This week we intend to release the first update to the Demigod engine test beta (beta 1-A). Under the hood there have been tons of changes made and we're beginning to make room for some of the more significant changes you'll be seeing in Beta 2 (beginning of November).
Here are some of the highlights:
My friend Soren Johnson has a great article entitled "the seven deadly sins of strategy games". The bottom line is to paraphrase Sid Meijer, good strategy games give players "interesting" choices.
The flags in Demigod are going to be core element to this because controlling these flags are how the different sides will gain tremendous advantages.
A good player (or team) would be able to quickly eliminate a new player or team simply by taking these flags and holding them long enough to overwhelm the enemy. This prevents the problem in many multiplayer games where even when you're playing against unskilled players, you're still committing a lot of time to the game. Yet, at the same time, the game mechanic is straight forward enough that it's intuitive to players why they're winning or losing.
The team is brain storming all kinds of different types of flags. For beta 1-A, we just did gold as a proof of concept.
This next change is going to be more controversial without some explanation. When someone posts about this saying how they hate this change, point them to this post. The idea is that we're starting to make room in the UI and in the balancing for lots of additional skills as well as skill buffing (where you enhance one of the existing skills with a modifier). So don't take this screen as implying that we're going to have some dull linear progression.
The second map is in. The mine map is somewhat smaller but has some interesting strategic conundrums.
So when will the beta be out? We are targeting this Thursday (basically we release betas on Thursdays typically).
Looking good, I hope to be able to take part in this sometime this weekend.
Oh yeah new updates coming up, thank you.
Question- is there any chance that in any update to come we will see more than 4 active abilities. because it kind of limiting in a way.
But anyway, any update is good, especially if it includ new demigod and maps
Updates looking awsome so far, really liking them.
But please, please DONT FORGET TO NERF FLAG LOCKING. Atm its way too OP and if its kept like this for the next beta we wont have a chance to try out the new gold mine/flag posistions effectively. It will render the map updates useless.
The cookie killing shall continue if it is not released by the end of this week.
You have been warned.
Nerfs and buffs are not relevant at this point in time. They're going for stability right now, balance is for later.
now is the one comming up concidered still beta 1 when it comes to preordering? like if i were to preorder now i could get in or still have to wait till nov?
thank you for creating this game, it is win
This is still considered beta 1, as it is beta 1A. They will have beta 2 in end of oct/nov, then new preorders will be able to join.
OMFGBBQSAWS I just spat all over my keyboard when I saw this!!!!!!!!!!!1111
That new map looks... well... EPIC!! I dare ANYONE to complain about 'linear' symmetrical maps in this game if that new map is a sign of what is to come!!!!
IS IT THURSDAY YET?!????
ummm curseman they just said that this next patch is going for improved balance so its pretty clear that nerfs and buffs is relevant at ths point in time.
Please please please have some sort of mouse scrolling!
Wait a minute.....Draginol has his own site!
Let's look through all his crap!
The balance changes happening at this point will still be at only a very basic, conceptual level. It's clearly named as part of the "Demigod engine test beta." I wouldn't expect any real balance work to be done at this point, or at beta 2 either, really. It's only relevant and productive once all of the game mechanics are fully in place.
Wow Thank you for the flags I ask for this early on.
Here are some ideas for flags.
And when the flags are placed on the map they can stay at the same location,
However can we make what they are random each game and map???
I can wait LOL
Yea this is Beta 1-A though, its passing through its Engine Test phase. You dont expect any real balance work to be done at this point? Well guess what, it has already been done. The rooks boulders has been reduced in speed, and now does not stun but slows the enemies down. Thats one example, so incase your wondering, they ARE balancing the game in the next patch and they trying out different flag positions etc. and so if flag locking isnt nerfed then how can we say whether the new maps/flags/gold mine positions are good?
Changing price of flag locking to 1k-2k or reducing its time to 1 minute - 2 minutes isnt really hardcore balancing
And improtith I think if they were to apply all those buffs for when you capture the flag the game would be over as soon as someone captures a flag.
Yes more flags!!! And increase locking time on all flags and reduce cost by half
i'd like to see that actualy, and I was thinking that before..
What I don't want to see is requiring, say, Rock Roll and upgrades to it in order to get Hammer Bash. The trees should just be to upgrade the actual skills and buffs.
I hate skill prereqs
Same thing if they made the tele-to-building scrolls cost too much. They just wouldn't be used, and might as well not be in the game. People complain about those but i think they're fine. It's the artifact tele item that's too good.
How will that not fix the problem? And people would still use them, it just means they wouldnt be able to be permantley locked and you would have to sacrifice a reasonable amount of gold to fix it. Hence how I said increase price OR reduce time..not both. If flags were 1k for 5 minutes people would still use them, and if they were 500g for 1-2 minutes people would still use them. You should have to sacrifice something to use the flags so there is actually an element of choice in this game. Do I use it or do I save up for items? etc. It adds depth.
And flag locking is a brilliant idea imo. It is a balance issue, not a broken game mechanic. Its just too OP atm. Stun locking is too OP too, not a broken game mechanic. If they were both implied properly there would be no problem..
Flag locking isn't broken it is called strategy just because some people don't fight for strategy and lose the flag early they whine I won't mention all their names but geez please play the game and fight for a strategic part of the game and quit whining about it so you can keep playing the way you play this beta isn't abouit balance so quit whining about it and fight for the damn flag bunch of creep farming babies
For all you flag lock haters this is not broken. If I spend the cash up front to lock the flag then I gave up on items like boots, health and scrolls so I can control that flag for 5min how is this broke you took another path and could have stop me but you did not you were off leveling up so this is strategy. However I would like to see an unlock flag or key but not at the same cost if I send 500 as forethought you should have to spend 750 as an after thought.
Now you are talking my lingo this is strategy and it should cost you more like lprometheus states to unlock my strategy. This lock is not broken but I can see adding a strategy to reverse someone's but at a cost. Because while I was standing around and waiting on a flag you bought boots and armour and got two levels creep farming. Each of us made a choice a strategic choice if you know mine will win the game then fight me for it.
I think maybe after a lock is finished you should have to wait 30 seconds before it can be locked again. That way someone can/has to go back and defend it for a little while and the other team still has a chance to win it back.
30 seconds is too short. It's not hard to defend a flag for 30 seconds if your team knows what you are doing. 30 seconds is barely enough to walk from the base to the flag, and then convert the flag. Currently there is absolutely no visual information to the other team for how long a flag is remained to be locked, and when it is unlocked.
I'd say flags have topological links, that you can only commit locks on a flag that is a higher hierarchy, e.g. flags at your base; not ones with a lower hierarchy, e.g. ones at central strategic point. A visual indication of a number representing flag level is shown. 0 being the lowest and not lockable, usually placed at front lines. Once the opposite team captures that flag, then subsquent flags all have their 'level' decreased by 1. Now you can no longer lock a flag of higher hierarchy (e.g. in your base), until you recapture the flag at the centre. If a team did not lock the flag at their base, they are capturable no matter what status the central flag is in for example.
Now this way there's no hardship of flag locking, as it is by mean only protects suprise raids against your flag(s) at home, for example (higher hierarchy), and you can't lock a flag that is exposed (lower hierarchy). By capturing that flag, you have access to the enemy higer hierarchy flag(s) since they can't lock it anymore.
Of course flags need visual indications of whether they are locked to the enemy team, so that when an enemy sneaks into your base, they know whether your higher hierarchy flag(s) is/are locked. Balance is made to the cost of the flag locks so that it's not impossible to lock most flags, but highly undesirable.
I hope this has the fix to add pixel shader 2.0 support. This will then run on my laptop even if it's a bit slow and looks crappy.
The flags in Demigod are going to be core element to this because controlling these flags are how the different sides will gain tremendous advantages
Lock!!!!!
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