Ahoy, friends!
Our Naval Playtest has come to an end!
We'd like to thank you for participating in it!
The main goal that we pursue is the goal that makes each of us crawl to our computers in the morning, spilling coffee along the way, the goal that keeps us sitting in our chairs for hours, like a kraken from the depths of the sea, wrapping its long tentacles around the developer...
Thoughts about this goal keep you awake at night, and because of these thoughts, the developer may miss a night watch on the foremast a meal, or a nap. This goal is the answer to the question:
Will they play our game?
The idea may be great, the wrapper may be beautiful, but will the player want to play again? What is the key mechanic of the game, what actions will I repeat over and over again, and what will never bore me?
It is the naval battles that we were excited about and that we would like you to enjoy. In this test, we wanted to understand how playable our core mechanics are, how clear they are, and how engaging they are.
Naval Playtest was a test of naval battles, which are a key mechanic in Neverseas.
Thanks to you, we've been able to determine whether the massive ship feels pleasant and easy to control. Is the water beautiful, do the cannons feel recoil, and is the overall naval battle dynamic? Do the cannons take too long to reload, and do the sails obstruct the view?
During the development process, we constantly faced difficulties and disagreements, quarreled and made peace, but it was only thanks to your many feedback that we made important decisions and drew the necessary conclusions.Thanks to the feedback and bug reports we received, we were able to fix more than 200 errors and bugs! Together with you, we have done a great and important job, which resulted in the definition of the appearance for the following systems and mechanics:
Wind model
In the testing process, we found that a more arcade-like wind model and its predictable behavior allow the player to focus on the action of the battle, rather than being distracted by the “I want to swim, but he’s not swimming” situation. Overcoming challenges should provide an advantage, rather than unlocking basic control features.
Ship physics and movement
The physical model of movement turned out to be even better than we expected. Ships should move inertly, they are not motorboats. And also, with such movement, the action of the battle should be preserved and the player should not have time to get bored. We think that we have done a great job with this task.
Enemy behavior
In this part, unfortunately, we have not received any feedback. It is difficult to draw any conclusions at the moment, as an endless battle is not the best environment for AI-controlled ships to demonstrate teamwork. Therefore, we will wait for feedback on this mechanic.
Aiming
It was a big surprise for us that the players liked the automatic shooting mode. We must admit that we had focused on manual aiming, and the automatic mode was just a debugging feature. Based on the test results, we can confidently say that the automatic mode will complement the manual mode in future updates!
Graphics and stylistics
To our surprise, and despite the huge number of visual bugs, you liked the graphical side of the project. We assumed (mainly because of comparing our project with other products on the market) that stylistic graphics would be an advantage, but the testing showed that this was not the case, and the bet on realism paid off.
Interfaces
This playtest didn't involve intensive interaction with the InGame UI, but we were pleasantly surprised that it didn't cause you any problems. At first, we received a lot of bug reports, but we managed to fix them quickly and overcome everything by the end of testing. We think it's too early to draw conclusions about convenience and ergonomics, we'll do them a little later.
We want to say that listening to your community is not only interesting, but also useful. It's thanks to your feedback that we understand what's necessary and what's too much, what to add and what to remove. Only you can tell us if it's fun to accelerate a multi-ton machine, deploy cannons, and unleash volleys on countless enemies!
And to the most important thing.
Naval Playtest is the first, but not the only one. We would like to inform you that we plan to hold several more playtests in the near future, and the next one, Neverseas Seafaring, will take place during the New Year holidays!
Seafaring Playtest will provide players with a glimpse into the real world of Neverseas, which is both interesting and challenging. You will embark on a journey where you can put your skills from Naval Playtest to the test. However, the path ahead is fraught with danger and adventure.
You will learn the basics of Neverseas navigation in fog-covered seas, embark on a fearless journey through forgotten islands, upgrade and modernize your ship as you sail, manage resources, and even participate in naval battles between fleets.
The third playtest (a secret) will offer a boarding action (but this is also a secret) - the sound of steel sabers and the sound of boots on a foreign deck, which you have been asking for so much.
The fourth playtest (an even greater secret) will involve the siege of cities, the capture of cities, and a global battle with both naval and land forces. We can't wait for it.
The next playtests will have separate announcements, so don't miss out!
We are glad that we have given you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of Neverseas.
See you on Christmas!
Discord:
Team Neverseas