Is what you see what you get?

[Ruthless4u]

Watching YouTube vids they seem kinda one sided as far as content shown. Almost exclusively fighting with a few just OW sailing.

My concern is, when people buy EA access are they realizing that the game is much more of a time commitment than what is essentially being advertised on YouTube? This is in regards to the timeframe for crafting, travel etc.

How will this impact EA when it finally happens?

[Jon Allen]

It's a slower paced game. OW travel takes a while. Battles can take a while. The benefits of having things like youtube is that people can go watch the videos, see that for themselves, then decide whether they want to buy or not.

 

That's what I did before I bought it. Most gamers I know research games a bit before biting in, especially if they are spending $30 or more. They want to make sure they will enjoy playing it. They want to make sure it isn't crap. This is ESPECIALLY true for Early Access games on Steam.

 

Most Steam users I know have experienced that "I bought an Early Access game on Steam and it just wasn't ready yet, crashed all the time and buggy as hell, I wish I hadn't bought it."

 

So we tend to do our homework before buying. Youtube videos, reviews, anything and everything that will clue us in on whether this is a good buy or not. That's even more true if the game is $30-$50, rather than some $5 Indy game that we bought on a Steam sale for cheap fun.

 

That's not to say people don't get pissy. You can find that here and now on these forums. Don't have to wait for EA to find someone who is willing to declare this game a dead failure here and now. Unfortunately EA will expose this game to more of that. But some people are jerks or trolls, you can't avoid it, especially on something as big as Steam.

Edited January 7, 2016 by Jon Allen

[Manta Scorpion]

I dont even think there will be that many new players that bring a negativ attidude, because it s a bit a niche game in my opinion and the people that like this games usually know already a bit how they work.

[admin]

My concern is, when people buy EA access are they realizing that the game is much more of a time commitment than what is essentially being advertised on YouTube? This is in regards to the timeframe for crafting, travel etc.

 

 

advertised on Youtube? We never advertised on youtube.

Also event battles are in the game and no-one is sailing there. 

[jodgi]

Also event battles are in the game and no-one is sailing there.

Puchu loves them. I click into them too when I have little time. We can click into events knowing it will prolly be the other guy who loses his ship.

I click event. 1 player queued. Yay! 2 players. No, back to one player. I go bully bot.

You must get tired of me, but people hate losing their ship.

[Ruthless4u]

advertised on Youtube? We never advertised on youtube.

Also event battles are in the game and no-one is sailing there.

YouTube is basically free advertisement, iirc you have encouraged players to post on YouTube as well. In regards to what else I said I think many here are missing my point.

[Xoosch]

Watching YouTube vids they seem kinda one sided as far as content shown. Almost exclusively fighting with a few just OW sailing.

My concern is, when people buy EA access are they realizing that the game is much more of a time commitment than what is essentially being advertised on YouTube? This is in regards to the timeframe for crafting, travel etc.

How will this impact EA when it finally happens?

 Whats your point? Downgrading the Game to See Trials again?

[Jon Allen]

Your point is that this game entails a time commitment for travel and crafting. Yes?

 

I think many of the youtube videos I've seen reflect that fact. I've watched players talk talk talk talk while they sail from A to B on the Open World. And I noticed that many of those videos were close to an hour long.

 

I have seen one or two players complain about this fact, citing real life limitations on their game time as cramping their ability to play the game to the fullest. I sympathize, I really do.

 

It's something gamers today have to contend with. This is the era of Open World games. From MMORPGs, to Assassin's Creed to Witcher 3 to the sandbox crafting games that are really popular indy projects on Steam. New open world games are coming out all the time. It's also an era in which the average gamer is in their 30s and struggles to play these games to their fullest potential because they lack the time to play. It's a weird dichotomy there but it's the reality.

 

That's nothing new, nor unique to Naval Action. It's something every gamer has to contend with. It's no longer just "Will my PC run that game?" It's also "do I have time to play that game?"

Edited January 8, 2016 by Jon Allen

[LeeUK]

I can work up to 5 or 6 nights a week and I have a toddler and a baby, yet I managed to find time to play a little while before the last wipe, time enough to get myself to M&C and obtain plenty of ships, I did that in a short time, not that is exactly difficult, but just making the point that even with limited time, if you can plan ahead and get even a 2-3 hour time slot you can progress. I only stopped playing because I knew about the incoming wipe thus I felt I may as well use the free time I made on other activities. I came back a few days ago and have played a little, but again I am really holding back until the next wipe hits so I can power my way to M&C where I will find my favourite ships and be happy even if my progress is slow from there onwards due to RL.

 

What helped me is that during times where I may have been traveling, or on breaks at work and other small windows, I spent time reading the forums, guides and tips, from more experienced players, so when I did have time to jump into game I already had a basic idea of what I was doing and I had already planned what I wanted to do for that gaming session. 

 

Even if someone only have a couple of longer play sessions a week, but a few small ones, like 1 hour play windows, they can use those 1 hour windows for a quick battle, or to progress on a long distance journey, just by setting ports as mental waypoints where you can aim to travel to, then resume from there on their next play session. It will take them longer over all to travel the distance than someone who has large play sessions, but they will still progress and when they get their 3+ hour play sessions they'll be able to focus on other goals.

 

EDIT: If a person doesn't ever have time to play for more than 1 or 2 hours then I would say a lot of games aren't suitable for them anyway, that's just life. There are many games out there, especially indie games, that cater to short play times, pick up and play games that you can be done with in 15-30 minutes, but not at any point should people be moaning about making a game easier/less time consuming just because THEY don't have the time to do it. 

Edited January 8, 2016 by LeeUK

[Fediuld]

Hi,

 

Quick question, if we buy now from the purchase form, do we get access to the game now, or when goes in EA stage on Steam?

 

Thanks

[Nathaniel]

You get access to the game now, however keys are not send out immediately, but in batches, so yours might arrive a bit closer to EA.

[Jon Allen]

The website says they send out keys every Friday. I got mine sooner than that, that was back during the holidays, but the Friday after you buy the game seems to be a good benchmark to follow. I assumed Friday and then was pleasantly surprised.

Edited January 9, 2016 by Jon Allen

[Johny Reb]

I understand your concern about steam players coming in without the mental preparation for the sailing times. I do my best, especially as a US player with a Capital far from the cruising grounds, to prepare new guys to the game by letting them know up front that their first day will take them about two hours to reach us. When I tell them up front I never hear any complaints. They of course fight npc on the way down and they get to see the beauty of a sailing game with such a large and immersive world.

 

The devs wanted to develop a game that encouraged local knowledge and possibility to get lost. They've accomplished this perfectly. Getting lost aside, my group has spent most of its time on the Northern edge of the Windward Passage. We had our biggest antagonists just 15 to 20 minutes away to the south and the scoundrel pirates just 10 minutes away to the north with many ports between the two to contest over. Your world becomes a zone of the map and you won't find yourself leaving it often but since the game is so big that isn't a problem. There is enough to do and see in that space that you don't get bored. I don't feel that I do anymore ow sailing than I did in Potbs but the ow sailing in Naval Action is hundreds of times better than the old game.

It also brings to the table a feeling of discovery when you do travel to a different zone of the map. You see new things, discover new shallows, learn the looks of the different islands and mountains in the area. There is always something to learn when you make a long trip and what you learn gives you advantages even if they are small advantages.

 

The best thing a new player can do is ask the community where they should set up for their initial leveling. Hopefully it will be a place where many others are doing the same. Grouping up allows attacks against larger fleets and since damage caused translates to xp gained the larger fleets will level you quicker. Mentally prepare for the possible length of the first days sail, join a group, set up in an area and you will quickly learn to love the game.