people here are giving unhelpful answers, I'll try to give helpful ones.

- The developers billed this game as a cozy, stress free, ACCESSIBLE, free-to-play experience with MINOR cosmetic microtransactions. The game has almost zero accessibility settings, including colorblind, text adjustment, and other settings that are considered standard across all games, INCLUDING indie games. Mind you, this is not a "small indie game" and has been developed with millions of dollars by people with many many years of game development experience, as they have often bragged.
- The microtransactions they promised would be minimal have become their main development focus in terms of new content, especially when it comes to seasonal events, locking all new wardrobe, furniture, and customization items behind a paywall, some of which costs upwards of $50 USD. All pets are behind a paywall. It's to the point where event announcements and pictures show entirely cash shop items.
- From the beginning of beta launch (I have played since closed beta, we are now still in open beta which I will elaborate on) and even in alpha, server stability has been horrific. Downtime and maintenance was/is almost a daily occurrence because of frequent disconnects even just sitting on Home Plots.
- Despite still being in Beta/Early Access, S6 decided to scrub all mention of this shortly before the Steam release, and began tossing out mutes and bans in the discord and on the subreddit for anyone mentioning this. The culture as a whole on the discord and subreddit has been one of toxic positivity, only allowing comments that praise the devs, including a full replacement of the moderation team in December just days after the Switch release because of how horrible it became. It's gotten even WORSE after the steam release, with mods there claiming they have been "brigaded" and suffering a "raid" and that the Steam reviews are "bots and trolls" despite them flat out disallowing all dissent in the server. Disabled players in particular have attempted to voice their concerns and been banned or shot down.
- The amount of rampant bugs is rarely if ever addressed, and S6 prefers to focus on adding more microtransactions and doing dumb things like nerfing drop rates on rare mining nodes so the grind for materials is an even longer grind. There is a lack of transparency by the devs, while the mods and community managers will repeatedly tell you to "fill out the feedback form" as if it does anything.

TL;DR: S6 pretends to be a small indie studio suffering from lack of money but has plenty, uses it to put more cash shop items in the game rather than address serious concerns, and bans anyone who does anything other than worship the ground they walk on

TO add to this, the Beta's that went on last year and continued to now weren't actual Betas in the slightest, they were AND STILL ARE marketing Betas. For those that do not understand what means, its the game itself little to no changes are coming, you are/were playing exactly what the game was going to be. They have been called out for their terrible practices for months.
Why did they come to steam? Some might ask. Because they burnt all of their goodwill beforehand...and steam users refuse to do research beforehand.

[Moonwitch]

Legion の投稿を引用：

Why did they come to steam? Some might ask. Because they burnt all of their goodwill beforehand...and steam users refuse to do research beforehand.

That's a bit of a stretch, so you're saying they should of just stayed on the Epic Store and on their own website instead of releasing on Switch and Steam? Definitely hit the nail on the head with that last bit though.

[Everis Peace]

Hey all...
Just wanted to stop by to say Hi and try and welcome you all to the community of Palia. I have been a member since Closed beta [Joined up back in July, would have been there sooner but the Ex gave me COVID and it hit me like a Train Wreck] and followed the games development since it was first announced. Hell, I had a countdown above my PC desk when it reached 100 days till Invites came out.

I have been on Steam 9 Years. So I am not just someone that joined yesterday, last week or last month. And I don't leave a million post on every game I play.

So let me say this, during Palias early days groups/cliques did form and YES, we as players did kind of make up unwritten "rules" as we went along, mostly out of being polite to other players. And yes, some get frustrated with people coming in and messing with 'our' community or "our home".
For an example - Its like many new players have come in, are not even interested in learning stuff from us "old Timers" or even believing us, when we offer to teach them something. Or they are rude and take out a grove of FT [the Purple Trees] without waiting for other players, which is deemed as rude.

But basically, be nice, and we will be nice back. Try introducing yourself in General Chat. Think of it like you just moved into a new community, we don't know you, you don't know us. This is a very social game, my group host cooking parties a lot and I am up to doing them any time if asked and I have the stuff needed. I also do random skill testing contest in chat for items, like bars of Pal and what not.
I also saved up 90+ Honey Lures for when I reached Player Level 1,000. I reached it and that day they announced the bugs vs flower update so I saved them for that instead, and have been running around Kilima inviting people and setting them off. So watch for me there.

TLDR+++

Welcome to Palia
Introduce yourself
Join a community
Join Discord Servers
Join Cooking Parties
Most FT Groves are Chopped at 3:00AM In Game Time. They Pop at Midnight.
You can create your own FT Groves.
Mine like your life depended on It!! - Best early Way to Make Gold!! Aside from Food Parties!
The Farm Family Matter! Make Friends with them Maxed Fast!!
Use the StarStone/GemStones to Help Level-Up Friendships FAST!! 1 A Week Can Be Given!

But most of all Have fun!! Ignore Haters and Just Play Your Game!!

And Again, Welcome to Palia
~Everis Dragonfly Peace [IGN]

[Balthazaar]

Valimure の投稿を引用：

Odiare の投稿を引用：

> "Still doesn't say it on steam"
> Is literally on the store page

I mean, I guess I get it if you want a giant, glowing neon sign plastered everywhere that says "Beta", but is it really worth this amount of energy?

Where is it on the store page?

Maybe I'm missing it because I'm looking on mobile, but I still don't see anything.

Can confirm. There is no early access tag on mine Steam store page either.

Sounds like bait and switch marketing to me.

Make sure to buy 2 outfits in the cash shop to show the devs how much you support their transparency!!

[Orionis]

eyore_11 の投稿を引用：

Odiare の投稿を引用：

There's not much to dig through. It's literally the most recent post.

Your incompetency with navigating game launcher does not suddenly mean the devs are hiding anything or lacking in transparency. The information is very easy to find if you spend more than 2 seconds scrolling through their store page.

i have trouble talking to people who are really positive about this game bc you guys cant seem to argue without resorting to adhominem attacks, and i dont understand it.

They literally stated their own incompetence. Y'all need to go outside.

Also, I have my own complaints about the game. It's simply irritating to see complaints that are just meant to only sh*t all over the devs, like being pissy about a beta tag on Steam.

They've stated it's in beta, their version updates are clearly marked as before 1.0, and there's a tag on the launcher. Things like the cash shop stuff makes sense to be upset about. This doesn't.

[Orionis]

Kayn の投稿を引用：

Odiare の投稿を引用：

It was just a statement of fact. You were using your own incompetency as an excuse to be mad about nothing. You can easily search updates online or directly in the discord where they give a sparknotes version and the beta tag is everywhere except Switch because of the way Nintendo handles games on their platform (or whatever, I skimmed that part). This is quite literally the definition of making a mountain over a molehill. It's a small oversight. They didn't kill your palcat. Chill.

No, you brought me up and made this personal please stop with the petty personal attacks, they mean nothing to me and you'll just be reported for them.

As I explained very plainly, it's not about me, and it's not an acceptable or accessible solution for the only mention if beta to be buried in the description of one of many update posts. I even explained how these aren't reflected on the main store front, which is the resource most new players use.

You're welcome to contuine to insult the new members of this community but I'm not going to engage in something so senselessly rude.

It wasn't a personal attack. You literally said it yourself. Tone policing is incredibly irritating and petulant. Maybe don't mention your own incompetence next time if you don't want people to discuss it.

Incompetence isn't inherently an insult. It's a stage of learning something new. Most people do not start off competent with something & that's okay. What's problematic is weaponizing that towards the devs. It is not their fault that you personally are new to using Steam.

[Orionis]

Balthazaar の投稿を引用：

Valimure の投稿を引用：

Where is it on the store page?

Maybe I'm missing it because I'm looking on mobile, but I still don't see anything.

Can confirm. There is no early access tag on mine Steam store page either.

Sounds like bait and switch marketing to me.

Make sure to buy 2 outfits in the cash shop to show the devs how much you support their transparency!!

Early access and beta are not the same things.

Similar to alpha, closed beta, and open beta, early access grants players the chance to play a game before the general public, while focusing on technical and gameplay testing. However, early access is almost always a paid model.

The “Open Beta” stage means that the game has gone through the majority of its critical testing and development, and is now considered in a playable state for the general public. This means anyone can register for, download, and play the game.

Open betas are meant for developers to spend more time focusing on community feedback and final polish for the game, as well as to encourage players to try their game and spread the word to their friends. This stage of testing may last a short time or for a very long time, depending on the confidence of the developer in their game being relatively complete. Once it is over, the game is considered officially released.

All of them are before a 1.0 release, which matches Palia's current update model.

[löyly]

FFS yeah there probably IS incompetence here, but it's not on the side of players who expect relevant information about the game to be visible on the store page - that's what the store page is there for after all.
That news post doesn't even show up under the "Recent events & announcements" where such posts usually show up on the store page, and if that's done on purpose then it's still very much actively misleading.

That semi-hidden post stating it's still in beta is worth next to nothing if they don't actually do anything about it. I thought they were going to say something like "oops sowwy we're changing it to Early Access uwu", but nope...

Oh, and this is what Steam has to say about what EA means:

Steam Early Access enables you to sell your game on Steam while it is still being developed, and provides context to customers that a product should be considered "unfinished." Early Access is a place for games that are in a playable alpha or beta state, are worth the current value of the playable build, and that you plan to continue to develop for release.

Seems to describe the current state of Palia perfectly well.

And to TL;DR the OP question from a closed beta perspective: experience.

[MadDawg2552]

löyly の投稿を引用：

I thought they were going to say something like "oops sowwy we're changing it to Early Access uwu", but nope...

As someone has already mentioned, once the game releases on Steam it is impossible to change it to "Early Access". Maybe that was an oversight, maybe it's Beta but in "full release". Who knows.

[Octarin]

SheepyCakes の投稿を引用：

Since most people here are giving unhelpful answers, I'll try to give helpful ones.

- The developers billed this game as a cozy, stress free, ACCESSIBLE, free-to-play experience with MINOR cosmetic microtransactions. The game has almost zero accessibility settings, including colorblind, text adjustment, and other settings that are considered standard across all games, INCLUDING indie games. Mind you, this is not a "small indie game" and has been developed with millions of dollars by people with many many years of game development experience, as they have often bragged.
- The microtransactions they promised would be minimal have become their main development focus in terms of new content, especially when it comes to seasonal events, locking all new wardrobe, furniture, and customization items behind a paywall, some of which costs upwards of $50 USD. All pets are behind a paywall. It's to the point where event announcements and pictures show entirely cash shop items.
- From the beginning of beta launch (I have played since closed beta, we are now still in open beta which I will elaborate on) and even in alpha, server stability has been horrific. Downtime and maintenance was/is almost a daily occurrence because of frequent disconnects even just sitting on Home Plots.
- Despite still being in Beta/Early Access, S6 decided to scrub all mention of this shortly before the Steam release, and began tossing out mutes and bans in the discord and on the subreddit for anyone mentioning this. The culture as a whole on the discord and subreddit has been one of toxic positivity, only allowing comments that praise the devs, including a full replacement of the moderation team in December just days after the Switch release because of how horrible it became. It's gotten even WORSE after the steam release, with mods there claiming they have been "brigaded" and suffering a "raid" and that the Steam reviews are "bots and trolls" despite them flat out disallowing all dissent in the server. Disabled players in particular have attempted to voice their concerns and been banned or shot down.
- The amount of rampant bugs is rarely if ever addressed, and S6 prefers to focus on adding more microtransactions and doing dumb things like nerfing drop rates on rare mining nodes so the grind for materials is an even longer grind. There is a lack of transparency by the devs, while the mods and community managers will repeatedly tell you to "fill out the feedback form" as if it does anything.

TL;DR: S6 pretends to be a small indie studio suffering from lack of money but has plenty, uses it to put more cash shop items in the game rather than address serious concerns, and bans anyone who does anything other than worship the ground they walk on

TYVM for this, I was drowning in the toxic back and forth and couldn't understand why this seemingly nice cozy has drawn such ire. Your comment clears this up.