Now that it's official that SoA 2 will come out, what do some of you people that've played the game think about it? I have a few ideas and improvements that have come to mind...(I love the game, by the way. Just saying.)
1) Fewer battles.
-This seems to be how Overworks tacked on extra gaming time. By making a relatively small overworld (admit it, there's a very small land %) and making random battles extremely common, OW stretched out the gameplay length. They didn't fix it for SOAL, either.
2) More interesting sky.
-A combination of three factors makes me want to yell out everytime I try and navigate Arcadia now.
a) Lack of land mass. The only actual continents are Valua and Nasr, and they're both puny. Ixa'taka is debatable, but Yafatuma is pathetic.
b) Upper Sky and Lower Sky. Simply, there's not much to do. The 'mountain ranges' on the continents should have at least stretched to midway in Upper Sky, instead of buried in Middle. That way, a new plot device is introduced-high altitude mountain villages, but only access through elevators powered by.....the Moon Stones! Or something. For a while, anyway.
c) Vanishing sky rifts. Now there are no landmarks when I wander around, it's vast...giant....sea....of nothingness....NOTHINGNESS!!!! Excuse me. I tend to get lost, and have to consult the map alot. Ties back in to letter a, mountain ranges that are unable to be passed over in the beginning would serve a more logical purpose (and serve as navigation guides) then Sky Rifts.
3) A horizon.
-Seriously. It's creepy, seeing a blue/black nothingness where by all means, a Sun and stars should be setting/rising. Also invest in 'nighttime'. No, not just a localized anomaly over Valua. Weather effects also, me thinks. Rain, storms, and big, round, fluffy, pillowy (3-D!) clouds.
4) Exploration of Continents
-Translation: More villages. The Great Valuan Empire consists of its capital. Ixa'taka consists of Horteka. Yafatoma consists of...well...Yafatoma. Nasr is encouraging, with THREE individual towns.
5) A more reasonable Magic system.
-The ONLY magic I've ever used is Healing Magic, Curia, and Sylenis. Everything else is moot, since magically charged SP attacks kick SO much ass.
6) Something with the Black Moon Stone
-You remember the Dark Rift, no? The Black Moon Stone at its core powered the whole thing, and the Discovery entry ominously notes that a Black Moon may have at one time existed.
7) A thought sparked by Esperanza.
-Say you come across a town, need to defend it, and invest in heavy weaponry to defend it from a maurading Black Pirate fleet. It would play out similar to ship battles, except you remove the individual characters and replace them with guns located around town. Build up enough SP and fire the Moon Cannon from the....um....Lighthouse, or something. To throw an idea out there.
What does everyone else think? What *needs* to be done for a sucessful sequel?