Game Development: Steelmaking, and stuff.

[jorb]

We're throwing this stuff at you to get some response. We have absolutely no intention of making the game unplayable, or unattractive to causal players. Let me give you some thoughts:

As it were, before this update, there was very little basis for a meaningful economy, or a division of labor, in the game. All tasks implemented were fairly easily accomplished, even while running a one man show, and very little, if anything, could be said to have carried any real value. A new player could, before this update, get a hold of basically everything in the game (Stuff that we have, mind you, spent a year and a half implementing) within a couple of sessions of playing. A lot of you did! I do not believe that that is what anyone, really, wants. By making some of the cooler things -- such as having a house, or a nice set of armor -- harder to get, I think we have extended the playtime and, thus, the fun of H&H. I want to see people having to trade for things, specializing in a couple of skills, playing different characters, toying with the belief sliders, cooperating and building communities. If these things are not necessary, or even rewarded, then why would anyone do it? Steel, ladies and gentlemen, is hard currency right now. (And, yes, there will be minting in the game.)

Assuming a metal saw, a log cabin is now 18 trees worth of wood. That can be accomplished in an hour. The new smelting line might be over the top, and it might also be a boatload of fun. It's anyone's guess. This update is, indeed, somewhere between scary and awesome. But, as Aristotle rightly points out in the Nicomachean Ethics, genius always borders on madness.

Let's try this, see how it feels, and, as always, adopt, adapt and improve. Let me also remind everyone that this is an alpha, not by a long stretch anything even resembling a finished game. If you're not into smelting, go gang up on a bear! Farm! Build a road!

Replanting trees is a top priority. In fact, I'm considering dedicating the entire next session to the opposite end of the Nature/Industry slider.

I hope you'll enjoy this, the new furnaces are way cool. Or hot.

(Oh, and, on the response thing: It is perfectly acceptable to be skeptical of these changes. )

[theTrav]

[quote="jorb"] Build a road![/quote]

You've implemented roads!?!?!?

JOY!

On a more serious note, if you really want to see trade for these hard currencies then there's going to have to be something else worth while trading for it... At the moment, maybe bears teeth and deer horns, and more wood than any sane person can carry.

I'd say a system for transporting goods is one of the things that will enable that the most... A way of building long roads to the forests and a way of building a cart that has good speed on roads but poor speed / takes damage off roads

[Ken]

I appreciate the sentiment behind this update--I can see how things might've been a bit shallow before, but at the same time I was worried this would end up being its justification.

Steel seems neat, if over-the-top. What I'm really worried about is houses. You guys dropped the ball on this and you still seem to not be taking seriously what the real problem is--No one's worried about the time investment. Chopping down even a fairly large amount of trees isn't a big deal, as you've said. What IS a big deal is the fact that there is absolutely no way to replace removed trees. Even assuming that every player only builds one house, and that they each has a metal saw, this means the game's losing 18 trees per player... especially in the relatively populated central areas, this seems pretty game-breaking.

It's great that plantable trees are a priority now, but shouldn't this have been implemented before the drain, not after? The people I play with and I have now been in a mad dash to claim the land around all the trees in our settlements. Whether this ends up being neccessary or not, I guess we'll see, but it's kind of stressful imagining the places getting (permanently, if stumps aren't removable even if trees can be replanted) ruined if this goes on for too long.

What's more, you're trying to force interaction on a community that is, at this point, far too small for it. Specialization will naturally happen as it becomes viable. Yes, costs will eventually have to be upped, yes skills go a bit quickly, but right now, it's not entirely that people don't WANT to trade. They're just not always able to, especially in farther-out areas. Some people even choose to play "solitary" or in very small groups, prioritizing and dividing skills among themselves as necessary. If you try to force large-scale interaction too much, you'll make this style of play impossible or extremely difficult.

I know the game is in early stages and I realize you're trying to tailor it to future audiences, not just the small group you have now. I've just really, really enjoyed this game so far, and hate to see it move backwards instead of forwards. Even if the path's a bit rocky now, I trust things will end up alright as long as you keep up the, thus far, great work. Thanks for making something like this in the first place.

[jorb]

@ Ken: Several valid points of criticism that I will be taking to hearth. Thank you for playing.

[Blaze]

Umm I tried processing iron ore like I always do, but for some reason, they turned into rocks instead of giving cast iron/disappearing.

Is this supposed to happen?

[theTrav]

I did that, my first lot turned out all stone, my second lot turned out to have 4 ore in it. Both were full smelters. I guess it's just luck of the random number generator

[kaka]

I noticed that I could dig for clay on stone roads, but shouldn't that yield stones instead?
Just a thought.

[theTrav]

wait a minute... there are stone roads now?

how do we make em? Do they do anything?

[kaka]

Chip some stones, then Adventure -> Landscaping -> Road something...
They look good. What more do you ask?

[theTrav]

SQUEEEEEEE!