Why Holy Jesus? Why?

[Roqua]

Its been like 12 years now, what the fuck are you doing?

I wish we could go back in time to the pre-internet days when consumer feedback was only given after the product was released. We would already be done playing part 1 and you'd almost be done with part two with all the "fancy enhancements" if you stopped listening to your "fans."

Please tell me you already have most of part 2 completed including all the dialogue, quests, etc, and the team will get a cracking as soon as one is released and we can have part 2 before my balls wither up inside me and my bones are too frail and muscles too weak to manipulate a mouse.

This might be the only game that has been in development longer than Grimoire. Please don't, whatever you do, not make a part 2 or 3 using the same assets. Fuck consistent story elements or a coherent timeline.

I really should be the only person you get development advice from since I am the only person with impeccable taste in games. You like the Gothics, Dhruin didn't like Hammer and Sickle, and everyone else sucks balls and plays fps's. That leaves only me leading the way of good. And only good advice is worth listening to. If you listened to me from the beginning you would be rich from the release of part 1 and soon to be richer from the release of 2. Now look where you are. Your wife told me you pee sitting down like a girl and have nightmares about interfaces and grammar.

After part 3 is released if you need to work on another game I have the perfect idea: a diablo-clone but everyone fights with Tia-chi. Thats fucking hilarious.

 

[Kraszu]

Maybe that will help you Roqua:
http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/?Media=PlayFlash

 

[SlavemasterT]

I agree with Roqua - release the game.

 

[kingcomrade]

If you let roqua bully you then the terrorists win

 

[Vault Dweller]

It takes time to do it right.

 

[Jora]

How many months do you expect we'll have to endure? Two, three, even four?

 

[Roqua]

Every super-classic post-95 has been filled with bugs. If you polish it too well you are doomed to have a flop or an average game.

I hope not Jora. I'm getting weaker by the minute. I say two weeks or we strike. The people united, will never be defeated.

 

[obediah]

How many months do you expect we'll have to endure? Two, three, even four?

I'm going to take a guess and say 4-6 months. I even bet we're looking at 1-2 months of finishing up development and then 2-4 months of polish.

 

[Goliath]

Easy solution: track down VD using his IP address and liberate the code! At this point violence is justified if you ask me.

 

[sabishii]

Wait, so how long has this been in development, really?

 

[Ladonna]

These guys have jobs you know?

And probably kids, and wives and/or partners/mistresses/gigalo's. Maybe even pets. Rotary club memberships. Kung Fu classes. Union meetings. World bank forums. Etc.

Its amazing the game has progressed as far as it has after the 'upgrade' that happened.

 

[Fez]

VD has a job, this is his pet project. He doesn't have to rush or ship it just to make the mortgage payment and it will be all the better for it.

 

[Balor]

Well, in Soviet Russia, we are quite used to waiting long for games (think STALKER), so unless it will take 3 or 4 years - it's ok.

 

[Roqua]

Wait, so how long has this been in development, really?

It was originally a text game started in 81, then switched to ega then svga. Then the whole "multi-media" wave hit and he had a contract with a Swiss band to composs the music and a couple well-known voice-actors for voice overs, but he found the joys of crystal meth soon after and the game was put on the back burner. Then the PtD guys got him clean and gave him their engine to work with, and he won a engine programmer on Oprah and decided to start from scratch again. The game was in beatiful 2-d long enough to come out with some screen shots, then switched to 3-d, then was done but VD wanted the words and UI to shine and delayed release 5 more years to improve those aspects. And ehre we are.

 

[Shagnak]

The game was in beatiful 2-d long enough to come out with some screen shots.

I think that was the point at which I gave a damn. Then VD had one of his lucid moments and mailed me his crystal meth stash. Since then I haven't been able to find the AoD forum...until now.

True story.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Since I have to say something...

We started working on the game in Mar 2004, so it's been 3 years already. We work on it every day, but we all have jobs, so it's not the same as working for 3 years full time.

If a game like AoD was announced by a company like Troika - may it rest in peace - I would have expected at least 3 years of development by 10-15 people full time team. So, the 3 years that we spent working on the game isn't too much at all. I'd say that in our situation that's the bare minimum.

I've made this point before, but look at Gothic 3. It's a flawed game with a lot of potential. I really wish they could have worked on it for another 6 months to a year on it to make a really great game. That's what we are doing at the moment. We are not fixing bugs, we are polishing features.

As to when, I can't really say. When I feel that the game is ready. Obviously, I want to ship it as soon as possible since I'm kinda sick and tired of all AoD crap, but if I have to take another 3 years to do it right, I will. Like I said many times, I have one chance to break into the gaming industry and change my career, and I won't fuck it up by releasing an unfinished game.

Anyway, we've been tweaking the combat system the last few months. An update is coming, and most likely, we'll show a combat video, so stay tuned and give me a fucking break.

Teh end.

 

[GhanBuriGhan]

I guess everyone here wants that you polish it. But also everyone wants to be sure it doesnt end up as vaporware, or as I prefer to term it, waitware. Keep in mind all the things that work against you if you truly would wait 3 years (which I know you don't want) Vista or its successor will dominate the market - will your game still run? The graphics will look way more aged again. There will be bad vaporware press like for Grimoire. You are probably aware of all that, but I guess that's where part of the impatience comes from. You are not the only one who would like to see AoD have at least a modest success.

 

[Jasede]

Fuck the whiners.
Polish it like a lusty Argonian maid, until it sparkles brightly enough to blind the infidels. Take another three years if you need them.

 

[Vault Dweller]

I guess everyone here wants that you polish it. But also everyone wants to be sure it doesnt end up as vaporware, or as I prefer to term it, waitware.

I can assure everyone that the game will be released. You can judge how far we've gone by the screens that were posted in different articles/interviews. Throwing it all away wouldn't make much sense.

The graphics will look way more aged again.

If the graphics were more aged it would have been an ASCII game

There will be bad vaporware press like for Grimoire.

Well, Grimoire has been in development for what, 8-9 years? Now that's vaporware. Only a few screens have been shown, which isn't much. Anyway, there isn't much I can do here. The game will be released when it's ready.

You are not the only one who would like to see AoD have at least a modest success.

Thanks.

 

[VasikkA]

So are you done yet?







What about now?

No really, as an independent developer you have the luxury of taking all the time necessary to perfect the game. I'd rather see it being used than throwing away 3 years of development time for a measly 6 months or so. But, of course, I now expect AoD to be flawless.

 

[suibhne]

Polish it like a lusty Argonian maid, until it sparkles brightly enough to blind the infidels.

 

[denizsi]

How suitable is the game's code base and asset implementation to updates? If, after so much polish, there are any flaws at all but it would be such a pain in the ass to provide compact updates so it will take quite some time to see a fix, well I don't know but it doesn't sound nice for sure

 

[kingcomrade]

Polish it like a lusty Argonian maid, until it sparkles brightly enough to blind the infidels.

Ya, total comma abuse.

 

[Jasede]

*;

 

[kingcomrade]

';,;'