Epic Games has introduced a beta/unorthodox/nonsensical way to maintain the relationship with the gaming community/staff by asking them about their reasons for playing, or even more so, for not playing the Delulu mode in Fortnite. The responses might not be what one would expect. The questionnaire offered an extensive array of choices which are practically exhaustive of all the reasons a player could possibly give for their being against a game mode, ranging from “been there, done that” to “it is too much” and every conceivable reason in between. Nevertheless, the most intriguing facet of the overall situation is what gamers are truly conveying.
Initially, let me clarify for those who may not know the Delulu mode, it is a proximity chat mode characterized by chaos in Fortnite. Players are to become witnesses to a wild and unpredictable experience and never know what is going to happen. However, the changes made in the game have been to the extent that the community has been divided almost completely into two opposing factions. By changes I mean they made the very controversial decision of taking away the guns. Yes, you read that right—no firearms. What could possibly go wrong in a gun game?
One gamer was positive saying “Guns removal made the mode so much better. They should do more weekend events.” This, I believe, is a pretty strong opinion. But then, on the other hand, there are people who think that “the game is garbage without GUNS that is why the users stopped playing” and “they removed guns dude?đź’€ what is the point” – this means that there is a hot debate. It’s like the fandom is split right down the middle between wanting nothing but chaos with guns or chaos without.
Then, there is the whole topic of how the rewards system works. A group of players remarked that they were only there for the sole purpose of collecting the Delulu glider/umbrella reward and then they left. ‘I was done once I got the delulu glider,’ one user confessed while another said, ‘I already got the umbrella’ making it sound as if that was indeed the only purpose of their participation. It’s one of those classic battle royale dilemmas where people are grinding for the cosmetic and then quitting but Epic keeps coming up with these limited-time modes based on their rewards.
Proximity chat is a major reason why some people would not want to play the game: Some have fallen in love with it while others are totally the opposite. One player lamented, “everyone thinks they are a streamer and is just annoying,” a fair point. Another game lover raised the very question of, “I am so scared I will get banned because I am Irish and I sit and curse every other word I say,” which is so relatable. And then we have the tech problems – “I just didn’t like that I would load in with my team and have to go find them. Being toxic just to get to my team.. It was hard” – and that just sounds like a recipe for frustration.
But that’s not all! There are a handful of comments that speak of the same story – that of a messed-up situation during the last moments of the game. “the final circles were nothing but craziness,” was one player’s statement, another person stated, “The most important option, the endgame is always the same.” It does seem then that the novelty factor is indeed rapidly diminishing when every match ends in the same chaotic manner.
Loot selection is yet another factor that is causing discontent. “I think delulu should have a Revival loot pool” one player made this very suggestion while others were lamenting the fact that the current loot selection is “so ass” and “boring”. There is definitely a demand for more variety in a mode that will keep the players engaged.
The teaming problem follows next – ‘where’s the option for ‘people team up in squads making the teaming up aspect virtually pointless’ one user raised the issue and pointed out that sometimes interaction works just the other way around, i.e., against the intended experience.
Some of the comments are just plain ridiculous. “People who don’t like it are soft bitches” is probably an extreme view. There’s also “I don’t like kids” which, in a way, is a valid point given the circumstances of the game.
However, the most surprising thing is the fact that the community has differing perspectives on the fun aspects of Delulu as that of the guns being either returned or still being around as a blessing. For some, the chaos of the proximity chat misses their call while for others, it is just noise. But, there are players who were in it just for the rewards while others were actually enjoying the mode until some alterations were made.
Epic is definitely in a pickle – to try and cater to everyone with a mode that is essentially a riddle and unpredictable. The survey suggests they are at least trying to feel the pulse of the players but, with such a division of opinions, it is still going to be a tough task to find the right balance.
Maybe the solution is in the one user’s suggestion for more frequent rotations and experimental weekends. Set on a legendary collaboration for a weekend, rejuvenate the loot pool more often, and keep the excitement alive. At the moment, it seems that Delulu’s player base is dwindling for various reasons, and Epic will have to decide which issues to tackle first.
Presently it’s still a waiting game when it comes to feedback – they have been showing players new modes and ideas and at times such experiments might not be welcome by everyone. Nevertheless, it is a good thing that they are actually asking players for their opinions directly – it is just a matter of waiting and seeing if they really take the opinions into consideration. This is particularly relevant for PlayStation and Xbox players who often have different preferences.
