While I haven't logged in the hours that a lot of the regulars on the forums have....I have tried...and I have wanted to...until 53 came out. Why? Upkeep. Yes, I'm a broken record throughout the forums...It took me awhile to decide to make my very own, first, post about it. Again, why? Because I've tried and tried to play and learn to accept, be complacent, Stockholm Syndrome myself into liking the new Upkeep. Sadly, it hasn't happened...and here's why: 1. When I first bought the game I was watching video's and the campy video's "Boil til' it's grey and the germs go away." Still my favourite motto, which I use in day to day lingo. I saw all this Lovecraftian fishy people, cults...guys going crazy and hacking other colonists up...my kind of twisted humour. With a bit of the building stuff and showing you hey you can kind of build like The Sims. I was so giddy and happy...I bought it, at a hefty price for an Early Access...researching here of course to see how active the updates, etc. were. I was confident in my purchase. I've been through quite a few experimental patches which were crashes...and still that didn't deter me...had my first obeliskian attack...wow...fun. Had a guy go with the fish people...fun!! Had my colonists leave they were so mad at me...what can I say, I'm not a great player...but it was FUN!! Through all of it, it was still FUN....now...not so much. 2. To me this new upkeep is taking away from all the video's I watched...it was supposed to be more about the events, with a good amount of colony, building stuff. With the new upkeep system it really feels like you are being punished for building....and you HAVE to build. I really loved the add on with the housing = population control...that made perfect sense, since half my guys were sleeping on the floors of buildings or the ground. I couldn't keep up. The upkeep + having to build housing with no renewable resources = punishing. I really didn't think we'd get punished on the building part...but more on the events...the cultists, the fishy people, and the myriad of other oddities...It got extremely convoluted to a point where I lost that giddy feeling.....oh that giddy feeling...((insert cheesy Top Gun song here)). It was feeling more like a chore than a game....and I have my own motto on that..."If it's not fun, don't play, games = fun"...so it's not as quippy as the boil til' it's grey, but I'm not a writer. 3. I knew going into Early Access that things would change, but from this point all the change was FUN, and cool...and in my humble opinion...now it's not. I want to so badly experience all the new event arcs...and the cultists...but I just can't bring myself to load up the game knowing that I am going to be struggling (even on the easiest starting choice) to build and keep everything running. I tried...I had starving to death, not because my kitchen broke, the first time, was because of lack of resources, the second time was it was all broken and well lack of resources. The Upkeep just really sucked the fun out of the game for me. I liked the old way...they would break, randomly...and someone would go fix it. Now I'm obsessively looking at how many upkeep boxes I need and need to have some back ups, because I'm like that...and all the while I'm thinking, this isn't fun. So I stopped playing. I am still watching the forums...and I am seeing others' not happy with it either...and I'm hoping that one day...I'll be able to play and have fun again. The game drew me in like a moth to a flame...with the Lovecraft feel...the twisted morbid colonists...that all just got shoved aside, for me...and I'm thinking/hoping/assuming I'm not alone here. I really hope I don't get trolled for this...although the people on the forums seem to be really great people...and you Dev's are included...your dedication to the game astounds me. I just feel like an unheard voice in the midst of a lot of other stuff...and yes crashes do take priority as well as script errors, etc. Who knows I may be the lone person really struggling with the new Upkeep...there has been advice given, but it doesn't change the fact that it feels like it's bogging the game down...it's a punishment...maybe a strong word... Again, I'm watching and hoping to see if anything changes or it gets taken out and the old way back gets put back in play...so I can play again and do my fishy people dance, no I will never ever record me doing that...Ever. I will keep watching the forums, but sadly, I won't be playing, it's just not fun...and that makes me so sad. On many levels...including the fact that it was an expensive EA game...and I took the risk, thinking that it was going to get more Lovecraftian to destroy the colony...not having the lack of resources do that for you before you can even get to the insane creatures doing that for you.
Well, Daynab mentioned on the Steam forums that they heard the feedback, both on difficulty for some and tedium for others, and have some ideas in mind to change it. So, I think it'll end up being something most can tolerate or even enjoy.
I am in the same boat for the most part. I do not feel a strong compulsion to fire up the game on a nightly basis.... But that started prior to upkeep... Upkeep merely finished me off for the most part.
Heh, you sure like your ellipses. Regardless, I do agree with your main point that upkeep (in it's current state) just isn't all the fun. It seems really tedious and too resource intensive. I currently have 5 guys mining just to get barely enough stone to keep my 15 population colony running, but I'm new to the game so maybe I'm doing it wrong?
We're going to be tweaking upkeep in the next experimental (which should be tonight!) and we have other ideas on how to make it not tedious in the long run.
