I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more... updates?

[Happy Cock Head]

Just an all around question really, but has anyone heard anything from the Two Guys camp? I hate reading the comments in the kickstarter threads but, some times when Backers comment on things like to much time has past or finances have run dry it is a bit un-nerving to say the least. Don't get me wrong, I have trust that they have an omnipotent plan at work, but please forgive me, I just have this festering itch of curiosity that needs some scratching. And please, no sophomoric jokes about proscribing pant loads of anti-itch creams/topicals or the like, I know some of you won't be able to resist though. 

 

HCH

[Frede]

I haven't checked the Kickstarter updates in ages, nor have I heard anything directly from the Guys about the game. But I did recently hear something that indicated that the game is more than well underway, but I can't elaborate. I'm not supposed to know anything. But going by what I do know, we (still) have little to worry about in regards to the March 2015 deadline.

 

But if speculation is, once again, running rampant about the Guys running out of money and what have you, it only goes to show that asking for less updates wasn't a very good idea. When people asked for less updates, they arguably also asked them to spend more time on the game and be less transparent about what's going on. Frankly, "less updates, please" is a stupid thing to ask of a Kickstarter project, no matter how fluffy Pope's updates may or may not have been. Because sometimes, all you want an update to tell you is that the creators are still on the radar. We did at least get that on a bi-weekly basis before...

[Happy Cock Head]

So true Frede, Thanks for passing that along, it was a most welcome ping.  :)

[drdrslashvohaul]

"Fewer", updates, dear fellow. Not "less".

[pcj]

Well, I understand the point where the problem was that Chris's updates were mainly "still working on the game, we've fixed some bugs!", which is not terribly exciting but certainly a necessary part of the game development process.

 

I'm not going to comment much on anything that isn't otherwise public/widespread knowledge. (No specific order here, just mentioning things that seem relevant/timely)

• Unity 4.6 just came out, something which I'm excited about because it gives us a lot more freedom/control with the GUI, and makes it simpler to design rich interfaces.
• Scott's mother has Alzheimer's and it has been bad recently - which means he has been offline a lot as he takes care of her. Sad situation there.
• GFA is not out of money, we have just had to tighten our belts. This slows us down because we can't retain as many programmers/artists/etc, and some of us work day jobs to make ends meet. Honestly, Chris has stepped up a lot with helping with the programming which is great because that leaves me to focus more on systems/overall game stuff than setting up rooms.

Behind the scenes, though, I've seen a lot of things, especially recently, that particularly excite me and which I think directly address some issues fans have made about the SpaceVenture they saw so far. I think that when SpaceVenture does come out, it will be well-received. As a backer, I do wish that the Guys did more with the SVRewards site but I can understand some of the reasoning.

[Frede]

"Fewer", updates, dear fellow. Not "less".

Strewth! *facepalm*

[Fronzel Neekburm]

Yeah, haven't checked out the SpaceVenture KS comment section since the last update. Everything about SV just depresses the fuck out of me, but for some reason this thread enticed me to check out the sentiments over at KS (which were already rather grim 2 months ago).

 

A few comments I found noteworthy:
 

 

it's way out of control. Just like the QFG project. In fact that project is now nothing more than a personal blog section for the authors personal agendas about sexism and whatever else crap he wants to talk about.

 

I think the lack of an actual project manager hurt immensely

Yeah, what this project needed was a strong leader. A true businessman, a real hardass. Someone who knows how to keep his bitches in line. He may be kind of an asshole and he may not be popular with everyone, but goddamn, he knows how to get shit done! You know, a guy like...

 

Nah, let's not go there...

 

Maybe the Guys will release the ip so fans can complete the project one day?

Dude, open your eyes! It's already happening!

 

 

edit:

Unity 4.6 just came out, something which I'm excited about because it gives us a lot more freedom/control with the GUI, and makes it simpler to design rich interfaces.

Can't say I know anything at all about Unity. But hearing something like "The new version of the engine just came out and it will give us teh awesum new opportunities!" makes my inner Ion Storm alarm bells blare. Using an updated version of Unity won't end in some sort of "We need to adapt our previous work to the new engine. No biggie, should be done by the end of the month!"-scenario, right?

[pcj]

Can't say I know anything at all about Unity. But hearing something like "The new version of the engine just came out and it will give us teh awesum new opportunities!" makes my inner Ion Storm alarm bells blare. Using an updated version of Unity won't end in some sort of "We need to adapt our previous work to the new engine. No biggie, should be done by the end of the month!"-scenario, right?

Nah, the old stuff still works. We can switch over to the new system as needed or just leave the existing stuff in.

[Happy Cock Head]

Thanks for the insider update, this is MUCH appreciated sir! 

 

HCH

[Troels Pleimert]

Unity update does not mean "scrap the engine and start from scratch." ;)

[Troels Pleimert]

it's way out of control. Just like the QFG project. In fact that project is now nothing more than a personal blog section for the authors personal agendas about sexism and whatever else crap he wants to talk about.

Fuck this person.

[tomimt]

It would be a good thing to post an actual update by christmas with some meaty content in it, maybe even some actual gameplay footage and all. I really can't blame people from becoming more and more pessimistic about SV as such, especially when the good updates look like they need to be pulled out by force. That by itself creates an image that someone is trying to evade something, even if it all is just for trying to keep some shrouds over the content of the game.

[Fronzel Neekburm]

Nah, the old stuff still works. We can switch over to the new system as needed or just leave the existing stuff in.

 

Unity update does not mean "scrap the engine and start from scratch." ;)

 

Phew, dodged that bullet! Thanks for clarifying, guys!

 

 

Fuck this person.

As ill-advised Corey Cole‘s infamous pro-SJW update was, I have to agree with Troels here. Sure, the guy obviously didn‘t have a clue about what was going on and even said as much in the comment section. He read somewhere on Kotaku or RPS or some other shit rag that Gamergate was about teh harassment of women and went with that. Backers got pissed and gave him a lot of shit for it, some of them going as far as invoking „I wish I had never backed this!“ and „Refund nao!“.

 

Kinda pissed me off, I mean, first of all, it's fucking Corey Cole, so you know his heart is in the right place and he means well. After all harrassing women - well, harrassing anyone! - is a pretty shitty thing to do. But what's much more important is that this poor motherfucker has literally put his life on the line so backers can play Hero-U! That IMHO far outweighs any display of naiveté on Mr Cole‘s part.

 

Besides, his comments featured tons of nice tidbits like „All AAA-coverage is bought“ and going so far to strongly imply that sexual favours are commonplace in the industry, which every gamergater worth his salt ought to thank him on his hands and knees for.

 

 

It would be a good thing to post an actual update by christmas with some meaty content in it, maybe even some actual gameplay footage and all.

Gotta agree with tomimt, make this a good one, guys! Here are a few suggestions on how to put some of those worries at ease:

 

- Do NOT mention the Unity update! It‘ll only worry dumb motherfuckers like me!

- Do NOT, for the love of God, post any more Unity test videos! Does nothing but give off the impression that you guys are still on stage 1.

- DO have a nice Ken Allen track available for download (SV main theme, or something like that, maybe a X-mas themed bonus track as well)

- DO give backers the lowdown of the story! Fuck worrying about spoilers, what‘s important is that people get an idea that you have a story to tell, a clear goal and you are well underway in achieving that goal. If you‘re worried about spoilers, just tag that shit, so people can skip it.

- Do give us a fuckton of in-game art (concept art should be avoided at this point), character bios and other visual aids to get a clear mental image of what this is going to be.

- DO have a kickass teaser trailer ready, one that ends with a big bold „Coming in 2015“ (even if that turns out to be a massive fucking lie and the thing is actually released in 2016 - who the fuck cares, this is vidya gaems after all!)

- DO go crazy and surprise the fans with some weird shit. Fuck meme regurgitations and the Two Guys doing teh funnie elf dance! Leave that shit to Anthony Burch! Time to bring out the quality stuff! I‘m talking „Fuck Dead Body“-promo poster levels of dementedness.

 

I‘ll be happy to provide more unsolicited suggestions on how to handle the next update, I‘ll have to check out the previous updates first to note all the things that tend to rub people the wrong way. For now, the most important thing is that people see that the magic is still there.

[pcj]

- Do NOT mention the Unity update! It‘ll only worry dumb motherfuckers like me!

Yeah, I wouldn't do that in a real update. Just mentioned it above because it's relevant to what we're working with now and not covered by an NDA on my end ;)

[Troels Pleimert]

I could take a selfie with my shirt off next to a blurry screen of the current test build, if that'd help.

[Troels Pleimert]

I just had to leave a comment at the Kickstarter page. The mood over there is growing just an eentsy too despondent for my tastes.

[Fronzel Neekburm]

I could take a selfie with my shirt off next to a blurry screen of the current test build, if that'd help.

[JimmyTwoBucks]

"OMG, backers think there's no money left and that it's not coming out and that

this is just like another game that also had problems, and, and..." ...and so what?

 

It's cool if backers do get to see stuff, but if there are certain backers acting like knuckleheads

and throwing their toys out of the pram and making all types of unwarranted gossipy assumptions,

and "sky is falling" predictions based on nothing, then screw em, I don't really see why they have

to be pandered to with carefully crafted updates... they don't have to see anything at all.

 

Let them worry over nothing and get an ulcer if they like, what difference does it make?

As long as a great game comes out at the end, that's all that matters.

 

Intelligent people understand what the Two Guys and their associates are trying to do.

It is noted and appreciated.

The dummies of this world make the most noise and say things specifically to rile people up

and get a reaction - don't let them dictate the course of the conversation.

[Frede]

I just had to leave a comment at the Kickstarter page. The mood over there is growing just an eentsy too despondent for my tastes.

And it... doesn't seem to have helped one bit. You must admit that they have a money problem, even if the game is not in danger! Fewer updates, more spreadsheets! Someone with an MBA (good enough tool?) even said so.

 

I think I'll just steer clear of that comment page until the game is released. Better for everyone that way.

[tomimt]

 

 

It's cool if backers do get to see stuff, but if there are certain backers acting like knuckleheads

and throwing their toys out of the pram and making all types of unwarranted gossipy assumptions,

and "sky is falling" predictions based on nothing, then screw em, I don't really see why they have

to be pandered to with carefully crafted updates... they don't have to see anything at all.

 

Let them worry over nothing and get an ulcer if they like, what difference does it make?

As long as a great game comes out at the end, that's all that matters.

 

Intelligent people understand what the Two Guys and their associates are trying to do.

It is noted and appreciated.

 

 

The thing is though the longer the Guys are silent the more thrutfull the false informations starts to sound. People come to the site, wanting to see whats going on, and if they see these doom and gloom posts with nothing official to counter that, then what conclusions they will draw from there?

 

Let's face it. This project already lags behind from promised rewards, mainly related to SV-rewards site. That whole thing has been a major disappointment for me, as I expected to actually see some good stuff there regulary, not once a year. The seeming abandoment of SV-rewards tied to fewer updares and lack of official presentation of the KS site do make things like less than peachy, Some solid PR is needed.

[MusicallyInspired]

What does it matter, though? In the end once the game is released nobody will have anything to say. The Kickstarter campaign has already come and gone. There are no more pledges being...pledged. Just what are bad comments on a Kickstarter page going to do to the project that won't be totally nullified once the game comes out? What is it really hurting?

 

The SV-Rewards site was nice, but honestly I didn't expect to have been owed it. It was a nice extra they gave us. That's all. Far be it from me to say that they should spend more time on it and less on the actual game.

[Fronzel Neekburm]

doom and gloom posts with nothing official to counter that

Lemme help you with that...

 

[Fronzel Neekburm]

I think I'll just steer clear of that comment page until the game is released. Better for everyone that way.

Not to be snarky, but it really would be better. I mean, at this point, you're not going to convince anyone who thinks this project has gone down the shitter with mere words and all it's going to accomplish is that everyone thinks of the SQ community as deluded fanboiz.

 

It really is entirely up to the two guys and the Pope to prove to everyone just how wrong they are. And it's going to take some solid proof at this point, either by releasing the game, or by providing an update that shows the progress that's been made made instead of telling about it.

 

 

 

edit: Arrgh... couldn't resist the temptation! I left a comment on the KS page that ought to lift everyone's spirits! ;)

[drdrslashvohaul]

As I've said before, the only reason I'm not too worried is because I spend quite a bit of time on these forums, speak regularly with people like Troels, and have enough fandom to let it ride. I'm not typical. I can totally understand why the vocal punters are behaving as they are. Whether through design or accident, it appears as if very little is happening. Even if it is.

 

Combine that with a number of other high-profile KS/Early Access snafus, and people start to behave like dicks. Some of the dickishness might well be justified.

 

Where I agree with Brandon, though, is that the damage is done and nothing is to be gained by going on a charm offensive. That would probably be counter-productive. By the same time, I'm not sure it can be completely ignored. If nothing else, we are due another official update, and we haven't had one. That, no doubt, could cause some nerves.

[JimmyTwoBucks]

 

The thing is though the longer the Guys are silent the more thrutfull the false informations starts to sound. People come to the site, wanting to see whats going on, and if they see these doom and gloom posts with nothing official to counter that, then what conclusions they will draw from there

 

I'm not sure it can be completely ignored. If nothing else, we are due another official update, and we haven't had one. That, no doubt, could cause some nerves.

 

It really is entirely up to the two guys and the Pope to prove to everyone just how wrong they are. And it's going to take some solid proof at this point, either by releasing the game, or by providing an update that shows the progress that's been made made instead of telling about it.

 

I'd love to know what you guys think happens if these handful of commenters on the kickstarter page don't get their 

updates and their "proof". What is the actual consequence?

 

There isn't one. The Two Guys don't have to show anyone any "proof" or sway anyone's opinion. 

The kickstarter already got the money. I would agree with you guys if they were still trying to get the kickstarter funded,

but at this point there is no bargaining power on the side of the commenters.

 

The commenters can make a million comments on the kickstarter if they like, if that's how they want to spend their time.

It's just shouting into the wind.

People are acting like these few commenters are the CEOs and they have the power to shut down the project or something,

and that they need some evidence of progress. They have no power, they can't do anything.

 

The Two Guys should just get on with making the game at this point. Save "solid PR" for when the game comes out,

not to placate a handful of commenters. The only thing that matters is bringing out a good game, and you don't do

that by taking time out every five seconds to craft updates.

 

I think stopping the updates was a great idea... most backers will just get on with their lives until there is something

definite, like the finished game or whatever the Two Guys want to show. As much as I want to see stuff, it will be

better if I don't see the entire game before it comes out.