Project GODUS, the ultimate Peter Molyneux fiasco

[Perkel]

Split? Godus Wars is clearly a legitimate strategy game unrelated to the original sim title.

Archers and Catapults only apperently lol.
Snake on vintage nokia 3210 had more strategy than this.

 

[Astral Rag]

Holy shit that gameplay

 

[J_C]

I rather have a Molyneux than Schafer.

Because you are mentally handicapped. But it's alright.

 

[Lucky]

Archers and Catapults only apperently lol.
Snake on vintage nokia 3210 had more strategy than this.

Hey man, there's cards too. Everyone knows cards are super strategic.

 

[Astral Rag]

Defeat the first island of Godus Wars, this is the victory screen you get:

What does 'Premium addon' mean?
archived version

Day 1 DLC in an Early Access game is absurd enough but in this case it's just incredible, wtf were they thinking
I have a feeling this game will be riddled with more microtransactions in no time.

Things are not looking so good for 22 Scams: https://companycheck.co.uk/company/07955622/22CANS-LTD/summary

 

[Luka-boy]

 

[Astral Rag]

 

[insukk]

Jesus, that UI looks like it was made in 5 minutes.
Also there is no gameplay. No game. There is nothing but shit. And memories of past long gone.

Edit. Well, that was fast, it looks like the paywall has been destroyed:

Source: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=615723119

Edit 2.

In the mean time, its been brought to our attention that the extra content being a premium add on really isn’t a popular choice. Whilst we think that it does represent good value, especially considering that Godus Wars has been delivered as a free update to hundreds of thousands of users and the lower purchase price of the main game we understand previous Godus owners frustrations with this.

Source: http://steamcommunity.com/app/422420/discussions/0/405690850603772892/

 

[Astral Rag]

In the mean time, its been brought to our attention that the extra content being a premium add on really isn’t a popular choice.

Whilst we think that it does represent good value, especially considering that Godus Wars has been delivered as a free update to hundreds of thousands of users and the lower purchase price of the main game we understand previous Godus owners frustrations with this.

such generosity wow

 

[insukk]

http://godus.boards.net/post/26427/thread

So, let's do the math.

The game costs 14.99 USD.
The 2nd continent costs 4.99 USD.
There's 7 continents according to the store page.

Assuming there's no other microtransactions (and no discount later on), that's $29.94 of DLC which means it's gonna cost you $44.93 if you want to play the full game.

This is funny. Although now the above calculations are out of date. 8th continent when?

 

[Turjan]

I got Godus from some bundle, which means I have Godus Wars now in my library, too. But oh God, does this look boring. I already get carpal tunnel syndrome from just watching that shit.

 

[Bumvelcrow]

I now feel dirty for defending Molyneux in another thread. I need a scourge.

Edit: Spell checker wants me to write Molybdenum, thus scarring my appreciation for this formerly-beloved transitional metal.

 

[Astral Rag]

Community Herald: Volume Thirteen - The resurrection (Year 4, Week 5)
After months of inactivity we were caught by surprise as 22Cans finally showed some signs of life.


The reappearance

On Wednesday Peter broke his vows and talked to Eurogamer about the controversial interview one year ago and how he wanted to retire. Then he also introduced Godus Wars and talked about Bryan Henderson, who won Curiosity.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-01-22-it-was-tempting-to-retire

At about the same time Colin, their PR officer, also finally wrote something up and posted it in the Godus news section and introduced Godus Wars to us. It's interesting how no one even acknowledges the 5 months of total silence and a years worth of no content updates.

"When is combat coming out?
Right now! With the release of Godus Wars, combat finally makes it’s full introduction into the Godus universe."

This is something you might want to share earlier for a title that's in Early Access, without the need for the community to rely on leaks and digging for information in the Steam Database.

Announcement: Community Update - Godus Wars - February 3rd 2016
Godus, 3 Feb
http://i.imgur.com/SUoOhuo.jpg When is combat coming out? Right now! With the release of Godus Wars, combat finally makes it’s full introduction into the Godus universe.


After all that it's a bit hard to believe the sincerity of collecting feedback and acting accordingly. The way the "feedback forum" is set up, it only allows for bug reports, rebalance changes and slight changes in design, but in no way does it signal their desire to actually make a game the original Godus backers were promised or a game that they would want to play now.


The Split

This is probably a good time to talk about the split between Zen Godus and the violent Godus Wars. Why did it happen? It was never mentioned before, yet it was somehow always part of Peters vision.

It makes no sense, specially since launching the new 'RTS' actually prompts you to chose which game you'd like to play. Zen Godus or Godus Wars. This could have easily been just an update to the original Steam game. The most logical explanation would be that they wanted a clean slate to get a better review score. This theory would explain why they started locking down non positive threads in the forums

and flagging negative reviews as off topic to be removed ( http://godus.boards.net/post/26404/thread ). It's interesting how "well moderated" the forum is considering it's "off-topic". Colin even tried to invalidate negative feedback towards Godus/Godus Wars by claiming that most of the people are just trolls with nothing to say and only hate on Peter. Muir their Mod also set an example by creating the first positive review of the game which was later removed however (you can find a screenshot in the proboards).

Another reason for the split is probably their desire to push microtransactions or paywalls (more on that later). This was probably a problem for original Godus as 22Cans sacredly promised that Godus on PC wouldn't have them as opposed to its mobile counterpart. A new and separate title could also give them an excuse to admit defeat for Kicstarted Godus but still release a consolation prize that isn't tied to all the promises they made and can be monetised. Please note that all that is just speculation based on the information we were given, so feel free to come up with your own conclusion. I also invite 22Cans to provide a proper explanation beyond "Peter has always considered Godus being two games", which is quite the news for anyone that's been here for more than a year ( http://imgur.com/cqpDJVY ).

Something worth noting is that you're no longer able to buy regular Godus separately, but Godus Wars is apparently worth 3/4 of the package.
Prize of Godus Wars: 14,99€
Prize of Godus: 19,99€
http://steamcommunity.com/app/422420/discussions/3/405690850600080907/#c405690850600086646


Microtransactions and paywalls

A forum member who goes by the name Cixi brought to our attention this little cryptic message:
"The Early Access build includes:
First continent included as standard - Second continent available unlock-able via premium addon."

No one from 22Cans or the mod team could be bothered to explain for about 8 hours even though they were obviously very actively monitoring the forums. A user named '71' then finally made it to the end of Godus Wars and was greeted by this friendly little screen:

Yup, they tried to introduce paywalls and microtransactions in this "PC only" game.

22Cans somehow believed the deal was good value, but still removed it after the community had a understandably negative reaction to it. I still somehow doubt this is the last we've seen of $5 paywals as there are about 11 more islands (if I'm not mistaken) to be unlocked.
http://steamcommunity.com/app/422420/discussions/3/405690850601082693/


"We're still here"

It's interesting how they're trying to push out the information that there are actually a "lot" of people working on Godus.
"How many people have been working on Godus and what are their roles?
11 people have worked on Godus Wars..."
Ingame Screenshot: http://imgur.com/zpnIKi9

...almost like they need to prove to someone that the project wasn't abandoned, contrary to almost all of the evidence we had.


Reference articles

Gmr Leon was again kind enough to put together a list of all the media coverage for Godus Wars. You can find them here:
http://godus.boards.net/thread/1331/compiling-godus-wars-articles

There you have it. After about 3 pages worth of notes about the last 3 days I was finally able to write up a summary of everything that happened.


Game status

Radio silence. Evolution of the 4th cycle? - I'm not too sure if this is over. They needed to show some activity to promote Godus Wars, but Zen Godus is still a barren wasteland.

Last Godus game update: 2. April 2015 (310 days ago) - Easter reskin
Last Godus opt-in update: 27. March 2015 (316 days ago) - Very basic combat
Last Godus Wars game update: 3. February 2016 (3 days ago) - Release on Steam
Last official post for Godus: 3. February 2016 (3 days ago) - Godus Wars
Last official post for Godus Wars: 4. February 2016 (3 days ago) - Godus Wars Premium Content

Please note: I invite any discussion related to Godus, Godus Wars or 22Cans in this thread. Please don't lock it just because you think it went off-topic.

edit:

 

[Beastro]

AT least he's just fucking with the gaming industry.

With this guys love of promising shit, I'd hate to imagine him in some field with a serious impact on peoples lives, like being in mental health and hyping all the ways he can solve people's problems only to drive them to suicide.

I love how Pete-toon has an expression like he's asking God WTF he got himself into.

It's also a very flatteringly youthful Pete-toon. Reminds me of the selfie cartoons fat people make on Facebook.

 

[Lightsinthesky]

Judging from that pic Annah's seen some shit

 

[Makabb]

The art looks like it would be scribbled by a 5 year old and is actualy made by a woman..... gee who would've guessed ??

 

[Stokowski]

Edit: Spell checker wants me to write Molybdenum, thus scarring my appreciation for this formerly-beloved transitional metal.

<tangent>

Greatest song ever to employ the word "molybdenum":



</tangent>

 

[Trash]

Peter Molyneux is a guy who, during my adolescense, was the guy who constantly came up with these new and awesome games. Populous, Syndicate, Magic Carpet, Theme Park, Dungeon Keeper. Later on he seemed to lose it somewhat. Sure, still interesting ideas behind his games but the execution faltered. Still, I couldn't forget those awesome classics I grew up with and, honestly, enjoyed Fable 2 once more for a great deal. So, I kept defending him. The guy's legacy was just too good. But this? Holy fuck... He really went to the shitter with 22Cans.

 

[J_C]

Peter Molyneux is a guy who, during my adolescense, was the guy who constantly came up with these new and awesome games. Populous, Syndicate, Magic Carpet, Theme Park, Dungeon Keeper. Later on he seemed to lose it somewhat. Sure, still interesting ideas behind his games but the execution faltered. Still, I couldn't forget those awesome classics I grew up with and, honestly, enjoyed Fable 2 once more for a great deal. So, I kept defending him. The guy's legacy was just too good. But this? Holy fuck... He really went to the shitter with 22Cans.

I think since the guy is filthy rich, he's just making whatever comes up in his mind, without thinking it through.

 

[Wilian]

Peter Molyneux is a guy who, during my adolescense, was the guy who constantly came up with these new and awesome games. Populous, Syndicate, Magic Carpet, Theme Park, Dungeon Keeper. Later on he seemed to lose it somewhat. Sure, still interesting ideas behind his games but the execution faltered. Still, I couldn't forget those awesome classics I grew up with and, honestly, enjoyed Fable 2 once more for a great deal. So, I kept defending him. The guy's legacy was just too good. But this? Holy fuck... He really went to the shitter with 22Cans.

That's what happens when you lose the talented people around you.

 

[Astral Rag]

Community Herald: Volume Sixteen - Year of the trebuchet (Year 4, Week 8)

As expected not much is happening on the Godus (Wars) front. As per usual we don't even know how many people are still working on the game(s). 22Cans however do seem to be very concerned about trebuchet feedback:

http://godus.boards.net/thread/1422/any-feedback-regarding-trebuchet


Space eater

Some people are reporting that Godus is taking up a lot of disk space (105GB ) and that the same might also be true for Godus Wars. Be sure to check the size of your game folders.
https://steamcommunity.com/app/232810/discussions/0/412447613578153377/


Revisiting old sins

Due to some less than positive reactions from the masses, Bryan Henderson decided to donate the promised money from gamebundle[www.gamebundle.com] to the SpecialEffect charity[www.specialeffect.org.uk] instead.
Thanks to mindless and others who brought the story to our attention.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...of-a-new-game-bundle-to-go-to-charity-instead


Game status
Radio silence. Evolution of the 4th cycle.
Last Godus game update: 2. April 2015 (331 days ago) - Easter reskin
Last Godus opt-in update: 27. March 2015 (337 days ago) - Very basic combat
Last Godus Wars game update: 10. February 2016 (17 days ago) - Update 1 - Build 13679
Last official post for Godus: 3. February 2016 (24 days ago) - Godus Wars
Last official post for Godus Wars: 10. February 2016 (17 days ago) - Update 1 - Build 13679

 

[insukk]

Shit is dead as shit. Even then the game was worth it for the short butthurt and clusterfuckness that it generated.

 

[Astral Rag]

Good new Godus Wars fans:

We've just pushed a new update to Godus Wars. This update brings a whole host of new features and fixes - New units, new lands and new graphics settings!

 

[Hoaxmetal]

Good new Godus Wars fans:

Godus fans, all 25 of them

 

[insukk]

Jesus Christ, so only developers (all 2 of them) and their families are still playing this.