KickStarter INSOMNIA: The Ark - dieselpunk sci-fi action-RPG set on a decaying space station

[kain30]

I ask myslef If this trend of releasing games full of bugs is developer or publisher fault. If it´s publisher fault, can the developers pressure them in any way so they can complete their games?

 

[Fenix]

o the base whole-number statistic designated as "Armor" is more like a dodge statistic, whereas the specific damage defense % is a base reduction of that type of incoming damage. A little convoluted, but I actually like it quite a bit as an armor system. Needs some kind of explanation in-game though, clearly.

Glad to see there is actually a little more going on here than I had suspected.

Yeah, it's just usual case of "awkwardly translated from devs to a player system", more than that Russian --> English speakers.

I ask myslef If this trend of releasing games full of bugs is developer or publisher fault. If it´s publisher fault, can the developers pressure them in any way so they can complete their games?

If it's Russian game, the problem probably is "we ran out of money". Clearly the case with translation - it cost A LOT here, without any guarantee it will be decent at least.
So they did it themself.

 

[toro]

o the base whole-number statistic designated as "Armor" is more like a dodge statistic, whereas the specific damage defense % is a base reduction of that type of incoming damage. A little convoluted, but I actually like it quite a bit as an armor system. Needs some kind of explanation in-game though, clearly.

Glad to see there is actually a little more going on here than I had suspected.

Yeah, it's just usual case of "awkwardly translated from devs to a player system", more than that Russian --> English speakers.

I ask myslef If this trend of releasing games full of bugs is developer or publisher fault. If it´s publisher fault, can the developers pressure them in any way so they can complete their games?

If it's Russian game, the problem probably is "we ran out of money". Clearly the case with translation - it cost A LOT here, without any guarantee it will be decent at least.
So they did it themself.

Come on dude. You go to an university, you ask nice and I'm sure a couple of students will help you out with the translations.

The only issue is that in Russia they only learn Russian

 

[Jinn]

Thanks for the trust but I don't think I'm very knowledgeable on the game mainly because it would be misleading to say that I'm knowledgeable about an incomprehensible thing ... because this game is exactly that, an incomprehensible mess at times

Have you posted this review anywhere on steam for the developers to read? Because this could really benefit them moving forward if they are actually looking for good feedback and ways to improve their game.

Now I would love to hear opinions from somebody else. Especially about faction specific stuff.

Would love to give it, but it looks like I'm going to be waiting awhile until it's worth playing unfortunately.

 

[StaticSpine]

Come on dude. You go to an university, you ask nice and I'm sure a couple of students will help you out with the translations.

The only issue is that in Russia they only learn Russian

We have a handful of decent localization companies in Russia. But they are used by the devs which have a budget reserved for the purpose. Indies usually don't, so the translation goes like "Meh, our English is decent enough to do this..."

 

[Fenix]

Come on dude. You go to an university, you ask nice and I'm sure a couple of students will help you out with the translations.

Maybe that's what they did?

 

[toro]

Thanks for the trust but I don't think I'm very knowledgeable on the game mainly because it would be misleading to say that I'm knowledgeable about an incomprehensible thing ... because this game is exactly that, an incomprehensible mess at times

Have you posted this review anywhere on steam for the developers to read? Because this could really benefit them moving forward if they are actually looking for good feedback and ways to improve their game.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/783170/discussions/0/1733214357981120665/?ctp=34#c2798319091582502027

Now I would love to hear opinions from somebody else. Especially about faction specific stuff.

Would love to give it, but it looks like I'm going to be waiting awhile until it's worth playing unfortunately.

Choose the nuclear option: Uninstall game, delete all folders related to the game, update video drivers, reinstall the game. If this doesn't work then wait for patches.

Come on dude. You go to an university, you ask nice and I'm sure a couple of students will help you out with the translations.

Maybe that's what they did?

Maybe. It's pointless to argue about it.

Come on dude. You go to an university, you ask nice and I'm sure a couple of students will help you out with the translations.

The only issue is that in Russia they only learn Russian

We have a handful of decent localization companies in Russia. But they are used by the devs which have a budget reserved for the purpose. Indies usually don't, so the translation goes like "Meh, our English is decent enough to do this..."

Despite all the bugs and issues, the missing and incoherent translations are the game's biggest problem.

It looks like they used Google Translate but then they either forgot, were out of time or did not have the linguistic competence required to review the final text.

It's a shame because the game has the potential to become a new classic.

 

[StaticSpine]

Despite all the bugs and issues, the missing and incoherent translations are the game's biggest problem.

It looks like they used Google Translate but then they either forgot, were out of time or did not have the linguistic competence required to review the final text.

It's a shame because the game has the potential to become a new classic.

I'd say the "were out of time" and "did not have the competence required" arguments are applicable to the whole game, not only the translation.

I do respect the devs and I've been following the project for 4 or 5 years by now. I think they just should have started with a much smaller scale - a 10-20 hours game but a really polished one. I believe they wanted to break the game into chapters at some point and now I see that was not a bad idea. The setting does have a lot of potential.

 

[Jinn]

Thanks, toro. Hopefully they'll read your suggestions thoroughly and take them to heart. Let's hope they're competent enough to rescue their own game from the fate it seems it's on the path towards.

Despite all the bugs and issues, the missing and incoherent translations are the game's biggest problem.

This is what is probably holding me back from starting a fresh playthrough more than anything. The translation near the beginning seems pretty rough, but not nearly as bad as you seem to feel it is. It must really start to degrade in quality as the game goes on or something, right? If it stayed consistent with the translation quality of the first couple hours or so, I could handle that.

Also, inventory woes would be my second reason for holding off. Man they fucked up their inventory system hard with the stacking/organization issues. Like, goddamn. If your going to build a large part of the game around scavenging, you better get your inventory UI working. There is no way they didn't notice this during testing.

Another thing is, I understand these guys need a break from work like everyone else, but stopping for full weekends, ignoring their forums during this time, and letting the rage fester in their customers (particularly the Russians - some really brutal commentary going on there) seems like a terrible business move. Particularly after releasing a fairly terrible patch after a month of delays. Suck it up, hire a programmer who can actually do the work, and communicate with the people who supported you and feel understandably ripped off. I don't understand what isn't obvious to them about this.

EDIT: Suck my grey NPC dick, Darth Roxor

 

[toro]

Jinn

The writing is competent in the beginning but then it gets progressively worse so much that by the end of the game you will start wondering what the NPCs are talking about (Thel's dialogue is such an example).

Maybe multiple playthroughs are needed in order to get the full picture but considering that the game wants to get philosophical then the translations should be brilliant.

Anyway, one pretty accurate review:



I don't agree about the translations and the melee combat.

 

[Jenkem]

the thing with the audio can be fixed, the settings are fucked up and music is tied to enviornmental sounds, so if you lower the music you need to lower the enviornmental sound slider too

 

[RegionalHobo]

finished pathfinder and want to play this so much.

that said it smells A LOT more bugged so i'm waiting a bit.

 

[Jinn]

Just the community manager apparently had taken a few days off. I was reassured that work is continuing most days of the week.

 

[Fenix]

Do somebody know - is it practiced vacation before release?
I mean - after release you need to work on fixin bug and all, so it could be reasonable idea to take vacation BEFORE release, not after.
???

 

[Jinn]

Do somebody know - is it practiced vacation before release?
I mean - after release you need to work on fixin bug and all, so it could be reasonable idea to take vacation BEFORE release, not after.
???

You'd have to release - or be ready to release - an actual finished game before you deserved or could enjoy a vacation, you would think.

My worry is that this is a sign that they are already getting close to throwing in the towel, or that people are leaving the studio already. Either way, not returning on the first business day after a really shitty patch was released to communicate with your audience about your cobbled together game is the sign of the kind of apathy that is not looking good for the future of this game.

EDIT: Community manager showed up today and started communicating again. I'm just going to have to ignore this situation for a little while. It's kind of driving me a little nuts how much I crave to play this game right now, but also how much I know I shouldn't.

Beyond translation and UI feedback/functionality problems, a new, small, but super annoying bug has appeared in the game with the introduction of v1.3. When an NPC is walking near to you, the audio that plays is essentially the sound of the player running instead of the calm sound of footsteps. I don't know why this annoys me as much as it does, but I simply wouldn't be able to look past something like this, on top of everything else.

 

[toro]

Do somebody know - is it practiced vacation before release?
I mean - after release you need to work on fixin bug and all, so it could be reasonable idea to take vacation BEFORE release, not after.
???

From Steam:

Our publisher put quite a lot of time, passion to make this game a thing, so did the dev team. There's no evil men on any side whose goal is to fool people or anything like that. The general problem that we faced is lack of experience in certain fields on both sides. This is our first game and it's huge, and this is the first game of this size for our publisher as well.

Both teams are located in Russia but in different cities (I'm the only person who is located elsewhere, but this is how things have been for years since 2015, so nothing new here). One may say that we could have find a better publisher, but the only options we had were connected with USA, which means different timezones and slow communication. Also I really doubt INSOMNIA would receive the same attention and amount of effort from anyone else given that we have no established name or anything like that.

The good thing is that both publisher and the team are build by young, enthusiastic and energetic people, who put soul in their work. There are mistakes, and we try to learn and do better job with each new day.

 

[fantadomat]

The inventory is really shitty. Wasn't supposed to stack the item when you click sort?! Is there any plans to get fixed,i have the feeling that it worked before.

 

[Jinn]

From Steam:

Yeah, I really appreciated that post. It's easy to assume such things are the case, but when they're willing to just come out and admit such faults it really helps me to sympathize. I'll take honesty over sidestepping and vagueness any day.

This doesn't mean I think they should have released the game in such a state. They could have clearly seen it wasn't ready yet. But I'm happy to have them admit it plainly.

fantadomat the inventory has always been shitty, but yes the latest patch made it worse by disabling auto-sort and making stacking items an impossible chore. One of the main reasons I won't touch the game right now.

 

[toro]

The inventory is really shitty. Wasn't supposed to stack the item when you click sort?! Is there any plans to get fixed,i have the feeling that it worked before.

Yeah. It worked before patch 3.

 

[fantadomat]

The inventory is really shitty. Wasn't supposed to stack the item when you click sort?! Is there any plans to get fixed,i have the feeling that it worked before.

Yeah. It worked before patch 3.

At least they fixed the most important bug. Now it shows 1.3 in when you load the game .

 

[Mustawd]

This is what happens when a dev team spends all their funds on rpgcodex advertisement

 

[fantadomat]

This is what happens when a dev team spends all their funds on rpgcodex advertisement

Something good.

 

[The Wall]

This is what happens when a dev team spends all their funds on rpgcodex advertisement

Gotta be one of the best spent Kickstarter money ever! DarkUnderlord drank it all away, anyway. He filled his bathtub with finest vodka and made Russians pay for it!

Also good riddance to that InSomnia banner! I swear it was alive, it stalked me anywhere I went, nowhere in Codex was I safe from it! It had Oblivion's Adoring Fan AI uploaded

 

[toro]

The factions of Object 6
9 NOVEMBER - VAULT_13

Hello everyone! It’s been a week since v1.3 was out, and after analyzing the feedback you’ve provided, our team has started working on the next patch. You can expect more details regarding the fixes and changes being introduced in v1.4 next week.

Meanwhile, we are continuing our INSOMNIA: The Ark lore series with a new installment that delves deeper into the background of some of the factions that you get to meet while you journey through the rusty corridors of Object 6...

The Ordinate

The Ordinate is a common name for Nomah Autonomy’s armed forces and the largest state institution of Object 6. It has considerable political weight, despite the strengthening position of the Committee in the Autonomy Council. The Ordinate, in many respects, has inherited the traditions and the structure of United Hierarchy’s military and includes two divisions — Dar-Khala and Tyrang, each with its own traditions and insignia.

In addition, the Ordinate includes a subdivision called Scander's Vultures — a special operations branch that is responsible for the most difficult and demanding assignments.



The Committee

An executive authority responsible for ideological propaganda and state security. The political opposition between the Committee and the Ordinate is hardly a secret by they year 412. Shortly before the game’s plot unfolds, the Committee develops into the most influential institution of the Nomah Autonomy. After the terrorist attack on Limb, the Autonomy Council assigns interdepartmental control to the Committee and allows it to create its own militarized detachments.



Ghetters

The inhabitants of the Near Range are commonly referred to as ghetters. There are several social layers in the Near Range society. Reservation dwellers are the most successful among them, as they have the civil rights granted by the Autonomy and a registration — the right to live in slightly better conditions that their neighbours in the Near Range.

Militia

The Militia is a volunteer organization tasked with keeping peace in a number of Near Range reservations. It was established via a meeting between the commandants of several of the largest reservations. The initiative was supported by Urb’s authorities as this has proven to ease tensions among locals.

Serving in the Militia is voluntary and pays minimum wage. These citizen soldiers mostly resolve minor conflicts and help the military garrisons maintain order. The Militia’s HQ is located in reservation D-106 and the organization has been ruled by Zelerk for many years.

Mercenaries

Mercenaries are independent fighters that work on a contract basis and are often associated with the criminal world. The folks you’ll meet in-game come from a variety of backgrounds, mostly ghetters, but their ranks also include deserters from Urb and Junkyard residents.

The Pyramid is the most professional hired detachment in the Near Range. The organization is very selective of its candidates. Its soldiers are trained by former Ordinate officers and utilize high-quality equipment, so the Pyramid commands a hefty price their services. Despite a formal ban on mercenary activities, the organization flourishes as Urb authorities often use its services in situations when having the official army involved would be undesirable.

The House of Bea Kera

A religious cult from reservation D-106. The House of Bea Kera (meaning "The Forgotten Path" in the "vague" dialect) rapidly became one of the largest groups in the sector, challenging the most influential criminal syndicate - the Sons of Morakh.

The religious doctrine of Bea Kera was created by a man named Opherod and is based on the postulate that somnia is a disease that has been sent upon the Nomah race as punishment for their sins. According to the concept of Bea Kera, Somnia is a powerful tool of transformation and a way to achieve unity with the Source.

The Sons of Morakh

The Sons of Morakh are one of the oldest criminal clans in the Junkyard with history dating back to the Exodus. Considering the fact that Prime-General Azar included far fewer people in the evacuation lists than the station could contain, Morakh led his unit to storm one of the entrances of Object 6. His men managed to break through the cordon, rescuing dozens of thousands of people in the process. Morakh soon realized his efforts were in vain - most illegal immigrants died from starvation or killed each other in vicious fights over resources. Those that survived suffered an appalling fate: their descendants became savages and deformants.

In the first few years after the Exodus Morakh proved himself to be a confident leader. He managed to rally the desperate citizen soldiers and organize a military community. The clan turned an abandoned warehouse into its headquarters near Urb, on the premises of the later-established reservation D-106.

Deformants

Deformants are a vast class of creatures inhabiting Object 6. They are essentially mutants that have descended from humans, namely the illegal immigrants who once settled in the remote sectors of the station. Most researchers agree that the mutations were caused by somnic morphogenesis, which had caused hereditary changes in their genetic code with each generation.

The attitude toward the deformants that find their way into the Near Range is quite predictable: the lifespan of various "twitchers", "scratchers", "non-humans", as they are commonly called, is very short. The Autonomy’s Code of Order promises to destroy these creatures by any available means.

Until next time!

 

[Raapys]

These guys are insane. You don't spend weeks or a month fixing game-breaking bugs on a newly released game. You patch it asap and get it out there in hours or a couple of days at most. It's like they don't have the faintest clue about what's going on. Same now with the shitty no-auto-stack inventory sorting bug, which makes the game impossible to play.

The only way this makes any kind of sense is if they fired all their programmers the instant the game was released.