The GamePlay Loop Part 2

Spellbreak Chapter one has released with some great changes to talents, balance and gameplay. however, the same pattern is emerging, a larger influx of new players with steam release, trying the game, then leaving. Of course 100% player retention is a pipe dream, but I want to identify some key factors why spell break is not practical as a new game for most players.

Proletariat has been very welcoming and encouraging of new players, encouraging little seminars like ask a class expert or class workshops. Many streamers and competitive players constantly go off on rants that are summed up as:

MINDSETS:

Spellbreak has such beautiful and high level combat, if only new players could learn it they could appreciate it.

Don't worry just keep playing and you'll get better, here are some guides, videos ect

The Problem:

I've grinded through to high levels of other high skillcap games like PUBG, the Battlefield series, DOTA 2 and Starcraft 2: I've spent tons of hours in since release spellbreak and have followed the path of GITGUD. Well guess what I have found:

IT TAKES TOO DAMN LONG TO GITGUD

The practice/improvement gained per unit time of gametime in spellbreak is abysmal compared to most other games.

Most people have lives and things to do. As many have pointed out before me Spellbreak's format of BR leads to long amounts of time, waiting in lobby, moving around the map and looting, compared to the actual gold which is the combat and what is helping you gitgud.

High Skill Cap + Battle Royale Format means the time spent improving is a small fraction of the time doing the rest of this bullshit.

What if you want to become a welder, or engineer, or competitive spellbreak player: But I told you could only allowed to study or practice for it 5 minutes a day. It would take a frustratingly long time to reach those goals, and you'd probably abandon it for something with a better time investment. The gameplay loop for spellbreak is filled with so much mind numbing waiting to do something, or picking up things so you can do something, the time you spend actually practicing is pathetic.

I will say it once more, Spellbreak will never draw the wide appeal it deserves until it has a polished lootless ranked arena mode. It needs a format where peoples time investment will actually reflect real gains in getting better. until then Spellbreak will draw new players who will find they are up against a huge skillgap, and that it takes an entire hour to get 4 minutes of actual combat practice, who promptly head off to play games that actually reward them for time spent playing.