[Note] As most of this is subjective and debatable, there’s a lot of text arguing for why the game needs some “fluff” in content for its first public beta release.
Some of it is also just there to think on, and does not immediately represent how I’d handle it (until you near the very end).
How much content should Unturned II start with by the first open beta?
Obviously, Unturned II is about quality over quantity. The goal isn’t to pump out a ton of unnecessary content, especially so early on in the game’s development where it’d just become clutter.
However, it’s important to have content so that players can actually test out features and mechanics. Of course, content also keeps players hanging around longer too.
As an example, let’s say the open beta only has one of each item type. How are players meant to experience things like the expanded attachment system? How would players have interactions with other players if they all look the same?
Fortunately, this is already partly resolved by the variation system. There are two types of item variation: reticle variation (holographic sights) and textile variation (clothing). These are then further broken up into color states and reticle/pattern states.
Immediately, this helps players differentiate themselves during typical player interaction. It helps fill in for the initial lack of a group system. It doesn’t, however, fully show off ability stats and the attachment system.
- Although clothing can have ability stats, and players can feel the difference as they equip more clothing items, without multiple unique items to choose from, of the same item type, it does not demonstrate how players can gear up to fit their own preferred playstyle.
The expanded attachment system is meant to be a big highlight, in my opinion. This includes the heavy focus on calibers and rail systems, too. Player choice is a huge part of this system, just like it is with clothing. In order to fully show it off, it’d realistically need to have more than just a second item for each item type. It’d need items with different rail systems and calibers, too.
Only just a little bit more than what already exists.
Obviously, at some point it just won’t be worth it. Showing off the systems isn’t going to be that fun if the content gets in the way of updates. It’s not worth even wanting to acknowledge balance patches on so many items, not this early into the game’s development.
The expanded clothing system (seventeen slots!) will most definitely be a highlight, and there’s still so many more things Nelson wants to do with clothing that it’s just not worth the time to make a variety of unique clothing items. Not yet.
- Further down the line, after Nelson experiments with sectional inventory slots, and using nested storage to potentially facilitate things like armor plating or ballistic glass face shields, then it’d be more fitting.
Expanded attachment system (plus other gunplay stuff) is harder to consider. There’s a lot of highlights, and being able to mess around with variations on the new systems would be incredibly cool.
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I don’t think the open beta should start with a second caliber fully fleshed out. If Nelson decides to finish dual-wielding and the G18 by then, great. If not, fine.
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I don’t think the first open beta should have a second rail system. It should definitely become a focus when starting to delve into some more gunplay-related updates again, but probably not until then.
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We really don’t need more front sight, rear right, optic attachments. Front and rear sights will become a thing on their own, over time, without the need to forcefully shove some in. Reticle variation helps facilitate player choice, without the need to add multiple holographic sights right off the bat.
- Scopes? Maybe. I’d personally be fine if it came with a later gunplay update though. Just like with clothing, there’s a fair amount of stuff that can still be done (even if just conceptually at the moment).
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Rail attachments should be fine. However, I would like to see the variation system affect the “Tactical Laser,” if it doesn’t already.
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Modular components is questionable. This is a notable part of the expanded system, considering how much more customization is now available to the player. Unlike with the previous examples, you can’t really just “take stuff off” or “equip more items” to feel the difference when the gun will likely just not work. There’s also the assumption that most of the time guns will be spawning with a fair amount of their modular components already attached anyways, so having a gun without them is just “for the memes.”
- I’d be fine with some variety in modular components. Probably not a second barrel component, but we could see a second stock component (possibly one that could later be updated and allow for collapsing), and possibly a second handguard component that’s just an extended top rail and not much else.
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A second bullet type would make a lot of sense, given how the game already has systems in place that basically require it. Why would anyone mess with the “load order” feature for magazines if there’s only one bullet type?
- Tracer ammunition would make the most sense, if not already secretly implemented. Alternatively, we could explore bullet penetration more by having FMJ ammunition. I think I prefer the tracer ammunition, however, and then bullet penetration could be explored via crafted ammunition, whenever crafting is implemented.
Thoughts?
Did I miss something? What do you think should be added content-wise before the first, fully-public, open beta?
Maybe there’s something unrelated to clothing and gunplay you think should most definitely be added (content-wise though, this isn’t directly about new features that should be added)?
