DEV BLOG Leaving Alpha & Early Access: some clarifications. :)

Discussion in 'News & Announcements' started by Hummel-o-War, Jul 22, 2020.

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  1. Kassonnade

    Kassonnade Rear Admiral

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    This perception is due to the fact that we ignore the logic driving these decisions. But if I take only one of the examples you give, the weapon reload, it's an animation, and requires an animator. We have been told recently that the team had programmers and 2(?) modelers, so... no animator. But some time in the past, they had hired an animator, as we got some cool new critters with better animations.

    So I think they may be hiring specific professionals for fixed periods of time to do a batch of work they are sure the players will not ask for the contrary the next month, and may even do that for very specialized programming. And from the player perspective, since we don't know when they will hire an animator or "database specialist" we feel the developers are "ignoring us" while in fact they are just piling up work for that guy to do later on.

    They did say the did not follow standard industry development, but I'm sure other indie developers do the same, for budget balance.

    Wish you were here yesterday... :)
     
    #81
    Last edited: Jul 26, 2020
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  2. Boyster

    Boyster Ensign

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    Why?Why we play games for thousand hours?Why we do things that others find boring?
    Why we think some mainstream games are really bad?Why?
    Each one of us like and play each game in a different way.
    Your post is more of a debate with yourself.
    You have some good points and we should always seek/want more
    for things to get better but but...anyways.
     
    #82
    Last edited: Jul 27, 2020
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  3. yataro79

    yataro79 Lieutenant

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    I believe that many people here indeed feel that the developers listen to the community and their desires for this game. I wouldn't be surprised if they relied on our ideas by now ;-) The interaction here between gamers and devs is extraordinary.

    That's a good one. I mostly disagree with you but this picture you drawn there is gold ;-)

    I don't like all the negative presumptions. They might become discouraging to the devs and become a self fulfilling prophecy.

    We're not there yet. It's still the great game is has been a month ago. People will give negative reviews, they already do. No one can tell, how many. This is not NMS! No big announcements, press articles, viral videos. Just a cool indie game that makes a bold move. We should be there to help out.
     
    #83
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  4. JuStX2

    JuStX2 Captain

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    You can say that but...We all know this is the way Steam is heading; Almost the entire Early Access Gaming Market is being slowly pushed out the door. Everything's VR these days to begin with which is not my cup of tea. It's just sad that Steam Feels that they need to hide this strategy by swearing all their devs to silence. Deny whatever you like...we know this is Steam at it's finest.
     
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  5. yataro79

    yataro79 Lieutenant

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    Wow, that is much insight. How do you know all that? Especially how "Steam Feels".
     
    #85
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  6. dichebach

    dichebach Captain

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    What a bunch of drama queens and arm chair marketing gurus :p
     
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  7. StyxAnnihilator

    StyxAnnihilator Captain

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    Early Access is a relatively new term, roughly 10 yeas old. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_access
    Mainly understanding is that a game is "released" to be played at before it is finished, for a small cost relatively to a finished (AAA) game. Often paired with a simple way to give suggestions and bug reports. So changing the "old" ways to do development and testing (sign ups or/and invitations to try out and do feedback).

    So how to easily tell if a game is assumed finished? Normally by using version close to 1, like EGS V1.03.
    Now it seems to maybe become EGS V Full Release without no more changes where only some bugs and issues probably have to be patched (maybe DLCs now and then) 1.03. Instead of EGS V 0.0.12.3.1.2997, or by August switches to V 0.1.0.0.3017 (build number the last, really do not need sub-sub-sub-versions then).

    Still it seems that many see V1 as a game that is supposed to be finished, but can have some bugs and issues with fixes added. If larger changes maybe as DLCs or similar. Sadly many others have lowered their quality expectations, since even some AAA games or expensive games seems to be mediocre and keep adding stuff. Along with many Early Access releases of similar games barely playable, to get some bucks and maybe develop the game to more playable.

    Also a "danger" is that most developer teams starts slapping V1 on their unfinished games, making it confusing if really finished (except patches for bugs/issues), for those looking for games to buy and play without being testers.

    This is no complaint of the current EGS or planned V1 stamp. For me EGS have become very cheap entertainment (3.6K hours). I just wish the best and that V1 do not results in negative ratings/reviews that might reduce/halts popularity increase (and maybe income for further development). If a V1 have been released as a finished game you have to buy, that have been OK for me - IF it actually were finished as V1.
     
    #87
    Last edited: Jul 27, 2020
  8. Kassonnade

    Kassonnade Rear Admiral

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    I think the most important thing now for the game to be moderately enjoyable is to just fix everything.
     
    #88
  9. ChumSickle

    ChumSickle Captain

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    No...it needs to be fixed to my specific playstyle only!
     
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  10. Kassonnade

    Kassonnade Rear Admiral

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    That's where you're TOTALLY WRROOONG dude. My perfect playstile is better than your perfect playstyle.
     
    #90
  11. dichebach

    dichebach Captain

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    No MEE!

    And make SURE to disable/break/delete any feature, functionality or content that doesn't suit MY playstyle.

    I'm sure we can all agree on that, right?

    ADDIT: AND NO MODDING facilitation!
     
    #91
  12. Kassonnade

    Kassonnade Rear Admiral

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    I would rather have an option to turn all game features off in the menu. This way I can play in the void if I want. And if that's what I like, who are you to argue ?
     
    #92
  13. ChumSickle

    ChumSickle Captain

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    No...you need to "git gud!" so you can play like me!

    In seriousness, I get that people get nervous about this update...the move from Alpha and so forth. Im a new player...just a little over a month or so in...so I dont have the 5 years invested like some. I would love to see them flesh out the "end game" more with adding an actual incentive to taking over a planet, or completely pushing a faction out of a system. I would like to believe that they are still planning on doing this, but if they dont, I am happy knowing that my small financial investment netted me hundreds of hours of enjoyment even as it stands today.
     
    #93
  14. Kassonnade

    Kassonnade Rear Admiral

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    Yes.

    The problem is that I am better, not "good".

    What? You were not serious before, and now you want me to retrospectively reassess all what you wrote prior to this and reformulate all my replies ?

    It's about time !

    We know about Alphe, not so much about "so forth". Can you elaborate on this ?

    ... telling old player to get good ? You're really looking for it, aren't you ?

    All hours of the day and night ? I believe it amounts to some dozens of hours, not more, so...

    So what ? It's our fault, you're gonna say ?

    So we can't take over a planet before end game ? Why ? Because YOU want this ?

    Do you imagine the amount of coding you're asking for ?

    They say "yes" to everything. Of course they "plan" upon doing this, but not now, it's on the list, they have heard us, etc. Where have you been in the past months weeks ?

    Stop speculating.

    That I can agree with.
     
    #94
  15. ChumSickle

    ChumSickle Captain

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    I see you have even more free time on your hands than I do...
     
    #95
  16. Kassonnade

    Kassonnade Rear Admiral

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    I would do anything to avoid going up in the kitchen, get caught an be forced to wash the dishes.

    When I type, it sounds like I'm working...
     
    #96
  17. ChumSickle

    ChumSickle Captain

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    Bro...working from home...4 kids...pile of laundry and a sink full of dishes...

    I told my wife one reason I enjoy emperyion is that I can organize things exactly how I want them. If I dont like something, I can remove it. The only people who try to mess up my stuff I am able to shoot, and then go destroy their stuff. And when I get irritated, I can jut fly away.
     
    #97
  18. Beasthammer

    Beasthammer Commander

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    You know for me personally it is simple. Space Engineers -> Space game with Engineering; Engineering means to me to construct whatever i like in a way whatever i like. I won't start crying on SE forums why is the survival aspect of that game looks what it is today... I try to build my creations with the tools i get in the game... But when the physics screw me over by blowing up my **** for no reason --> That is when i gonna cry.

    Back to the topic in the early days it was obvious that i'm gonna choose "Empyrion Galactic Survival" over SE. Because i like to test my skills against the environment. Alpha 4-6 was really cool, flawed but hard, some time later it become to be a building game where the Devs started to create the procidural stuff and the solar system till Alpha 12. Yes, it was necessary, but in my opninon: builders stole the game.. (Sorry guys! :D ) The survival aspect of the game softened, it is not even hard on hard difficulties anymore. And the features what would aid the survival aspect was missing or still missing from the game.
    Devs did a pretty good job!! Even though i'm not satisfied with it.

    You are really right! Why is a good question! Everyone seeks different things from a product, i replied to you because you shared your opinion like everything is allright because you got what you wanted.
    I don't care about shiny Spaceships (but i still admire the hard work and the beauty of the creations of some constructors). I play with a 5 layer thick armored BORG cube to tear everything apart and thats it.

    This is why my opinion is different, as i see EMPYRION GALACTIC SURVIVAL as a survival game which is based on tools, armor, food and guns and the AI which we fight against. -> this is why i started my comment with this sentence: "perspective of an RPG" How can you play a survival without roleplaying it? Where are the RP features? (Mods for armor,weapons, tiers, char development) etc and all.

    I'm really happy that you had thousands of hours in the game!
     
    #98
  19. dichebach

    dichebach Captain

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    Long live the death cube.
     
    #99
  20. michaelhartman89

    michaelhartman89 Rear Admiral

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    Back in the days when you'd use certain blocks to block lag shots:D
     
    #100
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