Nintendo is being too slow on the updates (Real Talk)

[Moritz]

The underlying issue is that after one year, the game isn't even close to what New Leaf provided in terms of content. I'm a huge fan of that game and have been waiting years for a new entry in the series (since the Wii U). Sure, the game is its own thing. But it lacks so many features and includes some really questionable design choices, which just makes it really disappointing, especially as many could be fixed relatively easily and quickly.
Also, we should keep in mind that Nintendo deliberately held back content to later release them as updates. They planned this before/while developing the game. The entire idea of games-as-a-service is centered around the fact that you can release a game with a lack of major features and later release them as updates. It's not as if Nintendo is spending extra time on the game. They gave us an unfinished product and are now finishing it. For us players, this can have the benefit of the developer integrating community feedback and extending the replay value by constantly adding new interesting ideas that want you to keep coming back.

I will absolutely give you that the game did not come out as a finished product at launch due to the missing holidays. But now that they are back in the game and we have diving and redd. I would say the game absolutely is a "finished product". I'm glad they're adding new stuff to it, but if they never did again, I would still say its without a doubt the best animal crossing they ever made with so much more content than any other game before it.

So I would say the rest is just your own personal opinion.

 

[Elias_]

I will absolutely give you that the game did not come out as a finished product at launch due to the missing holidays. But now that they are back in the game and we have diving and redd. I would say the game absolutely is a "finished product". I'm glad they're adding new stuff to it, but if they never did again, I would still say its without a doubt the best animal crossing they ever made with so much more content than any other game before it.

So I would say the rest is just your own personal opinion.

I'm glad you and a lot of other people like the game, don't get me wrong, but most people I know quit the game after the first couple of updates as there just isn't as much to do. That was quite disappointing for me as I was happy that so many people I know started playing Animal Crossing for the first time. In comparison to NL, a 3DS game from 2012/2013, the game lacks a significant amount of features. It has more design options than the previous games, but lacks e.g. in terms of dialogues, minigames, shops, shop upgrades, visitors and is dragged down by design decisions like breakable tools. All prior Animal Crossing games, but NL especially, had much more emphasis on long term goals (e.g. the shop upgrades). NH relies upon you designing your island. This isn't for everyone, though, and if you are not interested in that or satisfied with how your island looks, there really isn't much to do. This is were the lack of content is noticeable. Other Animal Crossing games managed to balance their content for different player types much better.
Of course, it can still be counted as a finished game, but it really doesn't have more content than NL. It has more content for a specific type of player, but much less variety over all. It's fine for NH to take a different route than NL. It's also fine that the game cuts certain features from NL. But after a 7-year-wait and the delay, it's not unfair to ask for a little more than what we got. It's not a game for a portable console, after all, but a console game with a larger team and probably a higher budget behind it.

To get back to the actual topic: I still think the amount of content per update could increase as Nintendo has hopefully learnt how to cope with the pandemic. I'm looking forward to the spring/summer updates. I also believe Nintendo will continue to release an update about every second month.

 

[Moritz]

I'm glad you and a lot of other people like the game, don't get me wrong, but most people I know quit the game after the first couple of updates as there just isn't as much to do. That was quite disappointing for me as I was happy that so many people I know started playing Animal Crossing for the first time. In comparison to NL, a 3DS game from 2012/2013, the game lacks a significant amount of features. It has more design options than the previous games, but lacks e.g. in terms of dialogues, minigames, shops, shop upgrades, visitors and is dragged down by design decisions like breakable tools. All prior Animal Crossing games, but NL especially, had much more emphasis on long term goals (e.g. the shop upgrades). NH relies upon you designing your island. This isn't for everyone, though, and if you are not interested in that or satisfied with how your island looks, there really isn't much to do. This is were the lack of content is noticeable. Other Animal Crossing games managed to balance their content for different player types much better.
Of course, it can still be counted as a finished game, but it really doesn't have more content than NL. It has more content for a specific type of player, but much less variety over all. It's fine for NH to take a different route than NL. It's also fine that the game cuts certain features from NL. But after a 7-year-wait and the delay, it's not unfair to ask for a little more than what we got. It's not a game for a portable console, after all, but a console game with a larger team and probably a higher budget behind it.

To get back to the actual topic: I still think the amount of content per update could increase as Nintendo has hopefully learnt how to cope with the pandemic. I'm looking forward to the spring/summer updates. I also believe Nintendo will continue to release an update about every second month.

I disagree with nearly all that you've said.
Its the only animal crossing game to keep me playing for more than a couple of months. Everyone I know who played the game still plays it. Perhaps not as much as at release but after a whole year thats completely reasonable. The long term goals are still there, they're just different. And I don't personally see a shop getting bigger or getting a coffee as content at all, let alone meaningful content. It's always struck me as silly when people complain the game lacks the most basic shallow content, as if getting it back would make people enjoy the game again. Coffee or a bigger shop is not content.

But you're right, we did go off topic so best to cut the discussion there.
Update rates are fine. No need for them to be faster. Faster would of course be nice.

 

[Elias_]

I disagree with nearly all that you've said.
Its the only animal crossing game to keep me playing for more than a couple of months. Everyone I know who played the game still plays it. Perhaps not as much as at release but after a whole year thats completely reasonable. The long term goals are still there, they're just different. And I don't personally see a shop getting bigger or getting a coffee as content at all, let alone meaningful content. It's always struck me as silly when people complain the game lacks the most basic shallow content, as if getting it back would make people enjoy the game again. Coffee or a bigger shop is not content.

But you're right, we did go off topic so best to cut the discussion there.
Update rates are fine. No need for them to be faster. Faster would of course be nice.

Well, a lot of people would like to see those features. You're absolutely right that those individual features are shallow and wouldn't get any one back to playing. But it's the sum of these features that makes for a different experience:
Shop upgrades are unlockables that give you a goal to keep playing. Minigames are meaningful content, especially for multiplayer. More interesting and varied dialogue would always be welcome. More shops add to your daily routine (right now it is purely luck based if certain characters visit your island).

Most of the game's long term goals are ones you set yourself (e.g. "I want my island to look like this"). This difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, which isn't well balanced in NH, is one of the main reasons how the game design differs here and why it is so fulfilling to some players but feels so shallow for others. I'm absolutely not saying that NH is a bad game. But it is designed to appeal to a certain type of player and if you fall into that category, the game is amazing. But it is also the reason why many players that stopped playing for a week or two never returned to the game.

Those missing features can still come back into the game. For example, characters like Tortimer still aren't in the game. With the spring and summer updates being next, it would be fitting to have his island back in the game. This would greatly benefit the multiplayer aspect of NH.

 

[Valeris]

It's like I've said several times prior. The game was released to take advantage of the ongoing situation that left so many indoors. It was unfinished, but it was the mentality "Strike while the iron is hot." The understanding was they'd patch the content they originally intended to include or release with the game in updates/patches. If I had to guess, the game should have gone on sale around now and it was just clean up with updates, patches, dlc, what have you. Short version is we're at where the developers originally intended from the onset or close to it.

 

[Moritz]

Well, a lot of people would like to see those features. You're absolutely right that those individual features are shallow and wouldn't get any one back to playing. But it's the sum of these features that makes for a different experience:
Shop upgrades are unlockables that give you a goal to keep playing. Minigames are meaningful content, especially for multiplayer. More interesting and varied dialogue would always be welcome. More shops add to your daily routine (right now it is purely luck based if certain characters visit your island).

Most of the game's long term goals are ones you set yourself (e.g. "I want my island to look like this"). This difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, which isn't well balanced in NH, is one of the main reasons how the game design differs here and why it is so fulfilling to some players but feels so shallow for others. I'm absolutely not saying that NH is a bad game. But it is designed to appeal to a certain type of player and if you fall into that category, the game is amazing. But it is also the reason why many players that stopped playing for a week or two never returned to the game.

Those missing features can still come back into the game. For example, characters like Tortimer still aren't in the game. With the spring and summer updates being next, it would be fitting to have his island back in the game. This would greatly benefit the multiplayer aspect of NH.

I cant argue that you're wrong that the shop upgrades did feel satisfying when you got them. But it did only take like 3 months to fully upgrade your shop. Which is still a short amount of time and many played longer than that anyways.
But im not sure I agree that it's a goal as the game never actually told you to do it or that it's a thing. It just happened naturally over time.

I think minigames would be a game changer and breath new life into the game. That's one I'm hoping for myself.

But the other stuff I think will bring short term satisfaction and not make people who aren't happy, happy.

 

[Cloudandshade]

Well, a lot of people would like to see those features. You're absolutely right that those individual features are shallow and wouldn't get any one back to playing. But it's the sum of these features that makes for a different experience:
Shop upgrades are unlockables that give you a goal to keep playing. Minigames are meaningful content, especially for multiplayer. More interesting and varied dialogue would always be welcome. More shops add to your daily routine (right now it is purely luck based if certain characters visit your island).

Most of the game's long term goals are ones you set yourself (e.g. "I want my island to look like this"). This difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, which isn't well balanced in NH, is one of the main reasons how the game design differs here and why it is so fulfilling to some players but feels so shallow for others. I'm absolutely not saying that NH is a bad game. But it is designed to appeal to a certain type of player and if you fall into that category, the game is amazing. But it is also the reason why many players that stopped playing for a week or two never returned to the game.

Those missing features can still come back into the game. For example, characters like Tortimer still aren't in the game. With the spring and summer updates being next, it would be fitting to have his island back in the game. This would greatly benefit the multiplayer aspect of NH.

I agree with both of you. NH seems to be the most divisive game in the series, because personal play style has never mattered more. The scope of the game has opened up massively, and the level of customisation and freedom we're afforded is enormous now, but it's very much a 'make your own fun' game in comparison to NL. I'm still having a blast with the game, but I'm 100% one of those players that suits that style of play. Conversely, basically all of my friends stopped playing after the first couple of months, when they'd completed the 'goals' set for them by the game, and weren't really interested in collecting items or decorating their islands. I'm not sure what could really be added to the game at this point to change the style of play enough to bring those players back. NH is fundamentally a different game, and no matter how many updates we get, it's just never going to be NL.

 

[JKDOS]

We average 1 update per month, which isn't slow in my opinion. The real problem is that some of the the updates feel empty or small, such as Festivale (v1.7), while we've seen some really good ones, such as v1.2, v1.3, and v1.4.

 

[Moritz]

it's very much a 'make your own fun' game in comparison to NL

Sorry if this is an on the spot question but what did new leaf have that wasn't a make your own fun feature? Because my memories of the game are pretty much the same as those with new horizons.
I would talk to my villagers. Fish and catch bugs to make money so I can decorate my house. I would put down custom paths to make roads. I would use the public work projects to put down benches and stuff. I would try to fill the museum. I would go clothes shopping and download custom clothing.

I genuinely can't think of something in new leaf I cant do in new horizons apart from minigames. Those I miss and you didn't have to make your own fun with them.

 

[Valeris]

Sorry if this is an on the spot question but what did new leaf have that wasn't a make your own fun feature? Because my memories of the game are pretty much the same as those with new horizons.
I would talk to my villagers. Fish and catch bugs to make money so I can decorate my house. I would put down custom paths to make roads. I would use the town ordinances to put down benches and stuff. I would try to fill the museum. I would go clothes shopping and download custom clothing.

I genuinely can't think of something in new leaf I cant do in new horizons apart from minigames. Those I miss and you didn't have to make your own fun with them.

It's a mixed bag. New Horizons is lacking content New Leaf had, but they have far more polish/quality of life features. The way New Horizons handles villagers moving in/out is far better than New Leaf ten times over for example. I will say the lack of minigames, content such as expanded villager dialogues, and the like severely bring down New Horizons as a result.

 

[Cloudandshade]

Sorry if this is an on the spot question but what did new leaf have that wasn't a make your own fun feature? Because my memories of the game are pretty much the same as those with new horizons.
I would talk to my villagers. Fish and catch bugs to make money so I can decorate my house. I would put down custom paths to make roads. I would use the public work projects to put down benches and stuff. I would try to fill the museum. I would go clothes shopping and download custom clothing.

I genuinely can't think of something in new leaf I cant do in new horizons apart from minigames. Those I miss and you didn't have to make your own fun with them.

Perhaps I didn't word it very well, because I was agreeing with you. I suppose I didn't mean it in a 'you HAVE to make your own fun' way, more like 'you GET to make your own fun'. That's how I see NH, anyway - it has so, so much more freedom than NL had, but it relies more heavily on your imagination and creativity. It's more open-ended rather than guided, which is a good thing, as far as I'm concerned. All I meant was that NL had more long term goals that were set by the game itself, such as all the shop upgrades that could take a very long time, and thus extended the length of time that most people kept playing. Other than that, I found NL quite restricting, personally, and vastly, vastly prefer NH in almost every way.

 

[Imbri]

NH doesn't have to have everything NL had. They both exist in the AC universe, but that's it. I would much rather have the ability to change rivers, cliffs, ROCKS, and put things outdoors than more shops (aren't most people saying that having to build more shops would be difficult because they have their island layout set?) and PWPs.

Everyone (well, most of us) played a lot more intensely than we would normally do over the last year because of the whole lockdown/quarantine situation. If that hadn't been the case, we would not have logged so many hours and gone through all the content as quickly. Nintendo can't be blamed for that. They even put the game out a bit early, with some unfinished parts, so people had something to do. Nor do they owe us a laundry list of when and what they will be adding to the game. We know there will be more updates, and those will be rolled out when they are ready. I don't think they are intentionally sitting on things to build anticipation. It'll get here when it gets here.

 

[Moritz]

Perhaps I didn't word it very well, because I was agreeing with you. I suppose I didn't mean it in a 'you HAVE to make your own fun' way, more like 'you GET to make your own fun'. That's how I see NH, anyway - it has so, so much more freedom than NL had, but it relies more heavily on your imagination and creativity. It's more open-ended rather than guided, which is a good thing, as far as I'm concerned. All I meant was that NL had more long term goals that were set by the game itself, such as all the shop upgrades that could take a very long time, and thus extended the length of time that most people kept playing. Other than that, I found NL quite restricting, personally, and vastly, vastly prefer NH in almost every way.

It was probably me not wording my part not very well there. I saw that you were agreeing with me in general. I wasn't meaning to sound like you were saying new horizons doesn't have long term goals.

I just meant that I don't remember new leaf having long term goals that are missing from new horizons. I will admit the shop but that didn't take that long. 3 months if you know what you're doing, 6 months if you didn't even know the shops upgraded. I just don't remember new leaf asking me to do different stuff or pushing me in the direction of it.

 

[charmingpeach]

I personally do think the updates have a proper speed in 2021, one update every month seems about fair to me, the ones in 2020 were too spaced out in my opinion. That said, I can completely understand where you are coming from and why you might feel that way if the content added isn't the one you are interested in. To add to that, it is important to point out that this is an animal crossing forum and the people who are active here are veterans, not people who put down the game or grew bored of it quickly after, so there'll be answers you might not be looking for. But it is easy to see this division in social media where all kinds of players are mixed.

It's not that you are wrong because this is subjective, rather, you might not be discussing this in the right place or to the right like-minded audience who might give you the discussion/rant you might actually want. I've seen people who do share opinions like yours and it's not uncommon for me to read stuff like it on Insta or Twitter.

 

[Elias_]

I agree with both of you. NH seems to be the most divisive game in the series, because personal play style has never mattered more. The scope of the game has opened up massively, and the level of customisation and freedom we're afforded is enormous now, but it's very much a 'make your own fun' game in comparison to NL. I'm still having a blast with the game, but I'm 100% one of those players that suits that style of play. Conversely, basically all of my friends stopped playing after the first couple of months, when they'd completed the 'goals' set for them by the game, and weren't really interested in collecting items or decorating their islands. I'm not sure what could really be added to the game at this point to change the style of play enough to bring those players back. NH is fundamentally a different game, and no matter how many updates we get, it's just never going to be NL.

Yes, I absolutely agree with you. I still really like NH, it's still an Animal Crossing game after all. It just seems to cater to a different player type than I am and NL seemed to suit my playstyle better. You're right, no matter how many updates the game receives, it will still have a different focus and will not be NL. I just hope they can strike a better balance for player like me by introducing new features. There are a few things I'd like to see in the game that would make it so much more enjoyable. I absolutely understand why many feel different about the game than me and I'm glad you still have fun with the game. Just wanted to clarify that

 

[VanitasFan26]

I'm not sure how to phrase this without sounding like a jerk, so I'm just gonna be blunt about it: do you only ever make threads in here to complain?

Let me you ask you something. Are you asking this just because are you tired of hearing my opinion or do you always seem to think I'm negative? I've talked positive things about the game so I am not being negative or complaining. I am just voicing how I feel about the game. I am sorry that you may think that I am "attacking the game" but I am not. Its alright to disagree, but don't get so defensive.

 

[RollingAntony]

It's like I've said several times prior. The game was released to take advantage of the ongoing situation that left so many indoors. It was unfinished, but it was the mentality "Strike while the iron is hot." The understanding was they'd patch the content they originally intended to include or release with the game in updates/patches. If I had to guess, the game should have gone on sale around now and it was just clean up with updates, patches, dlc, what have you. Short version is we're at where the developers originally intended from the onset or close to it.

So you really think Nintendo knew on June 2019 that a pandemic was going to hit the world on late March and thus they set the March 20th release date to take advantage.

I mean, I understand having the theory that the game development was very troubled and a second delay was probably discussed internally; but the release date is far more likely to do with fiscal year goals and internal rules regarding delays than a conspiracy about the knowledge of the impact of Covid-19 on the world.

Basic features that are requested by us like UI-improvements, unbreakable tools and so forth wouldn't require as much work either - certainly not a year.

Food for thought: what if the developers simply don't want to add this "basic features that are requested"? Specially since sure, many people don't waste any time to spam social media with these requests, but I'm also sure there are many other people who don't care.


Regarding "end-game" goals, are we all forgetting about the Nook Miles stamps? Some of them take 1 or more years to fulfill.

 

[VanitasFan26]

Regarding "end-game" goals, are we all forgetting about the Nook Miles stamps? Some of them take 1 or more years to fulfill.

That maybe true, but ask yourself this. What else is there to do with the Nook Miles besides investing them on Nook Mile Tickets? With due respect the Nook Miles Achievements were good in the first year, but the Nook Miles could've been better if the game actually added new items to the Nook Mile shop that encourages you to earn them more all the time when doing tasks everyday when you play the game. I would've loved it if there was like new features added that you have to get nook miles to unlock it. Remember in the beginning you had to spend a lot of Nook Miles for your Tool Ring, Hairstyles, and Pocket Size? To me that felt rewarding and you felt accomplished for unlocking them. After one year of playing there is barely anything new added to the Nook Mile shop.

 

[Elias_]

So you really think Nintendo knew on June 2019 that a pandemic was going to hit the world on late March and thus they set the March 20th release date to take advantage.

I mean, I understand having the theory that the game development was very troubled and a second delay was probably discussed internally; but the release date is far more likely to do with fiscal year goals and internal rules regarding delays than a conspiracy about the knowledge of the impact of Covid-19 on the world.


Food for thought: what if the developers simply don't want to add this "basic features that are requested"? Specially since sure, many people don't waste any time to spam social media with these requests, but I'm also sure there are many other people who don't care.


Regarding "end-game" goals, are we all forgetting about the Nook Miles stamps? Some of them take 1 or more years to fulfill.

But what would that change exactly? For example, the developers don't want different users on the same system to have their own island. This doesn't make the decision any better, though. Many people, me included, don't care about this specific feature. But if they added it to the game, I'd be happy for those who requested it. It doesn't change anything about the experience I have with the game, but it improves the experience others have with it. At the end, it just means that more people love the game you love. And I think that's great

Those that are satisfied with the game as is would also be satisfied with the game if it has additional content. I feel like the sentiment of some player that love the game is: "For me, the game is perfect. The game doesn't need this feature you want because I don't need it." I absolutely understand that many feel different about the game and that's absolutely fine. But it's also okay to voice the opinion that there are features that could be added and improve the experience for some players. They might not be necessary for you, but others would like to see them. Some aspects like the user interface have been criticized by many players, even leading to fans creating videos of redesigns. The sheer number of people that have abandoned the game speaks volumes, unfortunately. And to be fair, many of those that have criticized the game in the past, have simply quit playing.

The Nook Miles stamps aren't really suitable as goals for the end game as the reward you get is most useful at the start of the game. Once you have enough villagers you're satisfied with and unlocked most of the Nook Mile items/bonuses, you don't really need them anymore. In fact, the Nook Miles are a major motivational factor at the early to mid game. But there isn't enough you can spend the currency on once you've played the game for 100+ hours. (Of course, this doesn't apply to all players.)

Lastly, I'd just like to say that many people who criticize the game here don't do that to spread negativity. I personally love Animal Crossing. I still prefer New Horizons over Wild World, City Folk and the original. It's a fantastic game! I'm not criticizing the game because I hate it. Quite the opposite: I really like it! But it has a lot of potential to be even better. Considering that it will take quite a while until the next entry in the series releases, I would like to see a number of features that I've had a lot of fun with in other entries and that would improve my personal experience with the game. I'm criticizing the game for this, because I like the game and would love to see it becoming even better - not because I hate it.

At the end of the day, these features that are requested by many people would simply lead to more players actively playing and loving the game and I think that's in everyone's interest

 

[RollingAntony]

That maybe true, but ask yourself this. What else is there to do with the Nook Miles besides investing them on Nook Mile Tickets? With due respect the Nook Miles Achievements were good in the first year, but the Nook Miles could've been better if the game actually added new items to the Nook Mile shop that encourages you to earn them more all the time when doing tasks everyday when you play the game. I would've loved it if there was like new features added that you have to get nook miles to unlock it. Remember in the beginning you had to spend a lot of Nook Miles for your Tool Ring, Hairstyles, and Pocket Size? To me that felt rewarding and you felt accomplished for unlocking them. After one year of playing there is barely anything new added to the Nook Mile shop.

Wouldn't that logic apply to everything? I mean, upgrading shops was talked about being an end-game goal, but wouldn't you run out of things to buy just the same? The last upgrade of Nook's has Gracie, but her furniture sets are also limited and you are bound to buy everything from the fabulous giraffe at one point. I'm not denying that yes, more Nook Miles items would be great, I'm saying that eventually you will "run out of content" all the same.

For some people, the fact that the stamp is complete is more than enough of an achievement by itself (and thus, an end goal to pursue).

But what would that change exactly? For example, the developers don't want different users on the same system to have their own island. This doesn't make the decision any better, though. Many people, me included, don't care about this specific feature. But if they added it to the game, I'd be happy for those who requested it. It doesn't change anything about the experience I have with the game, but it improves the experience others have with it. At the end, it just means that more people love the game you love. And I think that's great

Those that are satisfied with the game as is would also be satisfied with the game if it has additional content. I feel like the sentiment of some player that love the game is: "For me, the game is perfect. The game doesn't need this feature you want because I don't need it." I absolutely understand that many feel different about the game and that's absolutely fine. But it's also okay to voice the opinion that there are features that could be added and improve the experience for some players. They might not be necessary for you, but others would like to see them. Some aspects like the user interface have been criticized by many players, even leading to fans creating videos of redesigns. The sheer number of people that have abandoned the game speaks volumes, unfortunately. And to be fair, many of those that have criticized the game in the past, have simply quit playing.

The Nook Miles stamps aren't really suitable as goals for the end game as the reward you get is most useful at the start of the game. Once you have enough villagers you're satisfied with and unlocked most of the Nook Mile items/bonuses, you don't really need them anymore. In fact, the Nook Miles are a major motivational factor at the early to mid game. But there isn't enough you can spend the currency on once you've played the game for 100+ hours. (Of course, this doesn't apply to all players.)

Lastly, I'd just like to say that many people who criticize the game here don't do that to spread negativity. I personally love Animal Crossing. I still prefer New Horizons over Wild World, City Folk and the original. It's a fantastic game! I'm not criticizing the game because I hate it. Quite the opposite: I really like it! But it has a lot of potential to be even better. Considering that it will take quite a while until the next entry in the series releases, I would like to see a number of features that I've had a lot of fun with in other entries and that would improve my personal experience with the game. I'm criticizing the game for this, because I like the game and would love to see it becoming even better - not because I hate it.

At the end of the day, these features that are requested by many people would simply lead to more players actively playing and loving the game and I think that's in everyone's interest

For the record, my sentiment is not that the game is perfect and can't be improved. But what I'm saying is that the perspective of what makes someone happy with the decisions taken is something that is kind of hard for us to know and to provide facts about it- it may simply boil down to the opportunity cost. And to reach the analysis of that opportunity cost, we need information and data that we don't have (maybe it's data that not even Nintendo has although that's more unlikely). The viewpoint and mentality of the developers is also at play here, and we may agree or not with how the limitation on how the game should be played.

This point of yours: "The sheer number of people that have abandoned the game speaks volumes, unfortunately. And to be fair, many of those that have criticized the game in the past, have simply quit playing." is like always, interesting. Do you have any factual evidence of the number of players who have dropped the game? That sheer number you mention. Even more, do you have any factual evidence comparing it to the number of players who dropped previous games at the same timeframe? To add another thing, don't you think it's normal to see more players dropping the game since the game was/is being played by more people? Another thing, if you are basing the volumes spoken because there are people complaining more on social media, don't you think the bigger presence of social media on 2020 compared to previous entries is also at play here?

Regarding the NM, I replied to another user on this same post.


once again, obligatory disclaimer: no, NH is not perfect, yes NH can be improved. yes, you can voice your opinion.