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Epic Generator -- a feature too far?

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Epic Generator -- a feature too far?

Mega ambitious..

from JoeUser Forums

The idea behind the Epic Generator feature of Dark Avatar is pretty straight forward:

Turn your game into readable story complete with HTML and images showing how your empire grew. 

But implementation, woha.  By far, this has been the most expensive single feature of Dark Avatar requiring an immense logging system to put together keys that can later be turned into a story. 

And after 5 months of work, I have a feeling it may end up getting cut from Dark Avatar.  It's really a matter of resources -- which is more compelling to players? It's a tough call. But the practical reality is that the Epic Generator really may need AI programming which would bring me into it.

The problem with bringing me into helping with the Epic Generator is that that means I wouldn't be working on the AI. And I think the AI really needs as much time as humanly possible.

So the Epic Generator is on notice -- we'll know within 2 weeks whether this feature is going to have to be cut or not.  It'll be a bummer if it is.  To my knowledge, no game has ever tried to retell the story of a given game with this kind of narrative before.  And there appears to be a reason for that. ;)

If it does get cut, I'm sure there will be a lot of bummed out players. I know I'll be bummed out. I love this kind of thing.  Today, for instance, I spent a lot of time putting in flavor descriptions for ship components and such. It's pure fluff (like the epic generator) but it adds heart to the game.  I love that kind of stuff.

So we'll see how things progress.  We'll know pretty soon.

170,711 views 125 replies
Reply #101 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The Epic Generator likely won't make the cut.




Reply #102 from Stardock Forums Top

Yeah. It sounded like that quite a while back. Will logging still be on, though? That'd be helpful to the community and not a complete loss.

I don't really know.   

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Reply #103 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I don't really know.


ack! don't make me regret my pre-order! at least please please please please i'm begging you, keep the logging in, even if it is some backwoods folder with a very messy system, please keep logging on
Reply #104 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
"Would releasing some of the code to fans help by getting them to do some of the dirty work?" The n00b with prior coding knowledge said.
Reply #105 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I'd be bummed too! That would be the coolest feature ever!  
Reply #106 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
thats bad, I mean yeah AI is more important but it was a nifty feature that I would have loved, to be honest that was bad planning by stardock, they should have seen the time that would of been required for it and should of said in the early updates incldues and epic generator! (may be cut from the final release) they should of never said its definatley going to be in.
Reply #107 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
thats the problem, they DID plan for the time they THOUGHT would be necessary to finish it, but it turned out to need a lot more time... no one had (or has) ever done this before, so they had nothing with which to gauge how long this would take... it will most likely get done, it just couldn't be by final commercial release, but heck, they updated DL 4 different times (major updates anyway) so perhaps before 2.0 we will see the Epic Generator.
Reply #109 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Great question, i'll bump for some notice.

Reply #110 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I'd really hate to see it delay TA into next year.

I'd love for even simple logging information to be made available, but I doubt it'll make an appearance...
Reply #111 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
This was originally one of my most anticipated features for DA. I would love to still see it, but being as the devs haven't said a word about it since then I highly doubt it will be seen anytime soon.
Reply #112 from GalCiv2 Forums Top


I'd definitely love to see this - we've been theorizing about it in English Literature classes at Heidelberg University: Write yourself into literary history, Frogboy!
Reply #113 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
We've worked an event log into the 1.7 release (beta this friday)...hopefully that will tide players over until we can do the E.G. correctly.
Reply #114 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
We've worked an event log into the 1.7 release (beta this friday)...hopefully that will tide players over until we can do the E.G. correctly.


yea right
Reply #115 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Thank You Boogie, even that will help out AAR peoople a lot.   

(beta this friday)...


Great news.
Reply #116 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
This friday???....Whoo hoo!

Nice work.
Reply #118 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

Please don't hate me

I misunderstood and it turns out friday's beta is for internal testing, but that means that the public beta isn't far off

Can't wait to get these changes into you're hands!

Reply #119 from JoeUser Forums Top
We've worked an event log into the 1.7 release (beta this friday)...hopefully that will tide players over until we can do the E.G. correctly.


yea right


Reply #120 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The most original and greatest concepts in games always seem to get cut.

I'd be willing to pay for this feature by its self! It adds something that needs to be attempted in a strategy game and i'm willing to pay an expansion pack price for just this. Well maybe $20.... but still i'm sure many would agree with me.

I'd pay full stand alone retail game price for Dark Avatar if this feature were included.
Reply #121 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
So did this feature make it in?

Sounds interesting, like the end game slideshow in the Civ series.

But if it doesn't really add to game play, it's definitely not crucial.
Reply #122 from JoeUser Forums Top
I'd rather just write the AAR myself. An event log will help me accomplish that. Although, I do write a good story from memory... and then I don't feel like I have to put every little researched tech into the story, you know? I'll remember the big stuff, but not the little stuff that isn't all that important, which are given the same standing in the event log. Actually, event logs are very helpful with dates.
Reply #123 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
"We've worked an event log into the 1.7 release (beta this friday)...hopefully that will tide players over until we can do the E.G. correctly."

Nice!

Great to see there's stuff to look forward to in the next release . Also great to know the EG hasn't been abandoned!

The event log itself is a great feature . I just hope I can figure out why I keep getting missing strings .

"So did this feature make it in?"

Not right now, but it appears they may be working on it.
Reply #124 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I'll say that I'd rather have a better AI than the ability to recount my stories of beating weak AI opponents.

The feature is something nice - for the future. The AI has to win out in this case.
Reply #125 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

I'll say that I'd rather have a better AI than the ability to recount my stories of beating weak AI opponents.

The feature is something nice - for the future. The AI has to win out in this case.


Well, seeing as the feature was cut from DA nearly a year ago, and since DA was released seven months ago without it, it would seem that you got your wish.