Short version:
End the campaign after chapter 6, to make it a coherent story. We kill the Immortal Emperor. Remove the cutscene with Yulia, replace it by another cutscene explaining that the void has now stopped spreading, but still exists in some timelines and we need to clear them. The end, time for monoliths.
Long version:
Following a quick chat in another thread, I have been thinking about what is the most important game feature to me: the campaign.
I am still a bit confused about what people mean by âlaunchâ, considering the game has been for sale for four years, but apparently it would mean telling people we are not a beta anymore, we are a complete game.
Yet EHG is getting ready to take this step with a game that strongly feels incomplete, for one very simple reason: the story stops abruptly without closing any of the plotlines previously introduced.
So, my suggestion: end the campaign after chapter 6, when we fight the Immortal Emperor. Remove completely chapters 7 to 9. Tweak the ending of the fight, just with a cutscene, to make it so we actually kill him, and somehow it stops the void from spreading.
The reasoning:
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The story feels incomplete because it introduces several problematics and doesnât resolve them. Whatâs the deal with Yulia, Harton, and Zerrick? Who is the Immortal Emperor? How did they all become what they are? How the hell is Apophis fitting into all that?
Simple idea: if we donât introduce the problematics at all, they donât need answers, and the feeling of something missing disappear. -
I completely understand that adding new chapters is a massive work, and you have other priorities before 1.0.
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Chapter 6 looks like a perfect spot to cut off: 1.We have fought Harton and Zerrick, and met Yulia, but we donât know their previous self yet. They are just random baddies. No plotline hanging lose. 2.We finish on a big, momentous fight, against a very notable enemy (Weâve heard about him being the official Big Baddie since chapter 3). Perfect final battle. 3.Gaspar told us as soon as we reached the End of Time that he believed the void was caused by the Immortal Emperor. Solving everything by killing him makes sense.
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How many chapters there are doesnât matter. We donât need 12. When I started playing PoE, there were only 3 chapters, yet the story didnât feel incomplete like the Last Epoch one. Because it was coherent and ended up on a high, killing the big boss everyone was talking about throughout the story. Short, yes, and a bit superficial, but coherent. Thatâs what LE storyline needs, and cutting at chapter 6 would sort that out.
Of course, the story is pretty good, chapters 7-8-9 are really nice, and I certainly donât want them to disappear.
I am only suggesting to keep them on the side until you are ready to give the story a decent conclusion, then bring them back all together, along with 10-11-12 or whatever amount of chapters you think you need to answer the questions risen during the campaign.
People buying the game after âreleaseâ, thinking they are buying a full game, might be shocked to find a half-told, suddenly ending story.
With my suggestion, they would feel like they indeed have bought a full game. They need never know there used to be more chapters. And will probably praise EHG even more when, a few months later, 6 (!!!) new awesome chapters drop at the same time, making an already decent story much deeper and enthralling.
Thanks for reading,
Houlala
Campaigning for the Campaign