Fallen Enchantress at two weeks
Fallen Enchantress has now been out two weeks. So far, we’ve sold about 50,000 units (give or take). This is somewhat below Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion but, obviously, far far ahead of War of Magic during the same time frame.
The biggest obstacle has been reviews. It’s hard for niche titles (and make no mistake, fantasy turn-based PC games are niche) to get coverage. There’s only so many reviewers to go around and the last thing we want is a drive by (i.e. rushed) review.
Tomorrow or Thursday we expect to release v1.01 which has a long list of fixes and tweaks that we’ve found. Probably the most obvious change will be performance which dramatically improved.
The Map Pack
We will be releasing our first-ever DLC for a Stardock game. It’ll be an interesting experiment to see what the demand is. Paul Boyer and I have designed a series of hand crafted maps that will be going up for sale in a week or two for $4.99. If sales of this are strong, we’ll look at doing additional DLC packs. A game like Fallen Enchantress lends itself to content centric DLC and so we’re anxious to see what people are interested in.
The Expansion
We have an expansion planned for early next year. I won't spoil it except to say that it’s going to re-design the way champions are handled in the game. We want the game to generally move towards the power of your champions be a reflection of the power of your civilization.
After the expansion, Stardock will look at where things stand. We have 3 game development teams at Stardock. One is on “Game X”, One is FE related stuff, and one is on mobile game development. Since we’re not likely to get as many reviews as we’d like, we’re going to be relying heavily on word of mouth.
Version 1.1
We very much want to do a pre-Christmas update to FE. That version will be heavily AI and balance focused based on player feedback. We’ll have more details of that as we get closer. Right now, we’re focusing on getting v1.01 out the door.
i might be interested in the map pack. An additional scenario or 2 would really sweeten the deal.
There is nothing wrong with DLC as long as that DLC is worth the money. DLC can be great so why are you knocking them for DLC? A map pack is a weak DLC though. I am curious what kinds of maps or what is special about these maps.
indeed a map pack with handcrafted maps doesn't seem like the best choice since they can be easily supplied by the community
a stamp pack on the other hand, I'm sure many more people would welcome that in comparison.
better yet, throw some money at cephalo to make Elementerra 3 ...
Yea, I really really like this game, I never played WoM but I was a HUGE AoW player. I have 82 hours played and I have a fulltime job, so it's making it very difficult to get AC3 time in
That being said, the map-pack, especially at the price point of 4.99 feels a lot like the CoD method. Now, granted, the time it takes to design a map in an FPS is A LOT more time consuming, but at that price for an RTS I would expect a TON of maps, well over double what it already included.
The random maps are generally varied and interesting enough to forego any paid map packs, unless they are really numerous and varied.
ALL that being said, again, having a blast with the game, can't wait to see some of the patches. Keep up the good work!
Well i think Fallen Enchantress is awesome best game ive played in a long time great job and hope it keeps climbing in sales.
Dlc packs i dont think i would purchase if it were just maps as i love the random maps, as most are saying if you include more than maps like new race factions, magic items, more race champions whether twisted, beast or elemental, quests and more paths for champions as some of those mods that people are doing are really good, id say take the advice of your FE fans but all in all a bloody awesome game.
The only advantage I can see to pre-designed maps is multiplayer balance. If you are playing single player, you might as well go for a randomly generated map, since it doesn't really matter whether or not you get a good spot : it's part of the game, and part of the fun. In multiplayer, however... the ultimate goal is to come to blows with your human opponents, be it through war or else; and in this case, it can actually get frustrating that one player would start with too big an advantage over the others.
So as much as I'd like to support you guys, until FE supports multiplayer games, I will not buy a map pack DLC. If you are going to stick to single player, I'd rather have a content DLC (quests, items, monsters, mechanics, even maybe graphic upgrades?).
I've also got to say that a map pack for a game that randomly generates maps is a really odd thing. You know what I'd pay for though? Another campaign. Do some more story telling, that was the highlight of it. Heck, start by fixing up WoM's campaign, it would fit well since it's the direct sequel to FEs.
what are these stamps people keep talking about ?
Paradox's DLC is a big reason why I no longer view their games as auto-buys, but DLC can be done right.
Maybe it would be a better idea to bundle a bunch of these mini-DLCs together into a $10 package, instead of individually for $5. Odds are folks will value the package at $10, and it will feel like less of a cash grab, and you could call it a mini-expansion.
We'll have to see how Stardock prices stuff, and what they offer, but it is going down what I think is a risky road, especially given how TBS fans are.
The random maps are generated by taking these stamps (small map pieces) and put together randomly with appropriately fitting stamps.
I want to support your great game but please not a map pack. I would prefer Quests, Heroes, Items, Spells etc.
Anything that enhances the core. I like knowing my map is unique (i.e. random)
If your going to do a DLC map pack PLEASE have a extra large map of the elemental world with each faction having its start positions in their respective countries.
Also I would like more quests, monsters and what not, scenarios.
If the maps are heavily scripted with new content, the DLC could be worth it (ie. maps that have a "king of the hill" type mechanic, or some interesting, unique quests that both players and the AI participate in). If the maps are instead just rehashes of existing content that was hand placed, I might be less inclined to take a look.
I think that new tech, new unique units and a wide assortment of champion gear could make up a decent DLC pack. Here's what I think would be worth $5-10 (this is my personal opinion):
Warfare expansion DLC:
So, content that can apply to the entire game (not just a sampling of maps) is something that I consider to be worth my money and time.
To put this into context, I actually liked the "lords" DLC for Warlock master of the Arcane. Why? It added a new mechanic to the game that was not related to map packs. I still, to this day, have not purchased a single Civ 5 map pack. Why do that when the random map generator still works?
I would pay for an expansion or patch with fantasy races done well. Angels, demons, undead, centaurs, elves, dragonmen, trolls, etc.
Mike.
I've only managed to get one friend to buy it. The rest have things like Halo 4 to spend their ADHD money on.
Custom maps DLC for $5?
Not sure that people would pay for just that kind of new content in FE. After all, a major fun element in FE and other 4X games is in exploring and discovering new things around your lands. The difference is that while hand-crafted maps may be higher quality overall, the surprise only lasts for 1 play-through compared to random maps.
I'd be interested if the dlc added more wildland map events (like the golem or ice titan thing etc). But not otherwise. What I'd really like to see for dlc is more visual stuff to customize your heros and units.
Loving the game now so expansions will be a no brainer (day one purchase) for me.
First of all, do not get me wrong, I am finding FE to be great, although I am waiting for 1.01 due to my performance is killing me.
But I have to ask, is there any plans for Galactic Civilizations 3 yet? It has been 6 years since the release of the first editions of 2, and while there are in fact many expansions, in the end they all use the same engine and graphics...
Also, you did said that Gal Civ 3 was to be made on the next decade (said in 2008-09 I believe)
Could 'Game X' be this? Or that name is given to a new, unannounced game series?
I'd really like to see some more scripted Campaigns as it invests me more into the FE world. Out of the box (er.. Download) I really enjoyed the Relias story because it made the pre-existing factions relevant. During the beta I would just go straight to customizing my own stuff.
I have been a Stardock fan for a decade or so. You name it, I bought it. I am perplexed at the idea of a $5 map pack. It isn't so much about the money as it is the product that I would be getting for the money. As others have already commented, a map pack is an odd DLC for a game that already offers a good random-map option. This isn't Call of Duty with the endless pay-per-map pack experience, and Stardock has been wonderful to provide users with the capabilities to create their own maps.
I am not against DLC with Stardock. I understand the reason for it, and I completely understand that the company would like to recoup some costs after giving away the new game to many users. While Stardock, in the past, likely would have provided the DLC in a free update, I would pay for quality DLC knowing that I'd want to reward a company that "made good" on the promise of an improved game. However, I would need the DLC to create something new or substantial. While others may differ on what this is, if Stardock is reading this, here are a few things that I would be willing to pay for:
-An official champion creator tool with ability to access all race graphic elements
-New units (animals, monsters, etc.)
-New races
-New weapons or weapon packs
-Continents and navies
-New schools of spellcasting
I can't wait, I love the premade maps, I find the random ones ugly and strange.
I think it's pretty likely given some posts here and there. Specifically Jon's design blog- it's pretty clear he's working on a strategy game.
I'm looking forward to that- GalCiv 2 has a really solid foundation and it's easier to make a great space game over a great fantasy game.
I don't play premade maps either and would prefer DLC content focused around more quests, factions, items, spells, etc.
I might dig into that map pack ... but it just depends. On a less exciting night I'd probably be more on the fence about it.
Blog? What is this blog that I am missing out?
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:
Sign in or Create Account
