MQ's Low Popularity (Full Version)

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Diark -> MQ's Low Popularity (11/19/2010 6:01:16)

If guys ask players of the other AE games people say that MQ is pretty boring and long.Despite MQ being nothing of that sort people still say that because they never played the game for a long time.The main reason that people say that is because of MQ's similarity with DF.They both share a common loading screen and the same options menu with the same stats screen.You may ask what this has to do with MQ's popularity but if see AQ and WF you may find the Answer.MQ was released in a Gap of a year or two after DF and since the latter had a good player base many player created Account's in MQ.The players who played DF may say that MQ is DF with mechs.It takes time to adjust to MQ's battle system and people from the Other games will think it is too boring(Due to the other games being in the Slashing genre).The battle system is not the one to blame but the one to blame is the Similarity to other games.Also the battle menu is very plain and not very attractive so new players don't get attracted to the Playing style of MQ.

So Discuss why MQ is having a Low popularity with the Player Base of the Other AE games.

NOTE:This is not a complain thread so don't post complaints.


Current problems facing MQ:


Primary Problems:


These are the main reason for MQ's low popularity.


-Too much grinding for EXP and Credits.

-Stat rolls that get Frustrating over time

-Repetition of Quest/Dialogue.

Secondary Problems:

These might not be the main reason keeping the players away from MQ but fixing these problems would attract them.

-Lack of a Motivating Intro

-Too much rares events/items

-Worn out gameplay

-Lack of SC features

-Lack of low level equipment.

-Lack of Cutscenes.

-Lack of NPC Characterization

Tagging this with the FAQ so it can't get lost before I have time to read through it =Mae





SoulSeeker -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 2:43:41)

and wanna know something more interesting? MQ is actually the past...think that has something to do with it? :/




Links -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 3:16:01)

AQ, DF, and MQ share similar loading screens. [>:] Unless you're talking about the login screens (which shouldn't really actually be a factor in the game's popularity, the same with the options menu and stats screen).

It's not DF with mechas. Not at all.

Mecha chassis take the place of classes.

If people have to get used to MQ's battle system, than it is obviously not DF with mechas.

Battle Menu looks exactly like AQ's Battle Menu, and yet AQ is still going strong.

MQ isn't that popular since most people probably began having a hard time balancing their time between the 3 games. People find it hard enough to farm, and diving up their time for farming between 3 games? Not worth the effort.




SoulWing -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 3:30:33)

I ask people on AQW do they play MQ (to battle them) and most of them say something like, "Nah, I don't play MQ. MQ is boring and too complicated. I play DF."

That's what I hear from about 80% of the people I ask. :P




megakyle777 -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 3:59:05)

I think something needs to be done about MQ's unpopularity. I can't think of any ideas however.

Maybe if people could make their own mechs, it would draw them in.[:D] Or lose people due to being complicated or SC only...[:@]

Seriously guys, something needs to be done. Maybe a special offer on all Mechs or on Star Captainship or something...

Or maybe... Yeah, I got nothing.




The Braken Bard -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 4:18:19)

I actually disagree; DF and MQ are different games, and not just because one has dragons and the other has robots. DF's battle system is very fast, and it's flow is fast. MQ's battle system is slow and is slowed down even more by the animations (which, while spectacular, are murder for anyone with a bad connection). And this seems to be a big thing in people's choice for games.




Brownie -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 4:42:46)

The thing there is, BB, DF's fights actually seem to take longer on average.
And I'm using Frost Moglin Armor.




The Braken Bard -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 5:29:45)

@Brownie: I know that, actually measured, DF is slower. But DF does give a sense of quick pace, whereas MQ does not. I don't know about some here, but I find myself fighting in wars for hours in DF before I get bored, whilst in MQ I get bored in a matter of minutes, simply because I feel like the battle is dragging on longer than it actually is.




AQ Guardian -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 5:38:00)

I play and pay for all AE games (except DF). Personally, I found AQ, AQW and ED more interesting then MQ....![:)]




Diark -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 5:59:53)

@Links-There is a visible difference between the loading screens of AQ and DF whilst the Loading screen of MQ is just as that of DF's and colored blue(Same goes for the Login Screen).Well the battle screen is too plain and not very attractive.In the eyes of someone who plays both AQ and DF Mechquest will be seen like a combination of both with Mechs.
To start with the Staff could improve the battle menu to be some more......attractive.Maybe some thing similiar to this?(Im not very good at drawing with paint).




megakyle777 -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 6:09:21)

I kind have got to agree with Diark. A better looking battle menu such as the above MAY make battles more fun. However, it may be hard to change the look of the battle menu system. Or it may be easy, I do not know. Either way, something along the lines of a system like that would make long battles seem less tedious.[;)]




Diark -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 6:15:21)

The staff should also improve the Starship intro to fit in with the new releases and effects.Newbies should get an explantion on how these effects work and how it could work.




crooks_rulez -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 6:58:31)

uhmmmmm no comment for this one




Diark -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 8:32:45)

Improving PvP(Like holding a tournament or so) and giving Rewards will be nice.




megakyle777 -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 8:52:26)

In my opnion the most important thing is not making these changes, but making them KNOWN.[;)]




Diark -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 9:26:21)

^Good point.




Korin -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 10:23:06)

I want to point out that the intro shuttle is on our to-do-list and it's scheduled to get it's overhaul when Yokai finishes.

And to give you an idea of the new changes, we will be adding those explanations or specials, adding another quest or 2, and making the shuttle quest-based rather than level-based. Meaning there will no longer be a level 3 requirement to leave but the objectives menu that will hold the required quests to complete should at least get the player to level 2+.




EinhanderX01 -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 10:36:13)

I feel that the only reason MQ is getting a bad rep is because many can't handle the more advanced style of gameplay, where the specials and power are tied to the equipment rather than the "class", which requires a bit more strategy and planning to fully master.

In DF and AQ, most just have to equip a certain armor or class, and all they have to switch out is the weapon (and/or shield) during battle to take advantage of the enemy's weakness while spamming their strongest specials first and simply going down the skill set line as the battle progresses (usually either Strongest Offensive to Weakest, or Strongest Defense to Weakest), while in MQ, you have to plan out your build to at least be capable of adapting to several possible battle scenarios, so that you won't entirely get caught off-guard and lose to an enemy that you didn't expect to appear (case in point, battling ShS on Westion Pt.2's War and suddenly encountering Jawseph instead of the more common enemies).

Also, there's the fact that AQ/WF and DF are more forgiving and easier, simply because if you find yourself stuck in a rut (either because the wrong Armor was equipped or the wrong weapon was brought), there's usually some skill or special that might allow you to live through the encounter (such as a defensive spell or potion on some armor specials, or maybe a special that is strong against the enemy), whereas MQ will not forgive poor pre-battle planning.




Draciane -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 10:50:45)

I came back recently after a 6 months break (no kidding). When I left I was level 35. Here's the things I noticed that didnt helped me really get back to it compared to all others AE games I've played and payed (exception for ED, that's where I draw the line in stopping following AE games).

-Slow and small releases: I talk about REAL release. Having 2-3 new mecha to me does not give me a lot of content to try. I talk about quests, planet, etc... My point is I was away for 6 Months. 6 long whole months. During that period, I missed the end of Westion saga, the new Vampire planet, some events like the new war on Lagos and the start of the start of the Dragonoid Saga, leading to Yokai. 6 months of release, I thought it would keep me busy for a while...I started last saturday getting up to date. I was done later that day...this left me a big feeling of emptiness. If I can do 6 months in 1 day...I can't imagine how people must feel when they see the weekly release and are quickly done with them. Of course they will go to the others games.

-Bad way to boost the time of a release : this is here since day 1 of MQ (almost Day 1, let's say since we got to Soluna, with the Pizza quest). How can we make a very small release last longer? Well we make them repeat the quest over and over again to gain rank which will unlock shoip with items. Quite frankly, like I said, the items to me are not what will keep me focused on MQ. The actual content (in-terms of "different" things to do) is what matter. If a release make me do the same 2 minutes of content in a loop, of course I'll get quickly bored.

-Grind, grind, grind : I'm not hiding the fact all AE games are about grinding at one point. But if we talk about level grinding, MQ surely has the slowest curve of leveling rate I've ever seen in a AE game, and this has been that way since a loooong while. Of course, the ennemies always stay at your level, so you should not worries, and hardcore MQ gamer will tell you either "You're just impatient" or "It's not necessary"...BUT for people to enjoy a game and a RPG in particular, some kind of progression must be felt in its character developpement while playing the game normally and casually. Here's a fact, in the one day I've played, and did 6 months of release, I've started at LV35. When I was up-to-date, I was still at LV35. There's a problem right there, because I didnt feel my character was really gaining anything, and if to access some of the items I want, I need to play non-stop just to gain 1 level, of course I would quit. I say "I", but I admit that I enjoy grinding, so it's fine with me...BUT I'm not so blind that I can't see that this is a problem. When people talk about MQ, most of the times, you'll hear them say how much this is just about grinding, and everything is long and tedious. Unfortunately I can't say they're wrong.

I love MQ, not as much as I love DF but this is my second favorite AE games.But still this is a very good game, with great storyline, very structured (best structure in an AE games for me), with a lot of customization, awesome animation, great mini-game to relax between battle. But even with all its quality, some of the flaws that I talked about above bring the game down...A LOT, to a point where it's sadly on of the most unpopular AE games. Many will tell you that it'S because its "Sci-Fi" and not "Fantasy", but this is not a real reason to dislike the game, the mentionned reasons above are though, and they should work something, else people who try the game would indeed be bored quickly. The hardcore players will of course always defend the game, and call me crazy. But some of you know that I'm right. This is not bashing, just a fair point of view and criticism about the situation from someone who left the game for those very reasons, came back many months later to see not much have improved. I read in one of the previous DN staff are maybe short-handed, even more in terms of coders...maybe this may explain why things have not evolved more. If so, I really wish the AE team could give some of their staff from others games (mostly AQW) to MQ to make it better. It deserves to go high in the star, and I guess like all their others Single-Player RPG, it suffers from the popularity of their boring (IMHO) MMORPG...but MQ took the worst hit. So it needs something or someone...and fast...




Diark -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 11:15:30)

@Korin-So the Overhaul is in about a month or so right?.

@Ein-Well i agree with you on most parts(About the other AE games being in Slashing genre) but still what about the new players?.

@Darciane-You must have only done the Storyline quests.There were a lot of seasonal events too.

Also too add to the thread I went around AQW(Again) and asked about MQ.Most repllies were un-favourable and some did not like the idea of finishing the quests to get to Yokai.Well these players are those who are playing most AE games.Also the player base is getting down.....




Burning Skies -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 11:30:50)

The reason MQ isn't very popular is because it's a mech game. Most people think "BIG SWORDS AND HUGE ARMORZ" when they hear "RPG". MQ is not that. It also requires some brains and common sense (which really ain't that common anymore[;)]). Most people are also used to a few classes; MQ gets a new "class" everytime a new mech is released. Most RPG games are "BIG SWORDS AND HUGE ARMORZ" already, so people don't quite know what to expect with a mecha RPG. You also do not see many advertisements for MQ, but you see tons from other games run by Artix Entertainment (more so with AQW. You'll see TONS upon TONS of advertisements for AQW EVERYWERE you go...) so MQ really isn't known very well. The MQ forums also contributes to the problem as well. This forum is pretty much dead, with, at times, hours before someone posts a post. Meanwhile, look at the forums of AQW. You could go pages upon pages and still see posts from this morning or last night, while you'll see posts back from one month ago on page three in forums like the OOC or the MQ forums. On AQW, though, you will see posts from last night or today on page three, much unlike the MQ forums.




Draciane -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 11:36:11)

@Diark: well but of course, I can't do what is not there anymore. THis does not change anything in the fact that 6 months of not playing gave me 1 day of gaming. If most of the content during that time was only seasonal, then it's even a worse exemple. Building much of your content (for a single player game I remind you) around rare event, that newcomer won't be able to experiment, and thus will gave them less playtime when they're here and arrive at a point where all is left is grinding, of course they won't stay along for long...




Madrias GoldStrike -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 11:48:22)

MQ isn't as popular because of 4 things:
Less advertising. I see more AQW ads on my space RP forum than I ever see of MQ. Before AQW, there was a lot of MQ, but my forum wasn't as popular back then.
It requires some thought. Most gamers want to be able to just go in against anything and kill it without any difficulty. MQ doesn't offer that as much, in regards to customization (more on that after the 4)
It fits a niche market. Many people might like Mecha, but don't play RPGs. Others may like RPGs, but hate mecha. We fit in the category of 'liking mecha RPGs'.
It takes a while to level up. This means that you can't have a reasonable expectation to start at the beginning of your lunch break and level up by the end.

Now, let me explain these things.
Customization is great, except there's not a lot left anymore. The defaults are better than they used to be, but many times are underpowered compared to something you could buy in a shop. However, there's not a lot of shops anymore fully stocked with weapons that stay around and don't go rare and fit enough levels reasonable to the levels playing the area.

Advertising is helpful, because it draws more people into at least trying the game.

The leveling is terrible, however, to low-level players, particularly with casual gamers. Takes way too long to level up as time progresses, which takes away from the feeling of accomplishment when you see that level up screen.

The niche market isn't something we can get away from. Let's face it, sword fights are very rare, and I like it that way. However, by marketing the game more (see: Advertising), more people will see it.




Diark -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 11:49:19)

@Pyragama-A good game doesn't need advertisment...............not a very good joke is it?.

@Draciane-Well......uhhhh......oooook im out of explanations.

MQ is a great game but is not played due to the above mentioned reasons.You could say that MQ is a Peacock and the reasons are a old,rusted cage.Eventhough the peacock is very beautifull the Cage makes the mind of the people who see it to think it is ugly.If the cage is left as it is the peacock will lose its fans.The only solution is to coat the cage with paint as soon as possible.




EinhanderX01 -> RE: MQ's Low Popularity (5/19/2010 11:50:19)

Adding to Pyragma's post, admittedly, MQ has always been the minority, due to the fact that the majority of AE's playerbase aren't familiar with or are used to the Robot/Mecha genre, and aren't sure whether to be excited in pounding other large enemies in a multi-story machine as opposed to either controlling a large creature and be capable of either stomping smaller enemies or powering through similar sized behemoths (DF), or being the small creature that pounds far larger or more powerful ones (AQ).

As for the AQW players' general responses to MQ, the two "major" things they don't like are trivial, as it makes sense to have prerequisites for a major Saga, and it makes sense to restrict some later planets to the higher levels (in terms of equipment and recommended level) to encourage leveling.

As for content, the only reason why MQ lacks a wide variety is due to the fact that 1, the Staff is relatively small compared to the other games, and 2, it takes more time to plan out entire planets as opposed to different sections of a single planet. And there's still the fact that the coding is more complex (esp. when considering specials and equipment and animations of a new unit, whether it's an usable or enemy unit) and requires more time in general.

Again, MQ spans planets and solar systems, instead of just neighboring towns and cities, so with time, we can hopefully see multiple areas to visit per planet.




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