To be fair, very few people did.
Sez you..... The actual greater majority who had issues with RO2 didn't have issues over it being not like RO1 or because TW added some new features, the greater majority of people had issues due to performance problems when they had pretty decent computers, bugs, glitches, crashing to desktop..... and once all those things were ironed out, those who stuck around to try it again actually enjoyed the game and were ready for new content.
But what happened was RO Classic and now Action Mode...... and those who have been waiting for new content, such as myself and a number of other members in here, have grown bored of the same old limited content and just simply stopped playing due to repetition.
The conversations that took place over the pre-ROC months almost entirely supported the notion that RO2 clearly had the potential to be a worthy RO successor but it fell short largely as a result of a number of pretty bizarre design choices (w/ permanent ability perks/unlocks being at the heart of most of the complaining),
I'll admit that was some people's issue, but nothing that came out of RO2 should have been a surprise by Beta or even the Sept Launch, as TWI informed everybody on what to expect in the game, not just with posts in these forums, but many screenshots, multiple gameplay videos, and interviews..... and hearing all of what they were planning for the game before I even touched the Beta, I was really looking forward to it, as it sounded, looked and was indeed, above and beyond RO1.
RO2 not being a carbon copy of RO1 (but with better graphics) was the issue of some of the more vocal members in here, while others had issues with content missing at launch..... and others had issues with performance and bugs..... and the rest actually liked the game and kept quiet, mostly because they were too busy playing.
and that in order to realise that latent potential all that was required was for a few tweaks to be made to the ‘Realism’ mode. Very few people asked for an entirely separate re-skinned RO1 game mode yet somehow TWI interpreted that to mean that most people wanted a re-skinned RO1 then subsequently cranked out the ROC beta. I don’t know what TWI’s long term vision for ROC is but already we’ve seen some of the much-called-for tweaks implemented in ROC bleeding over into the Realism mode, which is all that the Roosters were asking for in the first place.
So not only have they made RO Classic..... Not only are they replacing Relaxed Realism with Action Mode..... but now they're changing Realism from what it was.
Is there anything going to be left that I actually liked?
RO2 should have shipped with only two distinct modes, as was clearly the original intention: ‘Relaxed’ to entertain the current Relaxed and (potential) Action players, and ‘Normal’ to keep the current Realism and Roosters busy. Now that’s easy to say with the benefit of 20-20 hindsight but a lot harder to do in practice today because TWI have now somewhat painted themselves into a corner with this ‘multitude of modes’ approach: they can’t easily consolidate Action with Relaxed, and Realism with ROC, without certain players understandably feeling that some of their game is being taken away from them.
Such as myself.
I don’t know what the solution is now but I do know that it’s going to take some ballsy leadership to get it done. (I would probably endeavour to merge Action with Relaxed, Realism with ROC, take the flak from a vocal few for a month or so -- they’ll soon get over it --
I sure as fk won't get over it, because I enjoyed Relaxed Realism and Realism AS THEY WERE.
I have Zero interest in RO Classic and Most Certainly DO NOT want it to take over Realism.... It's bad enough that Action Mode is going to take over Relaxed Realism and cut my options.
If this so-called Vocal Few get over it, it'll be by leaving the game.
This so-called Vocal Few were the only ones actually playing the game and supporting TWI & RO2 this whole damn time while the real Vocal Few constantly spammed these and the Steam Forums until they got what they wanted.... and now those who actually liked the game as it was and who've kept the damn game alive this long are going to be abandoned?
Yeah.... That'd certainly be a Ballsy move, since Action Mode and RO Classic are both made in the "HOPE" that it will bring in more players...... there is no assurance that they will.
It may bring in a hand full of players back into the game, but if the group who's stuck by the game so far get screwed over in the process and their game modes they enjoyed are taken away from them, any gain in players will be countered by the departure of anybody who's still left playing the game.
and the hours I played in RO2 will cease to progress, just as it did with RO1.
then at long last settle down getting back to the business of devoting maximum effort into building much needed extra content for the game.
Which should have been done right after the bug fixes, and most certainly would have not only kept the current player base, but increase it, either equally or better than these additional game modes.
The only reason why I am not playing now is because of the lack of content and being bored from waiting. When new content comes in, I'll certainly play again...... but if I come back and find the game modes I enjoyed are gone or butchered to please those who took off months ago and just trashed the crap out of TW & RO2 the whole time..... then I don't see any reason to keep coming back to a game I no longer enjoy.
You can bet your left Wellington boot that V:IC and RS will not be shipping with a similarly philosophically confused set of game modes; those devs will be taking careful note and learning from all of this and will ensure that they don't make the same mistakes.)
Don't know who those initials stand for, and I don't honestly care what they do.
TL;DR: Having four game modes when only two are necessary (as per original intent) is an unsustainable position for RO2. Look at this through the eyes of a new player to see how needlessly complicated this is all threatening to become. All current ideas need to be merged into only two genuinely distinct game modes: ‘Relaxed’ and ‘Normal’.
Indeed.... there should have been two game modes.... the original Relaxed Realism and Realism, and those who didn't like them should have sucked it up, or go somewhere else as they threatened to do this whole time.
Now they get what they want, and the rest of us get one big dildo jammed up our butts for our support this whole time.
Brilliant idea.