Game Development: Incorrupt Rabbit

[Fostik]

Have you guys ever thought about planning the release of actual content across the typical world life length to maintain the interest in the game? Instead of letting it rot after the typical 3rd month of each world?

Maybe planning as 3 months cycles, something like:

1st,2nd month: Minor patches with new birds, mushrooms and such (you don't need crazy additions at the start of the world since there are usually new additions and updates with the fresh world and users are busy anyway)

3rd month: Big patch with actual new content to try, dungeon/creature to hunt down that require some time and effort and prolong the motivation

and repeat?

This. Instead of having such updates every week, make bundle them to monthly updates with a lot new features, changes, hats, and open discussions of meaningful changes.
At least this will motivate people to come back and play, because right now we are understanding that there will be no wipe for at least next year spring, but there is nothing to do in the game, and no game changes for players to try.

[BoxingRock]

Have you guys ever thought about planning the release of actual content across the typical world life length to maintain the interest in the game? Instead of letting it rot after the typical 3rd month of each world?

Maybe planning as 3 months cycles, something like:

1st,2nd month: Minor patches with new birds, mushrooms and such (you don't need crazy additions at the start of the world since there are usually new additions and updates with the fresh world and users are busy anyway)

3rd month: Big patch with actual new content to try, dungeon/creature to hunt down that require some time and effort and prolong the motivation

and repeat?

This is actually an amazing idea

Seeing patches like this one actually makes me want to play the game less than ever because as much as it may not be true, it makes it look like you guys have lost interest in developing the game. We've heard the "something big is coming" many times before only to be let down by how trivial the result was after 4-5 weeks of patches like this or none at all.

I know I would be more likely to make it past the 2-3 month mark if we were all informed ahead of time (I know, telling us what you are doing ahead of time, very scary stuff) that your intentions were to adhere to an update schedule like this. Instead of weekly updates you could touch base with us every week or two, maybe focus on bug fixes and blueball us a bit with a teaser of things to come? Maybe since your dicks are so hard for arbitrarily meddling with combat related variables you could actually ask our opinion about changing them weeks or months ahead of time and actually find a moment to test them beforehand???

Anyways, as always the absolute key here would be changing the way you communicate with us. I know it's been requests 1000s of times and that you two intellectual men of principle have a very difficult time even imaging the possibility of changing your ways. The very foundation of your lives and who you are, let alone this game you have crafted under the strict governance of your conservative ideals may literally crumble to dust if you even CONSIDERED changing your ways.

but if you did it ...maybe, just maybe we could get to the 3-4 month mark and see numbers higher than this

[Lalaxx]

shut up idiots. go play valheim where was no update for 7 months.

[Jalpha]

You are ruining the game with your inane and repeated demands for senseless content patches. Are you even real people. Are you bots. Can you think for yourself. Could you pass the Turing test.

How can more content be added even. Why not termite clay so me can have yet another piece of content to obfuscate the only game progression meta.

There are problems with the game but a lack of every conceivable variety of pigeon is not one of them.

That being said there is a case for more strategic deployment of meaningful patch content.

[jorb]

Conceding that we could be doing a better job in planning, execution, and communication. I cannot say with conviction that we do the best job we could do with either.

That being said:

• I think the reason for the player count lies more with the game than with our communication.
• I tend to think of our weekly updates as life signs that we are working on the game. To my mind, they do not really represent the fundamental development lines, but rather a constant process of polish, expansion, and minor implementations. Our week was not significantly consumed by the changes listed above, and they are not representative of the work we did during it, and to varying degree this is true of most weeks. Isn't something better than nothing?
• We are currently working on three bigger projects: Object-controlled-objects (should probably make a reference thread explaining this concept), instanced material rendering (variable materials on common objects like chests and the like), and a third project we started and spent last week on. Big, medium, and small.
• The merits of the store hat paradigm entirely aside -- a debate in itself -- we did get some flak for not releasing hats during our summer break. Note that our immediate financial incentives for releasing hats are weak, since they sell trivial amounts on a week-to-week basis. The paradigm as such could certainly be questioned, but, while it remains, I do want to be fairly consistent with it.
• We are restrictive about communicating beforehand what we do because my experience has been that it causes disappointment. I do not want to over-promise or hype up stuff that could be months out.
• Our approach is not some dogma I hold. I am in theory open to changing how we do anything.

To my mind, OCO represents the single biggest goal within reach that could significantly alter how the game is played, and take it to a new level. Hence, this is our primary development focus. Tasks like that are big, unpredictable, do not result in frequent content updates, and yet also hold the most promise.

[Jalpha]

Will you still consider fast travel mechanics essential to gameplay post release of OCO?

[jorb]

Will you still consider fast travel mechanics essential to gameplay post release of OCO?

Nothing in OCO would immediately change fast travel. My biggest draw to OCO is modular and freeform building, and the ability to e.g. walk on ship decks, roofs, palisades, docks, bridges, &c.

[Jalpha]

I have imagined OCO as the method by which infrastructure can be provided which would make the requirement for fast travel obsolete. Given some forums posts recent and past, interruptions to a player's ability to fast travel results in behaviour which could be considered negative. By removing fast travel altogether these players would be more likely to move on by necessity even with a red handed debuff.

The way things stand does make for more prolonged encounters between notorious players. Also while the absence of fast travel would increase the chances of encountering other players out in the world this could be considered undesirable as interactions between greater and lesser players would also increase. To the detriment of the latter. Or something.

But I have never been very enthusiastic about fast travel except as it relates to trade. Even then I can think of alternatives as I am sure anyone could.

[Tammer]

OCO is modular and freeform building, and the ability to e.g. walk on ship decks, roofs, palisades, docks, bridges, &c.

Sounds cool. Thanks for keeping at it!

[Noid]

Conceding that we could be doing a better job in planning, execution, and communication. I cannot say with conviction that we do the best job we could do with either.

That being said:

• I think the reason for the player count lies more with the game than with our communication.
• I tend to think of our weekly updates as life signs that we are working on the game. To my mind, they do not really represent the fundamental development lines, but rather a constant process of polish, expansion, and minor implementations. Our week was not significantly consumed by the changes listed above, and they are not representative of the work we did during it, and to varying degree this is true of most weeks. Isn't something better than nothing?
• We are currently working on three bigger projects: Object-controlled-objects (should probably make a reference thread explaining this concept), instanced material rendering (variable materials on common objects like chests and the like), and a third project we started and spent last week on. Big, medium, and small.
• The merits of the store hat paradigm entirely aside -- a debate in itself -- we did get some flak for not releasing hats during our summer break. Note that our immediate financial incentives for releasing hats are weak, since they sell trivial amounts on a week-to-week basis. The paradigm as such could certainly be questioned, but, while it remains, I do want to be fairly consistent with it.
• We are restrictive about communicating beforehand what we do because my experience has been that it causes disappointment. I do not want to over-promise or hype up stuff that could be months out.
• Our approach is not some dogma I hold. I am in theory open to changing how we do anything.

To my mind, OCO represents the single biggest goal within reach that could significantly alter how the game is played, and take it to a new level. Hence, this is our primary development focus. Tasks like that are big, unpredictable, do not result in frequent content updates, and yet also hold the most promise.

I still believe that witout changing any of the above, you guys could still do a better job in planning ahead of each world the release of content so to keep the interest higher and reduce the drop rate that we experience each world after the initial 3 months.

Now we all know the real issue is the lack of end game content, but since seems like you guys will not manage to address it any time soon, why not try (in the meantime) to keep more players actively playing for the longest time possible.

How?

Releasing more meangiful content (that is not experienced and consumed in a day log time) at the 3rd/6th/9th month of each world. This can keep the motivation of those who are still playing high and maybe bring back those that left because ran out of things to do.

Players enjoy the new content, keep the subscriptions up and running longer and you guys get more cash. Everyone wins.