My two Cents
I want to start by saying that I enjoy Absolver (overall), and have fun doing co-op with my friend and doing combat trials. That being said, here's a "short" list of things that I feel should be implemented. Also, I'm sure at least some of my suggestions have been mentioned either here, or on the Steam discussions; but the more people that suggest the same ideas, the more likely developers are to at least consider them.
- Gold Status :: Flag Absolver as Early Access in Steam (and everywhere else for that matter). Given how many bugs there are in the "full" release of the game, I don't see how anyone could see the game as having earned its gold status. When a game reaches gold status, potential players expect a certain amount of stability; such as the game simply working rather than crashing when they hit ENTER on the title screen to connect to the servers and load the main menu. Keep in mind I'm talking about game-breaking bugs, not little bugs. Little bugs are a constant, and every program (nevermind video game) has them. Period.
- Coop vs. Co-op :: This may just be a pet peeve, but every iteration of "coop" should be changed to "co-op" since a coop is a small/narrow space. The only time "coop" is used as "co-op" is...well never since co-operative is one thing, and coop is another. It's like using "then" when comparing objects. It just doesn't work; "then" is used to reference timelines; such as "Joe went to the store, THEN he filled his car with gas." Then again, if left as-is, at least my friends and I will get laughs whenever we say "want to do some coop in Absolver?"
- Camera :: The camera is...well to be blunt...absolute garbage. I can't count how many times I've been pushed against a wall by someone (AI or player) using lightning fast attacks then have the camera hit the wall and part of the background between the camera and my character, completely hiding not only myself but my opponent from view so I don't know if I have enough time to drop my guard to dodge to the side for some breathing room or if I need to keep my guard up. It's been mentioned on the Steam discussions a few times, but I doubt the developers of Absolver look at those often. The camera in Absolver could GREATLY benefit from the system that For Honor uses. The camera, while technically an entity, is also not an entity in that it ignores clipping. Furthermore, it enables "x-ray vision" when it is inside of, or behind, terrain or background that would otherwise block the character from view.
- The Party System :: I've seen this mentioned elsewhere on here, but it's a big issue, so it deserves mentioning again. When inviting someone to your party (or visa versa), you should STAY partied until you decide to stop being partied, regardless of how far you get from each other, how many times you die, or what zone you're in. Definitely keep the 'teleport to invitation sender' aspect. Also, friendly fire (while annoying, completely understandable) should NOT remove people from parties. That literally defeats the purpose of co-operating given how some attacks have a long/wide range, and you can't always predict how your allies will be moving around the battlefield.
- Organized Inventories :: Gear should be sorted by class (light, medium, heavy), and then by name to make it easier for people to find the piece they're looking for. If a crafting system is implemented later (I doubt it considering the small size of the game), then the option to scrap duplicates (or unwanted pieces) should be available to get raw materials. Otherwise, the option to simply delete a duplicate (or unwanted pieces) should be added for those of us who don't like having 2-50 of the same exact piece of clothing for no other reason than RNG.
- Minimap :: Considering how bad the camera is, and the fact that enemies like to attack in pairs or groups, it can be disorienting to some people. One minute they're trying to find how to get from Zone A into Zone C, the next they're surrounded by four AI, all of them intent on tenderizing their meat before a meal. In the midst of the ensuing overpowered fight (face it, four AI against one player is a little much, especially for new players or players trying a new deck/style), the player gets turned around - and given the artistic style of Absolver, sometimes it can be difficult to spot that small break in the background that is actually the path they're looking for, especially from certain angles. A minimap, which doesn't show foliage, trees, that little rock next to your foot, enemy locations, etc, but only shows major terrain features and paths would be extremely helpful.
- Boss Stamina :: I get that bosses are supposed to be challenging, I do, hence the mechanics of...increased health pools, flunkies to help 'cause the boss is a coward, ignoring the shard mechanic at certain health thresholds for added difficulty, increased armor without a reduction to mobility, wide assortment of moves, etcetera. It seems to me, and I could be wrong (maybe I'm just that unlucky so far), that some - if not all - bosses have infinite stamina. The twins were challenging enough; two boss characters at once, each with all the bells and whistles of a boss fight, but when I made it to Risryn I found that she not only had lightning fast attacks that packed a decent punch (still within my expectations of a boss fight though), but she never seemed to run out of stamina; even after I had blocked an 8-9 hit combo, sidestepping the final hit (Windfall style) to regain some stamina and countered with my own combo, of which all hits were blocked by Risryn without her guard breaking. For the record, I'm using the NPC Stagger deck with my default Windfall style stance and have been since level 15 or so (no, it isn't a hack, it's called using the Encounters menu to find players in the school, then joining it from there), some moves actually take a good chuck of stamina away if blocked (or health if not) - such as Drunken Smash, which is one of my favorite moves actually.
Comments
I know some won't agree, but as I said, these are my opinions, some of which are shared by many people on Steam's discussions.