Announcements
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BEAUTIFUL!
On the other video, my reaction was honestly meh until he started running superfast, even in choppy pre-alpha animations, I immediately said "ahhh, that's my I loved the City"
[hr]
[color=red]PR, Forum Moderator[/color]
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/desvipers-creative-impulsivity]My Non-Canon Backstories[/url]
Avatar by MikeNovember
That does look better. The cloth cape is nicer too. This is why it pays to not rush stuff out.
To the the Devs . I truly hope you all have a stellar time during the holiday season . I for one really appreciate this update . You guys sound as crushed as I am , if not more , about the deadline . Put all of this aside and enjoy , but if you cannot hit the nog a little harder . Believe me it helps
Happy Holidays guys
The needs of the many , far outweigh the needs of the few . Or the one.
Am I disappointed that you guys missed the target release date? Sure. Really, I had my hopes pegged on the Nov. 30 anniversary, and when you missed that, I kind of suspected that you might not make it this year after all. Still hoped you would, of course, but it seemed more likely that you wouldn't.
Not too bummed about it, honestly. Maybe it's easier for me to stay patient, because I'm a backer of both this and Valiance Online. I've been watching that project miss deadlines and flounder with just about every update for years and years now. For me, MWM still inspires a lot more confidence in where they are, and the likelihood they'll eventually get it all together.
I've said it before, but it bears repeating. I've invested in quite a few Kickstarter projects that I've later regretted, but this isn't one of them. Failed projects don't send over a hundred updates. Failed projects don't keep making progress, even slow and irregular progress, for five years.
I do wish the team had been more forthcoming about the delays -- Hopefully that will be a lesson learned for the future. Better to underpromise and surprise people when you beat the target.
But that doesn't mean I'm going to get into gnashing of teeth and proclamations of doom and fury. Nonsense. This game's going to happen. And in the meantime, any time I spend fretting over whether it's here today or not is on me. When CoT gets here, I'll play. Until then, I'll keep an eye on these forums, and keep hoping.
I mean, seriously... at this point, waiting doesn't cost any of us anything more than whatever time we choose to spend fretting about it. That's on us.
[img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/60aeee62dc1aee0c3c0fbad1702eb860/tumblr_inline_pfp352ORsk1r4hkfd_250.png[/img]
The part that makes this particular communication mishap bad is how you (MWM) framed the delivery date and how you thought you knew better (how to keep the promise and keep the public in the dark). You made the commitment to deliver in Fall 2018 a long ways off and it seemed feasible. As we got into 2018 the specificity of what "Fall" meant got massaged into a delivery window with December 20th still being within the standard definition of the word. With the fan base having a firmer grasp of the expectation, they were a bit more willing to wait.
Each standalone technical update made the prospect of reaching that delivery date much more concrete. Then MWM, at basically the last moment, dangled access to a dev & current rough build for anyone that could meet in person at NYCC. I am glad someone was able to take advantage of that opportunity, but disheartened at the manner in which the opportunity was communicated. At this point, two months away from the delivery date, it seemed fairly reasonable that the deadline was realistic. Then the (first) server problem happened, MWM let us know about it and we were disappointed, but knowing about it allowed us to more easily accept that "Fall 2018" could now more realistically mean "by Dec 31st 2018". However, MWM did not change their "Fall 2018" date.
At this point MWM went 'dark' on the Issue #0 delivery date. Yeah, devs still posted on the forums, but not about the Issue #0 delivery. As per MWM official posting norms, that much silence usually meant that they had something cooking and as we marched towards December 20th the only expectation was an Issue #0 release. As a forum grunt that did not back the Kickstarter (I only learned about this project in 2015), I assumed I would not hear anything until well after that date since only a select group of the KS backers would be in the first roll out of Issue #0. In the waning hours of December 20th, MWM posts what essentially is a mea culpa to admit that they could not deliver at all.
We went from full speed integration & all the parts coming together two months ago, to basically radio silence, then a full stop in literally the 11th hour on the delivery date. I think you know how this looks. You even admit that you tried to hide the setbacks, we didn't even know that there was a SECOND server problem until now. For the most part, we are forgiving of shifting deadlines given the nature of this project. But MWM must be much more diligent about communicating. It doesn't have to be a full blown crafted update post. Maybe just create a milestone thread in the Announcement section for things like the Issue #0 release and just give a quick 2-3 line update every week with high level details like:[list]
[*]"we are on track"
[*]"integrated feature X into the build and it works great"
[*]"integrated feature Y and it broke things so we had to back it out"
[*]"Oh and our server that holds the code lawndarted, we are fixing things, but it will set us back a bit"[/list]
It will make it easy for people to follow and understand where the project is currently. It will make is much more visible so people do not have to wade deep through threads to catch an off the cuff remark by a dev interspersed with internet forum fights about who is right.
You (MWM) purposely made a vague promise (the Fall 2018 date) and thought you could be cheeky about it. You (MWM) tried to not let us down, but in hiding the truth you did not do anything make us trust you more in the future.
I full well assumed that given the composition of the team and the trickle of details that an end of year delivery of Issue #0 would be ambitious. All this (how Issue #0 was handled) accomplished for me was an erosion of confidence that I have for MWM. I am still confident that they will release a product that I will enjoy, but I just do not trust them as a business apparatus. :/
"Just, well, update your kickstarter email addresses, okay? Make sure they're current?" - warcabbit
[size=30]HAYSUS
FUDGING
CHRISTOS[/size]
How many times do I have to say this. Please, if you have important information like, oh, I don't know... Kickstarter backers having current email addresses so you can communicate to them how to get Issue #0 when it does roll out, make it highly visible, like in its own thread. Not buried sixty posts deep somewhere.
Edit: yeah, you're right desviper. There is a "Oh, and everyone should make sure their Kickstarter email is up to date - we'll be pulling soon, we hope." at the end of the Costume Contest KS update with no other contextual information. Reaching the KS backers via KS updates is the way to go, but if they are trying to also reach them here in the forums because (presumably) their emails are not current, making that announcement in a high profile way might accomplish the task better than deep in a thread where they would have to just filter for dev posts. This level of angst was not completely warranted on my part, but the proximity of the declaration that communication needed to improve with just more of the same behavior twenty posts later made me mad.
"Just, well, update your kickstarter email addresses, okay? Make sure they're current?" - warcabbit
Dude, they announced to check your KS email at least a few times.
[hr]
[color=red]PR, Forum Moderator[/color]
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/desvipers-creative-impulsivity]My Non-Canon Backstories[/url]
Avatar by MikeNovember
Plaent10, I’m sorry you feel we were hiding the truth.
Nothing could be moreninxirrect than that.
Up until about a week and a half ago, the belief wa that we would are it to Issue 0 soon. We certainly could have said so then, but we held off to make this update.
Not in an effort to hide the truth, but in an effort to give something more than a sorry. We wanted to show other work that has been done. And we needed time to let reality sink in, we were demoralized for a bit. Giving bad news is never easy and sometimes it takes time to prepare to deliver it.
I am sorry you feel you can’t truet us. And for you, your feelings are entirely justified. I can’t tell you that you should feel otherwise. I can say that we do recognize that we have the burden to do better, and to earn trust.
[hr]I don't use a nerf bat, I have a magic crowbar!
- Combat Mechanic -
[color=#ff0000]Tech Team. [/color]
This. At least three previous times.
It is not about delivering the bad news. I want to hear the bad news as early as possible. The point I was making (that you did not fully grasp) is that the entire "Fall 2018 release of Issue #0" has been very opaque. It is not that you communicated bad news, it is that when problems cropped up MWM chose not to tell anyone external to the process. If you want to soften the blow of bad news, keep the flow of information going.
You say that MWM thought a week & a half ago that the delivery date could still be met and I fully believe that. But the events that precipitated the needing to commit to overtime and all this extra effort (to my current understanding) didn't start a week & a half ago, it started when the second server failure occurred. Managing our expectations will go a long ways to keeping the fan base onboard. We all want to see this project succeed.
Note: I don't not trust MWM, I just trust you less than I did before. As said before gaining trust can come easy or hard, but regaining trust is a tough task.
"Just, well, update your kickstarter email addresses, okay? Make sure they're current?" - warcabbit
I'd like to say that despite this screw up, I'm still fully aware that this project is legit and I know the folks behind trying to make it are honest in that. Just 'PLEASE' never raise our, or at least my own, hopes like this before cutting them down at the last moment again. Before all the announcements to expect something by year end, I was just fine sitting around in the shadows, patiently waiting for something to happen. But this sort of thing shakes my confidence more than any waiting around could do. If not in the game itself, in the ability for y'all to operate as a business like some others have said already. With that said, I do anticipate that you guys will get out what you said would be done this month, within the first six months of 2019. If issue 0, or some form of character creator at the very least still doesn't make it that much later than we were originally told, I don't know how much faith I'll have left to be frank and I've been patient a very long time. Please don't take this as an attack, I'm merely giving you the most honest feedback I can from my own point of view.
Puny Heroes.
I watched the Santa mission video again and noticed [u]one wonderful thing:[/u] The kiddie Rocket Ride. You just know that on opening day there will be a line of players waiting for a ride. We really should have a thrill ride like that in Issue zero.
[img]https://s15.postimg.cc/z9bk1znkb/Black_Falcon_Sig_in_Progess.jpg[/img]
Looking good guys an gals! I can’t wait to get my grubby lil mits on it!
While it kinda sucks regarding the delay I am totally ok with it. Personally I think the work you all have accomplished thus far is outstanding! Keep it up, this kid will wait as long as needed. :)
[img]http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/whiteperegrine/84183/69278/69278_original.gif[/img]
It sounds like MWM has heard us loud and clear re: communication, so I'm going to drop that topic for now. Instead I'll comment on this new video:
I have to say I already like the look of the avatar more than before. I much prefer the non-shiny cape, and I like the textures we're seeing when the camera faces his front. That is definitely evidence to me that things are coming along nicely.
Two questions:
1) When you say the map is procedurally generated, what are the building blocks it's assembling to make a map? Pre-made map sections (as in the old game*)? Pre-built rooms, with corridors procedurally generated? Everything from the ground up?
2) If we fight in rooms like the warehouse or cube farm, will the stuff on the shelves and desks fly about or are all those objects static? I could see problems with the former, even if it sounds like it would be cool.
*Even though they were not AI-assembled, the various static maps were built from a collection of pre-built sections.
Spurn all ye kindle.
A person gets "surprised" when it's not informed enough to make the correct assumptions, you're surprised by the other users because you don't understand them and I think I may be of some help there: the surprise is the consequence of ignorance and when the surprise is negative/unsettling it creates disappointment or even rage. Some peoples around you are not "raging" about this delay as you'd expect because they're not surprised/less surprised by the events than you. Less surprise = less disappointment.
For example, I personally already knew all of that (animation/textures/etc.etc.) was still in pre-alpha, because of what we saw (no visible improvements) and what we were told: in fact the devs also confirmed the material was pre-alpha each time they spoke; plus they said they were concentrating on the Avatar Builder to meet the date promised.
I personally don't see how a bunch of volunteers, using their free time (what's left by day jobs and family and possibly issues that we all got in some forms or others) could make huge visible improvements in fields like animations or textures if they're running against time to make a playable Avatar Builder.
In fact I ask my self "Why Zerohour expected a non-pre-alpha work there? Maybe he didn't read the forums till now and comunication by MWM should be delivered elsewhere too? Or it's because of the 5 years only?" (we'll get there). Nothing wrong in being less informed, I want to be clear on this. I'm opening my mind to you so you can begin to understand why I'm not "that disappointed" today and you are.
Some users said "MWM should show us more and not keep their game progress hidden" but that's like expecting that they store a magical "ready-game" hidden somewhere each time they say they're doing a "step forward", but each step doesn't translate in a flashy video the next month or an huge improvement. It doesn't mean they lie either, each little step is necessary but it's not that intriguing for us. An example is the "disappointing" videos of the announcement, which are not that interesting (as I said in my previous post here) and obviously rushed to give us something.
I personally perfectly knew we still need years to play a beta (therefore animations have got time to improve), I think you're more disappointed because you expected the game next year while I didn't and now your expectations suddenly broke.
To better understand each other here is my two "disappointment" milestones :
1) I'll get slightly disappointed if they decide to not release the buggy Avatar Builder within 2 months from now (life problems included, and yes I expect it to be buggy but still able to get some fun in the middle of patches), since that would mean they were far away from the release enough to foresee the delay.
2) I'll be greatly disappointed if they lose their passion and surrender the whole project (because I don't expect them to, at all).
For you instead this delay was enough already, let's see more in detail the possible reasons.
Here it is, the core of your disappointment. I'll try to be schematic:
1) We gave them money because of the software and hardware needed to permit a development on levels of a good quality game. They're not paid with that money, they didn't throw their jobs because of Kickstarter, they're still volunteers and we all always known that, which means they still got another job that fills their lives and the family. So [b]if a triple-A largely stuffed team needs 5 years to build a good game[/b] (3 years to build a crappy one, 2 years for a low-cost 100% failure), [b]how much time would be expected for a bunch of volunteers to need in their spare time?[/b]
Don't you think it is realistic to expect much more? Passion can do the magic to not "double" that time even if the hours are less than half, but that's all you can hope for.
2) The good quality they want to reach needs to come from somewhere.
Since it's not coming from paid work ([b]quality[/b] = 8 hours per day), nor from the [b]quantity[/b] of the workers (they're few compared to triple AAA studios, and they're subject to "tempests" thrown from the life since they're volunteers, like losing jobs, getting sick and CoT doesn't feed you in the meantime) I always expected it to come from the only thing remaining at their disposal... the lifetime. [b]Years and years of occasional work to make something decent on par with full-time work.[/b]
[b]Conclusion[/b]: they are underpaid and understaffed, therefore to get the same results as a triple A (goal) they can only take "more time". Should I be surprised for "delays" if that's my conclusion? Of course not, delays are to be expected since that's their only "fuel" apart from passion.
I never bought the kickstarter delivery dates because of my experience and their goals (= many years of waiting to get the quality they desire). I suspect many others managed to foresee the waiting too, all the ones which are surprising you with their low-level of disappointment.
[b]And here comes MWM's fault[/b]: the "estimated delivery 2015" in the Kickstarter pledge levels. My gaming experience saved me from "buying" that lie/error but some other guys did of course, and that's not their fault but MWM's.
I'm not upset for the passing time because I paid that money perfectly aware that "2015" was not realistic (resources+planned goal).
I still paid because it was the only chance imho to get CoH's feeling back in some way, they share my passion and my same "goal": a "good quality" result. The waiting is the only price that can be paid with the premises.
Would you pay the kickstarter pledge if the delivery date was "2020" instead of "2015"? I would have and everything is still going the way I expected, some things even surpassed the expectations (graphic quality of the Avatar Builder, for example, also some animations .gif of fighting moves shown previously were outstanding, or the hairs movement and quality, fire-aura's effect quality even if it was positioned badly it was still much much better than the "competition", and many other things).
I hope I enlightened someone and please don't get me wrong, after a delay is perfectly expectable negative reactions, we're not all the same. Previously I condemned a pre-emptive raging, now I'm just trying to help with some reasoning and sharing.
This is great, please never use that godawful plastic cape in anything promotional ever again. Just having that gone makes the entire thing look better. And I won't have nightmares about the Insidious Condom Man breaking into my room at night.
That said, the environments still feel a bit plastic -- not from a texture standpoint, but from a vibrancy one. It's all too sterile, too clean. The carpet in particular makes it seem like the character is walking on a featureless blue plane, especially when he's moving and you lose track of the details. Are there any plans to add things to the procedural generation that roughen the environments a bit? A bit of clutter, some scuffs along the floor lines, stronger textures, etc.?
And as a nitpick, I'd just like to point out that there are a million rolling chairs in this office, and it's carpeted, and nobody has put down any plastic chair mats at their work space. That's bad for the carpet AND inconvenient to roll around on.
EDIT: Actually, looking closer, I am actually starting to see the scuffs and dings in the environment. Just had to watch the thing in fullscreen.
Please take the following as simply a suggestion to aid what internal discussions may already be taking place, and consider it alongside what I see as helpfully-detailed "dashcam footage from the outside" that Planet10 provided in post #97.
I offer an example of a basic project management / stakeholder communication that contains the sort of "What are we aiming for, and are we on track?" that I have seen and used to concisely show what's happening on a project. It can borrow heavily from already existing internal schedule documents and could even be a snapshot overview that some project management software offers, with "executive commentary" added to explain any acronyms or important connections that the software can't portray. The twin goals of any such thing would be accuracy and simplicity. I would never presume that my help in designing or maintaining such updates is needed, but if my time or relatively neutral input would be useful, let me know.
If this began with internal overconfidence in a recovery, leading to a delay in sharing info about the recovery attempt, which then hindered neutral observation and discussion of the increasing risk in the schedule, then I truly believe that maintaining a modest amount of project management data, in public view, encourages introspection into what is the right level of confidence. Thus, it offers benefits to the team, such as early detection of a spiral toward the heroic last-ditch efforts and then internal disappointment as Tannim described, and a much smoother way to raise schedule problems with supporters - where potential delays lead to a working conversation and search for solutions, not a painful surprise and exception to the normal process. When I was a PM, to me that would be enough to justify the maintenance time required, even if it added no value for the supporter side...which it also does, at least to some notable portion of us.
[b]Status of City of Titans: Issue Zero[/b]
Last updated [date] by [name]
Find this at [stable web location]
The following items are planned for release:
A
95% ready, awaiting integration with item B before a final internal test.
On hold until problems (see B) are resolved. Testing was planned for the final week before release, and Issue Zero may be delayed, since this is a core component and is on our most critical time path.
B
80% ready. Last week, we reported that this was 90% complete...very sorry for the overestimate.
This item has slipped as we discovered a misunderstanding of integration standards for B to connect with A, which now requires significant rework by the team. We are still assessing the time impact.
As explained in prior updates, we allowed a two-week buffer in our schedule for last-minute problems like this, and unfortunately the buffer is now down to one week, and is likely to drop to zero based on the results of our investigation.
Item A cannot function independent of B, but further details of the options we're exploring to reduce the impact of this problem can be found at [link], so if you prefer a certain approach, join in.
X
85% ready. Team has been - and is planning on - working overtime before release date but is moderately confident the schedule can be hit, as integration with all other items was finished, and this is polishing work.
Network instability prevented progress on this between mid-September and the end of October. We have installed a redundant power supply and network switch to reduce the risk of future problems.
Y
100% ready. Internal tests completed since last status update.
We'll have a demo video for you in the next KS update!
Z {to be removed}
90% ready. However, as we updated to UE4 version [Q], it broke a key component and a solution is unlikely to be rolled out or a workaround developed, for many months.
The team has determined that this item is not critical to Issue Zero and has been shifted into One. It will be removed from status updates for now, as we shift resources to items B and X.
Other notes...
Watch your KS email inbox next week for invitations to sign up for volume testing of Y. We intend to bring testers in as groups of 20, and will ask you to run GPU load monitoring software (download link to be provided) during the test.
Discuss our progress / status at [forum link to ongoing thread].
I too am content to wait and see what improvements come from this experience. I agree on the improved video, and was pleased that feedback on camera positioning and motion was include to better showcase everything good in the demo.
Regarding the procedural map generation, I'd love to hear those answers, as well as a list of its current abilities, and the vision for its future. Some things I think would be revealing...
What inputs does the generator accept now vs. planned?
What is/will it be allowed to randomize and through what ranges (ceiling heights? corridor widths? lighting color and flickering, paint...), besides the placement of "volume blocks" that appear to be delineated by columns, and objects?
Will it manage physical connections so that a multistory building feels natural, with stairs and elevators leading to the expected places?
Could it place stairs and balconies and suspended paths in a larger multistory room, or will those rooms be premade for it to insert whole? Those were some of my favorite parts of CoH maps.
Is it meant to handle less-uniform maps such as caves and curving sewer tunnels, and if so, what interesting shortcuts or complex mathematics are involved?
Now I know what my first villain will be.
[color=red]PR Team, Forum Moderator, Live Response Team[/color]
I think he would be a good mercenary ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
[font=courier][color=#FF0000]Tech[/color][/font]
45 52 52 4F 52 3A 20 34 30 34 0D 0A 48 65 72 6F 20 6E 6F 74 20 66 6F 75 6E 64 21
Villain? But he stands for health and safety!
Spurn all ye kindle.
I hope this suggestion doesn't get lost in the lengthy post. It will:
1. Save the team time versus trying to put together polished updates weekly.
2. Keep development-related information concise, and more importantly, in a single, easy-to-find location.
Some us come here every day and read every post, but [i]most[/i] folks only stop in once per month or less, and they only want to know "Are we there yet? If we're not there, where exactly are we?"
[B]Thank you, Team[/b], for your honesty, your dedication, your willingness to interact with us here on the forums, and your [i]un[/i]willingness to sacrifice quality for speed. The videos really showcased just how far you've come! I second everyone's praise for Santa's workshop and hope we get to see it in person in the future.
Edited: for emphasis
"Why clean the house when you can be saving the WORLD?!?" ~Justice Wraith
Well like everyone else it's disappointing to learn we'll have to wait a bit longer to give this game a try.
On the other hand I wasn't exactly holding my breath that it was going to be released on any given specific day regardless of the "end of 2018" timeframe MWM has been telling us. It's good for the Devs to have plans and target dates but frankly I long ago settled into "it'll be ready when it's ready" mode and really can't claim I'm especially mad/upset about the delay at this point.
Unless [url=https://cityoftitans.com/comment/164301#comment-164301]you're somebody like Red_Warlock[/url] most of us here can't do anything about making this game happen any faster so bitching about "lack of communication" or that the schedule has slipped to the right a bit doesn't really help any of us. The folks at MWM are, if nothing else, totally dedicated to this game and if it somehow fails or doesn't launch it won't be for lack of trying on their part. The Devs aren't intentionally delaying this game to piss off any one single person so let's not try to take any of this personally shall we?
Obviously I remain very impatient to get my hands on this game. But I'm also quite sure the folks at MWM are completely aware there are plenty of people who share my sentiments about that. I choose to continue to wish them well because holding any other attitude on the matter doesn't help anyone.
And while I have the chance... Happy Holidays every one! :)
CoH player from April 25, 2004 to November 30, 2012
[IMG=400x225]https://i.imgur.com/NHUthWM.jpeg[/IMG]
Thought about this a little bit while I was driving.
[b]The Problem:[/b] There has been a significant amount of time between the original Kickstarter and where we are now. Information for the Kickstarter backers is going to be pushed to them soon via email. There is a possibility that the contact email address for the Kickstarter accounts is no longer valid or monitored. How does MWM get the KS backers to update their email address (you can't email the KS backers to tell them to update their email addresses, duh :P )?
[b]The Current Solutions:[/b] (1) Mention it in the KS updates and hope that they notice it and verify. (2) Hope that someone they know sees the note in the KS update or a dev post here buried in a thread here on the forums and tells their friend to verify their email. (3) Anticipate that they follow the goings on here in the forums and spots a dev post that mentions updating email.
[b]Alternate Solution:[/b] Have the MWM devs that post here on the forums add "[I]Just, well, update your kickstarter email addresses, okay? Make sure they're current?[/I]" or something to that effect to their forum Signature. Then every post they make and all that they have made retroactively have this information. It is a high visibility change that takes minimal effort.
"Just, well, update your kickstarter email addresses, okay? Make sure they're current?" - warcabbit
I don't have the technical knowledge to know how much of an accomplishment it is, but I know it's a big deal. Anyone who played CoH for a few months and had started becoming familiar with many of the maps, even without trying to memorize them, should know that this will be cool. That's why we want to know some basics of how it functions and whether most missions will make use of this tech, or only certain types of missions. For example, will only missions set in office spaces be able to make use of these PG maps right now?
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[font=Pristina][size=18][b]Hail Beard![/b][/size][/font]
Support [url=http://cityoftitans.com/comment/52149#comment-52149]trap clowns[/url] for CoT!
That announcement has been on the top of the home page and every other forum page for over a month now. Warcabbit just repeated to emphasize the need.
Here's the text of that banner:
Announcements
All Kickstarter Backers: Please go to your Kickstarter account and update your emails.
We're trying to give you as much time as possible for the staged rollout of pre-Alpha.
Make sure you can log in, and make sure your email address is up to date.
Please make sure *@missingworldsmedia.com is set to Allowed or Not Junk in your email settings.
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[color=#FF0000]Senior Developer/Project Manager/Co-Founder... and then some.[/color]
I too would like to know if it could create a warehouse, or an "Amazon Fulfillment Center", or a grocery store, or a shopping mall, bank, police department, an apartment building, convention center, airport, outdoor style city spaces, etc.
"Just, well, update your kickstarter email addresses, okay? Make sure they're current?" - warcabbit
I do not see a banner anymore unfortunately (I use MS Edge). I remember that there was a banner for a long time that mentioned something about the Twitch stream. iirc when this was first discussed and the option to use the banner was brought up, one of the devs said that there might be a problem with it and I never saw a change on my end of things. If it is working, great.
"Just, well, update your kickstarter email addresses, okay? Make sure they're current?" - warcabbit
Happy Holidays Lothic. Good to see you are back.
"THE TITANS ARE COMING! THE TITANS ARE COMING!"
I just updated that post. I was thinking I was coming across as a bit snarky. Given that the banner really is supposed to be there, and I know I see it even before I log in, you can understand why I might be confused and frustrated about your complaint. Microsoft Edge shouldn't be an issue, but if it is it would be good to know. I know it is showing for me in Chrome and Firefox. I'd check Edge myself but one of our recent issues is my laptop dying which ran Windows 10 and had Edge. That problem was Monday morning. For the record admin can't reveal anyone's personal issues but that person can. Since late September my house was broken into and multiple items were stolen - including my tower and our repository server. Whatever the thieves did to break in caused a cascade failure that caused us to have a major power fault and the electric company had to pull our meter until everything is fixed for safety reasons. We are now staying at a relatives without internet. Current in-house jokes relate to my "gremlins". I'm the guy who was doing the release and distribution software (technically still am). I still am but we just had to come up with an acceptable stopgap, and at the last minute. Our first tool we tried didn't work, and we are now on our second. The end-of-year holidays haven't helped production either. The problems of a small staff.
Edit: Note - new laptop AFTER Christmas. It was sent Friday afternoon but, like the previous one, it's a bit long in the tooth (maybe even more so). I'm starting a new job after the 1st and will hopefully be able to afford a more recent vintage that can actually run the character creator - yeah, it's been that bad the last three months for me.
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[color=#FF0000]Senior Developer/Project Manager/Co-Founder... and then some.[/color]
Oh, happy holidays everyone from me as well!
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[color=#FF0000]Senior Developer/Project Manager/Co-Founder... and then some.[/color]
I'd like to add that I use Firefox and do not see any banner. I'll provide any information you want to help track down the issue but I haven't seen any forum banners since back when they announced twitch streams.
@avelworldcreator
Don't sweat it. It could have been worse. But still I hope you are okay and doing well besides that tragedy.
I didn't know it's that bad, and I never experienced something like that, so I don't know how that must have been.
Good luck for your new job and everything else as well.
@everyone
Happy holidays, be nice/cool/bad fellow heroes/vigilante/mercenaries/villains and stay always out of trouble... Well don't, it wouldn't be okay. :p
Edit:
I don't see banners on mobile, as well. Might be a missing breakpoint here.
[font=courier][color=#FF0000]Tech[/color][/font]
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Thanks for the info on the banner invisibility. It's a setting I believe. I'll pass the issue on.
Edit: I've just confirmed the issue. I don't know the setting offhand but I know someone does. Should be fixed shortly. I don't think they should have ever made it invisible in the first place but just used a placeholder.
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[color=#FF0000]Senior Developer/Project Manager/Co-Founder... and then some.[/color]
The office map was very cool, but can you swing the camera around to the player's view and update us on all the sexiness that we can expect here?
Not the tech, but the UX of it all.
[img]https://i.imgur.com/26pBVBG.png[/img]
([i]Currently developing the Sapphire 7 Initiative[/i])
For what it's worth I haven't seen anything where the banner is suppose to be for some time now. I use Firefox browser at home and safari on my phone. The Announcements header is normally visible but nothing else and as of reading this post I don't even see the header either...
"A sad spectacle. If they be inhabited, what a scope for misery and folly. If they be not inhabited, what a waste of space." ~ Thomas Carlyle
It's a bit much to block quote but I agree 100%. Some people have their expectations set too high - or have unrealistic expectations. And unfortunately this is made a little worse by MWM themselves. I too didn't buy into the kickstarter years ago due to my skepticism at the "2015" delivery date.
From the videos things look like they are progressing well considering the circumstances, but my main advice for MWM is: "avoid announcing hard dates externally when at all possible". You still need to have internal development deadlines and milestones (and you can inform us of them in a general manner), but there is a reason why game studios seldom discuss hard dates until the game is practically ready to "go gold". Maybe get the character creator to a satisfactory level internally and THEN announce that it's going to be ready to go in a week or two, and that a certain number of backers will be contacted with download information. In the meantime you can continue to stamp out any remaining annoying/non-game breaking bugs, see if you can maybe squeeze in a few more alpha features and/or pivot some resources to other projects and so forth.
I think these last videos are fantastic and are one of the best Christmas presents that I personally could hope for, Good Job Devs! I send you all my best wishes and prayers for the personal losses and trials mentioned. I wish you all (Devs and Followers alike) a wonderous Christmas and a New Year full of hope and happiness. I can't wait to see you all in Titan City!
I reserve the right to have an opinion. You reserve the right to not agree.
[youtube]OoURBmDFIdc[/youtube]
[youtube]rCJGxQwmAJQ[/youtube]
Change between ver 1.0 & 1.1 seem to be cape material and turning off the monitors in the cube farm. I liked that the plastic cape reflected the overhead lights as you moved through the building.
Comments concerning ver 1.1:
As a functional game environment, it works. It looks like there would be plenty of room to fight and plenty of room for a group of supers to traverse the environment. Since this is an "office", it would be interesting to see NPC workers "working" or hiding in the server farm or in the storage room. The office layout feels more like a dungeon than an office. I have worked in a few cube farm style offices and a high end office space and one thing stands out the most >> the inefficient usage of space. I took the time to map out the office and the corridors create pockets of dead space. Also, what is in the room next to the conference room attached to the cube farm? In both videos, the caped crusader does not dare to enter that room.
I am curious to find out what would happen if the overhead lighting was turned off (or smashed). Would the TVs & vending machines in the break room illuminate in a behavior like we see in Santa's room in the other video (lamp shades & fireplace)?
There are no windows as others have mentioned. It could be a really economic building space, but you might expect a window at the entrance and maybe in the boss' office. If it is an underground facility, maybe have staged outdoor landscape scenes (with outdoorsy sounds like traffic or rain) to 'trick' the inhabitants to think they are above ground (like the scenes in the Resident Evil hive or the product facility in The Island).
The layout, as it pertains to the VIP/CEO/Boss's office feels more like an 'end boss' room than it does a true VIP room. If you arrived at this building with the intent to have a meeting with the VIP, you would traverse through the entire company space to get there. A CEO's office would be a little easier to access without having to wade through all of the underlings.
Other details that made me question the 'realness' of the space:[list]
[*] The elevator door material is too reflective.
[*] With the exception of the 'storage' room, everything is too neat (no clutter). Plus the space is just sparse, there's lots of wall to look at.
[*] The TVs in the break room are turned off. That's understandable, but it makes the room less visually interesting. Plus since they are flat screens it is just a black void space.
[*] The layout is just one story, but there is an elevator. Where is the stairwell? That's a fire safety violation waiting to happen :P
[*] There is no welcome mat at the front door.
[*] There is no signage or company logo in the reception area.
[*] There are no room numbers or name plates outside of each room space.
[*] The carpet is all the same color everywhere. This could be a cost cutting measure, but in higher end buildings, there will be some asymmetries built in to break up the space.
[*] There is carpet in the break room. There should be tile or linoleum to make spills easier to clean up.
[*] In higher end purpose built office spaces, asymmetries are embraced. Sight lines in hallways are broken up. Internal walls (non-window offices) are slightly askew. The subconscious can notice the repetitive design elements of ultra efficient space utilizations.
[*] The potted palm plant felt copy pasted in the placement and frequency of appearance. I do not want to say that it shouldn't be like that, it just stood out when my eye caught them.
[*] In the server stacks, why is there a large phone-style keypad on each stack? I am not current on that kind of hardware, but when I looked harder, it just looked out of place.
[*] Boss room >> no couch?
[*] Boss room >> presumably the rules that apply to the cube farm would loosened up for a VIP and they could decorate a bit more elaborately. Artwork? Creature comforts? Pictures of the kids/spouse? Personal awards or trophies or recognitions of achievement?
[/list]
Edit: The procedurally generatedness of the layout is impressive. Most of my feedback above relates to additional features I would like to see or how what was generated differs from what I would expect in the real world (the elements that make me realize I am looking at a game instead of a 'real' office).
"Just, well, update your kickstarter email addresses, okay? Make sure they're current?" - warcabbit
Don't worry about it, I was snarky too. Whatever magics you invoked, I now see the Announcements banner as you described. Sorry to hear about the gremlining. Hope you and everyone else has a good holiday.
"Just, well, update your kickstarter email addresses, okay? Make sure they're current?" - warcabbit
I see the banner now. (Chrome)
[img]https://i.imgur.com/26pBVBG.png[/img]
([i]Currently developing the Sapphire 7 Initiative[/i])
Just wanted to drop in and say Happy Holidays to everyone! I know I don't post here a lot, but I do read most of what's talked about and I try to let it all sink in and make changes accordingly
To all the supporters and people that understand - a huge thanks - you guys keep me going! and to all the naysayers - thanks - you guys keep me going too! ;p :)
If there's any doubts - remember we are making this game for us too - as much as we are for you guys - we want this as badly as you do - trust me :)
Geeks
[color=#FF0000]3D Artist - Technical Artist - Developer - All Around Geek[/color]
Check out my CNC (and more) projects at http://www.mygarageworkshop.com
Hey there Geek o/
Never saw you before, so... Nice to meet you :)
I see the banner now on every device and every Browser. (Tested it with iPhone, iPad, with an Android phone and my computer) (browsers used: chrome, safari, Firefox)
[font=courier][color=#FF0000]Tech[/color][/font]
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I can see the banner as well, now. But, FYI, people have mentioned this issue [i]weeks[/i] ago.
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[font=Pristina][size=18][b]Hail Beard![/b][/size][/font]
Support [url=http://cityoftitans.com/comment/52149#comment-52149]trap clowns[/url] for CoT!
+1
Nice to see it's finally been fixed.
Spurn all ye kindle.
I can confirm that the banner is also visible on Silk, but wasn't until this morning.
Sorry to hear about the break in, and I hope that your gear is easier to get back than [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jackson_Games,_Inc._v._United_States_Secret_Service]Evil Stevie's was back in the dark days of the twentieth century.[/url]
Foradain, Mage of Phoenix Rising.
[url=https://cityoftitans.com/forum/foradains-character-conclave]Foradain's Character Conclave[/url]
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Avatar courtesy of [s]Satellite9[/s] [url=https://www.instagram.com/irezoomie/]Irezoomie[/url]
Avel, I hope everything returns to normal for you ASAP, and that your new job is a dream; Murphy (as in Murphy's Law) has been a real jerk this year for sure!
So...the thieves have the game?
Also, I now see the banner.
"Why clean the house when you can be saving the WORLD?!?" ~Justice Wraith
In Discord,
Foradain, Mage of Phoenix Rising.
[url=https://cityoftitans.com/forum/foradains-character-conclave]Foradain's Character Conclave[/url]
.
Avatar courtesy of [s]Satellite9[/s] [url=https://www.instagram.com/irezoomie/]Irezoomie[/url]
Yep. And the police can hold on to things like that for quite a while too. :( I've already consulted an attorney and he said they only had a limited length of time for this but he would not give me further detail.
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[color=#FF0000]Senior Developer/Project Manager/Co-Founder... and then some.[/color]
I had my work computer taken by the FBI for a while at a previous job (I was a witness, not a suspect, but my PC was potential evidence) and yes it’s really disruptive. There’s also not much you can do but wait. :( I empathize, these things happen.
I need to apologize for my absence from the site these past few months. My real life job did something that wound up eating most of my time, and MWM-side, I was part of the "get the development repository servers recovered" team, and "web team" grew to include "account server/update server/launcher team" (more hats, not more people, of course) and then I got yoinked off of that to do sysadmin, networking, and repo rebuilding. Meanwhile, some arse was adding us to spam blocklists? So a lot of our site emails weren't getting delivered? That was fun to clean up. It still isn't 100%.
On the parts I've been working on, about five volunteers who we signed up over the year disappeared when we gave them real work to do. Our professional networking person pretty much vanished when Hurricane Irma hit and her real life job ate all her time; she's a network admin for a major operation in Florida. That's just how things are in volunteer land.
I've got some site upgrades (not the "new site") in the pipeline I hope to be rolling out these next couple weeks. Mostly bug fixes and security updates, but also adding a "Report this post/comment/user" feature that flags things for the mods to review. So there'll be some site downtime, and yes, I'll announce it at least a day ahead of time, and yes, I'll make sure y'all can see the announcement.
Speaking of which, the hidden announcement was, like, three botches in a row; clearly we need new dice. I'm really looking forward to getting back to the web site proper now, even if for a little bit. PM me with site complaints, please; I haven't seen a site complaint PM in months.
Dr. Tyche has said elsewhere that our dev repo was stolen. (They also grabbed his Google Fiber box, so that dev has no Internet now outside of public wifi, and his dev laptop died last week, and he was the lead working on the installer/updater/launcher/login stuff. Did I mention we need new dice?) This is one of the risks taken when you're a company with no brick-and-mortar location and full-time legal staff.
I can tell you that we have recovered and moved on to the point that that server could just be dropped in our laps intact and perfect, and it wouldn't do us any good because what's on it is all three months out of date. And I can tell you that when all that was going down, I was here at home, recovering from surgery (a cochlear implant), and trying to take enough pills to Dull Pain but no so many I'd get an opiate addiction. That stuff's scary.
Going forward, my top priority now is the account server. (Back to it right after updating this site.) Our KS backers need to be able to get logged in, update their info, and flag any remaining errors to us. It's not going to be ready by the end of the year, so you have at least that long to update Kickstarter. We'll announce the "Kickstarter backer snapshot" date at least a week ahead of time, and even if you miss that date, you'll just have to get in contact with us and we'll get things straightened out (and yes, we'll tell you how to do that at that point).
As Cabbit, Tannim, and others have noted, the Avatar Builder itself is nearly ready to go, we're just building out the infrastructure (installer, servers, etc.) to get it to you. Whether that uses the account server for authentication, or some internal login system, is TBD. If the latter, the same stuff about the account server above (we'll let you know a week ahead of the snapshot, etc.) [i]should[/i] apply. (My pay grade isn't high enough to say "shall", unfortunately.) The authentication requirement is there to be fair to backers: we said you'd get first crack, and that's our way of getting you first crack at it.
Then it's on to Second Chance. As much as some devs (not including yours truly) would really like to hire full-timers and speed things up, a year ago Nate (Dr. Tyche) put his foot down and said there will be no more fundraising until we actually ship something. So it is written, so it will be done. (Do [i]not[/i] argue with the Beard.)
I have no idea where Issue 0 fits into all that; I'm not involved with it beyond it needing the account server and maybe a prototype cash shop or something.
Before I forget to mention it again, ShadowElusive, who was part of our PR team and the point man on getting things out to you here on the site, is no longer in PR, and has transitioned entirely to leading the team making our indoor maps work. The video of the cape wandering the office? That's Shadow's team. (And that's why some communication balls got dropped that normally wouldn't have been.) And they're only getting started on the decor.
Yes, everything's delayed because the web site end of this operation is short staffed. I don't know what schedule there is for the alpha, though it'll be after we ship the avatar builder to backers and get Second Chance going. We also got tapped to set up some test resources for the pre-alpha. And the lead artist who was developing the new site theme left for greener pastures, though he was far enough along that there shouldn't be any show stoppers. It'll look awesome if we can pull it off.
Everything is literally, by definition, pre-alpha.
The one part of that I saw was that the third-party launcher/patcher/updater we were planning on using, with a month of dev effort in it already, failed hard. It became obvious that it [i]could not[/i] work. So it's gone and we're on the next one down the list, which is behaving much better.
ROFLSNORT
That's ... actually a pretty good sanity check.
Cripes. Don't faceplant on us, man!
ha ha. hahahaha. lolol rest that's good hahaha
[size=9]there is no rest[/size]
[size=9]there is never rest[/size]
Seriously, though, thanks to you and all the other well-wishers. And working on the website a bit is a welcome break.
[i]Has anyone seen my mind? It was right here...[/i]
I'd like to say to all the dev's that have suffered setbacks in your personal lives I feel your pain. Living in Houston I have felt and seen the results of a hurricane. I have seen people decimated by flooding. The end of June this year the company I work for were relocating our office to another location. I was on my way to the new office with my car loaded down with my monitors and other assorted office items when a oncoming car ran a red light and turned left into the front of my car sending me directly in to a traffic light pole. The corner of the hood of my car almost came through the windshield. I'm lucky to be here. Before the accident I used a mobility walker because of nerve damage. The accident broke my left collarbone. The emergency room discharged me without checking my lower extremities for any damage. I couldn't walk at all. I spent two weeks at home "totally" bedridden before being able to get things worked out to get into a rehab hospital.After 14 days there I was able come home. My job was great during this time I didn't have to use my vacation or lose any pay,
Bad things happen to all of us. Let us know. We care about you guys and ladies. Even if we can't help with the game. We can encourage y'all.
Oh to top everything else off, the insurance the other driver gave the police officer she was not covered under. My car was totaled. Thanks to gap insurance it was paid for. Medical bills though no bueno.
Life happens. Glad to still be here. Oh and my daily commute went from 5.5 miles each way to 51 miles each way.
Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
MU
For me City of Titans became a title I'm strongly looking forward too. Thanks everybody involved for making it. Have a merry Christmas and a happy new year :)
Wow !!! thank you that was the the most informative update i have seen . Kudos to you sir
The needs of the many , far outweigh the needs of the few . Or the one.
no lie I am sad over the news.
You get one first impression and ONE launch.
If you released a Wild West Online MMO - then I would call it quits.
City of Gaymers
050505 thru 120112
Oh snap, Lin is a cyborg!
Thanks for the post, Lin!
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[font=Pristina][size=18][b]Hail Beard![/b][/size][/font]
Support [url=http://cityoftitans.com/comment/52149#comment-52149]trap clowns[/url] for CoT!
But they didn't launch. So there is still one coming. It's not like they gave up. They just need to delay it, because of like 10000 reasons which all are valid.
[font=courier][color=#FF0000]Tech[/color][/font]
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It's a weird feeling. There are two hypotheses for how sound is coded on the auditory nerve. Implants apparently use a third method, so you get to spend a few weeks rehabilitating, while everything sounds like bowling balls in a wind chime shop, until your brain figures out the new coding.
[i]Has anyone seen my mind? It was right here...[/i]
After re-watching the video, I don't think it was the desk that was so massive as the hero was small. Most of the doorknobs he passed were at chest level!
Still a great looking map, though!
After this many comments, there's nothing else I can add that hasn't been said.
I'm still confident that y'all can pull this off and it will be amazing!
"I don't think you understand the gravity of your situation."
One of my biggest issues in CoX was the camera getting stuck and me having a bad view of whats going on. Any chance the camera can float above the actual ceiling eventually?
A team of massive characters will make seeing stuff almost impossible in smaller areas.
Supporting how I can, Starting up a DA group for art, stories, and concepts to be collected
http://city-of-titans.deviantart.com/
Please join up if you plan to make or collect CoT related art.
I contributed $50 to the Kickstarter campaign hoping for the chance to one day have the same kind of fun I had in CoH.
I get why you, gentle reader, might be pissed off about this delay... and I totally agree that the communication/PR for this game needs work.
But some of you. I mean... breathe. These are volunteers.
Happy holidays to you all. Hopefully I'll see you in-game soon.
Never forget... to add cheese.
I'm not a Kick Starter backer. I didn't even hear about the project until it was well underway. If I ever get a second chance I will jump in.
My only input is:
A) Please don't burn out - extended volunteer work with people looking over your shoulder can be taxing.
B) Please don't release anything unless it has some of the polish of CoH. Unlike other new games, this project has a base with very specific expectations for the final product. Meet those expectations, and people will forget the bumps in the road it took to get there.
Thank you for your dedication to making this a reality!
Malgron
Sad about the delay, but glad to see some more progress.
Delays happen, but I just hope it won't turn into a Duke Nukem Forever situation; wait ages for a mediocre game.
Given the videos it doesn't seem like that will be the case.
Any idea when we can expect to see another combat video? It'd be great to see some powers in action, especially if we could see the same power with multiple aesthetics to show how different it can be.
"Let the past die. Kill it if you have to."
I can confirm I'm seeing the banner now!
I too can see the banner now. Hours ago actually but you know, life... got the grandkids sleeping finally so I could visit the forum again.
Lin, wow just wow... very informative, a lot of unfortunate moments have happened in pretty short order which is as expected (standard SNAFU.) Life will keep hitting below the belt all you can do is just don’t give up. I really do appreciate all the efforts all the devs are making and know MWM will persevere!
Thank you Lin for the “behind the scenes” view and all the devs for trying so hard to hit the mark. I’ll keep waiting impatiently for the day I know is still on the horizon.
Merry Christmas all and god bless!
"A sad spectacle. If they be inhabited, what a scope for misery and folly. If they be not inhabited, what a waste of space." ~ Thomas Carlyle
..."not that we couldn't make him"
Was I the only one who noticed this? We will be able to create cherubs?
Presumably, we will have the option of either a cherub who looks like a cherub, OR make a cherub that looks like chibi He-Man.
In any case, thanks for giving us all something. Personally, I am happy to have gotten the update. That Christmas room with the gift in it was very pretty! :)
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Can't want ;)
The difference a single letter can make XD
Compulsively clicking the refresh button until the next update.
Thanks for the update and I cannot wait to enter this world. I am an original backer and continue to monitor the game as it progresses (although RL has taken me away for long stretches).
While I had "hoped" to be able to play with the character creator sooner rather than later I never expected to see the game, beta, or even pre-Alpha this year. I have missed my home away from home for years now and am excited to walk into a new online city but I want it to be right. . . To last for a long time. . . And I want it to be successful.
Hopefully, 2019 will be amazing for you guys and everything will come together and we will all be in a new home for our heroes, our villains, our Titans!
"People remember broken a lot more than they remember late" is a proverb I use on bosses who are way too focused on an arbitrary deadline and overcome with [url="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_fever"]Go Fever[/url].
[i]Has anyone seen my mind? It was right here...[/i]
Thanks for the Wikipedia article. :)
[font=courier][color=#FF0000]Tech[/color][/font]
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I keep seeing posts here about how "Issue 0" was supposed to launch now, but I can't recall hearing about an imminent launch of the real game (well, an abbreviated tiny piece of it) in that time frame. There have been noises about a 50-player alpha or pre-alpha (that would probably start as internal-only, like the Avatar Builder is now), but it still has to deal with all the same problems AB does, plus the open world server stuff, which has been in active development for months (and probably has a few more? we could get lucky? but ... [i]these[/i] dice?).
I'm not pointing fingers at anyone (I have no idea who, anyway), but it sounds like a classic communication SNAFU where Avatar Builder and Issue 0 got conflated.
So just to reiterate: Avatar Builder has to come first, then an alpha or pre-alpha or Issue 0 or whatever. You've got to put your clothes on before you go outside. (You nudists in back, yeah I see ya, now siddown.)
[i]Has anyone seen my mind? It was right here...[/i]
Lin, Warcabbit brought up Issue 0 in a previous update. Of course you haven’t been around (no blame here) so you may be out of the loop on what entails of issue 0.
It is our avatar builder, chat server, and log in server onto our test island. The island which is featured in the video of this update. The back end of which also meant our world server, account creation and log in for the game along with our patcher.
Issue 0 would then receive incremental updates which would go through the paces of adding more and more plug ins to the main game, taking us through Beta and toward Issue 1 which would be the launch of the game.
Between I-0 and I-1 (but closer to I-0), we would begin our Second Chance funding. The funding which is required to take us from I-0 to I-1. This would allow us to (hopefully) begin to hire on some of the volunteer staff, and bring in new talent along the way.
And AFAIK, this is still the plan, we are just dealing with the delay and rebuilding the systems needed, while other teams continue to work on their modules of the game still.
[hr]I don't use a nerf bat, I have a magic crowbar!
- Combat Mechanic -
[color=#ff0000]Tech Team. [/color]
As I get older, I find I become more patient and more understanding. 20 years ago, I'd probably be upset and chomping at the bit. Now, I find I'm just reassured that eventually there WILL be a grand MMO entitled "City of Titans" and I'll get to play it. Whatever it takes, whatever you devs need from us, you let us know and we'll make sure you get it.
I'm behind you all 100%, and I'm sending all the positive energy I can. Be well, rest, heal, make sure you eat, and know we're all rooting for you. Happy holidays!
Wherever, whenever, long live the drunk server! #PinnacleForever
Been there. Done that. Literally have the T-Shirt.
[img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ngLKcOiYRy0/XB_tj7JKLpI/AAAAAAAAdBQ/A4CPQgqIuR4iJNuYI5ot_SU8ohsfIa3eQCL0BGAYYCw/h952/2018-12-23.png[/img]
As for the rest of the questions about the mission map: They are, variously, 'we're going to get to that', 'we're going to get to that eventually but I'd rather have the game functional first', or 'we can't do that because it would take fifty times the work and a complete focus on your request' or 'this is a game, not Office Simulator 2010'. I'm not going to say which are which right now, except for the following bits of information.
For example, the Boss' Office is, in this map, intended to be exactly that: the end room of the map where the Boss is. I understand some people would place it next to the front of the map, but that would make a much more boring game. This will not always be the boss room in any given map, but in this one it is.
Wall Art: Yes, we've discussed this. Things will continue to improve.
Windows: See Wall Art, there is currently a good reason why there's nothing on the walls, it has to do with the difficulty of defining 'outside' to the builder.
Surprisingly clean office: One must make a clean office before one makes a dirty one, especially if one wants to have dynamic dirt levels for map generation.
Oh, and if it's not clear: when I was discussing disasters, I was _not_ listing all of them - for example, we have had multiple _kinds_ of hurricane disasters in three different states.
We don't want to bother you guys when the latest thing explodes, or when a promising staffer takes a task, agrees to do it, checks back in about four times, then fades - and it's a month later and nothing's done.
We are still moving forwards.
[color=#ff0000]Project Lead[/color]
There are basically two "easy" approaches to depicting superspeed (in this case, literally running at 60 mph) ... which were demonstrated by the Six Million Dollar Man TV show during the 70s (for those of us who remember the 70s...).
Either you crank the camera speed way down and make everything LOOK like it's all racing by real fast.
Or you crank the camera speed way UP so as to "run fast by running slow" instead (which is what both bionic shows wound up doing in the 70s).
Oh and it really helps to have a unique sound FX to "sell" the fact that you're using your superpower ...
[youtube]enPADH5RXlY[/youtube][youtube]7OXvkpmiJBI[/youtube][youtube]B-G0SVEQW8A[/youtube]
In the context of an MMORPG like City of Titans, [i]either of these basic ideas can work[/i] ... so long as the terrain around your character starts going by really really fast (so high travel speed). You can either crank up the animation speed of the avatar so it looks like your character is "pedaling like crazy" at a rate of like 10+ steps per second (which the City of Heroes Ninja Run power actually did) ... or you can crank the animation speed of the avatar down so that you have a sort of "really LONG stride cruising" kind of appearance, where you take 1 step and cross 100 yards (essentially) at very high speed. Either way will "work" in the context of a 3D MMORPG in terms of animation/presentation. In fact, I'd even argue that in the context of aesthetic decoupling, having an option for either appearance would be ideal for depicting Superspeed (stirring BGM soundtrack accompaniment would probably have to be a store bought optional extra though ^_~).
Note that in City of Heroes, the reason why Superspeed had both visual and sound FX was to mask the "max pedal rate" of the Superspeed animation both visually (to hide all the foot strikes) and audibly (to hide the staccato beat of feet hitting the ground at that tempo).
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[i]Verbogeny is one of many pleasurettes afforded a creatific thinkerizer.[/i][/center]
... tell us ... [i]more[/i] ... once you have the copious free time to do so, that is ... ;P
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[i]Verbogeny is one of many pleasurettes afforded a creatific thinkerizer.[/i][/center]
I am going to be honest off the bat:
Please reconsider procedural map generation.
Your office space has more 'unique rooms' that serve clear function compared to City of... But their layout is still honestly architecturally abominable and illogical.
I know it can be very very very VERY difficult and time consuming making a map that's both logically laid out but still has exploration/isn't too easy to navigate. But, in theory, a way it could be done would be to play on this world of super powered people, and the fact that, usually, when you go into an office, you're either going to be an unwelcomed guests or unwelcomed guests have already been attacking the place.
Basically how it would go is that you layout a logical floorplan normally for a building. And then you have the paths blocked by various obstacles, such as security gates shutters, heavy locked doors, and even the good old-fashioned, makeshift barricade. These in of themselves can then present opportunities for players to flex their power muscles to use powers that would let them bypass these things, hunt down someone with a key, or just spend the extra time to smash down the barriers (and potentially summon enemy reinforcements). By having these 'choke points' on procedural generation at certain points it organically can turn an otherwise straight-forward building into a minor labyrinth.
There is a song I hear, a melody from the past.
When I woke for the first time, when I slept for the last.
You are the one, the hero who will stand.
Do not blame father, he is only a man.
This has been brought up before, and, in short; having "realistic" building layouts seldom make for the best gameplay levels. Or, as Warcabbit said above; "this is a game, not Office Simulator 2010." There are probably a few cosmetic tricks they could use to make things a little more "logical", but I don't think they should have to restrict themselves solely to real-world architecture.
fair enough, just watching the demonstration combined with mentioned of procedural generation gave me flash backs to the downsides of city of heroes... like the odds of every other cave mission having a layer cake or some equivalent.
There is a song I hear, a melody from the past.
When I woke for the first time, when I slept for the last.
You are the one, the hero who will stand.
Do not blame father, he is only a man.
We have been given the impression that a "standalone character creator" cannot be released for legal reasons, it has to be packaged with other parts to make it a game... ie: issue 0.
Supporting how I can, Starting up a DA group for art, stories, and concepts to be collected
http://city-of-titans.deviantart.com/
Please join up if you plan to make or collect CoT related art.
Dear god no.
im looking forward to my maze built offices where I look for the lost sock of atlantis to summon HR, the god of leave without pay.
Supporting how I can, Starting up a DA group for art, stories, and concepts to be collected
http://city-of-titans.deviantart.com/
Please join up if you plan to make or collect CoT related art.
I have never screamed from a forum post like this I can't breathe.
Oooo, heavy
To be clear I understand the desire (and I too would roll my eyes at the layer cake cave area after seeing it x number of times in a row). But this is probably one of those areas where the needs of the game come before realism. This doesn't preclude the use of custom/hand-designed maps for notable/important missions of course, but procedural generation is FAR too useful for the hundreds of "run-of-the-mill" missions we are going to be picking up from our regular contacts.
Anyone else feel like Lin should also take on "just one more" hat. The PR person hat. I would volunteer to take on the roll myself but I could only give it about an hour a week and I think it needs probably 2-3 hours just to get updated on all the things going on. Before putting together a post or update or anything like that.
If she wont take on the hat then I'd say that to whoever does they should look at lin's post as a shining example of what people are looking for in communication from MWM.
Second Chance: https://store.missingworldsmedia.com/CityOfTitans/SecondChance/
Dev Tracker: http://cityoftitans.com/forum/fixing-dev-digest
Dev Comments: https://cityoftitans.com/forum/dev-comments
Do Not [b]Taunt[/b] Happy Fun Mad Engineer ...
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[i]Verbogeny is one of many pleasurettes afforded a creatific thinkerizer.[/i][/center]
Totally agree with this! I wouldn't ask Lin to own more responsibility but at least let the PR volunteer glean from her outstandingly informative posts!
"A sad spectacle. If they be inhabited, what a scope for misery and folly. If they be not inhabited, what a waste of space." ~ Thomas Carlyle
There is going to be a layer cake room in the game.
It will be physics enabled.
You will be able to smash it ALL DOWN.
I don't know when, but I am very insistent on this point.
[color=#ff0000]Project Lead[/color]
You heard it from Cabbit, office maps will include the entire building and be fully destructible!
*95% of the the heroes become reckless agents of chaos destroying entire blocks trying to catch a purse thief*
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