To everyone complaining about rollbacks.....

[Mancomb Seepgood 4]

You all realize that even fully released games have balancing issues? and this is an EA MMO! 

Personally, I don't mind the extra skill points required, people had maxed out the specific tree in a few days when it's designed to take weeks/months.

As for the ghost ships, me and 2 others built a Schooner in a few hours, and sailed through 4 ghost ships attacking us, took some damage but escaped due to us all working the sails and wind. Now we've no idea how long this ship will last, but we'd be stupid not to think it's at CONSTANT risk! otherwise I'd just go and play Blackflag.........

Loving the game so far, love the difficulty of it too, and we play PvP. Died a bunch of times, lost our base a few times, we were on our 7th raft before building the Schooner....

[SpeedInc 18]

Early Release doesn't = Alpha or Beta release..... In the industry Early Release means here is our game see if you can find a an error or a hole we missed... NOT sale a game in early concept and use the public as guinea pigs. ESPECIALLY if the game is already past this point of brokenness. YES THIS IS ARK! Not that hard to figure it out....

 

But I digress seems like our common culture of the US we have given way to the weak, lazy, perverted way of the ill-educated masses of recent generations. So to has our programmers of old been replaced with the leftovers of today. Cough 76, SC..... Sigh.. I remember when we were great, and no that wasn't a ref from the POTUS!

[MaxPower 126]

3 minutes ago, SpeedInc said:

Early Release doesn't = Alpha or Beta release.....

Uhhhh that's actually exactly what it means. Early Access titles are unfinished games that are still in a state of active development. Since ATLAS is in a state where a significant amount of content is still to be added, it'd generally be considered to be in an alpha state of development. It even says on the ATLAS store page that they expect the game to remain in development for another two years. 

With that said, I don't actually agree with the OPs post. The Ghost Ships were definitely not functioning correctly (which is being fixed, hopefully) and the skill system is complete BS right now. 

[Mancomb Seepgood 4]

Devs will make changes to find a balance, that's what we all want, but no matter what they do, I don't think everyone will be satisfied. I only had one encounter with ghost ships and survived, so my view is biased I guess.

But....I prefer games with punishing levels of difficulty, give me a dark souls MMO! So I'll always be in the minority...

But comparing this to fallout 76 is silly, this cost £19, not £59.99, and they said expect problems, unlike Bethesda who literally did dupe most people. Context people!

[SpeedInc 18]

36 minutes ago, MaxPower said:

Uhhhh that's actually exactly what it means. Early Access titles are unfinished games that are still in a state of active development. Since ATLAS is in a state where a significant amount of content is still to be added, it'd generally be considered to be in an alpha state of development.

So like...... Fortnight...... Alpha right, I mean its a early release... maybe Wild Card should have hired their team of programmers...

 

27 minutes ago, Mancomb Seepgood said:

But comparing this to fallout 76 is silly, this cost £19, not £59.99, and they said expect problems, unlike Bethesda who literally did dupe most people. Context people!

I feel they are both in a race to see which will be freeware first... I give both of them credit... they aren't Star Citizen..... yet..... we will see if micro transactions make it into the game..

[Realist 504]

1 hour ago, Mancomb Seepgood said:

You all realize that even fully released games have balancing issues? and this is an EA MMO! 

Personally, I don't mind the extra skill points required, people had maxed out the specific tree in a few days when it's designed to take weeks/months.

As for the ghost ships, me and 2 others built a Schooner in a few hours, and sailed through 4 ghost ships attacking us, took some damage but escaped due to us all working the sails and wind. Now we've no idea how long this ship will last, but we'd be stupid not to think it's at CONSTANT risk! otherwise I'd just go and play Blackflag.........

Loving the game so far, love the difficulty of it too, and we play PvP. Died a bunch of times, lost our base a few times, we were on our 7th raft before building the Schooner....

Yeah Megas will never be affected by balance anyways

the small companies don’t have a chance so it’s all good to make it harder on them. 

Cant wait to see the people running from this

[MaxPower 126]

7 minutes ago, SpeedInc said:

So like...... Fortnight...... Alpha right, I mean its a early release... maybe Wild Card should have hired their team of programmers...

I'm not exactly sure what point you're trying to make or how that has anything to do with my comment. Not all games are the same and while Fortnite might be in a better state than ATLAS (the original Fortnite release was pretty poor... and I mean the pre-battle royale release), its also a SIGNIFICANTLY simpler game with a whole lot more money and manpower behind it.

There are plenty of examples of early access games that were released long before they were feature complete. Minecraft, Kerbal Space Program, 7 Days 2 Die, RimWorld and Space Engineers all come to mind and there are plenty more. Again, I'm not really sure what you're on about other than trolling at this point. 
 

[SpeedInc 18]

8 minutes ago, MaxPower said:

I'm not exactly sure what point you're trying to make or how that has anything to do with my comment. Not all games are the same and while Fortnite might be in a better state than ATLAS (the original Fortnite release was pretty poor... and I mean the pre-battle royale release), its also a SIGNIFICANTLY simpler game with a whole lot more money and manpower behind it.

I will give you that its significantly simpler... but NOT as simple as the cut and paste title screen as Ark errrr Atlas is... there is no need for manpower if the Exact game is a direct copy. come on guys... be the wight night but dont be a blind one... I do belive Kerbal is by far more complex, isnt SE still say its beta? i could be wrong..

Debating game functions and mechanics i guess mean trolling these days.

[BitterAsteroid 6]

I play this solo, the skill it takes to level up is too much and it takes forever........ how can i kill a ghost ship if i dont have the ability to build cannons

[MetalStretcher 3]

Anyone saying Early Access doent equal Alpha/Beta....When was the last time you heard of Alpha code sign ups?  Alpha and Closed Beta testing used to be something highly desirable.  People used to buy codes from people.  When was the last time you saw a closed beta that didn't require early buying of the game?

 

  I remember back in the late 90's early 2000's waiting up all night long for alpha or beta signups to begin, and having to fill out applications for them.  Computer specs, previous game testing experience, etc...

Now its just Early Access, or a "Pre-Order" that comes with a few days early access, or a "Founders Donation"   Because game companies realized back then that people would pay to test their game.  That's exactly what we were doing back then.  You could get a small fortune if you sold your Everquest/Ultima Online/WoW closed beta code/account.  Back then generally alpha was done in house.  Now a days there isn't money for an in house testing team.  And why would they?  They know we will pay for it.  Its proven.

[SpeedInc 18]

Metalstretcher..... I sadly agree. I think its a balance of morals and economics.... where clearly econ wins.... My wife works for GM and I give her crap about the extreme shady crap that they pull over and over.. and us US lab rats keep buying it up like its the best thing... sad.

[MetalStretcher 3]

2 hours ago, SpeedInc said:

Metalstretcher..... I sadly agree. I think its a balance of morals and economics.... where clearly econ wins.... My wife works for GM and I give her crap about the extreme shady crap that they pull over and over.. and us US lab rats keep buying it up like its the best thing... sad.

@SpeedInc...perfect example.  One that I can speak on as well.   I bought my first brand new vehicle in 2015.  Not just first brand new, but first vehicle with under 150,000miles, first vehicle from a dealership.  It was my, "Oh my god I AM successful" moment.  It's a 2015 GMC 3500 Dually Denali.  

   I absolutely love that truck.  BUT..in the first year it had an Airbag recall (OMG DEVS THIS IS BASIC STUFF), a brake recall (OMG DEVS THIS IS BASIC STUFF) and now a warranty extension for something with the DEF system leaking exhaust smell into the cab!  (OMG DEVS!)     It makes me laugh...a vehicle with an 80,000 sticker price and recalls for things that are ummm….basic life safety features?

   We are all alpha testers.  And we will pay for the privilege of being on the front lines of technology, newness, and shiny things.   It is what it is.   My truck has not killed me yet.  I still love it just as much as I did when I bought it.   And I accept with this game (my first EA title...I'm usually years behind due to life, work etc...) that I will have to suffer through MANY hiccups.  It is not the end of the world.  

 

  The way some people react in these threads or any threads about games is how I would react if I got a call from one of my foremen that an employee had fallen off the roof and died and OSHA was on site.    Seriously.

[SpeedInc 18]

3 minutes ago, MetalStretcher said:

The way some people react in these threads or any threads about games is how I would react if I got a call from one of my foremen that an employee had fallen off the roof and died and OSHA was on site.    Seriously. 

F THAT!!!!! I rather be shot then have OSHA show up... them or the NLRB... at that point get a refund.. LOL

[MetalStretcher 3]

1 hour ago, SpeedInc said:

F THAT!!!!! I rather be shot then have OSHA show up... them or the NLRB... at that point get a refund.. LOL

I am fortunate that in the 2 NLRB issues our company has had we have had extremely thorough paper trails to defend us.  Our guys wonder since we have grown from 3 people to 25+ why things have gotten stricter.  Why all the paperwork, its not fun anymore (no drinking during weather days spent at the shop etc..)  its because of shit like that.  One bad apple ruins the bunch.   That's for another thread...I could probably find an analogy (ghost ships being spawned on everyone instead of a few culprits)  but I digress.

[SpeedInc 18]

You mean.... Wild Card should be ISO certified and do what they say, and say what they do!!! How dare you sir! That kind of talk is for peasants! There is no need for Six Sigma here!

[MetalStretcher 3]

Say goodbye to $25-60.00 games and hello to $10,000 games!   Gotta love regulation!  (To clear up any possible confusion, I mean over regulation)

[Realist 504]

7 hours ago, MetalStretcher said:

Anyone saying Early Access doent equal Alpha/Beta....When was the last time you heard of Alpha code sign ups?  Alpha and Closed Beta testing used to be something highly desirable.  People used to buy codes from people.  When was the last time you saw a closed beta that didn't require early buying of the game?

 

  I remember back in the late 90's early 2000's waiting up all night long for alpha or beta signups to begin, and having to fill out applications for them.  Computer specs, previous game testing experience, etc...

Now its just Early Access, or a "Pre-Order" that comes with a few days early access, or a "Founders Donation"   Because game companies realized back then that people would pay to test their game.  That's exactly what we were doing back then.  You could get a small fortune if you sold your Everquest/Ultima Online/WoW closed beta code/account.  Back then generally alpha was done in house.  Now a days there isn't money for an in house testing team.  And why would they?  They know we will pay for it.  Its proven.

Yep and the gamers are at fault. The gaming industry has gotten lazy but that is because the gamers have allowed them to.

now developers are able to bring out anything in a broken state and call it early access. It is really pathetic when you think about it. These devs shouldn’t be proud at all about this game. What they should do I look down at themselves with shame. 

Of course they won’t do that because of these white knights that will give every excuse for them. The white knights are pathetic as well. These people are worthless to the gaming community and not only do not contribute to it but they set our community back decades.

this is a very poor excuse for even an early access game. I don’t care if you say it is early access or if they try to claim early access. It’s nothing but an excuse for very poor development and I am not going to just let it happen. Except me to be here for a long time.

[Realist 504]

7 hours ago, MetalStretcher said:

@SpeedInc...perfect example.  One that I can speak on as well.   I bought my first brand new vehicle in 2015.  Not just first brand new, but first vehicle with under 150,000miles, first vehicle from a dealership.  It was my, "Oh my god I AM successful" moment.  It's a 2015 GMC 3500 Dually Denali.  

   I absolutely love that truck.  BUT..in the first year it had an Airbag recall (OMG DEVS THIS IS BASIC STUFF), a brake recall (OMG DEVS THIS IS BASIC STUFF) and now a warranty extension for something with the DEF system leaking exhaust smell into the cab!  (OMG DEVS!)     It makes me laugh...a vehicle with an 80,000 sticker price and recalls for things that are ummm….basic life safety features?

   We are all alpha testers.  And we will pay for the privilege of being on the front lines of technology, newness, and shiny things.   It is what it is.   My truck has not killed me yet.  I still love it just as much as I did when I bought it.   And I accept with this game (my first EA title...I'm usually years behind due to life, work etc...) that I will have to suffer through MANY hiccups.  It is not the end of the world.  

 

  The way some people react in these threads or any threads about games is how I would react if I got a call from one of my foremen that an employee had fallen off the roof and died and OSHA was on site.    Seriously.

Horrible example by the way. Privilege? Oh god you are brain washed. Working for free is not a privilege. And testing something this broke is not a privilege as well. You are actually doing the developers themselves a great injustice because now instead of using actual skill to make a game,  they just just use the trial and error approach. Gaming companies are so pathetic now. Smh 

the next generation is going to have trash games when the industry keeps going this way 

[Captain Jack Shadow 488]

9 hours ago, Mancomb Seepgood said:

You all realize that even fully released games have balancing issues? and this is an EA MMO! 

Personally, I don't mind the extra skill points required, people had maxed out the specific tree in a few days when it's designed to take weeks/months.

As for the ghost ships, me and 2 others built a Schooner in a few hours, and sailed through 4 ghost ships attacking us, took some damage but escaped due to us all working the sails and wind. Now we've no idea how long this ship will last, but we'd be stupid not to think it's at CONSTANT risk! otherwise I'd just go and play Blackflag.........

Loving the game so far, love the difficulty of it too, and we play PvP. Died a bunch of times, lost our base a few times, we were on our 7th raft before building the Schooner....

Facepalm

[Loni 32]

Still better to say clearly its EA and also the pricetag of 20 USD is more then fair for what we have now. A game like Battliefield 5 got shipped as a finished product for 60 USD, but could also be easily marked as an early access game considering how problematic the release was and how barebones the content was and still is.

[Incarnate 34]

Guess we need to have a little chat about what early access is and isn't! ...and it makes me wonder, how many of you have actually read Steamworks Documentation about said topic in question? Let me take a wild card and guess - closer to zero!? So let me for your convenience quote EXACTLY Steam says about it, and it's taken directly from their documentation... Brace yourselves because here we go!

 

Quote

 

Overview

What is Early Access?

Steam Early Access enables you to sell your game on Steam while it is still being developed, and provide context to customers that a product should be considered "unfinished." Early Access is a place for games that are in a playable alpha or beta state, are worth the current value of the playable build, and that you plan to continue to develop for release.

Releasing a game in Early Access helps set context for prospective customers and provides them with information about your plans and goals before a "final" release.

What Early Access Is Not

Early Access is not a way to crowdfund development of your product.
You should not use Early Access solely to fund development. If you are counting on selling a specific number of units to complete your game, then you need to think carefully about what it would mean for you or your team if you don't sell that many units. Are you willing to continue developing the game without any sales? Are you willing to seek other forms of investment?

Early Access is not a pre-purchase
Early Access is not meant to be a form of pre-purchase, but a tool to get your game in front of Steam users and gather feedback while finishing your game.

Early Access titles must deliver a PLAYABLE game or usable software to the customer at the time of purchase, while pre-purchase games are delivered at a future date.

 

It should be apparent from this what an early access title is and is not. But again for your convenience, let me break it down to make it real simple for you.
Atlas is definitely an early access title, but is it playable? For the majority it is not, so for those people they did not deliver a playable game at the time of purchase for the majority of the players. Furthermore, it feels very much like they were crowdfunding it, as it seems a lot like they did not have the infrastructure in place as needed. Also this specific part - "a tool to get your game in front of Steam users and gather feedback while finishing your game." - please do take special note of the highlighted section and think for a moment what that means. Yes thats right, it means that it should only be in early access while the game is being finished, where this game far from being finished, the devs have even stated this themselves - up to two years, it's not even remotely close to being finished. So should this be out as an early access title now? Not in my opinion, as the game is far from being ready for it and has so many issues, not just technical issues, but actual gameplay issues.

Despite it being a cool concept and an ambitious project , it feels like a cashgrab to an extreme degree. I do want the project to succeed, but they need to realize a lot of things, especially if they want this to be an actual MMO.

[archaegeo 192]

10 hours ago, SpeedInc said:

Early Release doesn't = Alpha or Beta release.....

100% that is what Early Access means.  (And its Early Access, not Early release) and they have 2 years of development ahead.

[MetalStretcher 3]

14 hours ago, Realist said:

Yep and the gamers are at fault. The gaming industry has gotten lazy but that is because the gamers have allowed them to.

now developers are able to bring out anything in a broken state and call it early access. It is really pathetic when you think about it. These devs shouldn’t be proud at all about this game. What they should do I look down at themselves with shame. 

Of course they won’t do that because of these white knights that will give every excuse for them. The white knights are pathetic as well. These people are worthless to the gaming community and not only do not contribute to it but they set our community back decades.

this is a very poor excuse for even an early access game. I don’t care if you say it is early access or if they try to claim early access. It’s nothing but an excuse for very poor development and I am not going to just let it happen. Except me to be here for a long time.

You are just as bad as the white knights.  Just the opposite end of the spectrum.

13 hours ago, Realist said:

Horrible example by the way. Privilege? Oh god you are brain washed. Working for free is not a privilege. And testing something this broke is not a privilege as well. You are actually doing the developers themselves a great injustice because now instead of using actual skill to make a game,  they just just use the trial and error approach. Gaming companies are so pathetic now. Smh 

the next generation is going to have trash games when the industry keeps going this way 

Apparently you missed my point regarding the "privilege"   It was a generalization of humanity in general.  Always wanting the first version of everything.  And in doing so having to deal with the hiccups of being the "test group"  

   Come out of your rage and maybe you will see straight kid.

[Cpt.Zuln 5]

What i dont understand is why everything have to be so grindy if all we're doing is "test runs".  Its ok to dive in the mindset that its "early access" and issues and bad experience may happen. The problem is expect that people who paid for the game pass trought a a grindy process that may take hours to just build the basic first "ship" which also is supposed to be the main experience of the game and get it destroyed after few minutes in the sea.

There is something wrong in this math. Be the issue in the ghost ships, grinding or starter ships sturdiniess. Small ships can only outrun those ghost ships if you're traveling in winds favor and sometimes they just spawns in your way.

Today I built a sloop, ran from 4 ghost ships that was waiting for me in a map transition and got a good amount of cannon balls in the process  just to find another 4 waiting for me in the winds direction just to sink me out. No way thats supposed to be a good experience of danger, is more like an always failure experience.
You really cant progress if your first step is fated to failure. The most willing people will get bored easly in such conditions.

[MATTYWHO.TV 0]

lets focus on the amount of content we have here for $25. I'm loving the yark so far.