New World players may soon be able to look forward to the removal of features that have been getting in the way of a better experience. On the topic of “player friction,” the devs are in agreement with some of the community’s concerns regarding some of these problems. The game’s creators said as much in a recent dev update about the game and said they were looking into ways to make sure players enjoy the game more without encountering outdated obstacles.
Videos by ComicBook.com
New World creative director David Verfaillie shared some comments on player friction in the video below which was shared this week. For those who don’t want to watch all the way through or listen to the relevant bits, the game’s creators also posted some of the most important takeaways on the game’s site. Those comments can also be seen below after Verfaillie was asked about players mentioning that “there is friction preventing them from experiencing the game that they want.”
“We think there are numerous things getting in the way of people playing the game that they want to play,” Verfaillie said. “Fast travel, mutation orbs, storage, a lot of things differently making it difficult for people to experience the game they want. That’s something we’re definitely looking at and we’re going to be taking a look at. The game has gone through a long history and some of these things are from past iterations of the game, when it was a little more of a survival/crafting game, and I think we’ve held onto those. I think now is the time to start shedding that, and letting people experience the game.”
Game director Scot Lane added to those comments by sharing some more specifics about which parts of the game might be changed sooner rather than later.
“One of the things we’re working on that should be in the Feb build is reducing the cost of azoth travel,” Lane said. “Big boon, teleport anywhere you want at any time. Reducing inn recovery time from an hour to 30mins. Resetting the cost for your house recall as well. A lot of reductions, you’re going to be able to move around the world really freely, it’s going to be great.”
Specific timelines beyond the comments mentioned above haven’t been shared, so expect to see the removal of certain restrictions detailed in future updates.
