Greetings!
I'm pretty far from a good net connection so I'll keep this brief
Let me say that I'm glad that most people seem to like the game. This message, however, is for those who are disappointed with Elemental so far.
Stardock is not just a game studio but it is also a publisher. What does this mean? Well, historically, the way it works is a game is released and if people don't like it, they're supposed to buy some expansion pack for it that "fixes" things that people thought should be in the original version.
We don't have to do that because we're both the studio and the publisher.
That means we can release free "expansion packs" for Elemental until such a high percentage of players love the game that only then can we discuss sequels or paid expansions.
Having had the opportunity to finally get out of the office for the first time in months has let me look at the game (and ahem, play the game for crazy amounts) of time from a new perspective.
I should also say that regardless of sales or reviews, our commitment to Elemental will not be affected. As some of you know, most of our company's revenue doesn't come from developing games. Even if the game didn't sell another copy, we would still continue our update schedule.
So what will be the concrete results of this?
1. In September we will release v1.1 which will be the first major revision to the game that takes into account the feedback we're getting from players. This will be a pretty substantial change. In particular, character creation, magic (think, shared mana pools),
2. We are going to go ahead and make a more traditional tutorial. I'm not a fan of tutorials but some of my grognard friends have had trouble figuring out the mechanics which means to me that we have to do something about that.
3. We are going to move Book 2: Magesa out of a future expansion pack and into the base game in a future "mega" update, likely late Fall.
4. As mentioned on the forums back in July-ish, we plan to make a new DVD gold master available to those with limited Internet connections later this Fall.
5. As discussed (I think) last Winter, I will be taking a sabbatical this Fall specifically so I can dedicate time to AI and modding so that others, long after me, can use the Elemental engine to create other things (you will need to know Python to really go crazy with it).
6. I will NOT be ceasing my postings on other forums. The guys on Qt3 and Octopus Overlords and elsewhere are my friends. I'm no more going to stop posting there then I would stop going out with my friends to movies and other "public places" where, heaven forbid, someone datamining my comments might find a "gotcha moment". Those people are my friends both on the forums and outside the forums. Interacting with you guys is a major reason I like making games in the first place.
7. To those reviewing the game: I would urge you to review the game prior to v1.1. I say this because v1.05 (the release day version) is the version of the game that was originally released and if that version of the game is considered flawed then my view is that Stardock should suffer the consequences for that. We appreciate the kindness and patience many people have shown. I just think game studios, including Stardock, need to be conscious of what they release and not expect to "patch themselves out of trouble". I do believe Elemental is, by far, the best game we've ever made but I also agree with most of the criticisms I've read too. The state of PC entertainment has changed since 2006 (when we released GalCiv II) and it is our responsibility to stay with the times.
In short, we love this game. And we love this community. We're not going to be leaving this game to work on some other game. We're with it and you guys for the long haul.
I won't be around to answer questions until next week so I hope this answers some questions.
It's cool to hear from Froggy even though he should be relaxing on a much deserved vacation! I'm glad to hear that Stardock is so committed to this game because I plan keep playing it for years. Elemental is the perfect game for scratching the TBS itch!
I've been hesitant about posting complaints, bug reports, flaws etc., because I don't want Stardock to throw up their hands in frustration and scream "You don't like it? Go back to waiting for a faithful X-COM remake then! Get comfortable because you'll be waiting for years!" Yes, Elemental has issues, and yes some of them are extremely significant. But when I point them out, it should be with the understanding that this really is the best game to be released by anyone in years, and is the greatest project I've seen from Stardock yet.
The best thing about a conspiracy theories is that the nutjobs find a complete lack of evidence to be the most convincing evidence.
Great to hear! I love this game so much and I agree its Stardocks best game yet!There are some issues (slowdown later on and issues with the magic and Ai), but man I am lovign this game. Its the best game ive played in years and years. I game alot but I have not been this hooked on a game in ages and it sounds like it will only get better!Good luck to yourself, Brad and the crew!PS: The music in this game rules
This is great stuff, chief. I'm sure you'll win back a lot of respect with this post in the eyes of those who might have lost some (I'm not one of the of course but I know they're out there). A lot of us out there already Love Elemental for what it is, a Killer and Awesome game with a Strong "just one more turn" addicting pull. The Stardock Loyal didn't loose faith and already know how dedicated you all are to your games. I can't wait to see what Elemental turns into over the course of the next year.
P.S. please get us those plugin tools so we can import our own models and animations into the game soon. Thanks, and keep on Rockin!!! Enjoy the rest of your vacation
What a courageous thing to so. I'd be like: "NO!! Play the v1.1 version!! PLEASE!!!"
Holy cow.
If I had lost faith (I had not), then this would have restored it, 10x over! Since I am already enjoying the heck of the game, I cannot WAIT until we see the upcoming content!
Ouch. I'll have to remember that one.
This. If not, the game might turn out a very good game, but it will never live up to its full potential.
I am not worried that SD will take care of this game, an do their best to get it top notch.
What does bother me is that the game was released like this at all.
What does worry me is that the game will never be as great as it could be due to the complexity of fixing all the problems. There are just so many. From AI issues, to UI bugs, to unfinished features, and broken imbalances. There is just so much to fix. The game could have been delayed 6 months and I doubt it would have been finished still.
With all due respect, they've said from before beta started that it's going to be a game about humanoid races. They said from before beta started that all sorts of different creatures wouldn't be the core of your armies, and that you'd still be training normal guys. There's no unmet expectation because the expectation was never there. And if people buy the game and are disappointed because all the races are humanoid, the fault is 100% theirs because SD has said from the very beginning that's how it was going to be.
Thanks for this info, Annatar11. I didn't realise this. I was basing my statements on EWoM being the spiritual successor to MoM and other classic fantasy games. Guess I'll have to wait for the modding community to hopefully pick this up at some point. I've got to say, I still see this as a massive oversight but I won't bother waving the flag as much about it in future.
*Edit*
I do remember now something about humanoid races but I assumed this meant the traditional races such as orcs, elves, undead, dwarves etc which are all humanoid. Rather than weird animal races or cosmic races. We don't really have the gamut of humanoid races as much as we do human races. Anyhow, I'll drop it now.
Well I've actually enjoyed the new innovations and the game. I can look past REDESIGNS as that's not what games are suppose to be about when released. I look at what it offers right then and there. While I might compare to other games of what it has and has not I'm not going to think or believe it needs to be like them. I've already played them so I wanted something different and I got it. Thank you Stardock et al. ) The game is certainly not empty and certainly not released untested. Some may argue it's unfinished but you (Brad) already said a long time ago it would "never be finished" and I understood that, obviously the trolls didn't.
So, I look forward to any new morsels you give to us in the next few months and maybe years. I will relish everyone of them one step at a time. I might make some suggestions, in fact I already have but I'm certainly not looking for a redesign of this game. That I'm still playing it when I have 100's to play says a lot for it as I've become bored with so many other games that are brand new and just don't appeal to me even though they are reviewers top dog games like DragonAge or Starcraft II or HOI III or Left4Dead2 and the list goes on an on. I played them like one day and then I was done. I have always enjoyed most Fantasy strategy games and this one already falls into the top of the pack as far as I'm concerned and my son and wife.
So enjoy your time off and we'll look forward to next month and that 1.1 patch update. )
I'm not a reviewer or anything - but I feel that any version that is was pressed and shipped on disc for retail purchasing for the consumer is the earliest version that a reviewer can review.
If you really wanted 1.05 to be the earliest version reviewed b/c that seems to be the one you originally wanted to be the first released version, that should've been what version shipped on disc - even if it meant delaying the game's official release date for a little bit of time.
No game ever does.
TROLL ^ )
Hi Brad,
thanks for the update!
Just a quick question: What's about tactical combat? When will you guys tackle that on?
Cheers,
Things don't work that way anymore. Now the standard procedure is to ship a gold version as early as possible and then release a day 1 patch providing that last bit of polish to the final product. Even StarCraft II had a 60MB day 1 patch that fixed several critical issues that existed in the gold version. Yeah, it sucks for people without an internet connection, but how many people without any access to the internet are buying PC games? My guess is the number is very, very small.
This is the main reason why Im happy to preorder games from stardock and will continue to do so inspite of the poor release condition of Elemental. I still think it was a blunder releasing the game when they did, and its something that is going to hurt game sales permanently because of bad reviews that wont get re-reviewed, and I said as much several times during beta, but I guess thats Stardock's problem.
For me its just a case of shelving the game for a while until general consensus is that its worth playing.
Glad to hear the comments. I look forward to what the future holds for the game.
Try and give tactical combat some love sooner rather than later as well though, if at all possible. Thanks
Thanks for the note, Brad. You have one hell of a company, and I'm proud to give you my money. Keep on selling games like this, and I'll keep on giving you money.
Yeah once you commit to a release date and get shelf space you can't really delay it a week. So far I am enjoying Elemental and I look forward to what else will be done. It is sad for Stardock because I think this game will become a classic and they will not get the sales that it deserves from lower review scores. Funny because Stardock has kind of cult following of really dedicated fans that enjoy the development process that they go through and their inclusion of the community. We know that they will make good on promises and just like Brad said, we won't be asked to pay for expansions until the majority of us love the game. I think it is a good thing I got so busy with school because it meant I couldn't spend huge amounts of time with the game yet, and when I do get time, the game will be in great shape! Keep up the good work Stardock!
Great stuff. Appreciate the love and looking forward to more Elemental goodness.
Ever hear of impulse buying and magazines? Not everybody reads websites for reviews. My point is that you don't get 1.05 in a boxed version bought from Wal-Mart or Best Buy. You get the 1.0 version and since that's what's sold off the store shelves that's the version that should be reviewed. Someone without internet access won't know anything about a 1.05 version.
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