Development Diary #105: 1.7 "Bastion" Update

[Amtep]

Of course the #1 thing you can do for modders is make the "Variable is set but not used" error message more accurate

 

[Shake Appeal]

Most people here are probably too young to remember this but there was a time when games were released after they were finished

I'm old enough to remember downloading a patch for Fallout 2 in 1998 so the executable would actually run, so this is some vivid memory you have.

 

[Sorbo]

The traits are also integrated as sins/virtues and can be more valued or common depending on cultural traditions.

Hope that means that Disloyal trait is considered a virtue for Sacred Lies tenet.

 

[grzegorz444]

Great update! Only thing I’m not sure of is the crossed fingers representing disloyal. Maybe a serpent would be better? Would match with the animal theme of the dog / loyal.

Edit: I looked up the traits and deceitful already has a snake. I don’t know - sounds pretty hard to distinguish disloyal from deceitful. Mechanically I like the distinction though.

Agree, it's quite mysterious for me. It makes IMO sense if character gets this trait after constant plotting against liege, but Is it really necessary ? Maybe as a part of whole new mechanic...

 

[TheRevanchist25]

Like I said, I really like the Day 1 Paradox games. Then why wait 10 years?

Because it would be better. That's pretty obvious.

 

[Stein14]

Because it would be better. That's pretty obvious.

Pretty obviously not. Otherwise they wouldn't be so lonely with their opinions. You can do that for yourself, but don't expect that you will be a majority.

 

[Azkiol]

And you can still play it for hundreds of hours while you wait 10 years for the next finished game to come out...your not really making a compelling case.

It's idiotic to expect a good game of this scale when there is 0 fan input. It's a similar model to early access games, except it can be marketed much easier.


Also considering that most people don't have 200 bucks to drop on a game they might not even like, so the DLC model actually allows the audience to grow rather that cater solely old fans who'll probably despise the direction the game takes anyway.

 

[TheRevanchist25]

Pretty obviously not. Otherwise they wouldn't be so lonely with their opinions. You can do that for yourself, but don't expect that you will be a majority.

Their not lonely in their opinions, just because you and your friends don't do that, does not mean your magically a majority opinion. But keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better.

 

[grommile]

Because it would be better. That's pretty obvious.

Things you regard as obvious are not necessarily obvious to others.

The problems with the "spend ten years in development, then release as one big lump for $200" model include:

• The price tag causes "sticker shock", because your $200 game is surrounded by games priced between $5 and $50.
• The project takes ten years to yield any revenue, which is a pretty poor showing in market sectors where capital and labour barriers to entry are low.
• Someone who embraces the "worse is better" approach to software development – the view that where "less than perfect" is acceptable in the first place, acceptable software that exists and is available is axiomatically superior to perfect software that will be available in five years time – can steal a march on you by releasing a $40 game that does 20% of what your game does; that 20% could easily still be over 100% of what it takes to satisfy the average customer in your target market.
• Sunlight and oxygen are the great disinfectants. If you spend ten years developing your game in secret, it may be a glorious masterpiece... or it may not. And if it isn't, you've incurred ten years of development costs for something that may not even be worth one year of development costs.

People like to wave around the "games were released when they were finished" thing... but let me remind you that history has been littered, all the way back to the dawn of home computer gaming, with games sold to the general public in a condition that was riddled with bugs, glitches, undercooked content, stubbed-out content, poorly tuned mechanics, and so forth.

In the 1980s, getting fixes (if they exist) for a broken game required my mum to send the original media back to the publisher with a cheque for $5.95 shipping and handling and wait 4-6 weeks for delivery. (That is a real example, by the way: the Apple II version of New World Computing's Might & Magic II.)

Today, getting fixes (if they exist) for a broken game requires me to start up Steam / open itch.io in my web browser and download the update.

 

[johnty5]

Their not lonely in their opinions, just because you and your friends don't do that, does not mean your magically a majority opinion. But keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better.

Maybe I'm misreading this, but - by saying that @Stein14's opinion isn't the majority - are you suggesting that the majority of CK fans are currently waiting 10 years before buying the game?

 

[TheRevanchist25]

Things you regard as obvious are not necessarily obvious to others.

The problems with the "spend ten years in development, then release as one big lump for $200" model include:

• The price tag causes "sticker shock", because your $200 game is surrounded by games priced between $5 and $50.
• The project takes ten years to yield any revenue, which is a pretty poor showing in market sectors where capital and labour barriers to entry are low.
• Someone who embraces the "worse is better" approach to software development – the view that where "less than perfect" is acceptable in the first place, acceptable software that exists and is available is axiomatically superior to perfect software that will be available in five years time – can steal a march on you by releasing a $40 game that does 20% of what your game does; that 20% could easily still be over 100% of what it takes to satisfy the average customer in your target market.
• Sunlight and oxygen are the great disinfectants. If you spend ten years developing your game in secret, it may be a glorious masterpiece... or it may not. And if it isn't, you've incurred ten years of development costs for something that may not even be worth one year of development costs.

People like to wave around the "games were released when they were finished" thing... but let me remind you that history has been littered, all the way back to the dawn of home computer gaming, with games sold to the general public in a condition that was riddled with bugs, glitches, undercooked content, stubbed-out content, poorly tuned mechanics, and so forth.

In the 1980s, getting fixes (if they exist) for a broken game required my mum to send the original media back to the publisher with a cheque for $5.95 shipping and handling and wait 4-6 weeks for delivery. (That is a real example, by the way: the Apple II version of New World Computing's Might & Magic II.)

Today, getting fixes (if they exist) for a broken game requires me to start up Steam / open itch.io in my web browser and download the update.

YOu are correct, and that ease of fixes, has objectively incentivized companies to put in less effort up front, because you all just shrug and forgive it and move on, while charging the same prices as they did before.

 

[Thomas_Oak]

I cringed when I saw the character memories image. You can't start a sentence in English with the word "me"

 

[Blodhevn]

I cringed when I saw the character memories image. You can't start a sentence in English with the word "me"

doesnt it say "My" ? My friends and I . etc

 

[TheRevanchist25]

I cringed when I saw the character memories image. You can't start a sentence in English with the word "me"

You aints finna tells me how I is sposta talk!

 

[grommile]

I cringed when I saw the character memories image. You can't start a sentence in English with the word "me"

Eh. I mostly associate your complaint with doctrinaire schoolteachers trying to humiliate their pupils over a formally-incorrect construct that does not impede comprehension.

 

[james24eagle]

A suggestion… do something similar with religions - and possibly even cultures or titles. Great events or dates are captured and can be referenced in, or to trigger events in the future.

For example, if you are a Catholic there might be a short basic list of feast days: Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, All Saints, etc. There should be a base chance that an even will trigger on that date each year, so Christmas might be 15%, Easter 20%, Good Friday 5%, etc.

From there a character’s traits should further modify the change… if you’re zealous the frequency increases. If you’re arbitrary it decreases.

The religion would “remember” major events that occur in game - and before the game start.

You could use this to trigger Jubilee years, anniversaries of major religious-related events like councils or revolts, anniversaries of papal accession, in-game created saints days, etc

 

[neutrondecay]

A suggestion… do something similar with religions - and possibly even cultures or titles. Great events or dates are captured and can be referenced in, or to trigger events in the future.

For example, if you are a Catholic there might be a short basic list of feast days: Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, All Saints, etc. There should be a base chance that an even will trigger on that date each year, so Christmas might be 15%, Easter 20%, Good Friday 5%, etc.

From there a character’s traits should further modify the change… if you’re zealous the frequency increases. If you’re arbitrary it decreases.

The religion would “remember” major events that occur in game - and before the game start.

You could use this to trigger Jubilee years, anniversaries of major religious-related events like councils or revolts, anniversaries of papal accession, in-game created saints days, etc

This is a great idea, but it would work even better if they had adopted my suggestion of customisable calendars. Because the Lunar New Year, Rosh Hashanah, and Eid-ul-Fitr do not occur on the same Gregorian dates each year (and nor does Easter).

nd

 

[grandad1982]

Oh good. Our characters can now remember the rubbish fart jokes and constant infidelities of our spouses.

 

[Thomas_Oak]

doesnt it say "My" ? My friends and I . etc

It says "Me and Rajkumar decided to let go of our grudge" So painful to look at.

 

[Amtep]

Hey at least it's consistent about whether the player is "you" or "me" not all windows are that consistent