I wanna share something I mentioned on reddit for anyone confused about this. I think theyāre trying to simplify the process, not make itĀ āeasierā per say as in dumbing it down. Epona has been a huge mess since its release, it includes a lot of gameplay not found anywhere else in the game, has some really weird leaps in logic and puzzles that require a lot more work than any others. Iām not saying this kind of stuff is bad in and of itself but the problem is Epona is full of beginner dev mistakes.
If you look at the old SSO ridethrough website you can see that there are quests that make zero sense to include as part of the pre-requisites, namely the random german tourists. This hasnāt changed at all, I can confirm as I did a complete playthrough of the main quest and all side quests in 2020-2021 that were available at the time for recording and research. I genuinely tested a bunch of things trying to see if it was true on what let me unlock Epona and for some stupid reason those tourists are required as well as Dino Valley which you donāt actually need to enter normally or interact with Nic at allĀ for Epona or the main quest until the newest Fripp quest. Itās because of those portals.
I love that Epona at the time it was released pushed the boundaries of the game but as a hobby dev myself, I have huge problems with the fact that itās not only incomplete and continues to be so but also was horrendously set up. Normally when developers add new content they teach the player the game mechanics and make it ramp up as you learn it then test you on your skills. Epona doesnāt work this way, it throws tons of new mechanics, riddles, ect at you that are used once or twice then discarded. Some of these are surprisingly difficult for children (the originally intended audience and arguably the still main target demographic of this game) and it makes me question who decided to implement these things.
Itās not bad gameplay in and of itself, but rather the whole setup, unlocking the quest to access Epona, the actual method of getting there and playing it needs a severe overhaul. I canāt say I expect the team to have time or permission to give it the rehaul it deserves but if they can at least remove some of the weird quest requirements and maybe make the process at least make senseĀ then Iāll be very happy with the changes.Ā
There was a severe lack of communication to the player to the point that people constantly have to access outside sources on how to continue the game. Thatās not okay in any game including SSO. Harder or tougher is not always better, itās when a game is properly put together, teaches the player, lets them build upon what they learn and then challenges them, thatās good game development. We have tutorials in games for a reason, you shouldnāt have to look everything up to understand how to play it or complete it.
If youāre interested in some great videos about complexity in games and building upon previous mechanics hereās some I found were fascinating:
GMTKās Level Design in Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze
Extra Creditsā Tutorials That Donāt Talk Down To You
Extra Creditsā Easy Games - What Happened to Hardcore Games?
Brackeysā Basic Principles of Game Design
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