If all is calculable, never unexpected can happen, interactivity is absent - how would you name it?

[DeletedUser]

Playing this eternal 'early beta' is simple and might result boring if you don't pay for testing this eternal 'early beta'.

First of all you can't count on nobody: neighbors are inactive or randomly little active, 'friends', 'guilt-members' etc. don't exist.

Therefore, you are doomed to do all by your own, and you only will have what you are producing, coins, supplies, goods and also culture (because if you're counting on the help of neighbors, you're fighting a losing battle)

And, it's not hard to do all by ones own:

You know that you're limited to 2 'builders' (you even don't need more, so you never run 'out of resources', enter in 'bottle-necks' etc. etc.)

You can easily reach (and maintain) 200% 'culture bonus', so you know, what you will produce.

Knowing what you are producing/will produce you can predict exactly when you will be able doing the next, the second, the seventeenth or thirty-ninth step.

So you can say already now for example: 'in X days exactly at hh:mm:ss o'clock I'll have all of my Y workshops at level Z', same fore houses, barracks, manufactures etc.

Being able to calculate exactly what you will 'produce' of military units, of coins, supplies, goods you can predict exactly when you will complete the next encounter (even if fighting or buying), finish the next province, get the next terrain expansion (were you can build the buildings from which you already know, what they will produce and when ...)

So, if never happens anything interesting or never anything surprising/unexpected could happen, all is calculable, interactivity is reduced on the forum saying 'its an early beta', how would you name it?

I don't want to suggest again 'boring', but it forces itself to be suggested, doesn't it?

If in exactly 1 month of 'early beta' there's not a single new feature added, only the number of 'issues' is ascending, I think those who yes have paid for 'beta testing' one day will enter in the 'no paying more status', or not, because there are always a few ones who like suffering.

And yes: yo can reply, that this 'eternal early beta' is an 'early beta', and maybe every 2 - 3 weeks start a new thread telling 'resolved bugfixes' (nobody can check it ...), whether useful and accepted by all, is something to be seen.

Best regards,
Extranjero

 

[DeletedUser]

I would name it a city building game as thousands before. So, if you call it boring, then the solution is: You are not the type of player who loves city building games.
And off topic: I have read many of your posts here on the forum, this one is your "grand entrance", isn't it?!

 

[DeletedUser236]

And off topic: I have read many of your posts here on the forum, this one is your "grand entrance", isn't it?!

He already had a post like this one a few weeks back (this one(click))

 

[DeletedUser]

I know....and I am waiting for the key words "years" and "Barbie" in this thread here. I wait patiently

 

[DeletedUser]

I would name it a city building game as thousands before...

Always one can learn something new:
All what's 100% calculable, where never unexpected can happen and interactivity is absent, is a 'city building game' ... even if an 'early beta' remains 4 weeks (or more) only 'adding' more and more issues, but not a single new feature

 

[DeletedUser]

My last word because discussing with you about Elvenar is no fun: Certainly NOT everything 100% calculable is a city building game. But certainly EVERY city building game is calculable. Otherwise I am curious to learn from you: Tell me a city building game (PC, Browser, etc.), where the numbers change and you can't calculate anything. And if you name one, I know which game not to play....

 

[DeletedUser]

Extranjero, if I get your point right, you mean that if you know what your future will be, it's not worth being lived.
Perhaps are you asking for much more complexity, so that you're not able to calculate what your future is ?
I can understand this to a certain extend, though my own pleasure is not to calculate too much, since it's just a game.
Would unexpected random earthquakes or tornadoes or volcanoes or floods destroying what you've built add some interest ?
I'm curious about some examples of things you think are missing.

 

[DeletedUser231]

Extranjero

If you know tomorrow your going to get up, eat food, watch a certain TV show, go to school or work and this same thing is going to happen in repetition for the rest of your life what are you going to do about it? Complain and state your life is boring?

This is a building game if you want a Battle game where you wake up and find you have LOST all your cities due to them being NOBLED then join up with Grepolis or Tribal wars. This is a Build city game and if it is not good enough for you and you do not enjoy it maybe you should reconsider your future in it. Is this game BUGGY yes, is this game flawed, YES.....But over time it will get better.

If your patience level is so poor and you can't wait then pick another product of INNOGAMES and play it. Here is an idea, go to Tribal wars....Build up your city next to mine....I can send a few surprises your way in the form of CATS....They do such a lovely job of destroying all your hard work to ASHES.....lmao...

 

[Muf-Muf]

Dear Extranjero,

You have made a few of these threads now, all of which seem to bring us the exact same message: you don't seem to like the way the game is being developed or even the game itself. Yet, it seems that you enjoy Elvenar enough to keep playing it every single day, and to take the time to make these forum posts. If you really cared as little as you say you do, you would not be making these threads (or be in the top 150 in the rankings at this very moment).

You speak about an "eternal 'early beta'". Sure, if you want to call our 4-weeks-old game an 'eternal early beta', that is of course fine. But, it would be interesting to know why you would choose this term to speak about Elvenar. As said, we have only just recently opened our doors to the public, and they are currently not even open for everyone yet, as you still need a beta key to register your account. We are working hard to let more players enter the game while keeping the gaming experience smooth for everyone. To illustrate: in the past week, we have sent out an additional 10,000 beta keys to players. This evening, another 200 were posted on our Facebook page.

We are coming closer and closer to become an Open Beta, which is the only logical next step after our current Closed Beta phase. I'm not sure how familiar you are with the stages of any software development, but these steps are the very first when you want to release a piece of software (which our game essentially is) to the general public. We want the game to be as good as it can be, which means that we have to fix the problems that are currently in the game. We've told you before, but we'll say it again: we want our current content to be as bug-free and perfect as it can possibly be before we fill the game with even more content. We want a quality game, not a game that just has a lot of features but is full of bugs. We want to make a game with both features and as few bugs as we can manage. You are right that not all features are currently available, but that is to be expected in a beta version of any software: the beta means that it is there to test things - it is not a final, nor a complete product in any way just yet. After the Open Beta phase has ended, the game will officially be released.

You further mentioned that a lot of Elvenar's content can be calculated. You are of course right about that - there is no denying. But, that is not a bad thing. Actually, that is a big part of what the game is about: planning. If you want to succeed in Elvenar, you will have to plan ahead - you know that, because you (like everybody else here) play the game and have done so for several weeks.

Also, and I will end my reply with this, you are correct that not many new features have been added to Elvenar since the start of the Closed Beta (which has had only two updates yet since it first opened its doors, by the way). That does not mean that new features are not being developed either, though. We can't give too many details yet, but we can assure you that new features are being developed and will be developed continuously in the future. And, once we have finished something, we are of course as eager to share it with you all as you are eager to play through the new content.

Kind regards,
Muf-Muf

 

[DeletedUser]

Nicely said Muf-Muf.

Beta's can be an exercise in frustration for some, they are not for everyone. Anyone who enters a Beta should expect missing features and bugs, that is the very nature of a Beta after all.

I think that the problem nowadays is that too many companies just use an Open Beta as a marketing tool rather than for bug finding and fixing, and that has made some people to just see a Beta as a free preview of a game.

 

[DeletedUser336]

Actually he summed up what we are doing very nicely, but he forgot some things .....

the joy of being the first to announce a new bug found...ha ha caught it..

the joy of knowing you built the buildings in sequence correctly to make it flow together just the way you planned it...dang... need to wait for more marble or should I put in another building...

and best yet.. I know someone stated that feature was not working so will try it anyway just to make sure.....ummmm working for me what are they talking about..( forgot to read the latest bug fixes).

but my all favorite....hey guys come check out what I have done to my city.

added this as an after thought...no Guilds what are we going to do, I have a question: 42 replies and 3 links to new guides

Yep it may be boring but I helped make it the way it is.

 

[DeletedUser231]

Excellent points Sir Muf-Muf.

So by now we all know the strengths and weaknesses of this game. We are all early testers in this game and certain flaws have developed and more is yet to come. I guess what I am trying to say is how we the testers handle these bugs and be positive about it.

So moving on.

What can we do to increase the fun and Communication and of course trading in this game>?

I suggest an open discussion amongst us to see what we can do RIGHT now to improve all our enjoyment. With the right imagination I am positive we can come up with many good ideas we as players can do both in the game and in the forum to wake up players and ENCOURAGE players to be more active. There is a certain percentage of DEAD players but there are also a HUGE number of players who are very active but they do not say anything. Yes language is an issue but that should not let that stop us.

So a problem develops....We inform the INNO staff and wait until the next release....Do we bitch and complain or relax and enjoy each others company. We are after-all a huge ELVENAR community. So in a sense we are in ONE giant TRIBE.

So I guess that make Sir Muf-Muf our President...

Now what...?

Lets have some fun and make suggestion how as players we can improve our game. Some will say it can't be done and some will ignore the criticism and forge on ahead anyway and make it work through the process of hard work and determination. I am going to be in the later group and be A PMS girl from now on...(P = Positive....M = Mental.....S= State.....

GO TEAM

T = Together
E = Everyone
A = Achieves
M = More

 

[DeletedUser]

Dear Extranjero,

You further mentioned that a lot of Elvenar's content can be calculated. You are of course right about that - there is no denying. But, that is not a bad thing. Actually, that is a big part of what the game is about: planning. If you want to succeed in Elvenar, you will have to plan ahead - you know that, because you (like everybody else here) play the game and have done so for several weeks.

Kind regards,
Muf-Muf

100% correct

any city building game is about calculating and planning...... and anyone who choses to play this type of game should know this, these games tend to be slow paced and should be seen as such

from my early impressions Elvenar has some nice ideas, there is not enough interacting with other players that i'd like but i'd not complain that every thing can be calculated and planned as thats the aim of the game at the end of the day

 

[ThaMartin]

I'm actually glad that the first focus is on fixing as many bugs as possible. Don't forget bugs were one of the main reasons Rising Generals didn't get through it's Beta phase and I wouldn't want to see Elvenar end up the same way, so fixing these bugs is something I'd encourage most gladly!

 

[DeletedUser116]

I'm agreed with Muf-Muf
this game is a Closed beta where the goal of this test find more issues where the company called as Innogames will improve his game.
Also the player must create his empire build more house, barracks, culture items.
In this beta test is not present new feature because the platform is very bugged and if the company wants to earn money in this product, the company will invest in bugfixing before releasing the game into a live server.
The quality in a game is essentially because more users whose want to play in this product, otherwise the image of the company is to steal money to the various players in which more developer don't work to improve their game.

You must wait a lot of time for see more features which will be added into this game.

 

[DeletedUser]

I'm actually glad that the first focus is on fixing as many bugs as possible. Don't forget bugs were one of the main reasons Rising Generals didn't get through it's Beta phase and I wouldn't want to see Elvenar end up the same way, so fixing these bugs is something I'd encourage most gladly!

every update, whether in a new or established game should focus on bug fixes first, it is normal (and understandable) for players to scream out loud for new features but priority should always be to fix any bugs within existing content first

 

[DeletedUser236]

I actually have never played other Inno games before and I like the way Elvenar is heading without me being influenced by similar games.. And to be honest I don't like people suggesting ideas by copy pasting them from other games.. They might be good and existing (so apparently easy to implement) features, but I think the challenge here is to make Elvenar an unique (but still in the spirit of building) game with different features and tricks compared to the already existing games.

Yes all is calculable and yes you can plan your whole game from beginning to end, but that's what makes the game strategic and fun (along with the challenge to find bumps, report irregularities, and test the game).. I can't imagine someone planning it so flawlessly that they actually execute it without encountering any problems.

Of course there are some missing features, but I think it's better to iron out all bumps before implementing new features (which will likely have some bugs as well) or else you'll loose track of the bugs and I can imagine this to cause delay in developing the game..

Thumbs up for the patience of the Elvenar staff (with us on the forum) and keep up the good work!
One step at a time

 

[DeletedUser]

I ignored Extranjero, so I cannot see a problem and I don`t have a problem. This is the simplest solution for all members which don`t like to feed a troll.

Yes, it is true that Elvenar is actually very static, not a real multiplayer game and have not enough content to play it for several years. But I know that innogames creates a lot of content upgrades in other games... so I have patience and look forward without to neg every day.

 

[DeletedUser]

I ignored Extranjero, so I cannot see a problem and I don`t have a problem. This is the simplest solution for all members which don`t like to feed a troll.

It's always nice to receive comments from people who ignores one ... these are the most sophisticated contributions.
Maybe it'stypical and characteristic for our 'Federal-Germanic friends' telling everywhere that they are ignoring, but responding with mediocre offensive announcements and postings.

 

[DeletedUser118]

Well, not every german person is ignoring you in here.

On the other hand I agree with everything Muf-Muf said as well. A beta is for finding and eliminating bugs. New features can still be added later on once either the Beta gets opened or the real worlds are being added.