I would argue that immersion is THE aspect of a successful game.  If you want people to love your game, you have to immerse them into the story, or the world of the game.  Combat, no matter how good it is, nor tournament stats, will keep players playing for a decade.  Combat only feels cool, if the game is cool.  Being top dog in a tournament can only last so long: another person out there is better than you, and they will topple you.  Eventually you will burn out from the combat.  What will keep you in the game?  Will you spread the word about how awesome the game is?  So, what will keep people sticking with BDO for ages to come, and make it the ultimate cash cow that a company would proudly own and keep it going for eons? (Hopefully!)

First and foremost for any RPG, is the story, and it's lore.  Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) comes readilly to mind.  The story of this game is possibly one of the best of computer game stories, no matter what genre it is.  The graphics, combat and details compelling one to live in the SWTOR universe aren't that amazing (maybe the dancing, but you can't quite dance forever...), but the story is.  That game has gone on for a decade and will easily run for another.  Black Desert's story?...... They should hire the storywriters from BioWare.  (Don't feel too bad, PA.  Hollywood can't/won't hire good storywriters either....)  The lore in this game is very cool and deep in my opinion.  If they could continue to flesh out the story and improve it, and create more questlines to bring the players deeper into the game and be more immersed into the world, the better.

The combat, sound effects and graphics in this game are top notch.  I don't think anyone could dispute this.  There are related details that need to be addressed: Animations.

The walking animations took a huge step back in April, 2022.  Characters used to walk with identity and purpose.  Now they walk like zombies.  I suppose this is to make it easier to make new classes?  No more unique walking animations?  Now, according to male and female biology, the skeletal makeup creates to distinct mannerisms of walking.  A guy's hips don't move as a females.  I don't want to see my guy characters walk as they currently do.......

This animation step-back ruins the immersion of the game.  My characters walk like zombies.  They lost some identity.  I will not spend time enjoying their expression as to who they are.  I cannot immerse myself in the wolrd this way.  I will want to quit sooner and will be less likely to promote this game.  Such a step should not be taken by one wanting to create an enduring legacy game.

Certain costume animations are not natural and it feels like the costume was rushed to the pearl shop.  If they has spent another week perfecting it..... Maybe more people would buy it, or people might buy two or three....  The Marnist Outfit: looks so cool!  But my characters' elbows painfully stick out through the stiff cape that kinda hangs down on the back.  Other outfits have capes that flow oh so awesomely, and elbows can't pierce them.  Little details like this turn people off.  Little details should be found and fixed.  The more rushed a game feels, the less players will feel inclined to get into the world.

Secret caves and areas in this game make the world very special!  If there is a reason to explore every nook and cranny.... WOW.  But, there is little to no reward.  Sure we might want to just hang out, but this is a game, after all, and players would want to feel some reward for finding this special place.  There is a spider cave in the southern Serendia mountains.  Fabulous place.  But there are mineral deposits there that can't be mined.  The secret cave where the Lahn's glaives are located: REALLY cool place!  The treasure chests there offer loot so underwhelming, it's a dissappointment.  WOW what a cool place!... but I got trash out of it.......... 

Secret areas should be kept up to date and fleshed out.  We should be given extra incentive to spend time roaming this beautiful, virtual world.

Music: (sigh)

Music creates environments and creates emotions associated with these environments.  Relatively peaceful areas should have suitable music playing.  To have excited, warlike music play for no reason creates a conflict that makes it difficult to feel right about the area and immerse one in the game.  Balenos is a relatively peaceful, Mediterranean place.  Valencian music has no place here and should not randomly play.  Island music should not play in Balenos forests.  Battle music should not be playing right outside of a farm.  Keplan has a very serious disease infesting the area, and people are despairing.  It's theme should only play there, not on some farm or village that is completely serene.  Again the environment is ruined and immersion is disrupted.  When battling Nagas in the desert, one should not hear the mystical tune of Aakman playing.  The intesity of Aakman temple is undeserving by the Bashims.  That awesome tune is a reward for those who can make it into and survive the Aakman Temple.  The music of the Kzarka shrines lets players know how evil and subversive Kzarka is supposed to be.  Al Rhundi is not near as evil as Kzarka.  One could argue that his rebellion is just.  Why is his theme playing in the Serendia Shrine?  Why does a clunky, scary-clown circus song play during the Kzarka boss fight?  Kzarka's theme fits him perfectly.  He need not be represented by any other song.  I can go on and on and on.  Music tells a story.  It conveys emotion.  Used in the right place at the right time, like the music at Starry Midnight Port, that only played there before the April 13, 2022 update (I haven't had the courage to see how it's like now), the depair of the prisoners and slaves there is perfectly convery by the music.  It inspired me to proudly wear the Human Rights Activisit title on my Main.  It IMMERSED me into the O'dyllita questline.  I wish people luck now, because random music tracks cannot work the same magic.  It is random.  There is no order, no intelligent conveyance of emotion.  It causes chaos, which causes stress, which disrupts possible immersion into the game.

Details are important.  Especially the small ones.  Suppose there is an incomplete questline- Was the Nova's King's Key quest ever finished?  I can't remember.  If it was, I can't remember, so it must have been lame.  Not worthy of the heiress of the throne of Calpheon.  She's supposed to be quite the character.  If the quest hasen't been finished.... coming up on two years..... Why make more quests when others are unfinished?  Certain characters never get voices, like Fuhgar, who is our best friend.  This game can afford to have everyone voice acted.  It adds SO much to the game, and brings it to life.  People will forever play a living game.

I think I've ranted enough and can end on that note.  People will forever play a living game.

God bless you, developers and workers at PA!  This is an amazing game!  I love it!  Maybe too much.  I want it to outshine SWTOR and every other successful MMORPG out there!  Fix the small issues, every keep your eyes open for others, and do what you can to include the playerbase.  I want this game to grow and live forever, and have it be the awesome source of entertainment for many others as it has been for me.

Happy Thanksgiving! 

I am forever thankful that you made this game!

Pace

EDIT: So, now they want to nuke an area, Port Ratt, and recreate it.  Ok.  So,  you want people to get immersed in a game (at least I hope you do), and they get used to places and fall in love with them, and then you want to banish that place to oblivion.

No.  That can't happen or work.  It doesn't happen in reality, and should never happen in a game.  Players will get gunshy about visiting new places or getting involved in areas.  We get attached to the music, the geography, that gives a game identity.  Destroy the identity, you destroy any possibility for immersion, and the game will swiftly die.  Not cool.  If you want to build a PVP arena game, looks like you're kinda on your way, with countless bells and whistles kinda slapped on.  Listen to your players, PA.  They want to LIVE in this world.  They want to show their lust for life by dancing and emoting and LIVING!  They want to see trees on the distant mountains.  They want to know that when they come home, it will still be there.  Will you nuke Velia and Olvia someday?  Smash them together to make things more convenient?  I shouldn't have to ask that question.

Rest in Peace, Port Ratt.  Like Atlantis being swallowed by the sea, so shall you be blotted from the face of the earth.

Wow, that's actually a cool concept.  An earthquake causes Port Ratt's destruction and it's needs replacing.  I could live with that explanation.

100% agree. This small things can have a huge impact that many player are not aware of but still feel. Especially the randomize Music disturbs me so much, that i turned off the music. I just listen to my music in the background. This small things calls LOVE.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Re Nova's key, yes, a quest was added for that this year.  And it was kind of just a filler.

Thanks for continuing to carry the torch for this, Musa.

Thanks for the replies, guys, and thanks for the great ideas and support that you, and all who post on this forum, give to this great game!

WE need a Historical Society intervention.   SAVE Port Ratt!

I observe that I often agree with you @Musa4ever on the forum, and this post follows the same course. It even made me emotional...

I think we are many to feel that way. And it's not like we had not asked PA to solve what was needed, so they should know it already.

But we have not been listened...

I'm gonna keep enjoying this game as long as it's alive, and I don't think it will end soon. But the reality is that: the BDO population declines.

I hope they will listen to what players want for real now. That way, everybody will be happy, we'll have our game, maybe our beloved Port Ratt (but I think we can forget about it, they announced it too close before the release so we've not been in capacity to say anything when it was still time - even though I don't think they would have listened to us by then anyway - ), BDO will remain active and alive... That what I want. That's what we want.

If we didn't care about it, we wouldn't be here, writing about it...

Pearl Abyss, stop ignoring us please. Consider our opinion, we are the first testers of your game!

Amen.

Amen.

If they moved Port Ratt to a nearby underwater location as ruins, it might help.  And add a one-time in-game event that makes that happen.  With quests and handouts and community activities etc.  And then have ongoing underwater Port Ratt content - family quests, at least, for those who come after.

What will happen to the Port Ratt NPCs and quests?  Shuffled off to the obsolete NPC home along with Ellie?

Should cross post this to the other Port Ratt thread.