AVWW Beta 0.585 "Go With The Flow" Released!

[x4000]

Original: http://arcengames.blogspot.com/2012/02/avww-beta-0585-go-with-flow-released.html

This one is a relatively small release, but it fixes a few bugs and it greatly eases the game flow for when new players encounter the world map for the first time (after the intro mission).  There are still a few last things we are working on in terms of both that early game flow and things that the planning menu tells you, but other than that -- barring any more bugs people find -- we're headed for beta phase 3 tonight!

More to come soon.  Enjoy!

This is a standard update that you can download through the in-game updater itself, if you already have 0.500 or later. When you launch the game, you'll see the notice of the update having been found if you're connected to the Internet at the time.  If you don't have 0.500 or later, you can download that here.

[Dizzard]

Something I just noticed.

So I finally did one of those erect wind shelter missions. However after I had built the wind shelter and left the tile and re-entered the wind shelter wasn't there. :S

Is this just something that hasn't been looked at or is it working as intended?

[x4000]

Re-entered what tile?  The chunk the mission was in, or the region.  Because you erect the wind shelter as part of a mission.  Once you leave that mission, you can never go back to where the wind shelter was erected, because any mission has all its contents dropped after you leave.  But the wind shelter is still there on the map, and the wind shelter is thematically still "somewhere in the region" (that place you remember), you just can't get back there anymore.

[Dizzard]

Re-entered what tile?  The chunk the mission was in, or the region.  Because you erect the wind shelter as part of a mission.  Once you leave that mission, you can never go back to where the wind shelter was erected, because any mission has all its contents dropped after you leave.  But the wind shelter is still there on the map, and the wind shelter is thematically still "somewhere in the region" (that place you remember), you just can't get back there anymore.

Something about that just doesn't sit right with me. Are wind shelters still supposed to be like outposts? (like when you would find npcs running around wind shelters) I don't like the idea of outposts not being reachable...

[x4000]

No, they are not like outposts.  They are something that manifests on the world map only, and the mission is just something that takes you out into part of the wilderness to put that up.  Think of it like the lost woods -- you can't find it again.  Wind shelters can't be upgraded into outposts, and their functionality is probably pretty much done for 1.0 and beyond -- I'm extremely happy with how they work.  Outposts as a concept are something completely different at this point, and are for post-1.0, and are what would work more like what you're imagining.

[HellishFiend]

I see where Dizzard is coming from with that. I had a similar experience with the original Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War. In one of the expansions, they put in a map-based conquest game mode, where the bases you would construct within the missions would largely carry over if you were ever to do another mission on that map.

Sounds good, right? 

Well, later on they made another expansion, and removed the persisting bases from the conquest mode. That just didn't "sit right" with me. It's something you made, shouldn't it still be there the next time youre in the area?

Granted, in an RTS, that sort of thing has gameplay-related consequences, whereas the example Dizzard mentions really does not. I'm not necessarily saying I think anything needs to be done here, but I definitely can relate to the feeling of something not sitting right, and it interfering with your ability to enjoy the game to varying degrees.

[Dizzard]

I think my main issue with it is that it doesn't feel physical or solid. It's a bit like the invisible wall or locked door situation.

It feels like it's just an airy fairy notion that the wind shelter is now in some unreachable node in the sky.

[HellishFiend]

I think my main issue with it is that it doesn't feel physical or solid. It's a bit like the invisible wall or locked door situation.

It feels like it's just an airy fairy notion that the wind shelter is now in some unreachable node in the sky.

Right, but the main issue here (as with any development issue in any game) is the opportunity cost of coding something in. If I understand correctly, there is no code in place to allow something from a mission to persist in the game after you're done with it. That being said, the amount of time it would take to bring that into the game (something that is of no actual gameplay consequence) at this stage in development would cost too much in the form of time spent on content, bugs, polish, etc.

[x4000]

This is one of those things that isn't up for debate: worlds get too large if the mission areas persist, and there's no earthly reason why you'd really need to go back there, anyhow.  This is the replacement for continents sinking into the sea.

[zebramatt]

Couldn't you solve this one particular issue by having one/all the chunks in that region draw a wind shelter off in the distance after you'd set it up. So, you know, you can see it but not get there?

[x4000]

Yep, that certainly could be done -- would be a good one for mantis, if that sounds popular.

[Martyn van Buren]

I like that; I'd vote it up.

[x4000]

New one: http://www.arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,9960.0.html

Two in one day!