Dear GGG pt 2

You guys are in complete denial.

This is business 101. Ask yourself what is the value proposition of POE1 Vs POE2.

POE1 players want an arpg sandbox. They want endless freedom and options to experiment.

POE2's value proposition to me is being the most polished ARPG in the genre with some room for experimentation (aka depth).

Now your mistake is in thinking because these 2 groups both enjoy ARPGs that there's overlap to be found, let me tell you this is incredibly naive of you.

Thinking there's overlap is like believing there's overlap between people that enjoy Infernum Terraria (a modded and incredibly difficult version of Terraria for those that don't know) and vanilla Minecraft. I mean I'm sure there is some overlap but not one large enough that justifies a new game mixing elements of modded Terraria and Minecraft being developed.

The game you are developing is never going to reach certain expectations because you guys failed in expectation management. You guys promised an extension of POE1 which means people now feel betrayed when POE2 takes such a large step away from established norms.

To the angry fans, you are spitting on their faces everytime you do something differently to POE1. This is why over time if you listen to them they will force your game to become POE1. The interview with John was him asking, will you be willing to make POE2 the same as POE1 and neither of the lead Devs had the balls to say no to him.

Guys what are we doing here? If you are going to step away do it so that you can attract a new audience. Make the big dick moves, be bold, stop holding back and being shy about it.

It's a fucking great game but I completely switch off after Act 3. I press 1 button and everything dies. If I wanted this type of combat I'd just play POE1. The transition from the first 3 acts to what feels like POE1 again is so sudden and unbelievably jarring, it feels like I'm playing 2 different games.

You guys are stuck between a rock and a hard place but refuse to acknowledge this. The biggest mistake you can make in business is failing to recognise an issue when there is one and you guys refuse to address the biggest elephant in the room, which is that on a philosophical level the game you are developing is never going to be accepted by the POE1 community and over time it will be bastardised if you listen to their feedback. Look at this checkpoint change. What the fuck is that.

You think there's middle ground to be found and I'm sure there is but you fail to understand if you do settle for the middle ground neither the players nor devs will be satisfied with the game that's been developed. There will always be unhealthy friction.

https://youtu.be/RstefCPs3kU?si=J4afDbZEEzCuLOEQ

There needs to be a separation from POE1. POE2 needs to evolve past player expectations and become the next generation of ARPGs. I think a goodbye patch for POE1, where all the devs work on POE1 for a week would be nice. But the future of GGG lies with POE2. We all know this but saying goodbye is tough.

The alternative being you can make POE2 the same as POE1, compromise on your vision and do a full 180 because you lacked the conviction to see things through.

Or the other alternative being. You get greedy, think you are better and can do what literally no other company in history has been able to do and please everybody; fail miserably, ostracise your current playerbase while failing to attract a new one and file for bankruptcy in 5 years time.

If you were a genuine dad gamer you wouldn't be posting on forums would you? You'd be busy taking care of your kids. You post on forums because you have spare time. Or if you are an actual dad gamer and are posting on forums maybe you should take care of your children instead of worrying about the future of POE2.