Hi everyone!
We updated the testing version a few weeks ago to give players a quick look at what we had planned for the progression system and we’ve have a great deal of feedback on it, which is great! The feedback has given us a lot more guidance on what players want and how players want to progress in Boundless.
A big thanks to @boundmore @Nibuls @Xanotos @Smooth-Slick @nevir @Kawwak @KaKistoZ for their input!
Based on the feedback we’ve had in the testing version on Steam and from the development team, our findings have been:
- Some players want a tutorial to explain all the features of the game
- Some players want the game to give them a short or long term goal
- Some players want to make their own short or long term goals
- Players want the freedom to choose how they want to play and not forced to all do the same thing
- Players want to feel as though they are always progressing regardless of what they are doing
What Are We Planning To Do Next:
Introduction & The Initial Tutorial Objectives
Judging from the initial feedback it seems like this is going in the right direction. We introduce the player to the basic elements and set them up on the path to building their own Beacon. We don’t see too much of this changing in the near future but we will be adding more elements when character customisation and region selection is added.
After that, players can play the game however they want. We’ve taught them the basics and they can continue to learn more, or go off and do their own thing and find out for themselves.
Feature Objectives
This is where the biggest change is going to occur. The main goal for this area is to give the player some guidance when it comes to learning about elements are the game which cannot be covered in the initial tutorial. These would be things like building and fueling a Furnace, Warping to a New World, What is Beacon Prestige and what does it effect, etc. There will be a few objectives to start with and as you complete them more will be unlocked. You still need to activate them to see them on the screen, but they will be tracked in the background so you can claim your reward if you have already performed the action before the task has unlocked.
Actions
We’re reintroducing the XP earning for some actions performed in the game so players feel like they are earning something at all times, but this is more of a micro XP earning system and not seen as the primary way to earn XP. The change is also to award it when you complete the action, like breaking a block, rather than each hit as it was previously.
Feats
All players will have a list of Lifetime Feats they’ve accomplished in Boundless. Each time a player completes one of these Feats they’ll be given a large amount of XP and Coin. The type of things you would find in a Feat would be generic so players are not forced to do things they do not want to do. For example, they would be Miner 100 blocks, Miner 500 blocks, Mine 1000 blocks, Kill 25 creatures, 100 creatures, etc.
Daily - This is a daily amount of XP players need to earn in order to receive a daily bonus of XP and Coin. The amount will be a based on the player’s current level.
Weekly - This is a weekly amount of XP players need to earn in order to receive a weekly bonus of XP and Coin. Again the amount will be based on the player’s current level.
Having Weekly and Daily Feats will allow players to earn more XP even if they’ve completed all the lifetime feats.
Contracts
The changes to Feature Objectives has led to this section. Contracts are more “mission” based objectives, for players who want a short term goal provided by the game. Contracts will be split into Tiers of difficulty and will be randomly generated every few hours. All players will have the same Contracts generated to promote cooperative play. To start a contract, players can activate it from a menu (for now) and complete the task to earn XP, Coin and possibly an Item. Once a contract is activated, they are stored in your Objectives log until you activate or deactivate them.
Other changes
For consistency and theme, we’re going to make Coins a reward for completing Feats, Objectives and Contracts but remove it from leveling up. Awarding it after you complete a feat, objective or contract will mean you get coin injected into your pocket more frequently and will fit in with the theme of the Central Guild rewarding you for your accomplishments.
When are these changes going to be in the game?
We’re working on these changes right now, but we might need to deliver them in stages. All going well, you can expect to see the Objectives, Actions and Feats in the coming weeks, but contracts will require a bit more time.
So that’s what we are thinking. What do you reckon?