ngl, I tried to read Andrew's news post first thing in the morning and it brain fried me all day. Luckily we have the world's most advanced AI Tel to sort it out for us. Isn't the future amazing? Like the future of Brighter Shores. Engagement complete.
I'm glad they finally listened. I respect they wanted to do something new and I was willing to give it a chance and was even getting used to it, but it was objectively worse than how most other games did combat and if it didn't change, it probably wasn't going to keep players for long.
Thanks for the explanation. This was a concise and well-organized video. I'm personally excited about the changes and hope they improve the onboarding experience.
I'm still worried about having to manage 25 gear sets at some point in the future. Why won't the obelisk just adjust automatically when changing episodes? Why do I have to craft 4 of the exactly same armor sets and weapons for each episode?
@@Teloril I am not sure an autoswitch is needed, we can just use the quartermaster spell. I like to switch gear by using the spell, to show other people the different dyes I use!
It's because if they auto-attuned to new episodes, then you'd not be able to equip your old gear as it is too high obelisk level. If you don't level up obelisks, then you can keep improving your gear linearly like you'd expect. It'll work in every episode without the obelisk part, you don't need many sets. Only obelisk-level sets are episode specific like it is now.
Seriously, there's 12 unique weapons per faction, which I'm assuming they want to each be relevant somehow, most likely with special abilities, which means you'll need 12 weapons + armor for each episode. It's a very strange design choice.
I think it will be more confusing at first for current players as change often can be, but new players should have a much easier time understanding the flow. I like it.
I genuinely thought wow Tels is planning to branch out into other languages by this title lol. This update is a huge win. I didn't notice the areas would have different ability trees as well. Cant wait for this to be in game!
Yep, it's a little bit of a messy merge for people to wrap their head around (which is why I made the calculator) but when we get our hands on it I'm sure it'll click.
I’m just wondering if they’ll go ahead and make all professions available in every episode eventually. For me, the episodes restricting professions is the biggest hang up with this game. I’d rather have fewer professions if it meant I could use my skills at any point in the game. This is just me, I really appreciate their willingness to bring something fresh with brighter shores but there are a few things I would change. The combat change is much appreciated, especially with the upgrade tree which will make higher level combat characters feel different from one another.
Awesome video as usual, just wanted to give my thoughts about gear and crafting. Think about an item far in the future in Episode 13 where the Combat range goes from 460-500. The episode 13 obelisk would go to level 460. That means you would think the best item in that episode would have tuning level 460. But it also needs to have a gear level between 460 and 500. The tuning level won't be limited to under 40 (the gear level and tuning level won't always add up to 500). So the best item in that episode would have gear level 500 and 460 tuning, so a level 960 item. The best gear in a later episode will be better than the best gear in a previous episode. This will be our form of power creep. In the crafting professions, at level 500, we'll be able to craft only up to level 560. We'll be able to craft items with less and less tuning level as the episodes progress until we can't even cover the base gear level. For Hopeport, we can craft a level 30 with tuning 530 but for Hopeforest, we can only craft a level 60 with tuning 500 and so on (Crenopolis we can craft a level 140 with tuning 420). In Episode 13, we'll only be able to craft a level 500 item with 60 tuning. So the current crafting will be less and less impactful as new episodes release unless they increase the cap or release new professions that cover very high level crafting.
I had a long part questioning your gear calculator, but I edited it out because I realized I was wrong. It wouldn't make sense for a current level 500 item in Crenopolis to become an uncraftable level 600 item (with 140 Gear level and 460 Tuning level). Instead, it makes more sense for the levels to add up to what they were before and be weaker than the optimal item drop that could be gotten after the update. It is still an issue though that a low level item in a later episode would be completely useless (level 20 weapon in Crenopolis).
After my first read through I hated the idea and while I'm still not 100% sold on multiple different skill tree's for each episode plus the character skill tree it's not bad and I'm definitely willing to give it a shot. Your explinations helped alot the news post is ALOT to take in on a first read.
I feel very strongly that they should not do "level scaling" of enemies and instead cap our non-obelisk character level/tree at each episode, and cap the non-obelisk level of our gear too. I'm not talking about having to take gear off, simply cap its stats in combat. Episode 3 should only include non-obelisk character tree upgrades you've made with your first 3 episodes, not anything you add with higher levels (episode 4 and above). They can "tag" the first 30 levels of upgrades with Hopeport, the next 30 with Hopeforest etc. This works perfectly fine with respec, if that's possible for character tree. Enemies staying 10 levels behind you is a sure way to make combat feel like it's not moving at all. I want to be able to fight a level 0 enemy when I'm 500 and 1 hit it (instead of dying to level 490). Not capping us in episodes also makes it much easier to get a high combat level in Hopeport by progressing to new episodes than by training the obelisk in Hopeport, which will be confusing to new players. I know you can only unlock new monster variants with the obelisk, but that doesn't matter in PVP.
They mentioned not wanting to have the ability to come back to a previous episode and 1 shot everything, as it would devalue / trivialize any new content added to those existing episodes.
@@AsalraalaikumMy comment explains how they can achieve that without level scaling. They essentially want us to only become stronger in combat prof in new episodes, which doesn't actually need level scaling. I hope they rethink that.
if you have to add all these systems to something to make it work, then maybe the concept as a whole is trash and needs ground up rework. I hate games that just try and make things work that don't work.
@@xaero96 The fuck are you trying to say skill issue? But when systems need little rules and exceptions everywhere to make them work, then its a shit system in the first place, this is a common quote ya muppet. I dont even play this anymore, i grinded out to top 6 foragers then quit when i realized the game is just an empty time consumer with no joy.
If you level 30/30/40/40 in each you will be 'capped' on the merge. But, you really can continue to play how you like. It sounds a bit weird but players won't be affected negatively by the merge.
Will tuned gear be usable in other episodes? Or will the tuning level just not apply? e.g. Is 120 Crenopolis gear usable in Hopeforest, just without the tuning bonus applied? Or is gear still locked to an episode once tuned?
This is something I thought over and certain wording of the news article makes me believe we will NOT be able to used attuned gear as "base" gear in another episode. I think it will function much like our current gear does.
@ Though wouldn’t this mean a new player would still effectively be wearing no armour once they enter episode 2? (Similar to how it works now, e.g. jarring)
I’m mostly thinking about how they said untuned gear would be wearable. It almost sounds like doing so would be the way to go, for when you’re just running around cross episodes and might occasionally need to fight something. But I also can’t see them wanting to encourage prioritizing untuned gear.
@@Teloril Noticed this when re-reading. “As we launch later episodes, with their higher level caps and higher level weapons, players will be able to bring those higher levels and weapons back to the earlier episodes.” Which does imply that Crenopolis gear would be usable in Hopeport.
A few things worry me currently… 1) Edge cases: In your example at 5:50, you say the player at 110 would start at a lower level and need to level to 140 “by any means” before they can level up their obelisks. This makes absolutely zero sense to me (it doesn’t help that after saying that, when you put 10 more levels in Watchperson your calculator *does* level the obelisk 😂) It bothers me that the current solution is “make sure your combat levels are at the cap for each episode, just to be safe.” 2) Forcing combat levels: Currently only 15-20 combat is required to progress through the main quest in each episode, and you can decide to pursue any combat skill further regardless of previous progress. After the rework it will be incredibly difficult to avoid leveling the minimum 30/40 levels in each episode before being able to progress. 3) Obelisk levels not being unique enough: Kinda says it all. Can’t say for certain before we get a clearer picture, but if they’re too similar then it’s the same problem as before. Also, the advertised “small benefit to the next episode” might be too small of a boon to make it worth it. 4) Skill points: The combat rework overall is just very incongruent to the relative simplicity of the rest of the game’s design philosophy, and skill points open a Pandora’s box of balancing issues, avoiding meta builds, and making sure everyone can pick a playstyle and still feel viable/not feel like they made a “wrong” choice. This might end up being a bigger headache than the one they’re currently trying to solve… --- If it was up to me, I would’ve kept combat profs separate and instead had each one introduce 1-2 special attack skills that would become stronger, faster, more efficient, etc., at level breakpoints. At one of the lower levels (20-50) I would have a quest to demonstrate the skill, and upon completion it would unlock the skill to be used in any episode. In this way, each combat profession gets an identity and feels meaningful because it allows the player to develop a unique, personal combat playstyle that is still very simple as far as choice goes, but has depth in how much effort the player decides to put into ‘mastering’ each episode’s special attack(s) to create and perfect their desired “build”.
Great thoughts! Here's mine :) 1) These are edge cases for when you're a high level in Crenopolis and specifically low level everywhere else. This will only really affect the merge and will be easily resolved by playing the game after the fact, basically it's a bigger issue than it actually seems and is specifically because of the merge. Later on players won't experience this. 2) This is intended. I asked Samuel about this and the devs responded it will take a little longer to get through episodes to get the relevant combat before you move on. This is no different to the current game design, just right now we can cheese the bosses a bit. But yes, it will take time to max combat and get through each Episode. 3) If they don't make Obelisks at least somewhat unique, I agree. I think each Episode's Obelisk should have some kind of identity - such as 'Scout' being more focused on 'Range' than others. If they don't, this is a huge missed opportunity imo and I'll be disappointed. 4) I personally believe if they add some form of auto-allocate button it can keep the simplicity in-tact without forcing complexity on players, while also allowing more combat and build-focused players to have choices and agency. Sidegrades are king here - things like Immunity timers and movement speed can help with your other professions but make your combat 'worse'.
@ I appreciate your reply 🙂 I worried my comment might be a little TLDR lol. I hadn’t thought about combat skill points having options to benefit skilling! I really hope they consider that.
I think it's funny because I'm level 500 in guard, 32 in scout and 206 in minefighter but only level 6 in watchperson but have also just not done any skill in crenopolis so it would feel like nothing has changed for me when I finally do try out crenopolis
If the skill trees are different for each episode this would be an amazing change, if they're the same skill tree every episode then its just rebranding the current combat system
I've been pretty much on record for this one: I'll defend the team a lot, but if they make the mistake of making every obelisk the same, no chance I defend that at all.
They can make every obelisk the same. You are the one choosing what build you want, you make it different. But they'll probably make it new every time.
I think they are in a lose lose situation here unfortunately. The players that are not giving this a chance are really people who don't like the episode system. This new system doesn't solve the annoyances of the existing combat system which is carrying four sets of gear. A lot of people also do not like mob rooms being recycled. The art definitely scales well to 500 on mobs/gear but most people won't get that far. For this to have worked in general, each combat skill would have had to been unique and use different gear so that it felt meaningful. The current faction system conflicts with that though. I think the game is at a crossroads already and they have to decide which way to go. For me personally I'll continue to play either way.
The main thing I don't understand is, say you take a break from the game or are new and miss multiple episode releases, do you HAVE to level combat in early zones first before you can do anything in the new zones?
If you were to take a break, your level cap does NOT go up until you unlock a new episode on your character. So you won't suddenly need to get 100 levels. Same thing for new players, their cap is 30 until they hit Hopeforest.
@Teloril so if you're a new player and you want to skip to cren before doing major grinding in the old episodes like a lot of people did, you can still do that? Or will mobs be to high level?
@@repetitivemusicenthusiast No worries! As a new player, the experience will be very much like when we first played. They will need to progress through each episode and get combat levels in each episode before moving on, so you won't be able to rush Cren. To be clear, I don't think you *have* to max level every ep, but for example when you leave hopeport at combat level 20 the enemies in Hopeforest will be level 30, and bosses possibly higher. Similar to traditional MMOs. I think it could make for an interesting challenge run though!
@@Teloril yeah that is interesting, I know a lot of people rushed crime dens to afk at the start, this kinda forces it to be more linear, I like that personally!
If you had a level 500 Epic Guard Armor in Episode 1, it would be level 30 + 470 and attuned to Hopeport ONLY. You would not be able to use it elsewhere.
Actually, I always loved the current combat system. They could probably add the skill tree and special attacks on top of current system. In this way, you could create different builds for different episodes. I wonder how this will work with 21 episodes.
This system seems weird because of the merge complexity, but in all honesty when we get in the game it will seem very familiar. The trees and different 'obelisks' (renamed combats) should still allow for different builds in different episodes, too.
@@belandino Samuel reported we might see this in ~2 months but it's hard to approximate with the amount of stuff they need to work on, ofc. But yeah. I still think it will be great for the long term health of the game, though.
It's pretty confusing and am unsure if this will workout super well but I think it will at least better than it was and that if it isn't, they will fix it.
It will take them weeks to do this. Combat will get a buff, not only you will be able to optimize for clear more easily and fighter higher level mosnters at the high end.
Should i start playing now or just wait till this comes out? I always wanted to give brighter shores a try especially now because of the rs drama but idk if i should wait or play now.
Wouldn't hurt to get up to speed with the quests and get the "mandatory" grinds out of the way to unlock all features in the meantime. Game will realistically stay the same for the most part.
You can actually level "Combat" in any Episode. So if you're a new player, you're level 30 in Hopeport, and unlock Hopeforest to increase your cap to 60 - you can chill in Hopeport until 60 or continue in Forest to level up. As for sequence breaking, you had to do boss-fights anyway so nothing much changes there.
Samuel's quest is in the process of being finished in the next week or two, as well as the leaderboard fixes. I know that's not what you're asking though - PvP will be near the release of 1.0 and raids will be after it is where we currently stand. Episode 5 maybe 6 - 9 months. So honestly? Like a year.
That guy that grinded guard to 500 in the first 3 weeks is going to see his combat level be 50 😂, because he only went up to scout before dedicating the time, although I'm sure he's done everything by now
Nothing worse then when devs get caught adding all these if but elses to try and make a feature in a game "work". Just scrap the whole idea and start again, the base idea is trash and no amount of adjustments make it better, it just makes it even more convoluted and hard to understand and less enjoyable.
Yep zero sandbox. In runescape you can at least do mining and woodcutting and do fletching and create your own ammo etc. Why do you cook? Why do you fish? etc etc. When I realize the game has been in development for 9 years I realize its actually over. The game is essentially just a leveling simulator and it has the worst combat I've ever seen. Also every single profession is basically just a reskin of each other
I think people dislike this game merely because they’re trying to compare it to RuneScape. Don’t like it? Go back to OSRS. Simple. I personally am enjoying it because it’s something new to play and it’s different.
Idk. It sounds like the exact same current combat system in a new coat of paint. They could just implement the skill system in the current shape of combat and its basically the same. The biggest difference is you don't have to start with new gear entering a new episode but if they tune up monsters then its still the same but feels different. I do wonder how armor looks will change though. As a hammer mage, i hate the way my armors looks sub 200. tldr. Combat core isn't changing. All the og complaints still stand.
Honestly, they should bite the bullet now and just make all professions episode-agnostic. Expand the obelisk level idea to be based on your total XP in that episode. Each task can have a profession and obelisk level requirement, meaning you can't just skip to the highest level thing if you haven't done anything else in that episode. Then they could put any task for any skill wherever it makes sense, like fishing could be possible in any episode with water, or woodcutting in any episode with trees, and as future episodes come out there won't need to be like 3+ skills that are all exactly the same. Combat is a good start, but making the other skills follow similar "rules" will make it feel more cohesive and make the world feel more interconnected and cohesive.
I can't believe I forgot to mention this and the leaderboards. That's like the main thing lol! I guess I had the mindset to bring this to other players too.
(By the way, the video length requirement for mid-roll ads were lowered from 10 minutes to 8 minutes back in 2020; people still upload 10+ minute videos mostly because the algorithm has a preference for longer videos.)
This is laughably complicated. I've got almost 200 hours in game, and this update made me cancel my subscription. I just have no idea what they're going for with this game anymore. I thought I had a good idea of the future of the game, and was planning to grind out Bonewright, because I thought once trading gets released, players from other factions would be very interested in high level rare guardian weapons they could use for infusing epics, but now I really can't get a handle on what's going to valuable in the future and what isn't. Feels like a waste of time to be playing the way it is right now. I might come back when it stabilizes a little bit, but I don't know. These changes don't even address the fundamental problems with the combat, so I don't know why they're putting so much energy into this particular change.
Unfortunately the merge can be quite something to wrap your head around. But once everything is in the game, I'm certain it will make much more sense when you're playing with it. All it is, is you get experience to cap, then you get bonus levels. That's the meat of it.
Combat change won't do anything. Sadly I lost all hope for this game. I could design a better game in a day. Okay combat got merged, the game has been in development for 9 years. New patch notes yesterday was supposed to center map after teleporting but not even that works. Embarrassing. Good luck on the youtube channel you are the best creator Brighter Shores has but its a sinking ship
Thanks for watching anyway! I think the combat merge is a huge step in the right direction with more to come. They've been taking feedback very well. I still strongly believe that in time, there is something good here, but I understand your view. Thankfully I'm also working on non BS content as well while we wait.
I'll give it a try of course, but I'll admit... I think the combat is perfect right now, and everything explained in this video sounds like a drag that I'm not looking forward to. I've always played as a skiller in MMOs because of how much I disliked combat, but I finally gave Brighter Shore's combat a try and was surprised I liked it overall. Every aspect that people have been complaining about, and everything getting "fixed", are the aspects that I actually liked about combat, even more so because it wasn't like every other game. This feels like a step towards being like all of those other games that I didn't enjoy doing combat in.
This is a fair concern. I do genuinely believe this will strike a balance between the many complaints the game receives my combat being too repetitive and bland (as well as the reset problems) while still retaining its original vision. I think having an 'auto-allocate' button for people like yourself would be a great idea as then you can play combat your way, while also allowing for greater customisation for combat-oriented players.
I think it'll be okay when implemented. The most confusing part is the merge stuff. When it's in the game it's no different to leveling a character to cap in other games.
@Teloril I agree the flow of it will feel better when you're playing opposed to understanding the cogs that are moving behind the scenes! Love the passion the core community has here. I'm hopeful some of these bigger updates draw in more players over time, and more importantly keep them around!
btw forgot to mention capes stay and leaderboard positions stay so #1 will remain #1 kinda important ig fr fr oh well
fr fr 100 100 ong
@@ViktorStrangeProject no cap
"Back in my day we had a different level for each episode!" Can't wait to be able to condescend to newer players!
Another amazing and useful guide to the changes ahead.
Gotta give this man his flowers for putting a video together so well every time.
Finally a video that explains things and not just reading of the post on the forums
ngl, I tried to read Andrew's news post first thing in the morning and it brain fried me all day. Luckily we have the world's most advanced AI Tel to sort it out for us. Isn't the future amazing? Like the future of Brighter Shores. Engagement complete.
I'm glad they finally listened. I respect they wanted to do something new and I was willing to give it a chance and was even getting used to it, but it was objectively worse than how most other games did combat and if it didn't change, it probably wasn't going to keep players for long.
Thanks for the explanation. This was a concise and well-organized video. I'm personally excited about the changes and hope they improve the onboarding experience.
Thank you!
I did not realize how much i needed this video!
Well done, mate! Thank you for your time and efforts.
FAMOUS!!! love it I didn't hate the old combat system but this seems much better. I'm excited!
This is what I subbed for haha, great work Tel!
I'm still worried about having to manage 25 gear sets at some point in the future.
Why won't the obelisk just adjust automatically when changing episodes? Why do I have to craft 4 of the exactly same armor sets and weapons for each episode?
I could see an auto-swapping gear set implemented in the future. It would be cumbersome as we get over say 10 episodes.
@@Teloril Is there any place we can forward some feedback? 😅
@@Teloril I am not sure an autoswitch is needed, we can just use the quartermaster spell. I like to switch gear by using the spell, to show other people the different dyes I use!
It's because if they auto-attuned to new episodes, then you'd not be able to equip your old gear as it is too high obelisk level. If you don't level up obelisks, then you can keep improving your gear linearly like you'd expect. It'll work in every episode without the obelisk part, you don't need many sets. Only obelisk-level sets are episode specific like it is now.
Seriously, there's 12 unique weapons per faction, which I'm assuming they want to each be relevant somehow, most likely with special abilities, which means you'll need 12 weapons + armor for each episode. It's a very strange design choice.
I didn't mind the way we have it now but I definitely understand why he has decided to cave in a change it. Looking forward to it 👍 IGWT
great stuff tel
Thank you, Tel
Amazing thanks tel!
I think it will be more confusing at first for current players as change often can be, but new players should have a much easier time understanding the flow.
I like it.
This is great work man, thank you!!
I genuinely thought wow Tels is planning to branch out into other languages by this title lol. This update is a huge win. I didn't notice the areas would have different ability trees as well. Cant wait for this to be in game!
ah yes because I don't butcher the English language enough let's move onto more 👀
@@Teloril Tels Cuentos incoming!
Huge update! i like how they figured out how to not reset everyone but make it more intuitive.
Yep, it's a little bit of a messy merge for people to wrap their head around (which is why I made the calculator) but when we get our hands on it I'm sure it'll click.
I’m just wondering if they’ll go ahead and make all professions available in every episode eventually. For me, the episodes restricting professions is the biggest hang up with this game. I’d rather have fewer professions if it meant I could use my skills at any point in the game. This is just me, I really appreciate their willingness to bring something fresh with brighter shores but there are a few things I would change.
The combat change is much appreciated, especially with the upgrade tree which will make higher level combat characters feel different from one another.
Tbh, i feel like the episode system in general makes absolutely no sense in an mmo
Sounds interesting, a bit confusing lol, but we’ll need try it out before judging.
Yeah the merge is a little confusing. Should make sense when we get in game.
Awesome video as usual, just wanted to give my thoughts about gear and crafting.
Think about an item far in the future in Episode 13 where the Combat range goes from 460-500. The episode 13 obelisk would go to level 460. That means you would think the best item in that episode would have tuning level 460. But it also needs to have a gear level between 460 and 500. The tuning level won't be limited to under 40 (the gear level and tuning level won't always add up to 500). So the best item in that episode would have gear level 500 and 460 tuning, so a level 960 item. The best gear in a later episode will be better than the best gear in a previous episode. This will be our form of power creep.
In the crafting professions, at level 500, we'll be able to craft only up to level 560. We'll be able to craft items with less and less tuning level as the episodes progress until we can't even cover the base gear level. For Hopeport, we can craft a level 30 with tuning 530 but for Hopeforest, we can only craft a level 60 with tuning 500 and so on (Crenopolis we can craft a level 140 with tuning 420). In Episode 13, we'll only be able to craft a level 500 item with 60 tuning. So the current crafting will be less and less impactful as new episodes release unless they increase the cap or release new professions that cover very high level crafting.
I had a long part questioning your gear calculator, but I edited it out because I realized I was wrong. It wouldn't make sense for a current level 500 item in Crenopolis to become an uncraftable level 600 item (with 140 Gear level and 460 Tuning level). Instead, it makes more sense for the levels to add up to what they were before and be weaker than the optimal item drop that could be gotten after the update.
It is still an issue though that a low level item in a later episode would be completely useless (level 20 weapon in Crenopolis).
I really like this change!
After my first read through I hated the idea and while I'm still not 100% sold on multiple different skill tree's for each episode plus the character skill tree it's not bad and I'm definitely willing to give it a shot. Your explinations helped alot the news post is ALOT to take in on a first read.
Love a good spreadsheet
Has anything been said about when we can expect this system to be implemented?
Nothing has been said. In my opinion, I'm thinking in the next 30 days. I have no evidence supporting this, though.
Basically source: "vibes*
@@Teloril maybe we need a video footage first, or even a beta. Even though we are in a sort of beta, already
I feel very strongly that they should not do "level scaling" of enemies and instead cap our non-obelisk character level/tree at each episode, and cap the non-obelisk level of our gear too. I'm not talking about having to take gear off, simply cap its stats in combat. Episode 3 should only include non-obelisk character tree upgrades you've made with your first 3 episodes, not anything you add with higher levels (episode 4 and above). They can "tag" the first 30 levels of upgrades with Hopeport, the next 30 with Hopeforest etc. This works perfectly fine with respec, if that's possible for character tree.
Enemies staying 10 levels behind you is a sure way to make combat feel like it's not moving at all. I want to be able to fight a level 0 enemy when I'm 500 and 1 hit it (instead of dying to level 490). Not capping us in episodes also makes it much easier to get a high combat level in Hopeport by progressing to new episodes than by training the obelisk in Hopeport, which will be confusing to new players. I know you can only unlock new monster variants with the obelisk, but that doesn't matter in PVP.
They mentioned not wanting to have the ability to come back to a previous episode and 1 shot everything, as it would devalue / trivialize any new content added to those existing episodes.
@@AsalraalaikumMy comment explains how they can achieve that without level scaling. They essentially want us to only become stronger in combat prof in new episodes, which doesn't actually need level scaling. I hope they rethink that.
if you have to add all these systems to something to make it work, then maybe the concept as a whole is trash and needs ground up rework. I hate games that just try and make things work that don't work.
@@GoddaryuTUBE "All these systems" Bro it's a ceiling on your level, it's not complicated.
@@xaero96 The fuck are you trying to say skill issue? But when systems need little rules and exceptions everywhere to make them work, then its a shit system in the first place, this is a common quote ya muppet.
I dont even play this anymore, i grinded out to top 6 foragers then quit when i realized the game is just an empty time consumer with no joy.
NICE
are there optimal levels to push for in each?
If you level 30/30/40/40 in each you will be 'capped' on the merge. But, you really can continue to play how you like. It sounds a bit weird but players won't be affected negatively by the merge.
Will tuned gear be usable in other episodes? Or will the tuning level just not apply?
e.g. Is 120 Crenopolis gear usable in Hopeforest, just without the tuning bonus applied? Or is gear still locked to an episode once tuned?
This is something I thought over and certain wording of the news article makes me believe we will NOT be able to used attuned gear as "base" gear in another episode.
I think it will function much like our current gear does.
@ Though wouldn’t this mean a new player would still effectively be wearing no armour once they enter episode 2? (Similar to how it works now, e.g. jarring)
I’m mostly thinking about how they said untuned gear would be wearable. It almost sounds like doing so would be the way to go, for when you’re just running around cross episodes and might occasionally need to fight something.
But I also can’t see them wanting to encourage prioritizing untuned gear.
@@Teloril Noticed this when re-reading.
“As we launch later episodes, with their higher level caps and higher level weapons, players will be able to bring those higher levels and weapons back to the earlier episodes.”
Which does imply that Crenopolis gear would be usable in Hopeport.
A few things worry me currently…
1) Edge cases: In your example at 5:50, you say the player at 110 would start at a lower level and need to level to 140 “by any means” before they can level up their obelisks. This makes absolutely zero sense to me (it doesn’t help that after saying that, when you put 10 more levels in Watchperson your calculator *does* level the obelisk 😂) It bothers me that the current solution is “make sure your combat levels are at the cap for each episode, just to be safe.”
2) Forcing combat levels: Currently only 15-20 combat is required to progress through the main quest in each episode, and you can decide to pursue any combat skill further regardless of previous progress. After the rework it will be incredibly difficult to avoid leveling the minimum 30/40 levels in each episode before being able to progress.
3) Obelisk levels not being unique enough: Kinda says it all. Can’t say for certain before we get a clearer picture, but if they’re too similar then it’s the same problem as before. Also, the advertised “small benefit to the next episode” might be too small of a boon to make it worth it.
4) Skill points: The combat rework overall is just very incongruent to the relative simplicity of the rest of the game’s design philosophy, and skill points open a Pandora’s box of balancing issues, avoiding meta builds, and making sure everyone can pick a playstyle and still feel viable/not feel like they made a “wrong” choice.
This might end up being a bigger headache than the one they’re currently trying to solve…
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If it was up to me, I would’ve kept combat profs separate and instead had each one introduce 1-2 special attack skills that would become stronger, faster, more efficient, etc., at level breakpoints. At one of the lower levels (20-50) I would have a quest to demonstrate the skill, and upon completion it would unlock the skill to be used in any episode. In this way, each combat profession gets an identity and feels meaningful because it allows the player to develop a unique, personal combat playstyle that is still very simple as far as choice goes, but has depth in how much effort the player decides to put into ‘mastering’ each episode’s special attack(s) to create and perfect their desired “build”.
Great thoughts! Here's mine :)
1) These are edge cases for when you're a high level in Crenopolis and specifically low level everywhere else. This will only really affect the merge and will be easily resolved by playing the game after the fact, basically it's a bigger issue than it actually seems and is specifically because of the merge. Later on players won't experience this.
2) This is intended. I asked Samuel about this and the devs responded it will take a little longer to get through episodes to get the relevant combat before you move on. This is no different to the current game design, just right now we can cheese the bosses a bit. But yes, it will take time to max combat and get through each Episode.
3) If they don't make Obelisks at least somewhat unique, I agree. I think each Episode's Obelisk should have some kind of identity - such as 'Scout' being more focused on 'Range' than others. If they don't, this is a huge missed opportunity imo and I'll be disappointed.
4) I personally believe if they add some form of auto-allocate button it can keep the simplicity in-tact without forcing complexity on players, while also allowing more combat and build-focused players to have choices and agency.
Sidegrades are king here - things like Immunity timers and movement speed can help with your other professions but make your combat 'worse'.
@ I appreciate your reply 🙂 I worried my comment might be a little TLDR lol.
I hadn’t thought about combat skill points having options to benefit skilling! I really hope they consider that.
TCDL (too complicated didn’t listen) jk great video I failed algebra twice though and understand nothing from this video, hoping for the best!
I think it's funny because I'm level 500 in guard, 32 in scout and 206 in minefighter but only level 6 in watchperson but have also just not done any skill in crenopolis so it would feel like nothing has changed for me when I finally do try out crenopolis
@@tedirl this is kind of ideal scenario to seeing it as a new player would lol
I think it's a little ways out though so you might be in Cren by then
If the skill trees are different for each episode this would be an amazing change, if they're the same skill tree every episode then its just rebranding the current combat system
I've been pretty much on record for this one: I'll defend the team a lot, but if they make the mistake of making every obelisk the same, no chance I defend that at all.
They can make every obelisk the same. You are the one choosing what build you want, you make it different. But they'll probably make it new every time.
I think they are in a lose lose situation here unfortunately. The players that are not giving this a chance are really people who don't like the episode system. This new system doesn't solve the annoyances of the existing combat system which is carrying four sets of gear. A lot of people also do not like mob rooms being recycled. The art definitely scales well to 500 on mobs/gear but most people won't get that far. For this to have worked in general, each combat skill would have had to been unique and use different gear so that it felt meaningful. The current faction system conflicts with that though. I think the game is at a crossroads already and they have to decide which way to go. For me personally I'll continue to play either way.
The main thing I don't understand is, say you take a break from the game or are new and miss multiple episode releases, do you HAVE to level combat in early zones first before you can do anything in the new zones?
If you were to take a break, your level cap does NOT go up until you unlock a new episode on your character. So you won't suddenly need to get 100 levels.
Same thing for new players, their cap is 30 until they hit Hopeforest.
@Teloril so if you're a new player and you want to skip to cren before doing major grinding in the old episodes like a lot of people did, you can still do that? Or will mobs be to high level?
@@Teloril I think I worded my question bad the first time :p appreciate your videos and replies!
@@repetitivemusicenthusiast No worries!
As a new player, the experience will be very much like when we first played. They will need to progress through each episode and get combat levels in each episode before moving on, so you won't be able to rush Cren.
To be clear, I don't think you *have* to max level every ep, but for example when you leave hopeport at combat level 20 the enemies in Hopeforest will be level 30, and bosses possibly higher. Similar to traditional MMOs.
I think it could make for an interesting challenge run though!
@@Teloril yeah that is interesting, I know a lot of people rushed crime dens to afk at the start, this kinda forces it to be more linear, I like that personally!
I'm confused about the armor. If I get lvl 500 epic Guard armor in Episode 1, how does that translate to the other episodes?
If you had a level 500 Epic Guard Armor in Episode 1, it would be level 30 + 470 and attuned to Hopeport ONLY. You would not be able to use it elsewhere.
@ so a Level 140 EPIC armor from Episode 4 would work everywhere?
Actually, I always loved the current combat system. They could probably add the skill tree and special attacks on top of current system. In this way, you could create different builds for different episodes.
I wonder how this will work with 21 episodes.
This system seems weird because of the merge complexity, but in all honesty when we get in the game it will seem very familiar. The trees and different 'obelisks' (renamed combats) should still allow for different builds in different episodes, too.
@@Teloril Another issue is the time needed to implement all this. It might take months, at best, unless they have something in their hands already.
@@belandino Samuel reported we might see this in ~2 months but it's hard to approximate with the amount of stuff they need to work on, ofc. But yeah. I still think it will be great for the long term health of the game, though.
rip over 500 hrs into this game
It's pretty confusing and am unsure if this will workout super well but I think it will at least better than it was and that if it isn't, they will fix it.
It will take them weeks to do this. Combat will get a buff, not only you will be able to optimize for clear more easily and fighter higher level mosnters at the high end.
Should i start playing now or just wait till this comes out? I always wanted to give brighter shores a try especially now because of the rs drama but idk if i should wait or play now.
Wouldn't hurt to get up to speed with the quests and get the "mandatory" grinds out of the way to unlock all features in the meantime. Game will realistically stay the same for the most part.
Tbh, I'd give it at least a year. Game kinda sucks right now
seems like this might mess up people wanting to go forward or backward thru episodes
You can actually level "Combat" in any Episode. So if you're a new player, you're level 30 in Hopeport, and unlock Hopeforest to increase your cap to 60 - you can chill in Hopeport until 60 or continue in Forest to level up.
As for sequence breaking, you had to do boss-fights anyway so nothing much changes there.
I will admit, it’s a little bit of a bummer since I’ve been grinding to 500 scout.
Still seems like a great update for all though hahah
When is this going to be happening?
Tldw
I love it
*cries in 240 scout*
One thing that kind of is ass is you lose 30 200+ levels. You keep your place on the leaderboard at least? 😭
So the best gear is still going to be episodic?
End game gear (in the current state) is episodic. We're unsure how uniques and stuff will be handled later down the line.
when do you think we will recieve some actual content for the game?
Samuel's quest is in the process of being finished in the next week or two, as well as the leaderboard fixes.
I know that's not what you're asking though - PvP will be near the release of 1.0 and raids will be after it is where we currently stand. Episode 5 maybe 6 - 9 months. So honestly? Like a year.
@@Teloril I would say 5 years minimal for the game to be TRULY complete at this rate.
Fuck I'm back in!
That guy that grinded guard to 500 in the first 3 weeks is going to see his combat level be 50 😂, because he only went up to scout before dedicating the time, although I'm sure he's done everything by now
Nothing worse then when devs get caught adding all these if but elses to try and make a feature in a game "work". Just scrap the whole idea and start again, the base idea is trash and no amount of adjustments make it better, it just makes it even more convoluted and hard to understand and less enjoyable.
This game sucks with the episode progression, we need a huge open sandbox game that doesn't use this. Game sucks and wont grow because of this.
Yep zero sandbox. In runescape you can at least do mining and woodcutting and do fletching and create your own ammo etc. Why do you cook? Why do you fish? etc etc. When I realize the game has been in development for 9 years I realize its actually over. The game is essentially just a leveling simulator and it has the worst combat I've ever seen. Also every single profession is basically just a reskin of each other
Disagree
@@MiroslawHorbal Smartest most self critical brighter shores player
@@lukullberg955 disagree
@@lukullberg955 your first mistake is thinking this game is runescape. Your second is not trusting Andrew Gowers creative vision and process.
I'm so confused as to why it's all so overcomplicated...
I think people dislike this game merely because they’re trying to compare it to RuneScape. Don’t like it? Go back to OSRS. Simple. I personally am enjoying it because it’s something new to play and it’s different.
Idk. It sounds like the exact same current combat system in a new coat of paint. They could just implement the skill system in the current shape of combat and its basically the same. The biggest difference is you don't have to start with new gear entering a new episode but if they tune up monsters then its still the same but feels different.
I do wonder how armor looks will change though. As a hammer mage, i hate the way my armors looks sub 200.
tldr. Combat core isn't changing. All the og complaints still stand.
Honestly, they should bite the bullet now and just make all professions episode-agnostic. Expand the obelisk level idea to be based on your total XP in that episode. Each task can have a profession and obelisk level requirement, meaning you can't just skip to the highest level thing if you haven't done anything else in that episode. Then they could put any task for any skill wherever it makes sense, like fishing could be possible in any episode with water, or woodcutting in any episode with trees, and as future episodes come out there won't need to be like 3+ skills that are all exactly the same. Combat is a good start, but making the other skills follow similar "rules" will make it feel more cohesive and make the world feel more interconnected and cohesive.
I do wanna like this game, but this doesn't fix the progress problem that is ruining the game..
SMH you didn't even mention the capes would be retained, you could have hit that 10min breakpoint
I can't believe I forgot to mention this and the leaderboards. That's like the main thing lol!
I guess I had the mindset to bring this to other players too.
(By the way, the video length requirement for mid-roll ads were lowered from 10 minutes to 8 minutes back in 2020; people still upload 10+ minute videos mostly because the algorithm has a preference for longer videos.)
Fixed? You mean it's broken?
This is laughably complicated. I've got almost 200 hours in game, and this update made me cancel my subscription. I just have no idea what they're going for with this game anymore. I thought I had a good idea of the future of the game, and was planning to grind out Bonewright, because I thought once trading gets released, players from other factions would be very interested in high level rare guardian weapons they could use for infusing epics, but now I really can't get a handle on what's going to valuable in the future and what isn't. Feels like a waste of time to be playing the way it is right now. I might come back when it stabilizes a little bit, but I don't know. These changes don't even address the fundamental problems with the combat, so I don't know why they're putting so much energy into this particular change.
Unfortunately the merge can be quite something to wrap your head around. But once everything is in the game, I'm certain it will make much more sense when you're playing with it.
All it is, is you get experience to cap, then you get bonus levels. That's the meat of it.
Combat change won't do anything. Sadly I lost all hope for this game. I could design a better game in a day. Okay combat got merged, the game has been in development for 9 years. New patch notes yesterday was supposed to center map after teleporting but not even that works. Embarrassing. Good luck on the youtube channel you are the best creator Brighter Shores has but its a sinking ship
Thanks for watching anyway! I think the combat merge is a huge step in the right direction with more to come. They've been taking feedback very well. I still strongly believe that in time, there is something good here, but I understand your view. Thankfully I'm also working on non BS content as well while we wait.
@@Teloril Good luck bro I'll stay subscribed
I'll give it a try of course, but I'll admit... I think the combat is perfect right now, and everything explained in this video sounds like a drag that I'm not looking forward to. I've always played as a skiller in MMOs because of how much I disliked combat, but I finally gave Brighter Shore's combat a try and was surprised I liked it overall. Every aspect that people have been complaining about, and everything getting "fixed", are the aspects that I actually liked about combat, even more so because it wasn't like every other game. This feels like a step towards being like all of those other games that I didn't enjoy doing combat in.
This is a fair concern. I do genuinely believe this will strike a balance between the many complaints the game receives my combat being too repetitive and bland (as well as the reset problems) while still retaining its original vision.
I think having an 'auto-allocate' button for people like yourself would be a great idea as then you can play combat your way, while also allowing for greater customisation for combat-oriented players.
Its essentially a mobile game on steam. Point and click boring grindy no actual challenge.
Better, but it's a little complicated and causes some friction on the barrier to entry.
I think it'll be okay when implemented. The most confusing part is the merge stuff.
When it's in the game it's no different to leveling a character to cap in other games.
@Teloril I agree the flow of it will feel better when you're playing opposed to understanding the cogs that are moving behind the scenes!
Love the passion the core community has here. I'm hopeful some of these bigger updates draw in more players over time, and more importantly keep them around!
How many players online?
Too late game is dead already unlucky.
not only does this game look horrible visually, it also looks horrible to play