Some feedback on SOTO map designs.

[McSwarlton.5239]

So to start off, the maps are beautiful and really give the ancient civilization vibe. Crystals, marble buildings, amazing. 

But when it comes to traversing the map and exploring, I'm not having a lot of fun. I'm not saying the maps are bad, but I think it's the design philosophy that's flawed.

Think back to Heart of Thorns. With a glider, you can get everywhere you need (need being bare minimum to complete story, do metas). 
Without mastery upgrades, the glider does its job perfectly, traversing and exploring is completely fine, and more importantly, fun.  With the upgrades, you get a ton of QoL that makes it feel even better, and you get to explore places you couldn't before.  The upgrade feels exactly that, an upgrade, and adds a lot of value and fun.

Coming back to SOTO, the maps are designed around the *need* for Skyscale upgrades. I say need here because without the upgrades, you can get around, but it's very exhausting and really dampens the fun. I'm not saying it's impossible to get around without upgrades, you can, but it's a struggle. After progressing the story reaching the 2nd map, I spent a lot of time figuring out how do I even reach the next point of the main story quest. 

Without any upgrades, you traverse the map by flying from ledge to ledge, failing most of the time because you overestimated your stamina. You have to brute force traversal by doing the Skyrim thing where you scale a surface using any ledge you can find. It's simply not fun at all and it's exhausting (in my opinion of course).

When Drizzlewood Coast first released with its meta, you could start to see the need for a Skyscale. Yes you can do the meta, but without a Skyscale, you're completely left behind and late to the party, especially the end of the meta where you go around killing guards for the chests. 

SOTO is when this pain point is really fleshed out. It would be ideal if this was implemented with the same design philosophy as gliders in Heart of Thorns. Fun and feasible without upgrades, exciting and plenty of QoL with upgrades. 

Again the maps aren't bad, the game isn't bad. It just seems like the maps were designed around the need for upgraded Skyscales.

Edited August 25, 2023 by McSwarlton.5239
Spelling errors and better wording.

[sambal.6038]

29 minutes ago, McSwarlton.5239 said:

But when it comes to traversing the map and exploring, I'm not having a lot of fun. I'm not saying the maps are bad, but I think it's the design philosophy that's flawed.

I will say it for you - map design is bad. Maps are small, annoying and confusing - especially the second one.

[Ashantara.8731]

Just now, sambal.6038 said:

I will say it for you - map design is bad. Maps are small, annoying and confusing

I couldn't disagree more. But to each their own. 😉

[Debesyla.7102]

46 minutes ago, McSwarlton.5239 said:

It's simply not fun at all and it's exhausting

It is fun. It would be not fun if it was infinite flight like in WoW.

 

47 minutes ago, McSwarlton.5239 said:

When Drizzlewood Coast first released with its meta, you could start to see the need for a Skyscale.

And no, that is completelly false. If you really want to be fastest in that map, you pick a gryphon, not skyscale. Parashutes put you directly above the chests, you just need to glide down 🙂 

[McSwarlton.5239]

3 minutes ago, Debesyla.7102 said:

It is fun. It would be not fun if it was infinite flight like in WoW.

 

And no, that is completelly false. If you really want to be fastest in that map, you pick a gryphon, not skyscale. Parashutes put you directly above the chests, you just need to glide down 🙂 

No one asked for infinite flight.

"You could start to see the need for <insert mount>" doesn't sound any better. 

But you are more than welcome to "eckchually" and "tecknicuhlly" bits and pieces of the post without context

[Manasa Devi.7958]

Honestly, I can't imagine going around these maps without at least Wall Spring and/or Wall Launch mastery. Starting this expansion without a fully mastered skyskale doesn't sound like a fun prospect. I know it can be done if you make good use of the stamina recharge orbs, but that gives you very little freedom to explore, having to stick to routes where these orbs provide places to ascend.

Edited August 25, 2023 by Manasa Devi.7958

[babana.7521]

COMPLIMENT SANDWICH AT ITS BEST lol

 

don't get me wrong its beautiful
so hard to travel
game is fun
hard to travel 
LMAO LMAO
 

 

 

Edited August 25, 2023 by babana.7521

[Mell.4873]

I feel like the easier fix would be to just put more stamina orbs around the map. Early on there were alot but they kind of ran out in parts. 

[Gibson.4036]

I'm only in the first zone, but I did comment to my friend last night, "Feels like New Kaineng all over."

I've got full original skyscale mastery unlocked, and there were still plenty of frustrating moments trying to find the ledges or magic orbs needed to get height.

Rift hunting from the lower islands is kinda terrible. My strategy quickly became 1. Port to highest WP I have unlocked in the chain 2. Activate thingamajigggy 3. Griffon down to the indicated rift.

At least my expectation was correct, and griffon is turning out to be the superior mount for this expac.

[Debesyla.7102]

yeah, I love gryphoning (is that a word?) in the new maps!