Avowed Gameplay Director Explains Crafting System Adjustments After Launch
Gabe Paramo reflected on player feedback on one of the game's features.
Obsidian Entertainment
Avowed's developer has revealed that Obsidian was surprised by the community reception of the game's crafting system at launch, but the team has since addressed players' concerns.
In a recent interview with RPG Site, Gameplay Director Gabe Paramo explained that early community feedback focused heavily on the game's "tight" economy. "Players felt like they were bouncing off the content too quickly, not enough unique gear variety, equipment prices in stores felt too steep, the upgrade system required too many resources, and the world wasn't providing enough to keep up," the developer says.
According to Paramo, the developers have since made significant adjustments. Players can now engage with progression systems more freely:
"Players can now engage with the progression systems the way they want to. The friction has been smoothed out significantly, and the progression curve feels much more gradual rather than heavily stepped."
Gabe Paramo also shared that the team was "surprised by how many people consistently bounced off the upgrading experience." The original intention was to create a "tight gameplay loop," where upgrading gear would prepare players for tougher challenges.
However, many players explored the open world before upgrading sufficiently, leading to difficulty spikes. As Paramo put it, "The upgrade system wasn't keeping pace with their curiosity."
"That frustration came through loud and clear," he added. "We've since addressed it and made the experience much more gradual and less binary."
Reportedly, Obsidian now works on the sequel to the game.
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