Author Topic: So how is development going?  (Read 4397 times)

Offline nas1m

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So how is development going?
« on: November 13, 2013, 09:02:58 am »
Any news on when we may expect the start of the alpha :D?
It's November after all ;).

Cheers!
« Last Edit: November 13, 2013, 09:08:41 am by nas1m »
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Offline x4000

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Re: So how is development going?
« Reply #1 on: November 13, 2013, 09:07:22 am »
It's going quite well!  However, it is taking us a bit longer than expected in some areas.

At this point we're expecting to hit the alpha stage at the start of December.  Rather than rushing to the first version of alpha, I really want to get this as polished as possible prior to the first alpha players getting their hands on it.

Really the original mid-November goal for this going to alpha was set back when we were first working on Cretaceous, which then got scrapped... which then we started on Starport 28, which then got scrapped because of Starbase DF-9.

So honestly in terms of a reasonable timeframe for developing this out, we aren't behind at all.  But we did start 3-4 weeks "late" so to speak, because of the kerfluffle with the other two games.  If that makes sense.
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Offline tigersfan

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Re: So how is development going?
« Reply #2 on: November 13, 2013, 09:11:24 am »
Plus, the design portion of this game is turning out to be far more complicated than either of the other two games were going to be. So, all things considered, it's going pretty well.

Offline nas1m

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Re: So how is development going?
« Reply #3 on: November 13, 2013, 09:11:41 am »
It is! Thanks for the heads-up :).
I am looking forward to seeing what you guys are coming up with this time - the simulation bit really got me intrigued...

Not much more to do than holding it with orzelek until December then:

*holds up worn-out patience card* ;D
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Offline x4000

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Re: So how is development going?
« Reply #4 on: November 13, 2013, 09:20:25 am »
Hahaha. :)
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Offline orzelek

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Re: So how is development going?
« Reply #5 on: November 13, 2013, 12:33:26 pm »
*looks around*
Someone called?

Ahh the worn out patience card.
Looks at his stack of those... X-Rebirth in two days... that Last Federation card is holding out quite well compared to top one :D

Offline zespri

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Re: So how is development going?
« Reply #6 on: November 13, 2013, 07:26:59 pm »
Plus, the design portion of this game is turning out to be far more complicated than either of the other two games were going to be. So, all things considered, it's going pretty well.
Design is pretty overloaded term where I live... Do you mean graphic design specifically, or something else?

Offline x4000

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Re: So how is development going?
« Reply #7 on: November 13, 2013, 07:36:09 pm »
Simulation design, in this case.  This is a strategy game set inside a simulation game, and that's pretty unique.  The simulation game has to be robust enough to be interesting and create great stories and situations, but at the same time it has to be streamlined enough to be digestible.

There's also the whole thing of making it so that so many more different things can happen.  It's kind of like level design, in that respect.  Designing out more and more events that can happen, more contracts you can take, more ways to interact with the races, more ways they can interact with one another, etc.

For instance, today I was working on a new and improved way of smuggling, which involves blockade running rather than just normal combat.  Then I've been working on having racial minorities on planets that they don't control, and a model for them that includes expatriates, refugees, prisoners, resistance fighters, and ground troops.  It makes certain parts of the ground combat simulation more realistic than it was before, and also makes it so that every time the last planet of a race is captured, that race isn't out of the game permanently (pirates aside).

Then of course that opens up new doors with actions that the host and minority races can take against one another, events that might happen there, and so forth and so on.  Meanwhile Josh has been working on designing more and more planet-level military, commercial, residential, industrial, soci-political, medical, and environmental events and their effects, then tying those into actions that the races can take or contracts the player can take.  As well as coming up with thematic variants of common ideas to fit the various races (for instance, some things don't apply to a race that is a hivemind, but some variant of it can work).

Etc.

You wouldn't believe how many documents and spreadsheets we have for this game's simulation.  A lot of it is stuff that won't come up in every playthrough, and which isn't something you have to pay close attention to in every playthrough even if it does.  But it's all stuff that could turn out to be critical in some game or other, and it's all those nuances that will make it feel like a living solar system.  But again, making it so that's not just a giant spreadsheet of overwhelmingness is where the trickiest parts come in.  So there's a lot of GUI design and redesign and so forth that is going on for the subscreens for all that sort of thing.
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Offline Conir

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Re: So how is development going?
« Reply #8 on: November 13, 2013, 07:57:00 pm »
any idea when the alpha-testers will be chosen?

Offline Misery

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Re: So how is development going?
« Reply #9 on: November 14, 2013, 01:39:47 am »
It is! Thanks for the heads-up :).
I am looking forward to seeing what you guys are coming up with this time - the simulation bit really got me intrigued...

Not much more to do than holding it with orzelek until December then:

*holds up worn-out patience card* ;D

Ahh, patience cards.

Mine is in pieces. Burnt pieces.  It violently exploded many years back.

Offline nas1m

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Re: So how is development going?
« Reply #10 on: November 14, 2013, 01:46:12 am »
any idea when the alpha-testers will be chosen?

Here you go:
At this point we're expecting to hit the alpha stage at the start of December.  Rather than rushing to the first version of alpha, I really want to get this as polished as possible prior to the first alpha players getting their hands on it.
You can apply now by sending a PM to tigersfan.
He will get back in touch once the alpha starts and the game is rolled out for the batch of alpha testers you have been put in.
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Offline Rekka

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Re: So how is development going?
« Reply #11 on: November 14, 2013, 03:54:53 am »
Good to know that all is going well despite scraping 2 games. :) Don't they say patience is the mother of all virtues? :P

Offline nas1m

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Re: So how is development going?
« Reply #12 on: November 14, 2013, 05:00:45 am »
It is! Thanks for the heads-up :).
I am looking forward to seeing what you guys are coming up with this time - the simulation bit really got me intrigued...

Not much more to do than holding it with orzelek until December then:

*holds up worn-out patience card* ;D

Ahh, patience cards.

Mine is in pieces. Burnt pieces.  It violently exploded many years back.
I have a certain image in mind how this came to pass ;D...
« Last Edit: November 14, 2013, 05:10:34 am by nas1m »
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Offline x4000

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Re: So how is development going?
« Reply #13 on: November 14, 2013, 08:13:54 am »
Cheers folks -- I hope to be able to write up a new blog post soon to keep the information train flowing, so to speak.  I did a lengthy interview with the Space Game Junkie folks two nights ago as well, and we went into a lot of detail on many parts of The Last Federation.  We also talked a lot about some other general things at first, but then the last two thirds or half (somewhere in there) was really meaty Q&A between them and I about TLF.
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Offline Cyborg

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Re: So how is development going?
« Reply #14 on: November 16, 2013, 09:42:13 pm »
Do you need any help with the calculations or spreadsheets?
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