Just how long has this been an early access Game?

[angriff]

Webpage says released in 2013

[angriff]

How long is too long for early access?

[seqdcer]

Games take 3-5 years to develop when starting from scratch.

[GF]

With the benefit of experience and hindsight from this project, I'd say that 6-12 months is the ideal period for games to be in Early Access. That is the period that seems to be acceptable in the mind of players, and is sufficient time to allow developers to discover any issues and make changes.

The main things we can do having launched too early is what we've been doing for the last few years: communicating openly and listening to feedback, putting out regular updates, being careful with finances to ensure the game gets finished, and remaining committed.

[Ydyp]

Also don't forget that they changed a lot of the underlaying mechanics to implement sandbox and the tilebase system we have now instead of the old handmade static maps. This took some serieus time out of the developement as well.

And it seems the game is getting into a nice shapre again.

[The God Ghetto Holy]

I think games should do a few more Alphas. I for one, as a programmer, can't imagine anything being considered TOO MUCH EARLY ACCESS! As long as it's updating, it's being worked on right?

[AngryPuppy]

I've had this game installed since sometime late 2016 and have yet to see an update so, yeah...

[GF]

Originally posted by AngryPuppy:

I've had this game installed since sometime late 2016 and have yet to see an update so, yeah...

If you prefer regular updates, please opt-in to the experimental build:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/224440/discussions/0/541906348034355622/

Here's a list of the updates:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/224440/allnews/

There have been 5 updates to the experimental build since the last Alpha on December 20th. The 6th update will be live later this week.

This information is promoted on the right hand side of the start screen under the heading 'Looking For More Patches?'

The main public build is the latest stable build. The experimental build may contain bugs that introduce instability.

[Peppe Le point]

Originally posted by Games Foundry:

Originally posted by AngryPuppy:

I've had this game installed since sometime late 2016 and have yet to see an update so, yeah...

If you prefer regular updates, please opt-in to the experimental build:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/224440/discussions/0/541906348034355622/

Here's a list of the updates:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/224440/allnews/

There have been 5 updates to the experimental build since the last Alpha on December 20th. The 6th update will be live later this week.

This information is promoted on the right hand side of the start screen under the heading 'Looking For More Patches?'

The main public build is the latest stable build. The experimental build may contain bugs that introduce instability.

You update a lot which I think is cool. Honestly, I enjoyed the game as it was a few years back and expected it to develop into a fantastic title. Probably 2-3 times a year I check back just to see what you have changed or updated.

I paid $10 I think for the game and I look forward to the day its fully realized.

In hindsight, would you take on such an ambitious project in the future by yourself?

[GF]

We have a team, just not a very big one. Game development is complicated and challenging, and this project has produced the following lessons learned (with the benefit of hindsight). This isn't an exhaustive list.

WHAT WENT WRONG

1. We launched too early (in 2013), and as one of the first games into Early Access there were no established rules or expectations. It became evident that players expect games to be completed within 6-12 months and patience wears thin very quickly.

2. Tackling a multi-genre game was a mistake. Instead of developing in one genre, we're developing three: a city-builder, an RPG, and an RTS (to some extent). To do that well requires a lot of man-years.

3. Changing scope was a mistake, even though it has lead to a better game. We should have simply carried on with what we had at launch and not redeveloped from scratch.

4. Dev blogs were all the rage in games development early on. A monthly video blog took too long to produce, and that time would have been better invested in working on patches. Blogs are fine pre-release to build interest, but once a game is available in the wild, time is better invested in driving regular patches.

5. Spreading my time as Project Lead too thinly, although this has been out of necessity more than anything. Now that demand on my time in certain areas has reduced, I'm back to gameplay programming and that's starting to have an impact.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

1. Iteration and feedback. We've rewritten so many systems based on both our own assessment and community feedback. That has most definitely contributed to a better game. However it also contributed to an extended development time and requires a much greater investment.

2. Communication. We've been in the forums answering posts every day since launch, and many players value that.

3. Financial Management. We've all seen case studies of devs running out of cash. Projects either get abandoned and the devs go quiet, or pushed out too early. As a business we're strong in this area due to prudent financial planning.

4. Team selection and remote working. We've had (and have) some really talented folks working on the game and they've been instrumental in making it a great game. Their commitment and passion is a cornerstone.

5. Having the experimental build. Although I'm no longer sure. We've achieved our goal of more regular patches while maintaining a stable build, but perhaps the large notice on the start screen about the experimental build isn't enough.

6. The game itself. I'm proud of what the team has accomplished with the help of the community.

So to answer your question, yes I would tackle a large scope project again, but with the lessons we've learned from this project.

[Storm]

I've had this game in my library for a LONG time, years. After all the negative reviews lately, I decided to bite the bullet and finally fire it up (I've been waiting for it to release) so I could see for myself. For the first time ever, I actually feel bad that I got a game on discount during a sale and decided I'm going to buy it for my son's 10th birthday in a few days just so I can pay full price for it.

And yeah, one of those positive reviews between the harsh sea of negatives is mine...

[Xordania]

"1. Iteration and feedback. We've rewritten so many systems based on both our own assessment and community feedback. That has most definitely contributed to a better game. However it also contributed to an extended development time and requires a much greater investment.

2. Communication. We've been in the forums answering posts every day since launch, and many players value that."

I'd like to call you out here, I've read many a story and post about how you and your dev crew and moderators treat critics and fanbase alike. A post that has beeen copied from your forums where Simon Dean begged for positive reviews and guilt tripped his playerbase with the "failure" of his game. That and people being banned for being critics or questioning the devs.

I was going to actually but the game before I read all this, now you can say that these people have now "hurt" your sales, but this was all self inflicted. Never antagonise or alienate your playerbase or it will bite you in the ass.

[GF]

Perspective is everything. There have been just 11 permanent bans in 4 years from the thousands of community members that have posted here.

[Xordania]

Originally posted by Games Foundry:

Perspective is everything. There have been just 11 permanent bans in 4 years from the thousands of community members that have posted here.

And from your actual forums?

[Storm]

Every ban I've seen happen has been very well deserved due to course language and the like. I've never seen anyone get banned simply for having an opinion.

It's like making a scene about people going to jail without taking into account the crimes they've commited to land them there.

[GF]

Originally posted by TTV/Xordania:

And from your actual forums?

We only have this forum.