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Time for an open and RESPECTFUL discussion about the state of the game

With 2019 coming to a close, I think it’s worth taking time to discuss how everyone’s experiences has been over that last year.

I know the news of the halting of new bots hit everyone pretty hard (myself included), especially when there were so many chapters that could still be added. That said , I understand that the team had been stuck splitting their efforts between bots, and everything else (the spotlights story suffered as well, consisting mostly of: someone crashed on new quintessa, let’s fight them).

Even though we have stopped getting new bots, I have enjoyed the addition of monthly generic chips, which allow us to pick and chose which bots we want from a limited pool each month.

I am also super excited that we finally got Act 4, as well as mini side missions including Fog of War (Twice!)

I would briefly like to point out that I don’t love the fact that different bots are being teased in spotlights and acts if we know we aren’t getting any more. You even showed Rodimus Prime in a teaser earlier this year. I’m not asking for new bots, because that discussion has been dealt with hundreds of times. I would just question why you reference the other bots so frequently if you have no intention to add them. It was fun to try to guess based on references who the next bot would be. Now the references just remind me who isn’t in the game.


My concern for the game is as follows: I don’t know what the plan is for 2020, and I’m worried that game might just randomly shut down, as more and more players get bored and leave. I’ve often asked myself why I’m still playing.

Now I’m passing the discussion to the community (and the mods, if they’re so inclined) to talk an their own experience in a professional and respectful manner.
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Comments

  • BlackRazakBlackRazak Posts: 2,812
    When you get a BFG in Doom, that's the 'end-game' weapon.
    Game gets easier, so what everyone wished for was for MORE CONTENT, LEVELS.

    In Mortal Kombat, once you've unlocked all characters, what we wished for was for more CONTENT.

    Mario, Sonic, Afterburner, Outrun, Golden Axe, etc are all classics and you get your FULL CAPABILITIES/ROSTER at the START of the game.
    What made them legends is the CONTENT that followed.

    So let's give em a little TIME to see whether Kabam is going this ROUTE.
    They've set the roster, so now it's time to see them develop the REST of the game.
    If we support their GOOD EFFORT and WORK, this could actually be the actual START of the game.

    My 2¢
  • DaveJLDaveJL Posts: 1,779
    Pretty neutral experience for me.

    My thoughts on the game and the potential progression are that it has nowhere left to go now. Solo content is being developed but it's short and not challenging for most players. Progression is still achieved by playing with others but there is no hype, just an endless grind so we can rank up bots for solo content.

    Can't see a clear direction or progression path. It feels like a solo player game but it's not feasible to play solo. The multiplayer experience is necessary but very weak right now. If not for that human feeling of obligation to support the rest of your alliance and the necessity to be in one, then there wouldn't be much of a game, but it is super stale.
  • BlackRazakBlackRazak Posts: 2,812
    @DaveJL 's points are valid, and represent players of the top 1% in terms of skill.

    Now what Kabam need to strive for is give these calibre of players CONTENT which actually necessitates that particular skill level.
    Or any current skill level.
    Kabam needs to work on an algorithm that challenges noobs, intermediate and expert level players.
    That is their challenge.
    The novelty of a new bot for players of @DaveJL 's ilk literally lasts weeks if not days. Garnering one, maxing out takes the veterans HOURS, what with their stored resources.
    So months of work is undone in 3 days, tops.
    Which is why CONTENT and DIRECTION is super crucial now.
    Content that is addictive.

    Good luck, devs and mods. And Godspeed.
  • DaveJLDaveJL Posts: 1,779
    We need more multiplayer content. The engagement with alliances is what keeps the game going, so that's what we need. I like the story too, but I wouldn't play for that alone.

    I also like new bots. I like to figure them out, understand them, see how they fit in with certain teams and maybe build teams around them etc. The other side of new bots is money for Kabam. A lot of players love to collect...

    But yeah, if content is to be created then we need multiplayer content or better solo avenues for progression I guess
  • Firstly, i think Kabaam have done an amazing job at creating i fighting game on mobile that is fun and has very good fighting mechanices.

    Realistically though, what content are you expecting the game to deliver that isn't just move to a node, fight a bot, move to a node, fight a bot, move to a node, fight a bot.

    Mods don't really change the very repetitive nature of the game and i genuienly can't see what they can do to alter that very simple gameplay mechanic. It's a mobile game at the end of the day, it has limitations. Story, Spotlight, Raid, Alliance, Fog of War, Gauntlet, Daily. It's still the SAME gameplay with a little bit of story and ever increasing health of enemies.

    What they DID have as a unique aspect and something that was potentially different was a new character to collect, play, learn and upgrade. Granted a lot of players could max them out very quickly, but it was alteast something different, that then could be used for the same move to node, fight a bot, move to node, fight a bot, move to node fight a bot .....

    I know they hate FTF being compared to MCOC, but lets be honest, would MCOC be as succesful and money making if they lure of new characters to collect and use wasn't there every month? I don't think it would.

    I just think whoever is creating the business model for this game is very naive to think that the lure of a new character every month/2 months isn't one, if not the, main reason people keep playing the game.
  • KillMasterCKillMasterC Posts: 3,105
    My thoughts:

    The Transformers IP itself does not thrive in gaming. Any Transformers game title is comparably dwarf in the game industry. So although I'm a dier-hard TF fan, I know to keep my expectations low and never compare TFTF to other popular IPs. So, Kabam has outdone itself to deliver a great game for the IP.

    I'd say TFTF could get better attention, earn more, etc., if the monetizing strategy department does their homework, because I'm afraid this is the core problem of the game. Although I like the idea of F2P, I find it hard to believe this game doesn't even have VIP 1, 2, 3.... etc. And I see no incentive to buy PBC if there isn't a guaranteed 4* upon maybe 10 pops. OKay I'm gonna stop here because there are tons of well-tested monetizing model but Kabam seems to be so careless about money (and why people call Kabam money grabber, not charity, in this forum, is beyond me). When the revenue drops, it's hard to bring it back.

    In the end, I stay enjoying what I can.
  • Gunz0Gunz0 Posts: 2,949
    In all honesty, I’ve lost all interest in this game. The only aspect keeping me from leaving entirely is the amazing community I’ve met.

    For me, personally, I don’t see any lack of content, there’s FOW, Evil Tread, etc. I just see no reason in doing all of that. What do you for those? Resources to rank up your bots? For what, act 5? There just isn’t no challenging content with new mods, rules and tactics. The gameplay has been the same for a year.

    I want new bots and mods because their abilities (i.e. Cyclonus and that one old mod called Finesse) force the players to switch their attack strategies and change their gameplay.

    I’m seeing a lot of effort but very little work being put in the game due to the lack of income and/or workers who have moved to bigger projects such as MROC and see no bright future for this game. The game may be stretched out for a few more months before it eventually runs out of budget.

    In the end, I still have a lot of respect for that small group of people desperately trying to keep this game alive. I just want to thank them for their huge effort and I wish them luck in doing the same thing to MROC if it ever suffers the same fate as this game.
  • JIMMY_SABJIMMY_SAB Posts: 1,008
    Obviously this is a subjective topic, each player has their own preferences and expectations for this game (any game really). That said, I will try to be objective in my assessment of the state of the game.

    There are 2 endgame modes/achievements that remain - one solo and one team based. The game and current state of Kabam support is in place to sustain them both in their own way.

    1. RotK - with the exception the top 50-75 players, most others need to keep upgrading their bot rosters in order to complete this mode. RotK is a strong example of creating a long term goal that is in line with trying to R5/Max Forge 5* bots. Until you beat this game mode, you are not done.

    2. AM D140 - I wrote about this in another post, but this is a strong example of a long term goal to strive for. Ask yourself this question, how long will it take you to reach this? 2 years? More? Never? Not a bad endgame if you ask me. Also, Kabam has shown the capability to increase this AM d lvl so who knows how far it goes?

  • JIMMY_SABJIMMY_SAB Posts: 1,008
    I hit Post too soon.

    To close, I feel the state of the game is fine as is and that we can expect a full year of support with new content in 2020.
  • KillMasterCKillMasterC Posts: 3,105
    JIMMY_SAB wrote: »
    And one more from me regarding our player base. I think passion is still just as high as the early days. Here’s a great example from Warcat the Solo Mission Map guru. Takes love and care to craft such exquisite work.

    https://forums.transformersforgedtofight.com/discussion/9492/spotlight-maps

    And don't forget the ones who still document everything to the fandom wiki.
  • People say a lot of bad things and demand a lot from Kabam, be happy we at least get something, as some of us know Kabam's FTF devs most of them dipped and went to MCoC which sucks, and it is a tough time for players and Kabam, I remember when there was atleast a dozen Moderators and Devs on the forums but now there is around 3-2 and it's all because Kabam dipped FTF to work on MCoC, but still the year came out bad but the Halloween event was the thing that brought my hopes up and meaby we will get something special like for Halloween, for Christmas all we can do though is wait and hope.
    Thanks
  • WarCatWarCat Posts: 171
    @JIMMY_SAB thanks for the mention. I came back to the game because it’s fun to play. As for my maps... well, that’s where I get the most enjoyment in this game. That and making the title cards. Granted, since these are my first maps in a year, I may have gone a little overboard on the title cards.
  • DrShotgunDrShotgun Posts: 2,157
    The apparent demise of activity genuinely makes me sad. I was a very active player and made tons of friends, but without new stuff to look forward to, it became boring.
    I dropped out of my Alliance and now Im selling off ore because it's all expiring.
    I'm slowly working through spotlights...and while the new rewards system is cool, doesn't being the spark back...excuse the pun.
    The sad part is that Kabam has the recipe for a gold mine of a game. This games playstyle makes MCoC look like the Mortal Combat of 30 years ago
    With proper marketing and some evening out of manpower, this game could be another MCoC and they could print their own money once again. Earth Wars is still going strong so the players are out there.
    I know devs are not at liberty to say much. I'm also surprised and happy to get the info we have so far, especially knowing how the player base would react. The guys here have shown love for Transformers so I'm sure they don't like the decision to wind down either.
  • Thank you all for your feedback. While I appreciate that you would like to have a respectful discussion on the State of the Game, there have been many threads like this in the past.

    It is not your job to understand what it's like to run a game, and we would never ask that you guys have to do that, but we do hope that you all understand that our team are experts at this, and come to work every day to give you all the best experience that they possibly can. They are hard workers, that are dedicated and talented.

    These assumptions about the direction of the game are not only usually quite wrong, but hurtful to other Commanders, and the future they see in the game. We appreciate your continued dedication to Forged to Fight, and look forward to continuing to provide you with the absolutely best experience that our team possibly can.
This discussion has been closed.