Amazon Games are looking at ways to make New World more enjoyable for solo players, with a focus on the earlier stages of the game
In a new interview with PCGamesN, New World’s game director Scot Lane said: “We know we have some work to do to improve the experience in the early-mid game (especially for solo players) and have already begun working on content to improve that experience.”
“Our goal is to keep responding to what players ask for, and feedback from players will continue to help shape New World’s direction,” he added.
“We are also continuing to add more quests for the early and mid-game players. New quest types are being added, and they will help unfold more of the mysteries of Aeternum. We understand that some players would like to focus more on solo gameplay, and we are doing more to make that viable through alternate quest lines, and more solo-supported gameplay.”
The comments come as New World has seen its aggregate user reviews on Steam fall from “mostly positive” to “mixed” in the past 30 days.
November is stacked with updates and QoL improvements!
⚔️ New Weapons & Enemies
⏫ Improved Quests
🏃♂️ Faster Running on RoadsFollow us Into the Void!
🔮 https://t.co/SC6uEHJ5BV pic.twitter.com/6JJifxZZFM— New World (@playnewworld) November 18, 2021
One player described the game as “a buggy mess” with “unfulfilled promises”. Others criticised the game’s “grind” with updates not helping matters, while others described the dev team as “incompetent and ignorant”.
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Some of this backlash is potentially down to the latest New World patch. Released last week, it added the Void Gauntlet weapon, more enemies and some balance changes which have presumably not gone down well with players.
Lane isn’t worried though. Speaking about the Varangian Raiders, a new gang of foes who were added as part of the Into The Void update, he said: “So far, only a few Varangian camps have shown up in the player-inhabited parts of Aeternum, but all indications are that we’ll be seeing more of them.”
In other New World news, Lane has also hinted at an upcoming winter festival.
When asked if the devs were working on anything for seasonal events, he confirmed they are and teased that while he “can’t get into specifics, I can say that winter is a great time for festivals”.