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Brett1234

What happened to this great game?

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I remember playing this game in the really early days and loving it so much. The graphics were fantastic and I loved the core gameplay. I really felt like Bohemia interactive was onto something really special with this game and I wanted to support it. 

It was clear that they were going to make a really friendly and charming survival game with an interesting editor so you can add stuff to it: 
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Explore was the game

It was clear a lot of work needed to be done on the game but I was excited to see it come into it own. Patch after patch my excitement grew with what this game would become. 

However, about a year ago it became clear that rather than fixing the fundamental problems with the game they were focusing on expanding it. 

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Explore slowly becoming less of a focus well before it was finished

Step by step this game moved away from being an interesting survival game to something more. At this point I was still really interested but it became apparent that even after saying that they have fixed the bugs, especially with servers, the bugs were not getting fixed. Our bug reports seemed to get ignored and calls do something fell on deaf ears. 

ice_screenshot_20191003-125427.png.55b0b9f2f0a5f41a954cfb5d553bb0fe.png
Explore relegated to a small square. 

Today the bugs remain unfixed but my bigger concern is the direction of the game. Rather than finishing a tremendous survival game by fixings its bugs, the game is transitioning to some sort of mobile/social game with in-game monetization. 

You were building something so amazing. We were all on board for that but now we hear of a mobile game that may not even include explore? 


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Explore video removed from home page. 

What your transition feels like to the community is replacing promise-fulfillment with more promises. People are going to stop believing you if you don’t finish what you begin before moving on to the next thing. 

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Fixing the bugs is no longer the major issue for us, the major issue is that you're creating a totally different game than the one we signed up for. We have been waiting, spending time, hoping for years for the promise of this great game.  

I know that we're just players and it doesn't seem like a big deal but we invest ourselves in these games, the creations we make in the thousands of hours we spend. We did that because we saw incredible promise in a game you no longer support. 

I think you're making a devastating mistake to add monetization and mobile support before fixing the very core basics of this game.

 

TLDR: 

The game has been in a terrible state for years. Rather than fixing the bugs the developers are creating more features and what seems like a whole new game, all while promising to release this year. 

ice_screenshot_20191003-124915.png

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Well I have tried to address this in a few of the latest Dev Diaries: Explore isn't going anywhere. In fact all the big features now being added before final release and with final release will be especially Explore orientated. We have added other aspects to the game, because we have greater plans for Ylands than just being another survival game, but Explore will stay at the core of Ylands with all other features first being tested and implemented into Explore.

We have decided not to add Explore into the Mobile version, because we didn't want to compromise Explore for the sake of the Mobile platform. We want it to be the big sprawling map with many secrets and enemies to fight instead something watered down for the Mobile community at the expense of our PC community.

As with bugs, I have mentioned before, that there was a communication problem in the past, but I hope with me coming on board this has disappeared, since I try and answer all questions and feedback and follow up on bugs. Bugs are another big aspect we're concentrating now before release, as we are cleaning up and fixing everything up before release.

There's more info here about Bugs and Explore:

https://ylands.com/community/topic/25354-dev-diary-93/

https://ylands.com/community/topic/25565-dev-diary-95/

https://ylands.com/community/topic/25672-dev-diary-96/

Also look out for tomorrows Dev Diary, where we'll discuss other new features coming into Explore. 

Hope this has answered some of your worries and that you'll give us your vote of confidence in the future. And thank you for writing in, because we do care about any Feedback and Ylands thrives on feedback from our loyal players. Without it Ylands wouldn't be the game it is today ?

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15 hours ago, Adam Snellgrove said:

Well I have tried to address this in a few of the latest Dev Diaries: Explore isn't going anywhere. In fact all the big features now being added before final release and with final release will be especially Explore orientated. We have added other aspects to the game, because we have greater plans for Ylands than just being another survival game, but Explore will stay at the core of Ylands with all other features first being tested and implemented into Explore.

We have decided not to add Explore into the Mobile version, because we didn't want to compromise Explore for the sake of the Mobile platform. We want it to be the big sprawling map with many secrets and enemies to fight instead something watered down for the Mobile community at the expense of our PC community.

 

From the community's perspective the whole mobile push just came from nowhere. Every time you mention mobile it's a reminder that your internal vision is different from what the community wants, and you'll never lose that feeling unless you make mobile seem like a small extra, instead of a focus. 

I've been quite vocal a few times on this forum about my distaste for the mobile component of the game because I really can't see the point of it besides being an additional source of revenue, which would indicate that this was an idea for the higher-ups, rather than for the community. I have a hard time seeing how community-made Ylands game modes with wonky controls will be more fun to play than actual games which are specifically made for mobile, so who is gonna play this? 

Again, sorry for the sour tone. 

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No problem @zarwil!

The mobile platform won't affect the overall game in any way. It is another feature but it isn't pulling any resources or manpower from the rest of the team that was, is and will be working predominantly on the PC version of the game. It is an addition we decided to have, because of the options it gives us and the extra players we can reach. We want as many people possible to enjoy Ylands and experience it in one way or another. But if mobile isn't your cup of tea, I absolutely understand and there is no need to ever think about mobile. The game will keep getting updates and new features as always regardless of the mobile platform. 

Hope this addressed some of your concerns.

 

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But it feels like the new kid who just came in is being served the meal you've been waiting months for.  

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