A list of things I really like

[Kizo 41]

- Arenas. They have some issues, but at and by large it's really fun to be able to just queue up with some homies or without homies and do some PVP.

- That battleground preview. The concept is really cool, the map looks interesting, and I can't wait to play that battleground. It seems like a lot of fun.

- Chunin! A total surprise. Nobody expected it because it was devved in secret. It's definitely the most anticipated update.

- Bosses. We now have enough of them to set aside an hour to raid and get everyone together. Raido was especially fun to learn, and I look forward to any bird tweaks you make (if any).

- The team has implemented tons of our feedback. Shurikenjutsu seemed like a cool addition for Uchiha and it was added, we proposed a secondary use for mission slips in the form of boosts, and that was implemented. The same can be said with the formerly koban cosmetics vendor being converted to ryo, which added a nice, permanent ryo dump.

- The new PVP additions: also another well-anticipated thing. We can't afford any of the things just yet, but I really look forward to everything that was added.

- New creatures. They don't have a drop table yet, but I have faith that they will soon. I liked that they were added ahead of time; it adds more stuff to the overworld, at very least.

- The SQ change was really, really good. We're all sort of confused as to where we should go for 40 SQs now, but I'm really glad that high levels don't need and can't spend their time farming Konoha, and I know we'll figure out the SQ meta eventually, or just use SQs at levelcap as a supplementary thing to do during in-game downtime. For lower level and especially new players, the SQ change provides a valuable set of hints of where to go next and how to progress.

- Dailies were a really good thing to add. It does add a bit of a FOMO factor, but it's also a login incentive, and I like helping out with peoples dailies. Bosses being added to the dailies list has also promoted bringing newbies along to the daily run, since even if they don't roll need on any of the drops, it's still good to get them their dailies done.

- The EXP update that was performed in patch 31 wasn't perfect, but it's a huge step in the right direction, and with the new creatures that have been added, group leveling is an actual possibility which it wasn't before.

- Transmog. I love transmog. All roleplayers love transmog. I especially appreciate that you can transmog weapons regardless of their slot and type.

- Because of the dailies update, the pace at which you earn koban (and thus, gain new jutsu) is quite steady. The steadiness means there's always a sense of progressing towards a goal, and it makes for very good gameplay.

- Dailies npcs being scattered for rogues is a cool concept that I like. The sprawl of micro-hubs is more interesting than just one big hub. It's nice to have to sleuth around trying to find them.

- The current balance and ability sprawl feels generally quite good. Some masteries have some bugs with scaling that tweaks the balance, but bugs get reported and fixed, so I won't bother considering that a downside. Because of the new boss mechanics, there's also a bit of a PVE and PVP meta emerging, and that's not a bad thing at all.

- The cosmetics are all really nice. Players have a pretty varied set of outfits now, because Dan put his whole bussy into them. Love that man.

- Chakra Recharge change felt weird at first, but once we all got 2nd mastery it became apparent that Chakra Recharge is a pivotal point of ones rotation in either PVE and PVP, and it adds a lot of depth to either type of encounter. Resource balancing is something which is extremely difficult to do in any game, and if I'm extremely impressed from a devving and balance perspective about anything, it's resource management.

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Overall, Shinobi Story is a game that has been on a constant come-up. I've been around, watching development for this project for almost two years now and it never ceases to amaze me. I remember when Vlad had to manually do all of the terrain stuff, which was slow. I remember watching the map change day to day during alpha 0 and being impressed by it. I remember the speed at which the streaming devs worked, and I can directly compare it to how things are now.

You guys have all blossomed as developers and built a project that is really and truly special. I'm happy to donate to it monthly, knowing that it's in good hands, and knowing that things always, always get better. I'm really proud of all of you, of the people that you selected to be Game Masters, all of whom have a good rapport with the community, of the devs you've required or hired and all the work they've put in.

Frustrations with bugs, crashes, drama and other things are all transient, even if it seems that they're a constant. The fact of the matter is that things have gotten better, are getting better, will get better. I and many others appreciate all of the work that you put into the game, and all of us await every update with the impatient excitement of children wanting to open their xmas presents.

With that, I hope everyone on the team had a merry Christmas, had a lovely Hanukkah and have a happy new year!

Edited December 27, 2021 by Kizo

[donaldwasright 2]

i like that i could play and progress despite a good chunk of the community sectioning off content to players they deem unworthy

 

things can only get better with a big, diverse playerbase in the future!

[The french tickler 3]

the village itself is very nice designed . the jump distance and the distance between the roofs work rly well together . it feels great and makes fun to roof run as a rogue