You've been heard loud and clear!
Hey guys, this is Ben the lead dev/owner over here. I want apologize for folks having no idea what on earth to do in the game when they log in. This feedback has come in from all over and I completely agree with all of you, the game feels empty and directionless when you log in for the first time.
Unfortunately, we kinda did it on purpose and it was a bad call.
Before I explain, let me show you a map of our Jungle level as it is in game, right now. (And since launch)
When we did our beta, we mostly had the super structure in the far right, with almost none of the structures outside of that deserty area. Because of this, feedback (as I interpreted it) was people loved the exploration aspect of the game. (In hindsight, this was probably not the correct interpretation)
Fast forward towards launch, and we're finishing the questing system. (In its obvious rudimentary form) We added so many NPCs, and so many quests, and so many new structures in the span of a week, the beta testers literally had no time to provide us feedback on how organic anything felt. And to be honest, our beta testers had been on the project so long, the game probably felt completely natural to everyone, because no one was seeing it with fresh eyes.
I had wrongly assumed that the exploration aspect of the game was an enjoyable aspect, when in reality, it is a huge hindrance to anyone unfamiliar with the game.
Here we are today. We have heard the complaints loud and clear that the game lacks direction and any clear indication of what to do or why. There have certainly been other complaints levied at the game, and for the record, we value all valid criticism.
Lets be honest, not a whole lot of you bought this game, so its our responsibility to you guys to help you feel justified in your purchase. We really want to make a game you guys enjoy.
Now to the positives!
We have a lot of things we're doing right now, for an upcoming release to address some of these particular concerns around direction:
1. In game map
2. More linear play for newer players, with open areas for high level and PVP players
3. More separation between PVE and PVP zones
4. Easy, clear transportation to high level zones/PVP areas (no more unmarked teleporters!)
We'll be rolling these features out over the next few weeks, (in addition to other features) but in the meantime, I've included the map above, so that for any new players, rest assured there's more to the game than the starting area!
If this is a productive dialog, I would like to do frequent, informal updates here in addition to our standard bug fix reports, and patch notes.
Thanks!