EA Week 2 check-in -- tl;dr: we promise we're looking at camp availability, despite my snark

EA Week 2 Check-In

The stream is a post-launch update and extended Q&A for Monsters & Memories. The developers say Early Access’s first two weeks have gone well, while emphasizing that the game is still in its early stages. They plan to study player feedback and data before making major reactive changes.

The team has handled 9,657 support petitions so far, covering issues such as lost items, camp disputes, and technical problems.

Gameplay and Community Discussion

• Loot and medallions: The medallion change was intended to reduce an unexpectedly high influx of coin and add some inventory and social friction. The developers are monitoring the economy and player feedback. Potential improvements include adjusting the coin-to-item balance, adding loot-assignment commands, or introducing a round-robin system if they can make its interface work well.
• Grouping and sharing: The developers want players to communicate and agree on loot distribution. They acknowledge that this can be inconvenient, but see cooperation and social play as part of the game’s design.
• Camps and named enemies: Current data does not show a broad problem with named-mob farming. The team is tracking who kills and loots sought-after enemies. Possible responses include adding spawn locations, offering more alternatives for similar loot, or separating quest items from heavily camped named enemies.
• Training and disputes: Accidental mob trains are not automatically grounds for a ban. Staff review logs and distinguish mistakes from deliberate behavior. Players are encouraged to communicate when disputes arise.
• Getting started: The game deliberately offers little hand-holding and moves at a slower pace than many modern MMOs. The host suggests asking other players for help, trying again after a rough start, and making yourself useful to a group—for example, by offering buffs, healing, or supplies.
• Progression and balance: The team is tracking experience rates, time-to-kill, class performance, and the economy. They plan to revisit class balance once they have clearer launch data. They do not currently plan to adjust rare-item drop rates based on a character’s level.
• Servers: Server transfers are not planned this early. The host notes that players can choose less-populated servers or areas, and expects the world to spread out as more content becomes available.

Development Plans and Key Updates

• The team is updating the roadmap and expects to add Fields of the Lost before Module 2. Work is also planned for existing areas, including Blind Maiden, Fallen Watch, Grey Cavern Sea, Night Harbor, and Elvarith.
• Trolls are the next planned race, arriving before their region and before Module 2. High elves, deep dwarves, and Varnai are also mentioned as future additions.
• Planned improvements include:
  • A broader trade-skill revamp
  • More fishing content
  • Better UI customization
  • More item visuals and spell effects
  • Housing and player-run shops
  • Further development of religious devotion, faction conflicts, quests, and race and class options
• The team is investigating lag and performance issues. A future Unity upgrade, client and server optimizations, and additional graphics settings are among the areas being considered.
• Lighting penalties for characters without a torch or lantern have been discussed, but the team wants systems to stabilize before pursuing changes like this.
• On AI, the team says artists will continue making the game’s art. LLMs have been useful mainly for searching and some technical or data tasks, but developers have found them unreliable for lore and creative work.

People and Sources Mentioned

People and contributors: Host Sean (“Robot”); team members Ali, Ollie, Zuken, Johar, Zilleth, Goblin, and Atomic Frog; community members Clean/Clean Plays, Jonah Vale, Primus MMO, Panth, and Rich. The stream also draws on player feedback and support reports.

Sources and games referenced: Reddit, the official forums, Discord, Slack, Confluence, and support petitions; EverQuest, Pantheon, Tarkov, FromSoftware games, Turtle WoW, Ultima Online, and Star Wars Galaxies.