[2022] Bi-Weekly Feedback/Discussion Thread: 7/19 - 8/1

Hey all!

As usual, we're interested in hearing your feedback - your questions, comments/concerns, suggestions and everything else help us steer the game in a better direction - we're happy to hear it! Like usual, please keep things civil down below. On a side note, I'd like to say thanks especially for doing that in the last post - we're aware the armory hasn't been well received, but not getting berated and just getting feedback on it is way more beneficial for all parties involved :D

A quick note about the armory in general:

Like I said above, we're aware that the Armory isn't exactly up-to-par in terms of usability. We've been monitoring feedback and will be looking to make improvements where possible in this regard.

Something I saw in last post's comments was a request for us to revert it or develop a different version of the armory; unfortunately, this isn't possible. A main reason for the armory redesign were to make the UI function properly on gamepads; not just in the armory, but also in other menus, etc. The old code we had was put together in a way where it wasn't possible to add gamepad support and also had some issues that were starting to crop up, especially with the amount of new cosmetics that have been added.

So with the armory, our intention was to make the armory run properly on gamepad and keyboard + mouse while also adding in extra features, and improving some aspects of functionality. We fell short in ways on making it more usable, but reverting isn't an option; we'd much rather have one version of the armory to maintain as opposed to two, and an eventual console port means that a unified system will allow development resources to be used more efficiently. The general idea going forward for us is to add some improvements where possible to the new armory and achieve parity with the old version if we can.

As for the rest of the meeting:

• We spent most of the meeting talking about upcoming plans; as you all might have seen recently with a poll or two, we're trying to get more targeted feedback about what people value most with the game and where you'd like us to focus our efforts. While we have some good ideas, it's better to double check with you all to make sure we're on the right track. If you've got any specific ideas on this - where we should focus more - please let us know below, thanks!
• Speaking of development, we've identified a few key areas (thanks to you all) where we could improve on what we're already doing. When it comes to maps, Arid has been okay - not great, but also not terrible. We agree with the feedback we've been getting from you all that the map feels perhaps a little too streamlined, or that it's lacking a bit of gameplay variety/depth to it. It's not ugly, it's just that there isn't all that much to do aside from hitting the enemy team. We chatted a bit about Grad in comparison, and how gameplay there can feel more varied, both in level design and the objectives on the map. Once again, if you've got any other thoughts on the matter don't be afraid to speak up :)
• As you all probably know, maps are the major bottleneck when it comes to development. For a bit of context, when EI Part 1 (Noria) released, Arid was in a pretty incomplete/barebones state, so we had a lot of catching up to do, which slowed down progress, and arguably led to a more simple design. Luckily, our next planned map is noticeably further along. It won't be ready for some time, but previous work has been completed before our latest patch on it that will shave weeks off of development time. It should also give us a bit more time to flesh out some areas and improve our mapmaking as well.
• As for the next patch, we're planning (content-wise) on adding a map, female characters, new weapon and armor skins, and a few other odds and ends. We feel that this is a good time as well to experiment with more non-standard additions as well in terms of features, so we'll be looking to add some more gameplay variety as well. Apologies for being a bit vague on the last bit - some potential features/changes are relatively experimental at the moment, and I don't want to promise anything that we might not end up releasing.

That about wraps it up. Once again, please let us know your thoughts on the game, and thanks for reading! In case you'd like to read back a bit, you can find the last post here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Mordhau/comments/vs17p2/biweekly_feedbackdiscussion_thread_75_718/

Hey all!

As usual, we're interested in hearing your feedback - your questions, comments/concerns, suggestions and everything else help us steer the game in a better direction - we're happy to hear it! Like usual, please keep things civil down below. On a side note, I'd like to say thanks especially for doing that in the last post - we're aware the armory hasn't been well received, but not getting berated and just getting feedback on it is way more beneficial for all parties involved :D

A quick note about the armory in general:

Like I said above, we're aware that the Armory isn't exactly up-to-par in terms of usability. We've been monitoring feedback and will be looking to make improvements where possible in this regard.

Something I saw in last post's comments was a request for us to revert it or develop a different version of the armory; unfortunately, this isn't possible. A main reason for the armory redesign were to make the UI function properly on gamepads; not just in the armory, but also in other menus, etc. The old code we had was put together in a way where it wasn't possible to add gamepad support and also had some issues that were starting to crop up, especially with the amount of new cosmetics that have been added.

So with the armory, our intention was to make the armory run properly on gamepad and keyboard + mouse while also adding in extra features, and improving some aspects of functionality. We fell short in ways on making it more usable, but reverting isn't an option; we'd much rather have one version of the armory to maintain as opposed to two, and an eventual console port means that a unified system will allow development resources to be used more efficiently. The general idea going forward for us is to add some improvements where possible to the new armory and achieve parity with the old version if we can.

As for the rest of the meeting:

• We spent most of the meeting talking about upcoming plans; as you all might have seen recently with a poll or two, we're trying to get more targeted feedback about what people value most with the game and where you'd like us to focus our efforts. While we have some good ideas, it's better to double check with you all to make sure we're on the right track. If you've got any specific ideas on this - where we should focus more - please let us know below, thanks!
• Speaking of development, we've identified a few key areas (thanks to you all) where we could improve on what we're already doing. When it comes to maps, Arid has been okay - not great, but also not terrible. We agree with the feedback we've been getting from you all that the map feels perhaps a little too streamlined, or that it's lacking a bit of gameplay variety/depth to it. It's not ugly, it's just that there isn't all that much to do aside from hitting the enemy team. We chatted a bit about Grad in comparison, and how gameplay there can feel more varied, both in level design and the objectives on the map. Once again, if you've got any other thoughts on the matter don't be afraid to speak up :)
• As you all probably know, maps are the major bottleneck when it comes to development. For a bit of context, when EI Part 1 (Noria) released, Arid was in a pretty incomplete/barebones state, so we had a lot of catching up to do, which slowed down progress, and arguably led to a more simple design. Luckily, our next planned map is noticeably further along. It won't be ready for some time, but previous work has been completed before our latest patch on it that will shave weeks off of development time. It should also give us a bit more time to flesh out some areas and improve our mapmaking as well.
• As for the next patch, we're planning (content-wise) on adding a map, female characters, new weapon and armor skins, and a few other odds and ends. We feel that this is a good time as well to experiment with more non-standard additions as well in terms of features, so we'll be looking to add some more gameplay variety as well. Apologies for being a bit vague on the last bit - some potential features/changes are relatively experimental at the moment, and I don't want to promise anything that we might not end up releasing.

That about wraps it up. Once again, please let us know your thoughts on the game, and thanks for reading! In case you'd like to read back a bit, you can find the last post here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Mordhau/comments/vs17p2/biweekly_feedbackdiscussion_thread_75_718/