[MSE_Ojuel]

… In the next months there will be new updates arriving to Spacelords, so we hope you guys like what we are preparing here at MSE. …

Of course you are constantly developing the game and that's all well and good, but you do not share your thoughts with the community. Nobody, none of the community knows which direction is being developed further.

Yes there is a roadmap, but there was never any mention of e.g. new aleph drops, sudden death timers, limiting ammo and so on (these things are not just small patches). So, you don't have to wonder, if most players are getting upset when you implement such features nobody wanted or asked for (e.g. ALEPH DROPS!!!).

Considering the last few updates, I don't know if I should be happy, or if I should be afraid about the next updates. I hope for the best, and thanks for the reply, Karen.

Aleph & Ammo drops are currently in an experimental phase and I'm pretty sure we already stated we'd be messing a bit with them, trying some new playable options soon to be put in the game.

Ammo famine is something we'll also be patching soon, since the result was a bit extreme, especially on higher MMR matches.

Concerning the Sudden Death feature, there are no specific plans to change it at the moment, since we are still gathering data from matches being played since the last patch update.

That said, we'll be getting more into detail pretty soon, as the next milestone on our beloved Roadmap, Prizes Gallore, gets close to its release.

[B30]

@MSE_Ojuel

Sorry, but I think you didn't get my point, what I wanted to say is you guys are just keep doing and doing and don't tell anyone exactly what are you are doing.

Not until the release day, you explain what you have changed or what you've implemented. Unfortunately, it is already too late for changes then.

For example the aleph drops - you could have handled this new feature way better if you would have told something in advance and you could have had a discussion with the community. People have some good ideas here in the forums. You're developing this game for the community, the people out there not for you (MSE). If the people don't like it - you're done, you know?

If you would communicate better in advance, you would not have to patch so much afterwards. 

[Urgehal]

we have discussed these topics plenty of times, but we keep working to improve the game in all areas.

We are aware some features are not exactly what you asked for, but they were created with the goal to help veterans and new players coordinate on matches.

We listen to your thoughs, not only here, but on all our social media channels. There are a lot of topics to be addressed, but they need time to be tested and applied.

In the next months there will be new updates arriving to Spacelords, so we hope you guys like what we are preparing here at MSE. We'll do our best to make you guys happy, but we need your patience in order to do so.

Thank you very much for your understanding.

Thanks for reading Karen! (and Ojuel). I completely understand implementing new features & putting them out and for the players themselves to test it out...but I feel some of these weren't thought out too thoroughly and required (ALOT) more internal testing. The recent ammo change is a great example. Why get rid of a mechanic that was unique to the game by melee-ing enemies for ammo and turning it into like every other game?

Regardless, I still think the game is great, despite the abundance of frustrating changes/on going issues. (that can easily be fixed & tweaked...) But I'm a patient man and trust you guys, godspeed.

And my wallet is open and ready to support you guys more!, please lower the prices on the shop please OR do what Warframe does and have a 75% off coupon from time to time. 

[MSE_Ojuel]

… In the next months there will be new updates arriving to Spacelords, so we hope you guys like what we are preparing here at MSE. …

Of course you are constantly developing the game and that's all well and good, but you do not share your thoughts with the community. Nobody, none of the community knows which direction is being developed further.

Yes there is a roadmap, but there was never any mention of e.g. new aleph drops, sudden death timers, limiting ammo and so on (these things are not just small patches). So, you don't have to wonder, if most players are getting upset when you implement such features nobody wanted or asked for (e.g. ALEPH DROPS!!!).

Considering the last few updates, I don't know if I should be happy, or if I should be afraid about the next updates. I hope for the best, and thanks for the reply, Karen.

Aleph & Ammo drops are currently in an experimental phase and I'm pretty sure we already stated we'd be messing a bit with them, trying some new playable options soon to be put in the game.

Ammo famine is something we'll also be patching soon, since the result was a bit extreme, especially on higher MMR matches.

Concerning the Sudden Death feature, there are no specific plans to change it at the moment, since we are still gathering data from matches being played since the last patch update.

That said, we'll be getting more into detail pretty soon, as the next milestone on our beloved Roadmap, Prizes Gallore, gets close to its release.

Can you give us more information about these new "playable options"? Will this solve the main issue with aleph and ammo drops? Which is that they can appear anywhere around your character instead of absorbing it and leaving behind any excess aleph/ammo... Currently you have to waste your few seconds of invulnerability after a melee kill to look around like an idiot for the drops, leaving you exposed as you're getting shot from all directions or being surrounded by elites that could potentially grab the aleph.

Karen will go into detail soon enough, but I can confirm Aleph still drops nearby after meleeing someone. That said, there will be other ways, new ways, in which you'll be able to get Aleph besides meleeing foes.

Thanks for reading Karen! (and Ojuel). I completely understand implementing new features & putting them out and for the players themselves to test it out...but I feel some of these weren't thought out too thoroughly and required (ALOT) more internal testing. The recent ammo change is a great example. Why get rid of a mechanic that was unique to the game by melee-ing enemies for ammo and turning it into like every other game?

We've been working on the whole ammo thing in order to make it more accessible and easier to understand for newcomer players.
That's also the main reason why in The Team up or Die update we made impossible for AI characters to pick ammo drops: After doing some playtesting sessions with new players we realized AI stealing their ammo would feel extremely confusing to them.
As you know, teaching the game to newcomer players is one of our lines of work, but another interesting line of work is making some aspects of the game more accesible so that they autoexplain themselves in a better and more simple way.

[sonofoz]

i don't really care, didn't know the previous gameplay so i'm used to this one (even if i don't really see how it is so interesting to force us to pick up aleph, but well...)
nevertheless, he's still making a point here :

What if we also end up hating these new ways of obtaining aleph, you'll be just breaking the game even more.

it seems players liked the previous gameplay regarding aleph, so why will you take risk to add new things to modify smthg they don't like whereas you can just put the old loved one ?
(except because you want to keep going with your agenda and your vision of the game)

[B30]

it seems players liked the previous gameplay regarding aleph, so why will you take risk to add new things to modify smthg they don't like whereas you can just put the old loved one ?
(except because you want to keep going with your agenda and your vision of the game)

Most likely, they use the new aleph-drop-mechanic and the timers to complicate the game frustratingly and thereby artificially increase the grind. But that's a risky business, because I think they loose more players than they gain with these new mechanics.

I can clearly say that I've played a lot less since the last few updates, because I just don't enjoy it as much as before the updates.

And about their vision - their vision (e.g. gameplay mechanics etc.) is worth nothing if NO one (or only a few) likes it, but as we have seen so many times, I guess they are too stubborn to see that. 

[MSE_Ojuel]

i don't really care, didn't know the previous gameplay so i'm used to this one (even if i don't really see how it is so interesting to force us to pick up aleph, but well...)
nevertheless, he's still making a point here :

What if we also end up hating these new ways of obtaining aleph, you'll be just breaking the game even more.

it seems players liked the previous gameplay regarding aleph, so why will you take risk to add new things to modify smthg they don't like whereas you can just put the old loved one ?
(except because you want to keep going with your agenda and your vision of the game)

Besides we having our own vision of the game, please take into account we gather feedback from many online communities besides this forum. We also take into account comments and feedback recieved via Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, YouTube videos, live streams, e-mail & Discord.
That said, besides player feedback, we also analyze matches & user retention data.
And finally, besides player feedback and match data gathering, we also do playtesting sessions with newcomer players, in order to see which mechanics are more easily understood by gamers who still didn't get to learn the quirks of the playable systems in the game.

Taking into account all of these inputs, we decided we would experiment a little more with the new Aleph & Ammo drops system. We're evolving the system into something more accessible yet featuring a wider range of playable possibilities.

[sonofoz]

i hear you.
and i really hope for your game that you are doing all that.

what i less believe is that forcing players to pick up aleph help them to understand the game mechanics or make them stay more than before... ^^
but well, maybe i'm wrong =)

[B30]

… We're evolving the system into something more accessible yet featuring a wider range of playable possibilities.

More accessible!?? I would say if you compare the aleph-drop-mechanic then and now, I would say it was waaaay more accessible then, as it is now!

You can not make it more accessible if the player already obtained the aleph automatically, the only thing you could have done better is just dropping the excess.