About the negative reviews

[oboka]

This is going to be a fairly long post because I want to first explain what has brought us here and why we made certain design choices. Then, as many of you have asked, I want to listen — to really understand what exactly feels so wrong about the game for some players, because we genuinely believe it’s a good game and not that different from the previous ones. Finally, I’ll explain where we plan to go in the future.

The Design Process Behind YL3

The idea of having players compete for audience share is something we've had in mind since the very first Youtubers Life. It’s a core part of being a YouTuber — always trying to outperform others, attract more viewers, and stay ahead of the trends. Real top YouTubers have told us how they constantly check what others are uploading, when they're posting, and which games they’re playing.

In YL1 and YL2, there was an internal audience pool shared among AI channels you’d see in the rankings. The better your videos performed, the bigger slice you’d get. That’s why there was a hard limit on subscribers.

With each new game, we’ve tried to bring something fresh to the experience. The main complaint about YL1 was that it got repetitive, so in YL2 we added a large outdoor world and social activities to break the cycle of recording video after video. It was a risky move, shifting the genre from tycoon/simulation to RPG/simulation — and of course, it wasn’t immediately well-received by everyone.

For the third game, since we kept hearing that YL1 was better than YL2, and because filling an open world with meaningful content is extremely costly (it took two full years of development by a dedicated team), we decided to go back to our roots: the lonely YouTuber recording videos at home — which is arguably closer to what being a YouTuber feels like than wandering city streets looking for trends. This time, though, with more advanced tools and mechanics. And the new differentiating factor would be live audience competition.

We could have played it safe — made a new neighborhood for YL2, added a new channel type like cooking, and sold it as a new game. But instead, we took a risk by starting a brand-new experience from scratch with a full online mode. Maybe we’re foolish for that, but we can’t be blamed for not trying to give you the best.

This third entry was meant to complete a trilogy covering three different aspects of a content creator’s world:

• Different channel types and creativity (video on demand)
  
• Life as a social media influencer (social personality RPG)
  
• Live competition in an online environment (streaming arena)

Yet all three games still share the same underlying structure that makes them part of the same series.

What Went Wrong?

From our point of view — and after countless hours of playtests, internal tests, university sessions, open playtests with hundreds of people — feedback was generally positive. Everyone on the team genuinely believes YL3 is a great game. We tested it a lot. We expected some criticism and knew a few areas needed polish, but we didn’t expect the negative trend in reviews we’re seeing now.

Strangely, we’ve also seen a sudden nostalgia for YL2’s open world, when up until now the consistent feedback for years had been that YL1 was the better game (and sales numbers also confirm this). So, why — if YL3 essentially follows the same core structure as YL1 — is it being received so differently?

We’ve been reading every single comment and still don’t fully grasp where the disconnect is. The main gameplay loop is fundamentally the same:

• Stay at home, record videos, gain subscribers, climb ranks (as in the other games — if not improved)
  
• Attend timed events occasionally to socialize, now with real people (like YL1’s events, but in real-time multiplayer)
  
• Hundreds of cosmetic items to decorate your home and dress your character
  
• A clear progression system

There are only a few new elements:

• An optional streaming minigame
  
• Optional real-time online events
  
• Optional online rankings (story mode is about gaining subscribers, not ranking)
  
• Real-time pacing used only to trigger events (you’re never forced into it)

After many conversations with players on Steam and Discord, I'm still unclear on which direction to take:

• Complaints about the streaming game: Too competitive or confusing. It was optional before and remains optional now. Some players love it and we won’t remove it.
  
• Complaints about real-time pacing: When I ask why people dislike it, no one can really explain it. Aside from online events, nothing depends on real-time. There’s no gameplay benefit to skipping days either.
  
• Online events: No major complaints.
  
• No open world like YL2: Noted. But you didn’t like it in YL2… more on this below.
  
• Bugs and balancing: Some concerns, but most seem to understand it’s early access and things will improve.
  
• No online mode at all?: Some would rather have an offline-only experience.

So please, use this post to clearly explain what you dislike, what you'd like to see changed, and where you think we should take the game during early access. We’re here to listen — but we need to fully understand how you feel.

What Are the Plans?

We had ambitious plans for this game. Some are already in development, others are still in design. Here’s a glimpse at what’s coming:

• Visit friends' homes — Hang out privately and play together.
  
• Collaborative video recording — Record videos together during visits.
  
• Duel streaming — Already in the game; unlock it by raising friendship levels.
  
• Team streaming (2v2)
  
• The Challenge — Compete in MrBeast-style Sunday events against 20 players in
• different minigames for big prizes (could be online as soon as next week).
  
• More event types and content — Events feel a little empty now, so we’re adding dynamic happenings like YL2 had, new scenarios, and new minigames.
  
• Custom events — Advanced players will be able to create and host their own events.
  
• Content creator events — Real-life influencers hosting private in-game events for their followers with exclusive prizes.
  
• Home upgrades — Gardens, terraces, and more.
  
• More channel types — Like in YL1, new video themes beyond gaming.
  
• Content creator agencies — A feature discarded from YL2 that may finally arrive in YL3. Think of them as clans, with big competitions between agencies.

These are short/mid-term plans, but everything depends on your feedback.

As for the open world — many of you are asking for it. But developing a rich, living open world with changing seasons, NPCs with stories, dynamic content, missions, and secrets would take around two years and a significant budget. So don’t expect a future update to magically turn this game into YL2.

What we can do is add outdoor areas accessible from your home, with shops and hangouts, but we believe the features listed above will add more meaningful content to the game than a free-roam world.

Please respond constructively and help us improve this situation — if you want a better game, we need your input to shape it.

[🙐 Ascawien 🙖]

Thank you for the roadmap, I was considering making a thread asking if one was planned. I'm especially happy to hear that there are plans for more than just gaming channels. Hopefully we'll get all the previous ones from the first game along with a few new ones.

As for all the negativity, whilst I am personally enjoying the game so far (I have a few complaints but they're all minor and mostly typical for an Early Access game) I think this sort of reaction is pretty typical of when a previously offline only franchise goes online. I think most of it will blow over soon and with continued fixes and feature additions, I expect the negative reviews to lessen, as you can tell there's a lot of thought and care that went into this.

My personal insights revolve around the currently very limited scope of activities that are currently available (very much looking forward to new things to do) and various bugs and glitches (the worst being what some of us are calling server lag - the game hangs a lot just now, rarely for more than a second or two but it does happen frequently). The current loop feels a little painful. You don't earn much (I've just got the Silver award for New Tube) and I'm constantly having to replace pc parts. This prevents me from buying anything fun (clothing and furniture) and with only an occasional minor upgrade, I don't really feel as though I'm progressing - starting to feel like I'll never hit 25k and get the next room unlocked. I know it's just a balancing thing and hopefully won't always feel this bad but this early stage doesn't feel great right now.

As for how this compares to the first two games (both of which I really enjoyed), I am happy to see more of the first game being reflected and expanded upon here but I do miss the RP feel of the 2nd. I know there was a lot of initial dislike of it but most folk I've spoken to about it ended up preferring it the first one. I think the success of the first one was down to a higher level of interest from bigger name (RL) content creators. I never felt like the 2nd one got anywhere near as much attention. With regards to real-time events, I would like to see the daily event doubled - maybe have two per day? Just to add variety and something extra to do each session.

I'm excited for the future of the game and hope that the devs keep at it and don't end up giving up on the game. I've been chatting in-game to a good few players and they all seemed happy (except for the creepy, sexist, racist guy I ran into - we REALLY need a report function on top of the block). I think it's encouraging that you're reaching out, that you're being transparent and that it seems player feedback is going to have an impact of shaping the future of the game.

[Nekodayone]

well personally i never really played yl1 so can't comment on that. but i really love yl2. the openworld looked really amazing so well done on that. for me thats what even made the game interesting. the npc characters. the spotting new trends and to see what was going on in town the next day.

without it, it would feel to much record record record which ultimately would mean minigame -> minigame -> minigame. as much as that minigame works if we do it over and over it would always get repetitive. thats why i liked the other aspects of yl2.

offcourse this can also be done with events or outdoor area's to travel to.
but its really the look whats going on
find the trends that kinda broke the mold between all the recording
and offcourse the build bonds with npc
that i loved about yl2

but then again i do play lots of farming sims aswell so it really was right up my alley so to say. and with all this negativity let me atleast thank you for making yl2 i truly enjoyed that game

[Dex]

Two questions - what happens if there is too low of a playerbase to 'stream' with?
Will the gave have offline availability? Low player count games that are online only tend to slowly lose the little playerbase they had, and then people are stuck with games/features that are essentially unplayable.

Maybe a single-player version of the streaming game?

The big problem I see if a lot of your plans seem to focus on the multiplayer side of things, and as mentioned, if the playerbase drops...

[Lyciana]

With more than 200 hours in the first game, I can tell you what goes wrong in the third game and why it's not like the first:

The first point is the different careers you had in the first game, which completely changed the gameplay depending on your choices. There were different cards, the videos were structured differently, and the video creation process was different. All of that is completely missing in the third game. They simply needed to add the IRL, DJ, and Events careers, and that would have been a solid base for the third part.

The second point that bothers me is the constant online requirement. It's simply not optional; you can only stream online. If you can't find any opponents, you can't play the mode. The same goes for Instagram. If others don't like your pictures, you don't have progress. Online mode in general isn't a mistake, but it really should be optional ONLY!!

The third point: the game seems lackluster; the space you're given seems cold. The start could have been done differently, with the player initially living in a shared apartment and connecting with other content creators, which would then give them the opportunity to start projects with others.

The fourth point is the real time ingame, it makes the whole game so slow, cause you have to wait for the next day to join the next event. You are getting bored very fast of that, cause nothing is happening in the game, cause its realtime!

And the fifth point on my list of main criticisms are the in-game prices. Far too high, far too exorbitant. 500 for a computer game, 117k for a laptop. An outfit with all the parts costs 40k. And your income is just around 500 per video/stream, if you win, if you lose you gain less than 10 and also if you have luck and don't have an active strike. And on top of that, the PC breaks after every other video, which just gets annoying after a while.

[Oichi]

I think the main thing that turns people off within the first hour is the card battler mini game, people that played the first youtuber life games know that recording (YT1 and 2) and even streaming in YT2 was just a minigame you had to do to get the stats up.

So when people get thrown into a card battler in the first hour they immediately lose interest because if they wanted to play a card battler then they would go play one of the popular card battlers. They don't expect it out of a youtubers life game and also the games last too long.

Sure the update made the streaming optional but now you are missing out on rewards because you don't want to play the card battler, you are being punished for not participating in it. The only thing the automatic does is increase the sub morale. which means the main way of getting coins is recording videos but the streaming gives more coins then recorded videos. So the automatic isn't really a good workaround.

Even if the card battler was changed into bots only, I still don't think people would be interested in it simply because it is still a card battler.

The streaming mini game needs to be changed entirely so people don't just lose interest in the first hour. Something like the recording where it's more of a strategy mini game and not a 5-10 minute card battler.

This is what turned me off anyway, and probably alot of the people giving it a negative review. They defiantly don't want to play any longer then a hour because they have zero interest in the card battler, there is no point in playing more if its just gonna be more of it.

I was planing on buying it but after seeing the card battler I went from buying to not buying because I do not want to play a card battler, even if it does get a option to being bots only.

[cxymrx]

Originally posted by Oichi:

I think the main thing that turns people off within the first hour is the card battler mini game, people that played the first youtuber life games know that recording (YT1 and 2) and even streaming in YT2 was just a minigame you had to do to get the stats up.

So when people get thrown into a card battler in the first hour they immediately lose interest because if they wanted to play a card battler then they would go play one of the popular card battlers. They don't expect it out of a youtubers life game and also the games last too long.

Sure the update made the streaming optional but now you are missing out on rewards because you don't want to play the card battler, you are being punished for not participating in it. The only thing the automatic does is increase the sub morale. which means the main way of getting coins is recording videos but the streaming gives more coins then recorded videos. So the automatic isn't really a good workaround.

Even if the card battler was changed into bots only, I still don't think people would be interested in it simply because it is still a card battler.

The streaming mini game needs to be changed entirely so people don't just lose interest in the first hour. Something like the recording where it's more of a strategy mini game and not a 5-10 minute card battler.

This is what turned me off anyway, and probably alot of the people giving it a negative review. They defiantly don't want to play any longer then a hour because they have zero interest in the card battler, there is no point in playing more if its just gonna be more of it.

I was planing on buying it but after seeing the card battler I went from buying to not buying because I do not want to play a card battler, even if it does get a option to being bots only.

I can agree with this. I hate the card battler but i have to play it to make any real money. So right now im stuck in a cycle of playing a mini game i hate editing then uploading. The automatic needs to give rewards, why are we being punished for not liking the card battler? Especially because people can be so rude in the chats too.

Another thing is i just hate playing with other players. If i want to play with other people i ask my friends to play a multiplayer game with me. I dont think "I'm gonna jump on youtubers life". I'd really like offline mode and the NPC characters that you could befriend and marry to come back.

Also to add on-- there should be a punishment for leaving the streaming games. People are leaving when they realize they are low and are about to die which defeats the point of killing another stream and getting the views.

[Braticane]

my main concern is the live service aspect of the game, i was in the playtest for this game and it was middle of the road in terms of content (i didnt feel the magic that i felt with yl1)

* the live service aspect means that when the game servers are shut down the game wont be playable (unless you push an update)

* i had no idea who the first "influencer" we meet was, this was also somewhat of a problem in parts of YL2, i was like who is this guy and why does he matter to me (i had no connection to him apart from knowing hes the tutorial guy)

* YL1 felt more home grown you were starting from your own home (moms house) with the goal of just being the biggest and the best, YL3 you start out in an unfamiliar ( to me) influencers studio, like if im new why am i here why does this person care, it feels like im an intern or something instead of starting because a friend recommended it or because i have interest. (alot of streamers start because friends encourage them to, and they start by themselves not as some intern)

* the multiplayer aspect is very player dependent, i personally have had bad experiences in online games so in turn i like to have some amount of control of the online aspect, alot of the time this is private games or playing offline very rarely will i subject myself to public lobby games (people are horrible even in moderated games).

* the real time card battle game why just why am i playing a pvp card game this ties into the online aspect, i personally hate public online competitive games, i rarely consider playing competitive games with even close friends let alone a bunch of randoms.

* some aspects of the game rely TOO much on other players, we are meant to be competing for viewers (npc viewers) so why dont they interact with us on instagram (even just likes)

* having a world we can walk around was a welcome addition in YL2, i liked the idea that you could explore the world instead of being teleported from place to place (half of skyrim IS the exploration)

* parts of the game are hard locked behind playing with or interacting with other players, this could be solved by allowing players to play/interact with an ai instead of players.

while i would personally love if this game added an offline mode i know it would take awhile, i hope you give some indication that the players who want an offline mode have something to be excited for (even if it will take time). i know there is no easy fix to make a game that was built for online into an offline game, but i hope there is a way to even put a temporary bandaid to at least hide the online aspect while we wait(hiding players and online interactions).

[Jornada nos Retrogames]

I will make a list of things showing why I didn't like the game compared to the previous versions.

• They turned the game into competitive online multiplayer against other real players.

• The game seems to be a mobile game where real-life days influence what you can do in the game, limiting the resources available for what you can do during the day. So it only lacked to charge for the energy of daily actions.

• They added elements from The Sins that really disrupt and change the focus of the game. For example, you have to take a shower, sleep, socialize with other players, and if you don't do it, it ruins your overall performance in the game. And it makes even less sense to repeat this several times on game day, which doesn't change because he is focused directly on the day of real life.

• Card game for streaming against other players or computers is totally different and not fun, especially because those who enjoy doing this probably wouldn't be playing this type of game. And if we don't do it, we are punished and can't progress in the game. It would be much better to have a dance minigame like the one in YL2 playing solo.

• Completing daily missions that influence cash rewards, which directly impact gameplay, makes the game resemble elements of mobile games that people dislike, especially the card system where you have to open card packs to evolve them and gain advantages over other players. I hope it at least hasn't given the impression of selling resources through microtransactions within it.

• In my opinion, you lost the essence of what the public liked about the past games by turning the game into a competitive mobile online game. The player base is not interested in competitive games against other players and much less to be obliged to play every day to progress in the game.

• Between YL1 and YL2, I preferred YL2 because the game doesn't become repetitive and allows you to explore the city and pursue daily events, in addition to just recording game videos and posting them. We have the option to completely ignore daily missions and do what we want, and when we play, the games are quick and fun without the need to interact with other real players. It doesn't have aspects of The Sims that only hinder the game and make you waste time, as the game is not focused on that.

• I would advise you to return to the roots and make a new game without any multiplayer aspects, taking inspiration from what YL2 had, creating charismatic NPCs, events with YouTubers, building a larger city with more possibilities for events, reverting to the game day structure, removing the aspects of the sins that were included in YL3. Create a cooperative mode that allows for split-screen so two players can play the same game on the couch. Include quick minigames like those in YL2 based on popular games as they used to. How about starting the game in the 80s or 90s?

I really like the YL series, but this game disappointed me a lot because it wasn't what I expected for all these reasons. My criticisms may seem harsh, but they are constructive, and I hope you get it right next time because if it continues like this, the series won't have a future in my view, and I've seen that many others are unhappy with the game for the same reasons I mentioned above.

[Braticane]

to expand on my previous comment

* real time events not everyone has the time to log on or stay on waiting for in game special events. people have jobs, kids, responsibilities and other stuff they have to do that prevents them from waiting or accessing that event. i have seen streamers complaining about the events as they have to derail their entire stream schedule just to be on when the event is live or miss the event. im not going to suggest you remove events but make the time window larger like 3 days and/or allow player to revisit past events they missed so people who couldnt be on because they have irl stuff dont get penalized.

[Tylerun]

Taking this from my review. Some of my words are frustration but the core mechanics need a rethink....

1. The Card Battler. The amount of times I have been ganged up on in my first 3 games made it feel like a bot game targeting me. Adding PvP to a casual game series where its been known to be casual is a crazy move. Making it "Optional" but also adding a warning saying you are not going to get any rewards at all is crazy.

2. Apartment (YTL1). In the original game there was a sense of growth and a sense of you made it in life moving out of your parents house. Moving in with a friend. Moving to your own place. There was a sense of you actually did something. In this current story you just give us an apartment after..... we make 3 videos for a streamer that we know from YTL2. You turned them into a bad guy.

3. Money. This is a big problem. The numbers are ALL OVER the place. You all gave us a silly make a choice when picking jobs. Instead of it being like YTL1 where it as hey you do this job you get X dollars. 80 Dollars back then could have bought me stuff. In this game a single game costs..... $400????? What world of inflation dystopia are we living in all of a sudden? It took me doing work 3 times to get a new game. Are we being punished for having side jobs? Via the story you also made it so we earn nothing from the starting out videos...... So wait.... I am now forced to stream...... or do 3 jobs for a single game..... Oh and guess what.... There are jobs with bad options that remove your subscribers :D so rip there goes my work for 30 minutes cause I didnt know the options yet.

4. Real Time Events. There is no progression to the events. You miss the event for the day you dont get to go. Theres no cons like in the previous games where you can do 3 or 4 events to get games in the span of an hour. Now I need to wait real world days to get a single event that might not even be one I care about. In this game thanks to the real time elements we take....... 200 naps in a day.... and post...... 300 videos a day. That is insane to think about when going for we want you to feel like a youtuber. A video a day is insane for most people and it serves no purpose other than events.

5. The gems.... They feel like they are going to be a cash grab in the future... (THEY ARE NOT NOW) but like why are they a currency. Why are we changing the editing software and not just letting us purchase upgrades to our editing software like in YTL1. You all wanted to make it YTL1 esq according to what I read. But so far the only thing that is reminding me of YTL1 is working..... There is no training and No software upgrades.

6. The 100 Quality system.... Just why.... I can either spam down as much as i want to get 100% or i wait to get things that are good from leveling up. Why can't we use the energy system again from YTL1 & YTL2. Again price inflation is insane on parts get to stream card battling.

We went from a super chill and super casual game that I could play offline at the airport or on a plane to a game that can not be played pretty much at all without online connectivity. Live service games are not the way of the future. I dont know anyone that wants this function.

[hunhunxing]

人们说YTL1比YTL2好，是因为YTL1游玩体验比YTL2好，而不是说2增加室外场景是个错误。
YTL1是经典的模拟游戏，做什么或不做什么，整个游戏过程和方向完全由玩家决定，因此有多次重玩的乐趣。同时体验从和父母同住直到拥有自己的大工作室，选择和自己喜爱的npc结婚，这是对现实的模拟，真实感能激起玩家的同理心，这是它的成功之处。YTL1的问题主要聚焦在重复工作上，我如果没有记错的话，玩家在不同阶段，面对的问题其实基本相同，缺乏挑战，中后期很容易感到重复性的无聊。
YTL2的室外地图其实是一个不错的尝试，但是你们在游戏推出后，没有继续优化玩家的体验，这导致室外地图反而变成了放大游戏缺点的问题。
这主要是指游戏缺乏任务引导，玩家在进行支线任务寻找npc时往往需要三张地图到处找，因为没有指引，且npc不会待在固定一个地方。这种重复性的反复跑图负反馈极强，过快的时间流速和任务限时更使得这个问题像一场灾难，它摧毁了玩家的体验，当在外游荡一整天找不到任务npc导致任务失败，或任务完成后却几乎没有时间再做别的事情时，玩家会觉得对游戏失去掌控力。
同时，你们删除了一代不同的主播路线，弱化了主播相关的其他内容，这又使得1代的粉丝不满。当然我能理解，你们想做rpg，在有限的成本为前提下，不同地方需要进行取舍。做rpg其实没有问题，就像我觉得《星露谷物语》没有主线剧情，主要专注于农场发展和npc个人故事很好玩，但《波西亚/沙石镇时光》有完整的地区主线剧情也很好玩一样，如果这个故事讲述的贴合主题，那么它就是好的。然而，YTL2的故事剧本脱离了现实，这进一步剥离了玩家游玩过程中的真实感。
所以，总结下来就是，2代剥离了1代作为模拟游戏的真实体验感，剥离了玩家决定故事走向的设定，同时因缺乏模拟内容，弱化了重复游玩价值，又未能通过优秀的剧本来进行弥补，同时弱引导也使得本应作为新亮点的户外地图变成一场灾难。但我再次强调，这不是说室外地图是错误的方向，如果你们有仔细阅读YTL2的差评（我看过了），很多差评都有对你们做户外地图的想法持肯定态度，但是你们没有做好。
这就是YTL2为什么评价还不如YTL1的原因，因为它削弱了YTL1的游玩体验，同时也没有达到它新尝试本该达到的水平。
YTL2既没有取悦YTL1的粉丝，也无力与其他相同游戏类型的作品竞争，吸引到足够的新粉丝。
同时YTL2的bug很多，尽管进行了多次更新，许多bug依然存在，你们真的缺乏对它的维护和更新。阅读商店页面的评价，依然可以看到很多人近期对bug的反馈，这使得消费者对这款游戏信心不足，我甚至在reddit上看到人们对这款游戏质量的忧虑，担心bug太多不值得购买。
3代我没有办法指出太多问题，因为在发现存在相当程度的多人游戏体验后，我便不再尝试。
但我认为，全盘继承并延续、强化1代或2代的特色与优点，优化它们存在的问题，谨慎开发新的游戏模式，这不可耻，这是大部分成功做出续作并存活下来的游戏采取的模式。这远不是在二代的模式上新增一条厨艺主播的路线，就作为新产品上线那么简单。
玩家想要什么？就我个人而言，真实模拟感，不断进步带来的正面反馈，有重玩的乐趣，可探索的城镇地图，与心仪的npc交往，了解他们的故事并相爱，这是最重要的。这也是1代和2代给玩家们带来的愿景。
我并不期待任何线上pvp或者聊天。似乎这些玩法的爱好者与1、2代作品的粉丝群体重叠度并不高，YTL3这么做是在抛弃前作累积的粉丝群体。
玩家会留下差评，也是因为他们认可你们的前作，才会买新作来尝试，如果他们彻底失望，他们甚至不会关注。你们绝对不该说，你们不需要只体验半个小时就留下差评的玩家，他们不仅仅是玩家，他们是你们的粉丝，是你们产品目标群体的基础盘。
然而就目前您做的未来更新目标来看，似乎仍然专注于大量的在线内容，当前所谓的离线玩法，就更新日志来看，其实依然在不鼓励玩家离线游玩。
当然，无论如何，我都希望3代能做得更好，没有粉丝真的希望这个系列终结。

People say YTL1 is better than YTL2 because the game experience of YTL1 is better than that of YTL2, not that it is a mistake to add outdoor scenes to YTL2.

YTL1 is a classic simulation game. What to do or not to do, the entire game process and direction are completely determined by the player, so there is the fun of replaying many times. At the same time, you can experience the process from living with your parents to owning your own big studio, and choose to marry your favorite NPC. This is a simulation of reality. The sense of reality can arouse the empathy of players, which is its success. The problem of YTL1 mainly focuses on repetitive work. If I remember correctly, the problems faced by players at different stages are basically the same. There is a lack of challenges, and it is easy to feel repetitive boredom in the middle and late stages.

The outdoor map of YTL2 is actually a good attempt, but you did not continue to optimize the player experience after the game was launched, which caused the outdoor map to become a problem that magnifies the shortcomings of the game.

This mainly refers to the lack of task guidance in the game. When players are looking for NPCs in side quests, they often need to look around on three maps because there is no guidance and NPCs will not stay in a fixed place. This repetitive running of the map has a strong negative feedback. The fast time flow and the time limit of the task make this problem like a disaster. It destroys the player's experience. When you wander around for a whole day and can't find the task NPC, resulting in the failure of the task, or when you have almost no time to do anything else after the task is completed, the player will feel that he has lost control of the game.

At the same time, you deleted the different anchor routes of the first generation and weakened other content related to the anchor, which made the fans of the first generation dissatisfied. Of course, I can understand that you want to make RPGs. Under the premise of limited costs, different places need to make trade-offs. There is actually no problem with making RPGs, just like I think that "Stardew Valley" has no main storyline and focuses on farm development and NPC personal stories. It is fun, but "My Time at Portia/Sandrock" has a complete regional main storyline and is also fun. If the story is told in line with the theme, then it is good. However, the story script of YTL2 is out of touch with reality, which further strips the player of the sense of reality during the game.

So, to sum up, YTL2 stripped away the real experience of YTL1 as a simulation game, stripped away the setting that players decide the direction of the story, and at the same time, due to the lack of simulation content, it weakened the value of repeated play, and failed to make up for it through excellent scripts. At the same time, weak guidance also made the outdoor map, which should have been a new highlight, a disaster. But I emphasize again that this is not to say that outdoor maps are the wrong direction. If you read the negative reviews of YTL2 carefully (I have read them), many of the negative reviews are positive about your idea of ​​making outdoor maps, but you didn't do it well.

This is why YTL2 is not as good as YTL1, because it weakened the playing experience of YTL1, and at the same time did not reach the level that its new attempt should have achieved.

YTL2 neither pleased the fans of YTL1, nor was it able to compete with other works of the same game type and attract enough new fans.

At the same time, YTL2 has a lot of bugs. Despite multiple updates, many bugs still exist. You really lack maintenance and updates for it. Reading the reviews on the store page, you can still see many people's recent feedback on bugs, which makes consumers lack confidence in this game. I even saw people on reddit worrying about the quality of this game, worrying that there are too many bugs and it is not worth buying.

I can't point out too many problems with the third generation, because when I found that I was always trying the multiplayer content, I stopped playing.

But I think it's not shameful to inherit and continue, strengthen the features and advantages of the first or second generation, optimize their existing problems, and carefully develop new game modes. This is the mode adopted by most games that have successfully made sequels and survived. This is far from being as simple as adding a cooking anchor route to the second generation mode and launching it as a new product.

What do players want? Personally, the real simulation feeling, the positive feedback brought by continuous progress, the fun of replaying, the explorable town map, and the interaction with the favorite NPCs, understanding their stories and falling in love with them are the most important. This is also the vision that the first and second generations bring to players.

I don't expect any online pvp or chat. It seems that the fans of these gameplays do not overlap much with the fan groups of the first and second generation works. YTL3 is abandoning the accumulated fan groups of the previous works by doing this.
Players will leave bad reviews because they recognize your previous works and will buy new works to try. If they are completely disappointed, they will not even pay attention.

You definitely shouldn't say that you don't need players who leave bad reviews after only playing for half an hour. They are not just players, they are your fans, the base of your product target group.

However, judging from your current future update goals, it seems that you are still focusing on a lot of online content. The current so-called offline gameplay, judging from the update log, is still not encouraging players to play offline.

Of course, no matter what, I hope that the third generation can do better. No fan really wants this series to end.

[oboka]

Originally posted by Dex:

Two questions - what happens if there is too low of a playerbase to 'stream' with?
Will the gave have offline availability? Low player count games that are online only tend to slowly lose the little playerbase they had, and then people are stuck with games/features that are essentially unplayable.

Maybe a single-player version of the streaming game?

The big problem I see if a lot of your plans seem to focus on the multiplayer side of things, and as mentioned, if the playerbase drops...

You don't really need much players online to play. Events might be less populated and streaming battles will be against bots. But yes, if the game has a long life we might do an offline mode to preserve it in the long future.

[Lyciana]

And also this point:

The events don't match with the players stats, in YT1 you could also buy a console on a Con, which was also not easy at the start, but possible. But in YT3 you need 90k to buy a console as a rookie! Are you serious?!

Also that the "Pro" Version is avaible in the VIP section only, what a bs idea....

In general, evereything is way too expensive in the game, which make it also more frustrated than fun!

[oboka]

Originally posted by Lyciana:

With more than 200 hours in the first game, I can tell you what goes wrong in the third game and why it's not like the first:

The first point is the different careers you had in the first game, which completely changed the gameplay depending on your choices. There were different cards, the videos were structured differently, and the video creation process was different. All of that is completely missing in the third game. They simply needed to add the IRL, DJ, and Events careers, and that would have been a solid base for the third part.

The second point that bothers me is the constant online requirement. It's simply not optional; you can only stream online. If you can't find any opponents, you can't play the mode. The same goes for Instagram. If others don't like your pictures, you don't have progress. Online mode in general isn't a mistake, but it really should be optional ONLY!!

The third point: the game seems lackluster; the space you're given seems cold. The start could have been done differently, with the player initially living in a shared apartment and connecting with other content creators, which would then give them the opportunity to start projects with others.

The fourth point is the real time ingame, it makes the whole game so slow, cause you have to wait for the next day to join the next event. You are getting bored very fast of that, cause nothing is happening in the game, cause its realtime!

And the fifth point on my list of main criticisms are the in-game prices. Far too high, far too exorbitant. 500 for a computer game, 117k for a laptop. An outfit with all the parts costs 40k. And your income is just around 500 per video/stream, if you win, if you lose you gain less than 10 and also if you have luck and don't have an active strike. And on top of that, the PC breaks after every other video, which just gets annoying after a while.

No, if there are no opponents in the streaming battles they are filled with bots. And no, you don't need likes in instalife to progress.

The only really thing real-time has an effect is events. As I said you will be able to create new events. And others could join. Imagine like a city where multiple events are happening at the same time.

Initially for the money you can go to work and complete orders from Taylor, you start poor just like it was in yl1 and YL2. You can get a good amount of money in streaming battles.

[PhantomShitou]

Hi oboka 或者是 Uplay Online 整个《YouTubers Life》的开发组成员们
我现在将以我自己的角度，来讲述为何《YouTubers Life 3》如此不如人意。
先说YL1 OMG 这款游戏在当初是很棒的一款传统的，就像是《Game Dev Tycoon》这样的模拟类游戏，玩家可以自由选择职业，从当初母亲家小房间小角色的逐步跃升为飞向太空的头部YouTuber，并在这个过程中和心仪的NPC成家，或者是成立工作室，这就是普通内容创作者的真实写照，能够让玩家游玩下去来体验成功，尽管这款游戏至今仍有很多BUG未解决，并且玩到后期就是机械操作很枯燥，但这在当初就是模拟内容创作者一类绝对不可避开的成功产品。
再说YL2 这款在我心中属于可以和《沙石镇时光》平齐的开放世界模拟游戏，玩家终于可以走出自己的一亩三分地，在满满都是内容创作者的社区中施展自己的才华，扩大自己的家庭，逐步成为这个社区最棒的内容创作者，和NPC们既是朋友，也是对手，甚至也可以是恋人，可以说是很大胆的一次尝试。
实际上没人去抨击YL2的开放箱庭世界不好，反而是很喜欢这一设定，我本人也是，每个叫的上名字的NPC，每个地区，各有特色，以及我给我自己创建的角色，真的是越看越喜欢，有很长一段时间我都喜欢控制我自己的角色在社区中拍照，并成为我自己在现实社交软件的头像。
在YL2的Steam评论区中，绝大多数差评都仅仅指向如下几点：
1.游戏剧情太扯淡了，除了pewdiepie的联动剧情，其他的你丢给ChatGPT，他们可能都想不出来这么科幻的东西，这就大大降低了相比于YL1来说的真实感。
2.一直没有修复的一些小Bug，其实你们在YL2对于一些游戏机制问题的修复还是比较巧妙的，比如由于引导较弱导致的无法找到NPC，你们通过发布人设设定集，或者在联系人APP里增加即时位置信息，这就很直接的修复了这个问题，并且可以通过设定集来更好了解自己喜欢的NPC。
3.结婚后伴侣的语句过于单一，但无伤大雅。
这样的真实感，成就感，造就了《YouTubers Life》系列，也是这个系列的粉丝玩下去的理由。

之后再说YL3 这绝对是《YouTubers Life》系列的灾难，甚至不配叫这个名字。
事实上，你们将YL2多打磨打磨，像YL1OMG那样新增几个职业，叫他YL3上架来卖，都比现在这个东西好出百倍。
为什么？
我知道你们想要做多人在线游戏来保持活跃热度和营收，但是作为多人在线的游戏，最基本的服务器你们都没做好，时不时的卡顿成为了家常便饭。
更大的问题是 也有人不喜欢任何在线和其他玩家共同游戏的内容
并且喜欢《YouTubers Life》系列的玩家玩的都是离线模式下的剧情体验，你们这样做无疑就是翻了老玩家的桌。
你们觉得YL1比YL2好，于是删除了开放世界，删除了NPC的感情线，这也是YL3差评如潮的原因所在。
现在的游戏内容创作者，更多已经转向游戏和Vlog两手抓，而不是一个人待在家里自己孤零零的去创作，这让整款游戏的真实性大打折扣。
再说新加入的卡牌游戏玩法，只能说毫无任何想让人玩下去的欲望，被其他三人集火然后遗憾离场的场面十有八九会出现。
以及最大的问题：经济，YL3游戏货币的收支比严重不平衡，离线的打工一次100，流媒体一次<1000，反而是在线模式的卡牌玩法一次则超出了1200，再对比部分要价3000+的游戏主机，家具，电脑硬件，一下子就能看出来问题，那就是你们在强制玩家来玩在线模式，这也是对玩家极度不友好的点。

你们目前最需要做的，就是恢复离线模式的开放世界，并且多加打磨，剧情真实些，Bug少些，多加几个职业，就够了。
如果你们还是放不下你们的在线模式玩法，做个《YouTubers Life 3》和《YouTubers Life 3 Online》 把开放世界的离线玩法和多人在线区分开，以及把卡牌玩法打磨好，1V1或者是2V2，都比现在的四人乱斗好上不少，再优化下经济系统和服务器，也不是不行。
希望这个系列能够不负众望。

**To oboka or the entire development team of Uplay Online behind *YouTubers Life*:**

I’d like to share my personal perspective on why *YouTubers Life 3* has been such a disappointment.

Let’s start with *YL1: OMG*. Back in the day, this was a fantastic traditional sim game, much like *Game Dev Tycoon*. Players could freely choose their career path, starting from a small-time creator in their mom’s house and gradually rising to become a top-tier YouTuber—even launching into space. Along the way, they could start a family with their favorite NPC or build a studio. It was a genuine reflection of a content creator’s journey, making players feel invested in their success. Sure, the game still has unfixed bugs, and the late-game grind feels repetitive, but at the time, it was an undeniable success in the content-creator sim genre.

Now, *YL2*—in my opinion, this was on par with *My Time at Sandrock* as an open-world sim. Players could finally step out of their tiny workspace and showcase their talent in a community full of fellow creators. They could expand their family, rise to become the best content creator in town, and form relationships with NPCs—friends, rivals, even romantic partners. It was a bold experiment.

Honestly, no one criticized *YL2*’s semi-open "boxed" world—in fact, people loved it, myself included. Every named NPC, every district had its own charm, and I grew so attached to my custom character that I often used in-game screenshots as my real-life social media profile pictures.

Looking at *YL2*’s Steam reviews, most negative feedback boiled down to just a few points:
1. **The plot was absurd.** Aside from the PewDiePie crossover, the storylines felt like something even ChatGPT wouldn’t generate—way too sci-fi and far less grounded than *YL1*.
2. **Some lingering minor bugs.** That said, the team did cleverly address certain mechanics, like NPCs being hard to find due to weak guidance. Adding a character guidebook and real-time location updates in the Contacts app was a smart fix that also helped players learn more about their favorite NPCs.
3. **Post-marriage dialogue for partners was repetitive**, though not a dealbreaker.

This sense of realism and achievement defined the *YouTubers Life* series—it’s what kept fans playing.

Now, *YL3*… this is an outright disaster for the franchise, unworthy of the name.

Frankly, if you had just polished *YL2*, added a few new careers like *YL1: OMG* did, and sold *that* as *YL3*, it would’ve been a hundred times better than what we got.

Why?

I get that you wanted to pivot to multiplayer for sustained engagement and revenue, but as an online game, *you failed at the basics*. Constant lag and server issues became the norm.

The core *YouTubers Life* fanbase plays for the *offline* story experience—this shift outright betrayed longtime players.

Thinking *YL1* was better than *YL2*, you axed the open world and NPC relationships, which is exactly why *YL3* is drowning in negative reviews.

Modern content creators don’t just hole up alone at home—they juggle gaming and vlogging. *YL3*’s stripped-down approach kills the authenticity.

Then there’s the new card game mechanic—zero appeal. Getting ganged up on by three players and losing instantly is 90% of the experience.

And the biggest issue: **the economy**. The income balance is broken. Offline jobs pay ~100, streaming earns <1000, yet the online card game hands out 1200+ per match. Compare that to consoles, furniture, and PC parts costing 3000+, and it’s obvious you’re *forcing* players into online mode—a slap in the face to fans.

**What you need to do now:**
- **Restore the open-world offline mode**, polish it, make the story more believable, fix bugs, and add more careers. That’s it.
- If you’re dead set on keeping online, split it into two games:
- *YouTubers Life 3* (open-world offline)
- *YouTubers Life 3 Online* (multiplayer)
- Rework the card game into 1v1 or 2v2—anything’s better than the current four-player chaos.
- Rebalance the economy and optimize servers.

This series deserves better. Don’t let your players down.