Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Aseaheru]

 Being able to prioritize things for immediate attention would be good. As would events happening less than two seconds of eachother. And reducing the love of scanners. Seriously, they spend more time in the scanner then they do anything else besides walking to the sanner.

[simoroth]

Sorry I've been away and then busy so haven't checked in.

I put out a whole bunch of updates to fix these issues. Almost all came down to colonists failing to balance their needs again.

http://steamcommunity.com/games/252250/announcements/detail/568966696256658986

Let me know if that solves your problems. From the sound of the reports it should. I'm working hard to nail this sort of issue as it spoiled the game for too many people.

Also I wrote a Fun! blog about why I've been delayed getting the game out of Alpha. Might be interesting if that's your sort of thing.

https://blog.maiagame.com/how_to_delay_your_indiegame/

[Anvilfolk]

Also I wrote a Fun! blog about why I've been delayed getting the game out of Alpha. Might be interesting if that's your sort of thing.

https://blog.maiagame.com/how_to_delay_your_indiegame/

I'm a grad student, and fuck, do I know about anxiety. The part about not being able to work, being anxious, therefore not being able to work really, really struck a chord.

I just sucked it up for years, but at some point it boiled over. I started getting panic attacks, was physically unable to eat for days, was unable to move, was going to the hospital/ER twice a week for weeks, thought I was going to die all the time, etc etc. It's horrible. Now I'm on meds, therapy, the works. It affected me, and it affected those closest to me, and not in good ways.

Your mental health is important. Yes, even more than your reputation as a game developer. Please don't do what I did and try to suck it up, because it will keep getting worse, suck you in, then not let you out. Let people know about what you're going through, be vulnerable, and take some time off in a way that you can actually rest and enjoy, away from any possibility of development. I truly hope this is a financial possibility for you.

Hugs, if you'll have them.

[simoroth]

Thanks. I'll always take a hug.  Writing that blog for me was one of the first steps to me properly dealing with it. Getting this game out the door would help quite a bit too. Whatever game I make next is going to be 100X simpler.

Yeah I actually took an offer to go have free lodgings in Greece for a month from July to August. Had to get a laptop and work on the game whilst I was away, but it put me in a lot better place.

That said getting back to work hasn't been fun. Had to lay off my artist today - the Steam review changes murdered our score and we'll never be able to claw back up in time for our next big October release that I needed to bring in funds. (I was hoping that poking our crowdfunders could take us up to 50-60% in the reviews.) Its annoying as we're well into designing and scripting the campaign and the voice over work was going to be really awesome and transform the game, now it will have to wait.

On the plus side I managed to turn Valves change into a bit of PR for us at least. Most of the games press were interested in my angry thoughts on the matter.

[MrWiggles]

So I tried out one of the campaigns. The one with the space station asploding and folks landing on the planet. And I tried it 4 times, and failed four times at the same point. I would make the microwave beacon, and then make a medical bay with 3 meat trolleys. And they would make one or two, never make the third, and they just hump the meat trolleys eternally.

[BigD145]

Thanks. I'll always take a hug.  Writing that blog for me was one of the first steps to me properly dealing with it. Getting this game out the door would help quite a bit too. Whatever game I make next is going to be 100X simpler.

Yeah I actually took an offer to go have free lodgings in Greece for a month from July to August. Had to get a laptop and work on the game whilst I was away, but it put me in a lot better place.

That said getting back to work hasn't been fun. Had to lay off my artist today - the Steam review changes murdered our score and we'll never be able to claw back up in time for our next big October release that I needed to bring in funds. (I was hoping that poking our crowdfunders could take us up to 50-60% in the reviews.) Its annoying as we're well into designing and scripting the campaign and the voice over work was going to be really awesome and transform the game, now it will have to wait.

On the plus side I managed to turn Valves change into a bit of PR for us at least. Most of the games press were interested in my angry thoughts on the matter.

Gaming press always wants a sob story or something for grabbing eyes. Some really want to hear about fascinating failures in the gaming industry because they don't get to hear much on the inside of dev studios. They mostly just see an end product. The real stories from inside grab them and grab readers.

[Anvilfolk]

Hugs sent

All of that sounds really, really tough. I'm just gonna say again that you aren't the game. You are so much more, as a person and the way that you affect those around you. Whatever happens to the game isn't happening to you.

Hang in there!

[Scoops Novel]

I feel for you man, but i gotta admit i enjoyed this

"At one point I gave in and just paid it. They repaid it immediately, as nothing was owed.

They eventually sold the fictional debt to a third party debt collector who started snip literally threatening me"

Spoiler: I'm glad this didn't happen, and if it did i hope you filmed it (click to show/hide)

Sounds like you went to a lot of pains and you'll get a lot of gains. I wont forget. Now enjoy yourself.

[simoroth]

So I tried out one of the campaigns. The one with the space station asploding and folks landing on the planet. And I tried it 4 times, and failed four times at the same point. I would make the microwave beacon, and then make a medical bay with 3 meat trolleys. And they would make one or two, never make the third, and they just hump the meat trolleys eternally.

I think three is probably too much anyway. I might change that mission somewhat now we have the scanner and other medical equipment working. Although for the moment you can double click to get them to prioritise a build.

[simoroth]

Oh should also mention. I'm doing a livestream from 1500UTC (in 3 hours from this post) drop in if you are about and say hi and make me fix the bugs. https://www.twitch.tv/simoroth

[forsaken1111]

Oh should also mention. I'm doing a livestream from 1500UTC (in 3 hours from this post) drop in if you are about and say hi and make me fix the bugs. https://www.twitch.tv/simoroth

I set twitch to notify me when you start. Looking forward to it

[simoroth]

Huge update today! Absolutely shattered.



Update blog: I'll avoid posting it here since it's massive.. https://blog.maiagame.com/maia-update-0-58-the-songs-of-distant-earth/

Update video here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pqq1bqldI4

[forsaken1111]

I love watching Maia come along through your development processes, and this update looks amazing. I'll give it a go later tonight

[Aseaheru]

 I know taht I am looking forward to it.

[forsaken1111]

A few things I ran into when playing just now:

1. When clicking 'back' while looking at a mission description, the menu transitions back to main menu rather than the mission selection menu

2. Everything is still distorted on 21:9 resolutions like 2560x1080 or 3440x1440. Its very strange, but I cannot use my native resolution at all due to the distortions. Changing resolutions is weird in any case, and causes the buttons to overlap one another.

3. When a colonist suggestion comes up, allow us to press y/n to respond. Just a bit quicker, and the other emails allow a 'y' button press so it makes sense.

4. Abort mission should return to main menu, not quit game.

5. Colonists should work on rooms from outside, or the room should remain uncompleted until a door exists. I had a colonist build a room and trap herself inside, then promptly freeze to death before someone else could come build the queued door


Now the good stuff. The colonists seem MUCH smarter and more efficient in terms of labor and actions. I see a lot less standing around and a lot more getting done. The imps are hilarious.