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[Toady One]

Somehow I avoided becoming a coffee drinker, even as a math grad student where the process was formalized in the department.

The starting wagons work the same way -- they don't move at all.  In general, the dwarf mode occurs in a portion of one map square.  The whole world is not your play area in dwarf mode.  That would be impossible without some form of abstraction, as we've discussed elsewhere.

I'm going to do more with weapons/armor once I get racks/stands working in barracks with squads.  There are some pitfalls there as far as having dwarves constantly re-equip and it setting off a cascade of re-equip jobs as everybody fights over the scraps.  Not sure what I'm going to do at this point, since it's not going to be on the menu for a while.

If you get lucky and get magma near the oceans, then yeah, you can create land over the ocean, in a weird way...  it won't sink.  But it only occurs on the local map.  There aren't very many new world features, and nothing like a changing sea level or anything like that.

On the release, yeah, I can't catch all the bugs myself in any reasonable time-frame, so there are going to be problems, just like there were problems with the first public release.  At the same time, yeah, I was considering not replacing the primary download link until some of the issues are ironed out after the release -- however, I'm not sure what that would do to the forums, since it'll inevitably cause a lot of confusion to have two branches up, especially since the current release is already a development version.  There'd also be some confusion with save compatibility if there are two main versions, since they aren't compatible.

As far as what's best for my financial well-being, I really don't have the slightest idea.  I wouldn't be making 3 dollars an hour if I had business sense.   A buggy release turns new players away, yeah, and I have large problems in that department already.  At the same time, I should be able to clean up the worst of the bugs quickly, and if I don't get something released, I'll also be losing people who get sick of waiting, and a good chunk of my support comes from repeat donors.  I guess I'm not suffering many of those losses yet, and I know a lot of you are waiting patiently and encouraging me to spend as much time as I want on it, but I really should get something up at some point.  It has been a long time.

[Retro42]

I'm not going to complain if you release a new version soon!  BUT, don't compromise your own style to make us happy Toady, this is your game after all.  I'll happily wait as long as you need to get it right.

Retro

[subject name here]

I wouldn't object to an early release.

[ August 02, 2007: Message edited by: Sheogorath ]

[Mechanoid]

quote:Originally posted by Toady One:
If I don't get something released, I'll also be losing people who get sick of waiting

Oh, i dont think that will be happening... Ever.  

[Kylaer]

I'm convinced that medical school is going to start before the next version is released. I won't have much time to play it in that case  

August 13th...

[ August 03, 2007: Message edited by: Kylaer ]

[TheSpaceMan]

For me it's cool untill the 26:th and after that, there is still evnings and weekends.

[ChaosTheory]

quote:Originally posted by Toady One:
<STRONG>At the same time, yeah, I was considering not replacing the primary download link until some of the issues are ironed out after the release -- however, I'm not sure what that would do to the forums, since it'll inevitably cause a lot of confusion to have two branches up, especially since the current release is already a development version.  There'd also be some confusion with save compatibility if there are two main versions, since they aren't compatible.
</STRONG>

You could always do what a lot independent developers do with a not quite ready for public release version that they still want bug checked, and release the download link here on the forums.  That way only people who regularly read the forums (and thus would understand that its a pre-release) would see it, and the chance of someone bumbling upon it the first time visiting the site and downloading it without the understanding that it isn't the "official" version would be pretty slim.  You could even throw it up in it's own section, and limit discussion about it to that section of the forums should reduce the amount of confusion between the two versions.  And as there are always the slow kids at the back of the class, you can always put up a nice, BOLD disclaimer at the top of each pre-release forum page telling people not to talk about the "official" release in it, and not to talk about the pre-release outside it.

[Gauteamus]

quote:Originally posted by ChaosTheory:
<STRONG>
forum page telling people [...] not to talk about the pre-release outside it.
</STRONG>

[melodrama]
This goes against my whole idea of what the Intertube is! Censorship! Patronization!
[/melodrama]

I still think a legion of people (including myself) would broadcast the good message on a legion of fora. Which probably is a mechanic one don't want to mess with?
To give this post a slight feeling of purpose: it is quite all right for me to wait some more days/(even weeks) for a good game (which I am sure it will be, looking forward to it.)

[ August 03, 2007: Message edited by: Gauteamus ]

[schm0]

quote:Originally posted by ChaosTheory:
<STRONG>

You could always do what a lot independent developers do with a not quite ready for public release version that they still want bug checked, and release the download link here on the forums.  That way only people who regularly read the forums (and thus would understand that its a pre-release) would see it, and the chance of someone bumbling upon it the first time visiting the site and downloading it without the understanding that it isn't the "official" version would be pretty slim.  You could even throw it up in it's own section, and limit discussion about it to that section of the forums should reduce the amount of confusion between the two versions.  And as there are always the slow kids at the back of the class, you can always put up a nice, BOLD disclaimer at the top of each pre-release forum page telling people not to talk about the "official" release in it, and not to talk about the pre-release outside it.</STRONG>

You could also distribute bug-testing copies on IRC, and do the forum for reporting those bugs separately. I know there are tons of us itching to see the new features, and would just need a push in the right direction from Toady to focus in on a certain gameplay element to bug-test.

[cOMMUNISMISFANCY]

New poster here, spent quite a long time reading this entire thread.

Would it be possible in a future release to assign dwarves primary, secondary, and tertiary jobs?  For example, I have a farmer who I want to solely farm when he has the means to do so, however, whenever he can't farm he will then begin working on any secondary jobs, perhaps butchery, and then if there is nothing to be farmed, nothing to be butchered, he will work on any tertiary tasks such as item hauling.

After having played DF for the last three weeks pretty heavily, I get frustrated by having to micro-manage a lot of hauling tasks because I set 7-8 things for the mason to do, but don't want to constantly reupdate their task list so I give them a few hauling jobs to do.  However, after every time they build something they will go and haul a few items before returning.

Just thought it would help with having a little more control about which tasks they do, but still leaving freedom up to the dwarf.

BTW, I'm super happy I discovered this game now, rather than in January and had to wait all this time for the amazing new version  

PS: I just realised someone else made this suggestion in the other forum, but I havn't had time to read this entire place yet! Sorry.

[ August 03, 2007: Message edited by: cOMMUNISMISFANCY ]

[I3erent]

Any thoughts on the convection/evaporation/desalinization idea? idea

[Wang Commander]

quote:Originally posted by Kylaer:
<STRONG>I'm convinced that medical school is going to start before the next version is released. I won't have much time to play it in that case  

August 13th...

[ August 03, 2007: Message edited by: Kylaer ]</STRONG>

I'll be on a field school dig in Mississippi, I shudder to even contemplate which of us will be busier, though at least my "24-7 school commitment" is 3 months instead of 4 years!

[Vinic]

I placed a bet that the next version won't be released until September 16th. Feel free to wait until then to make me look like a badass if you'd like. Either way, it's a win-win for me.

[4bh0r53n]

quote:You could also distribute bug-testing copies on IRC

i cant seem to get the irc working, can someone pm me about how to do it...

[Toady One]

berent: a desalination thread