It feels like I've been playing
Drakensang-Online for such a long time that I've always forgotten that the game is still actually in BETA (it's Open Beta, but it's still Beta). The game has not fully launched yet.
The fact that they are allowing us to play the game now benefits both the player and the developer.
It benefits the player because well, speaking only for myself, it's been such a fun game to play. It gives me appropriate distraction from work related stress. Whenever I encounter a difficult patch I just plug in the game, kill a few monsters, and I feel instantly better.
It benefits the developer because they get people who are not only willing to test the game and give feedback, but they also get to make some money in the process. Yes, although the game is free to play, there are some paid elements in the game that makes it more fun and more convenient to play. I have shelled out a couple of bucks here and there but I feel they're all worth it.
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This post is to give the all important feedback. Since we have been contacted in the past by people from
Drakensang-Online through this
blog, I certainly hope they still visit and check out what we have to say.
These are a few random things I didn't like about the game as it is today.
1. Locked Gems. Equipping gems to socketed items allows weapons, armor, and other accouterments to be more powerful and possess more characteristics. The gems come in different qualities from the lowest (Flawed) to the highest (Polished). You do get lower quality gems dropped from monsters as you kill them, and with a recent patch, you can upgrade similar quality gems into higher quality gems.
But once you equip those gems into sockets, you can no longer remove them.
Well, you can replace them with other gems but the gem you are replacing gets destroyed in the process.
I once bought a Polished gem to give my character +40 Resistance to Elemental Damage and placed it on a Level 31 Legendary Gold Ring. This was back when I was Level 31. Now I'm Level 39 and I've got a much better Plantinum Ring.
I would like the option to take out the gem from my gold ring to place in my platinum ring. I think it's only fair as I bought the thing and I want it to continue to be useful to me.
2. Running in Place. This is a bug that has plagued the game ever since I started playing back in December 2011. Through all the patches this seems to be a bug that they seem to have difficulty fixing. It's a particularly frustrating bug. Once or twice I got killed because I couldn't run away fast enough. I thought I had got it made by successfully running away but he suddenly stops but still runs in place and I got knocked dead from behind by a pursuing monster.
3. Scream of Rage. I have to reiterate the frustration I felt when the developers opted to remove this skill from the
Dragon Knight with the R048 Patch (
I talk about this more in length here). Needless to say, I'm screaming with rage about this. Furiously.
4. Foreground Obscures Action. Another frustrating thing about playing the game that I've encountered since the beginning. Sometimes you can't help where you end up fighting and, sometimes, that ends up behind foreground elements that make it difficult to see what's going on. And when I can't see what's going on, it's hard to know how to deal with enemies and, once or twice, this has killed me.
5. Expensive Health Potions. There are a lot of paid elements in this game but it's something I clearly understand since I also run a business myself and it's a business I want to profit from. As I've mentioned before, this is a free game and you do get the chance to get a lot of these items for free provided you have the patience. However, it may take months of constant playing to craft something like say, a Polished gem. It would take weeks of constant playing to get enough Andermant to buy a lot of the good stuff. What you are actually paying for (if ever you decide to pay for anything) is the convenience to get these things quickly and easily. And if you want to enjoy the game more, that's exactly what you're going to do.
I understand this psychology completely.
However, I must emphasize that of all the things to make money from, Health Potions shouldn't be it. You do get free health potion drops once in a while but it's rare and you need a lot of health potions in this game to constantly keep playing, especially in later levels.
I do strongly suggest to the developers that if there's one thing I hope they can let go is to allow players to buy Health Potions with coins rather than Andermant. Coins I got in abundance. And Health Potions are an essential part of playing the game. It's not a luxury, it's a necessity.
There are a few other things I'm sure and I'll make another post about it in the weeks to come.
I know the developers have been aware of these issues for some time and I've been assured in the forum that this will be worked out in the future but I'm writing these down in any case just to remind them that this are still things that frustrates players, well, particularly me.
