Game is missing major features - working on add ons instead? What is going on?

I phrased my statement poorly but meant the game would survive without any one particular asset, so you could say about any asset that it was unneeded. So where does one decide which assets are needed/un-needed.

Okay so an artist costs 60k per year. I don't know how long it took to create the assets there, you might have a better idea. But if the assets brought in 30k then we got a fully-time artist instead of a part-time artist.

In the position I am to have seen a good number of accounts - I can tell you the minority of what I see in those accounts is stretch goals though many accounts have more than 1000 in purchases. Oracle Heads total more than 6k in purchases according to the store and probably didn't cost 6k to make. Stretch goals have raised above 75k in a little over a year (more than enough to pay for the art I would say). And more people are buying the store assets than the stretch goals - so far I would say that the asset store has brought in more than enough to pay a full-time artist. Maybe a few artists. And maybe someone to design "core features."

Though you, as someone who has designed some assets, would have a better idea how long that store content took (I'm totally oblivious to how long it takes a professional to do a kobold mask or a hot-tub). I'm going to say conservatively that the airship will bring in at least 10k (that's 28 purchases at the half-price mark), and that it did not take two months of time to build it - though people are pointing at the airship in places as stealing time from game development when it may in fact be speeding up development, with other assets, to allow the hiring of more artists.

If they were not making enough money in the add-on store to pay for the time devoted to making the assets (and then some) then it would be a pretty poor decision to have one.

 

I agree with everything you're saying here. I have no issue with the add-on store in and of itself, as long as assets are not being create SOLELY for the purpose of selling them with real money - and as long as said assets are non-game-balance-issue items.

 

Anyway, back on the OT.

This has always been my view : I saw in UO that dropping items anywhere had as just as much potential to negatively impact immersion as add to it. The streets of Britain were littered with swords, pants, maps, and other random items, just because people didn't want them anymore. @Lord_Darkmoon, if I remember correctly, being a single player fan, you've complained about towns looking like dumps because of mixed building styles and stacks of outdoor decorations. This could just add to that.

On the other hand, I like the idea of vagabonds setting down a carpet somewhere and peddling their wares on the street, or people setting up a picnic in the park, so I also think the mechanic has a lot of potential for cool things, too.

If they introduced it in the game, I think they'd have to be very careful in balancing all those concerns.

 

Time to hire more people ?

For the record I do love the direction the game is going finally. I was worried in the beginning but the game feels like it's moving closer to a uo spiritual successor. Yea I'm a bit impatient been following this for years now and I'm definitely rdy to dive into it.

Great work star and Chris for taking the time to explain things, we all know u could just ignore these type of threads but you take them on anyways....bravo

 

One way to ease off on the performance issue is to allocate a certain (fixed) amount of items per player instead of allowing them to drop an infinite amount.

• Limit the feature to items that are small props (candles, paper, etc), equipment, consumables and reagents.
• If they leave the zone, delete the dropped items.
  
• If they're in the same zone as their own house(s), have their housing item budget influence/reduce the amount of items that player can drop since they're already taxing the servers and other people's computers with their stuff.

Considering what the game is trying to achieve, dropping an item to the ground HAS to work in one shape or form. If the issue is graphical, then change your art direction (especially on the technical side) to support it.

How it works is more important than how it looks.

P.S. - You pretty much shot yourself in the foot by allowing people to decorate their houses.

 

Sadly, that mirrors reality a little too closely, doesn't it ? Sigh, how much time and money is spent cleaning up after people who simply can't walk to the nearest trash can.


Back to the game though : If all items have some implicit value, not gold to an NPC merchant, but rather in salvage capability, then I could see a market for trash recyclers come into play.

"Oh, you threw away that rusty sword ? Your loss, I'll just melt that puppy down and make a new one, and sell it back to you at 10 times the price."

 

Out of curiosity, I wonder many of the 'non item drop' camp members have played UO? Or the Ultimas?

If you've played it, tell me, what's your first reaction when you see something like this? http://imgur.com/Q6ZwO1p Now imagine not being able to touch of that.

 

If you played UO, then you'd have had that experience in UO, since items in houses could be locked down, and items in NPC houses were locked down. And like UO, SotA will let you lock down items in your house.

Being able to hide items being others is of course cool, but has little to do with dropping items on the street. It also is a good argument for the free-form bag inventory. Anyway, don't count me as part of the 'non item drop' camp, just I think you have to consider that it has problems as well as benefits.

 

This. /thread

 

Not being able to touch Ultima 8? I can live with that!

 

I also was like "isn't that ultima 8?"

That being said, I would love to see U8 remade in HD with a proper, modern control scheme.

Sorry, off topic, but it had to be said.

 

What can you say back really, once the reality of the situation, what you are asking and how you are asking, kicks in?

You're welcome for the much needed reality check haha.

 

This in itself would ensure there was not a 'littering' problem as any new player (and others) would surely be glad to scavenge everything not nailed down.

 

I'd like to see them hire an experienced Unity developer to work on engine optimizations, even as a temp contractor. But they need money to do that. These add-on sale items help them generate revenue. So selling an airship might actually help them improve the engine in the end, which will lead to the item drop feature.

 

Besides, when we asked Starr about such more important things like you mentioned (and we did), suddenly he quit responding in the thread. I'm sure he had something else that required his attention . . . so i'm not complaining at him, i'm just saying, this is one of a list of questions we are still waiting for robust answers on. Thankfully he was nice enough to step in and and clarify this point as to what their position is on it at the moment.

I don't disagree that their are bigger fish to fry, this is just the one we are frying today . . . . have a seat and take another bite

 

You should check your quoting skills there, my friend : That was redfish, not I.

 

And which also had its problems as well as its benefits UO also had plenty of ugly houses that were designed only to attract attention, with vendors on the roofs.

The only point being: some of these features need to be carefully considered, and just because UO did something some way, doesn't mean "UO's spiritual successor" should do it the same exact way.

 

Exactly. Again, especially when UO was 2D in a 2D world, alot easier to be so creative.

If it was made in 3D, guaranteed none of these features would even exist and the few that need these features would be none the wiser and quite happy, lol..

 

Perhaps they can add a new item to the add on store. The funds go only toward core development. There is no reward, no art; nothing at all unless Port feels like it long after the game is released. It might help them gauge how committed the player base is to this aspect of the game.

 

No, i'm pretty sure I was being just as big an ass as he was . . . . plz don't cut my efforts short . . . .

I'm just trying to give you a friendly piece of advice from someone who has been there and done that over and over and over . . . . The ban hammer hits hard and repeatedly on people like me and you who don't have the patience to temper their words. Just friendly advice, from someone who agrees with you, you don't have to take it.