Print

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

[Kyzrati]

Thanks guys, I know there are eyes watching, just not much chatter since development is humming along yet nothing playable's out there in the wild yet. I'd also like to be able to say more, but parts of the game, especially some of the ones I'm working on now and over the next months, are secret. No secret rocket-propelled harpoons yet, though. How about a hidden super-weapon that fires a spread of ten hypervelocity railgun slugs that can each penetrate multiple targets and pretty much take out an entire army on its own? Okay, so I told you about that one (oh man is it fun to shoot!), but at least I didn't show it to you. (Plus you'll have to actually find it--this time around there are secret weapons, stuff that won't be generated with normal loot.)

[Aoi]

(Plus you'll have to actually find it--this time around there are secret weapons, stuff that won't be generated with normal loot.)

Okay, back to strip mining the levels. =D

[Kyzrati]

(Plus you'll have to actually find it--this time around there are secret weapons, stuff that won't be generated with normal loot.)

Okay, back to strip mining the levels. =D

I'll have you know that putting a stop to this practice was part of the re-design

Digging is still possible to an extent, but spending too much time traveling through excavated areas will be very dangerous. I'm sure more tweaks to the system will still be necessary once I actually release this to the public and Aoi et al find ways to screw with it! (Not that I want to remove all the fun unique strategies from the game, but we definitely want to get rid of that "secret" strategy that trivializes even the hardest of levels. Such are the challenges of designing completely destructible maps!)

Then of course there are lots of branches and you can't go back to previous levels, so it's impossible to see/get everything in a single or even a few runs. Eventually with some meta-experience once you know where something is you should theoretically be able to obtain it by directing your exploration with hacking-assisted knowledge. Hopefully the game gets a good enough reception that I can follow the main development phase with more time spent further expanding the possibilities.

[Kyzrati]

Just posted a long update looking back on the first year of Cogmind's development. You can also see the first publicly available progress graph and read about release dates/options.

[sambojin]

So by that metric, the first public release will be out in 4-5 months or so. No pressure or anything

[Kyzrati]

Ha, the only one who can pressure me is my boss. And that's, um, me

Seriously, I don't think it will be later than December. Not as early as I originally wanted, but there's just... so much to do and I want to do it right!

[AVE]

Regarding funding methods, have you considered a Steam Greenlight as a possible source?

[Kyzrati]

Yeah, I haven't mentioned it yet but I do plan to eventually find my way over there. A polished video/trailer is an absolute must for Greenlight, so that would have to wait until the game is far enough along to create one. That would be a part of the "later alpha funding" category where I put the game out there on multiple platforms.

[sambojin]

Just as an aside, even if Cogmind sells really well, have you thought of running a training course in structured project development for computer games? Honestly, I've learnt more about realistic planning and goal setting for a game project from your blog than I could from years at university.

I think you've found your calling (game development), but teaching others could probably be a nice little side earner as well.

But for now, cheers for the free study

[Kyzrati]

Heh, thanks for the compliment, though the thing about indie game dev is it's such a hugely multidisciplinary field that a truly valuable course would cover a broad range of topics, project management being only one of many, and I am way unqualified for many of the other necessary areas.

Project management happens to be one of my main professional skills, so not too surprising that things turn out well when applied to gamedev (math and advanced CS on the other hand... well, I suck at those! gave up in college immediately after starting).

I've also done teaching before, but I'd rather just stick to giving you free content/advice Glad you're following along and getting something out of it; I've gotten some nice feedback from other readers/devs who are finding the blog helpful as well. So... I will continue to write it! (If it wasn't attracting any attention I'd be much less inclined to do so, though it is nice to have something pretty and organized for myself to go back and reference from time to time.)

I really do enjoy game development, but it only works as a long-term career path for a handful of indies, so I don't know if I'll be able to sustain it for more than a few more years. At least through Cogmind, for sure, and if it does well then X@COM, too (otherwise that will continue as a hobby project instead); beyond that I may switch back to pure hobby development (much slower :/) and start freelancing again. All hinges on Cogmind's reception and financial success. At least I have this chance now, and am taking it--I know I'd regret it if I didn't take the opportunity to work full time on a major game.

[sambojin]

Well, it looks like I'll have to buy Cogmind when it's done then. Not only do I think it'll be a great game, but if it gets x@com in motion as a full release as well, then I've essentially doubled my investment.

Win/Eventual Win.

[Kyzrati]

Yeah, I don't exactly want to hold X@COM hostage to Cogmind's success, but it does kinda work out that way if we want development to proceed quickly. Ambitious multi-year projects and all... Money does make things happen!

On a related note, yesterday I was toying with the idea of releasing even earlier than any of the options I mentioned, but for a higher price, something like $20--essentially a simpler kind of private crowdfunding so anyone who is really keen to get their hands on the game and help improve it early on can both do that and (more importantly) support development. It could come with other perks, at least a mention on the website.

The caveat being that doing this could actually slow down progress towards 1.0 as I have to spend more time interacting with the community rather than implementing all the content/elements that I already know are still to do.

Because Cogmind is not yet ready for the general gaming community, Bay 12 is the only non-dev-oriented site that I publish updates to, so it makes sense to ask here in the most hardcore of hardcore places

Anyone interested in this? Or does this not make enough sense in your opinion?

Discuss.

Edit: To be clear, $20 is not the actual price of the game, which will be more like around $10 when it comes out (or less on sale); the idea was to intentionally require more to keep the scale of early access small and manageable while giving those who really want to support the project financially a way to do that.

[sambojin]

Yeah, I'd throw $20 at it, just to keep it all going. Pricey in the sense that when it comes down to it, it's just a roguelike. Cheap in the sense that it's about 3 rums at the pub or an hour of my time (slightly less actually). Considering how well planned out the project is, I know I'll get a finished game out of it (which is better than some vapour-ware Kickstarter projects).

Not sure if it'd be a great idea generally, but if you want to get a donation model going pre-release, it might work. Chaosforge, Toadyone, and many others have been using this model for years, without many complaints, regardless of "finished project" ideals. Playable product, and a thought for the future of a project is usually all that's needed. A vision, not a list of customer wishes. I'd pretty much consider it seed capital to help fund a bigger campaign, just because I like the style and ways of doing things that you've portrayed.

Cogmind is an independent, original IP, so project stallage won't occur due to litigation. Plus, it's not vapour-ware, there's a playable product already (the 7drl), an engine demonstration (x@com), and a design doc and update blog. Which is far better than most projects I've supported at a whim have had.

tldr; yep, I would chuck $20 at it, even if there wasn't any reward scheme in it for me. Just a 1.0 release eventually. Preferably quicker than it would be released otherwise.

[Darkening Kaos]

     I'd be happy to lob $20 at it as well, paypal probably being my only payment option.  Main selling point for me is a clear design document.
     Just don't cave in to forum-whiners.

[sambojin]

And on eventual earners down the track, have you considered licensing out the engine? (it doesn't have to be ASCII based, but I do consider it one of the premier text/font/tile based engines currently in development).

Cogmind and X@com wowed me on what is possible in the format/genre.

No, it won't be called SyndicateRL. But damn........