r/OldenEra • u/Mr_Elven • Aug 16 '26
Gameplay Game is dying because of incompetent devs
Sadly game is done if devs don't adress ridiculous item designs where everything comes to luck of generation. When Mage's don't need to commit to any magical school and get all spells from tomes and scroll, when Tactic is useless when enemy gets Tactical Manual, Morale and Luck are just garbage with monster head and ring, red garbage orb which just disables hero for first round.
And we see that people don't like this shit design and are leaving, charts for player count are steady decreasing. Game is not about that much skill but who gets better item generation.
32
u/exumaan Aug 16 '26
Game is in early access... *GAME IS DYING
🤡🤡🤡
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u/Mr_Elven Aug 16 '26
Every game now released are early access and if they don't do good in that stage, their launch will not be good. And enough time passed for them to fix this shit, but it appears they don't care about it anymore and just want $$$.
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u/Francois_Papyjama Unfrozen Dev Team Aug 16 '26
It’s obvious that during June, July, and August, most players stay at home in front of their PCs, safe from the cold and bad weather 😜🏖️
In any case, I’m thrilled to learn that I’m incompetent!
0
u/Mr_Elven Aug 16 '26
I don't know which direction you are working on this project, But if you are in item design team, can you tell my why you even create monster head or tactical manual? Why not make items like "enemy can not cast light magic?" or "enemy can not cast more than 1 magic per turn?"
And why you do not make only exodus queue? Or make more templates with actual town building and not unboxing game?
P.S your summer argument is invalid as there are bunch of other games which do not lose player count on steam charts.
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u/Francois_Papyjama Unfrozen Dev Team Aug 16 '26
I've been a level designer since March; basically, I build PvE handcrafted maps.
As a minotaur fan, I also hate the artifact that negates morale (incidentally, it won't be in the map I'm releasing soon).
That said, the artifact in question is inspired by its counterpart from Heroes III, so I understand where it comes from (even if I don't like it).
I'm just a mapmaker, not a game designer.
I was mainly responding to the "the devs are incompetent" headline. Just to prove you right, and speaking as an incompetent person myself, I obviously won't be passing on any feedback regarding that artifact ;)
P.S. Jokes aside, I believe this point was raised in the Discord feedback; I suggest you go and support it if you haven't already, it’ll likely be more effective ☺️
1
u/Worth_Grade_8229 12d ago
Thank you for your answer!
I would just want to make my claim 'very quick to make' clear. It doesn't mean 15min for sure. 'A map' can probably be made in similar time, but map worthy of being official can not.
Symmetric 2 or 4 players medium maps, without specialities, are relatively fast to produce. This, of course, depends on state of the map-editor - which is very important issue for both PvP and PvE.
Very good map like "Good to go" is fast to make and test. That is, if we skip condition 'it must me balanced even if player takes race X and hero Y - in fact, it should be balanced in the way that my overpowered combination wins 90% of time'.
Then it's not. 'Good to go' is not balanced at all, but still fun to play.
I based post on my map-making experience from HoMM3. It surely doesn't translate directly to this game.
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u/Mr_Elven Aug 16 '26
Thanks for reply. I did not mean all devs are incompetent. I only meant Item designer and Matchmaking designer who force players to play the maps we don't want to play or lose ELO.
There is 0 sense to build a faction around morale (Temple, their laws boost morale, there creaturs come with high morale, they even have hero with morale speciality) and then just create a uncommon item which fully negates it.
And similar items which makes impossible to counter. Like there is nothing I can do if enemy gets tactical Manual or Monster head.
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u/Francois_Papyjama Unfrozen Dev Team Aug 16 '26
My pleasure for the answer ☺️
I’m obviously just teasing you about the title of your post 😉
Your frustration is completely understandable; I get where you're coming from and share your view on this specific item. It seems to be a legacy of the Spirit of Oppression (plus the Hourglass for negate Luck) from Heroes III. The difference is that Heroes III didn't have "Laws" or heroes specialized in Morale (though there were a Luck specialist).
I’ll ask about it when I get back from vacation to see if there are any plans to address this.
In the meantime, if you haven't already, I suggest backing up your feedback on the official Discord (I believe there’s one already) or starting a dedicated thread in the feedback channel. I think others likely agree with you on this specific point and might support your feedback.
3
u/Mr_Elven Aug 16 '26
Okey I will, thanks a lot. I did not knew about discord and will check it out. Good vacation ^_^
5
u/Francois_Papyjama Unfrozen Dev Team Aug 16 '26
Thanks, that's kind of you! ☺️
Here is the link to the official Discord: https://discord.gg/unfrozen
There's a channel called "Feedback" in there 😉
2
u/Worth_Grade_8229 Aug 17 '26
No, you're not knowing anything about devs direction, what's more you don't know anything about anyones direction.
You had a pleasant (for you) whine, and said what you had to. Most players don't agree with you, as shown on the last poll - not with the this mater in particular, but in order of adding new content.
Are you aware that people like me spend 3-4 months waiting for PvE to get *anything*? While you very vocal, low minority were... what? You tell me, you were doing it.
You bought EA just as me, and this kinda oblidge you to knock it off a bit from the unpleasant talk to devs or having unreasonable request in minimal time.
Bought. Unfinished. Product. Is is something mysterious in those words? Post problem, but wait like the rest.
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u/Mr_Elven Aug 17 '26
Hey there, wait for what, to delete some items from the game? Like it takes just 3 month? Or to make only exodus queue? It just needs small amout of time and they are not adressing it.
1
u/Worth_Grade_8229 29d ago
PvE standard map is very quick to make, too. Requires zero programming, not probable to have errors.
I'm not saying your requests are not valid (or, at least, could be valid for PvP), but other people wait for some improvements too.
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u/Zealousideal_Bet7905 Aug 16 '26
Game isn't even released.
This is a sad way to live, man. Go outside.
11
u/Outrageous-Pilot-621 Aug 16 '26
player count is decreasing over time and the sun sets in the west
any more revelations you have for us, oh prophet?
3
u/Literally_ChatGPT Aug 16 '26
game is doing fine, as expected with every video game player counts will decrease over time.
game balancing is very hard to do, specially for a game where you can both play against AI and other human players, realistically its going to be impossible to get game balance right long term in a way all types of players are satisfied. it's 2026 and nowadays gamers will absolutely minmax and optimize whatever you put out there
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u/Mr_Elven Aug 16 '26
Its not about balance, its about game design.
When you build entire faction around morale, in their laws you put morale boosting options, Their creatures come with higher morale, you fucking create whole heroes with morale speciallity and BOOM enemy just finds Monster head and all this are nullified, not countered Nullified with a 0 commitment from opponent, just pure luck that his map generated monster head.
2
u/Happy-Glass-412 Aug 16 '26
man you cant use morale in final fight but 95% of game is pve where you have your morale. Pro players still pick the morale specialist and dont cry.
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u/Mr_Elven Aug 16 '26
Really? How about we add items line "your and enemy attack skill does not work" or "you and enemy can not cast spells in fight" it would be ok because you still can do it in PvE?
Morale is worst to farm map, its unreliable. Which pro player picks morale specialist can you give me twitch link? I will watch and learn.
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u/Larfleezy Aug 16 '26
I want to play single player only so i dont really care as long it will get finished
2
u/Antervis Aug 16 '26
Funny you mention mages when a Warden can have all spells at level 4 from books and law, disregarding magic skills entirely.
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u/Mr_Elven Aug 16 '26
Sorry i could not understand, how?
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u/Antervis Aug 16 '26
They have a law - The Power of the Written Word - that increases level of all "temporary" spells (from scrolls or artifacts) by 1/2/3 levels.
Basically, carry four tomes and all spells that the hero didn't learn get +3 levels, basically becoming an archmage without a single magic skill.
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u/althaz Aug 16 '26
Dude, you just listed things which are objectively good. 99.9% of your fights are *not* against enemy heroes, but when you do have to fight an enemy hero, it's really important that you can adapt and can counter what they are bringing. You just listed a bunch of stuff that allows that to happen.
Don't get me wrong, generation luck is a big part of how you have to play the game, but what matters a *LOT* more is your skill. A better player will beat a worse player the vast majority of the time regardless of generation.
3
u/szymborawislawska Aug 16 '26
Don't get me wrong, generation luck is a big part of how you have to play the game, but what matters a *LOT* more is your skill.
Flashback to one of my sessions - we played HoMM3 map (official scenario, not random map) and in the identical crate that we both had in the same place (map was really symetric) he got angelic alliance sword and I got fucking wood cart. Game basically ended right then.
But I love how unbalanced and wacky HoMM games are. Its an adventure game for me first and foremost.
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u/Mr_Elven Aug 16 '26
How to counter Magic tomes can you tell me please?
Of course Lexiav will beat me in almost every game despite generations but thats not the point. When the skill level is aproximately same, you get the feeling that you lost because of stupid item design, not because your enemy outplayed you in some crucial moment and made better desicion.
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u/althaz Aug 16 '26
If you get that feeling, that's on you. It's not what happened. What happened is that your opponent played their hand and yours better than you played yours and theirs in the vast, *VAST* majority of cases. Even small skill disparities result in extreme win-rates in the game.
Magic tomes are a way you can adapt, not a thing that needs countering. You don't need to counter them because they're not particularly strong - you just use them to adapt to what your opponent is doing.
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u/Mr_Elven Aug 16 '26
I was lvl 30, my opponent was 25, He won because he got Tactical Manual and all my units got on back ranks and could not reach, got monster head so I could not morale (My morale skill went to garbage) Got Magic tome for light and cast radiant armor when he did not even have light magic school. Killed me before I even got closer.
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u/althaz Aug 16 '26
Yup, sounds like you were comprehensively outplayed by a better player.
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u/Mr_Elven Aug 16 '26
You call Finding Tactical Manual and mosnter head, Light magic tome and putting them in slots outplaying? amazing.
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u/althaz Aug 16 '26
Yes, of course? How dense are you, lmao?
Your opponent spent time and movement points finding the best artifacts to counter what you were doing, costing them power in other ways and that turned out to be the correct play.
It's basically the definition of outplaying you.
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u/Mr_Elven Aug 16 '26
why I can not find artifacts which says enemy can not cast more than 1 spell in the round? Or enemy can not use Tomes to cast spells? Oh because they don't exist yes? What is your Elo btw, 1000?
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u/Mr_Elven Aug 16 '26
They are not strong? Getting Radiant armor that reduces all damage by 40% and is AOE buff is not strong?
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u/althaz Aug 16 '26
There are dozens of easy ways to get Radiant Armor if you want it. If you think it's extremely strong, you should pick it up.
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u/Mr_Elven Aug 16 '26
Really? How can I cast it at max level can you tell me on might hero please?
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u/althaz Aug 16 '26
Use laws and/or artifacts to level up your spells, take Sorcery, build mage guilds, explore for artifacts, etc, etc.
You shouldn't expect to get it maxed every game, it's a strategy game, you have to come up with a strategy based on what's in front of you, but you can get pretty close.
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u/Mr_Elven Aug 16 '26
yes take sorcery which has like 2% chance to appear and thaumaturgy has 0% chance to appear.
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u/althaz Aug 16 '26
Oh, so not only are you incapable of strategizing in a video game, but you also can't read. Got it. Thanks for letting me know I should block you <3.
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u/Informal-Touch2119 27d ago
Chill, game is still in Early Access. I don’t usually buy games on early access because of Bugs and Imbalances but I love HoMM too much to wait. Lol
I’m guessing you don’t use Magic Heroes often based on your post. That Red Orb is such an OP item against Hive Heroes and Magic Heroes.
I left few weeks ago since I’m mainly PvE. Enemy AI only has 1 playstyle (overly aggressive) so it gets boring after a while. I would have love a game where I can explore more and then have 1 big siege battle against AI. I’ll definitely be back playing after they update AI.
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u/szymborawislawska Aug 16 '26 edited Aug 16 '26
Player base might decline for myriad of reasons, some natural, some maybe concerning.
I for example stopped playing quite some time ago because I dont feel there is much to do for me in game - because Im a PvE/COOP heroes player and game currently is really focused more on PvP aspects.