Hey all, I really like this game and the ideas it stands for! Each time I play, I get sucked in.
However, that is the same disadvantage because just about when I start loving it, I run out of
content or encounter bugs/lag/errors. (Rinse and repeat with each few alphas)
I know this has been asked numerous times probably - but when do I return if I want to have a game
that I can really play and get into? Have been reading the development blogs/roadmap thoroughly and seen that its been about 3 years since a launch was being talked about. Going by this, it would be fantastic to know when I can come back without having to replay the game every few hours. Is it years more? 3? 5? I am fine, just wanted to know.
Hey there @Ryan_N, welcome to the Discourse! Your question is very much a personal one, and while I will give you my opinion, I feel it is really something you have to decide for yourself.
One option is to play whenever you feel the urge to. Likely, like most of us, you have multiple games in your library that you can play. When you get an urge to play Stonehearth, do so, if not, don’t.
Another option is to play each time a new Alpha is released. If you go this route, I would recommend sticking to the main branch (not latest), which is updated every ~6 weeks. With a new Alpha you will see new features, bug fixes, performance improvements, etc. You could also decide to come back every x number of Alphas, or when you see something that catches your eye in the patch notes.
Finally, you can wait for the game to leave Alpha. There is no timeline, and I believe TR has talked about 20+ Alphas in their long term plans, so it might be a while…a disadvantage of this option is that you lose the ability to give feedback, but if you are looking for a “playable” game, that is your best bet.
Indeed there is allot of bugging and crashing. Personally i just use the current versions to find out what the limits are on de building part of the game. True you can give an input to the game, but i just like to build and grow my village. That is the nice part between the ability to play peacefull and normal with raiding goblin party’s
It really is a personal thing - I mean, I haven’t even really played the game yet, and I’ve been around for a while.
I’ve made the decision that I want to wait until the game is in a really good place, regardless of how long that takes, because whilst I am incredibly excited to play it, I also recognise that all of this takes time.
So, perhaps it’s best to go away for a few months, keep up to date with the dev blog, get involved with the community, and then come August/ September give the game another go?
The worst thing you could do is burn out and never come back!
I go through this phase with most building type games. I’ll spend days or weeks binge-playing Cities Skylines then not touch it again for 3 or 4 months. The combat tweaks in A14 drew me back in.
I’ve set a “comeback” for when ranged combat +/- destructible buildings are released. I shook my magic 8 ball and it told me tons of mods should be coming out around that time.
Still checking in every now and then. The team’s made massive advances in terms of building and performance. It’s worth starting a new game every alpha, more or less!
