Critique and suggestions regarding the final part of Tall Tale Chapter 9 (*SPOILERS*)

  • The other night my crew and I started and completed Tall Tale Chapter 9 for the second time since it came out. While during our first run, we were full of excitement over this new thing, this time around my crew were less than amused with the fight, unfortunately :c Even though I was mostly fine with this chapter, I feel compelled to write down their critiques/suggestions on their behalf to hopefully help improve the experience for other people who might feel the same way!
    Note: we were a 4 man galleon.

    Critiques

    • A crewmember was far from a fan of the platforming part. It was thought that it belonged in a game with more elaborate jumping and climbing than what we have in Sea of Thieves.
    • We thought that ringing the bell would signal that a check point had been reached and that the crew members who had fallen ahead would respawn at that check point if they died. This was NOT the case and added to the frustration of those who hated the platforming part.

    The final fight with the Goldhoarder received the most critique out of every other part of the final chapter.

    • The fight went on for too long. Those of us who had done this before also felt like it took even longer than the first time we did this.
    • The fact that there are only 3 moves the Goldhoarder makes (teleporting, smashing and summoning other skeletons), made it repetitive and probably added to this idea that the fight was going on for too long.
    • Crewmates lamented that they could not interupt any of said moves in any way possible.
    • There was no visual indication how low the Goldhoarder's health was. After he was eating the first banana, we felt like we were close but this turned out to be only halfway through (or so it felt). He ate like 4-5 more bananas after the first one.
    • Crew members also lamented not being able to interrupt the Goldhoarder from healing up.
    • While there were numerous barrels around the room, the point was made that in this case, the barrels should not spawn/contain any planks or cannonballs unless they're necessary for a mechanic in this fight. Food is scarce enough already as is with 4 man trying to beat down a powerful skeleton.
    • While my crewmate and I were on the Ferry, the Goldhoarder got killed in the mean time. Upon respawning, we spawned on the ship instead of the room to witness the final part to the chapter (much to the dismay of my crewmate, who had missed out on this part as well the first time we did it. Lots of cursing ensued).

    Suggestions

    • Regarding the platforming part: when 1 crewmember (regardless of the size of the crew) rings the bell ahead or passes a mermaid statue, ensure that when the other crewmembers die, they spawn at that point. While this does make it so that some people can sit back and wait on one person, it will ensure a lot less frustration, as it is true that platforming can really ruin some people's day. Those who will want to (try to) platform will do it regardless.
    • Regarding the Goldhoarder fight, please add a more clear visual indication as to the state of the Goldhoarder himself. Is it possible to stain his clothes after x% health or add grime to his face? Possibly some neat smokey particles of him slowly disintegrating or tweaked animations?
    • Remove planks and cannonballs from spawning in the barrels in the room unless they're used for mechanics in the fight.
    • Speaking of which; additional new mechanics? You have introduced this amazing new system of being able to bring masts down on ships and the like. A suggestion would be having him spawn on top of wooden scaffolding and there being a broken-ish cannon in the room that you got to use to bring the scaffolding down in order to continue the fight.
    • An additional new mechanic suggestion would be using the planks to build ladders to reach the Goldhoarder who might spawn on top of wooden platforms up high, while he takes some shots at you and your crew (so they could take cover but still note who the Goldhoarder is aiming for so that those who aren't being targeted can go get the ladder built, climb up and stop him).
    • Finally, please ensure that players who are dead while the Goldhoarder is getting killed are able to respawn right into the room. I believe you have already once said in patch notes that you have ensured this, but in our case it seemed not to have worked, unless the window of opportunity is very, very small.

    That's all! Quite a bit. Thanks so much for reading (hopefully!) and for your hard work. I love the Tall Tales and chapter 9, while clearly not the favourite chapter of my crewmates, I continue to find absolutely stunning. Can't wait to see what else you have in store!

  • 9
    Posts
    1.9k
    Views
    general
  • @capnthorns
    The tall tales in general are broken. Most of them are just lengthening out simple things, and some you can fail by missing a tiny book(looking at you stars of a thief)

  • @capnthorns

    as it is true that platforming can bring out some really bad tempers in a lot of people.

    Well, i'm afraid Rare cannot release a patch to fix your anger issues. xD

    I would suggest you go seek help from a psychology expert regarding that.

    Also, as a general rule, platforming, traps, trasure, and skeleton enemies are all classic adventure concepts... if this isn't to your friends liking, they can frankly go play another game, because that's the entire point of this game, adventure.

    Regarding the Goldhoarder fight, please add a more clear visual indication as to the state of the Goldhoarder himself. Is it possible to stain his clothes after x% health or add grime to his face? Possibly some neat smokey particles of him slowly disintegrating or tweaked animations?

    How exactly would that help you defeat him? The way i see it, the fight is painfully simple...

    Smack his face, until he's dead, and try not to die in the process... Just don't stop, and don't hold back, until he's dead... Why do you need visuals to see how close you are to defeating him? That's not going to change your tactics or anything anyway.

    Whenever i fight him, me and my crewmate just Sword Lunge him until he disintegrates, and heal whenever we take damage... It's not a complicated fight. xD

    Finally, please ensure that players who are dead while the Goldhoarder is getting killed are able to respawn right into the room.

    If you want to see the ending, do the voyage again, and DON'T die... Very easy on sloop, even solo.

  • I did it for my own five times, and further six times to help friends finish it for their first time. All you say is quite right, you speak my mind.

  • @sweltering-nick

    Well, i'm afraid Rare cannot release a patch to fix your anger issues. xD

    I would suggest you go seek help from a psychology expert regarding that.

    Incorrect. Gameplay elements that frustrate a large amount of people and turns them grumpy can be fixed. Seeking "help from a psychology expert" is a bit harsh and unnecessary. Sometimes gameplay elements can be frustrating.

    How exactly would that help you defeat him?

    It wouldn't help you defeat him directly, I never said that. In this case it actually is just a simple psychological matter. Given any type of indication of how far along you are in a process generally pushes people to press forward. There seemingly being no end in sight depresses people and makes them want to turn away. This is not just a thing in games, but in life itself. If you have not experienced this yet, good on you.

    If you want to see the ending, do the voyage again, and DON'T die... Very easy on sloop, even solo.

    Solo is confirmed easier. As noted, this was a 4 man galleon, so his healthpool was significantly larger. As mentioned, the food in the room is scarce for 4 people and you go through your regenerative health quickly. There was no food left, there were skeletons with guns everywhere and sometimes you're just unlucky that you're constantly being targetted.

  • @capnthorns said in Critique and suggestions regarding the final part of Tall Tale Chapter 9 (*SPOILERS*):

    Critiques

    • A crewmember was far from a fan of the platforming part. It was thought that it belonged in a game with more elaborate jumping and climbing than what we have in Sea of Thieves.

    It's not hard and there's checkpoints along the way, imagine if there wasn't? Be thankful they did put them in there. My wife hates this part too because she struggled with it but by the 6th time we did it she was running ahead of me with no problems, just takes practice for some people.

    I honestly prefer that part to fighting hoards of skeletons while raising the door.

    • We thought that ringing the bell would signal that a check point had been reached and that the crew members who had fallen ahead would respawn at that check point if they died. This was NOT the case and added to the frustration of those who hated the platforming part.

    I guess if they died that much they learned where all the checkpoints are.

    • The fight went on for too long. Those of us who had done this before also felt like it took even longer than the first time we did this.

    I can somewhat agree with this, it's meant to be hard but it would be nice if there was a health bar. It should have been easier with a 4 man, have 2 people kill the spawns while the other 2 shoot him over and over again, you have unlimited ammo.

    • While there were numerous barrels around the room, the point was made that in this case, the barrels should not spawn/contain any planks or cannonballs unless they're necessary for a mechanic in this fight. Food is scarce enough already as is with 4 man trying to beat down a powerful skeleton.

    I agree things other than food is annoying but I never ran out of food, if you are I think your crew is doing things wrong like not running away when he's about to smash.

    Pro Tip - bring cooked food.

  • @capnthorns

    Gameplay elements that frustrate a large amount of people and turns them grumpy can be fixed.

    The problem isn't the gameplay, it's the people who have anger issues, that get annoyed by things, regardless of those things being good or bad.

    I'm not mad at anything, 'cus i don't have anger issues. I think the game is fine, and doesn't need adjusting. I do however believe your friends need help sorting their anger issues out though... Because it's getting in the way of them functioning, which is the definition of a mental disorder. :S

    Seeking "help from a psychology expert" is a bit harsh and unnecessary.

    In what way is it harsh? I've seen psychology experts regarding other problems with my psyche, and it helped, why wouldn't i recommend seeing one to other people who need help? ._.

    If i hear someone saying they are experiencing symptoms of a medical condition, is it harsh of me to tell them to go see the doctor? Obviously not, i'd argue it's quite sweet of me to show concern for their health.

    Mental health is no different, it's quite important to take good care of your mental health, if you are quick to anger because of being bad at platforming in a game, then you might likely have severe insecurities and self-esteem issues, for example... It's not healthy to allow that to fester.

    So yeah, tell your friend to go see a psychology expert. Because that's what he needs, not a "make-the-game-easier" patch from Rare, the game is already too easy, it doesn't need to be easier.

    Sometimes gameplay elements can be frustrating.

    Me and my crewmate never have problems with platforming in Sea of Thieves.

    We've had some desyncing issues with the traps... twice, but aside from the occasional glitching, we easily get past those parts, no problem.

    Gameplay elements are never frustrating, because they are the obstacles you need to get over, which is the entire point of games.

    Glitches, bugs, and inconsistencies, THAT is frustrating... But its still no reason to get mad. :P

    Given any type of indication of how far along you are in a process generally pushes people to press forward.

    There's your problem... Why do you need an indication of when to apply some effort? Shouldn't you apply maximum effort from start to finish to begin with?

    Just stab him until he disintegrates. You don't need an indication of when to begin stabbing, just do it, and don't stop, or let up, until he's dealt with. o_.

    There seemingly being no end in sight depresses people and makes them want to turn away.

    Did you consider that might be part of the fight, part of the challenge?

    This is not just a thing in games, but in life itself. If you have not experienced this yet, good on you.

    Hmm, happens all the time... Never stops me though.

    There was no food left, there were skeletons with guns everywhere and sometimes you're just unlucky that you're constantly being targetted.

    Dude, kill the skellies as soon as they spawn, and makes sure your teammates all attack their own skelly, so you DON'T get shot. :P

    Strategy, mate.

  • @sweltering-nick I agree I have done this tale 7+ times and I’ve done it on every type of ship. The traps and obstacles are my favorite part. I’ve gotten so good at them that I started sword dash jumping through them for fun. It takes me back to the goonies or Indiana Jones.

    @CapnThorns honestly everything in the post just sounds like less experienced people having difficulty completing it for their first time. Keep your head up practice makes perfect

  • @sweltering-nick said in Critique and suggestions regarding the final part of Tall Tale Chapter 9 (*SPOILERS*):

    @capnthorns

    Gameplay elements that frustrate a large amount of people and turns them grumpy can be fixed.

    The problem isn't the gameplay, it's the people who have anger issues, that get annoyed by things, regardless of those

    Ain't that the truth. I love when things are hard, so many people want the easy way out or get angry when you face a good crew etc... I wish I could clone myself 3 times lol... Getting angry is how you mess up in game play, I also have a do not give up mentality.

9
Posts
1.9k
Views
general
1 out of 9