Senior Member
We are now in year three of this game and let’s just go with the short version of this story: This game is not as good as it could be.
This game is unique, it occupies its own space both in video games in general and in a supposed e-sports scene. But the game isn’t that successful. Most players have left and those who remain either cling to the game for its unique qualities or stare longingly at a future where For Honor may go the way of the R6: Siege and be revived as a much better game than it started as.
For all its flaws, For Honor is at its core a really good game. The problem is mostly that the dev team seems to get away with minimum effort. My list of small issues with the game (link here) is just that, small issues. But there are larger beasts roaming these lands. Some of them have been talked about since launch, or close to it. Some have crept up since then. All things on this list have one thing in common. In order for this game to be the success this community and hopefully the dev team wants, these things must be done. Help me fill out this list.
- Rework the entire OG cast of For Honor so they are brought up to the same standard as the DLC cast. This means providing them with updated movesets and game mechanics, but also giving them the same level of feat synergy that new heroes have.
- Give certain heroes a second or third pass. Heroes that have been reworked, but still cannot compete such as Valkyrie and Warlord.
- Take ranked duel out of beta if you’re not going to continue working in it. It has been in beta almost as long as Warframe.
- Roll out a functional ranked version for all modes in the game. Give players a real incentive to play ranked instead of casual to allow the casual players and the competitive players to both get their place to play.
- Remove the faction war or replace it with something simpler that doesn’t get in the players’ way.
- Keep working on standardisation / normalisation – Why is Conq the only hero that can’t feint? Why is WL the only heavy without an unlockable? Why is Shaolin the only non-assassin with reflex guard?
- Make reputation an *invisible score” that is not on display in matchmaking as it does not represent skill in the game and should not be used as such in matchmaking. It just confuses and frustrates players. This will also work to not discourage new players who are suddenly facing people with multiple times their own rep score.
- Work on timing when it comes to free-to-play events an giveaways. You’re giving away FH on Epic right after the release of a new hero, right when the bad feelings about the hero and the game in general will be at its peak. A better time would be right before the reveal stream, flooding the new players with chat messages about new characters coming, balance changes and new stuff.
- Work to enhance clarity in the game. All feats that do damage should have the damage numbers specified instead of something cryptic like "medium damage", same with timed feats. Also write out the damage and stamina cost for attacks in the move list of each hero.
Senior Member
Senior Member
Points one and 2 sound similar enough to be the same point. Unless point one is about reworking some kit identities to be something that's functional and fun more than just addressing heros. I agree with doing so. Especially with doing a pass on each hero's feats. Those are core to a hero's presence on the field and reworking a hero without revisiting their feats is essentially only doing half the job.
Ranked seems to be a fools errand imo. population divide comes to mind. Personally i'd rather they scrap ranked entirely and focus on it after we've gotten the base game and overall roster in a bit better spot. Torunaments seem to be filling the spot for those who care about anything competitive for the time being anyway.
I think individual hero rep should still be visible. But overall rep should be hidden to other players. Not because it matters but because it would give the person some what of an idea on the kind of experience someone has with said hero. Then again someone could shame you for being a newbie if we went that route. idk.
Senior Member
I agree on all points except one.
This game has a to small player base (on PC especially) to support this many game modes and then split the players up in ranked as well. The MM will be terrible. If this game aims to be competitive they need to prove it but designing the way we play matches that way. Just look at Starcraft 2, DOTA, LoL, or whichever other game that is competetive. Does anyone play unranked games in those games for any reason to just fool around? I'm not saying For Honor shouldn't have that kind of game mode, but it shouldn't be the mode you automatically go to. Ranked Dominion didn't work and it's not going to work if they try it once more. Double the steel reward and reward cool stuff for participating, then maybe.
And you don't have to be competitive to play ranked, it's called silver league. Where people of equal skill just enjoy the game for what it is.
Member
Member
I agree with everything you said besides the conq and reputation stuff. Why would conq be able to feint anyway? Thats a flail of sorts, not a sword. Besides he can soft feint heavy into all block stance. As for the reputation being shown, I like being able to show off overall reputation. Aswell as hero rep. If it came to simplifying things, change overall rep to something different if its too confusing. Call it prestige or, if you want to be unique, something even cooler.Originally Posted by Halvtand Go to original post
Senior Member
I would love to have a Ranked Breach, Dominion kinda sucks as a solo players I stopped playing it because it would put 4 random players against a premade and they would just stomp and end the game in under 10mins. Would love to have a solo and a team queue.
Also remove the stamina drain from having your attacks blocked.
Senior Member
To me, all that matters is balance, and balance is what the devs just can't seem to do.
The disperity between the OG cast and the new guys is plain as day and what changes we do get are months apart and vary wildly in quality.
Imo it comes down to business, you can sell a new hero, you can't sell a rework to an old one. Though I'd happily stop 10k steel for a properly reworked warlord that can compete with the new roster
Senior Member
Well not at all ... the problems with FH are much more general. Many people (talking about newcomers or interested people) don't get this far, to see these flaws as Conq being inconsistant.
Basic flaws are the lack of content in form of what to do. You have a mostly wonderful and unique combat system, but the game around it is simplistic, as it just somehow could be.
There is not much to unlock beside emotes and executions. You can't adjust your moveset, build your own hero, build a castle or any kind of meaningful individualization. There is no open world to get lost in, with a meaningful faction war and borders you can see and feel ingame. Instead you fight as a knight with 3 vikings against a knight fortress and kill knight soldiers. Open world is not always a good thing, but in FH's case it would be. It's always maximum 4vs4. The release was a flop and crippled FH's reputation till a possible sequel.
Not even to talk about all the rainbows, light effects you can't turn off, armour and appearance being irrelevant as all heck. Having very linear matches, that become quickly repetitive. All the modes (beside Breach) are boring for the average dude after 5 matches, and even Breach has only 4 maps that are basically clones in their layout (number in archer points, soldiers, ram, tickets, etc).
FH's flaws are fundamental and the game will not be successful, till a possible sequel that vanquishes these things above. The things you mentioned OP just plague us core fans.
