Abandonware?

[Malarkey]

This game now looks like abandonware.
It released into 1.0 status just under 3 months ago, but there is no talk of updates or fixes.

The devs are eerily absent on Steam discussions and the official Discord server.
It looks as if they either moved onto new projects, or went on holiday. Complete radio silence.

Unsurprisingly, the number of players now struggles to go above 100 on any given day
https://steamcharts.com/app/2750000

Waste of what was potentially a promising game..

[Fenix]

The game is done.
They could release more bug fixes, the last one was last month… but anything more than that, you are expecting too much, for a fun little $20 game.

[pmi]

I loved to play the game (once) and enyoyed most the time, but it lacks replayability because of variance and it laclusters a challenging endgame. When you research the last islands, you have no need to even set a paw (or whatever the feet of ants are called) on them.

a monumental resource intensive monument would be a good end challenge

[GMJoe]

"Abandonware" is when a game is no longer being sold by anyone who owns the right to do so. This game isn't abandonware, since you can buy it on Steam.

Also, as others have said, a game's development being completed is a good thing. It means you can play the finished game, which is much batter than playing an unfinished game.

[Malarkey]

Abandonware is when a game has been abandoned by the developers, as the name states. Whether it is still being sold or not is irrelevant. There are plenty of games still being sold on Steam that are effectively abandoned although they are in an unfinished state. People reviewing such games warn others off from buying them.

Microtopia might seem complete to you, but it does not feel that way to me, If you believe it is, maybe you haven't had the 'pleasure' of trying to remodel your base after acquiring concrete floor tiles and having to painstakingly remake every building, every trail and logic gate by hand - dozens of them, if not hundreds.

A blueprint copy/paste feature would resolve this, like all good factory games have these days. You know these games and probably have them in your Steam library. The fact that the devs of Microtopia either do not know of these features, or do not care to build them into their game, makes it feel less than finished.

This game was a lot of fun to play at the start, when one is still learning the ropes, but it does not feel rounded or fun beyond a certain point. I would refund it if I still could, but I cannot.

I played 35 hours, I will not play it any more until, or unless, it receives new features to make playing it into the end game viable.

[GMJoe]

No, "abandonware" definitely means software that is no longer sold. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abandonware, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abandonware, https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/abandonware, or pretty much any other dictionary that includes the word.

This game isn't abandonware. It's no longer in active development, but that on its own isn't enough to meet the definition of "abandonware."

[Malarkey]

Merriam-Webster - "software that is no longer sold or supported by its creator" (emphasis mine)
Collins Dictionary - "computer software that is no longer sold or supported by its publisher" (emphasis mine)

It amuses me no end that you selectively cherrypick the parts that SUPPORT (lol) your argument while choosing to ignore those that don't.

[Fenix]

Well since the last bugfix was last month, that don't seem like abandonware to me....
It has be at least a year since the last patch before, I'm going consider Abandonware.

[GMJoe]

Fair point. I interpreted that sentence as meaning "software that is no longer (sold or supported)," i.e.: that if it is still being either sold or supported, it isn't abandonware; but now that you mention it, I can see how the sentence could also be read as meaning "software that is no longer (either) sold or supported." I guess the wording of both the Mirriam-Webster and Collins dictionaries' definitions is ambiguous.

I guess the sensible thing to do would be to go and do some research, and perhaps read some articles that go into more detail on the definition of the term than a one-line dictionary entry... Such as the Wikipedia article I linked. That sounds like a fun time, so I guess I'll go and do that.

[j.chris.holmes]

I haven't quite "beaten" the game yet - but still enjoying it. I would love the devs to just confirm if they're done or if they have plans for more.