Is Fishing Badly Designed?

Fishing is obviously pretty popular in Black Desert Online. Visit any shoreline within sight of a city or town, and you'll find it packed with battle-hardened heroes who have swapped their weapons of war for fishing rods.

However, just because something is popular doesn't mean it's a good thing. Is the fishing system good for the players? Is it good for the game as a whole?

Before we get into that contentious question, let's talk about how fishing fits into the game.

• The act of fishing always consumes fishing pole items, and may also consume some other single-use items like food and paste bait. It's possible to consume energy while fishing, but I don't think a lot of people actually do.
• The act of fishing produces some vendor trash, which is sold for silver. It also produces fish, which can be sold as trade goods for a limited time, or used in crafting - mainly cooking. Like all trade items, fish do not stack in inventory, so they take up a lot of space.
• During fishing, there is always some amount of wait time, where nothing is happening. During this wait time, you cannot look at the knowledge screen, processing screen or map (and therefore you cannot direct workers). The wait time is increased in areas that a lot of people fish and is decreased by items that improve fishing skill, such as paste bait.
• There are two types of fishing: active (manually controlled) and passive (no user involvement). Active fishing requires the player to perform a 2-step quick-time-event to reel in the fish, but is faster. Passive fishing doesn't require the user to do anything, but adds an extra 3 minute delay to every fishing cycle.

The Good

Fishing ties into other BDO systems nicely. Fish make sense as trade goods, since they're caught in a variety of places, and they would naturally be worth more in distant lands where that type of fish cannot be caught. They make sense as a ubiquitous cooking ingredient.

Fishing also contributes to the feeling of realism in the world. Over-fishing legitimately affects the viability of fishing in many areas, and encourages people to seek out less popular fisheries. The limited time period where fish "go bad" also feels realistic, as well as the option of being able to dry the fish for a lower-quality, but more durable product.

Active fishing gives players a relaxing activity to pursue that demands much less attention than combat.

Passive fishing gives players the opportunity to walk away from the game while their character continues performing a viable money-making activity. However, inventory space limitations, fishing pole durability, and the extra 3-minute wait ensure that active fishing is more rewarding than passive fishing, which is fair.

The Bad

The mandatory wait time forces the player to do nothing during the majority of time spent fishing. Being unable to work on production, direct workers, or even plan your next move on the map means you're pretty much forced to just stare at the bobber and wait. This is not exactly an engaging experience. That may be fine for someone who wants to watch Netflix while they play, but for people who just want to get the fish they need for a quest or for crafting, this tedium does not improve their game experience.

The quick-time-events for actually catching the fish are complicated enough that you do have to pay some attention, but not really challenging for most players. You can't completely tune out, the way you might when clicking the bobber in World of Warcraft. You also can't feel any real satisfaction in the act of reeling in a fish, because it's too easy. And the occasional time when you do manage to mess up the quick-time-event feels extremely irritating, especially after waiting several minutes for a fish to bite.

The fact that passive fishing (and other AFK money-making ventures) exist means a certain amount of guilt for any player who wants more silver, but doesn't leave their character fishing while they're away. Players who consistently fish while AFK will have a not-insignificant advantage in the long term. For players with limited time to play, setting up AFK fishing at the end of a session, and selling the results at the start of the next session can feel like an annoying obligation.

The Conclusion

So, is the fishing system in BDO good or bad? My vote is somewhere in the middle. 

I love the immersive details, and the way fishing fits so nicely into other systems like trade, cooking and knowledge. I like the extra silver. But fishing can also be incredibly tedious if you're not in the mood, and it can feel like an obligation sometimes. I'll admit that I've been forcing myself to occasionally just log out instead of setting up an overnight fishing expedition, to fight the feeling that I'm being wasteful whenever I'm not making money AFK.

What about you? Do you love fishing, hate it, or a little of both? Do you fish actively, or do you only take out your rod before you turn off your monitor for the night? Let me know what you think, in the comments.