Players Share Constructive Feedback on Brighter Shores Early Access

By Ryan in Feedback • Published on December 18th, 2024

The Brighter Shores community has been active in voicing their thoughts about the game's early access. Below is a curated summary of recent feedback shared by players, encompassing various perspectives and concerns.

Key Feedback Themes

Professions: Depth, Identity, and Progression

1. Lack of Mechanical Depth:
   Many players feel that professions lack complexity, with similar interactions across activities. This raises concerns about long-term engagement, especially for PC players, as the game is designed with mobile compatibility in mind.

2. Identity Issues:
   Professions like weapon fabrication (Stonemason, Bonewright, Blacksmith) seem too similar in both mechanics and visuals. Players suggest that each should have distinct processes and environments, such as forging in a massive forge or channeling lightning underground, to align better with the game's aesthetic and lore.

3. Unsatisfying Progression:
   Suggestions for improvement include:

   • Adding mechanics to process larger quantities of materials per trip.
   • Introducing passive animation speed upgrades as players level up.
   • Enhancing the feeling of mastery and efficiency over time.

Passive Activities and XP Progression

1. Passive Activities Critique:
   While passives allow progression while offline, players report that they feel underwhelming and unrewarding, especially as content progression renders earlier methods obsolete.

2. Artificial XP Nerfs:
   Some players dislike the way XP rates are adjusted, making certain content less rewarding over time. They argue that this detracts from the sense of earning content and progression. For example, passively training certain professions can become prohibitively expensive or inefficient without significant active effort.

Quality of Life Improvements

1. Chat System Flexibility:
   Another request is the ability to "freeze" chat in a specific room for a few minutes, allowing players to keep up with conversations even when they leave to gather materials or sell items.

2. Rendering and Field of View (FOV):
   Suggestions include letting PC players adjust the number of adjacent rooms rendered and zooming out much further without tweaking aspect ratios, improving visibility and navigation.

3. Alt Account Banking:
   Some players want a streamlined system for sharing resources between alt accounts, though others argue that this could undermine the intended individuality of each account.

Combat and Itemization

1. Episodic Combat:
   Opinions on the episodic combat format are divided. While some appreciate the uniqueness, others feel it limits long-term engagement and content replayability.

2. Shallow Itemization:
   Gear progression feels lackluster, with many players noting that even high-tier items like epic gear often lack memorable impact or utility beyond short-term benefits.

Diverse Player Opinions

Feedback within the community is varied:

• Some appreciate the early access model, seeing it as an opportunity to shape the game's development through constructive criticism.
• Others express skepticism about the current state, likening it to a pre-alpha experience and questioning whether core gameplay will evolve significantly.

Despite critiques, many players remain optimistic, praising the developers for their openness to feedback and their commitment to improving the game over time.

Looking Ahead

As Brighter Shores progresses, addressing these concerns will be crucial to maintaining player engagement and fostering a thriving community. The developers are already making strides, and players are hopeful that continued collaboration will shape a richer, more rewarding experience for all.

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