I don't understand this game

[Senna]

Tried the free weekend and said what the heck, I'll give it a chance. As far as I can tell, killing some Rupus and grinding mats is the objective of the game. I don't understand a game mechanic that forces you to grind to just keep what you have? I understand it's a sandbox game, but I can't see what there is to attract new players like myself?

[Glitchy Girl]

The point is to build on what you have, and rebuild as resources get depleted.|

Perhaps I'm playing this wrong... but isn't that how all survivals go?

You collect resources, make weapons/basic survival items, build basic base. You kill rupus, get plans to make larger items and base. Which then leads to your first walker which you can work on so you can take on camps more easily. This in turn leads to building a larger walker, which can fit more weapons, items, and you use this to get more resources.

From here that then enables you to explore other (I'm assuming harder tiles) that allow you to either A) get resources to bring back to your base to make larger or better items yet or B) move to this other tile.

From here you then continue to build larger/more powerful items, that then allow you to kill larger things. Including the frogs, nurr, camps, more rupus etc. While also exploring ruins and so on for higher end loot.

I will say though, there are a bunch of rupu related things.

But is this not the survival gameplay loop? Ark is more or less the same... Build basic base, tame dino, use dino to do work/get more resources, build larger base... explore, tame other dino etc?

Same for Rust, Conan Exiles, etc?

Sorry if I'm over simplifying... but this just seems to be the overarching process for a survival game. :>

[Malekith]

Originally posted by Senna:

Tried the free weekend and said what the heck, I'll give it a chance. As far as I can tell, killing some Rupus and grinding mats is the objective of the game. I don't understand a game mechanic that forces you to grind to just keep what you have? I understand it's a sandbox game, but I can't see what there is to attract new players like myself?

That is all there is to the game. I wouldn't listen to the echo chamber that vehemently defends this game and the devs. They class PvE tiles as new PvE content as well as killing Monkeys. Needless to say, people were doing that 2.5 years ago when the game released. So it's nothing new and preventing PvP isn't PvE content either which they fail to understand.

The devs wasted 2.5 years and messed up this game massively by trying to "fix" PvP instead of just splitting PvP and PvE into their own separate servers and then just focus on implementing PvE content. Even now, the idea is to use PvE tiles as safe zones essentially, but to still force people to go to PvP tiles.

What was enticing people to this game was the core concept of being a nomad and the MMO aspect along with the big battles, fighting monsters etc. Now they've removed most of that and the fighting of the big monsters seems like a pipe dream with the way the grind is now, especially as i'm seeing videos of people having to cheese content because the NPCs are bullet sponges.

Honestly, if you can, try and get a refund of this game because the way things are going, it doesn't look promising in the slightest. MAYBE, just maybe, the devs will come to their senses in the future, but as it stands now, they certainly aren't.

[La Cantina de Ben]

Originally posted by Malekith:

Originally posted by Senna:

Tried the free weekend and said what the heck, I'll give it a chance. As far as I can tell, killing some Rupus and grinding mats is the objective of the game. I don't understand a game mechanic that forces you to grind to just keep what you have? I understand it's a sandbox game, but I can't see what there is to attract new players like myself?

I should add, the devs don't seem to have any ideas about story content or PvE content either... so anything like an overarching story in this game seems to have gone now with season 5. Especially since they have stopped the planet from rotating. We should all be floating as the planet has stopped rotating, thus there is technically no gravity now. Or at least the rotation is so slow that it maintains a fixed point towards the sun in which case gravity should be incredibly low.

Sorry but the gravity isn't how works.

What you are talking about is the magnetic field, which acts as a shield against solar radiation. And without Him, we would die with that radiation.

[Malekith]

Originally posted by La Cantina de Ben:

Originally posted by Malekith:

I should add, the devs don't seem to have any ideas about story content or PvE content either... so anything like an overarching story in this game seems to have gone now with season 5. Especially since they have stopped the planet from rotating. We should all be floating as the planet has stopped rotating, thus there is technically no gravity now. Or at least the rotation is so slow that it maintains a fixed point towards the sun in which case gravity should be incredibly low.

Sorry but the gravity isn't how works.

What you are talking about is the magnetic field, which acts as a shield against solar radiation. And without Him, we would die with that radiation.

Fair, after a quick google, seems i am wrong.

[Gorejar]

upgrade what you have with better mats till you take down the big stuff then control the desert with the best walkers and weapon.

[Xaton]

story wise moon exploded and clearly there is also magic happening. cause you have astroid maps that at the center has rain forests. so on

[Whiplash711]

Originally posted by Senna:

Tried the free weekend and said what the heck, I'll give it a chance. As far as I can tell, killing some Rupus and grinding mats is the objective of the game. I don't understand a game mechanic that forces you to grind to just keep what you have? I understand it's a sandbox game, but I can't see what there is to attract new players like myself?

This game is a survival game but in it's early years still a Pre Alpha. So if you consider the development state it is not a bad game at all. Recently and to the disappointment of the PVPers in the community they changed their focus to PVE. Is there a ton of content yet? No not at all BUT that is only because until Season 5 they were concentrating on PVP more than anything else as to start it was a all out PVP game. Do to popular demand and their own choice the game has shifted.
Now there is still goals to achieve even in PVE. You start with nothing you build from that. How far can you get what can you achieve from it. Can you build the biggest walker and own the map? Are you skilled enough to take on the Rupu in melee combat? Do you prefer sitting on your Dinghy Walker above them and shoot them at a distance?
Again PVPers would have you believe the game is over because it has shifted toward PVE. Fact is there is a poll linked here on Steam that shows the majority of the community only want PVE. That said the future looks bright for LO

[Malekith]

Originally posted by Whiplash711:

Originally posted by Senna:

Tried the free weekend and said what the heck, I'll give it a chance. As far as I can tell, killing some Rupus and grinding mats is the objective of the game. I don't understand a game mechanic that forces you to grind to just keep what you have? I understand it's a sandbox game, but I can't see what there is to attract new players like myself?

This game is a survival game but in it's early years still a Pre Alpha. So if you consider the development state it is not a bad game at all. Recently and to the disappointment of the PVPers in the community they changed their focus to PVE. Is there a ton of content yet? No not at all BUT that is only because until Season 5 they were concentrating on PVP more than anything else as to start it was a all out PVP game. Do to popular demand and their own choice the game has shifted.
Now there is still goals to achieve even in PVE. You start with nothing you build from that. How far can you get what can you achieve from it. Can you build the biggest walker and own the map? Are you skilled enough to take on the Rupu in melee combat? Do you prefer sitting on your Dinghy Walker above them and shoot them at a distance?
Again PVPers would have you believe the game is over because it has shifted toward PVE. Fact is there is a poll linked here on Steam that shows the majority of the community only want PVE. That said the future looks bright for LO

After 2.5 years of development Ark had come out of early access and had 2 DLCs with very interesting Level design, loads of new content and an overarching story. Not to mention a massive community of modders and mods they even made into official free DLC content. It's got around 70k players daily even though it's been like 7 years since it originally came to early access.

Last oasis is back to square one...

This game didn't shift to PvE, it never had any PvE to begin with...unless you count killing Rupus as PvE and that was around on day 1 of release. PvE maps =\= PvE. If the devs truly wanted to shift to PvE, they should have split the community in half. Make 1 server for PvP only and 1 Server for PvE. Focus on developing PvE content and let PvP players kill each other to their hearts content with the big battles like Ark does. The devs instead still want to force PvE players into PvP content, hence why they are treating the PvE maps as safe zones and the best resources will be on PvP maps.

[lammaer]

'Last oasis is back to square one..."
^ this

[thisisdemo]

"to grind to keep what you already have".. The feeling is worse than tedious it really is

[Malinko]

Game devs hide under the umbrella of Alpha Early Access, It's a safety net to hide inadequate developers basically not knowing wtf they are doing and just say it's early access. Back in the day and the best games ever made were made within a year or 2, but now we have a safespot to run to when things get to tough.

[Malekith]

Originally posted by Malinko:

Game devs hide under the umbrella of Alpha Early Access, It's a safety net to hide inadequate developers basically not knowing wtf they are doing and just say it's early access. Back in the day and the best games ever made were made within a year or 2, but now we have a safespot to run to when things get to tough.

To be fair, it's a way to get a MVP (minimal viable product) and get an income stream to finish off the product and iterate on it with consumer feedback. It has worked really well for some games.

Satisfacotry, Factotio, Project Zomboid and Dyson Sphere programs are a few of the games i have bought into with early access that are turning out well. Star Citizen is another one that i am a backer of (albeit alpha) that the devs listen to feedback and have even on multiple occasions completely changed design or reverted changes based on player feedback. (e.g. there was one flight model for hover mode that almost all the player base universally hated, it was gone in the next major patch).

Just the devs here do none of that... so it's not a case of early access being a failure, it's just the devs being failures because Ark Survival evolved managed to finish the game and release 2 DLCs in the timeframe it's taken for Last Oasis to reach season 5 and completely reconcept the game.

[Lafaro]

Originally posted by Malekith:

Originally posted by Malinko:

Game devs hide under the umbrella of Alpha Early Access, It's a safety net to hide inadequate developers basically not knowing wtf they are doing and just say it's early access. Back in the day and the best games ever made were made within a year or 2, but now we have a safespot to run to when things get to tough.

To be fair, it's a way to get a MVP (minimal viable product) and get an income stream to finish off the product and iterate on it with consumer feedback. It has worked really well for some games.

Satisfacotry, Factotio, Project Zomboid and Dyson Sphere programs are a few of the games i have bought into with early access that are turning out well. Star Citizen is another one that i am a backer of (albeit alpha) that the devs listen to feedback and have even on multiple occasions completely changed design or reverted changes based on player feedback. (e.g. there was one flight model for hover mode that almost all the player base universally hated, it was gone in the next major patch).

Just the devs here do none of that... so it's not a case of early access being a failure, it's just the devs being failures because Ark Survival evolved managed to finish the game and release 2 DLCs in the timeframe it's taken for Last Oasis to reach season 5 and completely reconcept the game.

There are some very well implemented things in this game. The whole walker mechanic, for example.
What attacked the whole game massively was simply the wrong focus on open world pvp without protecting the players from themselves.
No one wants to be a victim, but 85% of the players were victimized by toxic players. Not because these 85% were worse, but because the developers had simply failed to build protection mechanisms in this regard. Save zones, voluntary PvP, a system that prevents griefing and ganking, and so on.
PVP without mechanisms to protect against antisocial behavior ruins EVERY game. there are enough examples.
The developers have now had to learn the hard way: You can't replace missing content by just letting the players fight wildly.
Now they are trying to get a grip on this problem, but they are making the same mistakes again: base building, which doesn't fit in at all and needs a grind just to stay alive, a flood of items from schematics to get ahead, the whole thing times four in different qualities. And ultimately then again compulsive PvP, because the best is just only on PvP maps to get.
Nevertheless, I see a great chance that ultimately what can become of it, because just the Walker concept is exactly what just keeps the whole game alive, even if the developers themselves just attack this massively. Why do storms hurt walkers and what you build on top of them? Why am I forced to slap huge, ugly blocks into the landscape as walker garages, which are only preserved if you grind like a fool? We'll see what the future brings.

[Malekith]

Originally posted by Lafaro:

Originally posted by Malekith:

To be fair, it's a way to get a MVP (minimal viable product) and get an income stream to finish off the product and iterate on it with consumer feedback. It has worked really well for some games.

Satisfacotry, Factotio, Project Zomboid and Dyson Sphere programs are a few of the games i have bought into with early access that are turning out well. Star Citizen is another one that i am a backer of (albeit alpha) that the devs listen to feedback and have even on multiple occasions completely changed design or reverted changes based on player feedback. (e.g. there was one flight model for hover mode that almost all the player base universally hated, it was gone in the next major patch).

Just the devs here do none of that... so it's not a case of early access being a failure, it's just the devs being failures because Ark Survival evolved managed to finish the game and release 2 DLCs in the timeframe it's taken for Last Oasis to reach season 5 and completely reconcept the game.

There are some very well implemented things in this game. The whole walker mechanic, for example.
What attacked the whole game massively was simply the wrong focus on open world pvp without protecting the players from themselves.
No one wants to be a victim, but 85% of the players were victimized by toxic players. Not because these 85% were worse, but because the developers had simply failed to build protection mechanisms in this regard. Save zones, voluntary PvP, a system that prevents griefing and ganking, and so on.
PVP without mechanisms to protect against antisocial behavior ruins EVERY game. there are enough examples.
The developers have now had to learn the hard way: You can't replace missing content by just letting the players fight wildly.
Now they are trying to get a grip on this problem, but they are making the same mistakes again: base building, which doesn't fit in at all and needs a grind just to stay alive, a flood of items from schematics to get ahead, the whole thing times four in different qualities. And ultimately then again compulsive PvP, because the best is just only on PvP maps to get.
Nevertheless, I see a great chance that ultimately what can become of it, because just the Walker concept is exactly what just keeps the whole game alive, even if the developers themselves just attack this massively. Why do storms hurt walkers and what you build on top of them? Why am I forced to slap huge, ugly blocks into the landscape as walker garages, which are only preserved if you grind like a fool? We'll see what the future brings.

But look at Ark, if you want to PvP, you have the option to go on PvP servers whether official or unofficial. it's a choice that you make. In the early days of the game for example, I was chased off 2 servers by losing at PvP. Eventually the 3rd server we settled on, we became the dominant tribe (alpha tribe) and had 2 other major tribes we had alliances with and we policed the server till corrupt moderators banned 30 of us at cheating (using aim bots) tribes behest (that's another topic altogether that's well recorded of corrupt moderators on ARK official servers issuing mysterious mass bans)

But they just let people get on with PvP, if you lose you lose and you moved on. That was the PvP life. The devs need to understand that and completely separate PvP and PvE in this game. Instead they are trying to force PvE players into PvP which is the issue. People keep skirting around that fact that the devs by design want everyone to PvP and then are trying to fix something that isn't broken. Players will manage themselves when it comes to PvP. As I said, there were 30 of us in control of a server on Ark and policing it doing patrols and driving out any toxic players and cheaters until we got mass banned from just that server...could still login to other official servers though.

[CHR3S]

You should've played before season 5 or just revert. That was fun as heck and not so grindy. Also: the devs stated in one of their devblogs that they don't even want this to become a status bar/ farming simulator. Weird how they change it up all of a sudden.