The MMORPG The Black Death fights for survival. So do the players of the game – and this has now become even harder. The title needed something completely different.
The Black Death was never meant to be an easy game. Life in Europe during the Middle Ages, at the time of the plague, was no picnic, and that oppressive feeling is what the developers wanted to convey in the MMORPG. Therefore, surviving is anything but easy – and is now made even more difficult with changes to the game mechanics of the plague.
Survival is getting harder
As a plague doctor, you try to find a cure for the plague by performing many autopsies. This is how the game’s story is pushed forward with the update. Of course, you can also become infected in the process, just as any player can contract the disease – no matter what role they play. If you get infected, you go through several stages that ultimately lead to death.
Initially, you lose 25 percent of your health points, making you an easy target for other players. Then you start coughing, which allows you to infect teammates. Finally, death awaits you if you are not cured beforehand.
With the update, hunger has also become more dangerous and leads to death faster than before.
Players want a tutorial
Players are somewhat skeptical of these new mechanics, as they find that The Black Death is already too difficult. For example, it is anything but easy to simply light a campfire, as items need to be crafted from resources that are hard to come by. Furthermore, the character dies very quickly from starvation, as food is scarce – and the update exacerbates this further.
Players feel abandoned in the vast world, where there are barely any explanations or assistance. Therefore, many would prefer a tutorial first before the developers tweak the game mechanics. Those who are frustrated from the beginning because they don’t know what to do and keep dying will quickly give up.
The update brings further changes, including a revamped UI, improvements to the housing system, the ability to buy your own kingdom, NPC behavior enhancements, and much more – but a tutorial is not among them.
The developers have already attempted to save the struggling MMORPG with earlier updates, but so far without success. According to Steamcharts, the player count remains very low, with around 40 active players at the same time.
