So as we have already discussed that many people aren't happy with FGO and it's current state. People have said newer games have become better and left FGO in the dust. Others blame the gatcha and it's lack of any kind of bad luck protection. Last people have complained about not liking current content and release rate.
So for people that love FGO and fate in general. Here are the questions we need to answer
1. What do you like about FGO (besides that it has fate characters)
2. What gameplay problems do you have with FGO?
3. What are FGO's Gatcha problems? Is it fair or does it need improvment?
4. What should new content look like? What makes an event good, what makes an event bad?
5. What games should FGO look up to for inspiration? Use examples.
6. How should this game be improved? What is your vision for this game in the future?
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Here are my answers
1. I like FGO because it has the perfect about of simple auto pilot and in game depth. Most farm missions are easy and I can match shapes and colors until I win without paying much attension to it. On the other hand unlike most phone games, the game NEVER plays itself. You must input commands. There is no skip or auto complete. I'm ok with this because I personally just watch anime or play another game while also grinding FGO.
On the other hand I feel there are a lot of mechanics that matter on hard missions. Type match ups, servant skills, battle effects etc. I think this game has a lot of depth when it wants to. In this respect I feel it has the perfect balence. I can mindlessly grind when I want to, but the game won't play itself and battles can really matter when I want to. Not having to pay attention to the game is huge for me.
Last I like that you don't need to do much to level up servants. Its as simple as giving them exp, which is easy and not really that big a grind. New players might get stuck needing ascension materials but events are very generous and they can get many items you need to raise the level cap. On the other hand things like Craft Essence and skills don't matter that much, and FGO isn't bogged down by more systems to level a specific thing or to craft gear.
What I wanted form FGO was a good story with all the servants from the extended universe that I can put on a team. I got that and more and found the gameplay to be perfect for me.
2. I like the basic FGO gameplay because it feels simple and straight forward. When people say that the game sucks I don't understand what their problem could be. My biggest complaint are silly QoL changes the game needs, like switching between CE when leveling them and switching between leveling and ascending servants. Also CE clean up is a pain since old event CE don't tell you if it was used in an event. Event Challenge quests should last a few days after the event ends. I find myself grinding until the last minute and have no time to solve a hard challenge quest. I shouldn't have to choose between farming more or doing the challenge quest.
3. I feel the FGO gatcha is fair. I am still not convinced that it needs any kind of bad luck protection. As a (almost) free player I have gotten most of the 5 star servants I want. Sure I have had my share of heartbreak and will likely have that happen again, but I feel that 5 stars happen often enough and with a lot of patience and saving quartz you can get the 5 star you want. People that say otherwise are just salty.
4. I personally like FGO events. The first two events (Nerofest and Moon daingo bullshit) were lame, but when the first halloween event went in 2015 i was blown away. I like the grindy events because they feel just right most of the time even with my schedule I end up finishing them in the last two days. Once again I can zone out and grind while doing other things. There are bad events. The worst event was Rashimon. I felt this event was too unfair and unforgiving with little reward for finishing.
5. I think that games like GBF are too confusing. I could not understand the game mechanics for that game. I saw how many systems there were, like weapons and the ship and felt overwhelmed. FGO eliminated all this and make it simple and yet gets you to grind for mats and QP to max out your servants.
People keep on bringing up other games that have passed FGO. Which ones? I know Genshin Impact got popular, but it's not really fair to compare that to FGO since they are so different.
6. FGO needs to have smaller gaps between events. Covid really messed up the game but in the second half of 2020 they had some good events. This year has had some really bad dead spots. FGO needs one major event every month. More simple events wouldn't be bad either. Things like Journey to the west didn't have a new map or more than a simple story. It wasn't anyone's favorite but it was a good time waster. Not every event needs to be huge like the collaboration event. Every event must have at least one new servant. Things like Nerofest should still have a new servant in the gatcha, no exceptions. Events like the Murder at the Kogetsukan event must have free quests and a shop. Reruns don't have to follow this rule, unless it's a major event rerun, like the CCC event.
My vision for a better FGO is more events and new servants arriving on each one and main story chapters arrive every six months. As for the rate of the main story release, lost belt 6 concludes in 2021, lost belt 7 2022 and the final chapter in 2023 as a two-parter. If the game continues after that they can release another group of side chapters like Epic of Remnant in 2024. The game should be winding down by that point as it will almost be 10 years old.
Now what are your thoughts?