Specific information about user experience?

[tootboot]

When are we going to get some more specific information about AVWW? 

There's been a lot said about it, but much of the information is vague.  I was going to make a thread about it on another forum but realize I didn't really have enough information about it to say why it was cool, unless the reader has already played AI War.

[x4000]

I think there's been a lot of really, really specific info about avww, actually. We've detailed everything from permadeath to crafting to economies to a lot of other things. I recall having so much info in advance of no other game, in a lot of ways. Some things we are vague on still because they are in progress and I don't want to commit to something that is still changing. That's mostly npc type stuff, settlements, etc. But even there a lot of concrete things have been said. I recommend looking back at our past dev diaries and at the interview with rock, paper shotgun, etc. I think you were he one that asked a number of questions recently that were repeats, so that would explain that. Bear in mind the marketing page on our site has just the barest of info; he wealth of info is in this very forum, in the q&a threads here, the dev diaries posted here, and the inreviews linked to. The problem you'll run into is that it's a ton to read; we don't have mug of a handy synopsized version yet aside from the marketing page that is, as you say, pretty vague.

[x4000]

Oh -- and I should add that [the Brutal Gamer] interview was barely about AVWW at all; it was mostly about Arcen in general and our other games. Compared to the ones with rps and co-optimus that were entirely about this game and this game alone. The rps one was so huge it had to be split into two parts.

[tootboot]

I guess what I'm trying to get across is that I don't know how to describe the 'hook' to people.  Maybe the hook is just emergent gameplay and I need to be able to relate cool stories to people, either of my own, or from people that have experienced it.

It's like trying to get excited about Dwarf Fortress based on the wikipedia entry, maybe, it just doesn't work because what makes it special is the way those systems interact and the unlikely things that can happen.

[x4000]

I understand -- that does make a lot of sense. The High-level hooks are what we mention on the marketing page. Action-adventure game in an infinite procedural world is enough to entice a lot of folks, it seems. But I understand what you've looking for. The problem is, a lot of those user stories really require a game that is in beta or after in terms of completion level; DF is interesting because it has so many overlapping subsystems that create interesting stories. We're still very much in the subsystem creation phase, so we talk more about mechanics and drain intent. But that will change by late July, if not sooner! I know just what you mean you're looking for, and we're eager to share it, but we're not there yet.