We don't need new content, we need to solve the black screen problem ASAP

  • Minhoca SoT
    Legend
    Insider
    Founder

    Before you come to criticize me for saying "we don't need", understand that when I say this, I speak for people who agree with what I am going to write. If you are just here to spend your precious time complaining about the way I wrote, please get something else to do.

    For a long time now I have been following not only the forums here, but many communities not only from Brazil, but also from other countries, I believe the biggest problem of this game is the black screen. No matter how much communities argue about PvP, PvE, Servers, etc, they always come to agree when we say that the black screen is too time consuming and ends the gaming experience, both in battle and common situations.

    I love Ferry of the Damned, It's an awesome place to be, but it's a serious problem that it is used as a respawn lobby along with the endless black screen. In the middle of a battle every second counts, and it is awful to hear everything that happens, but to be "blind" and "frozen" while everything happens.

    The problem here I believe is not the time it takes, but the equipment variant. Many invest in SSD precisely to reduce this, which in a way ends up making this game a Pay 2 Win. I don't think it's fair. It would be more correct if the waiting time were the same for everyone. But I still believe that this time should not even exist.

    We don't have Ferry of the Damned in arena mode, but the problem remains, even though I realize that the time is much shorter than adventure mode.

    And no, I don't want to be "rewarded for sinking" or having advantages, I just think all players suffer from it, some more, some less, but they do. And this really interferes with the game experience.

    TL: RD;
    Please Rare, stop trying to stick unnecessary stuff in our throat, fix the black screen problem first, then fix other bugs. It's not cool to have a huge game with a terrible gaming experience (take a look at Atlas, for example).

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  • CotU42
    Lord
    Insider

    @targasbr

    The SSD helps, but doesn't make one immune from the black screen. I have one and still have experienced the frustration of dying in it, hearing the ship sink and all that.

    I think it is a complicated issue that isn't easily resolved, as I believe the game struggles with placing us in the world in those situations. Though I would be very happy with a fix.

  • ClosingHare208
    Marauder
    Insider

    @targasbr said in We don't need new content, we need to solve the black screen problem ASAP:

    Before you come to criticize me for saying "we don't need", understand that when I say this, I speak for people who agree with what I am going to write. If you are just here to spend your precious time complaining about the way I wrote, please get something else to do.

    For a long time now I have been following not only the forums here, but many communities not only from Brazil, but also from other countries, I believe the biggest problem of this game is the black screen. No matter how much communities argue about PvP, PvE, Servers, etc, they always come to agree when we say that the black screen is too time consuming and ends the gaming experience, both in battle and common situations.

    I love Ferry of the Damned, It's an awesome place to be, but it's a serious problem that it is used as a respawn lobby along with the endless black screen. In the middle of a battle every second counts, and it is awful to hear everything that happens, but to be "blind" and "frozen" while everything happens.

    The problem here I believe is not the time it takes, but the equipment variant. Many invest in SSD precisely to reduce this, which in a way ends up making this game a Pay 2 Win. I don't think it's fair. It would be more correct if the waiting time were the same for everyone. But I still believe that this time should not even exist.

    We don't have Ferry of the Damned in arena mode, but the problem remains, even though I realize that the time is much shorter than adventure mode.

    And no, I don't want to be "rewarded for sinking" or having advantages, I just think all players suffer from it, some more, some less, but they do. And this really interferes with the game experience.

    TL: RD;
    Please Rare, stop trying to stick unnecessary stuff in our throat, fix the black screen problem first, then fix other bugs. It's not cool to have a huge game with a terrible gaming experience (take a look at Atlas, for example).

    I agree black screen needs to be fixed

  • treefittymonsta
    Ship Mate
    Insider

    agree black screen needs to be fixed

  • BlazeDrake100
    Marauder

    @targasbr
    Definitely. I'd rather have a fix to blackscreens for good than anything else, especially more Mercenary voyages.

  • Lord Spark 0
    Castaway

    Agreed. I've had black screen bugs on my desktop and laptop. So it isn't necessarily a hardware problem but a server to client issue.

    Something is wrong when that happens and the game decides to keep you on the loading screen. It isn't that the assets aren't ready or anything like that. Sometimes I can hear people doing normal things. (And I see the bald naked pirate standing immobile on the ship when a friend has it).

    So the issue, is the fact, that we are taken away from the game area to load a new area full of assets only to reload the old area where the combat/death was.

    Solution:

    Honestly, a great solution to this would be to have dead pirates be wandering ghosts. So, tactically, a dead person now has some advantage of placement as they can walk around their ship as an unseen ghost to appear (the same length of time we have) of their choosing. But are limited to 1-2 second delay on action/interaction with weapons/objects.

    If the ship bell goes, then you don't get a chance to re-spawn at the site, and it will auto warp you to your new ship.

    If you die outside your boat, then you will immediately spawn back on your ship only to wait it out per normal as a ghost.

    The ferry should be a place to discover like the the Pirate Legend Hideout. And, the flame gathering mechanic can remain the same. Your last reason for death can remain, and you can go there (as a ghost) and claim a lantern color as play as normal.

    I do not like the Arena method for death. I think sitting there immobile was a quick way for Rare to make it in the game. And I do not like pre-determined spawn locations - some spots are always camped in Arena. This needs a solution too.

  • Minhoca SoT
    Legend
    Insider
    Founder

    @lord-szarvas said in We don't need new content, we need to solve the black screen problem ASAP:

    Honestly, a great solution to this would be to have dead pirates be wandering ghosts. So, tactically, a dead person now has some advantage of placement as they can walk around their ship as an unseen ghost to appear (the same length of time we have) of their choosing. But are limited to 1-2 second delay on action/interaction with weapons/objects.

    If the ship bell goes, then you don't get a chance to re-spawn at the site, and it will auto warp you to your new ship.

    If you die outside your boat, then you will immediately spawn back on your ship only to wait it out per normal as a ghost.

    The ferry should be a place to discover like the the Pirate Legend Hideout. And, the flame gathering mechanic can remain the same. Your last reason for death can remain, and you can go there (as a ghost) and claim a lantern color as play as normal.

    I do not like the Arena method for death. I think sitting there immobile was a quick way for Rare to make it in the game. And I do not like pre-determined spawn locations - some spots are always camped in Arena. This needs a solution too.

    AWESOME idea!

  • Nabberwar
    Lord
    Insider

    I think one of the easiest methods to fix black screen, when it comes to respawning from the ferry, is to remove the loading screen. I am no programmer, but it can't help the number of times the game needs to reload with the current respawning system. You die (unload world, load Ferry), enter the ferry and wait, only to go through the door (Unload ferry, reload world). This to me seems like way too much loading for a respawn mechanic. Almost every game I play with spawning doesn't need loading screens to bring you back to life. Clearly something is wonky with Rare's stupid spawning system.

    My solution, give players the choice on when they go to the ferry. This way players can still access lanterns for other tasks, while normal combat is less plagued by loading screens. The game already has a system in place, look at the Arena. When you die in adventure you float from your body. Your are given two prompts, first is return to the living (Show a timer next to it for players know their respawn timer), second option is go to the ferry. Still allow players to remain floating for a period to still allow players to synchronize spawning just incase they need to do that (spawn-camping measure).

    Less loading screens have got to help, right?

  • ToastyRar
    Marauder
    Insider

    yeah we don't need content we need game fixes. mostly for pvp.

  • CotU42
    Lord
    Insider

    @nabberwar many games actually do have a loading scene, usually just a short black transition, and they place you in the world where you are going to spawn and tends to be very safe, not moving and all that, I believe the server is having some issues figuring out where we are exactly at spawn due to the movement, activity around or collision with something, so lets us wait not sure.

    There is a transition, between ship, ferry, ship. Even in Arena even though it never moves you out of the combat environment, there is still a short transition. More similar to how you see it in other games, yet not always smoothless either.

    I do like the idea of giving us a choice, give us the less demanding option or head to the ferry if they cannot really fix it. To be honest, I wouldn't mind the ghost walk idea on your own ship of @Lord-Szarvas, which would help a lot with spawn camping as well, though might allow you to relay too much information, keep an eye out on the enemty or advantage to decide where we are, not sure maybe worth a trial?

  • FPG ONslaught
    Marauder
    Insider

    Its not Rare fault for black screens. It is your gaming platform communicating with your hard drive why it takes so long. A better performing Console/ PC will practically eliminate the long waits. I understand why a blackscreen is needed to transition back into the world. I bought SSD for $99 and completely cahnged my gaming experience. Not just For SOT but every other game i play. Mermaid and loading screens went from 30-1min to just 4 sec

  • Lord Spark 0
    Castaway

    @fpg-onslaught

    The game is made for Xbox. So nothing can or should be done by PC enthusiasts to modify their PC for a better game-play loop than those on lower systems. If you believe that to be true, then you're actively supporting the idea of a Pay-To-Win model. Hardware should be limited to Minimum and Recommended requirements prior to purchase. That's it. Rare makes their game work for the Xbox (which is really old tech, if you look at it). So, that's the challenge.

    The gameplay design (which Rare has total control over) made it so you die, you need to load in the ferry (an entirely new location on the map). This load is required every time you visit? Why? Cause that's how RAM works. If we had it on standby, then all those assets would quickly eat up our RAM and goodbye game performance. That's why things are low-res textured at a distance, so you can actually play the game.

    The Ferry, although a nice visit, is kind of silly and a rework is necessary. Which is why they did a rework for Arena. Imagine Arena having the ferry. It wouldn't work, because people have more money to spend than others on hardware.

  • BR0CRASTINAT0R
    Captain
    Insider

    I like the ghost idea as well. Maybe we could hurl vomit at our foes while in ghost form. Could be quite entertaining.

  • DarkEchoes6494
    Seafarer
    Insider

    Don't know if its fixable(codewise), but I definitely agree that when 2 players die simaeltaneously and one is in and out of the ferry before the other even enters due to hardware differences, there is an unfair advantage.

    I play xbox and PC and completely understand the frustration, especially when PC players insist there is no disadvantage, then insist on buying better hardware, which implies they have an advantage.

    The game is marketed towards a younger audience. T for Teen in the US. That means the audience it is intended for doesn't even have a job let alone disposable income.

    If I'm on xbox, I have to make my shots count and be cautious of how often I try to board an enemy ship while moving because I know I'm going to put my crew at a disadvantage due to load times. If I'm on PC, I have 2x the opportunity because it takes half as long to load.

  • Minhoca SoT
    Legend
    Insider
    Founder

    @fpg-onslaught said in We don't need new content, we need to solve the black screen problem ASAP:

    Its not Rare fault for black screens. It is your gaming platform communicating with your hard drive why it takes so long. A better performing Console/ PC will practically eliminate the long waits. I understand why a blackscreen is needed to transition back into the world. I bought SSD for $99 and completely cahnged my gaming experience. Not just For SOT but every other game i play. Mermaid and loading screens went from 30-1min to just 4 sec

    @fpg-onslaught I also answered this in my post. Did you read it?

    @targasbr said in We don't need new content, we need to solve the black screen problem ASAP:

    The problem here I believe is not the time it takes, but the equipment variant. Many invest in SSD precisely to reduce this, which in a way ends up making this game a Pay 2 Win. I don't think it's fair. It would be more correct if the waiting time were the same for everyone. But I still believe that this time should not even exist.

    So, @Lord-Szarvas also answered another points. Thanks mate.

    Just to complement, I am a programmer, I work with web development, I have already programmed some small games, nothing so big, but still, I have some experience. To cite the example with web, when there is a big load and a high load time, it is our fault, the programmers, who do not think of the best way to reduce this time.

    This Loading time, in theory, can be solved in the following ways:

    • Making the loading that happens during the black screen be done earlier at Ferry of the Damned
    • Making the loading that happens during the black screen be done during Ferry of the Damned
    • Making this loading standard even with an SSD the player would have to wait the same seconds as an XBOX player.

    Anyway, even as a programmer, I believe these three points have already been studied by Rare, and this is beyond their control. So it's not a hardware problem, it's the software or maybe a server problem.

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