A Valley Without Wind 2 - a full sequel free for existing customers - is coming.

[keith.lamothe]

Soviet PR finds you.

[Aklyon]

Soviet PR finds you.

In Environ, Ignored Ice Ager's PR finds you?

[x4000]

And the second-guessing on reddit begins, I see.

Apparently:
- We released the first game with shit graphics despite "everyone" hating them.
-Also, we totally had lots of other options other than the graphics we started with.  We went with them for kicks!
-"Everyone" hated the gameplay, too.
-Now we're stupid for going the "charity" route, whatever that means, rather than charging for the sequel.

The thing that amazes me is how much data some folks will infer from their own opinion.  "I feel X way, so 'everyone' does, too."  With AVWW1 those were really getting under my skin, but thankfully this time (at least for now) I'm just finding them minorly irksome.

But yeah, that sort of second-guessing while people can't even play the new game is precisely why I didn't want major news stories out of this yet.  Among other reasons.  I'd much rather have the "it's here, it's awesome" type of stories rather than "well, it's coming, but who knows?"

[Aklyon]

Everything is crap on reddit until actually pointed out otherwise. Except funny things, which end up being called a repost at somepoint or another.

[x4000]

Hahaha.  Yeah, that's true.

[keith.lamothe]

If the internet actually likes something you do, then worry.  Otherwise take comfort that the universe is proceeding as it did the day before.

[Castruccio]

And the second-guessing on reddit begins, I see.

Apparently:
- We released the first game with shit graphics despite "everyone" hating them.
-Also, we totally had lots of other options other than the graphics we started with.  We went with them for kicks!
-"Everyone" hated the gameplay, too.
-Now we're stupid for going the "charity" route, whatever that means, rather than charging for the sequel.

The thing that amazes me is how much data some folks will infer from their own opinion.  "I feel X way, so 'everyone' does, too."  With AVWW1 those were really getting under my skin, but thankfully this time (at least for now) I'm just finding them minorly irksome.

But yeah, that sort of second-guessing while people can't even play the new game is precisely why I didn't want major news stories out of this yet.  Among other reasons.  I'd much rather have the "it's here, it's awesome" type of stories rather than "well, it's coming, but who knows?"

I would encourage you, as a professional game designer, to design your game and leave the arm chair game designers to their light beer and World of Warcraft.

[Panopticon]

I find that reddit is generally an echo chamber for idiots.

Kinda like Free Republic for stuff in general.

[Giegue]

I'm a little hesitant about this new mode. mainly because of the single continent, the lack of missions, and the no mouse control.

I loved the thrill of sailing from island to island, and doing various missions that I enjoy. as for the mouse control, I suppose I'll give the other control scheme a chance.

[keith.lamothe]

and leave the arm chair game designers to their light beer and World of Warcraft.

The WoW reference I can understand, but light beer?  I'm not sure they deserve that

[Wanderer]

Wait.

Did you just callback to a game near and dear to my teenage heart, Actraiser?

And here I thought the remake of XCom was going to get rediculous amounts of drool in my keyboard.  Ho boy.

I know I've mentioned I'm not usually a fan of scrolling shooters, and that's because the Contra + imitators pretty much finished that for me.  I like more in my games.  This... this... this is MOAR!  This is... ooooh.  Pretty lights and pictures.  Sparkly things... errr, sorry, ADD kicked in.

I love where you're going with this Chris, and I love how you're embracing the idea of incorporating other studios into Arcen's work to make the product go from 'that's cool' to 'awesome'.  I don't know if I'll enjoy the game, that'll have to wait until I get my hands on it... but you've got me DAMNED intruiged.   

Oh, yeah, and F^@& reddit unless you're on a sub-sub-sub board with regular members who self-police.  The unwashed internet is a nasty place, don't drink from that.  It's like youtube comments.  Ugh.

Stolen and modified:

What did you expect? "Welcome, newbie"? "Make yourself at home"? "You've got good ideas"? You've got to remember that these are just simple internet posters. These are people of Facebook. The common clay of the new internet. You know... morons.

[keith.lamothe]

Did you just callback to a game near and dear to my teenage heart, Actraiser?

Actraiser was a pretty big inspiration for both Chris and I in doing AVWW1 (not so much what it wound up as a few of the intermediate stages), so to some extent we're actually moving away from the ideas it gave us before.  Actraiser was an awesome idea, and it was fun while it lasted, but the execution didn't have staying power.  Imitating it, therefore, doesn't have staying power.

But yea, "that done right" is a lot of what we want to happen.  Whether its really perceptible (or present) in the end is more than I can say.

[Wanderer]

Did you just callback to a game near and dear to my teenage heart, Actraiser?

Actraiser was a pretty big inspiration for both Chris and I in doing AVWW1 (not so much what it wound up as a few of the intermediate stages), so to some extent we're actually moving away from the ideas it gave us before.  Actraiser was an awesome idea, and it was fun while it lasted, but the execution didn't have staying power.  Imitating it, therefore, doesn't have staying power.

But yea, "that done right" is a lot of what we want to happen.  Whether its really perceptible (or present) in the end is more than I can say.

Fair points, but still.  I may need to go fire that old game up on an emulator.  I remember it didn't have a lot of replay past the second time through, so I can't help but agree with you.  Still, that concept cleaned up and polished on modern systems with your guys' talents behind the design and the artwork offloaded so it doesn't add to your pressures has my succinct attention.

[chemical_art]

It's like youtube comments.  Ugh

Reddit and Youtube both need this.

[keith.lamothe]

It's like youtube comments.  Ugh

Reddit and Youtube both need this.

Iirc youtube actually implemented something to read your comment to you but I don't see it on a quick inspection.

Anyway, it's pretty easy to rag on the youtube-comments/reddit-commenters crowd.  To a degree I sympathize, but ultimately what I've found there (and on other comment-like venues) isn't that the moron-percentage is particularly high, it's that many of the individuals enjoy "recreational abuse".  Often, they don't even want the thing they're negative about to be fixed/done-better/whatever, they just want to abuse someone and not be held accountable for accuracy or decency.  Public figures are generally preferred targets, and game developers fall in that category to a sufficient degree.

I don't read anything from those places anymore   But it's not because I think they're intellectually deficient.