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New Dev Team, New life, New Direction, and an Amazing Turnaroun

kaaldromankaaldroman Member Posts: 1

Hi Everyone,

I have rarely posted on any forums about any games. I would often rather read other's experiences and then based on what I read give things a try, than actively post and potentially get into argument with other anonymous people on the internet. However when it comes to Salem, I feel the need to really spread some word, especially now that they are approaching a much more public and rerelease of the game. SO without further ado, here is a summary of my experience and fun I have had with Salem.

I first started playing Salem actually back when it was originally 3 servers. The game was extremely limited, buggy, and to be honest, there was a distinct lack of direction and explanation of any mechanics. However, I was drawn into the open world, sandbox environment, and the idea that my character could settle in, explore the new world, and potentially be murdered by other players at any time. To be honest, I was disappointed after about 2 months. There were no substantial improvements to the systems, and I got quite bored just sitting around, growing crops, and building walls. After 4 months of playing, with zero negative experiences with other players, and even helping new neighbors develop...I quit. It was boring, and to be honest, not worth the time.

I came back to the game roughly a year and a half later. Due to poor performance and low population numbers, the servers had been reset and all active players were put onto a single server. However, by the time I joined, the current server had powerful players, and those who would raid and crush your bases mercilessly if they found you, unless you signed a treaty online and limited your experience to the coastline. Once again, despite some gameplay improvements, I played only fo a few months, and then quit again. This time however, I did keep up with the forums and game development. It was about 4 months after I quit that I saw that the original dev team had sold the game, and a new development team was taking over. I was curious about this, but didn't really expect much change.

Fast forward to 4 months ago, when I hopped on just to check my character and see what had happened in the world while I had been offline. The game has been completely revitalized, and the level of development and interaction with the new developers is amazing. Mechanics that were originally over complicated and broken, such as the original purity system, has been simplified and now encourages sustained effort vs. just buying the best stuff from veteran players. One of the most important features of the game, from its original release, up to now, was the idea that you are a settler, and to be honest, you are never safe. You can build your walls, and deep in the wilderness, but there is always the looming threat of raiders and the loss of your entire base. This fear has been honed in the new version to be just as apparent, but far more manageable. If you put in effort, you can achieve a base that is safe against all but the most powerful raiding force, unlike the game in the past, where individuals with Titan like stats could singlehandedly plough though a base defense and crush your dreams. Development continues daily, and the changes in the game have made Salem an amazingly immersive and enjoyable experience, that finally for the first time, really emphasizes the usefullness of working with a group, while still making the idea of teaming up with strangers dangerous and rife with danger. To finish I also want to go over all of the new systems that were implemented since the new dev team took over, and how the game less than a year, has totally turned around.

1) Gluttony- The central mechanic of the original game, this is how your character grows stronger and increases their statistics. Originally this mechanic was poorly explained, and certain foods were completely broken within the system, allowing veteran characters to pump out massively powerful alt characters in a matter of days to weeks. Now however, the system has been completely overhauled, with a complex and challenging ingredient system that leads players to really plan out their meals to maximise growth, while also providing tangible benefits of taking the time to really master the system instead of spamming power foods.

2) Artifacts- Originally this system basically just gave your character defensive and offensive stats, leading end game to focus entirely on 2-3 rare drops that would provide the highest benefit to defense and damage. The new system now focuses on players developing specific outfits and clothes meant for different tasks, ranging from woodworking, such as creating boards and carving, to weaving and mining, with their own sets of artifacts to socket, in a system that not only focuses on the best artifacts, but encourages gradual improvement of these outfits as your skills increase. 

3) Criminal Acts- This new system has been completely reworked and expanded on. Now to actually murder your character requires a skill that represents a substantial amount of effort and time to achieve. No longer are armies of massively powerful alts, marching towards your base, tearing you up like a knife through butter. Now defenses are stronger and more difficult to break, and more importantly, some structures cannot be destroyed without a large amount of effort and time. In addition, a new mechanic has been added which allows you to reclaim a portion of your lost skills and stats from a character if you are unfortunate enough to actually be murdered. Stealing and looting is still very much a part of Salem, but choosing when and who to rob has added a new level of fun, as some defenses now are much more likely to discourage a criminal act, but a unprepared base is just that much more tempting to loot completely. 

4) General gameplay- The general experience of Salem is night and day difference from the original game. The addition of seasons, new enemies, landmarks, new biomes, and a massive improvement into how your develop as a settler, provides players a guide to early gameplay, but the complete freedom to follow whatever path they choose. Mining has gone from a hole in the ground where you pulled a boulder from every hour or so, to a in depth and rewarding system of tunnels and gradual development, to find pure ore, and rare materials. Every mechanic from the original game has been improved upon, and new mechanics are added on a monthly basis. 

5) Conclusion- Salem is no longer the interesting idea but failed implementation it was in the past. The new Salem is a intricate and challenging game it was meant to be, with permanent death and pvp elements, a complete sandbox experience, and a community that provides feedback and a unique experience, with its own dramatic elements. I would warn new players though, that Salem is not a carebear theme park game, it is the complete opposite. Large amounts of the content require a great deal of time and preparation to achieve, and pvp, deceit, and death is a part of the game and actually a central element of the experience. The loss of a character is devastating, but the glory of tearing up a base with your strongest character, and dancing with your loot, or finally achieving a level of development where you can participate in the online trading forums and start making real money, is a moment that you don't feel in many other games. I encourage everyone to take a look, and really give it a solid attempt before jumping to judgments. 

 

Comments

  • TalonsinTalonsin Member EpicPosts: 3,619

    A full loot PVP game with a cash shop?  I'm glad you found a game you are happy with but "full loot" and "cash shop" is my warning that this isnt the game for me.

     

    On another note, I am glad someone new picked this up and injected some new life into it.

    "Sean (Murray) saying MP will be in the game is not remotely close to evidence that at the point of purchase people thought there was MP in the game."  - SEANMCAD

  • Azaron_NightbladeAzaron_Nightblade Member EpicPosts: 4,829
    Originally posted by Talonsin
    A full loot PVP game with a cash shop?  I'm glad you found a game you are happy with but "full loot" and "cash shop" is my warning that this isnt the game for me.

    You left out perma-death goodness on that list. image

    So you can watch all that money spent in the cash shop go completely down the drain. (just in case you bought stuff that wasn't lootable!)

    My SWTOR referral link for those wanting to give the game a try. (Newbies get a welcome package while returning players get a few account upgrades to help with their preferred status.)

    https://www.ashesofcreation.com/ref/Callaron/

  • mgilbrtsnmgilbrtsn Member EpicPosts: 3,430
    I'm a fan of the PvP loot model, but I just can't get into Perma-Death.

    I self identify as a monkey.

  • ShortyBibleShortyBible Member UncommonPosts: 409

    I played this game for quite awhile.

    I never died. Guess there were not many players then, but i did enjoy the game.

    I can deal with perma death, I will will have to take a look at the cash Shop before i jump back in.

  • nikixosnikixos Member UncommonPosts: 6
    Originally posted by Talonsin

    A full loot PVP game with a cash shop?  I'm glad you found a game you are happy with but "full loot" and "cash shop" is my warning that this isnt the game for me.

     

    On another note, I am glad someone new picked this up and injected some new life into it.

    If anything, having a cash shop makes the game more interesting, you're supposed to buy stuff from the store only when you are part of  a properly defended group or built defenses yourself

    It was hilarous THO, when people got robbed back in alpha just as they bought a package, fortunately those packages which gave you skills for money no longer exist, now it's mostly cosmetic or rare job related tools, which people sell in game too for not so large ammounts of silver.

    hilarous stuff back in alpha:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a11xyCP62vE&t=24m12s

    This game's cash shop is special, as if the game actually wanted to punish you for wanting to buy your way in LOL

     

  • RevofireRevofire Member UncommonPosts: 269
    This sounds really good! I loved the concept of H&H but it was so unpolished it hurt my soul... so seeing a game like this perhaps get the same features but with much better graphics? Oh yeah, I'm definitely going to try it out.
    Change your thoughts and you change your world. - Norman Vincent Peale


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