So is this game dead?

[whichearlobe]

Kind of a silly question but I was hoping that it'd be slightly populated upon purchase. I was having fun in the free version so I decided to buy and support the developers but it's saddening to see that no one is playing it.

[Dakkat]

There's over 10+ people playing right now as of this post so I assure you that's very much not the case. You'll find that most folks selectively play on the weekends around noon and in the late evenings (2pm and 7:30pm EST).

Activity usually spikes in the the 20+ range after a playtest is announced on the official twitter.

[whichearlobe]

Yeah, I actually just got out of playing with about eleven other people. I was afraid my money went to waste for nothing.

[Dakkat]

Also, since this is an early access game, your money is directly funding development. So rest assured it is being put to good use!

[SPQR]

the free version is more active for now, i also find it to be superior in many aspects

[tons0phun]

I was in a game with 20+ people yesterday.

[apat]

I'd be more worried at how little the dev is actually working on the game. This game is supposed to be in Early Acess, that means a lot of development should be going on, but there hasn't been any updates in over a month? This game is looking like a major cash grab just to milk whatever he could out of the original.

[Kalsb]

Wile developement may be slower than we'd all like, the dev is still working on the game. He will usually tweet about stuff he's working on/planning to add and often pops in the game to check on stuff. If you catch him during this time you can ask him stuff. Also, this technically isn't an indie game because the dev has been picked up by a publisher. I doubt the publisher would let this game sit unfinished.

[Dakkat]

Originally posted by apat:

I'd be more worried at how little the dev is actually working on the game. This game is supposed to be in Early Acess, that means a lot of development should be going on, but there hasn't been any updates in over a month? This game is looking like a major cash grab just to milk whatever he could out of the original.

Assuming you mean updates here in Steam, I agree that regular posts would be good for keeping folks updated. Until that happens you can check the Official Sub Rosa Twitter page for updates (this is mentioned on the steam page). There also is the Dev's personal twitter where he posts consistent info on the game's progress.


@Kalsb: Sub Rosa is still an Indie Game. Devolver Digital only helps with marketing and distribution on multiple platforms (they also seem to do quality checks by playtesting with developers). The way I understand it is that the indie game developers make the game themselves but with Devolver's support. The devs and their game are still considered "independent" since they have not been hired by Devolver to make the game.

At the pace Crypticsea has developing Sub Rosa I'd say it is highly unlikely that he would ever stop development.

[Kalsb]

My understanding is that indie means independent of publishers. Since Devolver is funding crypticsea they have a say in developement. Whether or not they do anything with that is up to them but they still have the ability to pull funding if they don't like it.
Unfortunately, I don't have any math to back up this argument...

[StrawberryTofu]

sigh i have only ever been on a server with 2 people no ones on when im on :I

[Satori]

Yeah, i've never seen more than 5. There needs to be a performance patch, the game needs to be released on steam, & the demo needs to be adjusted. Right now there are always more ppl on the demo than the real game.

[rogue conditioned unit]

there were >10 on last night

[Godhand Himself]

The game itself isnt dead, but it seems the store page is pretty much dead

[Dakkat]

Originally posted by Mops TENTACLE BOSS:

I cant remember the last time the developer cared to update this. Having only 10+ players on top of that isn't really the best sign for a games longevity.

Well, since the Alpha's release in November year it has had five updates (three major ones with two smaller fixes that followed soon after 0.23).

I do agree the game's player base is low but this seems to be desired for stability reasons given the game is still in its Alpha stage. Once it is released on early access this could change (I would say likely).

In the meantime the subreddit has organized the "Casual Fridays" play sessions as well as the Community Events. These pull in 15+ people generally.

[Dakkat]

The last major update was in January.[crypticsea.blogspot.com] The smaller updates followed fairly soon afterward.