Questions for Xsyon Veterans

I sometimes create posts on Wurm Online (my primary game) to solicit player feedback on questions I have about the game. Xsyon is a game that has always fascinated me from the first time I found it and purchased the game.

So, for those of you who play Xsyon mostly every day, I have a few questions.

1. What do you think is the number one missing feature that keeps this game from exploding in population? I think only veteran players could answer this intelligently. Be honest.

2. What has kept you coming back to Xsyon as opposed to any other sandbox MMO?

3. What incentive would you mention to those of us who have purchased, played a bit, left and came back, left and came back, and have not really stuck it out? Why should we subscribe?

4. Are you happy with the development momentum or do you think it is too slow or too fast?

5. What is your best guess as to the active population of this game - meaning those who log in at least once a week.

Cheers.
Eyesgood

I'm no vet, but i have been playing the game on and off for 2 years now.

2. Updates and new abandoned tribes to loot :D
4. Fast for such a small team, slower than I would like!
5. 150-200

Hey Eyesgood, great questions. You knew I would post on this, and here goes.

1. What do you think is the number one missing feature that keeps this game from exploding in population? I think only veteran players could answer this intelligently. Be honest.

It's is not just 1 reason, but I'm going to limit it down to 2 things.
Tutorial of some type. I would say at a major % of the people starting the game have no idea how to play, and struggle to learn the game. It's hard at first. I've been told many times Xsyon is not solo friendly, or "I can't kill a rat!" type thing. These things are just not true. Xsyon is very very solo friendly, and new players can kill animals in fact I think its too solo friendly. It's just the lack of a simple understanding that a tutorial can do.
Incentive to progress/drive. Kind of with tutorial players are dropped in the game and told "Hey you can do anything you want" but they have no reason to do anything. Xsyon was meant to be a game of survival and really there isn't a struggle for that. You don't even need food or water. Many people start out, they think they need to get food, and build a campfire to start survival, then come to find out they don't need either. Then start thinking "What am I supposed to do?". Once you get to my level (or really long before it) you start wondering why you doing anything. Why build these wonderful looking cities/tribal areas? Why train your skills, you don't really need anything at the top tiers. All the struggle and goals in the game can be done without top weapons, top gear (or any armor at all), top tools etc.
Other games you are edging out your play fighting to get better to do harder things, and live. There is nothing really like that in Xsyon, no goal at the top tier. No need to group up, and no strife. Many other sandboxes have PVP as the end game, and struggle to survival along the way. Xsyon really is missing that. I'm not saying make Xsyon all about PVP. I believe you need more to a game than "This looks cool to build" and do it for no reason. Give players something to work forward too, grow into, and achieve. Where are the true monsters that take a group of strong players to kill? (Dragons? Mutated Cockroaches that are bigger than a bus!) My thought also was maybe infested zones where there was a commander/leader mutant that took many players to fight their way into. Something like an old ruined city/school or something that you had to fight dozens of mutants, and revs that got harder and stronger until you had to fight a leader style mutant/rev.

2. What has kept you coming back to Xsyon as opposed to any other sandbox MMO?

Xsyon is my fav sandbox game, and I still believe it will be a great sandbox game. The features he has coming make me happy to keep playing it. Other sandbox games have some of these features (like UO, or Wurm) but I can't get past the lack of some of the major issues. UO the graphics are way to out of date for me, no terraforming etc. Wurm online graphics are an issue, but mostly how combat is done. Standing there watching text is nothing awe inspiring to me. I played it for a long time until Roma Victor and then Xsyon came out. I was a 96WS, and 92BS in Wurm.

3. What incentive would you mention to those of us who have purchased, played a bit, left and came back, left and came back, and have not really stuck it out? Why should we subscribe?

Xsyon has really changed a lot. I would say it's currently not really fully ready for people to flock into the game, but it's getting close. The game is so much better than other sandbox games out there in many ways, but it is lacking those 2 things I listed before.
Should you come back and subscribe now? I would say the reason to do that would only to get ready for when it does get to that level, because it will. I would come back and try it just to see what all has changed too. You don't even need to subscribe.

4. Are you happy with the development momentum or do you think it is too slow or too fast?

Way to slow. Months between patches is killer for any game of this type. We need something to keep moving us on. We need the hope that it's getting better. I do like the "In development" list now on the news page that helps us know what is being worked on, I also think a lot of good things on there. He has also done a pretty good job fixing some of the issue that are plaguing everyday lives of players.

5. What is your best guess as to the active population of this game - meaning those who log in at least once a week.

I would say over 150, but less than 300.
We have a teamspeak 3 server that has over 25 people logging in it for Xsyon from different users.

Well been forever since I have been here, but I have a question.

Has ranged combat been added yet?

Im not exactly a veteran but im a returning player, hopefully i can help bring back more people.

1. The feature i always wanted to see implemented is ranged combat. Its not essential to anything in the game and would need some adjustments elsewhere like boulder "immunity" or maybe tribe immunity but i know there is a lot of people like me who just like bows :)

To reply to MrDDT, i think a tutorial would help alot of people who are new to sandboxes and in any case new to this game. Hopefully it would be on a separate tutorial server where people could even test out terraforming and very basic building (like one wall).

Infested areas is a good idea, especially if its roaming around like other creatures. A pack of giant mutant wolves going from area to area periodically or revenants turning to highway bandits from time to time could add to the challenge, make it a "special" event and would force group play because of the number of creatures.


2. What made me come back to Xsyon is the freedom of a real sandbox, the dream of building a safe and somehow magical place in the devasted land and and the nice community. After a couple months in a troll and "raging nerd" infested game, i find it so relaxing and enjoyable.

3. What made me the most happy when i came back was the creature population patch. Fighting animals is much more accessible, you can find animals, you can catch up to running animals and you can kill lots of them. (Now because MrDDT showed me what was wrong with my swing its almost too easy though, but thanks alot still for the deer bones i can now collect at will)

4. Of course its too slow but i like the fact that it is in development and that players will enjoy new crafts, features and areas. Xsyon is a living and growing game.

5. Dont know about the active population since im soloing but there are 3 new homesteads in my immediate vecinity since i planted my totem, always new people in global too and tons more members on the forums (i wish they would speak out more).


Harfang

My first major things prevent me to log-in. One, lack of PVE server. Two, soft- cap is way too low for skills and attributes, I would be ok if soft-cap don't drop below 75, it's not top tier but give's you something to achieve/work for. Three, lack of ranged combat. These are the main reasons for me not to log in. Other things I can wait along.