My thoughts on the coming update and everyone's reactions

I can see how many think this update is bad and I can see how you can take it that way. I also see fear that the game is coming to an end. Keep in mind while reading this I understand your fears and frustrations as I too have invested a lot of money in the game and now run 4 sovereigns for our guild. So I totally understand where everyone is coming from.

First, if the game was coming to an end I would hope that the dev’s would be honest enough to let us know that boundless was being shut down.
I also do not believe that they would shut the game down after just starting sovereigns. Let’s be honest they would have a massive issue on their hands legally if they took our money for fueling sovereigns and some have paid 2 years or more in advance to fuel them, just to end the game after this update would be financial suicide and destroy their companies reputation which I don’t see happening.

Second, I respect people’s decision if you decide now is time to call it quits, but your doing it all on the assumption the game is on the way out. Without any facts to back it up other than speculatuon. Using Game history we can tell that this option of private servers is not only a good thing for gaining more players but it usually does stimulate the live universe to have more players.
From a game marketing standpoint games like boundless tend to gain more usership if the buyer is guaranteed that the game will still be playable if the company goes under. Especially when said game is still over $30 to buy full price. Where I have games in my library that the companies did go under or abandoned the game and I can no longer play it because it was never given the option to play solo or on your own private server. So that money was wasted.

Third, I do agree despite being only in the game 9 months after going through forums and the website, that there are many promised features and in game objects that have not been delivered. However, without a roadmap we have no idea of what the issue is here. It could boil down to them trying to get it to work on PS and with LUA being LUA some ideas that would be simple for PC become exceedingly complex to achieve on consoles because of intrinsic limitations to the system and the overall structure and limitations to LUA and the console not being able to be manually upgraded by the owner. I will say though, I am amiss for why clothes, furniture and new gear isn’t in the system because console games switch out gear all the time and we already do with cosmetic stuff in the game. As a game developer IDK why this wasn’t implemented already.

Fourth, the complaints about PS players not being able to run servers. Well Minecraft is the same and people rent $10 virtual servers and run the server on that themselves and connect through the PS or rent a minecraft server from one of the many companies that offer them. So while I get the frustration it is no different than minecraft or ark. Truly it isn’t like this isn’t the established standard for cross platform games as well as pc games. Have you ever tried to host ark on the same machine your playing, yes it isn’t always great even with a very high end machine like mine.

Truth be told this is likely good for the game all the way around for the longevity and marketability of the game. However, I too wonder why there hasn’t been any strong marketing done, if nothing else advertising in steam top spots and getting reviews done by the major industry game reviewers. Or better yet Minecrafters! I use to be a Minecraft person. 1 week on Boundless and it was minecraft what? This baffles me why I see no marketing going on for the game especially since sovereigns that should have been a HUGE marketing push.

In closing though, from a financially dedicate players standpoint that I am paying $70 a month plus gleamclub purchases every 6 months and purchase cubits here and there. It would be nice to get some confirmation for the community from the developers or @james that the public universe isn’t going anywhere and that boundless will be continued to be developed and advanced. I only ask because from reading the entire thread on the update I fear we will have a mass exodus from the game of live universe players if the speculations are not dealt with and at least assure us the community that boundless is going to continue on getting updates and the public universe isn’t going anywhere.

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I’m the only one thinking that we’ll all end up playing a better, modded version of the game in private servers?

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I kind of wonder if the idea is to open up private servers, implement modding, make sure it’s stable, and then shut boundless down.

I would love to be reassured that this is not the case. @Leahlemoncakes?

I don’t think anyone thinks this update is a bad idea per se. I just think the entire community thinks this is a lot of work being done that could instead have been used for a desperately needed hunting update, new chisels, new items and mats, etc. Its like #200 on my list of things I’d like to see added to boundless.

You know what else would avoid a lot of this panic?
image

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This is true, but I assume that one of the big appeals to playing on a sever like this is to be able to mod the game how you want?

And although PS players will be able to access a server there is no way for them to mod the game.

It may be that they are preparing some sort of GUI for this, but without any communication of that I don’t think that console players would be unjustly aggrieved by the news of this update.

My thoughts on people’s negative reactions (including mine), I think those who are disappointed were looking for the next update to be something we to do in the game, some new items to make, mobs to kill, new ways to kill them, something (anything) to change the (what feels like) stagnated gameplay.

The last update, and the next update, while not bad as such, are just new places to do the same things, rather than new things to do.

I may be misinterpreting others, but certainly that is how I am perceiving it.

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I’m not against this update either - I’d just like some reassurance that the 50 planets won’t be shut down 6 months after.
For some weird reason it feels like the game is prepared to “live by itself” without the online world or further updates - leaving content addition to modders
If that’s the case, better open-source it!
Again, these are my personal fears only and they don’t reflect what the developer team has in mind.
I like the game very much and it is the type of game I was searching for ages.

Regards,

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If they commit to open source boundless whenever the servers go down, I will never have another complaint. Game could easily last forever.

How cool would it be if we were still playing boundless 50 years from now? With Titans finally, and pets, and pants?

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We have no plan to shutdown the public servers.

Adding the option for players to run their own worlds and universe is something that we’ve spoken about since the very beginning of Boundless.

Everyone in the community today wanted an online and shared experience. The configuration of the game selected for this.

With the addition of a single player / self hosted option we hope that it will help attract a broader range of players, especially those turned off by an only-online option. Once they have experienced the game alone we hope they will give the public universe a try, and hopefully they will grow to love it.

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This is what it is. I’m a strong believer in the community aspect of this game. In fact it is THE thing that sets Boundless apart from any other game I’ve ever encountered. I’ve made such amazing friends on Boundless and hope to keep making friendships.

The community is strong and when guilds drop out and disappear, the community left behind strengthens. Players ebb and flow and we welcome new members to our guilds and we make new friendships and run player hosted events that bring the community together. Although it is sad to see friends leave, the community is what holds this game in place. So, let’s make people feel at home and welcome if they decide to give our community a try like I have witnessed since I began playing.

We’ve got this, guys. Let’s keep on keeping on. We can only control the controllables.

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Thanks for the answer, James. It’s helped ease my fears and I hope it does work out for the betterment of the game in the long run.

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@james thank you so much for clarifying and verifying MY assumptions while calming everyone’s nerves! I know that will make a lot of people feel a lot better.
All makes sense to me :sunglasses:

Love what you guys are doing for sure! Keep those updates coming!

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i think because most of us love boundless so much that any ‘‘close’’ shutdown’’ mentions hurts us
its like when you are in a relationship and one says ‘‘we need to talk’’ :dizzy_face:
just relax everyone and take it with a pinch of salt.
people are you a bit exaggerating about something with to much worries and stress
lets take a moment of silence, breathing and out slowly while having your eyes closed and start to feel zen …lets slow down on the stress

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Exactly reflects my feelings about what has been unfolding last 24h

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I understand devs decision and where it comes from.
Still, I do have a bit of worry there that it would slow down potential growth of online universe player base (and even cause short-term decline in numbers). But I don’t intend to quit because of it. How would that help?

To those who worry about the same and think about quitting because of that: remember that by quitting you actually might make this anticipated negative scenario true.
So, let’s stick together and enjoy the game - we have our part to play in keeping it alive.

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This thread feels productive. Good read to start my day. Thanks @DragonTamer for the start to a more positive dialogue than yesterday’s. Thanks @james for the response. That knot in my stomach is finally loosening. I hated to see such a great community lashing out at each other.

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This game came into my life during two especially dark periods. It’s been a creative outlet and the introduction to some really great people. I will definitely be playing my part in this!

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Your welcome, that was my goal. I was reading the thread and then the one post of someone leaving for good and I was like oh no here we go again.

So I decided to shed logic and knowledge on it and cast a positive light on the things people were worried about. I also figured it would be more helpful and productive to outright ask for clarification on the status of the live universe than make assumptions that would stoke the fires under the rumor mill. So I went to the horses mouth so to speak lol.

Glad I could help!

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I think that there may have been an expectation of it working more like Minecraft, where you just… Play. You don’t need a server to play MC, even multiplayer. I’ve used my phone to host a 4 player MC game with people on phones, PC, and Xbox at the same time. This doesn’t work for Boundless, but to a non-technical person, the “why” of that is a mystery.

IE i told you all
image

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I think with an already not so big player base, would it not be a better idea to get some content in before this? For some supposed new customers and the lone wolfs…

I came back and spilled coin for your sovs and gleam club and still doing it right now. I’m your customer since 2018 and played less this game than ive given other games much less money for. and here you are pandering to the 1% and some supposed single players that will suddenly make you millions.

How about us here now. Why can’t you keep the fire going? New monsters, new content. Automation for god sakes some of this work is equivalent to cotton picking and not the mechanized kind. How hard is it to program this after so much time, insulting to anyone intelligence. I mean come on do you not have data of how farms are being treated? Do you not see how annoying it is to click a machine recipe 100 times. A simple multiply option…COME ON. Having only a few monsters to shoot and no bosses. No real fun exploration. YOU KNOW THIS. This kind of frustration makes me think you either like toying with us or hate us. You tell me.

The economy is basically other peoples slavery or time wasted and there is ways you can avoid it all with the wonderful chyrso. Took me a whole 3 days to see the angles.

Has the game become so boring to work on that you work at 1% speed. I get the same feeling when i work on the same musical piece for a long time. It’s wonderful and full of potential but im bored of it so it stagnates and i forget about it.

I started in 2k18 i came back to a few new blocks and a neglected feature you call farming just a month or so ago. game feels the same with mostly new faces and very tolerant extremely casual OG. I’m already getting back to the bored after such a short time and wondering if i want to keep the sovs i have.

You could have avoided this and kept the fire going. “Have you given up” a la chef ramsey.

You wanted us to not use steam forums. Here you go.

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I’m certain no dev said that people shouldn’t use the Steam forums. Players were simply suggesting that people post their Qs here to get a faster reply (since this is one of the most active ways players/devs communicate with each other about Boundless).

They are adding content at the same approx time that they’ll be adding this new feature.

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