It seems to me that we have just about reached a crossroads in PotC modpack development.
On the one hand, we have a fair amount of players who would like to actually have a stable release to enjoy for now.
But on the other side, our modders have so many new things that we want to try and implement.
For several reasons, these two wishes generally do not work well together. After all:
1. You can't improve anything without risking to break things every once in a while as well.
While this should not be a major issue if those things are then found and fixed, it can still be annoying for those people who just want to play.
2. Many new features being changed often means very regular Start New Game too.
Again, not great if you want to play.
Of course neither type of preference is "right" or "wrong", which is why I believe we should aim to cater to both audiences.
Right now I reckon we are closer to a fully functional Build 14 than we have ever been before.
So why not go the whole nine yards and actually finish it and release it as a final version?
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My proposal would be as follows:
1. Test and fix Build 14 Beta 3.4 this week to ensure it is as good as we can get it now.
2. After its release, address whatever issues are left and do further playtesting as well.
3. Once we are happy with the result, release this as Build 14.0 Full
In the meantime:
1. Go through all "Feature Requests" to see which ones we want for Build 14 and which ones we do not.
2. "Build 14 Feature Requests" remain on the Bug Tracker to be addressed as soon as possible.
3. Any other "Feature Requests" go onto the Build Beta & Brainstorming forum for development on Build 15.
This does not mean that new features cannot be developed right now,
but I do suggest keeping them separated from our current near-stable Build 14 game version.
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Another point is that several of the ideas being considered for future development on PotC could serve brilliantly to lay further foundations for Hearts of Oak.
After all, would it not be great to prototype all sorts of dynamic game world systems now on PotC while the opportunity presents itself?
Then we can port the logic behind them over to Hearts of Oak when the time comes and we would not let any of our efforts go to waste.
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That is what I just thought up over lunch and, as per usual, I would welcome anyone and everyone's voice on the matter.
After all, we're a community here and we work together as much as we can. And we all want the same thing in the end, do we not?
On the one hand, we have a fair amount of players who would like to actually have a stable release to enjoy for now.
But on the other side, our modders have so many new things that we want to try and implement.
For several reasons, these two wishes generally do not work well together. After all:
1. You can't improve anything without risking to break things every once in a while as well.
While this should not be a major issue if those things are then found and fixed, it can still be annoying for those people who just want to play.
2. Many new features being changed often means very regular Start New Game too.
Again, not great if you want to play.
Of course neither type of preference is "right" or "wrong", which is why I believe we should aim to cater to both audiences.
Right now I reckon we are closer to a fully functional Build 14 than we have ever been before.
So why not go the whole nine yards and actually finish it and release it as a final version?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
My proposal would be as follows:
1. Test and fix Build 14 Beta 3.4 this week to ensure it is as good as we can get it now.
2. After its release, address whatever issues are left and do further playtesting as well.
3. Once we are happy with the result, release this as Build 14.0 Full
In the meantime:
1. Go through all "Feature Requests" to see which ones we want for Build 14 and which ones we do not.
2. "Build 14 Feature Requests" remain on the Bug Tracker to be addressed as soon as possible.
3. Any other "Feature Requests" go onto the Build Beta & Brainstorming forum for development on Build 15.
This does not mean that new features cannot be developed right now,
but I do suggest keeping them separated from our current near-stable Build 14 game version.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Another point is that several of the ideas being considered for future development on PotC could serve brilliantly to lay further foundations for Hearts of Oak.
After all, would it not be great to prototype all sorts of dynamic game world systems now on PotC while the opportunity presents itself?
Then we can port the logic behind them over to Hearts of Oak when the time comes and we would not let any of our efforts go to waste.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
That is what I just thought up over lunch and, as per usual, I would welcome anyone and everyone's voice on the matter.
After all, we're a community here and we work together as much as we can. And we all want the same thing in the end, do we not?
.
)
The ultimate aim for every rpg game^^