The main purpose of alpha stages for them is a structured approach to testing, not player enjoyment. We are literally going to end up as extra bodies on the alpha tester servers. Mainly so they can figure out if the meshing tech, the server and game client in general handle large player numbers, gather extra feedback and hopefully extra bug reports.
If someone isn't satisfied with timelines, or the fact the game is going to be available 5 days a week from December, then I really don't want what to tell them beyond: "Take a deep breath, the game is nowhere finished and MORE delays are bound to happen".
Did Steven ever say that every second of Alpha 2 was 24/7?
The expectation for an Alpha is that it is not going to be up 24/7 until months or years into it.
This, thing is some people don't care or pay attention like above guy just things is a early access game. There were already statements leading up to stream before them not being up the entire time. They never outlaid the full alpha 2 planning. Common sense kind of dictates to expect it not to be 24/7 at the start (as stated in past streams there would be down time loosely), unless you are someone expecting to be playing a game and not being apart of the alpha development you would have a early access expectation (which is clearly silly).
When did they say that Alpha 2 wouldn't be available 24/7 before the AMA? Being down for short periods to apply updates and fixes doesn't count as "not being 24/7" as that happens in most live games as well. They've explicitly stated that Alpha 2 was originally planned to be up and available at all times (barring short downtimes for updates) from when it started until retail release. It's in the Kickstarter FAQ and Steven explicitly stated this in a livestream. Obviously plans change but that expectation 100% was set by Intrepid.
You would need to pay attention to all detail on streams to figure that out. They have no reason to lay out their development plan to you. If you understanding is that its a downtime for a day again you do not have a scope of Alpha development to understand it.
They didn't state it was 24/7 from all points of alpha 2, you won't find a quote on that. Their goal for alpha is pretty obvious being persistent, a goal doesn't appear out of the blue, it needs to be developed because surprise this is in Alpha.
The only one creating wild expectations is you guys, regardless even when it is active and when it isn't. You jumping into a alpha thinking you are playing 24/7 whenever you want instantly, is so far from the mark of an alpha It is crazy. Effectively it is you complaining you can't play the game 24/7, when the whole point of alpha is to TEST the game. Which is pretty much work at that point (granted u have a large amount that don't understand alpha and just will play it, and not really do any work that helps besides some feedback here and there.)
Ill happily comment on the Kickstarter comment though since your entire complain revolves around it (as much as its a bad take).
Notice how they talk about is planned for it being persistent, and you can see their outline of alpha 2 when it will become fully persistent 24/7-ish based on their stream. There is no detailed explanation of their plane and how they are going to go about that in alpha 2. If you are going to be naïve and think there is 0 work involved and it just happens that is on you to not piece it together, or do some extra research to try to understand things better.
Now that you are seeing the plan you are trying to pick at it and say they aren't going to be doing it. Trying to rely on the little information they talked about it which is rightfully so since it wouldn't be planned that far in advanced.
Even though you were not told their plan, making assumptions no how they meant their plan to work, don't have a grasp of alpha in game and the development. You are trying to be that guy saying "Well actually you said its persistent so it needs to be 24/7 right away so i can play the game all day and week. Be playing is more important that the devs doing work on the game and you should pay all the people to make sure things are working fine while I play even if there isn't a whole lot to do." -pushes glasses up on face-
Ah yes, only in the mind of a delusional moron does "servers up and available continuously from the start of alpha 2 until launch" mean "only up sometimes from the start of the alpha 2 until launch"
The fact is, they explicitly stated that alpha 2 would be up and available continuously, meaning at all times barring short periods of downtime for updates, until launch.
You're making a whole lot of dumb assumptions about me and what I think too lol not that that's surprising based on how dumb some of your comments in general are.
Naaa my assumptions are spot on, you are whining about alpha development and not understanding how planning works and you able to see the process.
You continue to show you really are not able to handle following alpha development. Which explains how stupid some of your recent comments have been around this. There is being ignorant and then double downing on that kind of mind set.
Alpha 2 will be running persistently, it is no one else's fault but your own you don't understand there can be phases or milestones leading up to that, ontop of unforeseen issues.
This is why you aren't going to find a single quote saying A2 will be running 24/7 at the very first day of it, and you are only going to find them saying their plan or A2 is to end up like that, without talking about their plan and process. And most likely missing small bits on stream where they slightly mention things and selective playtimes.
That's a whole lot of stupid you just posted lol
From someone that has 0 grasp on development, I don't blame things for being way over your head in understanding. Its ok, you got to start somewhere right
You're an idiot lol
One lacking in intelligence is you buddy, not understanding how things work and crying.
Yes, me saying I understand why they're doing this and am not upset or concerned about it sure is "crying" lol
You're the one making dumbass assumptions about people you know nothing about because you clearly didn't understand what they were saying to begin with. Now feel free to reply again so you can feel like you "won" to appease your fragile ego. You very obviously have nothing of value to add though so I won't be wasting any more time replying to your drivel.
You are reflecting bud on the winning I'm just responding to your terrible takes. I understanding perfectly well but you are out here trying to convince people they lied / changed plans and saying alpha 2 isn't persistent. Its extremely silly, laughable actually.
They would have to fully remove alpha being persistent or atleast make it years down the line and only have it be like that at the end. For you to be standing on this kind of point.
Ill just be blunt, you are being a joke right now and whining pretty much. Their time frame is pretty fair. But at the same time there is no point taking you this serious because you will also complain at delays and prob say they are lying again or something.
You won't admit it but you are looking at this as a early access expectations and not alpha expectations (expectations is the key word). Its a dumb take.
The main purpose of alpha stages for them is a structured approach to testing, not player enjoyment. We are literally going to end up as extra bodies on the alpha tester servers. Mainly so they can figure out if the meshing tech, the server and game client in general handle large player numbers, gather extra feedback and hopefully extra bug reports.
If someone isn't satisfied with timelines, or the fact the game is going to be available 5 days a week from December, then I really don't want what to tell them beyond: "Take a deep breath, the game is nowhere finished and MORE delays are bound to happen".
Pretty much. The first few months are going to be rough and it seems like a lot of people here aren't grasping just how rough it will actually be.
The main purpose of alpha stages for them is a structured approach to testing, not player enjoyment. We are literally going to end up as extra bodies on the alpha tester servers. Mainly so they can figure out if the meshing tech, the server and game client in general handle large player numbers, gather extra feedback and hopefully extra bug reports.
If someone isn't satisfied with timelines, or the fact the game is going to be available 5 days a week from December, then I really don't want what to tell them beyond: "Take a deep breath, the game is nowhere finished and MORE delays are bound to happen".
Pretty much. The first few months are going to be rough and it seems like a lot of people here aren't grasping just how rough it will actually be.
The main purpose of alpha stages for them is a structured approach to testing, not player enjoyment. We are literally going to end up as extra bodies on the alpha tester servers. Mainly so they can figure out if the meshing tech, the server and game client in general handle large player numbers, gather extra feedback and hopefully extra bug reports.
If someone isn't satisfied with timelines, or the fact the game is going to be available 5 days a week from December, then I really don't want what to tell them beyond: "Take a deep breath, the game is nowhere finished and MORE delays are bound to happen".
Pretty much. The first few months are going to be rough and it seems like a lot of people here aren't grasping just how rough it will actually be.
It’s gonna be very very rough, and there’s also the simple but important thing to remember, Steven isn’t a game developer by trade, so he also came into this with no idea how long it’d take, or the nitty gritty (buggy as all hell) reality of game development.
I think attributing the missteps in communication and the delays to malice instead of plain ol’ inexperience is doing a disservice to a team that’s clearly passionate about making an enjoyable game.
The main purpose of alpha stages for them is a structured approach to testing, not player enjoyment. We are literally going to end up as extra bodies on the alpha tester servers. Mainly so they can figure out if the meshing tech, the server and game client in general handle large player numbers, gather extra feedback and hopefully extra bug reports.
If someone isn't satisfied with timelines, or the fact the game is going to be available 5 days a week from December, then I really don't want what to tell them beyond: "Take a deep breath, the game is nowhere finished and MORE delays are bound to happen".
Pretty much. The first few months are going to be rough and it seems like a lot of people here aren't grasping just how rough it will actually be.
It’s gonna be very very rough, and there’s also the simple but important thing to remember, Steven isn’t a game developer by trade, so he also came into this with no idea how long it’d take, or the nitty gritty (buggy as all hell) reality of game development.
I think attributing the missteps in communication and the delays to malice instead of plain ol’ inexperience is doing a disservice to a team that’s clearly passionate about making an enjoyable game.
Agreed, I don't think there's been anything malicious done on Intrepid's part either. As you said, it's just miscommunication and/or a lack of communication along with inexperience with a project of this scope/scale.
I'm not disappointed in the slightest. If they need more time, they shall have it. They may have promised a "persistent 24/7" server, and you will get it in May. In the meantime, you get to have Alpha 2 a little earlier than that, but with not 24/7 persistence. You're just high on copium, sober up a little.
Man I thought at the rate they were going it would be out by 2025. So im pretty confused as to how this happened. I mean, they were knocking out systems once a month for such a long time so Im confused on how there are still many systems left that just arent gonna be available until next year.
Disappointed? Yes. Do I think they can still make the game? Yes. Its just taking longer, and I feel like one reason is they keep hiring more people. maybe thats just a hot take, but that speed up after the lag I remember Steven talking about when hiring people doesnt seem to have happened and might even be the cause for this all.
Man I thought at the rate they were going it would be out by 2025. So im pretty confused as to how this happened. I mean, they were knocking out systems once a month for such a long time so Im confused on how there are still many systems left that just arent gonna be available until next year.
Disappointed? Yes. Do I think they can still make the game? Yes. Its just taking longer, and I feel like one reason is they keep hiring more people. maybe thats just a hot take, but that speed up after the lag I remember Steven talking about when hiring people doesnt seem to have happened and might even be the cause for this all.
UE4 and UE5 comes with lots of tools and assets that help make it seem quick and easy to build an MMORPG.
Especially to a first time game dev.
I don't care but I would not say no one. Even a number of backers are upset with many things that have happened since the close of the persistent A1 testing month. They feel how they feel and are as invested as anyone about this game and should be heard.
Man I thought at the rate they were going it would be out by 2025. So im pretty confused as to how this happened. I mean, they were knocking out systems once a month for such a long time so Im confused on how there are still many systems left that just arent gonna be available until next year.
Disappointed? Yes. Do I think they can still make the game? Yes. Its just taking longer, and I feel like one reason is they keep hiring more people. maybe thats just a hot take, but that speed up after the lag I remember Steven talking about when hiring people doesnt seem to have happened and might even be the cause for this all.
UE4 and UE5 comes with lots of tools and assets that help make it seem quick and easy to build an MMORPG.
Especially to a first time game dev.
This is true but Steven makes plans to upgrade to UE5.4. That will be a slow down as things will need to be changed to integrate it.
Man I thought at the rate they were going it would be out by 2025. So im pretty confused as to how this happened. I mean, they were knocking out systems once a month for such a long time so Im confused on how there are still many systems left that just arent gonna be available until next year.
Disappointed? Yes. Do I think they can still make the game? Yes. Its just taking longer, and I feel like one reason is they keep hiring more people. maybe thats just a hot take, but that speed up after the lag I remember Steven talking about when hiring people doesnt seem to have happened and might even be the cause for this all.
UE4 and UE5 comes with lots of tools and assets that help make it seem quick and easy to build an MMORPG.
Especially to a first time game dev.
I understand that and I have tried messing around in UE5 myself a bit. I just dont feel like the teams are melding into the studio as cleanly as steven hopes. That makes more sense than them slacking off and why they misjudged the time needed for alpha to be ready. At least in my mind.
Man I thought at the rate they were going it would be out by 2025. So im pretty confused as to how this happened. I mean, they were knocking out systems once a month for such a long time so Im confused on how there are still many systems left that just arent gonna be available until next year.
Disappointed? Yes. Do I think they can still make the game? Yes. Its just taking longer, and I feel like one reason is they keep hiring more people. maybe thats just a hot take, but that speed up after the lag I remember Steven talking about when hiring people doesnt seem to have happened and might even be the cause for this all.
UE4 and UE5 comes with lots of tools and assets that help make it seem quick and easy to build an MMORPG.
Especially to a first time game dev.
I understand that and I have tried messing around in UE5 myself a bit. I just dont feel like the teams are melding into the studio as cleanly as steven hopes. That makes more sense than them slacking off and why they misjudged the time needed for alpha to be ready. At least in my mind.
Yeah, Not really here to play a game, I'm here for the amazing ride of seeing a game develop first hand, assist with it's development, and support a game I believe in. Take a breath, relax, this game will come. Find some other things to fill your time with...breath in, breath out. Repeat. It will come. This is Stevens Magnum Opus. He is bringing the long awaited Glorious Epic we have all dreamed of. Let him get it right. Have patience. Find something else. Let it cook.
The main purpose of alpha stages for them is a structured approach to testing, not player enjoyment. We are literally going to end up as extra bodies on the alpha tester servers. Mainly so they can figure out if the meshing tech, the server and game client in general handle large player numbers, gather extra feedback and hopefully extra bug reports.
Then dont call those spottests alpha 2 and noone gets pissed lol .....
Man I thought at the rate they were going it would be out by 2025. So im pretty confused as to how this happened. I mean, they were knocking out systems once a month for such a long time so Im confused on how there are still many systems left that just arent gonna be available until next year.
Disappointed? Yes. Do I think they can still make the game? Yes. Its just taking longer, and I feel like one reason is they keep hiring more people. maybe thats just a hot take, but that speed up after the lag I remember Steven talking about when hiring people doesnt seem to have happened and might even be the cause for this all.
UE4 and UE5 comes with lots of tools and assets that help make it seem quick and easy to build an MMORPG.
Especially to a first time game dev.
I understand that and I have tried messing around in UE5 myself a bit. I just dont feel like the teams are melding into the studio as cleanly as steven hopes. That makes more sense than them slacking off and why they misjudged the time needed for alpha to be ready. At least in my mind.
What proof do you have for this?
Oh you caught me. I was just making up my feelings and thoughts on how it might be that way. Sorry sir I wont post my thoughts and feelings without proof again. whatever that means.
I understand that and I have tried messing around in UE5 myself a bit. I just dont feel like the teams are melding into the studio as cleanly as steven hopes. That makes more sense than them slacking off and why they misjudged the time needed for alpha to be ready. At least in my mind.
There is no slacking is going on.
It's just the tools and assets that come with UE4 and UE5 are pretty amazing.
And the world building -especially with UE5- is beautiful right out of the box.
It's common these days for me to see a UE5 announcement trailer and think, "That's a world I want to live in and explore!"
I realized a couple years ago that pretty much any UE5 environment is going to be beautiful. The NPCs will look great. Doesn't necessarily mean the gameplay will be great.
And it also doesn't mean that dev teams will be able to complete their games successfully in 5 years or less.
(Especially if you have ambitious gamplay designs.)
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DygzMember, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
Then dont call those spottests alpha 2 and noone gets pissed lol .....
Haha. I typically think of a spot test as lasting less than a day.
I dunno that I would call weekly testing that lasts 5 days each week "spot testing".
Also, that is pretty much what I would want for Alpha testing.
Alpha 2 being 24/7 was always a desire that was too ambitious from an experienced game dev perspective - obviously a hopium dream for a gamer recently turned producer/creative director.
Server meshing is the goal. And I hoped so much for Intrepid to go for it! Since Star Citizen Con 2023 (who, in the gaming field, would diregard such tech?). The promise of MMOs was always for you to be able to meet anybody, whatever that entails. Good or bad. The human factor.
Server meshing is that new tech, it needs to be proven.
I am sure Intrepid corrected its course to implement server meshing since then.
New techs takes time.
A2 is now split into phases.
A2-P1 will stress the hell out of Intrepid's version of server meshing.
A2-P2 SHOLD be when they figure out where the biggest iccups happens.
Past that? I expect delay.
New techs means delay. I've spent 250$ because AoC seemed to listen the feedbacks. Remember the fighter's big glowy hammer?
Or more specifically, Crowfall? They were so full of themselves. You had to find a guild before you'd hop into the game. Solo was not an option. A failure right in the shell. Intrepid listen to feedbacks.
AoC is on a good track. With delays, again and again, but on a good track.
Sure they try to squeeze money out of it, and I won't blame them. Of course you'd need extra money to develop such tech.
I backed knowingly. It's a bet, and I could afford it.
If I can log in during A2-P1 I'll be happy! Then I might get disconnected untill next weekend ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I tossed my money to them because I (thnik I) know what they try to do. And I fully support it.
I understand that and I have tried messing around in UE5 myself a bit. I just dont feel like the teams are melding into the studio as cleanly as steven hopes. That makes more sense than them slacking off and why they misjudged the time needed for alpha to be ready. At least in my mind.
There is no slacking is going on.
It's just the tools and assets that come with UE4 and UE5 are pretty amazing.
And the world building -especially with UE5- is beautiful right out of the box.
It's common these days for me to see a UE5 announcement trailer and think, "That's a world I want to live in and explore!"
I realized a couple years ago that pretty much any UE5 environment is going to be beautiful. The NPCs will look great. Doesn't necessarily mean the gameplay will be great.
And it also doesn't mean that dev teams will be able to complete their games successfully in 5 years or less.
(Especially if you have ambitious gamplay designs.)
to clarify i did not saying they were slacking. I said it makes more sense that the added people to the project not falling into sync as well as steven hoped makes more sense to me than them slacking off.
Man I thought at the rate they were going it would be out by 2025. So im pretty confused as to how this happened. I mean, they were knocking out systems once a month for such a long time so Im confused on how there are still many systems left that just arent gonna be available until next year.
Disappointed? Yes. Do I think they can still make the game? Yes. Its just taking longer, and I feel like one reason is they keep hiring more people. maybe thats just a hot take, but that speed up after the lag I remember Steven talking about when hiring people doesnt seem to have happened and might even be the cause for this all.
UE4 and UE5 comes with lots of tools and assets that help make it seem quick and easy to build an MMORPG.
Especially to a first time game dev.
I understand that and I have tried messing around in UE5 myself a bit. I just dont feel like the teams are melding into the studio as cleanly as steven hopes. That makes more sense than them slacking off and why they misjudged the time needed for alpha to be ready. At least in my mind.
What proof do you have for this?
Oh you caught me. I was just making up my feelings and thoughts on how it might be that way. Sorry sir I wont post my thoughts and feelings without proof again. whatever that means.
ok let me reword, what is making you FEEL "teams are not melding into the studio as cleanly as steven hopes"
I understand that and I have tried messing around in UE5 myself a bit. I just dont feel like the teams are melding into the studio as cleanly as steven hopes. That makes more sense than them slacking off and why they misjudged the time needed for alpha to be ready. At least in my mind.
There is no slacking is going on.
It's just the tools and assets that come with UE4 and UE5 are pretty amazing.
And the world building -especially with UE5- is beautiful right out of the box.
It's common these days for me to see a UE5 announcement trailer and think, "That's a world I want to live in and explore!"
I realized a couple years ago that pretty much any UE5 environment is going to be beautiful. The NPCs will look great. Doesn't necessarily mean the gameplay will be great.
And it also doesn't mean that dev teams will be able to complete their games successfully in 5 years or less.
(Especially if you have ambitious gamplay designs.)
to clarify i did not saying they were slacking. I said it makes more sense that the added people to the project not falling into sync as well as steven hoped makes more sense to me than them slacking off.
The real reason is just that software development is extremely difficult and unforeseen problems arise that cause delays. It doesn't matter if your team is "in sync" perfectly or if they're the most intelligent and experienced developers in the world.
Man I thought at the rate they were going it would be out by 2025. So im pretty confused as to how this happened. I mean, they were knocking out systems once a month for such a long time so Im confused on how there are still many systems left that just arent gonna be available until next year.
Disappointed? Yes. Do I think they can still make the game? Yes. Its just taking longer, and I feel like one reason is they keep hiring more people. maybe thats just a hot take, but that speed up after the lag I remember Steven talking about when hiring people doesnt seem to have happened and might even be the cause for this all.
UE4 and UE5 comes with lots of tools and assets that help make it seem quick and easy to build an MMORPG.
Especially to a first time game dev.
I understand that and I have tried messing around in UE5 myself a bit. I just dont feel like the teams are melding into the studio as cleanly as steven hopes. That makes more sense than them slacking off and why they misjudged the time needed for alpha to be ready. At least in my mind.
What proof do you have for this?
Oh you caught me. I was just making up my feelings and thoughts on how it might be that way. Sorry sir I wont post my thoughts and feelings without proof again. whatever that means.
ok let me reword, what is making you FEEL "teams are not melding into the studio as cleanly as steven hopes"
What is your reasoning.
My reasoning as someone who got into my own little game project a few years ago, is that when new people join a project they bring ideas, differences in strengths, personalities, etc. These are all wrenches that get tossed into the machine, and I can only assume this happens on a larger scale the more people you introduce. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but there is definitely a loading on period for new hires to get into the grove and perform at a point where they are not slowing down the process for the whole.
So it feels like they are making progress, but its being bogged down lately and clearly not the speed they had in mind when they announced Q3 Alpha. This is what I feel is the heart of the problem, not necessarily a money or skill issue. The only skill issue here is their communication with us. ( I say that in a very light manner, because frankly its better than most games do anyway.)
to clarify i did not saying they were slacking. I said it makes more sense that the added people to the project not falling into sync as well as steven hoped makes more sense to me than them slacking off.
Yeah... I agreed with you that there is no slacking.
There are times on a major project that I am fascinated things ever get done. I think part of it is inertia rather than some grand plan. So for a new company trying to create this massive game it doesn’t really surprise me that there are issues.
Probably would not be having all of this angst had they not treated it like a product and instead treated it more like it really is. Donation in exchange for insight to game development with folks figuring it out and learning as they go, all under an NDA. Probably should have treated this Alpha 2 as such and kept it under NDA, but I get they are trying to also grow the community and market this product of the future, likely a distant future at that. Alpha 1 was generally acceptable, and I think the most they were able to demonstrate was the speed in taking feedback and making changes. Hope that continues.
Man I thought at the rate they were going it would be out by 2025. So im pretty confused as to how this happened. I mean, they were knocking out systems once a month for such a long time so Im confused on how there are still many systems left that just arent gonna be available until next year.
Disappointed? Yes. Do I think they can still make the game? Yes. Its just taking longer, and I feel like one reason is they keep hiring more people. maybe thats just a hot take, but that speed up after the lag I remember Steven talking about when hiring people doesnt seem to have happened and might even be the cause for this all.
UE4 and UE5 comes with lots of tools and assets that help make it seem quick and easy to build an MMORPG.
Especially to a first time game dev.
I understand that and I have tried messing around in UE5 myself a bit. I just dont feel like the teams are melding into the studio as cleanly as steven hopes. That makes more sense than them slacking off and why they misjudged the time needed for alpha to be ready. At least in my mind.
What proof do you have for this?
Oh you caught me. I was just making up my feelings and thoughts on how it might be that way. Sorry sir I wont post my thoughts and feelings without proof again. whatever that means.
ok let me reword, what is making you FEEL "teams are not melding into the studio as cleanly as steven hopes"
What is your reasoning.
My reasoning as someone who got into my own little game project a few years ago, is that when new people join a project they bring ideas, differences in strengths, personalities, etc. These are all wrenches that get tossed into the machine, and I can only assume this happens on a larger scale the more people you introduce. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but there is definitely a loading on period for new hires to get into the grove and perform at a point where they are not slowing down the process for the whole.
So it feels like they are making progress, but its being bogged down lately and clearly not the speed they had in mind when they announced Q3 Alpha. This is what I feel is the heart of the problem, not necessarily a money or skill issue. The only skill issue here is their communication with us. ( I say that in a very light manner, because frankly its better than most games do anyway.)
Ya for any job there is a training period that is how it works. More so on new people getting use to the pipeline, their work flows and getting their bench mark. All things I'm aware of since I work in the entertainment industry as a artist..
Personally i don't feel they need to communicate every single detail, if they have a plan for alpha 2 they will show it when they are ready and have fully made it (which they did)
This idea people have they need to communicate every single detail of their development makes no sense and sounds like a huge way to waste a lot of time. This confusion some people people have saying transparency is them telling you all details about their development, is just used for they can post rage bait.
Did Steven ever say that every second of Alpha 2 was 24/7?
The expectation for an Alpha is that it is not going to be up 24/7 until months or years into it.
This, thing is some people don't care or pay attention like above guy just things is a early access game. There were already statements leading up to stream before them not being up the entire time. They never outlaid the full alpha 2 planning. Common sense kind of dictates to expect it not to be 24/7 at the start (as stated in past streams there would be down time loosely), unless you are someone expecting to be playing a game and not being apart of the alpha development you would have a early access expectation (which is clearly silly).
When did they say that Alpha 2 wouldn't be available 24/7 before the AMA? Being down for short periods to apply updates and fixes doesn't count as "not being 24/7" as that happens in most live games as well. They've explicitly stated that Alpha 2 was originally planned to be up and available at all times (barring short downtimes for updates) from when it started until retail release. It's in the Kickstarter FAQ and Steven explicitly stated this in a livestream. Obviously plans change but that expectation 100% was set by Intrepid.
You would need to pay attention to all detail on streams to figure that out. They have no reason to lay out their development plan to you. If you understanding is that its a downtime for a day again you do not have a scope of Alpha development to understand it.
They didn't state it was 24/7 from all points of alpha 2, you won't find a quote on that. Their goal for alpha is pretty obvious being persistent, a goal doesn't appear out of the blue, it needs to be developed because surprise this is in Alpha.
The only one creating wild expectations is you guys, regardless even when it is active and when it isn't. You jumping into a alpha thinking you are playing 24/7 whenever you want instantly, is so far from the mark of an alpha It is crazy. Effectively it is you complaining you can't play the game 24/7, when the whole point of alpha is to TEST the game. Which is pretty much work at that point (granted u have a large amount that don't understand alpha and just will play it, and not really do any work that helps besides some feedback here and there.)
Ill happily comment on the Kickstarter comment though since your entire complain revolves around it (as much as its a bad take).
Notice how they talk about is planned for it being persistent, and you can see their outline of alpha 2 when it will become fully persistent 24/7-ish based on their stream. There is no detailed explanation of their plane and how they are going to go about that in alpha 2. If you are going to be naïve and think there is 0 work involved and it just happens that is on you to not piece it together, or do some extra research to try to understand things better.
Now that you are seeing the plan you are trying to pick at it and say they aren't going to be doing it. Trying to rely on the little information they talked about it which is rightfully so since it wouldn't be planned that far in advanced.
Even though you were not told their plan, making assumptions no how they meant their plan to work, don't have a grasp of alpha in game and the development. You are trying to be that guy saying "Well actually you said its persistent so it needs to be 24/7 right away so i can play the game all day and week. Be playing is more important that the devs doing work on the game and you should pay all the people to make sure things are working fine while I play even if there isn't a whole lot to do." -pushes glasses up on face-
Ah yes, only in the mind of a delusional moron does "servers up and available continuously from the start of alpha 2 until launch" mean "only up sometimes from the start of the alpha 2 until launch"
The fact is, they explicitly stated that alpha 2 would be up and available continuously, meaning at all times barring short periods of downtime for updates, until launch.
You're making a whole lot of dumb assumptions about me and what I think too lol not that that's surprising based on how dumb some of your comments in general are.
Naaa my assumptions are spot on, you are whining about alpha development and not understanding how planning works and you able to see the process.
You continue to show you really are not able to handle following alpha development. Which explains how stupid some of your recent comments have been around this. There is being ignorant and then double downing on that kind of mind set.
Alpha 2 will be running persistently, it is no one else's fault but your own you don't understand there can be phases or milestones leading up to that, ontop of unforeseen issues.
This is why you aren't going to find a single quote saying A2 will be running 24/7 at the very first day of it, and you are only going to find them saying their plan or A2 is to end up like that, without talking about their plan and process. And most likely missing small bits on stream where they slightly mention things and selective playtimes.
That's a whole lot of stupid you just posted lol
From someone that has 0 grasp on development, I don't blame things for being way over your head in understanding. Its ok, you got to start somewhere right
You're an idiot lol
One lacking in intelligence is you buddy, not understanding how things work and crying.
Yes, me saying I understand why they're doing this and am not upset or concerned about it sure is "crying" lol
You're the one making dumbass assumptions about people you know nothing about because you clearly didn't understand what they were saying to begin with. Now feel free to reply again so you can feel like you "won" to appease your fragile ego. You very obviously have nothing of value to add though so I won't be wasting any more time replying to your drivel.
You are reflecting bud on the winning I'm just responding to your terrible takes. I understanding perfectly well but you are out here trying to convince people they lied / changed plans and saying alpha 2 isn't persistent. Its extremely silly, laughable actually.
They would have to fully remove alpha being persistent or atleast make it years down the line and only have it be like that at the end. For you to be standing on this kind of point.
Ill just be blunt, you are being a joke right now and whining pretty much. Their time frame is pretty fair. But at the same time there is no point taking you this serious because you will also complain at delays and prob say they are lying again or something.
You won't admit it but you are looking at this as a early access expectations and not alpha expectations (expectations is the key word). Its a dumb take.
I see this comment on so many threads you are thinking about it as a early access bla bla bla.
Alpha 2 was suposed to be online 24/7, but they delayd and dont want to admit it so they came up with Phases.
Some are calling out there BS call a spade for a spade we delayd Alpha 2 until May 2025 but we will do some spot test before that.
Then people like you come around and start attacking becuse you want to defend Intrepid even tough Steven said they dont want White Knights.
Intrepid should be transparent and say. Hay we cant do 24/7 presistent Alpha just yet, but we will give you as much access as we can.
Comments
If someone isn't satisfied with timelines, or the fact the game is going to be available 5 days a week from December, then I really don't want what to tell them beyond: "Take a deep breath, the game is nowhere finished and MORE delays are bound to happen".
You are reflecting bud on the winning I'm just responding to your terrible takes. I understanding perfectly well but you are out here trying to convince people they lied / changed plans and saying alpha 2 isn't persistent. Its extremely silly, laughable actually.
They would have to fully remove alpha being persistent or atleast make it years down the line and only have it be like that at the end. For you to be standing on this kind of point.
Ill just be blunt, you are being a joke right now and whining pretty much. Their time frame is pretty fair. But at the same time there is no point taking you this serious because you will also complain at delays and prob say they are lying again or something.
You won't admit it but you are looking at this as a early access expectations and not alpha expectations (expectations is the key word). Its a dumb take.
Pretty much. The first few months are going to be rough and it seems like a lot of people here aren't grasping just how rough it will actually be.
You included.
It’s gonna be very very rough, and there’s also the simple but important thing to remember, Steven isn’t a game developer by trade, so he also came into this with no idea how long it’d take, or the nitty gritty (buggy as all hell) reality of game development.
I think attributing the missteps in communication and the delays to malice instead of plain ol’ inexperience is doing a disservice to a team that’s clearly passionate about making an enjoyable game.
Agreed, I don't think there's been anything malicious done on Intrepid's part either. As you said, it's just miscommunication and/or a lack of communication along with inexperience with a project of this scope/scale.
Disappointed? Yes. Do I think they can still make the game? Yes. Its just taking longer, and I feel like one reason is they keep hiring more people. maybe thats just a hot take, but that speed up after the lag I remember Steven talking about when hiring people doesnt seem to have happened and might even be the cause for this all.
This is the issue with transparent development though in allowing people to see soo much.
Especially to a first time game dev.
I don't care but I would not say no one. Even a number of backers are upset with many things that have happened since the close of the persistent A1 testing month. They feel how they feel and are as invested as anyone about this game and should be heard.
This is true but Steven makes plans to upgrade to UE5.4. That will be a slow down as things will need to be changed to integrate it.
I understand that and I have tried messing around in UE5 myself a bit. I just dont feel like the teams are melding into the studio as cleanly as steven hopes. That makes more sense than them slacking off and why they misjudged the time needed for alpha to be ready. At least in my mind.
What proof do you have for this?
Then dont call those spottests alpha 2 and noone gets pissed lol .....
Oh you caught me. I was just making up my feelings and thoughts on how it might be that way. Sorry sir I wont post my thoughts and feelings without proof again. whatever that means.
It's just the tools and assets that come with UE4 and UE5 are pretty amazing.
And the world building -especially with UE5- is beautiful right out of the box.
It's common these days for me to see a UE5 announcement trailer and think, "That's a world I want to live in and explore!"
I realized a couple years ago that pretty much any UE5 environment is going to be beautiful. The NPCs will look great. Doesn't necessarily mean the gameplay will be great.
And it also doesn't mean that dev teams will be able to complete their games successfully in 5 years or less.
(Especially if you have ambitious gamplay designs.)
I dunno that I would call weekly testing that lasts 5 days each week "spot testing".
Also, that is pretty much what I would want for Alpha testing.
Alpha 2 being 24/7 was always a desire that was too ambitious from an experienced game dev perspective - obviously a hopium dream for a gamer recently turned producer/creative director.
Server meshing is the goal. And I hoped so much for Intrepid to go for it! Since Star Citizen Con 2023 (who, in the gaming field, would diregard such tech?). The promise of MMOs was always for you to be able to meet anybody, whatever that entails. Good or bad. The human factor.
Server meshing is that new tech, it needs to be proven.
I am sure Intrepid corrected its course to implement server meshing since then.
New techs takes time.
A2 is now split into phases.
A2-P1 will stress the hell out of Intrepid's version of server meshing.
A2-P2 SHOLD be when they figure out where the biggest iccups happens.
Past that? I expect delay.
New techs means delay. I've spent 250$ because AoC seemed to listen the feedbacks. Remember the fighter's big glowy hammer?
Or more specifically, Crowfall? They were so full of themselves. You had to find a guild before you'd hop into the game. Solo was not an option. A failure right in the shell. Intrepid listen to feedbacks.
AoC is on a good track. With delays, again and again, but on a good track.
Sure they try to squeeze money out of it, and I won't blame them. Of course you'd need extra money to develop such tech.
I backed knowingly. It's a bet, and I could afford it.
If I can log in during A2-P1 I'll be happy! Then I might get disconnected untill next weekend ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I tossed my money to them because I (thnik I) know what they try to do. And I fully support it.
to clarify i did not saying they were slacking. I said it makes more sense that the added people to the project not falling into sync as well as steven hoped makes more sense to me than them slacking off.
ok let me reword, what is making you FEEL "teams are not melding into the studio as cleanly as steven hopes"
What is your reasoning.
I think that is the overriding factor in all the delays!
Right will get me tin hat on now
The real reason is just that software development is extremely difficult and unforeseen problems arise that cause delays. It doesn't matter if your team is "in sync" perfectly or if they're the most intelligent and experienced developers in the world.
My reasoning as someone who got into my own little game project a few years ago, is that when new people join a project they bring ideas, differences in strengths, personalities, etc. These are all wrenches that get tossed into the machine, and I can only assume this happens on a larger scale the more people you introduce. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but there is definitely a loading on period for new hires to get into the grove and perform at a point where they are not slowing down the process for the whole.
So it feels like they are making progress, but its being bogged down lately and clearly not the speed they had in mind when they announced Q3 Alpha. This is what I feel is the heart of the problem, not necessarily a money or skill issue. The only skill issue here is their communication with us. ( I say that in a very light manner, because frankly its better than most games do anyway.)
Probably would not be having all of this angst had they not treated it like a product and instead treated it more like it really is. Donation in exchange for insight to game development with folks figuring it out and learning as they go, all under an NDA. Probably should have treated this Alpha 2 as such and kept it under NDA, but I get they are trying to also grow the community and market this product of the future, likely a distant future at that. Alpha 1 was generally acceptable, and I think the most they were able to demonstrate was the speed in taking feedback and making changes. Hope that continues.
Ya for any job there is a training period that is how it works. More so on new people getting use to the pipeline, their work flows and getting their bench mark. All things I'm aware of since I work in the entertainment industry as a artist..
Personally i don't feel they need to communicate every single detail, if they have a plan for alpha 2 they will show it when they are ready and have fully made it (which they did)
This idea people have they need to communicate every single detail of their development makes no sense and sounds like a huge way to waste a lot of time. This confusion some people people have saying transparency is them telling you all details about their development, is just used for they can post rage bait.
I see this comment on so many threads you are thinking about it as a early access bla bla bla.
Alpha 2 was suposed to be online 24/7, but they delayd and dont want to admit it so they came up with Phases.
Some are calling out there BS call a spade for a spade we delayd Alpha 2 until May 2025 but we will do some spot test before that.
Then people like you come around and start attacking becuse you want to defend Intrepid even tough Steven said they dont want White Knights.
Intrepid should be transparent and say. Hay we cant do 24/7 presistent Alpha just yet, but we will give you as much access as we can.