Old/New Feral Heart. Old/New maps etc. The ever on going debate...
Since I see this topic come up so much, I want to just get it out there. How I see it:
The time for the old maps returning to “bring” back the old community & feeling is long gone over. The staff had their chance. Too much time has passed since they were removed, and the community has greatly changed in that time. That was something that was supposed to be fixed immediately after the 2016 patch. Had it been done sooner we may have been able to earn back the trust and confidence lost by the community of then. The fact that it was never allowed to happen has only further exasperated issues that could have been resolved otherwise.
Now is that me saying that nothing can be done about it? No. Of course not. The old maps could be brought back and I’d honestly love to see that as well as other staff. (That’s up to Raz though.) But what I mean is that from now on the focus is forward. What’s done was done and the goals forward can’t be solely focused on bringing back “old Feral Heart”. Old Feral Heart is gone. No amount of bringing back old maps will bring back old Feral Heart as old Feral Heart was a product of its time, its place in the world of games, generation’s culture, its community, etc. To get back old Feral Heart would require going back to a time when things were vastly different on so many different scales. As much as I am a nostalgic person that’s just not how life works. To survive and thrive is to adapt, and to adapt is to accept change and change with it.
If you miss and loved the old Feral Heart and maps (as I do too so very much) your feelings are still very valid but take this all into consideration.
Bringing back the old maps will not change much though. It’s a temporary thing. The old user base is not going to keep this game going for years to come. Neither are the old maps returning. What keeps the game going and going well is the community itself and the game’s relevance to that community in its time and needs.
There are people who are around now that arrived and have grown up to the game without those old maps, ex: like Dark_heart who mentioned that on another thread. So to these people they can’t entirely understand what all the hype or memories are with those old maps. Equally they have a hard time understanding the aggression thrown at staff and the new maps by people who resent the change. Coming in and looking at things like this with an unbiased perspective leads many to think this community is just very dramatic, divided, and stuck on old matters. It’s alienating to new players. To them the current maps are where their memories and fond associations are. So now we essentially have two “generations” of Feral Heart users now.
As with anything time causes changes, as people get older life changes for them and people come and go. A lot of the old users that played when the old maps were around have come and gone. There’s definitely a little handful of us left, but most have gone for varying reasons. Those that come back usually stick around for a short time just for reliving nostalgia and revisiting a childhood game experience. This is all simply because that’s how life works. People can’t stay in the same place forever.
The game isn’t losing its base simply because of the old maps. Without a doubt some users left or lost interest after the old maps were removed though, but that’s also because of how the old maps were removed. The removal of the old maps could have gone differently if things were handled differently by the Feral Heart administration of the time. For one, the community should have been informed of the issues the maps caused and the potential plans the staff had to fix these issues. Instead the old maps were suddenly changed and or removed from the game and replaced entirely. Users had the rug pulled up from under them and were understandably upset as they felt like their feelings and opinions were never considered for this “Community” patch. Without a doubt staff had the best intentions and implemented things in that patch to help the community, but it also caused more issues by how it was done. This is why the new maps, which aren’t inherently bad, were received negatively by some.
What should have been done, was to do things right from the start and NOT remove the old maps. The old maps should have simply been redesigned but still kept the old areas just with added content and detail. (Something similar to what later staff did with the “failed” No Mod October 2018 patch that Raz didn’t approve). The community should have also been kept in the loop. Imagine how much more fun it would have been if it was a joint project between staff & community? Live-streams with discussion as maps are made where ideas can be presented and implemented, updates and latest feed? -shrug-
Since I work/worked with the person involved in that 2016 patch that replaced the old maps it’s hard to talk about this honestly without coming off the wrong way. I’m not trying to sit here and say anyone did anything purposefully wrong. They went into it with their heart in the right place and did what they felt was right in the best way possible to them. In the end it’s apparent mistakes were made. Mistakes can happen in any instance though so it’s more about how you bounce back and less about the mistake itself.
Back to 2016 though:
The game wasn’t really in any better position in 2016 before the maps were removed. I was there, I know. In fact Flourite Plains was practically dead most of the time. Most of the maps were growing dead. And that began due to the removal of general chat as that disrupted how people communicated and advertised roleplays. The few people left started bunching up into small pockets like Stone Bridge thus leaving the rest of the map barren. It was a precursor to how it is with everyone bunching up in The Grounds along the hill. Had Feral Heart been left as was it would be in no better a place as it is now.
Feral Heart means a lot to most who have played it. But at the end of the day it wasn’t the maps themselves that made this game so special. It’s all about the experiences shared, the people met, and the moments had that make this place special. We often apply and associate the feelings and memories we value to a time or place to further cement their presence in our lives... because as ourselves and our lives change we try to hold on to anything that feels familiar and stable. I think that’s a big part of why so many, including myself, had such a hard time parting with the old maps. It’s another reason why so many old users blame the state of the game’s change and falling numbers on the removal of those old maps as well. But if we all look at things honestly that’s not even half the story... So as bitter sweet as it sounds maybe it’s not really that Feral Heart has changed as much as we all have?
Going forward:
Feral Heart as well as its players will continue to change as time goes on. It’s never going to stay the same, just as we ourselves will not. That’s just part of the experience though. As with anything in life folks will have to accept this. You don’t have to like or agree with the changes made to still care about the game. One should consider though if it’s worth perpetually being upset about what was rather than accepting what is and will be. Is it possible folks who are stuck on “old Feral Heart” who stir up heated debates are spoiling the experience for the new Feral Heart generation? Sure we may not ever get back the feeling of “old Feral Heart” but what if what is to come is better if not good enough? Why are different and new things often automatically judged on a scale of what was there before? This kind of mentality is very limiting and closes off the possibility of growing to love something new. I’m sure anyone who has entered a new relationship after a break up, moved to a new home, new school/job can understand. You’ll never see the potential of something if you automatically blind yourself with nostalgia. It’s sort of like grieving and never moving on.
Before we all came to know and love Feral Heart it was once an entirely new experience. The horizons seemed limitless to what could come or be as the game updated. If the game no longer gives you that feeling though it may be best to simply give it a break and wait out for an update or two. If after the break(s) you still find yourself not satisfied anymore then chances are you’ve out grown it. It might be hard for some to accept but it’s always best to consider moving on to a place that makes you happier. <3
One thing that will never change at least is that Feral Heart will always be here, and it’s memories either new or old will last forever.