Black Desert 2nd Closed Beta Survey Results

http://black-desert.com/news/black-desert-2nd-closed-beta-survey-results/

During the second beta test, Pearl Abyss gave their adventurers polls and survey questions.

What kind of statistics will we see regarding their adventurers?

The polls and surveys were split in to 2 dates and approximately 2000 people participated. Pearl Abyss was able to hear many stories from the adventurers who have played the game.

About The Polls

1st Polling Event 10 sections, 64 questions were asked regarding first impressions and early to mid-game content.

2nd Polling Event 7 sections, 58 questions were asked regarding boss raids and more in-game content.

 
Poll Participant Statistics

These are the ages of the participants.
Age Group     Percentage
      ~ 20         7.5%
21 ~ 25          22.0%
26 ~ 30          33.0%
31 ~ 35          20.9%
36 ~ 40         10.6%
     41 ~          6.0%

The preferred genre of most of the players is RPG (84%). Of the participants, 77% are experiencing Black Desert for the first time through the 2nd CBT.

Character Creation

Amongst the survey participants, the Sorcerer and Ranger class were the most popular. Players looked at the “Spells and Abilities” of the character the most during character creation. The Ranger class, in comparison to other classes, was more liked for its “look”

However, in terms of spells and abilities, the popularity went to the Sorcerer class, then Giant, Ranger, and Warrior in that order. The much anticipated character customization of Black Desert received positive praises all around, but a better customization is planned for the next beta test.

 
Graphics and Sound

Black Desert’s graphics were well loved and praised amongst the participants. Looking at the characters, backgrounds, monsters and other aspects of the game, the graphics got a score of 4.6/5. However, the players felt that the special effects were lack-luster. There were a lot of opinions that stated that although the sound and the graphics fit together, it could be improved more to complement each other better. Participants have also said the graphics and sounds were an overall improvement from the first beta test.

Controls

The macro controls received average scores. However, the short-cut keys and movement macros got relatively poor feedback from the survey participants.

Also, older age groups had more negative opinions regarding the macro controls. Players also felt the Ranger class controls were not as great as the other classes.

Combat

Participants gave modest scores regarding Black Desert’s combat. The combat impressions when striking a blow was given a score of 4/5, while the combat impressions when taking blows had an average score of 3/5. For characters in particular, the Ranger and Giant class’ damage taken impressions scored lower compared to the other classes.

In-depth Combat Content

Regarding in-depth Gameplay like RvR, PvP, Co-operative Play, and Dungeon Raids, the players felt that they weren’t able to experience enough content along their character’s levels or some parts felt lacking to properly enjoy some of the content. For a more enjoyable gameplay and more fun in-game content, we’ll put in more effort to make improvements.

 
Combat-Related Comments

After looking at the overall comments, Pearl Abyss noted the following as aspects that the players feels needs improvement: The gameplay’s overall impression when taking hits, concerns regarding the control over hunting grounds, monster AI improvements, character balancing, the lacking skill information, and co-op and party gameplay. In addition, the attack impressions, game graphics, and the enjoyable non-targeting combat system were considered Black Desert’s positive aspects.

 
Quest Content

Quest difficulty and quantity got an average score of 3.4/5 from polls. There were many players who expressed some needed improvement regarding the flow of the quests. The quests did not provide enough information and made getting used to the game difficult. The participants also felt the tutorial was lack-luster, and much like the feedback for the macro controls, older age groups had more difficulty getting used to the game.  

 
UI

World Map, Mini Map,  and the UI screen feedback compared to the 1st CBT feedback is better, however for the Mini Map system(2.5/5), players feel still needs improvement. Pearl Abyss states that they will look in to this through various improvements to present a better UI.

Non-Combat Content

We noticed an average level of satisfaction amongst the players regarding Black Desert’s various non-combat content. The level of freedom, and the contribution system were well liked by the community, but the housing system was not as well received. On another note, the community felt that instead of content that compliments the non-combat tutorial, a more specific specialized content would be much nicer. The various ways players can plan a character’s growth due to the game’s high level of freedom is loved by the community.  

In-Game Community

Guild, Trading, Chatting, the in-game community in general has a low level of satisfaction from the poll participants. The chatting system was especially difficult (2.1/5) In-Game Community is an important factor in gameplay, and Pearl Abyss plans to improve it to a more friendly and useful community.  

 
Game Progress and Achievements

Many of the participants are content with Black Desert’s worldview and story as well as the immersive game itself. There were a large number of people who have experienced new things and have had a lot of fun playing the game. However, the players felt the economy system’s achievements require some improvement.

Server Operation

The players were very pleased with how the server time and the environment were harmoniously executed. Pearl Abyss will put in more effort to make it even better.

 
 Summary

Amongst the 2000 survey participants, 81% stated that they would recommend Black Desert to friends. The game’s early-game content, along with Black Desert’s graphics and sound were well loved by the community, while the UI and non-combat content had some aspects that felt lacking in some regards. The players also felt that for more and better hours of game play, content that would strengthen the late-game and player comfort is necessary. We appreciate the stories and opinions we were able to see through the surveys. Pearl Abyss was able to get a better grasp of what the game lacks and what they should improve on, while also reading what aspects of the game the adventurers liked. Pearl Abyss is contemplating and reviewing the many of the summaries they acquired from this survey and the last user meeting and preparing for the next test. To enhance the gaming experience and to make the tutorials more comfortable Pearl Abyss will work on the organization of quests, improve on non-combat content, work on monster AI and improve our boss monsters. Once again, Pearl Abyss would like to thank the adventurers for participating in their survey. Pearl Abyss will take your feedback and do their best for an even better gaming experience. Information on what’s next for Black Desert will be posted on their homepage.

Look forward to it!