Sector 0 Recap - let's talk about our launch season!
Before Sector 1: Dreadshore releases tomorrow, we wanted to take a moment to appreciate our launch season of Meet Your Maker.
1 million players have braved the wasteland and we can safely say, this world would be incomplete without you.
Sector 0 Stats
- Since launch there have been:
- 2,963,267 Outposts built
- 1,259 Chimeras leveled to 100
- Corrosive Cubes were the most popular trap with 15,603,304 uses
- Enforcers were the most popular guard with 4,874,787 uses
- Outposts received the “Fun” accolade most often, with 2,260,569 Fun accolades awarded
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Player Pulse Survey
Last month, we sent out the Player Pulse survey to check in with all of you; we asked questions about game elements like ranking, progression and difficulty, to take the temperature on where we’re at, and where we’d like to be. Here’s a recap of some of the results:
Respondents:
- 8,671
Builder / Raider Breakdown:
- 32% Preferred Building
- 26% Preferred Raiding
- 42% Liked Both
Top Player Concerns:
- Outposts moving from Active to Social at prestige level 10 feels too soon
- Progression feels complicated, is too much of a grind; Synthite is difficult to obtain
- It is currently difficult to choose an Outpost that aligns with players’ skill level
- Ranking system is unclear and buggy
- Onboarding content could be fuller; it is currently difficult for beginners to dive-in with no context
- The game can begin to feel repetitive after a while, especially with lack of content
Top Player Positives:
- Game’s overall concept, as well as Builder creativity, is appreciated
- Co-op is fun
- Game feels like a challenge
Thanks to everyone who participated, this survey allows us to approach our roadmap with fresh insight. The concerns flagged here echoed many of the discussions we’ve been seeing in the community.
Short outpost lifecycles and a lack of clarity around ranking, in particular, keep emerging as top issues. We are planning to improve on these systems in the next Sector release and will continue to adjust them as we see how players respond.
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What’s Changed (So Far)
Following these top feedback points, we wanted to share a rundown of the changes we have already made in the Pre-Sector 1 patch.
Outposts moving from Active to Social at prestige level 10 feels too soon
Outposts may now be activated an infinite amount of times after reaching Prestige 10, for a Synthite Cost!
- Activating an Outpost beyond Prestige 10 will still reward players with resources, kills and Accolades.
- Outposts activated beyond Prestige 10 are no longer eligible to be Champion Outposts.
Read more about this change in the Pre-Sector 1 Patch Notes.
Progression feels complicated, is too much of a grind; Synthite is difficult to obtain
We have added guaranteed Synthite and Parts rewards to Raiding to create a more dependable source of these currencies, while altering the effectiveness of other sources. Overall, this is a slight buff.
Read more about this change in the Pre-Sector 1 Patch Notes.
It is currently difficult to choose an Outpost that aligns with players’ skill level
We pushed a Matchmaking update (on 4/19/2023) plus other balancing changes in a few hotfixes, we will continue to tweak this system until it feels fair and accurate.
Find the patch notes for those updates here.
Ranking system is unclear and buggy
The Ranking System has been reworked to improve the flow of progression, requiring less Ranking Points per Rank.
- Rank to Rank requirements will also now increase at a more gradual pace.
- Players will now receive the same base Ranking Points for actions regardless of your opponent’s Rank.
- You will continue to lose more Ranking Points for actions based on your own Rank.
Read more about these changes in the Pre-Sector 1 Patch Notes.
Onboarding content could be fuller; it is currently difficult for beginners to dive-in with no context
- The Phoenix Pod, a manual checkpoint tool that helps players manage their time, can now be used twice per Raid.
- The Phoenix Pod is now automatically unlocked for all players, and players will start with 25 in their inventory.
- Tutorial #2 “Raid an Outpost” has been improved to better teach the grappling hook and Forsaken Tomb mechanics.
- Newly released content will now be flagged with “!” notifications so players can easily identify content that has been released since they have last played.
- Loading screens now contain useful gameplay tips.
- The consequences of dying as it pertains to loot is now better explained on the death screen.
- The results of Prestiging while there is still GenMat to harvest has been clarified in the user-interface.
Read more about these changes in the Pre-Sector 1 Patch Notes.
The game can begin to feel repetitive after a while
Here’s a snapshot of some the new content we added this launch season:
The Hellscape Deco Pack including:
- 2 Blocks: Bloodmesh, Gnarlvine
- 2 Props: Tower Lesion, Keyhole Lesion
- 1 Animated Prop: Flesh Bloom
- 8 Decals
New Trap Mods:
- Bomb Ejector: Spring Loaded - The Spring Load Mod ejects bombs out at a high speed.
- Death Piston: Self-Destruct - Self-Destruct causes the Trap to explode soon after being destroyed.
- Iron Claw: Catch & Release - Catch & Release drops tethered Raiders once they're reeled in.
- Boltshot: Relentless - Relentless staggers the rate at which all 14 bolts are launched, spreading them out over the course of 2 seconds to increase the duration of its deadly onslaught.
New Guard Augment:
- Warmonger: Flamewalker - The Flamewalker Augment grants immunity to fire damage. (That said, we're currently experiencing an issue where it's missing in-game. This is not intended, and the team is working on a fix!)
There's plenty more to come in Sector 1: Dreadshore! Check out the trailer here.
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What’s Next
During Sector 0, we watched the player base grow, gain expertise, and begin to offer insight into improving Meet Your Maker. Our team monitored online conversation and direct feedback, through channels like the Player Pulse survey. Before we pushed the Pre-Sector 1 patch, your feedback was combed through, studied, and discussed as a team.
The changes do not end there; we will be sharing an updated roadmap in the coming months, greatly influenced by your feedback. So, keep up the conversation, we are tweaking our plans accordingly.
For now, enjoy the wet and eerie world of Dreadshore, when Sector 1 content is released tomorrow!
-The Meet Your Maker Team