Topic

Glitch Fatigue

Again.

Over the weekend, I played a whole bunch, and there was a moment on Sunday where I was like "okay, make some more Aces of Spades to donate to get a bunch of iMG to buy another x1 Quoin upgrade... so why?"  I can speed up the rate I get iMG, or currants or whatever, but after the first couple of times cycling an iMG or energy or currant engine, I find myself wondering why I'm doing it.

The rash of updates recently has been interesting - worth logging in to check them out.  But there's no real transition of play - nothing I can accumulate and say to myself "I did that."  I log in, I play for 15 minutes, or a couple of hours, and at the end I know I'll just need to do it again.  All these upgrade cards I'm buying, or expansions to my house and street ... they're not *going* anywhere.

In the past I've seen this sentiment answered by the Glitch faithful with "try something else - there's fun things to do."  Anticipating that reaction, I have to say "yes, there's lots of fun things ... other than Glitch."

Posted 6 months ago by Yarrow Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

1 2 Next
  • Sadly, the new things which showed up over the last few weeks have not been too interesting.  All I do now is collect quoins, mess with icons and emblems, and swap things around in my herb garden.  Towers sound like public versions of houses... nice, I suppose, but I can't see them taking up much time. 

    We need much larger missions, long-term goals, challenges, mini-games... something, anything, to make all of the grind worthwhile.
    Posted 5 months ago by glum pudding Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Glum, we're completely on the same page.  I'll go one further and continue to advance the idea that the larger scope needs to be player driven (unless TS is looking to clone WoW's "come back: new content!").  (Been writing a lot of forum posts about *how* to do that.)
    Posted 5 months ago by Yarrow Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I agree with glum pudding and Yarrow.
    Posted 5 months ago by Reirei Umezaki Subscriber! | Permalink
  • when you're bored, you're bored. Can't be "talked" out of that. I have yet to play a game where I didn't go through cycles of boredom though. They pass or I do. Was me though--I'd work on those icons. No full set? I'm working on my second set for passersby.
    When I'm at lose ends I like to go stand on a busy street--not Cebarkul--and go AFK. Then watch how many people stop to give me random kindness. So funny/sweet to watch them run by, then come back, then look at you--as they scramble for their RK. I know that is a ridiculous use of time, but it makes my heart swell a teensy.
    Is yarrow really good for stomachaches?
    Posted 5 months ago by Booknerd Subscriber! | Permalink
  • "I just pootle about"

    That's exactly how I would describe my Glitch playing. Glitch is a pootler's paradise.
    Posted 5 months ago by dopiaza Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Currently, I do happen to do the same thing every time I log in, because I'm working on my Numistisizer badges, though I tend to see about going to different places for it. But otherwise, I usually log in, and pick a different project or quest or community sandbox activity to engage in. It may be taking me a long time to get "all" the upgrades, or even my first icon, but the game stays fresh and fun for me. And really, the community activities are much more fun than trying to level or gather upgrades or whatever.

    I don't really feel like Glitch is meant to be played ad nauseum for hours every day, every week like, say, WoW, but instead in small doses at the rate that pleases oneself best. It isn't pointless so much as the points are up to you in a much more meaningful way than a scripted game like Skyrim or Mass Effect, where you gain the illusion of choice and a sandbox when it's really just a task list.
    Posted 5 months ago by Faranae Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I logged on today for the first time since January, and I have to say, it feels like a nearly new game.   I actually don't even know where to start.  I had the fantastic experience of catching up with all (or most) of my old glitchen and not really understanding half of what they were talking about.  Glorious!
    Posted 5 months ago by Nanookie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I understand that the housing update and other things that are cosmetic have been added and updated....Any yes i realize it Beta.  But its been a VERY long Beta. And i do think most of us are wanting content that would prod us into exploring more Vs. Gather/ Garden/ Harvest / Make Food, Drink, Potions, etc. For me personally WE do need this, and its why so many have left. We need things animals that live in say Groddle Heights or Xalanga...or the mines. Maybe plants that are ONLY in certain areas. Let the Gods do things if they get Angerd somehow, like say Natural Disasters. We need things we can gather various items that are Grocery items from. New Quests, Group Halls, new games and reasons TO socialize. Nomatter how many types of Lamps added to the game wont matter in the long run if theres not interesting and varied content. And a very base thing is the green contact links for the chat boxes, of groups and glitchen online, needs to be easy to search. If we cant easily access our contacts....odds are often we dont. That aside, we know you have put a lot of time an energy into this game, and many things are wonderful, BUT to keep people interested in things they need to develop more than just astetically. Also i realize that its quite possible you dont want to release new content until we open back up, and you can gage a larger community's perspective. As for sandbox ideas, they are good as occasional time wasters BUT should not be something were compelled to do out of lack of content. Bottom line we are feeling that we need some input back telling us SOMETHING as to whats been going on in the past few months aside from the housing update. I think basically we feel like were floundering and are concerned the game is as well.
    Posted 5 months ago by Lyrical DejaVu Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Apparently, Yarrow is *fantastic* at stomachaches. :)  Thanks for scrambling in your bags, Booknerd.
    Posted 5 months ago by Yarrow Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Interestingly (to me), this is precisely the same issue some people (myself included) encounter with EVE Online.
    Posted 5 months ago by Impspindle Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I've come back for another look after several months not playing. This thread and the comment below explains why I stopped playing:
    "Glitch is an interesting crafting and resource-gathering system in search of an actual game"
    I used to play Guild Wars. Loved the graphics, and the quests. But ended up quitting because if you don't want to spend your whole life glued to the game and reading all the background material, customising your character, etc etc, you make stupid mistakes and other players get mad at you. I think it's better now because you can do most things with non-playing (not real people) characters - 'heroes'. The story is interesting and the quests are challenging. Is it possible to get that challenge without killing/fighting, I wonder? (maybe the rook needs some friends). Also tried Fable III, it's good but some of the fighting gets incredibly tedious. But it also has an interesting story. I think maybe the story is what isn't working so well in Glitch.
    Anyway, coming back after about 8 months I find that so many of our suggestions have been implemented, really well, and there is certainly plenty to do for the moment. Thanks devs!
    Posted 5 months ago by Emu Subscriber! | Permalink
  • My two cents:

    * The game does need more quests, especially story- or background-oriented ones. I mean we don't really need any more "do activity x for y times", but stuff like the bureaucrats' quests, the kid room one, the Rook egg quest, etc... Which is to say, quests that build the mistique of Ur leaving the players enough space to imagine their own stories and connections.

    * Some achievement badges are counterproductive, in that they require excessive grinding - leading to hating that specific activity. I can get around five "days" of grinding the very same stuff... but not dozens and dozens of them - and we all know the urge that forces us "just not to leave them alone"

    * I do play Glitch as a zen thing, just to mindlessly click stuff while I am thinking about more serious stuff. So I don't mind the current state of play, yet I do realize that "just a pinch of game more" would greatly help my attitude towards Glitch

    * I feel that private streets, and especially routes, have killed the important social element of the game - or better, the feeling of being inside a living world full of real people. Nowadays, you have to hang around Cebarkul if you want to meet somebody, or you can go days without seeing anybody else in-game

    * As they say, when the only game in town is a crooked game, you just play that. And given my hatred for all those "make more money!" or "kill more stuff!" games out there (all of them, it seems...), I guess I'll keep going after achievements here...
    Posted 5 months ago by Ayzad Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I began playing the game on August 5. The first thing I noticed was that my character is two-dimensional. Then I noticed that it can't do much: could only walk and then later - with aid of a hint - could jump. It is then that I realized the character's attributes are based on the old Mario Brothers game (from decades ago). My character had to leap up onto various levels of mushrooms to then jump straight up in order to collide with something of value. This was ridiculous. The game never got any better. Everything was pointless. And as far as quests go, I abhor them. It would have been great if fellow members had suddenly appeared and started socializing with me, but no. Nothing and no one - save for an annoying floating rock - ever appeared. I felt deserted, confused, and annoyed. I played enough to finish one quest. That was enough for me. So... until a non-violent game is all 3D and includes a lot of socializing as well, I'll pan Glitch.
    Posted 4 months ago by Ann DramaDuh Subscriber! | Permalink
  • did you try socialising with anyone?
    Posted 4 months ago by shhexy corin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Wow, Glitch fatigue before level 2...well I guess anything's possible!
    Posted 4 months ago by Muncey Mango Subscriber! | Permalink
  • My nickel:  the game doesn't need more quests.  Quests should continue to serve a mostly tutorial function.  You get a new skill, and accompanying quests emerge that show you the mechanics of the skill.

    I am seeing a lot of glitches all over Ur creating their own content, in the form of a 'Be Here Now' kind of thing.  Glitch is a world for your glitch to live in.  Be creative, don't yearn after a script that some game developer put together.  Glitch isn't a linear game that you 'run through' and complete.

    New content should continue to come in the form of game mechanics for glitches to improvise around.  Not pre-fab stories and little scripts for us to enact.
    Posted 4 months ago by Feldspar Gravity Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Aren't there greeters anymore?

    I mean...right when you start there used to be an option to get a real-life glitch to come talk to you and get past the confusion.

    AnnDramaDuh
    "if fellow members had suddenly appeared"
    --TS is working on telepathy, soon. (sorry for the snark in that one)
     I just can't envision how this would work without you talking to people...people with the same quest light up? Massage 5 butterflies and you're all transported to a butterfly area?

    Did you try to chat on Global? You're out of newgie clothing so unless people are obsessively clicking they don't particularly know you're new. Or that you have quests to do or that you have a sudden new obsession with shiny things.

    Also, comparing Glitch to Mario Bros? lol OK it's a side-scroller with platformer physics but still...that's like saying a dune buggy is a limousine. They both have an engine and wheels!

    3D would only make for better game art and other sandbox type player projects...Which you haven't had a chance to get involved with.  And I'm sure 3D couldn't be done in Flash...or at least I hope so, as it is glitch cooks my laptop.

    ETA: http://www.glitch.com/snaps/recent/ is a great place to see what Glitch after the initial quests and card buying so you're not ridiculously slow and clumsy looks like...once you get some base iMG and some currants to rub together...

    Ofc that's recent but right now in the 1st cpl pages right now:

    lem.to/p/EAA2
    lem.to/p/iVCU
    lem.to/p/hYVq <--Woah Stoot! wasn't expecting to find *this*
    lem.to/p/mxFO
    lem.to/p/dz0g
    lem.to/p/aFVi

    Fun with friends at home, parties and yes alone too...but never really alone there's always Global if not better, more private, chat rooms :)
    Posted 4 months ago by M<3tra, obviously Subscriber! | Permalink
  • That post actually put tears in my eyes.  From laughter I mean, not sadness.  

    Anyway, Metra, good attempt there.  Doubt it changed her mind, but nice post nonetheless.  

    Your response actually gave me an idea for a blog post, which I've been lacking lately, so thanks.  

    ETA: holy hell that was vague.  In case you're interested, it made me think about times I've judged a game by the tutorial and discovered later I missed the interesting stuff about the game, and it made me think about how reviewing online persistent games is problematic, with each . . . I dunno, player population demographic (baby, newbie, early gamer, mid gamer, end gamer) having different understandings, like blind people each describing one part of the elephant while trying to imagine the whole.  
    Posted 4 months ago by Red Sauce Subscriber! | Permalink
  • If there were other  holidays like zilloween there would be more reasons to socialize.   The candy exchange is great but it does get laggy sometimes.   We just need more social badges to work toward within limited time periods such as glitch holidays.
    Posted 4 months ago by Treesa Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @AnneDramaDuh, whose invite came from me after she approached me via Beau Hindman's recent post (I mentioned I had invites in the comments), I would have appeared and socialized with you, but I was completely offline for several days IRL, sorry I was not able to make it a more welcoming experience!  (If you are still around to read this)

    All my other comments are in regards to the new player experience and so not relevant to a thread entitled "Glitch fatigue".  Although I would like to stress in that regard that a lengthy break does wonders, absolute wonders.

    ps- yes there are still Greeters but they are offline at the moment, getting twigged, er, tweaked.  
    Posted 4 months ago by Nanookie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • As a level 1,  AnneDramaDuh would not have had a chance to get involved with zilloween, or social badges, or social games of any sort, so their existence would not have made her any happier. It sounds like she really needed a greeter badly, which should be available to newbies very soon. Also, knowledge of global chat and live help would have been a good thing. I don't recall that being shown in the tutorial video. 
    Posted 4 months ago by Shepherdmoon Subscriber! | Permalink
  •  It would have been great if fellow members had suddenly appeared and started socializing with me

    -- because, you are just so awesome and the rest of us have been doing nothing but waiting for you to show up, right?
    Posted 4 months ago by WalruZ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Firstly, IMHO the programming that drives Glitch is an awesome achievement. To be able to graphically display the actions of multiple players in a browser with no other client required is astonishing.

    However, as a game Glitch has some failings as people have described in this thread. In short (and in my opinion of course), there's far too much grinding and far too little creativity or puzzle solving.

    How about introducing some logic puzzles, similar to those found in graphical adventure games (Myst, etc), or casual gaming room escape games, or DROD*, that when solved allow a player to access or obtain some method of automating the grinding operations such as squeezing multiple chickens, harvesting multiple trees, nibbling multiple piggies, mining multiple rocks, etc?

    *Deadly Rooms of Death, see Wikipedia
    Posted 4 months ago by John259 Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm at level 12 and I'm starting to get a little tired to be honest. I still love the vibe the game gives off but I feel like I'm starting to lose enthusiasm to do things. Although it might also be because I had loads of quests at first (to the point where I felt overwhelmed) but now I'm not getting nearly as much quests so I'm stuck wondering where else I'm going to focus my attention. There is something that I feel is off about the world streets. I just don't feel that encouraged to explore the world....sure I know there will another img quoin waiting for me at a new street....but what else? There isn't really anything else. I'd like to see more situations like Rube pop up when you're wandering around.In this way I do feel like exploring personal streets is much more rewarding.
    Posted 4 months ago by Dizzard Subscriber! | Permalink
  • The concept of 3D gaming and Flash was proven in Faunasphere.  It was totally 3D and coded in Flash, and in some ways pretty awesome.  If the good elements of Glitch had been injected into FS it would have ruled the MMO world.  Unfortunately, BigFish Management proved they were mostly Zynga wannabes.
    Posted 4 months ago by Feldspar Gravity Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Glitch has beauty and tremendous visual variety and charming wit, a burgeoning economic structure, and social elements well in place. What it is still mostly missing, in my opinion, is the meaning brought by stories and the intellectual interest brought by puzzles/problem-solving. It's a nice place to explore and hang out, but it lacks the satisfaction that comes with a sense of purpose beyond the accumulation of 'material' possessions and 'achievements.'

    Yes, sandboxers (among whom I count myself) have done amazing things with the raw materials the game provides. My hat is off to the many, many creative people who have done awesomely clever and lovely things with their homes and towers and out 'n' about in Ur.

    Still, I'm missing a bigger picture. I'm missing something that might begin to tie together the many clues embedded in the different regions of Ur. I miss piecing together a puzzle, working with others to solve a problem or bring about a change; even the battles with the Rook (now scarce) are ultimately little more than tossing resources into a shrine. There's very little call for strategic thinking or multi-step planning.

    A truly compelling, rich, deep MMO needs to help us answer the question: Why are we here? 
    Posted 4 months ago by Pascale Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I liked the Jethimadh Tower quest - can we have more things like that? It was beautiful. And brought texture to the world. And was completely optional.
    Posted 4 months ago by Silverfire Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Maybe the bigger picture will be joining John259 in imagining up some DROD tribute dungeons. I loved the first incarnation of that game.
    Posted 4 months ago by Aleph Zero Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Nanookie – Please forgive me for stomping all over your kindness. This was/is a very rude thing to do. Not in my character at all. I felt very let down when I discovered that Glitch characters are 2D, that they are expected to go on quests, and that my attempts to maneuver my character made me feel hopelessly stupid and behind the times (if only I’d considered the early PC games fun, I would have at least learned a game-playing skill ).
    @shhexy - Did I try socializing with anyone? No. There was no one around to socialize with.
    @Muncey- Glitch fatigue before level 2? More like Glitch disappointment before level 2.
    @Dorgan- Tutorial quests, Skills, Implementation quests, Creativity… This sounds wonderful!
    Posted 4 months ago by Ann DramaDuh Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @AnnDramaDuh:  There is absolutely nothing to forgive!  I can really understand where you are coming from in regards to it feeling weird and isolated when you first start playing.  The new housing/tower features have injected a hugely needed avenue for player creativity, but they seem to have emptied out the public streets---this means zero to you, I know. but if you decide ever to spend some more time playing, I am happy to explain it better, but the long and the short of it is..the world feels weirdly empty, and that must have piled on to your other disappointments.

    I can't really speak to those other disappointments--I have been playing this game since alpha, and it took over my personal life, to the point that I quit for several months so I would do all the stuff I had blown off for 1.5 years to play Glitch.  So I promise you---it's a very absorbing and fun game, with a great community--but it might still not be the one for you.

    Glitch is a game that has funny surprises and bits of joy tucked in every corner--nobody maximizes vertical and horizontal space the way that these devs do.   There is no game out there that offers so much serendipity laced into layers of seemingly mundane activities, so I really hope you will give it another shot!
    Posted 4 months ago by Nanookie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Nanookie: Oh, I feel so much better now! Thank you for being kind and understanding towards me...and for your offer to explain the ins-and-outs as needed (don't want to take up a lot of your enjoyment of playing the game).

    I still abhor quests. I wonder if I could get by with not doing any of them ... nah ... I think my character needs some kind of energy, or it will die. :-[ And doing the quests results in energy and other stuff.

    I will go in and work. None of this "try" stuff.

    P.S. I played The Sims (the original one for PC) so much that I truly ran out of things to do with them and their environment. I can barely recall what when on in real life in 2006. I never purchased or played any of the later-released versions because I knew I'd lose another year or two! :-D
    Posted 4 months ago by Ann DramaDuh Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I thought Faunasphere was isometric 3d (like a Diablo style view), which is like 3d-lite. 

    But true 3d is possible in flash.  Just probably not practical for an MMO without incredible server structure.  There are lots of single players flash-based with first person and over-the-shoulder third person views. 
    Posted 4 months ago by Red Sauce Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Anna, at a certain point, I completely ceased doing quests, only doing those that seemed unique or introduced me to some mechanic.  I'm level 52, been playing nearly a year, and have something like 15 or 16 quests sitting in my log.  I only don't have more because I often ended up completing a task while doing whatever I wanted.
    Posted 4 months ago by Red Sauce Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Saucelah- Gives me hope!
    Posted 4 months ago by Ann DramaDuh Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Quests used to be an excellent way to level up, make currants and get energy refills...maybe that is not the case any more?
    Posted 4 months ago by Nanookie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Yea, you definitely don't have to do most quests. :)  I haven't done two, because they're group quests, and I don't like bothering with group quests. I used to have more I didn't have done because I enjoy having a focus from time to time, just not tons of grinding.

    I hope your second try proves more enjoyable for you. If you need anything, just let me know.
    Posted 4 months ago by Little Miss Giggles Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Imo what Glitch needs is actually to be a game and not just working for crafting (its great ) but actually making new system for players to play a game not only for 1 big aspect but for other aspects like exploring(its dull at the moment) and gameplay mechanics that dosnt have anything to do with the crafting /gathering mechanic
    Posted 4 months ago by Cryroth Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I don't know if they are or not, Nanookie.  I just didn't like being told what to do by a surly rock with eyes :-D

    In all seriousness, beyond tutorial style quests, which are sometimes useful with new skills, I just don't need the game to tell me what to do.  I do the unique ones (Ilmenskie Jones, the kids' room ones, and the rook museum) and then I move on to whatever it is that interests me. 

    When I was a baby, XP not only mattered less to the game than iMG does, it really mattered not all to me.  I earned currants by finding items I could sell to players on auction, because I enjoy the economic game.  I don't remember energy refills coming from most quests unless they happen to push you to the next level, but because I was pinching currants, I had a tendency to log out to wait for new day and play something else for awhile.   

    So they're useful, but you can absolutely get by without them. 

    Some more lore quests might be nice, talking more about the world and the Giants, but I'd much rather have more lore regions, like the AL, that you can just stumble into and only get  a quest the first time in, a quest that is more "this is what you can do in this unique region" than it is about filling a list. 

    "Quests are meh" is probably not the majority attitude, but I think that's in part training people have taken from other online games, where quests = content and only quests = content.  In part at least, certainly not the only reason.  A bit patronizing of me, but I think even people that ask for more quests would be better served by asking for two things: more lore, and more toys for the sandbox.  Quests are done pretty fast and add little to the game world.  More lore might sound like more quests on the surface, but I think lore that is just naturally in the game world rather than read out of specific quest text is much more interesting.  For toys, I think what we're missing the most is long-term cooperative group projects, cooperative group and solo logic puzzles, and frivolous party toys along the lines of Charades potions. 

    Nope, I don't spend too much time thinking about Glitch for no good reason, not at all. 
    Posted 4 months ago by Red Sauce Subscriber! | Permalink
1 2 Next