Well, you guys did surprise everyone(including me) with Tidalis. Even people on other forums were talking about how they really enjoyed the game despite not being into puzzle games, so you've definitely proven yourselves to create some groundbreaking games.
Well, and I really appreciate that! That's what we try to do, is find something that nobody has done the same way, and then do that really well. The reason I made AI War as a space game was partly because I'd hated every other space-based RTS I'd ever played. So it was time for me to "do it right," or at least the way I wanted to do it. I love Zelda games and Metroid games and really enjoy them -- always have -- but there's never really been a procedural adventure game that's done everything that I wanted. Definitely not any side-scrolling adventure games. What I loved about Zelda 2 was the promise of that game, and what it represented to me as a kid in the 80's. Standing on its own as an adventure game against modern games... not so much.
So, in a lot of respects I'm in the same boat as anyone else who says "but I've never seen an adventure game done in the side view in a way I found satisfying on the level of what you've been describing for AVWW." The fact that nobody else has done it is why I'm here, plain and simple.
Whether I'll muck it up too, from your point of view, is of course still yet to be seen. It's entirely possible that my idea of a great side-scrolling adventure game still wouldn't be your cup of tea.
But at least I'm in new territory all over the place, rather than it being Diablo Clone #489 + Roguelike #655 + Infinite World, which is what I think most people's expectations boiled down to. That's just... not really how I make games, I guess.
Plus, I'm not saying side view is completely bad or not fun at all-It's just disappointing to be expect one type then it all of sudden switch to another. Like if it was side view from the beginning I wouldn't have this internal clash.
Yeah, that point is well taken, and it's something we regret. However, the feedback that we've gained through the early-showings of the game, plus the exposure in general, has I think been a major net positive for the game itself. So if I had to do it again I'd probably do it the same way, but it's not exactly a clean process. Plenty of collateral damage, such as how you're feeling right now.
AI War was something that went over easy for folks from the start (those that are in to that sort of game), but I think people would have had a heart attack if they'd been following from the very start. For the first week or so it was a turn-based game. For the first 3+ months it was PvP-only. For the next month it was PvP or Co-Op, with a traditional AI that followed the same rules as the players. Then suddenly it was Co-Op-only with an AI that was unequal to you, and the concept of AI Progress came about. Then a month later suddenly you were getting randomized selections of ship types you could build, and Advanced Research Stations came about, rather than always being able to build any ship type at any time.
Also during this whole process, starships went from being "motherships" and the central tether of fleets, to something that was kind of a side element in favor of command stations, which were initially mobile but later became stationary. Plus we went from an all-warp system where you gave your motherships orders on what system to go to, and they carried along their crew of smaller ships and arrived after a certain amount of time, to having a system of wormholes (which previously had not existed) to create a topography of the galaxy; and warp with the incoming timers became an AI-only thing (and thus the tower defense aspect of the game was completely side-stepped into; originally the timer countdown was just how everyone warped their stuff between planets). Oh, and gravity wells of specific planets were were initially literally infinite, and so the best strategy was to build a command station and then send it flying off into the ether with your fleet, so that you could snipe your opponent to death before they got to you; later that was changed to have finite gravity wells to make way for more fun strategies. At one point metal and energy were the only resources, but later crystal and knowledge were added. At one point you could build a form of strange energy walls/roads in space, which would suck AI ships along predetermined paths that you chose once they arrived at them. It ALSO used to be that AI War games only took about 45-60 minutes to play, but see how THAT changed.
Endless, relentless iteration into the unknown with a lot of feedback:
that's how I make games. But it certainly does break a few eggs if people get too attached to any one way the stuff is presented, and I'm not always clear on what is and what isn't up for changes (often I don't fully know, aside from the immutable goals). Well, I'll leave it at that. It's regrettable how this has colored things for you, and I'm sure others, but hopefully in the end we win you over by making an awesome game that surprises you and that you just can't resist.
Fingers crossed!
