Das24680 has a new play through of the Technical Beta of Eador: Masters of the Broken World. After watching, it is an insta buy for me on release, very well done.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voAWKEaDqF0
PE
Is there a release date?
It was an insta-buy for me as soon as I realised that MotBW was just a graphical update of the awesome Eador: Genesis.
Quote from: mikeck on January 05, 2013, 05:24:18 PM
Is there a release date?
I believe as of right now Q1 2013
PE
Quote from: PanzersEast on January 05, 2013, 07:08:23 PM
Quote from: mikeck on January 05, 2013, 05:24:18 PM
Is there a release date?
I believe as of right now Q1 2013
PE
It's already Q1 2013, so.. do they have a more specific release date or is it going to slip to the next quarter? :P
Quote from: Tpek on January 06, 2013, 12:13:54 PM
Quote from: PanzersEast on January 05, 2013, 07:08:23 PM
Quote from: mikeck on January 05, 2013, 05:24:18 PM
Is there a release date?
I believe as of right now Q1 2013
PE
It's already Q1 2013, so.. do they have a more specific release date or is it going to slip to the next quarter? :P
Well, they still have until the end of March. :P
Quote from: Arctic Blast on January 06, 2013, 02:38:18 PM
Quote from: Tpek on January 06, 2013, 12:13:54 PM
Quote from: PanzersEast on January 05, 2013, 07:08:23 PM
Quote from: mikeck on January 05, 2013, 05:24:18 PM
Is there a release date?
I believe as of right now Q1 2013
PE
It's already Q1 2013, so.. do they have a more specific release date or is it going to slip to the next quarter? :P
Well, they still have until the end of March. :P
To release, yes.
But to announce a proper release date is something else entirely.
If they can't yet commit to a certain date, then I doubt they're close to release.
I will say that the game already looks very polished, so depending on how beta goes and the finishing touches on the game we could see it sooner than later.....
PE
Quote from: Tpek on January 06, 2013, 02:49:48 PM
Quote from: Arctic Blast on January 06, 2013, 02:38:18 PM
Quote from: Tpek on January 06, 2013, 12:13:54 PM
Quote from: PanzersEast on January 05, 2013, 07:08:23 PM
Quote from: mikeck on January 05, 2013, 05:24:18 PM
Is there a release date?
I believe as of right now Q1 2013
PE
It's already Q1 2013, so.. do they have a more specific release date or is it going to slip to the next quarter? :P
Well, they still have until the end of March. :P
To release, yes.
But to announce a proper release date is something else entirely.
If they can't yet commit to a certain date, then I doubt they're close to release.
When was the last time Matrix announced a release date more than about 2 weeks beforehand? And they still seem to be releasing stuff. :P
Quote from: Arctic Blast on January 07, 2013, 01:02:20 AM
When was the last time Matrix announced a release date more than about 2 weeks beforehand? And they still seem to be releasing stuff. :P
Wait....
Matrix is publishing this?? :o
Quote from: Nefaro on January 07, 2013, 08:29:15 AM
Quote from: Arctic Blast on January 07, 2013, 01:02:20 AM
When was the last time Matrix announced a release date more than about 2 weeks beforehand? And they still seem to be releasing stuff. :P
Wait....
Matrix is publishing this?? :o
Not to my knowledge, no. I believe
AC was simply citing Matrix as an example of a dev/publisher who doesn't announce release dates til the last minute (and that therefore Snowbird could do the same).
^^Exactly.
Right-o.
Well.. I'm looking forward to this one, like everyone else.
We wantss it. Even though we have a bunch of games we've not even playyyed.
Quote from: Nefaro on January 07, 2013, 09:57:02 PM
We wantss it. Even though we have a bunch of games we've not even playyyed.
I should use this as my motto. ::)
Quote from: Martok on January 08, 2013, 07:00:55 AM
Quote from: Nefaro on January 07, 2013, 09:57:02 PM
We wantss it. Even though we have a bunch of games we've not even playyyed.
I should use this as my motto. ::)
I think we all could use this as our motto :)
Now that I think of it where is Brant? This would go good on one of the shirts from the Grogstore!
^ Brant doesn't PC game (he has a Mac) so he doesn't haunt these threads very often.
I'll toss a link back here in the Grog Store thread.
Space Sector (http://www.spacesector.com/blog/2013/01/eador-masters-of-the-broken-world-beta-preview/) has a preview up...
Well, this made the latest batch (http://steamcommunity.com/games/765/announcements/detail/1299553919805694474) of games to pass through Greenlight :
Quote
The latest games
Akaneiro: Demon Hunters
Asylum
DLC Quest
Eador. Masters of the Broken World
La-Mulana
Leisure Suit Larry
MaK
The Age of Decadence
Unepic
War For The Overworld
So once it's done it will be getting much wider distribution than Eador : Genesis.
Game looks very interesting. But with my job and the good games I have not even started playing I doubt I will buy it quickly upon release.
When is it actually finally coming out?
Are they waiting 'till they can fully bring it into Steam?
Quote from: Tpek on January 16, 2013, 11:40:02 AM
When is it actually finally coming out?
Are they waiting 'till they can fully bring it into Steam?
They say first quarter. It's still in Beta, and their testing process is a little......unusual. But not such that will affect the quality of the final product, I think.
Quote from: Tpek on January 16, 2013, 11:40:02 AM
When is it actually finally coming out?
Are they waiting 'till they can fully bring it into Steam?
It's still in Beta. With it passing Greenlight, it's already a lock for Steam release whenever it's done.
I think (I hope) that it makes development easier that this is as much a port as it is a new game. They're basically taking almost all the game play from Eador: Gensesis and moving it to slicker graphics, an improved UI, and adding a few features (e.g., greater customization of map types for individual Shards).
This is based on everything I've been able to gather from 30+ hours playing Genesis and browsing through commentary beta testers on the MotBW web site. I'd be lying if I said it was the best game ever. But it's one of the most innovative TBS games I've seen in a long time, and the fact that it's based on a well-functioning indie game that's been out since 2010 (if only in Russian until a few months ago) suggests that the development and game design won't be quite as difficult as they might be otherwise.
I keep firing up Eador: Genesis regularly, but don't end up playing very long.
My problem is that I'm still stuck in the first 'shard' (or whatever) in the tutorial, grinding away at the explorable locations for XP & Levels, because the one AI opponent on that map has a much more powerful army.
So it's feeling like I'm just grinding away atm. And this in the tutorial! I hope regular games aren't like this.. or I did something wrong.
Quote from: Nefaro on January 17, 2013, 12:24:15 PM
I keep firing up Eador: Genesis regularly, but don't end up playing very long.
My problem is that I'm still stuck in the first 'shard' (or whatever) in the tutorial, grinding away at the explorable locations for XP & Levels, because the one AI opponent on that map has a much more powerful army.
So it's feeling like I'm just grinding away atm. And this in the tutorial! I hope regular games aren't like this.. or I did something wrong.
You are not alone. I am doing exactly the same thing you are.
Same here. I might just bite the bullet and start a real (sandbox) game and learn as I go. Not much longer until Masters of the Broken World comes out anyway and we'll all be switching! 8)
I'm glad that I didn't screw something up, then. ;)
There's a learning curve. Heroes are MUCH more powerful than the other units, so do all you can to level them up and beef them up. Once I realized that, and concentrated on funneling as many kills as possible his way, the first shard got MUCH easier.
Warriors are the easiest to progress with, and Rangers are the 2nd easiest (so long as you remember to buy some shops that give you better missile weapons). Mages are OK, but when you only have access to Tier 1 spells, the only thing that puts them on vaguely the same level as Warriors or Rangers are the Summon Undead spells, which steer your alignment/karma towards Evil (if you care). I hope they play-balance that in the sequel so that good Mages are as easy to play as bad mages.
Similarly, Commanders are good, but get much better once you can afford more powerful units (even using just Tier 1 creature dwellings, Commanders require a lot of gold and do best with upscale units--3 (Tier 1) Swordsmen with +2 Defense from their Commander will do just fine against 6 or 7 (Tier 1) Peasants).
You don't have to clean out, much less explore, every territory. The game rewards players who strike a balance between ample harvesting/buildup of the core provinces versus a timely expansion beyond that first ring of provinces adjacent to your desmense.
Once you finish the first shard, you start to get more building options (in terms of better buildings in the provinces, more buildings in your desmense/capital), sentries start to matter more as you face opposing local lords who aren't sleeping, and more unit options (primarily through access to better mercenaries--even 2nd level creature dwellings don't come into play for another 3-5 shards, depending on which you attack when), so you're limited to mercenaries, creature dwellings you find in the wild, or allies you can befriend by completing quests, etc.
The 1st scenario very much has you on rails, which is why it feels so much like grinding until you have the hang of how different heroes play. Once you make it through that, the pace quickens up nicely (although it's still slower-paced than most North American titles are).
Just don't keep your heroes out of the fight--in most battles I have, my hero kills 50% of the enemy creatures, but it took me a little while to figure that out. The other units matter, but more as support & attrition units than as main battle units (this is less true for the Commander, who relies on legions of soldiers, but that's the sort of wrinkle that enhances the replay value of the game).
My Mage turns out regular kills with his PEW PEW spells, and is slowly levelling. Hell.. I have to since my command limit is five units at level 11 (?). Still, I'm just spamming the Explore command and then fighting the 3 different groups over & over for XP. Feels like taking forever. I'm hoping things start progressing, and the game opens up much more quickly, after this first tutorial shard.
I'm not usually impatient with these things, but it feels like I've been spinning my wheels with little progress thus far.
Yeah. I had that same sense. Try using the "Raise Undead" spell. Makes your PEW PEW spells a lot more effective when the enemy is chewing on Zombies and Skeletons raised from among their own fallen ranks.
The only high-level units that will have anywhere near a full host of units are Commanders. It's actually game-balanced that way. The trial-and-error when you figure out what provinces you can conquer when is a bit painful, but doable.
A Lvl 11 Mage with Raise Undead ought to be able to win the final fight, but not without Raise Undead and only if you have decent Level 1 Troops of some sort (better than Slingers and Peasants, anyways). Without the use of that one spell, Mages are the most underpowered of any characters (at least so long as they're limited to Tier 1 spells).
Exploring too much with non-Ranger heroes is a drag. Rangers, on the other hand, get all sorts of exploration bonuses, which make it much easier to pick things out. Lastly, exploring Plains goes faster than exploring Hills or Forests, which goes faster than exploring Swamps. All of which is, again, built into the play-balancing.
I found the tutorial a bit frustrating as well, but once you get past the first one, you start to get a much better appreciation for the depth of game play and trade-offs you have to manage. The biggest thing going against Genesis is the lack of documentation to help you start to unwrap these different playing styles on their own.
Quote from: FarAway Sooner on January 18, 2013, 02:52:01 PM
Yeah. I had that same sense. Try using the "Raise Undead" spell. Makes your PEW PEW spells a lot more effective when the enemy is chewing on Zombies and Skeletons raised from among their own fallen ranks.
The only high-level units that will have anywhere near a full host of units are Commanders. It's actually game-balanced that way. The trial-and-error when you figure out what provinces you can conquer when is a bit painful, but doable.
A Lvl 11 Mage with Raise Undead ought to be able to win the final fight, but not without Raise Undead and only if you have decent Level 1 Troops of some sort (better than Slingers and Peasants, anyways). Without the use of that one spell, Mages are the most underpowered of any characters (at least so long as they're limited to Tier 1 spells).
Exploring too much with non-Ranger heroes is a drag. Rangers, on the other hand, get all sorts of exploration bonuses, which make it much easier to pick things out. Lastly, exploring Plains goes faster than exploring Hills or Forests, which goes faster than exploring Swamps. All of which is, again, built into the play-balancing.
I found the tutorial a bit frustrating as well, but once you get past the first one, you start to get a much better appreciation for the depth of game play and trade-offs you have to manage. The biggest thing going against Genesis is the lack of documentation to help you start to unwrap these different playing styles on their own.
Oh.. I grabbed the Raise Undead spells when I had the chance, as I aimed for Necromancer from the start. IIRC, I have two or three of those available per fight, along with a good deal of direct damage spells to actually
create corpses to raise (raze?). The problem I run into is that even the second tier of human fodder dies in one or two hits to all but the lowest random troops. This is the the problem I have with tackling the end boss, as my troops get murderized faster than I can raise skeletons, which aren't any better at being speed bumps than the best available. Staying power is .. lacking. And now the XP grind.
Ah. Do you have any Swordsmen or (better yet for the Wizard) Pikemen? They go a ways towards soaking up the missile firepower. The trick is killing enough bad guys, and raising enough Zombies in their rear ranks, to decimate the Archers and Slingers while the other guys dribble forward piecemeal.
All of which does require a bit of an XP grind, to be sure...
Quote from: FarAway Sooner on January 18, 2013, 08:04:29 PM
Ah. Do you have any Swordsmen or (better yet for the Wizard) Pikemen? They go a ways towards soaking up the missile firepower. The trick is killing enough bad guys, and raising enough Zombies in their rear ranks, to decimate the Archers and Slingers while the other guys dribble forward piecemeal.
All of which does require a bit of an XP grind, to be sure...
No, no swordsmen (IIRC) and definitely no Pikemen. I have all the buildings available to be built at the moment but my best human unit is the Scout and the rare Barbarian mercenary that pops up. I
did get a Swordsman merc at one point but he got smashed in a really tough battle against a bunch of giant spiders or something, and I've not seen one since.
Perhaps I'm missing a building, but I thought I had built all the ones available in the first part. ???
Yeah, that's another aspect of the interface that isn't so obvious and where the original Indie effort shows the shortcomings typical of a single-person effort (poor documentation and no English-language manual). You are given 10 or 11 Level 1 Creature Dwelling options, but can only choose to build any 4 of them.
The only two creature dwellings you can build at the start are the ones that require no prerequisite buildings: Slingers and Militia quarters can be bought with no other purchases. If you want Spearmen or Archers, you must build a Workshop first (which also gives you the ability to buy spears, bows, shields, etc. for your heroes if they can use them). If you want Swords or Pikemen's quarters, you must build a Forge (which also gives you the ability to buy basic chain mail, Short swords, etc. for your heroes). If you want Crossbowmen's quarter, you must first build a Forge and a Workshop.
On the less savory alignment side for Tier 1 units, Barbarians quarters can be built once you have a Pub, and the same goes for Thieves and (I think) Brigands. Shaman Huts can be recruited once you have an Altar.
Until you buy the prerequisites, those buildings are grayed out (you can figure out which prerequisites you need via right-clicks, and the UI there is even pretty slick, but it's not terribly intuitive). Once you've bought all 4 of your Tier 1 dwellings, they're grayed out forever. You get some basic mercenaries coming by every few turns if you have a Tavern, and if you buy upgrades to the Tavern (I think Inn comes next, followed by Mercenary Guild once you unlock that one) you'll get better Mercenary units you can hire and/or more frequent Mercenary options.
You can recruit units of different alignments, and the results will be lower morale, which is a drag but not the end of the world. The fact that you can only choose 4 out of the 11 (?) possible Tier 1 Units makes players evaulate some really tough trade-offs. The fact that the better Level 1 dwellings typically require prerequisite buildings also make you evaluate some tough trade-offs, as Gold is scarce in the early game.
There's a balancing of early-expansion needs versus later-game potential. And the fact that many of the better units cost a lot less if you have basic resources available (e.g., Spearman require one unit of Wood while Swordsmen require two Iron), and that different resources are available in different quantities on different types of Shards (e.g., Timber is easy to find in a Forest Shard while Iron is easy to find in a Hills Shard) means that there is no one optimal build path.
As you consider dwellings with prerequisites, you also evaluate what else the prerequisite buildings give you in the early game. A Forge is nice to give you Swordsmen, but it doesn't generate any income. It does give you the ability to buy basic metal weapons, so if you have a Warrior or Commander hero, that might be a good investment (getting Chain Mail early can make a big difference in surviving an encounter versus losing it). But if you have a Ranger, he can't use Chain Mail and primarily uses wooden weapons (e.g., Bows and Arrows), so the build path to get to Swordsmen earlier in the game also involves trade-offs.
This is the sort of deep game play that I found so appealing abou Eador after I got past the lack of an English-language manual and the sometimes unintuitive interface. Based on youtube demos I've seen for Master of a Broken World, I think the tool tips will be much better and I assume there will be a good English-language manual. There's actually a huge wealth of info about Eador: Genesis out there, but most of it is in Russian on Russian-language forums.
Apologies if you already know all this stuff, but the questions you raise are indicative of the sort of deep gameplay that players can unlock if they invest the time in it. I don't mean to ramble, but I have been VERY impressed by this game and hope to encourage more folks to try it.
Thanks for the tips FAS. I didn't realize I had limited slots in which to choose stuff. But fill them, I did.
The "scout" unit I was referring to is the Spearmen, which I can build. I just can't build swordsmen, so I must've ran out of build slots before getting all the prereqs for it (despite having a Forge). I wonder if there's some way to deconstruct one, to make room, or if it's permanent once built? I've not really delved into the google translate version of the manual all that much yet, so I have no idea if it mentions such details or not. It's pretty cool that you're forced to specialize, but as you said - the in-game UI doesn't lay out the building tree too well so there will be lots of rt-clicking to piece it all together.
However, I did manage to find two Swordsmen mercs during this morning's run along with a Crossbowman! When it rains, it pours. The grinding is a bit easier now that I've realized there is plenty of time to sit in my provinces and spam the Explore command for building XP faster, so I've also gained more troop & spell slots along with some new spells & loot.
This game is very cool, I just happened to take one of the slowest progressing classes I suppose. I should probably finish reading the Game Concepts in the manual to be sure I'm not overlooking other things, too. :D
I have been keeping an eye out for units I can't produce showing up randomly at my castle. So far I've gotten two swordsmen and two longbowmen. It's an annoyance having to check every turn or two or three, but the effort is worth it in my opinion.
Quote from: Nefaro on January 19, 2013, 06:31:23 PM
Thanks for the tips FAS. I didn't realize I had limited slots in which to choose stuff. But fill them, I did.
The "scout" unit I was referring to is the Spearmen, which I can build. I just can't build swordsmen, so I must've ran out of build slots before getting all the prereqs for it (despite having a Forge). I wonder if there's some way to deconstruct one, to make room, or if it's permanent once built? I've not really delved into the google translate version of the manual all that much yet, so I have no idea if it mentions such details or not. It's pretty cool that you're forced to specialize, but as you said - the in-game UI doesn't lay out the building tree too well so there will be lots of rt-clicking to piece it all together.
However, I did manage to find two Swordsmen mercs during this morning's run along with a Crossbowman! When it rains, it pours. The grinding is a bit easier now that I've realized there is plenty of time to sit in my provinces and spam the Explore command for building XP faster, so I've also gained more troop & spell slots along with some new spells & loot.
This game is very cool, I just happened to take one of the slowest progressing classes I suppose. I should probably finish reading the Game Concepts in the manual to be sure I'm not overlooking other things, too. :D
actually i believe in the tutorial you can only build 4 troop buildings, you wont have an option for the others. i think i had everything built in the tutorial and like 20k gold. you wont get more options until you finish the tutorial and are able to attack your first shard.
You may well be right on that, CptHowdy. I remember being struck how much easier the tutorial was the 2nd time I tried it.
It gives you a feel for the difficulty of the game when you have to play the Tutorial twice to win that. :)
Quote from: FarAway Sooner on January 20, 2013, 06:02:06 PM
You may well be right on that, CptHowdy. I remember being struck how much easier the tutorial was the 2nd time I tried it.
It gives you a feel for the difficulty of the game when you have to play the Tutorial twice to win that. :)
yeah once i got to first shard i got my ass handed to me. ai lords were very aggressive so i couldnt sit back and build everything, i needed to be more aggressive in taking over their territory. I havent beaten a shard. i just found that i couldnt replace my army faster than the ai was coming at me. will have to be more frugal with my funds and not try and build or upgrade everything so fast!
I got a key for the new beta build today, and all I can say is -
Wow.
What a huge step backwards and a major disappointment compared to the first build. The new building interface is a confusing, buggy mess, combat is slow as molasses unless you set the graphics to the lowest setting and the combat to the highest speed, combat results still appear before the animation starts and there are still no combat sound effects other than the occasional grunt, and turn resolutions are excruciatingly slow - like Pride of Nations slow.
I enjoyed the first Beta, but have no desire to go back to this. I hope they address these issues, even if it means pushing the release back a couple of months.
Damn. :(
Sounds like the guy is having a helluva time getting this second game in shape. I hope he takes his time and gets it right (eventually) before releasing.
Quote from: Nefaro on March 14, 2013, 01:46:22 PM
Damn. :(
Sounds like the guy is having a helluva time getting this second game in shape. I hope he takes his time and gets it right (eventually) before releasing.
balls - id heard April was a date for release
Nef - not saying its you - but have others reported these issues?
Quote from: undercovergeek on March 14, 2013, 02:04:13 PM
Quote from: Nefaro on March 14, 2013, 01:46:22 PM
Damn. :(
Sounds like the guy is having a helluva time getting this second game in shape. I hope he takes his time and gets it right (eventually) before releasing.
balls - id heard April was a date for release
Nef - not saying its you - but have others reported these issues?
Yes. I don't know what happened between the two betas, or why they would release a beta in such rotten shape to the world with no NDA. I've already uninstalled it. I would suggest that if it does get released in a month that everyone wait for impressions. I seriously doubt that these problems can be adequately addressed by then.
Quote from: undercovergeek on March 14, 2013, 02:04:13 PM
Nef - not saying its you - but have others reported these issues?
LOL - it's certainly not me! I haven't played the beta.
But all the impressions I've heard the past couple months haven't been terribly good just yet. No worries, since it's a beta and still being fixed up for release. I just hope it's up to snuff on release, or else it gets delayed a bit if not, because we all know how a buggy release will kill a game for it's lifespan. :-[ Maybe it'll end up in excellent condition on arrival next month.. *shrug*
Thanks for the update, tgb. Sounds like I'll want to wait til it gets patched up more, especially if the release date isn't pushed back.
That is discouraging that the 2nd beta release seems to be messed up. I hope they take their time and do it right, and I hope that their publisher lets them. The gameplay in Eador: Genesis is too good to screw up MotBW with a premature release date.
On the city screen, they've even posted about the dilemma on their Facebook page. They're struggling with something that gives clear build paths, but also graphical elegance. I may be in a minority here, but I think they should just scrap the graphical elegance and go with something that's intuitive to play.
The build chains are complicated and there are about 170 buildings, so there are plenty of interdepencies, but that's why they should err on the side of intuitive rather than appealing. I do hope they get this fixed.
The only way the game isn't a sure-fire winner out of the gates is if, at release, the AI totally sucks (the AI in Genesis is pretty darn good), the UI blows worse than the first game (how could you do that?), or the code is just a buggy mess. If they avoid those 3 pitfalls, it's a surefire winner!
Just noticed this is available for pre-order on GoG (http://www.gog.com/gamecard/eador_masters_of_the_broken_world) for $19.99
Quote
Pre-order and get Eador: Genesis - the game will be added to your order for FREE.
This game will be available for download on approximately Apr. 19
...hope they've fixed the issues that have shown up in the beta.
Good to know. I went ahead and pre-ordered, but remain very philosophical about it. Snowbird is a small studio, the Lead Designer on MotBW is the guy who built Genesis, and at $20, for me Genesis alone is a steal. I have no problems throwing some coins at a studio that gave me a great title for $6 just to get some wind in their sales.
That's cool mate. You'll easily get $20-worth out of Genesis alone. :)
Mind you, those that already own Genesis via GOG get a 10% discount instead.
Quote from: Tpek on March 23, 2013, 02:17:30 PM
Mind you, those that already own Genesis via GOG get a 10% discount instead.
ah, thanks....was wondering if I'd be able to gift the possible extra copy, but that won't be an issue now.
Yeah. I didn't mean to imply that Genesis came free with a purchase of MotBW. Just that, having only paid $6 for Genesis and having gotten more game play out of it than any title since Dominions 2, I have no problem sending a little extra cash Snowbird's way. If MotBW lives up to its potential, all the better.
And if they don't produce a better manual for MotBW, I'm going to cry. For their sake as much for my own...
I have never pre-ordered a game but just may with MotBW. I have reservations about the readiness of the game raised on this thread though. I absolutely love Genesis even with the sound and interface issues I've had.
...and now available for pre-order on Steam (http://store.steampowered.com/app/232050/).
Quote
As a special reward. we are making Eador: Genesis instantly available for free as a pre-order bonus.
When the pre-order period ends, owners will keep Eador: Genesis in their Steam Library and receive the newly released Eador: Masters of the Broken World.
I again urge people to hold off on pre-ordering. The latest round of external beta testing is over, and we only have the developer's word that the problems with the game have been addressed.
Quote from: tgb on April 02, 2013, 05:55:03 PM
I again urge people to hold off on pre-ordering. The latest round of external beta testing is over, and we only have the developer's word that the problems with the game have been addressed.
Yeah, I'm a little nervous about this one.
well, thanks for the head up (again). I've not pulled the trigger on this yet. Guess i'll wait until the smoke clears...
Well it is only $19.95....and I get Genesis for free which everyone said is pretty decent. So I may bite. Right now, I'm watching the lets play videos for Dominions 3 so that will occupy my gaming hear shortly...but I may bite
Think I'm gonna wait until after release and see what condition it's in before buying.
While the above is the plan, it's not the only reason I have for waiting. A typical trend for buggy releases has been to issue a couple patches and then announce a 'sequel' which is just the same game with the needed fixes and a handful of extras to thinly justify charging full price for a whole "new" game. AKA re-releases.
As an example of when this has worked out well for me - I give you Elemental. I've never purchased it and it's now going on the second re-release. Perhaps the third will be the final iteration of it and I can finally pick it up, as it was originally intended, without having to buy it three times. ;) Then again, maybe they'll just make a fourth version a year later (again). Terrible trend, huh?
Although if you'd bought Elemental at release, the subsequent versions would be free, so your argument makes no sense.
Quote from: tgb on April 02, 2013, 09:46:48 PM
Although if you'd bought Elemental at release, the subsequent versions would be free, so your argument makes no sense.
Oh? I thought that was only for people who pre-ordered the original, and there was a cut-off time for the extra freebies. Also, they're charging for this one too.
Admittedly they did right by giving (at least the first re-release) for free to previous pre-orderers of Elemental, so it's not the best example. Another would be waiting to buy WWI Gold as opposed to the original or a slew of others.
wasnt there a guy called Mitra who went round all the forums banging the drum every time there was am update? hes gone awfully quiet
^I was thinking the same thing.
Quote from: undercovergeek on April 03, 2013, 05:18:03 AM
wasnt there a guy called Mitra who went round all the forums banging the drum every time there was am update? hes gone awfully quiet
He was just over at WG mentioning the game is now available from Steam for pre-order.
Here's the latest word:
QuoteHi guys,
I won't be sending out the keys manually anymore (thankfully ) as Steam will take care of that for me. The final build we have will be available to everyone starting this Friday or on Monday. Whether you pre-ordered the game or not, you'll have a chance to try it out.
Some notable changes from the latest build you saw:
- The building interface is redone again. Basically it combines elements from the two interface menus you've seen. Also, the wheel is back.
- Loading time after a turn's end is now at least eight times faster.
- All ritual effects have been added.
- AI has been optimized to be more challenging.
- Arbalester's and Warrior's slow animations have been changed.
- Fixed crashes.
I'm not quite sure what to make of that, since it sounds like Dan is counting on Steam to distribute keys to the current testers, and they don't do that, afaik.
Quote from: tgb on April 03, 2013, 03:24:05 PM
Here's the latest word:
QuoteHi guys,
I won't be sending out the keys manually anymore (thankfully ) as Steam will take care of that for me. The final build we have will be available to everyone starting this Friday or on Monday. Whether you pre-ordered the game or not, you'll have a chance to try it out.
Some notable changes from the latest build you saw:
- The building interface is redone again. Basically it combines elements from the two interface menus you've seen. Also, the wheel is back.
- Loading time after a turn's end is now at least eight times faster.
- All ritual effects have been added.
- AI has been optimized to be more challenging.
- Arbalester's and Warrior's slow animations have been changed.
- Fixed crashes.
I'm not quite sure what to make of that, since it sounds like Dan is counting on Steam to distribute keys to the current testers, and they don't do that, afaik.
Sounds like some scary last minute fixes & additions. I mean.. the game didn't even have all the "effects" in yet, and they're being added just before release?! Building Interface being redone
again? Doesn't sound like much time was left for testing such things but perhaps they're smaller ordeals than I'm imagining.
I really hope it turns out good, but still get the feeling that there will be some niggling bugs at release. Pray I'm wrong!
They've been in beta for about 2 (?) months now, but I do agree that, given the ambitious scope changes, that's a short time for beta testing. I hope that they don't rush the product, because if it lives up to it's potential, this could be the best fantasy TBS game released in 5 or 6 years.
Genesis was that close but didn't have the developer muscle to do the product right in terms of fancy graphics, English-language documentation, or variability of how quickly the Campaign game moves along. The game play, unit stats, and mechanics are largely unchanged from Genesis, which had a Grogheads' review published about six weeks ago at http://www.grogheads.com/rev-eador.html (http://www.grogheads.com/rev-eador.html).
I'm very excited about this game, but there is definitely some "development risk" that still hasn't been driven out here.
yeah, I will feel very bad for them if they cannot release a proper 1.0, because the system they have in Genesis is great and deserves a bigger success.
I got a bit of a surprise when my credit card bill arrived today. It showed that I was billed immediately when I pre-ordered Eador: Masters of the Broken World from GOG.com. I guess they needed the money to finish the game.
Most download services charge your card immediately, especially when you are getting a premium for the reorder.
Quote from: tgb on April 04, 2013, 02:18:23 PM
Most download services charge your card immediately, especially when you are getting a premium for the reorder.
This is the first time for me. I have always been billed after the game went live before.
Quote from: Greybriar on April 04, 2013, 02:22:31 PM
Quote from: tgb on April 04, 2013, 02:18:23 PM
Most download services charge your card immediately, especially when you are getting a premium for the reorder.
This is the first time for me. I have always been billed after the game went live before.
By GOG?
Quote from: Greybriar on April 04, 2013, 06:59:20 PM
Quote from: tgb on April 04, 2013, 02:39:04 PM
By GOG?
By anyone.
Seems you have been lucky....pre order usually means pre buy at that moment. Otherwise, seems it would be more of a reservation system:). For pre orders, I am always billed right away.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on April 04, 2013, 07:09:05 PM
Seems you have been lucky....pre order usually means pre buy at that moment. Otherwise, seems it would be more of a reservation system:). For pre orders, I am always billed right away.
I don't feel that it should be such an oddity. Cash on the barrelhead (http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/cash+on+the+barrelhead) is an old but appropriate expression. I pay for something when I get it. Vendors do not want to extend credit to a customer so why should customers extend credit to vendors?
Quote from: Greybriar on April 04, 2013, 07:23:06 PM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on April 04, 2013, 07:09:05 PM
Seems you have been lucky....pre order usually means pre buy at that moment. Otherwise, seems it would be more of a reservation system:). For pre orders, I am always billed right away.
I don't feel that it should be such an oddity. Cash on the barrelhead (http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/cash+on+the+barrelhead) is an old but appropriate expression. I pay for something when I get it. Vendors do not want to extend credit to a customer so why should customers extend credit to vendors?
If that is the case, what is the benefit of pre ordering if the developer only gets your money when they release the product? Seems like a day one purchase versus a pre order. Don't get me wrong, would love this process, jus haven't seen myself.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on April 04, 2013, 07:26:48 PM
Quote from: Greybriar on April 04, 2013, 07:23:06 PM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on April 04, 2013, 07:09:05 PM
Seems you have been lucky....pre order usually means pre buy at that moment. Otherwise, seems it would be more of a reservation system:). For pre orders, I am always billed right away.
I don't feel that it should be such an oddity. Cash on the barrelhead (http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/cash+on+the+barrelhead) is an old but appropriate expression. I pay for something when I get it. Vendors do not want to extend credit to a customer so why should customers extend credit to vendors?
If that is the case, what is the benefit of pre ordering if the developer only gets your money when they release the product? Seems like a day one purchase versus a pre order. Don't get me wrong, would love this process, jus haven't seen myself.
The advantage to a pre-order to the seller is that he is guaranteed a sell at full price. Otherwise he'd oftentimes have to settle for whatever price the purchaser paid, and many digital customers wait for something to be priced at 50% (or more) off before they buy.
For game pre-orders, I've always paid up front unless explicitly mentioned on the sale page. Last couple I pre-ordered at Gamersgate (IIRC) charged then & there.
I'm sure some titles occasionally specify that they won't charge until release, but I've not purchased any like that via digital distribution. It was that way with brick & mortar store pre-orders of course, long ago in the far far away.
Quote from: Nefaro on April 04, 2013, 08:28:24 PM
For game pre-orders, I've always paid up front unless explicitly mentioned on the sale page....
If that is the case, I won't bother with any more pre-orders. I'll just wait until the games I want go on sale and pick them up for 75% off. Why give digital distributors an interest-free loan of my money?
Quote from: Greybriar on April 04, 2013, 08:42:11 PM
Quote from: Nefaro on April 04, 2013, 08:28:24 PM
For game pre-orders, I've always paid up front unless explicitly mentioned on the sale page....
If that is the case, I won't bother with any more pre-orders. I'll just wait until the games I want go on sale and pick them up for 75% off. Why give digital distributors an interest-free loan of my money?
It's the sane way to go. Wait & see how the release is first.. probably worth spending three or four extra bucks
after you know it's not a buggy mess, as opposed to spending 18-to-45 early only to find out you're not as happy with it as you imagined yourself to be.
It can be tough waving off the hype and excitement sometimes, but it's probably better to wait & see. Being able to play the Beta makes it easier to do since you get some quick satisfaction and, primarily, you can already read up on what kind of condition it's in.
Quote from: Greybriar on April 04, 2013, 08:42:11 PM
Quote from: Nefaro on April 04, 2013, 08:28:24 PM
For game pre-orders, I've always paid up front unless explicitly mentioned on the sale page....
If that is the case, I won't bother with any more pre-orders. I'll just wait until the games I want go on sale and pick them up for 75% off. Why give digital distributors an interest-free loan of my money?
A number of the developers are now providing beta/alpha access to the games if you pre-order....that is a big attraction for me if I know I will buy the game anyway. Also, some come with pre-order bonus that some people like. However, if your OK waiting, then I agree with you that eventually the game will be on sale at some point. I just have no will power:)
Quote from: Greybriar on April 04, 2013, 07:23:06 PM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on April 04, 2013, 07:09:05 PM
Seems you have been lucky....pre order usually means pre buy at that moment. Otherwise, seems it would be more of a reservation system:). For pre orders, I am always billed right away.
I don't feel that it should be such an oddity. Cash on the barrelhead (http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/cash+on+the+barrelhead) is an old but appropriate expression. I pay for something when I get it. Vendors do not want to extend credit to a customer so why should customers extend credit to vendors?
Except in this case they are offering a second game free when you order. Not you, but what's to stop someone from ordering MotBW, getting the free copy of Genesis, and then just canceling.
I'm not generally a fan of pre-ordering. But, in the case of Eador, I feel like Genesis alone would be worth a $20 price point for me. On the principle of that matter, and all the surplus value that Snowbird games has already given me, I'm willing to pre-order Genesis as a gesture of good will.
If MotBW lives up to its potential, all the better. Either way, I've supported a small indie developer shop that's already turned out one very sharp title in a niche genre that I love. These days, I have more money than gaming time in any event... (not enough of either mind you, just A LOT less time to game!)
over at RPS - no negativity as such
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/04/09/impressions-eador-masters-of-the-broken-world/#more-148941