An Open Request to Portalarium

This is what happens when a Kickstarter fails:
http://appealingstudio.com/backer-b...aigns-are-overpromising-and-under-delivering/

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/260688528/clang/posts/989911

To recap, nothing happens. You either have a good game or you don't.

If people are going to argue over something, they should at least argue over reality. Carry on.

 

Since you edited yours to add this AFTER I replied.. I'll add my response has nothing to do with your support and everything to do with the "shouting down" "chastising" and "hive mind" comments.

 

Has anyone looked at the Steam reviews lately...not good.
Has anyone tried posting to Dev+ lately...no point.
Has anyone from Dev actually played this game from scratch...not fun.

The silence from the team reflects internal strife. Who's causing the issues and when are you going to be honest with your patrons?

 

I don't recall him saying he was leaving.. and many I'm sure.. including myself would prefer he didn't. Comments suggesting it's not a bad thing if someone left usually don't help matters.

 

Guys, I really like you all. I am not trying to attack any individual. I'm not sure, maybe I should say group think but it definitely is a piling on in this thread. Actually if I were moderating it would have been locked long ago. The topic is an open request to portalarium, and it has evolved to something else. I suggested to darkmoon to keep his comments directed to portalarium for a reason. You should also, instead of telling him he is wrong for what he believes. That is a personal attack. You cannot debate personal feelings.

 

'We're the herd,' we can debate anything.

 

Ok then. Please proceed. I will bow out of this thread.

 

No but you can debate opinions.. that's not a personal attack.. and what is disagreeing with an opinion but saying 'you're wrong' in any number of different ways? Aren't I also being told I'm wrong then?

Look for my part there are 2 reasons to carry such a discussion up unto a point.. (and incidentally I believe we've reached that point)..

1. Just on the slightest hope that just maybe.. just maybe I might dissuade a few uneasy feelings. It's not all doom and gloom.. if you're worrying over nothing.. and realize it's nothing.. you stop worrying so much right? Maybe be a little happier.. ok I know it's a longshot usually.. but it's still worth a shot.

2. For the undecided to be able to see both sides and not just the perceived negatives.

 

you do not debate opinions, I am sorry. You debate facts. Any debate club would tell you that. Opinions are like ***holes, everyone has one.

 

Fine.. we've debated the facts as we perceive them. What was promised or not promised.. what's been delivered and yet to be delivered is there in fact a legitimate cause to be concerned.. etc.. etc..

 

Can just one of you guys and girls tell my why every second topic evolves into something like this?
With the same people discussing the same stuff over and over again?

 

Because some people always need to have the last word. I'll let you figure out who those people are.

Btw, you know what would be a GREAT feature in this forum? Capping the amount of times someone can post in a single day to like 5.

 

I'd assume that people feel unanswered vs. the thought of trolling. I've posted many questions to the regular forum and to Dev+ but have never been heard or considered. Only reprimanded for using bad language.

 

I appreciate the personal attack, Phydra, haven't had one of those in a while, so that was refreshing.
I am aware of all the information you posted, and yep, fully " grok'd " many years ago. I've been following/playing video games since video games have been around to follow, in particular fantasy themed persistent multiplayer online games.
I'm also a programmer, and have been for more than 25 years.
And I stand by my opinion. This game is embarrassing, in it's current form. If I were a developer, designer, or whatever other title they've morphed from programmer, on this title, I would not tell anyone. I would hang my head in shame and lie about my job if anyone asked.
Why? Because every aspect of the game is filled with bugs. There is no system that I've seen since R1 that has been even close to ready for end users, the target demographic, or the intended audience.
To this day, this moment, the camera and movement controls of the character in general are counter intuitive, non-standard, and physically painful / adversarial. Who designs a system whereby you have to press and hold a button continuously for normal use? A sadist. Yes, Dilbert was right.
That one item has never been addressed, despite hundreds of forum complaints and years of time passing. Did the interface dev quit? Has he been sleeping in his cubicle for 2 years? Seriously... whiskey tango foxtrot?
The GPU load of this game is 100% on trivial scenes, and no, it's not my 'rig' because this is the only game that does it, out of hundreds. Combat, Harvesting, Crafting, Skills, the whole "Deck" fiasco. There's no visibility culling on some scenes. Zero. You know what game had visibility culling? EVERQUEST BETA. In 1998.
I'm going to stop there because the bugs are endless and it just makes me angry to see such horrific content pushed to production.

Defending bad code, bad content, bad design, and bad business practices? The defense of those things will simply get paying customers more of those things, as has been demonstrated by 20 years of the genre. This game and development methodology has not made things better, it has made every aspect worse, imho. Lower quality product, ridiculously longer timelines, contempt for customers requirements, and the acceptance of mediocrity as normal. Huzzah?
Maybe, just maybe, people are backing out because it's a poorly made product.

 

Okay, let's get this back on topic, please. Discussing the actions of others in the thread itself isn't going to help it redirect. Thanks

 

For reasons of personal sanity, I have not read every post in this thread. I have skimmed a few highlights, and I offer the following statement(s):



Pledging to this game does not entitle anyone to any expectation of specific timeline for delivery, nor does it convey a divine right to complain loudly until the entire development process is halted to correct a perceived oversight. Player feedback is important and appreciated, but it is not an emergency brake in the overall scheme of things.

Since the Kickstarter, all dates have been estimated, and when development required that these dates be changed, they have been. This has always been to the benefit of both the development process and to the end result of the game.

They're very close to sewing up the last few systems required for launch. Once that's done, it's all polish and bug fixes. In spite of that, Portalarium has committed themselves to continuing the monthly release schedule. That means that we will continue to receive monthly patches, additional content, new locations, and features. This is only going to increase the value of the game. Aside from the expected Add-On Store content, we'll be getting what basically works out to free DLC in perpetuity. What's not to like about that?

If folks want this game to be competitive in features and gameplay with other online (or offline) games, then these same folks must be willing to have patience to allow the development team to spend the required time in order to implement these features. Portalarium is effectively on a shoestring budget, with a very limited number of exceptionally talented people, who have surpassed expectations beyond measure repeatedly.

Why are we doing this to them?


EDIT: updated my last paragraph to be more inclusive in regards to a followup post.

 

I want this game to be competitve to other offline RPGs.

 

Then I value your continued patience.

 

Darkmoon I completely understand your frustration at the current lack of information about how all these systems will work in offline mode. I know we have asked you and others waiting for this information to be patient for a VERY long time and for that I apologize. We do plan to have some significant differences between offline and online modes but until we get into implementation we don't yet know exactly how significant those differences will be. So again we just ask that you have a little more patience. We are going to do our damnedest to make the single player game people are expecting.

 

It always sounds more convincing coming from Starr.. I don't know why.