Not particularly interested in playing this game myself, but I think the best result of it being successful would be Minecraft having competition. I've heard that Overwatch 2 had to start making...
Not particularly interested in playing this game myself, but I think the best result of it being successful would be Minecraft having competition. I've heard that Overwatch 2 had to start making good updates once Marvel Rivals came out.
Minecraft right now really feels like it's resting on its laurels in spite of demand for larger updates and massive issues plaguing the game. They've strongly committed to doing smaller updates rather than big changes like the Nether Update, even changing the game's version number system to reflect that. They have two entirely different versions of the game, where the vast majority of normal players use one version, and the vast majority of content creators on social media use a different version, and the two have massive parity issues that make building strategies, glitch exploits, redstone tech, loot tables, and even the combat system you'd see in videos nothing like what the viewers see in their own game. And each update, they fix a few of these issues but continue to add even more. One of the versions has a game breaking server-client error in single player and constantly pushes microtransactions on every menu screen, while the other is 17 years old but still doesn't have official friends lists, a way to join a friend's world for a small multiplayer game without paying for a whole server, or even official controller support. I'm sure it's also no accident that the version that younger children will find and be most able to play with their Switch or smartphone is the one full of microtransactions and dark patterns, and the version played by all the content creators who own a decent PC doesn't have those issues so they can be ignored. For it being the "best selling game" and as beloved as it is, it has a lot of issues, and doesn't show a lot of interest in fixing any of them.
I am a little curious about this game despite it all. My issue with it is how it seems intent on being a 'Minecraft successor/killer' over just being a sandbox game. Minecraft has this unique...
I am a little curious about this game despite it all. My issue with it is how it seems intent on being a 'Minecraft successor/killer' over just being a sandbox game.
Minecraft has this unique conundrum : it's not just that everyone plays it differently, it's also that everyone has a different vision of it. And they all think something is wrong with it, but they all think it's for a different reason. Some think adventure content is what matters, others automation, other still the RPG-like aspects, etc, etc... and if you leave them in command, they turn every aspect of the game towards one direction.
You can't make a Minecraft killer if you fall into that. Minecraft is a pure sandbox ; it has to support any playstyle. You can't point it into one single direction or you break the selling points of its sandbox model over any other game like it. That's surprisingly easy to do. And Hytale feels... not like that. I still hope it all works out for them but I expect it'll occupy a different space.
I don't think the game presents itself as a Minecraft killer? There was certainly comparisons and hype many years ago when it was first announced, and those comparisons are happening now as well,...
I don't think the game presents itself as a Minecraft killer? There was certainly comparisons and hype many years ago when it was first announced, and those comparisons are happening now as well, but Minecraft killer? Never
I haven't looked what Minigames are on offer, if any, but I expect that if any part of Hytale will capture some Minecraft audience, it'll be that. Hypixel has a good background with those types of Minigames, and as long as they don't greed themselves into the ground, I expect success there
The actual game itself, either as single player or multiplayer... Not really a competition. Too different feel. I fully expect people to play both games (Hytale and Minecraft) depending on what they're looking for. Hytale feels too much like an open world RPG, and the building is a bit too open. We're definitely going to see some amazing builds, but the average player will feel much better making something in Minecraft, I think. There's something about working with the constraints of Minecraft that works a lot better than too much freedom.
All that said, I'm going to give it a whole bunch of hours to see if it has that long term magic
Hytale is a Minecraft version of Runescape, or a Minecraft for DnD, a Minecraft for fantasy roleplaying, for fantasy questing. Kind of brilliant, since the core of the graphics means it should be...
Hytale is a Minecraft version of Runescape, or a Minecraft for DnD, a Minecraft for fantasy roleplaying, for fantasy questing. Kind of brilliant, since the core of the graphics means it should be able to be ran anywhere (like Minecraft), and easily updated, and timeless in design, means it could have real staying power for years to come.
IIRC Hytale was a Minecraft mod, that eventually rebuilt itself from scratch to break free of Microsoft & Mojang and turn it into its own thing with more capabilities and planning.
They aren't competitive, one is just derived, or inspired by, Minecraft - the entire point of Hytale is that its trying to rekindle the magic of Runescape of the early 2000s as an outgrowth of the largest, most successful, game in the world.
The MC graphics are perfect for this, because it means they don't need to ever have awe-inspiring graphics, and they inspire more imagination than being told what to see. Timeless as it will certainly not age as quickly as Runescape (or WoW) did or do. I imagine ongoing developer work will be nimble and efficient as well because of the core being so similar to Minecraft in its systems design.
Hugs fan of Hytale, will likely never play it outside of a few exploratory hours (not my thing), but very happy to see something that could rekindle that early Runescape magic, especially for kids or teenagers, they need something that isn't 'antiquated' in design, childlike (Roblox), or Fortnite, and all the other story-less, imagination-free, repetitive, purpose-less, competitive, FPS games.
I'd put Hytale in the "Just another survival voxel game" camp (and I spent $70 for the bundle, I should be justifying the cost to myself lol). It has a more robust quest/achievement system, a...
I'd put Hytale in the "Just another survival voxel game" camp (and I spent $70 for the bundle, I should be justifying the cost to myself lol). It has a more robust quest/achievement system, a slightly more dynamic combat system (charge shots/specials), slightly deeper (or obfuscated depending on opinion) mechanics where you build base workbenches then upgrade them (tool, builder, armour), with a lot of similar, familiar stuff all these games tend to have. I personally enjoy it better, currently, than I would the latest Minecraft Java version, but I don't think it's better at all, just more modern/greenfielded.
I've been thinking about it in regards to a bunch of games I've played (Minetest/Luanti games like Repixture, Asuna, or even MineClone/VoxeLibre), or Vintage Story and it really all just comes down to which set of boxes you want ticked by a given game.
Thanks to me missing the forced Microsoft account migration boat and receiving hardly any communication about it, a game licence I've had since 2010 when Minecraft was in open alpha had been lost...
Thanks to me missing the forced Microsoft account migration boat and receiving hardly any communication about it, a game licence I've had since 2010 when Minecraft was in open alpha had been lost just like that. Meanwhile third-party servers like 2b2t and MinecraftOnline which have no affiliation, partnership or funding from Mojang have also been issued legal threats and forced to adopt their new draconian community guidelines else face blacklisting.
Maybe wanting to stick the middle finger to Microsoft and their anti-consumer bullshit is the reason I've wanted Hytale to succeed.
And now that it's launched, I really do think Simon has been too modest with managing the community's expectations. Hytale is in a better and more playable state than a lot of slop that has released at full price in recent years.
I didn't watch any streams yet but IGN posted an in progress review: https://www.ign.com/articles/hytale-review-early-access tl;dr: Reviewer played 10 hours so far, feels like Minecraft++ (more...
tl;dr: Reviewer played 10 hours so far, feels like Minecraft++ (more streamlined systems, better performance) but there's no depth or clear endgame yet (which, imo, is kinda understandable for a super early access game that isn't even on Steam yet)
Not particularly interested in playing this game myself, but I think the best result of it being successful would be Minecraft having competition. I've heard that Overwatch 2 had to start making good updates once Marvel Rivals came out.
Minecraft right now really feels like it's resting on its laurels in spite of demand for larger updates and massive issues plaguing the game. They've strongly committed to doing smaller updates rather than big changes like the Nether Update, even changing the game's version number system to reflect that. They have two entirely different versions of the game, where the vast majority of normal players use one version, and the vast majority of content creators on social media use a different version, and the two have massive parity issues that make building strategies, glitch exploits, redstone tech, loot tables, and even the combat system you'd see in videos nothing like what the viewers see in their own game. And each update, they fix a few of these issues but continue to add even more. One of the versions has a game breaking server-client error in single player and constantly pushes microtransactions on every menu screen, while the other is 17 years old but still doesn't have official friends lists, a way to join a friend's world for a small multiplayer game without paying for a whole server, or even official controller support. I'm sure it's also no accident that the version that younger children will find and be most able to play with their Switch or smartphone is the one full of microtransactions and dark patterns, and the version played by all the content creators who own a decent PC doesn't have those issues so they can be ignored. For it being the "best selling game" and as beloved as it is, it has a lot of issues, and doesn't show a lot of interest in fixing any of them.
I am a little curious about this game despite it all. My issue with it is how it seems intent on being a 'Minecraft successor/killer' over just being a sandbox game.
Minecraft has this unique conundrum : it's not just that everyone plays it differently, it's also that everyone has a different vision of it. And they all think something is wrong with it, but they all think it's for a different reason. Some think adventure content is what matters, others automation, other still the RPG-like aspects, etc, etc... and if you leave them in command, they turn every aspect of the game towards one direction.
You can't make a Minecraft killer if you fall into that. Minecraft is a pure sandbox ; it has to support any playstyle. You can't point it into one single direction or you break the selling points of its sandbox model over any other game like it. That's surprisingly easy to do. And Hytale feels... not like that. I still hope it all works out for them but I expect it'll occupy a different space.
I don't think the game presents itself as a Minecraft killer? There was certainly comparisons and hype many years ago when it was first announced, and those comparisons are happening now as well, but Minecraft killer? Never
I haven't looked what Minigames are on offer, if any, but I expect that if any part of Hytale will capture some Minecraft audience, it'll be that. Hypixel has a good background with those types of Minigames, and as long as they don't greed themselves into the ground, I expect success there
The actual game itself, either as single player or multiplayer... Not really a competition. Too different feel. I fully expect people to play both games (Hytale and Minecraft) depending on what they're looking for. Hytale feels too much like an open world RPG, and the building is a bit too open. We're definitely going to see some amazing builds, but the average player will feel much better making something in Minecraft, I think. There's something about working with the constraints of Minecraft that works a lot better than too much freedom.
All that said, I'm going to give it a whole bunch of hours to see if it has that long term magic
Hytale is a Minecraft version of Runescape, or a Minecraft for DnD, a Minecraft for fantasy roleplaying, for fantasy questing. Kind of brilliant, since the core of the graphics means it should be able to be ran anywhere (like Minecraft), and easily updated, and timeless in design, means it could have real staying power for years to come.
IIRC Hytale was a Minecraft mod, that eventually rebuilt itself from scratch to break free of Microsoft & Mojang and turn it into its own thing with more capabilities and planning.
They aren't competitive, one is just derived, or inspired by, Minecraft - the entire point of Hytale is that its trying to rekindle the magic of Runescape of the early 2000s as an outgrowth of the largest, most successful, game in the world.
The MC graphics are perfect for this, because it means they don't need to ever have awe-inspiring graphics, and they inspire more imagination than being told what to see. Timeless as it will certainly not age as quickly as Runescape (or WoW) did or do. I imagine ongoing developer work will be nimble and efficient as well because of the core being so similar to Minecraft in its systems design.
Hugs fan of Hytale, will likely never play it outside of a few exploratory hours (not my thing), but very happy to see something that could rekindle that early Runescape magic, especially for kids or teenagers, they need something that isn't 'antiquated' in design, childlike (Roblox), or Fortnite, and all the other story-less, imagination-free, repetitive, purpose-less, competitive, FPS games.
I'd put Hytale in the "Just another survival voxel game" camp (and I spent $70 for the bundle, I should be justifying the cost to myself lol). It has a more robust quest/achievement system, a slightly more dynamic combat system (charge shots/specials), slightly deeper (or obfuscated depending on opinion) mechanics where you build base workbenches then upgrade them (tool, builder, armour), with a lot of similar, familiar stuff all these games tend to have. I personally enjoy it better, currently, than I would the latest Minecraft Java version, but I don't think it's better at all, just more modern/greenfielded.
I've been thinking about it in regards to a bunch of games I've played (Minetest/Luanti games like Repixture, Asuna, or even MineClone/VoxeLibre), or Vintage Story and it really all just comes down to which set of boxes you want ticked by a given game.
Thanks to me missing the forced Microsoft account migration boat and receiving hardly any communication about it, a game licence I've had since 2010 when Minecraft was in open alpha had been lost just like that. Meanwhile third-party servers like 2b2t and MinecraftOnline which have no affiliation, partnership or funding from Mojang have also been issued legal threats and forced to adopt their new draconian community guidelines else face blacklisting.
Maybe wanting to stick the middle finger to Microsoft and their anti-consumer bullshit is the reason I've wanted Hytale to succeed.
And now that it's launched, I really do think Simon has been too modest with managing the community's expectations. Hytale is in a better and more playable state than a lot of slop that has released at full price in recent years.
I'm interested in trying this game out, although I am weary of the micro transactions and potential Roblox vibes
I didn't watch any streams yet but IGN posted an in progress review:
https://www.ign.com/articles/hytale-review-early-access
tl;dr: Reviewer played 10 hours so far, feels like Minecraft++ (more streamlined systems, better performance) but there's no depth or clear endgame yet (which, imo, is kinda understandable for a super early access game that isn't even on Steam yet)