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RedEagle_P1.

The developers are no longer part of the community

Question

Please know I say this with utmost respect for you and the team: 

Years ago when this game first came out, it was extremely popular for a short time. However due to the buggy servers people started leaving one by one until 5000 (peak) players went down to about 400. 

One by one those who had finished the single-player experience moved on because the multiplayer experience was not yet developed. 

Server after server closed down but I wanted some sort of excuse to stick around. I saw what this game could become and I knew it would take a lot of time. 


In that time I was really heavily assured by the developers that if I stuck around and kept creators with Ylands it would be very-much worth it. 

PRIVATE CONVO REMOVED ON REQUEST

However, the more the company grew, the more I saw the game lose focus. Rather than doing a few things well they started doing many many things. Servers remained unfixed for years and new ideas and projects began to crop up. 

Not only that, as the company grew, new voices came to prominence. In the early days Ales was very much leading this project with incredible passion. He loved the creators, he loved the community and he loved making Ylands. 

However, somewhere along the line, more and more voices that weren't connected with this community kept jumping in. 


Every new idea was a good idea and the development team became more and more disconnected from the community. 

Today we have a clear communication channel, @Adam Snellgrove but the split with the community has only grown. 

The passionate community-loving voice of Ales, I fear, is being drowned out by new-ideas-hype business people who are not in touch with the community. 

Complaints have been steadily growing about this game's practices and most reach the top but are not taken to heart. 

All the while promises of creators being rewarded real pay via a Coyns-to-cash system grow. 

However, let's take a closer look: 

1) All games which have the ability to save REQUIRE you to buy a server to run them. This means if you don't want to give your game away for free (protected  games), you have to buy a server to allow people to play: 

2019-12-05_185528.thumb.png.c94bf3e73ea86b5de5f43c2307fa3df9.png

2) The price of these servers is now $20 a month. So to make money, you have to spend money. With some experience in this I will say that you would have to totally gouge people to make $20 a month on game servers.

-- I mean this with the utmost respect to the whole team but the optics of this is terrible and it's starting to look like things companies I have seen in the past. I'm not saying that's the case but at the current rate creators would need to gouge community members to run their games. 

At the same time local servers have been removed. 

As a community we ask you deeply and sincerely to stay true to who you are. I know you are doing this for the passion -- but we feel somewhere up their the business voices are choking out the passion.

We really need the devs to care about and connect with the community and not just depend on @Adam Snellgrove.

Too often the business side of things takes over these kind of projects. That can be prevented if you're actively part of our community. 

@Adam Snellgrove I hope this message can be read in full to the lead developers. For a long time now there has been a really strong disconnect between the players and the decision makers. Your arrival has helped that communication channel but it hasn't changed how people feel and has not resolved the disconnect and I think the recent steam reviews reflect that: 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/298610/Ylands/

(135 negative today)

 

Edited by RedEagle_P1.
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6 minutes ago, bojo2736 said:

That's probably why Nitrado isn't working yet.

I highly doubt it.  I expect Nitrado will get the server files from BI, which they clearly have since they are renting servers.

The files are no longer available for end users to download.  Given that these files never made it out of beta and were always buggy I doubt the files we as users had access to are even the same as what BI is using for renting servers.

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6 minutes ago, GoldenPSP said:

I highly doubt it.  I expect Nitrado will get the server files from BI, which they clearly have since they are renting servers.

The files are no longer available for end users to download.  Given that these files never made it out of beta and were always buggy I doubt the files we as users had access to are even the same as what BI is using for renting servers.

They clearly haven't since it has been said that they aren't ready,  and I can not load my game and get it working.

And to your second point, I think you are right because they have always worked.

Edited by bojo2736

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29 minutes ago, bojo2736 said:

They clearly haven't since it has been said that they aren't ready,  and I can not load my game and get it working.

And to your second point, I think you are right because they have always worked.

My point is the loss of access to the customer server files is not related to Nitrado being ready, as they are not likely going to steam like I would to get the files in the first place.

To tie it back into the point in this thread, BI clearly has figured out how to run a dedicated server, as I can pay to run one.  They led us all to believe for the last 2 years that this would be a downloadable option for end users, given we could get them for years.  I haven't gone back but I would bet it was even in a roadmap somewhere.  However at the 11th hour they chose to shut that option down.

They clearly could give us that option as they have working server code.  They have chosen not to.  While they are allowed to change their mind.  I understand anytime I buy into an EA title things may change before release.  However the timing of this IMO is a jerk move and as far as I can tell is based on wanting an income stream.

 

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They have said it has to do with security issues regarding the monetization. 

Also Ales has said it had to do with the server upgrades.  I don't see hiw not wanting to lose money is a "d!ck move."

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1 hour ago, bojo2736 said:

They have said it has to do with security issues regarding the monetization. 

Also Ales has said it had to do with the server upgrades.  I don't see hiw not wanting to lose money is a "d!ck move."

Ylands has a dedicated server for over 2 years. 

Active pinned thread still exists with no indication on the OP that this feature is getting scrapped. 

The same thread even has indications up till this november that has no hint that this feature is going to be scrapped.

At the 11th hour this feature is ripped out of the release, with no indication that it is a future feature once issues are worked out.  Just removed.

Regardless of the reason, d**k move.

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On 12/9/2019 at 4:38 PM, bojo2736 said:

 

It is also worth noting that you can self host for free.

 

How do you self host?

I don't need to save games and don't need servers. I only want to play short Editor-made game scenarios with friends privately. But without sharing these in ylands workshop and with more than 3 players. So a self hosted game sounds perfect for me. But how do I get an actual Scenario from Editor privately self-hosted? 

Edited by Fapi24

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@Fapi24 when you are ready with the scenario you want, there are a few steps.

go into the chat screen / hit enter (you are inside the scenario in editor)

/exportlocal

close editor go to local game, my local games, create a new game from your exportlocal file.

once you are inside the game, hit escape to bring up the miltiplayer option. choose local host and pick the game option you want.

you can invite your friends frim the social tabs if they can't find your game in the MP lobby.

I recommend local hosting instead of sharegame. 

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