Release 5 Impressions & Release 6 Revised

Thanks Star, can't wait to try R6...

 

Nice work again !

Please if the release is going to be pushed allow us to spread our payment plan even further, I have a family to feed :/

 

Thank the Darkstarr!

If we could get it so that items are much more click and drop friendly, that would be just ducky as well.

All around, fantastic to read. Many thanks!

 

Thanks Darkstarr! R5 was great. R6 will be even greater! Launch when its ready -- not a moment sooner.

 

You kill me DarkStarr, sometimes you really kill me...sorry I missed you in chat to give you an earful

 

Well I had to say something to try and not come off like a total jerk and putting down the latest news from the DEVS.

Because they are doing a fantastic job on everything and are getting tons of things done every release.

 

@DarkStarr : so this is what we chatted about after you took off (sorry I missed you in chat). Basically, I have concerns that Polish is a priority right now vs. getting working systems out. Maybe there is a need to make the game pretty for sales or whatever but a pretty game that is an empty shell will sell (oh, shineys) but then be quickly abandoned. We need to think about EP2+ as well; don't sell out to the "it's gotta look pretty" folks.

There is much more but I figured I'd get this out and follow up later. Thanks.

• R8-R12 Plan?
  • when do we go to a true alpha and then beta?
  • realistic timeframes (we've had what seems like a 2 month project plan push now)

• Economy
  • Most all of the points below
  • we need this as a system in place soon, so much is based on it!
• Crafting
  • Skill Points - stop being GM across the board, get people to craft again (I did next to NONE in R5)
  • Remember learned recipes between releases, account based maybe?
  • Smelt items/Recut Leather (those recovered from MOBs - worn and not sellable)
• Vendors
  • NPC
    • buy what they need only
    • price goes down the more they buy
    • they re-sell what we sell to them
  • PC
    • when will these be available?
• Bank
  • Global - gold
  • Local - safe deposit boxes
• Encumbrance
  • item in my pack
  • jumping/swimming
• Items
  • wear/repair/destruction
  • need to have item repairs/replaced (economy)
• MOB Loot
  • more realistic - worn armor/weapons
  • tie into the economy (player items)
• Combat
  • skill deck dealing in combat
• Polish
  • relegate this to a separate code-base?
  • allow work to happen apart from system development (if needed, etc)

If these systems *have* been designed/developed, then please let us know (even if you don't want to share details (Dev+ maybe??))

 

So you are staying with the cloth map?

No word on more functionality, just more animations? I am a bit disappointed - not only because you stick with the cloth map but it seems that everything we talk here about, our opinions and feedback seems to be ignored on this matter. We would have loved to hear a deep explanation on this matter as this is very important for some of us...
And if you want to bring the game on par with modern games graphically and make it the best crowdfunded RPG I believe that this goal will be missed by far with the cloth map - sorry...

 

Thank you @Darkstarr for such an informative and thoughtful update. I for one totally support your plan; I think it is the right way to go.

I don't think you should be hassled into giving further release dates either. Some things just can't be quantified like that. I'm not into software development at all, but one thing I can comment on, and I think there are parallels.

A surgeon starts a procedure, having told the family it should take about an hour. It's difficult, problems develop, and plans have to be changed on the fly. At that point it's no use asking over and over "when will you be finished?" The answer is - when everything inside is back together again, and the incision is closed. However long that takes.

I am excited and very impressed by what I have seen so far; you are the guys with the knowledge and experience, and I want you to give us the best product you possibly can. I will be content to play with the releases each month - roll on R6!!!

 

I would rather wait six more months for an official highly polished release than see the game released unfinished and getting terrible reviews for it. So I think not committing to the October release date is sensible.

 

I enjoyed R5 immensely and have no complaints. The only thing I'd recommend with the emotes is to be able to target a player with a certain animation (click Darkstarr, play wave emote "Ty of Britain waves at Darkstarr"). I'm just happy to be able to hop in every month to see what new has been added. I'm sure it takes a few days away from development just to get the stable release out for testing for the weekend. It's rare that a game in pre-alpha does so. I was a Shadowrun Returns backer and no testing of sorts was ever done until it launched.

Keep up the good work!

 

Thank you Starr for the very informative post. Take however long the team needs to make the game ready! I have waited 15 years since Ultima IX and over 10 years since the golden age of UO. I feel totally fine if I have to wait 1 or 2 more years for a properly developed SotA.

Well done! Keep up the great work.

 

I'm with the consensus, delay the game release date and get it right!

Also, on the subject of polishing the game at this early stage, the benefit is that a better looking 'alpha' will pull in more potential early backers and bring in more money for development.

Looking forward to seeing the graphical improvements in R6.

 

I'm happy for the developers to delay this game if it means getting a game on launch day.

 

Thank you Darkstarr for posting this. I loved R5 so much except for the map of course and characters. I totally loved the fireball and I love playing warrior characters best but it was so neat looking already.

I so agree with the polish but hope there are polishers and system people too. I have been so fearful for the game with the visuals and I do know that visuals aren't everything to some but first impressions will sell a huge amount of the game and then after that performance, features, and systems/combat will be taken apart and nit picked and compared to death.

The visuals go a long way. As in Neverwinter and many others games with great looking combat feel and visuals. I know we can't compare, our game will be unique and set apart from other games,.

I agree to taking more time, look at Poor Vanguard such a huge world who almost is RIP and being shelfed/canceled/put to rest, all for being released way to early and then not finished and coders fired. No no one knew how to fix that game and it cost a ton to make, so much disappointment. *sighs* We do not even want to go there for releasing too early.

Character look and customization is big, and as others know me as a champion for this. I will just have to trust on this, but if you cut off her head I will not complain at this point, sorry, there was improvement she definitely was not as manly looking. Getting an awesome trailer out there is so important, one that has the polished world, combat visuals, and great looking characters, not clunky. Try searching for Shroud of the Avatar trailer, I was horrified by what came up, only pre alpha stuff, sheesh. Thank you, thank you back to all the developers for all the hard work and for listening to us and being so real and generous back at us. Also thank you thank fellow backers for caring as much as I do. ***Cheers*** everyone to a very awesome upcoming game.

p.s .......Also more neat cash shop stuff, I might have a few bucks here and there burning a hole in my pocket, so please on that one.

 

Thanks Starr Great update.
I think the Map is Fine as is just needs to be Functional for me that's all. focus on the rest of the game the map is very attractive

 

Don't you want to be able to do more on the overland map? See monsters and attack them? Hole up and camp? See weather? Day Night? Find treasures etc.?
We do not have a big world we can roam around in, just some areas and now we give up on even getting some substitution for an overworld?
We just shove a flag from one hex to the other without anything else to do?

Then I propose: Take out the map completely and substitute it for an excel list on which I can choose which area I want to enter - this would be the same.

Sorry, but I am really angry right now. Not one of our questions regarding the map has been answered, no one talked about all of the criticism about the new map. The whole topic is ignored. All we get is "we will add more animations..." I don't think that this is the right way to handle this situation. Also I think it was not ok to just exchange the map that was shown during the Kickstarter campaign and afterwards for something that looks completely different - and this without even telling the backers.
Many fans are not happy with the cloth map, there are many questions regarding its functionality and we get nothing... I don't know what to say... And some of you are happy about this. I don't get it... This whole mess really makes me angry.

We didn't even get a real explanation on why the map was changed. The statement that there was not enough time to get it right with the 3D map doesn't apply anymore now that they plan to delay the release until everything is great and WE tell that it is ready to be released...

 

That is fantastic news Starr, looking forward to testing R6.

 

This worries me but I hope I misread, shared looting is pretty much a must for modern multiplayer, so does this mean if as a group we take down a monster we don't all get loot, or does it mean if we all take a monster down some random person wandering by who didn't participate doesn't get loot?

More Map chat >< seriously...

 

Thanks for official word about delay of the game... best news i've heard all day