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Starsector 0.97a is out! (02/02/24); New blog post: Simulator Enhancements (03/13/24)

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Author Topic: Major Build Release  (Read 11549 times)

CedricO

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Re: Major Build Release
« Reply #15 on: August 05, 2015, 01:30:46 PM »

I too am looking forward for the next big update. And i say that not to rush either, just to show that there are people (like myself) who have grown to love this little infant stage game, and its possible bright future! So im just excited to see it grow. Im mostly looking forward to being able to do stuff with the planets we see (my own evil space empire). ;) If that ever happens. Hope you all have a great day.

grtz
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Nanao-kun

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Re: Major Build Release
« Reply #16 on: August 05, 2015, 01:32:17 PM »

I'm pretty sure 7 months is still a fair way off from a full year.
Major releases, not hotfixes.
Then that makes it 11 months, including the month it was released.

0.54a -> 0.6a 11 months
0.6a -> 0.65a 14 months
0.65a -> Present 11 months
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Histidine

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Re: Major Build Release
« Reply #17 on: August 05, 2015, 04:50:28 PM »

As Alex said: There is no prediction of when the release will take place because the prediction will inevitably be wrong.

If you don't want to keep hitting F5 on the home page, just check every other month or somesuch, it's hardly a big deal if you find out about the release a month late (and you'll probably hear about it through other channels in fairly short order anyway).

If you really must be there on release day, use the RSS feed, that's what it's for.

When it's good and ready.
From personal experience, that is how projects die.
A project that gets released in a half-baked state is functionally almost as dead as one that never gets released.

From what I've seen, if an indie game doesn't get done it's often because:
- It was too ambitious to begin with (in our case it's a little late to be changing that now)
- It went through feature creep (see previous)
- Too many revisions were made to existing content (I don't know how likely this is, but I imagine rushing Alex when he's trying to get it right the first time isn't going to help)
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Alex

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Re: Major Build Release
« Reply #18 on: August 05, 2015, 04:56:35 PM »

If you really must be there on release day, use the RSS feed, that's what it's for.

(Also the mailing list, though I generally send to that a day or two after the release, to give an opportunity for a hotfix if necessary.)
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Hopelessnoob

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Re: Major Build Release
« Reply #19 on: August 05, 2015, 07:02:38 PM »

Seeing major build release and Alex being the last poster made me incredibly excited. Then just depressed.
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xenoargh

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Re: Major Build Release
« Reply #20 on: August 05, 2015, 08:31:48 PM »

Honestly, given what's gone into this one and what's apparently under the hood (from the sound of things, most of the major pieces to get to Beta are going in, other than Outposts / some sort of strategic-level metagame, and, of course, content) I can't say that I'm either worried about the length or concerned about it, frankly.  This part was going to take a while.  At least now it's relatively smooth sailing to the end, other than the last wrinkles UI-wise.

If there's anything I've learned from watching this project get done, it's that the low-level code support needed to get the high-level content done is a prime strategic task; stuff like the backend data structures, file handling, and UI framework, etc. eat a surprisingly large amount of time.
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angrytigerp

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Re: Major Build Release
« Reply #21 on: August 05, 2015, 10:01:49 PM »

I will point out that this question gets asked every few months in between every major release. Been that way since I picked the game up, and that would have been... I wanna say 0.52? Whatever May of 2012's version was, because that's when I dropped the cash.

Anyways, yeah, it'll get done when it gets done. It feels like there's an exponential growth with every build; I think I remember playing like the first version after the campaign mode became a thing (however utterly barebones it was), as I don't remember a missions-only selection. Then suddenly we had ship systems, and phase cloaks. Then suddenly personal skills, then MULTI-SECTOR GAMEPLAY, then TRADING AND EVENTS AND FACTION RELATIONSHIPS!?

Point is, it just keeps growing, bro. Just keep riding it out, knawmsayin'?
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Mystic

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Re: Major Build Release
« Reply #22 on: August 06, 2015, 09:23:18 AM »

I know Alex has another job ...

Is this true?  I had always assumed that Alex's primary focus was this game, and in that light, the time between releases has indeed seemed more than a little slow.  But if he has a separate full-time job and Starsector is something he codes on nights and weekends, then that explains the development pace a lot better.  Although I would wish that the early access adopters like myself had provided him with enough income to make this his full-time pursuit, perhaps that's not been the case?
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Gothars

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Re: Major Build Release
« Reply #23 on: August 06, 2015, 09:43:34 AM »

I know Alex has another job ...

Is this true?

In short, no. Alex quit his previous job some years ago in order to focus on Sector.
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Midnight Kitsune

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Re: Major Build Release
« Reply #24 on: August 06, 2015, 09:45:43 AM »

Seeing major build release and Alex being the last poster made me incredibly excited. Then just depressed.
Yeah, any info regarding updates will go in the Announcements Sub-Forum along with a news bulletin (which appears under your avatar on your screen) saying something about .7 being released.

I know Alex has another job ...
Is this true?  I had always assumed that Alex's primary focus was this game, and in that light, the time between releases has indeed seemed more than a little slow.  But if he has a separate full-time job and Starsector is something he codes on nights and weekends, then that explains the development pace a lot better.  Although I would wish that the early access adopters like myself had provided him with enough income to make this his full-time pursuit, perhaps that's not been the case?

He DID have a job but he quit it to work on SS full time. (Use to work work with David IIRC)
Edit: Ninja'ed by Gathars...
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selkathguy

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Re: Major Build Release
« Reply #25 on: August 06, 2015, 10:17:15 AM »

I am grateful for all the effort Alex and the others have put forth.

I think I've been miscommunicating my point which is to have more of a two-way process.  I'm not trying to rush a full release of the game, that could take another 2 years for all that matters to me.  It should be as Alex envisions it.  I just wanted to be able to see the project develop over time and to be a part of it; to be able to throw my two cents in after these new features are blogged about.  I haven't been posting about the blogs much since it is all speculation from our end.  We just have to wait until .7 which will be (essentially) a new game with the amount of new mechanics (I'm looking forward to it!).  I'm not interested in playing the full game sooner, rather I'd like to be a part of the process as it grows and be able to speak from experience with the game as it develops rather than from speculation on how I think the announced features will play out.

I am still unsure if I articulated myself well enough.  I am not a wordsmith. :(
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David

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Re: Major Build Release
« Reply #26 on: August 06, 2015, 10:27:00 AM »

He DID have a job but he quit it to work on SS full time. (Use to work work with David IIRC)

Naw, he used to work with Ivaylo. I did however do art for a previous game by Alex way back when.
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angrytigerp

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Re: Major Build Release
« Reply #27 on: August 06, 2015, 10:54:20 AM »

I am grateful for all the effort Alex and the others have put forth.

I think I've been miscommunicating my point which is to have more of a two-way process.  I'm not trying to rush a full release of the game, that could take another 2 years for all that matters to me.  It should be as Alex envisions it.  I just wanted to be able to see the project develop over time and to be a part of it; to be able to throw my two cents in after these new features are blogged about.  I haven't been posting about the blogs much since it is all speculation from our end.  We just have to wait until .7 which will be (essentially) a new game with the amount of new mechanics (I'm looking forward to it!).  I'm not interested in playing the full game sooner, rather I'd like to be a part of the process as it grows and be able to speak from experience with the game as it develops rather than from speculation on how I think the announced features will play out.

I am still unsure if I articulated myself well enough.  I am not a wordsmith. :(

Well, I know the forums seem dead, but I assure you they are not. In fact, now more than ever is the time to go chime in on the Suggestions forum (either with your own or in favor or someone else's), or provide feedback on the Blog discussion threads. Don't know if you've noticed, but the Fractal Softworks team is definitely active in reading these discussion, and Alex actually is great about throwing in explanations for why X or Y suggestion wouldn't work because of something else he's got cooking, he personally answers bug reports, etc.

As the game grows, of course, the cozy direct interaction will likely fall by the wayside as a natural process, but for now, make your voice heard. And rest assured that this game won't be a perpetual alpha -- at the rate it's been growing, it'll just keep expanding slowly but very steadily.
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selkathguy

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Re: Major Build Release
« Reply #28 on: August 07, 2015, 09:23:35 AM »

now more than ever is the time to go chime in on the Suggestions forum (either with your own or in favor or someone else's), or provide feedback on the Blog discussion threads.
As I said, feedback is almost worthless when it's not based on anything but speculation.  I don't have the thing that I'm supposed to be giving feedback for, so I can't say whether a feature is well-executed or not if I cant see the feature in practice.  There have been so many new feature announcements and the game has changed so much from the version I have that there's no basis for me to be valuable.
« Last Edit: August 07, 2015, 09:26:21 AM by selkathguy »
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angrytigerp

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Re: Major Build Release
« Reply #29 on: August 07, 2015, 01:28:28 PM »

now more than ever is the time to go chime in on the Suggestions forum (either with your own or in favor or someone else's), or provide feedback on the Blog discussion threads.
As I said, feedback is almost worthless when it's not based on anything but speculation.  I don't have the thing that I'm supposed to be giving feedback for, so I can't say whether a feature is well-executed or not if I cant see the feature in practice.  There have been so many new feature announcements and the game has changed so much from the version I have that there's no basis for me to be valuable.

Give feedback on current builds, or community suggestions. And if you think feedback is worthless, bear in mind that the team does watch what transpires in the months-long blog post threads.

I'm not sure exactly what you're getting at, to be quite honest. Is there something that bothers you about the current game? Find a thread about your issue, or make one if there isn't. Do you disagree with some concept Alex put out? Reply to a blog discussion thread. Plenty of that happened during the flux damage boost/ammo removals. The team explained quite clearly their rationale.

I'm not sure if you're... What, disappointed in something yet to come? Or that's in the game now? Because alpha or not, pretty much every game will have some issue for someone... And it won't be possible to implement everyone's perfect solution.
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