What’s a-hoppening

from JoeUser Forums

I’m a bit out of the loop this week. My family and I are in the process of moving to a new house that we’ve been building over the past 4 years. Meanwhile, Blizzcon has sucked up some Stardockians.

Charles, who has posted on occasion, had a baby (well technically his wife) this past week. Scott (Boogiebac) also had a daughter a few weeks ago and had this week off to help out at home.

Stardockians: Breeding at a rapid pace.

Cari and Jesse are off this week recovering from “The Summer of no vacation).

Paul (Mormegil) is in Colorado this week.

It’s like a ghost town this past week.

And yet, v1.1 continues apace as Toby mentioned earlier. A lot of the underlying systems are in place, it’s now a matter of content.  The new user interface got in this week which should vastly improve the ease of getting around with your units (and making it a lot more friendly to new players).

The new economic system got in this past week as well. People generate income (and modders can tweak how much or how little you get). This gives players a reason to have fewer, better cities since population means money.  Population also now used explicitly for city improvements and other things. So you can, for instance, build as many workshops as you want or as many studies as you want as long as you have the people to staff them.  How you choose to use your population becomes one of those “interesting choices”.

I didn’t get to work on the AI but I can show you what I’ve been doing in general with the AI in terms of making it multithreaded:

The art team has been working on content, content, content. New creatures, new special units, new spell effects, new special ability effects.

We originally intended to bring out v1.1 this next Thursday but with Kael joining us on November 1st, we decided that v1.1 is a good opportunity to do the hand off. So we plan to do a public beta the first week of November and then release the final v1.1 shortly after and then get a demo out there.

270,358 views 62 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

I fully approve of any and all uses of parallel programming.

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

Looks wonderful. Can not wait for 1.1. I hope its what we think it should be. I`m ready to get back into the game.

Freebird out of the birdcage for the moment.

WindowBlinds - Free yourself of the default settings, customize your desktop.
Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

moving to a new house
  you mean ..... leaving the mouse behind ?

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

That looks really cool Brad.  Looking forward to it. 

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

Thanks for the news, I can sleep now!

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

Multi-threaded AI - wow. I tried that once but kept pricking my fingers.  :S

 

Reply #8 from Elemental Forums Top

Umm, thats not 1.1 video, right? It does not seem to indicate any pop usage after workshop was built.

Reply #9 from Elemental Forums Top

Wow, ending those end turn pauses, that is really amazing.  I never thought it possible honestly, amazing work, truly stunning.

Reply #11 from Demigod Forums Top

OK - your thread title is driving me crazy... trying to think what that phrase is from - I think it is rock of love and brett michaels acting like a goof, but not sure. 

Reply #12 from Elemental Forums Top

I am crossing my fingers that some of that "content" is in the form of fun quests...

;)  

Reply #13 from Elemental Forums Top

New creatures, new special units, new spell effects, new special ability effects.

:inlove:  

 

Reply #14 from Elemental Forums Top

Looks absolutely brilliant.

I wonder how this will affect the multiplayer AI, where the AI can often take 10-20 seconds to finish moving (the player can't move until it finishes). As far as I know, the multiplayer AI is run off the stardock servers.

 

GOT CORES?!

Reply #15 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting OMG_pacov, reply 11
OK - your thread title is driving me crazy... trying to think what that phrase is from - I think it is rock of love and brett michaels acting like a goof, but not sure. 

I think it is just that it is an update from Frogboy and frogs hop, so "hoppening". |-)

Best regards,
Steven.

Reply #16 from Elemental Forums Top

Any chance we can see a late game video with lots of stuff going on at once, cause if it does that late in the game then i will be really impressed.

Reply #17 from Elemental Forums Top

thanks!

The new economic system got in this past week as well. People generate income (and modders can tweak how much or how little you get).

While I commend all of the changes you are planning to implement, I wonder why so much is left to modders and how so little can be adjusted in the game setup screens. I wish the game setup would get some love: Why not make drop-down choices for so much of the main game variables in some "advanced" game setup screen? Such as:

Starting Essence: Very low, low, small, normal (default), large, high, very high

Income generated by citizens: Very low, low, small, normal (default), large, high, very high

This way, all players (including the Joe Normal Nonmodders like me) would have an easy way to setup things the way they like it. I could imagine 10 of the more general variable being in the game setup, be it Spell Damage (very mild to very potent) to Research Speed (very slow to very fast).

Wouldn't that be fairly easy (a link to a string) or would that be exceptionally cost-intensive for you?

Reply #18 from Elemental Forums Top

We originally intended to bring out v1.1 this next Thursday

 

So Iron Tower Studio became  example for you how to do things now? ;)

Reply #19 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting OMG_pacov, reply 11
OK - your thread title is driving me crazy... trying to think what that phrase is from - I think it is rock of love and brett michaels acting like a goof, but not sure. 

My first thought is Jesus Christ Superstar, where the Apostles sing a chorus:

What's the buzz?
Tell me what's a-happening.

What's the buzz?
Tell me what's a-happening.

Reply #20 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Lord, reply 4
That looks really cool Brad.  Looking forward to it. 

Yep, yep! :thumbsup:

Reply #21 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting jeffalford, reply 5
Thanks for the news, I can sleep now!

 

I can't sleep :P Need it NOW :P Continu your good work guys!

Reply #22 from Elemental Forums Top

frogboy, thanks for not croaking, but could you convince that AI that towns DO NOT NEED more than 3 huts/hovels/slums per town as long as the AI invests in civic research for housing for one or two levels, and yes please for MOAR different quests/goodie huts and levels in the various research trees (ideally at least 50 research items other than refined).

harpo

Reply #23 from Elemental Forums Top

Looks like the game is shaping up quite nicely!

Reply #24 from Elemental Forums Top

Looks awesome! Can't wait!

Reply #25 from JoeUser Forums Top

Post pics if the new place once you're settled please.  Can't wait to see what Jill does with the children's rooms!!