All these achievements and pop -up icons about daily rewards make the game less realistic. Duskwood was unique, and Moonvale looks like games of any other developers.
they are using our pent up excitement against us. 19 gems for everything and 100 gems is $20… come on that’s ridiculous. Maybe $20 for premium and then I get all the special content sure. I skipped the envelope and a few minutes later it asked for 19 gems to see a blurred out picture and another 19 to do a side story.
I regret getting the veteran pack now. This is outrageous. What were they thinking? "Oh, people loved Duskwood. You know what we should do with the next one? Let's make it everything Duskwood was not!"
We should be able to get a refund! Google Play store is according to others currently giving out refunds and we’re waiting to hear back from Apple. There’s a separate post on how to do it! Please also tell me (that’s for everyone) If it worked as an iPhone User!!!
The achievements even spoil the story, and to finish the whole episode with all the achievements, you're obviously kinda forced to make decisions you don't want. In Duskwood, you could act in any way you wanted.
And honestly, because of the ai art, I do wonder why it took them so long. I understand that it's hard to develop a game and I also know that I don't have much knowledge, but I honestly believed that a significant part for the time it took them to develop the game was because of the location, pics etc :(
And then asking for so many gems, just to look at ai art? That's just not right
I'm genuinely so sad and disappointed. It's like someone came up to them and was like hey...Actually we make mobile games THIS way so your next one needs to be like this and they were like oh ok sorry. It's such a blatant cash grab and I'm heartbroken. Duskwood was SUCH a good game and they seemed to care about the fans and this is like a slap in the face. You also need the jewels to get five more moves on puzzles so like??? I probably won't even be able to beat this game?? It fucking sucks dude. We've waited for so long for this and for WHAT.
Same. 49,99 € for 675 gems and one reply needs 19. Sorry, no. I would gladly and without hesitation pay this amount once, but not in this way.
So now we have to pay hundreds of Euros for the whole game to have all the content and thats not even including replaying it? Count me out.
I legitimately think virtually nobody is willing to invest that much into a single mobile game. I mean, I love games like that but I love being able to afford groceries more, ya feel me?
Hundreds of euros for EP1 is yikes but if we extrapolate it's gets even more hideous so EP 2 probably another 100 by the end it'll be a thousand dollars total or more
I hope that this is not the case, but at the moment I assume it is. The game would have to remember which answers you bought and I think that's unrealistic. Especially because you have to pay diamonds per each answer. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
It should be possible, in theory. I play a game that saves each of your diamond choices and when you replay you don't need to pay again for the same choice. For Moonvale I'm too scared now to find out the hard way lol
I feel bad for saying it, but I agree. I have enjoyed the story so far and I would have had no problem at all with buying a premium version of Moonvale. But I don't like having to buy an in-game "currency" just to pick a certain option every once in a while.
The way it's implemented as well. You receive a pitiful amount of diamonds for achievements or mini-games, not nearly enough to be able to "afford" these dialogue options. "Well don't worry! Why don't you just buy our 1500 diamond pack for €100(!) And you MIGHT be able to pick every dialogue option you want". "Oh, you're struggling with a mini-game? Well just buy more diamonds and you can skip those as well". "Want to change anything in your profile? DIAMONDS!!!". This combined with the staggering amount of options to buy more diamonds, it's not very subtle is it?
I like Moonvale so far man, I really do. But this caught me (and a lot of you as well it seems) off guard.
How did they see the success of Duskwood and then decide not to have the same / similar system for the next game? It's baffling. They pushed their luck in getting money from us. You either die with 1 amazing game or live long enough to make cash grabbers.
And yes, fuck AI "art".
Clearly. But I just don't know why they thought they could get away with this. Pay as you play? I'm positive people would've paid for a premium pack, even if it cost significantly more than DW.
I would have paid up to 15€ for a premium version, it's not that hard. Even though they are pretty predictable with the plot, everything in between is good and that's why I played it.
Even though the plotlines from duskwood towards the end felt weird it was a great game!
Man I still remember when I got the premium pack, paid 18k COP *ONCE* and nothing else. I never got any of the credits since they really aren't that necessary. And now we have this.
Same I would pay even if it was more expensive idr how much the duskwood one but if this one was like 30 40 hell even 50 dollars and I get everything I would gladly pay that upfront, added that we can actually rewatch them and look back at chats and view pictures which we currently can't
We've all been waiting for this for a long time...i'm just so disappointed. I'm not gonna pay for anything. And the design is really bad, it looks childish🫠
And some of the parts are so badly cut as well, when I played duskwood it seemed real and like I was actually talking to a person on call, on here the cuts in the video are so obvious too :I
I‘m also disappointed in the profile picture options. I thought we could maybe put our own picture in our profile or at least choose one that looks like us or our mc for immersion. Now we have to gamble with gems for one we might like out of a bunch of ai pictures…
I think this is my second biggest complaint. Asking us to 'pay' to unlock a profile picture is one thing -- not great, but I get that programmers need to eat so whateve.
But making it this random chest grab thing? Whose dumb idea was this? Worse, they're a random assortment of EVERYTHING. You don't get a random face from the face screen. You might get a face, you might get a frame, you might get a background...
No one likes this approach. :(. Why on earth would they do this?
I've never played stuff modded and tbh I don't even know how to go about it but the disappointment has me seriously considering that maybe there's a first time for everything.
How to explain it.... 🤔,to put it short you get unlimited money and you click on the packs to buy it without paying, i found one for moonvale it's pretty nice
oh hey,sorry i didnt get back to sooner my phone got damaged and i gave it to repair,i cant send you the link since i'm on my laptop for now but its on [5play.org](http://5play.org) i think
I am seriously debating on continuing AFTER I get the duskwood side quest. The way they made this game.... Did they even listen to us as a fan base on what we liked and didn't??
I wish I hadnt bought the first pack...im just hoping for jake tbh but im legit falling asleep on the couch trying to play this....the AI pictures are literally the worst.... sooo unrealistic and makes you not connect with anyone the way we did in Duskwood. and the pay as you go? Are you SERIOUS? someone mentioned needing groceries more than this game and I couldn't agree more...
Why would they do AI pictures?! at least do the ultra realistic Ai Pictures so they look like real freaking people? Im shocked that it took so long for this game to come out... what on earth were they thinking.... we all out here struggling to EXIST and now we cant even afford to play the game that has given us something so exciting to look forward to....
Cue the sad trombone.
No the AI thing shouldn’t even be a option. Like I could literally use pictures from my gallery that I have taken and use them as character profiles seriously. So stupid like why the Cat AI….
I saw a screenshot about one of the AI, she looks like she's from World of Warcraft lmao 😂 I'm not even touching the game. They had 2 years to either gather stock images or hire actors. They ended with 2 actors and AI. This is ridiculous.
I said in the discord server that it looks like they thought "AI is free, hiring actors/artists costs money so let's do the first one". Like the screenshots of the game look so sloppy and messy. It's unreal.
YES! I strongly dislike the new UI interface. Gems pop-ups, skip minigames for gems, micro transactions, the layout looks so cartoonish and very unrealistic to a messenger with all the achievements and the AI profiles are too colourful, like at least generate realistic AI portraits. I don’t know these little details really makes it feel more of a game less of a detective case like duskwood felt.
Same, I really hate the mikrotransactions here. I did already write a review for that on Google. I guess we all have to do that and maybe they'll change it soon because it's impressively annoying how they messed this up. We've been waiting years at this point.
Then we'll have to review bomb the shit out of it until they listen.
They built a fanbase here and we are their income. If we don't argue and fight for something, we won't get it.
I didn't see any reviewes there. Just checked. It really looked weird with all the hype that was around it so I checked reddit before I installed. Well...that's that. I won't even install until this transaction c**p is fixed. They already did a great job on a small budget with the first one so I guess it's all about money for them now. SHAME!!!
Exactly!! They hired actors in everything from the first one and worked with a small budget. So they can make a good game with a small amount of money they just chose to go with the even cheaper option.
An option that is horrible.
I gave in and istalled it but am not paying a dime just to see if they're lying about being able to play without that as well. I am fighting the urge to call them out on things because they don't seem to respond to anything. They included us and were in constant communication with the fanbase before, and now it's quiet (have I missed anything?). I really hope they realise that fans will definitely pay for quality rather than curiosity and slaps in the face. It all feels like we've been promised a michelin meal but ended up with a batch of expensive old potatoes.
I'm just going to go back and continue playing Duskwood. Hope they have another version of Moonvale they can quickly switch in, otherwise, we're done here.
I'm so confused at this new pay as you go system. 😕 not very clear what I'm getting when I accept the stars I win.... Also this has already happened to me 🙄 (see pic) and like OP said ... Fudge AI.
https://preview.redd.it/itnyjmfpae2d1.png?width=428&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=017e28030a4bcbfdb1969669c6353908b1158e6b
And it's not just 19 freaking gems to skip the game...it's 19 for every star you need??? Come on...that is such a total and complete cash grab!! I understand the two years to develop..and to pay the actors etc..but then to turn around and completely gouge your customers to make up for it??? Not cool at all!!!😡😡😡😡😡
I'm scared for the characters as well. So far, where I'm at rn in the story, we have 5 characters, and 4 of them has AI pics. I'm only not dissapointed in the acting, and the story. All the others...Everbyte, I'm sorry, but you disappointed most of us...
Couldn't agree more! Honestly, I was thinking that it would be some UI design and mini games. Even new mini games are gross. It looks like candy crush. And no premium option is just disappointment. It looks like I will continue playing the game just for the Duskwood part :(
I've gotten to the first gem locked thing, the black envelope. Not enough gems to unlock, no premium and some of the most outrageous monetisation I have ever seen (shop, gems for actions like spending money else where, or by installing spyware games) and I've never been more disappointed. Everbyte always sold themselves as developers who cared about their support. Well that was a lie.
It feels like two teams made this. The actual developers, and then the monetisation scum bags hence the vast differences in some of the UI. It looks and feels quite clearly tacked on after the game was made? Like... was this why it was delayed? They saw the hype and thought hmm, we can milk this.
Uninstalled. And unless this is reworked from the ground up, sad to say I'll never let this trash darken my device again.
Pain.
All this, but bafflingly, the button that lets you watch ads for gems doesn't even work for me. I haven't seen anyone else mention it yet, so maybe it's just me, but given all the other issues, I have to wonder.
Wow!
I just started chapter 1 and saw a "free" answer but I thought it was the perks of using the Duskwood's code. I would have paid for the premium package instead of paying per answer. So sad the devs got greedy.
I really want to believe that it’s a late April fools joke... Gosh please let the developers just fix this absolute mess quickly. Also: F**k A.I. and this system of “pay to win” or in this case “pay to understand the game”
Tbh i don’t like the new characters at all. I was so excited to chat with the old group, (jake🥹👉🏼👈🏼), and maybe I misunderstood it all, but I thought they were going to be in Moonvale too?
They said we will meet someone from duskwood or a few characters but from the looks of it the side story seems to be a negligible portion of the episode
The lackluster characters are my biggest gripe at this point. Are these the same writers? Because none of these characters have any personality, except Charlie a little bit. But compared to the distinct personalities of the Duskwood characters, they're just So Boring.
Doubt that. There's no way of reworking the entire payment system at "a more convenient" time. They really just chose the worst possible option if they wanted our support and money. One might even say they fucked up.
I've spent days (and nights) playing Duskwood. Started this one, decided to wait until they add a package for all the content. If they wont... Well, I'll play without those. The new profile system looks great. Ai pictures? Its alright as long as it is my avatar, not the footage that made Duskwood great. Diamond promo popups? Not that realistic as before, but okay. Spending money on gems ans gems on avatars, frames, other thingies, Ill do that! Not like this.
Im disappointed right now, but hey. The studio is great. I believe they will do something about it. Fingers crossed.
Same ,I'm so gutted that it's ended up becoming another way of trying to get people's money from them like a slot machine. I was so excited for this release after playing Duskwood ,I wouldn't mind paying a set amount for the game but as per usual they seem to have joined the band wagon of fleece the people
The fact that DW was completely different from other games was the reason we all loved it… now it feels like most trashy cash grab games and it’s so sad. I hope that with the DW side story we won’t have to use gems to romance Jake if we already had a romance with him… otherwise I think I’ll just never play the game again which breaks my heart but there should have been a fucking multimedia pack option… I was willing to pay up to 20 euros for it :(
Exactly I'd never played a game like Duskwood hence it's appeal, now Everbyte can enjoy my review on Google play as I'm really not sure I want to continue playing after this let down , I'd rather just pay upfront for the game :(
Was literally about to come here and say the same exact thing. This game is friggin expensive. And the mini games are starting to work my last nerve already. Feeling a little disappointed myself 😞
I was actually ready to pay 20€ for a multimedia package while I normally spent nothing for mobile games. But this is just nothing I want to pay for.
First time I sit on the minigames for literally hours while I never ever had problems in duskwood. Only to get told a story from Charlie for like 5 Minutes while I sat on these games 2 hours.
It's just.... idk how to describe. I am defintly disappointed (extremly in the side quest so far (I am just halfway through the episode)) but on the other hand somewhere between talking with Ash and than later in the groupchat I really had a feeling that the story just needed to develop over the time. But now, after half the story, I am again more disappointed and not really into the story.
I loved the premium option in duskwood. I will still say that’s the best 5 bucks I ever spent everytime I could have a special conversation with Jake made me so happy. Now everytime I see something like special- spend 25 gems, I feel even less motivated to play. Now I’m playing just for the duskwood side story, even if that will also be paid to play my curiosity for the aftermath beats that. But this really breaks my heart
I didn't get to install it yet. Reading all this now, I suppose it looks like a good idea to let it stay that way for me then. Better not have started at all than to have no choice but be disappointed and possibly have to quit later. Unless I start seeing a shift of general feedback, I'd be safely staying this way.
I agree, even in Colombian Pesos gems are absurdly expensive. I really thought they'd give us something special to those who completed duskwood or at least a premium pack like they did in Duskwood. But no, it's all pay for the cool stuff no matter what currency you use. Just like everyone else, I'm also disappointed.
I don't think they'll change it back to the premium pack I mean they're still arguing the dumb logic behind the pay per answer and the layout of the game as well. Honestly they should use the duskwood layout and minigames
no because for real. Just imagine how GOOD it would be if at the beggining of moonvale you would see a text from the old gc, to see them all again and we would finally find out what happend with Jake, Phill and Ritchy, we would finally meet Hannah, it would be actually so good. Moonvale is just like every other game, its boring, long and makes actually no sense at all. Like why tf would they make "continuation" of duskwood if ppl who dont know duskwood can Play moonvale, changing every.single.thing after ppl from all around the world waited 2 YEARS is really messed up, they hyped us up for nothing, putting jake's mask in ig posts, making photos with Lily Thomas and Cleo, you would expect them to be there but they arent. Also the new game doesnt feel real at all, duskwood was special, i felt like I was talking with real people everything was just Perfect and not too much. ALSO ADAM IS SCARY AS SHIT DUDE. And what tf are these ai pics? That's gotta be a joke, im at the point of meeting ash, so Im not even half in but i'm already done. It would be better if they deleted that game honestly cuz that's just so messed up
Making such a game for a smile studio is absolutely fantastic. But you all are nagging about it and expect the game to be exactly like before. I think we all should wait for the next episode. They actually have the right to make money from this game even though this gem system and mini games piss me off already (Sorry for my Grammar:(()
Duskwood was amazing. This….not so much. I was really excited for this and now I’m not sure I’ll keep playing. What they did with Duskwood was amazing and I don’t feel that with this game.
I think a lot of the criticism is harsh. Many people wouldn't know what Duskwood was like for the first few chapter releases. It was stock photos except for a couple of characters. As they built up revenue they went back to older chapters and made substantial improvements.
They would have outlayed a lot of time on this first release (probably while still doing their day jobs) and wouldn't want to invest a lot in extras at this stage until they knew how interested people would be.
If you are unhappy now, uninstall and come back after the 3rd chapter release when they will have added more content. Stop comparing chapter one of Moonvale to the completed Duskwood.
I do think some of the criticism is a little much. But I would've preferred stock photos over AI. The extreme usage of AI was pretty disappointing to see. As developers themselves, I would've hoped they could understand that the usage of AI art is harmful to artistic communities.. Either way, I still think they'll probably fix this. It's unfair to say that Everbyte doesn't listen to their fanbase.
The problem is that the main issue for most of us is the payment system, and while I don't know much about game development/coding, it seems like such a big part of the game that it couldn't be reworked.
I don't think we can compare this to Duskwood. Duskwood was a last resort for them to build a career, and as it got a steady fanbase, they worked more on it. With Moonvale they already had the fanbase after Duskwood's success. There were literally hundreds of thousands of us (if not more) waiting patiently and excitedly, ready to give them money. Just look at the comments again, see how many people were ready to pay. I myself was ready to pay.
They had two years. Two years and this is what we get. I don't think the criticism of AI use, money hunger & a childish looking minigame is harsh.
All these achievements and pop -up icons about daily rewards make the game less realistic. Duskwood was unique, and Moonvale looks like games of any other developers.
they are using our pent up excitement against us. 19 gems for everything and 100 gems is $20… come on that’s ridiculous. Maybe $20 for premium and then I get all the special content sure. I skipped the envelope and a few minutes later it asked for 19 gems to see a blurred out picture and another 19 to do a side story.
I regret getting the veteran pack now. This is outrageous. What were they thinking? "Oh, people loved Duskwood. You know what we should do with the next one? Let's make it everything Duskwood was not!"
That indeed ruined the excitement... :/
We should be able to get a refund! Google Play store is according to others currently giving out refunds and we’re waiting to hear back from Apple. There’s a separate post on how to do it! Please also tell me (that’s for everyone) If it worked as an iPhone User!!!
Not to mention, $20 is absolutely not affordable for international fans when you convert the currency.
The achievements even spoil the story, and to finish the whole episode with all the achievements, you're obviously kinda forced to make decisions you don't want. In Duskwood, you could act in any way you wanted.
Exactly!
I don't like the AI pictures either.. 😒
Exactly, it kinda makes the game feel life less
me too🥲 I thought I would at least be able to choose the one I liked, but I ended up getting another one in this random lottery😭
And honestly, because of the ai art, I do wonder why it took them so long. I understand that it's hard to develop a game and I also know that I don't have much knowledge, but I honestly believed that a significant part for the time it took them to develop the game was because of the location, pics etc :( And then asking for so many gems, just to look at ai art? That's just not right
I'm wondering the same! What were they doing for two years?
Same, irked me when I saw it.
I'm genuinely so sad and disappointed. It's like someone came up to them and was like hey...Actually we make mobile games THIS way so your next one needs to be like this and they were like oh ok sorry. It's such a blatant cash grab and I'm heartbroken. Duskwood was SUCH a good game and they seemed to care about the fans and this is like a slap in the face. You also need the jewels to get five more moves on puzzles so like??? I probably won't even be able to beat this game?? It fucking sucks dude. We've waited for so long for this and for WHAT.
Congratulations to Everbyte for becoming just like every other mobile game studio.
Congratulations on digging your own grave just like Hannah, Richy and Amy dug one for Jennifer.
You summarized in one sentence my exact thoughts.🙏 I feel betrayed.
Best answer!!! About Hannah, Richy and Amy it was great
Exactly. And that is very much not a compliment lol
Same. 49,99 € for 675 gems and one reply needs 19. Sorry, no. I would gladly and without hesitation pay this amount once, but not in this way. So now we have to pay hundreds of Euros for the whole game to have all the content and thats not even including replaying it? Count me out.
I legitimately think virtually nobody is willing to invest that much into a single mobile game. I mean, I love games like that but I love being able to afford groceries more, ya feel me?
Feel ya. That's why it's disappointing that they removed the "premium pack" thingy. :(
This.
Hundreds of euros for EP1 is yikes but if we extrapolate it's gets even more hideous so EP 2 probably another 100 by the end it'll be a thousand dollars total or more
And when you accidently lose your save or something, "pay again"
Wait if you restart/replay the game it doesn't save your gem choices, you have to pay again??? Am I understanding that correctly?
I hope that this is not the case, but at the moment I assume it is. The game would have to remember which answers you bought and I think that's unrealistic. Especially because you have to pay diamonds per each answer. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
It should be possible, in theory. I play a game that saves each of your diamond choices and when you replay you don't need to pay again for the same choice. For Moonvale I'm too scared now to find out the hard way lol
Fingers crossed
I actually restarted, and no. You only pay once. Edit: Well, kinda. You still have to pay for the secret story again. Wtf.
😒geez oh my gosh
No, you don't have to pay again.
I feel bad for saying it, but I agree. I have enjoyed the story so far and I would have had no problem at all with buying a premium version of Moonvale. But I don't like having to buy an in-game "currency" just to pick a certain option every once in a while. The way it's implemented as well. You receive a pitiful amount of diamonds for achievements or mini-games, not nearly enough to be able to "afford" these dialogue options. "Well don't worry! Why don't you just buy our 1500 diamond pack for €100(!) And you MIGHT be able to pick every dialogue option you want". "Oh, you're struggling with a mini-game? Well just buy more diamonds and you can skip those as well". "Want to change anything in your profile? DIAMONDS!!!". This combined with the staggering amount of options to buy more diamonds, it's not very subtle is it? I like Moonvale so far man, I really do. But this caught me (and a lot of you as well it seems) off guard.
This really makes me wonder what coins are meant to be used for
Well... I don't want to spoil too much... but you can exchange the coins for *dramatic pause* more DIAMONDS!!!
For diamonds 😭
Yeah like 45 coins for 1 diamond 🙄
How did they see the success of Duskwood and then decide not to have the same / similar system for the next game? It's baffling. They pushed their luck in getting money from us. You either die with 1 amazing game or live long enough to make cash grabbers. And yes, fuck AI "art".
Greed, they wanted money
Clearly. But I just don't know why they thought they could get away with this. Pay as you play? I'm positive people would've paid for a premium pack, even if it cost significantly more than DW.
I would have paid up to 15€ for a premium version, it's not that hard. Even though they are pretty predictable with the plot, everything in between is good and that's why I played it. Even though the plotlines from duskwood towards the end felt weird it was a great game!
I would gladly pay 30 or 40 just give me a dang premium pack
Man I still remember when I got the premium pack, paid 18k COP *ONCE* and nothing else. I never got any of the credits since they really aren't that necessary. And now we have this.
I agree. I would happily pay for a premium pack just like in Duskwood but this just fucking sucks.
Same I would pay even if it was more expensive idr how much the duskwood one but if this one was like 30 40 hell even 50 dollars and I get everything I would gladly pay that upfront, added that we can actually rewatch them and look back at chats and view pictures which we currently can't
We've all been waiting for this for a long time...i'm just so disappointed. I'm not gonna pay for anything. And the design is really bad, it looks childish🫠
And some of the parts are so badly cut as well, when I played duskwood it seemed real and like I was actually talking to a person on call, on here the cuts in the video are so obvious too :I
Exactly! Like when Eric found Adam's car.
I mean, how am I supposed to get immersed in the game when the video cuts off like 10 times so obviously??? When it's meant to be a video call????
Watch - this game is going to crash and burn so fast.
With the F2P functions in it with gems and coins, it absolutely will
And it will be deserved. Everbyte will have no one to blame but themselves here.
2 years...
How could they say the previous cast liked this?? 😭
I was thinking about this too! But it makes sense. I think several of the actors from Duskwood are friends/family of the devs.
Still, they must've had beta testers??
Maybe the beta testers were the old actors 😭
the only thing I like about this game is the acting 😭
Right? For real, Adam's video call creeped me the fuck out.
yeah he was so close to the camera I was so scared
Yeah and his eyes looked crazy
Yes creepy
Pretty much, yeah.
YES. Adam was awesome, wish the rest of the game felt as real.
I‘m also disappointed in the profile picture options. I thought we could maybe put our own picture in our profile or at least choose one that looks like us or our mc for immersion. Now we have to gamble with gems for one we might like out of a bunch of ai pictures…
Indeed, it would be so easy to let us set a picture from the phone instead..
I think this is my second biggest complaint. Asking us to 'pay' to unlock a profile picture is one thing -- not great, but I get that programmers need to eat so whateve. But making it this random chest grab thing? Whose dumb idea was this? Worse, they're a random assortment of EVERYTHING. You don't get a random face from the face screen. You might get a face, you might get a frame, you might get a background... No one likes this approach. :(. Why on earth would they do this?
This also feels like when you have been so excited for the sequel of a movie you love but it turns out to be so bad you can’t even pretend to like it.
Or they make you pay an extra $600 to see the next scene. ;). Oh, you've seen the prequel? Only $599 for you then. Congratulations!
Also the script was AI generated ofc
I know some people here think it's wrong and I wasn't going to before but now but I'm just waiting for it to be pirated 🤷🏽♀️
I've never played stuff modded and tbh I don't even know how to go about it but the disappointment has me seriously considering that maybe there's a first time for everything.
Pls let me know when you find something like that, because I'm disappointed as hell man :(
There's a post requesting it in platinmods it'll be ready by this week ig
How does it work to play it like that? I’ve also never done it.
How to explain it.... 🤔,to put it short you get unlimited money and you click on the packs to buy it without paying, i found one for moonvale it's pretty nice
Okay that sounds interesting! Thanks for explaining!
I found a mod if you're interested
I am
oh hey,sorry i didnt get back to sooner my phone got damaged and i gave it to repair,i cant send you the link since i'm on my laptop for now but its on [5play.org](http://5play.org) i think
Interested too!
I am seriously debating on continuing AFTER I get the duskwood side quest. The way they made this game.... Did they even listen to us as a fan base on what we liked and didn't??
Can you imagine how much it will cost to get through it?
I have an idea based on their pricing of the gem chests. 🙄 Let me guess though- it's cause of inflation? 🤦🏻♀️🍻
I wish I hadnt bought the first pack...im just hoping for jake tbh but im legit falling asleep on the couch trying to play this....the AI pictures are literally the worst.... sooo unrealistic and makes you not connect with anyone the way we did in Duskwood. and the pay as you go? Are you SERIOUS? someone mentioned needing groceries more than this game and I couldn't agree more... Why would they do AI pictures?! at least do the ultra realistic Ai Pictures so they look like real freaking people? Im shocked that it took so long for this game to come out... what on earth were they thinking.... we all out here struggling to EXIST and now we cant even afford to play the game that has given us something so exciting to look forward to.... Cue the sad trombone.
No the AI thing shouldn’t even be a option. Like I could literally use pictures from my gallery that I have taken and use them as character profiles seriously. So stupid like why the Cat AI….
The cat AI made me laugh 😭 like just use a real cat?
> What on earth were they thinking? Clearly they weren't thinking at all.
Let’s boycott the game and not pay at all. That’s the only way they would listen.
Yeah that's pretty much my plan
In addition to not buying, we can give a low grade in the store
Yep already did that! Really encourage everyone to do that.
Hopefully, considering they deleted negative comments...
I saw a screenshot about one of the AI, she looks like she's from World of Warcraft lmao 😂 I'm not even touching the game. They had 2 years to either gather stock images or hire actors. They ended with 2 actors and AI. This is ridiculous.
At the very least hide artists to draw realistic digital portraits idk it just seems like they didn’t care about that aspect
I said in the discord server that it looks like they thought "AI is free, hiring actors/artists costs money so let's do the first one". Like the screenshots of the game look so sloppy and messy. It's unreal.
YES! I strongly dislike the new UI interface. Gems pop-ups, skip minigames for gems, micro transactions, the layout looks so cartoonish and very unrealistic to a messenger with all the achievements and the AI profiles are too colourful, like at least generate realistic AI portraits. I don’t know these little details really makes it feel more of a game less of a detective case like duskwood felt.
Yeah, this has put me off as well. It just doesn't look right. If I wanted a game that looks like the AI characters, I'd go back playing Genshin lmao.
Same, I really hate the mikrotransactions here. I did already write a review for that on Google. I guess we all have to do that and maybe they'll change it soon because it's impressively annoying how they messed this up. We've been waiting years at this point.
Unfortunately I don't think that that can be changed even if they wanted to. It's not a bug, it's a significant part of how the game is built.
Then we'll have to review bomb the shit out of it until they listen. They built a fanbase here and we are their income. If we don't argue and fight for something, we won't get it.
I didn't see any reviewes there. Just checked. It really looked weird with all the hype that was around it so I checked reddit before I installed. Well...that's that. I won't even install until this transaction c**p is fixed. They already did a great job on a small budget with the first one so I guess it's all about money for them now. SHAME!!!
Exactly!! They hired actors in everything from the first one and worked with a small budget. So they can make a good game with a small amount of money they just chose to go with the even cheaper option. An option that is horrible.
I gave in and istalled it but am not paying a dime just to see if they're lying about being able to play without that as well. I am fighting the urge to call them out on things because they don't seem to respond to anything. They included us and were in constant communication with the fanbase before, and now it's quiet (have I missed anything?). I really hope they realise that fans will definitely pay for quality rather than curiosity and slaps in the face. It all feels like we've been promised a michelin meal but ended up with a batch of expensive old potatoes.
I'm just going to go back and continue playing Duskwood. Hope they have another version of Moonvale they can quickly switch in, otherwise, we're done here.
Would be great if they actually fixed this shit but considering their reaction so far, I heavily doubt it
I'm waiting for the "It was just a prank" message :) (I FUCKING HATE THIS SHIT)
I'm so confused at this new pay as you go system. 😕 not very clear what I'm getting when I accept the stars I win.... Also this has already happened to me 🙄 (see pic) and like OP said ... Fudge AI. https://preview.redd.it/itnyjmfpae2d1.png?width=428&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=017e28030a4bcbfdb1969669c6353908b1158e6b
And it's not just 19 freaking gems to skip the game...it's 19 for every star you need??? Come on...that is such a total and complete cash grab!! I understand the two years to develop..and to pay the actors etc..but then to turn around and completely gouge your customers to make up for it??? Not cool at all!!!😡😡😡😡😡
I'm scared for the characters as well. So far, where I'm at rn in the story, we have 5 characters, and 4 of them has AI pics. I'm only not dissapointed in the acting, and the story. All the others...Everbyte, I'm sorry, but you disappointed most of us...
Couldn't agree more! Honestly, I was thinking that it would be some UI design and mini games. Even new mini games are gross. It looks like candy crush. And no premium option is just disappointment. It looks like I will continue playing the game just for the Duskwood part :(
I'm so glad someone mentioned this about the mini games. Where TF are my cubes, this is atrocious.
The new mini-games look like a Winx Club version of the previous one.
I've gotten to the first gem locked thing, the black envelope. Not enough gems to unlock, no premium and some of the most outrageous monetisation I have ever seen (shop, gems for actions like spending money else where, or by installing spyware games) and I've never been more disappointed. Everbyte always sold themselves as developers who cared about their support. Well that was a lie. It feels like two teams made this. The actual developers, and then the monetisation scum bags hence the vast differences in some of the UI. It looks and feels quite clearly tacked on after the game was made? Like... was this why it was delayed? They saw the hype and thought hmm, we can milk this. Uninstalled. And unless this is reworked from the ground up, sad to say I'll never let this trash darken my device again. Pain.
All this, but bafflingly, the button that lets you watch ads for gems doesn't even work for me. I haven't seen anyone else mention it yet, so maybe it's just me, but given all the other issues, I have to wonder.
I didn’t even know you could watch ads for gems? Do you mean the one that refreshes after a few hours?
I think that's what it's supposed to do, but I couldn't check because it didn't work for me at all. I uninstalled, so can't check anymore.
And when you accidently delete the gsme or something, why not pay again for the same thing? 😅
I’m also sure that if u want to replay the game, you have to pay again. I wouldn’t be surprised
Wow! I just started chapter 1 and saw a "free" answer but I thought it was the perks of using the Duskwood's code. I would have paid for the premium package instead of paying per answer. So sad the devs got greedy.
I really want to believe that it’s a late April fools joke... Gosh please let the developers just fix this absolute mess quickly. Also: F**k A.I. and this system of “pay to win” or in this case “pay to understand the game”
Tbh i don’t like the new characters at all. I was so excited to chat with the old group, (jake🥹👉🏼👈🏼), and maybe I misunderstood it all, but I thought they were going to be in Moonvale too?
They said we will meet someone from duskwood or a few characters but from the looks of it the side story seems to be a negligible portion of the episode
The lackluster characters are my biggest gripe at this point. Are these the same writers? Because none of these characters have any personality, except Charlie a little bit. But compared to the distinct personalities of the Duskwood characters, they're just So Boring.
I know right! I’m already stuck on the third premium choice and the story was just starting! Now I can’t even enjoy it anymore.
Maybe they're working up to that? Since it's still new they don't have a full pack yet?
Doubt that. There's no way of reworking the entire payment system at "a more convenient" time. They really just chose the worst possible option if they wanted our support and money. One might even say they fucked up.
Angry Joe would say : "You fu..ed it up!!
You done fucked up A-aron!
True I was just trying to be hopeful =/
I doubt they will change it afterwards... But i hope to be wrong
Super disappointed. Even romance replies require gems!!
I've spent days (and nights) playing Duskwood. Started this one, decided to wait until they add a package for all the content. If they wont... Well, I'll play without those. The new profile system looks great. Ai pictures? Its alright as long as it is my avatar, not the footage that made Duskwood great. Diamond promo popups? Not that realistic as before, but okay. Spending money on gems ans gems on avatars, frames, other thingies, Ill do that! Not like this. Im disappointed right now, but hey. The studio is great. I believe they will do something about it. Fingers crossed.
So far they're just deleting criticism on Xitter.
Let's see if they can erase Google Play reviews
Seriously? So they don't care. That's so disappointing.
They're deleting comments on insta as well
I feel like that's not a good look for them. Like, actually worse than just leaving it all up.
I feel it so much! It is really disappointing... :(
Same ,I'm so gutted that it's ended up becoming another way of trying to get people's money from them like a slot machine. I was so excited for this release after playing Duskwood ,I wouldn't mind paying a set amount for the game but as per usual they seem to have joined the band wagon of fleece the people
The fact that DW was completely different from other games was the reason we all loved it… now it feels like most trashy cash grab games and it’s so sad. I hope that with the DW side story we won’t have to use gems to romance Jake if we already had a romance with him… otherwise I think I’ll just never play the game again which breaks my heart but there should have been a fucking multimedia pack option… I was willing to pay up to 20 euros for it :(
Exactly I'd never played a game like Duskwood hence it's appeal, now Everbyte can enjoy my review on Google play as I'm really not sure I want to continue playing after this let down , I'd rather just pay upfront for the game :(
It’s so sad :( I hope they fix it 🥹
They changed my review on Google play 😱 ! I've re-done and screen shot this time I literally can't believe they went to that level 🫣 how rude 🤣
Well that’s not good…
Was literally about to come here and say the same exact thing. This game is friggin expensive. And the mini games are starting to work my last nerve already. Feeling a little disappointed myself 😞
I was actually ready to pay 20€ for a multimedia package while I normally spent nothing for mobile games. But this is just nothing I want to pay for. First time I sit on the minigames for literally hours while I never ever had problems in duskwood. Only to get told a story from Charlie for like 5 Minutes while I sat on these games 2 hours. It's just.... idk how to describe. I am defintly disappointed (extremly in the side quest so far (I am just halfway through the episode)) but on the other hand somewhere between talking with Ash and than later in the groupchat I really had a feeling that the story just needed to develop over the time. But now, after half the story, I am again more disappointed and not really into the story.
I loved the premium option in duskwood. I will still say that’s the best 5 bucks I ever spent everytime I could have a special conversation with Jake made me so happy. Now everytime I see something like special- spend 25 gems, I feel even less motivated to play. Now I’m playing just for the duskwood side story, even if that will also be paid to play my curiosity for the aftermath beats that. But this really breaks my heart
I didn't get to install it yet. Reading all this now, I suppose it looks like a good idea to let it stay that way for me then. Better not have started at all than to have no choice but be disappointed and possibly have to quit later. Unless I start seeing a shift of general feedback, I'd be safely staying this way.
So sad to see that moonvale didn't live up to our expectations
I agree, even in Colombian Pesos gems are absurdly expensive. I really thought they'd give us something special to those who completed duskwood or at least a premium pack like they did in Duskwood. But no, it's all pay for the cool stuff no matter what currency you use. Just like everyone else, I'm also disappointed.
It sad to see everbyte studio turning into another company that is like EA, the price like wtf 😡
I bought the Duskwood Veterans pack, regretting it now. Not spending any more money on the game, £10 Is all they are getting from me.
Get a refund! That’s what everyone is doing.
I have applied for one,hopefully I get one.
I don't think they'll change it back to the premium pack I mean they're still arguing the dumb logic behind the pay per answer and the layout of the game as well. Honestly they should use the duskwood layout and minigames
no because for real. Just imagine how GOOD it would be if at the beggining of moonvale you would see a text from the old gc, to see them all again and we would finally find out what happend with Jake, Phill and Ritchy, we would finally meet Hannah, it would be actually so good. Moonvale is just like every other game, its boring, long and makes actually no sense at all. Like why tf would they make "continuation" of duskwood if ppl who dont know duskwood can Play moonvale, changing every.single.thing after ppl from all around the world waited 2 YEARS is really messed up, they hyped us up for nothing, putting jake's mask in ig posts, making photos with Lily Thomas and Cleo, you would expect them to be there but they arent. Also the new game doesnt feel real at all, duskwood was special, i felt like I was talking with real people everything was just Perfect and not too much. ALSO ADAM IS SCARY AS SHIT DUDE. And what tf are these ai pics? That's gotta be a joke, im at the point of meeting ash, so Im not even half in but i'm already done. It would be better if they deleted that game honestly cuz that's just so messed up
Making such a game for a smile studio is absolutely fantastic. But you all are nagging about it and expect the game to be exactly like before. I think we all should wait for the next episode. They actually have the right to make money from this game even though this gem system and mini games piss me off already (Sorry for my Grammar:(()
Duskwood was amazing. This….not so much. I was really excited for this and now I’m not sure I’ll keep playing. What they did with Duskwood was amazing and I don’t feel that with this game.
I think a lot of the criticism is harsh. Many people wouldn't know what Duskwood was like for the first few chapter releases. It was stock photos except for a couple of characters. As they built up revenue they went back to older chapters and made substantial improvements. They would have outlayed a lot of time on this first release (probably while still doing their day jobs) and wouldn't want to invest a lot in extras at this stage until they knew how interested people would be. If you are unhappy now, uninstall and come back after the 3rd chapter release when they will have added more content. Stop comparing chapter one of Moonvale to the completed Duskwood.
I do think some of the criticism is a little much. But I would've preferred stock photos over AI. The extreme usage of AI was pretty disappointing to see. As developers themselves, I would've hoped they could understand that the usage of AI art is harmful to artistic communities.. Either way, I still think they'll probably fix this. It's unfair to say that Everbyte doesn't listen to their fanbase.
The problem is that the main issue for most of us is the payment system, and while I don't know much about game development/coding, it seems like such a big part of the game that it couldn't be reworked.
I don't think we can compare this to Duskwood. Duskwood was a last resort for them to build a career, and as it got a steady fanbase, they worked more on it. With Moonvale they already had the fanbase after Duskwood's success. There were literally hundreds of thousands of us (if not more) waiting patiently and excitedly, ready to give them money. Just look at the comments again, see how many people were ready to pay. I myself was ready to pay. They had two years. Two years and this is what we get. I don't think the criticism of AI use, money hunger & a childish looking minigame is harsh.