#*game criticism

i've been struggling to put how i'm feeling about the current state of the game into words but yeah that's it. too many things to keep track of, too many things on timers or time-locked, too much rng, it's just all too much ! and not too much in a fun way either like there being too many quests to start or too many characters to talk to. all the too much is just grinding and rng and more grinding and more rng and for what !!! treat bags?? potato pods??? more non-starred ingredients????? fucking kill me where i stand

good game design means a balance between work and reward. solo and group play. rng and fair effort. palia has never had it down 100% but it gets worse every update and they're burning through player trust quicker and quicker and man..... maybe it was a little more boring but i miss how simple it used to be. and how every update was a huge thing even with the bugs because every new lore piece, quest, or event felt special and didn't feel like just game padding on top of more game padding.

don't get me wrong - they've added a lot recently and that's great but the balance of so much of it is just so off. and they keep adding things that no one is asking for. for a while it really felt like they were listening to people but idk ever since the elderwoods was released it feels like they've actually been burying their heads in the sand. they just keep throwing plushies at the wall hoping it'll distract players away from seeing the giant sledgehammers they're also throwing.

we definitely need more crop squares! i think the idea of having a special crop farm in the barn map is really nice, even if it's overall smaller (like one or two squares instead of nine).

the animal treat biscuits definitely need a separate section in our chests. also, i've said this before and i'll say it again!! things that can't be sold should not count toward the limit

i'm going to be honest and say i do think they should've held off on releasing the new house so early. they said they were really excited about it, and i get that. i also think the devs are trying harder to make every patch include more tangible additions which i appreciate. that being said, the fact that we can't buy the windows or other cosmetic stuff makes the housing system kinda,, well not quite pointless but pretty close. i also agree with the sentiment that it's way too expensive. i'm fine with the prebuilts (and even the base rooms) being a little more than the harvest houses, but they should still be easily attainable for newer and casual players. this should not be something they have to work toward.

the new decor set is really cute! i think i already said this but i def think it's a better reward for the bundles considering how much effort goes into them. i'll be honest, i got through these bundles really fast (like,, two days and the second day was just honey collecting), however, that's because i was already hoarding a lot of those things. while i do think a decor set is a better reward, i still think they need to reevaluate the bundles. 20 starred foods is insane, especially when switch players still have a hard time with the game mechanics. that being said,,, the decor set will be available later so, it's not That bad. i think as long as they make sure all bundle rewards will be available in some way later on, then it's not too bad. (i do think they should make that Very Clear in game though and not just in the patch notes cause let's be real, most players don't read those lol)

please,,,,,,, please balance the ogopuus,,,,,,,, at least give us a higher damage arrow upgrade,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, please,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

here are some ideas/wants i have!! going down in how hard it would be for the devs to add

a special quest with the shepp where you go on a little adventure and they have dialogue teaching you about majiri and kilima culture (and maybe their paths/interests too). ideally this would work similarly to the temple quests where you get to unlock a new place. maybe add a building that you can't get into until you complete the ceremony and fully become part of the kilima community? visit another town? idk man just something nice and rewarding

a separate shepp relationship level alongside the friendship and romance ones. it would just be with your shepp (obviously), and increasing it would involve conversing with them using the shepp option (dialogue would include teaching you about majiri & kilima culture, their path, their life experiences and beliefs, etc) and Maybe leveling up in their path if that's possible with them (ex: reth with cooking). for certain levels you get gifts that are unique to the character and their path. this would incentivize players to really think about who they want their shepp to be and not just choose their fav blorbo!

you talk to them after the ceremony and they gift you a placeable guidebook about majiri and kilima culture that they wrote themselves (so unique to each character's personality) and that you can actually read (like the books that you can read around the map)

a weekly challenge related to their path/interest. i'm not sure how they'd implement this for characters like caleri or chayne since their paths aren't part of the gameplay like cooking for ex but,, it'd be cool lol maybe for those characters they could add like a,,, talk to that character x amount of times challenge?

add casual dialogue centered around them being your shepp like "hey remind me to teach you about this thing" or "have you heard about this thing that we do" or "hey you've learned a lot blahblahblah" and maybe dialogue from other characters about them being your shepp (similar to the romance ones). they could give their opinions on that character or even ask you how it's going

warning for spoilers! also this list is a little disjointed

infected essence should act like a currency - get that shit out of my inventory

i think the devs need to balance out some of the co-op gameplay. they're trying really hard to make everything solo and co-op possible but more often than not, it tends to heavily lean on one side. either co-op isn't necessary at all, it's 100% necessary (groves), or it's Technically not necessary but a huge pain in the ass to do solo (wavebacks my detested...). i think it would be worth really looking through certain "co-op or solo" gameplay like hunting for ex and balance it out more. imo, nothing should make players feel like they Have to play a certain way (groves exempt since players are used to relying on the server and it's not necessary to group up).

collecting artifacts is getting. annoying. tbh. personally. it was really fun at first, but after the fourth #1 sword piece (with no one willing to trade cause they don't need it either),,, it remains to be seen, but i'm worried about how long it'll take to actually complete them if certain pieces are more rare For Everyone (meaning less people are putting in the time to hunt for them, actually getting them, and trading extras,, which they're less likely to get. because it's rare. you get the point). i'm sure for people who put Insane hours into the game, it'll be fine. but i think this could very easily turn into another example of palia discouraging players who can't spend 24/7 playing

as much as i love plushes, it's getting annoying that the only go-between-updates incentive is plushies. which are incredibly hard to get and almost force you to group-up just to ease the pain. they really need to balance the chance of getting them. not too easy, but not too hard either. i still haven't gotten a single chapaa plush since those got released (and yes, i've been farming). again, a perfect example of the game only rewarding people who can spend all day playing. i shouldn't have to put in weeks to Months of real time to get one bug plush (lunar moth plush when i catch you...) but this also goes Double for plushies that come from epic things (i am never getting that rainbow butterfly plush. i don't think they even exist actually). listen i Love plushes and it's great for them to be releasing so many but when it's That hard to get them, it just makes players feel overwhelmed instead of excited. balance!

i think the devs need to figure out a different way to,, idk do the "after lore-dump gameplay". i said i would scream if the elderwoods update was just more bundles and like. you can dress it up all you want, but the artifacts are just more bundles. and this time it's more annoying since you have less control on completing them. i understand that farming bundles is an easy way to get players to keep playing while they work on the next update, but good lord. if the next adventure zone is more bundles, i'm gonna lose it

balance the damn wavebacks

i am VERY obsessed with the lore and i think more players would be too if we got more lore updates. it'd be nice if they could figure out a way to push more of the lore in-between these two year long big updates lol

i still think they need to add something shepp-related to either the quests or dialogue. who even is my shepp. i forgor. i mean i know who it is but that's only because it's the love of my life. hassian my beloved. but also seriously what point of shepp quest if no shepp

let me make nai'o my housewife... let me put him in my garden NOW alkdhg

put the deep woods sign on the ground... i don't care about immersion... put on ground... stop making me climb :(((

this is fully unrelated to this update but i think something they could add to the home tours section is a monthly challenge! this would, i think, help incentivize players with furniture making and using the tour board. i think making it anonymous During the challenge might help with the popularity contest feeling of the home tours? but! the challenge could be a specific design thing like "secret garden" or "vampire's dwelling" or even character things like "auni's dream house" yknow? i think this would be a relatively easy thing for them to add!

and i know this would be.. a challenge considering their current challenges with the housing system, but i still dream about different styles of houses... treehouses, gothic mansions, fairy abodes... also basements... could they do basements.....

man idk... i feel like the housing system needs a complete overhaul to truly make it work for players who love customizing their house but that would 1. be a lot of work 2. would likely not be something they could reasonably mesh with the current system which would require players to either opt in to the new one or completely redo their plots 3. be really annoying for devs and players so. yknow. i think the devs may have underestimated just how much their playerbase would go ham for decorating

another aspect that really set the hotpot game and now this balloon game apart from the chapaa chase is that even though they're both technically competitive, neither of them really feel that way. with hotpot, there is some knowledge and skill involved, but it's mostly luck. and with the balloon game, there are so many balloons that it never feels like you're fighting against other players And the bigger balloons take multiple shots so you end up working with people instead!

meanwhile, as most people have noticed, the chapaa game is Extremely competitive and occasionally feels mean-spirited. i know most players are Not trying to be assholes. people are just trying to save up tickets and complete the stamp cards. but when so many people are hovering over the same spawn points for One chapaa, chasing the same chapaa that ten other people are chasing, and frantically trying to catch one when they visibly see other people are too? it just feels so,, ugh yknow? it's too competitive which feels really out of place in this game as a whole! the entire community is about resource sharing, so having a minigame that's all about first come, first serve? especially in such a small area, with limited availability and time? dude...