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Beta 1Z News and Info!

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Beta 1Z News and Info!

from JoeUser Forums

Greetings!

Today we released beta 1Z.  There are a number of stability hicups that will need to addressed with an update this weekend but overall we’re pleased with the results so far.

However, it is our determination that beta 1Z is not sufficiently stable enough yet to proceed to beta 2. Sorry guys we just want to make sure we aren’t rushing anything.

What’s next

The remainder of Beta 1 will be about stability.  Making game mechanic changes and the process of turning it into something that doesn’t cause psychological damage due to the horrible game play experience won’t begin until Beta 2 when we get real people to play each other.

The criteria we will be using to determine whether we believe it's ready to go to beta 2 would be:

1. Reasonable stability. Defined as the typical beta tester able to complete a full game (win or lose).

2. Robust saved games. Defined as saved games being capable of perfectly reproducing the game state (key for debugging in beta 2).

3. The ability to run a new game from within a new game.

4. Basic game mechanics in place. Defined as meaning that two people playing each other multiplayer can effectively start and complete a game.

Beta 1Z fails items 1 and 3.  Item 2 seems acceptable. Item 4 is acceptable.

We will release a Beta 1Za in the next week or so. (BTW, long-time Stardock people can tell you that yes, we have had betas go up to beta 1ZK before).

The AI

Regarding the AI. There really isn't any AI yet (I haven't written any code yet).  The way the AI is developed is that I specify a series of APIs that the AI will need access to (example AIFindNearestEnemyUnit() ). Once there are enough of these worker functions implemented, I can start.  I don't expect to start coding the AI until Beta 3.

Game Mechanics that will be added post beta 1 but before beta 2

  1. Siege units.
  2. City walls.
  3. Laying siege to cities
  4. Caravans
  5. New road system
  6. City rationing (cutting a city off of the global resource pool via sieges)
  • Naval combat will not be added until beta probably beta 3.
  • Handling of different racial populations in cities is being looked at for the beta 3 phase.

If you have any questions, ask away. We’ll be around.

60,710 views 30 replies
Reply #26 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting KillzEmAllGod, reply 25

Naval combat will not be added until beta probably beta 3. thats sounds like you haven't done any work on it yet.

I'm still wondering if they've decided on the player being able to build ships in ports or if the unit that reaches water will just build the boat there and move across the water, then destroy the ship when it reaches land. Basically it just turns the army into a ship and it "walks" across the water. Of course they put in a materials cost and add time for labor and say "they built a ship". That turns a mountain of a possibly complex problem into a quick fix.

If it was guaranteed that you'd more often then not need a "Navy" then I'd go with a persistent build-able navy. If water isn't much of a factor then the quick fix would be the way to go. Seeing as how we can get rid of water completely with a spell or possibly just cast "water walking" on a unit to get across having a build-able fleet might be redundant. The only time you'd really even use it is if two ships actually ran into each other at sea and initiated combat.

Reply #27 from Elemental Forums Top


Greetings!

New road system

Are there discussions on how this might be implemented?

I'm curious, because as I mentioned in another post, with the globalization of resources, there seems to be a micromanagement layer removed in the game, which should imply that there already exists trade routes and supply routes that enables these resources to travel across a kingdom (and then again, as I mentioned, romans, french, german etc, built roads for military purposes).

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Reply #28 from Elemental Forums Top

OKAY ... can anyone tell me if Transport vessels are currently possible?

I kind of Don't want to be gypped on harvesting resources/accessing quests if they randomly happen to be on an island. Therefore, I want to build transports. However, I don't want to waste a whole game trying to get a Harbor city if its currently not possible.

Thank you for your time,

-Tasunke

 

Edit: Apparently there are no Boats (at all) in this build :(

Reply #29 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting eobet, reply 27




quoting post

Greetings!


New road system





Are there discussions on how this might be implemented?

I'm curious, because as I mentioned in another post, with the globalization of resources, there seems to be a micromanagement layer removed in the game, which should imply that there already exists trade routes and supply routes that enables these resources to travel across a kingdom (and then again, as I mentioned, romans, french, german etc, built roads for military purposes).

The thing is, even with the current globalization of resources, attacking roads can still be a very vallid strategic move. If you destroy a empires roads or even just put a break in one you should "technically" slow down their caravans and hence slow down their economy. As long as the Caravans are there for a Actual reason and not just there to make it "appear" that resources are being transported then that Should be a valid tactic.

Reply #30 from Elemental Forums Top

The current caravan system has each caravan carrying the same resource back and forth. I thought it was kind of funny to watch a caravan go from a Food Producer, to a non producer city, only to return with the same amount of food, simply going the other way.

Someone needs to grease a few more palms would be my guess. LOL