Weren’t these suppose to be sold and exclusive for early backers back in time?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Debcool, Jun 8, 2019.

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  1. Burzmali

    Burzmali Avatar

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    Firaxis is a corporation with access to hundreds of millions of dollars via their partnership with 2K Games, yet Harebrained Schemes managed to make Shadowrun Returns and later Battletech with combat that is very comparable to XCom and Xcom 2. Both HBS games were Kickstarted.

    Celeste is another kickstarted project, mechanically it is superior to any 2D platformer released by the big boys in the last decade.

    I can keep going if you'd like, nothing about being a kickstarted project guarantees that you'll be inferior to the big boys. Both Morrowind and the Witcher were made for less than SotA, so you can't blame the lack of funding either.

    Port has received over 12 million in crowd funding plus who knows how much from partnerships and licensing deals. Aside from the markee AAA titles, that is still a handsome budget. In the hands of a competent independent studio like Larian, can you imagine the amazing titles they could turn out with a $12 million warchest?
     
  2. Burzmali

    Burzmali Avatar

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    I played an archer for years, every combat involved me circle strafing the target while filling it full of arrows. At least in some titles I'd be whittling down a herd of monsters, but in SotA it's just a warrior or two. Let's not get started with how archers get to play peekaboo with enemy archers. Sure it's functional, but it's like fifteen pieces of flair, the bare minimum.
     
  3. Time Lord

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    I think Monopoly is a great game too, but it's not keeping me away from playing sota and from the looks of it, those other games don't seem to be taking you away from it either.
    [​IMG]
    So what is it that makes us both stick with playing it over others you think?
    ~TL~
     
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  4. Oakenhammer

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    Portalarium didn't receive $12 million at the start of the project to plan and scope the entire project. Most typical game development projects have a budget that is predefined; however, this game is funded almost entirely by the community. The Kickstarter generated $2 million to get the project off the ground and the rest of the funding trickled in over the past 6 years while they were actively developing the title. Starr and the executive team had and have to measure monthly spending against revenue generated in order to control the burn rate of their modest cash reserves to ensure the longevity of the project and company.

    SotA is a very ambitious project for a team as small as Portalarium. There have been successes and missteps along the way and changes in scope to align with what is in the best interest of the project. I suspect that at this point, the smaller team is now overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work needed on all the various systems coupled with generating new/EP2 content for sustainability and are doing their best to balance their priorities.
     
    Last edited: Jun 24, 2019
  5. Burzmali

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    I haven't played for months, though I stop by the forums every few months to see if the devs have fixed the problems I mentioned. I'm into this title for most than any game I can think of, so I'd like to play, but the problems and lack of content make it a chore currently.
     
  6. Cordelayne

    Cordelayne Bug Hunter

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    [​IMG]
     
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  7. Time Lord

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    That's a good answer for this love hate relationship of ours...
    [​IMG]
    OK, I'll say it, "you're right, me too!" o_O...
    I did the same thing after having some other games distract my gaming $

    I guess the only difference between your view and mine is that I can't find anything within this same enjoyable genre that attracts me more than sota. When I first got interested in sota, my thinking was that maybe I'd invest and then come back to try the game after E-5 when the project was said to be finished and waiting for a new chapter.

    WW2 Online and a few other games took my attention away this last time, so I'm back again to get my fill of hack and slash, keep my sota gaming investments fresh and give Portalarium some more money to keep all their lights on, because I believe in them and the game as one of my more unique gaming experiences. From Kickstarter to finish, I'm in for the long haul thick and thin with the same amount of $ as a nice hobby used car would cost me.

    I'm just more forgiving for the funding and way in-which it's being developed, which is actually quite new in the gaming industry.
    It's an Indy Game, so I cut Portalarium some slack for that o_O and I've been playing all these guys games for decades.
    :D~Time Lord~
     
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2019
  8. Cordelayne

    Cordelayne Bug Hunter

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    @Time Lord

    Not trying to derail but this needs to be included because it's quite possibly one of the funniest movie scenes from on of my favorite 80's movies, Back to School.

     
  9. redfish

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    No, not really. UI is its own talent; that's what a lot of people don't understand. Its a design skill. Its not about drawing something that looks good and then having the techie implement it, or having the techie design it and then have the artist make it look good. Artists who are only artists will often create UI that looks good from an artists perspective, but functions terribly as UI; and techies who are only techies will often create UI that makes sense to them as a developer but doesn't make sense to a user.

    I'm not saying they doing have someone good at UI; just that it doesn't show, since the game still needs a lot of work on that front, and the process is not just about throwing an artist and a techie together.

    Yea, though personally I don't think the things people say are the problem are necessarily the real problem.

    Some of the things you're listing need to be improved, definitely; and I support some of the things they've been working on. But I still think a large percent of what they've been working on since launch (at least from what we publicly see, which is all I can comment on) is relatively unimportant; in some cases, they're fixing things that didn't need to be fixed; and then they're leaving behind things that either really are important and are being ignored, or things that are not as important, but would help player engagement. So despite all this work by the devs, active player numbers are still dropping; and I think some part of it due to the priorities and also because of some of the "fixes" they're doing.

    I don't mean to be hard on the devs or rag on them, its just my honest opinion as a player. So, I'll continue to try to be constructive about it and try to help with constructive criticism on that front if I can.
     
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2019
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  10. Mishikal

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    I think the problem is simply that many people, myself included, thought that all the warnings about items expiring, etc, implied they would never be available again. I personally just don't buy anything anymore.
     
  11. Elwyn

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    My favorite scene has to be the Kurt Vonnegut scene, because I was watching it in a theater, and I laughed when the door opened. The rest of the audience laughed two seconds later.
     
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  12. Cordelayne

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  13. Time Lord

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    The Bold Stranger
    Old Fabio the Poor

    The bold stanger

    by Old Fabio the Poor

    In a time before time, the Gods that Be assembled a group of artisans, craftsmen and lore masters (for, yes, even in those days, art existed) to create the world of Sosaria. To this group, the gods gave a tiny world, Rytabul, in which to test their works, to see if they were of the quality desired for the true world in which they would be placed. And though the gods were tight fisted with their gold, this small crew worked hard and long, and were happy in their tasks.

    A small corner of Rytabul had been claimed by the artisan Selrahc the Slow. Though he was not the fastest of the assembled workers, the gods smiled upon his work, even presenting him with a mystic talisman proclaiming his work the best among the newer artisans. And so Selrahc went about his business, creatin (sic) hundreds of designs which would one day add color and variety to Sosaria.

    One day a stranger appeared to Selrahc. His chest was bare and he wore the trousers of the brightest green, and wherever he went, plants grew in his footsteps. This caused Selrahc no en (sic) of trouble, the stranger always looking over his shoulder, and the plants sprouting in places Selrahc required to ply his art. And so Selrahc approached the stranger and bade him speak. But this man in green remained silent. Selrahc pleaded with the stranger to give his name, and would he please leave Selrahc to his work. But this mysterious stranger remained mute.

    This angered Selrahc mightily. Who was this silent man, interfering with tasks the gods themselves had entrusted to Selrahc? In an attempt to embarass this interloper, Selrahc stole his green trousers, leaving him naked and open to comments about his very manhood, and still the stranger would not speak, would not leave this tiny corner of Rytabul.

    Vexed to his very limits, Selrahc took his war axe and smote the silent one mightily, again and again, until the silent stranger ran away, having never said a word, and never showed himself in Rytabul again.

    Thus endeth the tale of the bold stranger.
     
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