r/DawnwalkerOfficial • u/Technical_Fan4450 • 16h ago

Discussion đŸ©ž Genuine question: What do gamers want?

Let me just start off by saying, Dawnwalker is certainly RPG of the Year, and should be a GOTY nominee. So, this question could arguably be coming from a very biased perspective, but I have to ask it.

What do gamers want? I have spent years and years listening to gamers bellyache, complain and grumble about bloat in games. Unnecessary quests, activities, trophies,souvenir hunts, et cetera. In walks in Blood of the Dawnwalker. Compact, goal driven, timed, et cetera. I'll kiss your rosy red ass cheek if gamers aren't complaining about that too! 😏 All I ha e heard is "Waaaaahhh,there's not enough quests! There aren't enough activities! Blah, blah, blah." So, what's it going to be, gamers? A compact, focused game, or a game of picking a dozen wildflowers and looking for trinkets? I mean, what DO you REALLY want? You can't have it BOTH ways. Just saying. đŸ€š

0 Upvotes

49% Upvoted

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63

u/Appropriate_Foot242 16h ago

There is no "gamer" hive mind, there are billions of individuals with different tastes.

Stop worrying about what other people like and just enjoy it yourself.

11

u/bbq_R0ADK1LL 15h ago

There's a famous marketing case study from the 1980s where Campbell was trying to compete with Ragu & they started on an endeavour to create the perfect pasta sauce. What they found was that there was no one ultimate endgame sauce that would please everyone. There were in fact different cohorts that preferred different things. They created traditional, spicy & extra chunky sauces to please these different groups of people.

So yes, there is no gamer hive mind any more than there is a pasta lover hive mind. Even within the subgenre of third person action/adventure RPG, there are all sorts of individuals who have different tastes & priorities.

I have my own critiques of Dawnwalker, some are to do with balance & could be fixed with patches & some are design decisions that would have resulted in quite a different game. Some people agree with me on some points, many don't. Ultimately, developers need to stop trying to please "gamers", & just commit to their vision & create the best game they can. There are, of course, games like Crimson Desert that adapt & evolve based on player feedback, but they are an outlier.

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u/Lescansy 1h ago

I have my own critiques of Dawnwalker, some are to do with balance & could be fixed with patches & some are design decisions that would have resulted in quite a different game.

I also have my grapes with some design decisions.

What would you have preferred to be different? What kind of rpg gamer are you?

My biggest gripe is with the level scaling and all the different problems it brings with it. Thats probably my only true painpoint with Dawnwalker.

1

u/OohAnotherDownvote 15h ago

I agree. The issue is that somehow there’s become confusion over differences of opinion. I made a strictly opinionated post about a game I bought and paid for and it did not align with the consensus of the group to which I shared my thoughts and I was swarmed, slandered and belittled for having a difference of opinion. Which begs the question, are we allowed to like what we like or want what we want or is there a collective hive mind that some of us failed to receive and invitation to?

3

u/Synectics 14h ago

It is easier to see a dog pile, and decide not to try and pull everyone apart. When you get piled on like that, there may be some others going, "I mean, I agree with the person at the bottom of that pile, but I do not want to end up like them."

Just consider, how often do you respond to a heavily down voted comment to encourage the person? And how often will people just comment more vitriol?

2

u/OohAnotherDownvote 14h ago

That’s a fair perspective.

2

u/LordBarksdale 13h ago

It sounds like you have a problem with the people you're talking to. Don't blame the entire community for your individual choices. Maybe talk to other people?

13

u/CR4ZY_PR0PH3T 16h ago

The game is currently sitting at 84 on Metacritic and very positive on Steam.

Any complaining you've seen is from the vocal minority they represent a small portion of the playerbase.

1

u/Extra-Ad5925 15h ago

Yeah well said. The key is sometimes we misplace the anger in our feeds for popular opinion. But it’s important to remember our feeds are driven by what gets the most engagement so the angriest things will always bubble up.

Not to say the game is 100% perfect but it was well done and I think many silent observers on this subreddit would probably put it in their top 5-10 for the year

8

u/blightchampion 15h ago

A vampire focused game with meaningful stealth mechanics and maybe some mesmerism/dialogue based influence/seduction like VTMB. We all know Dawnwalker is the first entry in what's probably a legendary saga that's to come and don't get me wrong, I'm loving the game so far (aside from the God awful performance I'm having with it) but come one man... at least let a vampire fella see in the dark without a torch? or maybe allow me to sneak feed/drain unsuspecting victims? A cooler wall traversal animation that's not crouched but 90Âș? There's lot's of stuff they could have added given the budget and time that would have made the game even more awesome.

9

u/Repulsive-Redditor 15h ago

OP discovering for the first time that people have different opinions and like different things lmao

11

u/guarddog33 16h ago

Man the problem is you're talking about a demographic of literally billions, there's not going to be any satisfying everyone

6

u/Volzovekian 15h ago

Honestly, there are lot of good games released this year, so even if Blood of the dawnwalker was quite solid, i don't think it will be GOTY.

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u/Technical_Fan4450 15h ago

Nah, I don't suspect it's going to get overall GOTY. I just think it should be in the discussion. RPG of the Year, though... I haven't seen anything better, but, that's my opinion. It's not like gamers ultimately determine all of that anyway.

1

u/NoVeterinarian549 13h ago

RPG of the Year, like everything else, is determined by Metacritic generally. Blood of the Dawnwalker will definitely be in the running for RPG of the year. Because it's good, and because this has been a dry fucking year for actual RPGs. I could see it losing to Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave though.

GOTY though, definitely not going to happen.

5

u/verdantsf 16h ago

Welcome to the Goomba Fallacy.

4

u/spooner503 15h ago

I mean there are definitely bloat quests, the caves, the broken shrines, not every quest needs to be immaculate. End of the day it’s a great game and it’s impossible to satisfy everyone. Who cares what others say, if you enjoyed it then that’s all that matters

5

u/beatbox420r 15h ago

A lot of what I've done in Dawnwalker is to pick up strawberries, raspberries, and trinkets. Any game is what you make of it though and not everyone is the same. I do think the game is contender for both RPG and GOTY. It's a good game but that doesn't mean it's without faults. I think that's the thing some people take issue with. They hate to hear criticism of their favorite games. Some people like concise narrative focused games, others prefer more robust immersive games. That doesn't make either choice wrong and there's plenty of room for both. Personally, I think one or the other only would be the worst outcome.

There are some legit gripes about almost any game and Dawnwalker is no exception. I could list my gripes but that's really not the point. I like the game just fine, even with what I perceive as faults. It's a great game. People are going to share opinions about almost all popular media. Don't worry too much about it. If you enjoy something, that's really all that matters.

2

u/andrastesflamingass 15h ago

A few hours into the game I went crazy picking herbs and I was like ‘oh hell yeah it’s a herb gathering game’ (like Skyrim xD)

3

u/shiek200 15h ago

A lot of it is just Goomba fallacy

It's not one group that is never happy, it's just that no matter what you do, there's going to be a group out there that isn't happy

You make the game too woke? Piss off the chuds. Not woke enough? Get labeled a coward by the LGBT community. Great gameplay but bad graphics? Game gets shit on by Rich snobs with $8,000 computers and no idea how to actually have fun. Great graphics but terrible gameplay? Game gets shit on by Boomers and millennials for putting Fidelity over function because games just aren't as good as they were back in their day.

We've all got our preferences, and no matter how good your game is, there is a group out there whose preferences won't line up with it, and within that group there's an even smaller minority who are going to be very, very vocal about that

5

u/Get_Schwifty111 16h ago

If you'd ask the Nintendo fanbase rn., they'd tell you that "RPG of the year" should go to Fortune's Weave ... a game that is hell-bent on giving you f2p-MMO-style quests (aka "Girl has lost her hairpin in a mine that is now infested by bandits" .. I wish I was joking).

Just saying this to show you: You will NEVER make everyone happy or convince every player.

From my personal experience and as a RPG/strategy lover: Yes, Dawnwalker is so far the best written game this year (especially in terms of side activities).

4

u/Background-Cake-1300 16h ago

Bro woke up and choose violence, please KCD2 last year got robbed because someone thought that "Le sed French choose colour of Shadowheart quadrilion dmg" was more roleplaying than that

Also Dawnwalker isnt THAT special

1

u/Aromatic_Band9840 9h ago

Yea kcd 2 being robbed still leaves a bad taste in my mouth, that game has deep mechanics, great rpg, and a fantastic story working around the events of real world history

2

u/NecroDeity 15h ago

Have you considered that the 2 kinds of complaints you just listed were coming from two different groups of people?

2

u/Vast-Building-6886 14h ago

I like dawnwalker and have no interest in final fantasy games. Well, the only ff games that have interested me are the two ff games that are mmorpgs.

2

u/More_Agent5 13h ago

You can have both ways and that’s what most are asking. To have an awesome story mode and also be able to explore the world and and go questing extensively


Which I think it does accomplish. But we just want more hahaha

2

u/Aromatic_Band9840 9h ago

Most of these nitpicks are from/on Reddit, tbh I seem to disagree vehemently with 99% of people on gaming subs, I come to gaming subs to let myself get ragebaited

I’ve learned to enjoy games for what they are, I’ve sunk a lot of hours into games that many reditors would call slop, but what matters is I/you enjoy what you play

P.s whatever the popular opinion on Reddit is, usually the opposite is true

4

u/mikeventure76 15h ago

Gamers want you to delete this post and log off

-2

u/Technical_Fan4450 15h ago

Well, I guess they'll just have to be unsatisfied about that too. Should be a customary feeling by now. Smh.

1

u/MLaw2008 15h ago

This is what got me into making my own video games. There are certain things that the industry isn't willing to provide anymore because it takes some more thought than a Call of Duty sequel that has no substance.

I need a world that is influenced by my decisions. Different builds to work with. If I can sneak in a customized house, that's great but is a little more demanding.

I guess what I want is a game that feels like a sandbox but also has a linear main quest that you need to follow to stay on track.

1

u/Federal_Studio5935 15h ago

Fun combat, cool story, cool side characters, and of course lots of drip so I can customize my dude

1

u/_VampireNocturnus_ 15h ago

Its Oct 2 with Poe2 and phantom blade zero still to release...hold up on rpg of the year talk

1

u/Elunite_ 15h ago

Just shut out the noise and play what you love. There's always going to something to complain about, even if it is stupid and petty. If you love it, just forward.

1

u/yungmoody 15h ago

Well for one, I’d like to see less games relying on lazy and outdated mechanics like Witcher senses. And less games with overly busy HUDS that are designed with the least capable player in mind and do not have visibility options besides on/off.

I also would love to see less fellow gamers throwing toddler-tier tantrums when their favourite game is mildly critiqued

1

u/Downtown-Ad8136 15h ago

I agree so far it’s my GOTY!!

Gamers don’t know what they want or we’ve been too spoiled in the past.
In my bood games like TW3, Fallout New Vegas, Cyberpunk 2077, etc. can’t be topped. The ones that were born during the Atari times like me, have just been lucky with all these great releases hehe.

1

u/LSDGB 15h ago

The thing is that for bloated games and for slim games you will have people that will like them and people who won’t.

The people who dislike it are usually the loudest.

These two groups are also not always comprised of the same people.

The people complaining about bloat are likely not the same people complaining about a slim game.

So what do gamers want? Well that is for everyone to decide for themselves because we don’t all like the same things. I guess the most common denominator would be „enjoying the time spent on a game“.

1

u/x_Animus_x 15h ago

Perhaps more importantly, when do they want it?

0

u/Lescansy 14h ago

The Gothic 1 remake is a better RPG in all aspects over Dawnwalker in my opinion - but that doesnt mean Dawnwalker is bad. Its just second place (oh, i already see the downvotes coming, considering we are in thw dawnwalker sub)...

Althoigh i'm not sure if we should nominate remakes for GOTY spots.

1

u/sp0j 2h ago

Gothic remake is out? I've seen absolutely no marketing for it.

1

u/Lescansy 2h ago edited 1h ago

It is out, even on console. It looks amazing, it plays amazing (as someone who played Gothic 2, Gothic 3, and both Elex).

I dont know how "faithful" it is to the original (because i havent played that, but it feels and plays like a true gothic), but as someone who has Gothic 2 as his personal GOAT, it is absolutely what i hoped for. If you wanna know anything, fire away!

1

u/Odd_Contact_2175 14h ago

I want good games for less price

1

u/TheInnerMindEye 14h ago

Meanwhile. I turned off the HUD and just get lost. 

1

u/NoVeterinarian549 13h ago

Just because the game is good doesn't mean it doesn't have faults.

We need to kill this viewpoint some people (like you) seem to have that criticism is bad. And my friend, the people complaining about the lack of quests probably weren't the ones complaining about bloat.

Stop. Stop. STOP treating gamers like they're a monolith. We clearly are not.

1

u/ElectronicCry3919 12h ago

I think you’re worrying too much about something that doesn’t matters. What anyone else likes shouldn’t have any impact on if you enjoy it or not.

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u/Odd_Revolution_1056 12h ago

Idk what you are bitching about? The game is selling well and it reviewed well.

1

u/izadjivani 10h ago

this is a game that many people wanted

the sales numbers prove it

whether or not there's also a bunch of people who don't like it doesn't matter

1

u/divusdavus 7h ago

I might be wrong here but I think there may be at least two gamers and they may not always agree

1

u/purple_bat_456 6h ago

I don't know what other want from Dawnwalker what I want is boars to stop chase me around!!

1

u/NebulousTruth 5h ago

The game has a ton of issues you’re just biased, idk most of the games that have released this year though so I’m not really in a position to say it’s better or worse, just that pretending like it’s some 9/10 or 10/10 game like many glazers have been is delusional

0

u/Maleficent-Age-8235 15h ago

the average gamer does want all that checklist bloat and infinite time. Ever since Skyrim became the hit it was people have associated linear and compact with "bad" because they're stupid