Elemental all-purpose thread

Teiman · 2010-10-16T14:01:28.000Z

Razgon:

I too want to do this.

We are doing a remake of Masters of Magic, incorporating all that was loved in it, from crazy over-the-top spells that can end the game, to insane monsters and diverse races living in two separate planes. You should be able to make magic items, and there are crazy-ass strong heroes running around as well, from all races doing all kinds of crazy stuff - throw out any notion of multiplayer balance other than everyone can go monkey-crazy!

hey - its not that hard!

From 15.000 high ft most people looks like insect, even Mykel Tyson.

It looks that you can crush him with your foot.
But wen you get a lower height, it looks like, not.

Lazy_Shiftless_Basta · 2010-10-16T14:43:31.000Z

Teiman:

From 15.000 high ft most people looks like insect, even Mykel Tyson.

It looks that you can crush him with your foot.
But wen you get a lower height, it looks like, not.

This entire terrible thread may have been worth it just for this post?

KevinC · 2010-10-16T16:43:54.000Z

Lazy Shiftless Bastard:

This entire terrible thread may have been worth it just for this post?

There’s been a lot of great Teiman quotes here. Someone needs to go through the thread and compile them all into The Book of Counted Awesomes sometime.

My favorite was this one:

IMHO, programmers talk from a very deep gnome cavern, full of gold mechanics. Since most people don’t realize that, wen programmers point left, people misunderstand right.

I’m not making fun, either, I seriously think they are incredibly awesome quotes.

Jarmo · 2010-10-18T12:14:51.000Z

Some people talked about wanting a stand-alone version of Fall from Heaven. In this BigDownload interview a week ago Paxton commented thus:

Q: Before being hired at Stardock, you announced plans for a stand alone game based on Fall from Heaven that was later put on hold. With your new position at Stardock is it possible that your Fall From Heaven game could be made at the developer?

A: While it’s true that I do plan to develop a stand-alone version of Fall from Heaven, at this time I want to focus on making Elemental the best strategy game possible.

salwon · 2010-10-18T13:59:17.000Z

I still can’t fathom this one niggling point: why didn’t they hire a lead designer before the game was released?

kerzain · 2010-10-18T14:00:15.000Z

Technically, isn’t he designing the ‘expansion’?

KevinC · 2010-10-18T15:04:33.000Z

salwon:

I still can’t fathom this one niggling point: why didn’t they hire a lead designer before the game was released?

Because that role was already being filled, it’s just that now they went outside the company and hired a better one.

scharmers · 2010-10-18T16:34:33.000Z

“Hey you! Kid! Heh, heh, heh…wanna fix my game? Heh, heh. Also: candy.”

Spyndel · 2010-10-18T19:06:56.000Z

[quote=“KevinC,post:5967,topic:48484”]

salwon:

			[I]I still can't fathom this one niggling point: why didn't they hire a lead designer [I]before the game was released?

[/I][/I]

Because that role was already being filled, it’s just that now they went outside the company and hired a better one.[/QUOTE]

Except, they didn’t. He wasn’t hired as a lead designer. That’s still Brad. Kael sounds more like a project manager, who will certainly have creative input, but nowhere in any post I’ve read has Brad made it sound like they’re handing creative control over to him. Brad is still claiming the lead designer title, last I read.

KevinC · 2010-10-18T19:15:52.000Z

Yea, he’s the Producer, but it sounds as if the lines are far more blurred with how they run things over at Stardock.

Spyndel · 2010-10-18T19:24:50.000Z

KevinC:

Yea, he’s the Producer, but it sounds as if the lines are far more blurred with how they run things over at Stardock.

Well, yes…everything is indeed “blurred” at Stardock. But not blurred to the extent of making me think Kael is getting creative control away from Brad in any way. I know what that announcement sounds like in spirit, and Brad has not made that announcement. It’s the sort of thing that if they were of the mind to decide, they would make no bones about announcing it in clear fashion.

Dan_Theman · 2010-10-18T19:30:50.000Z

Does it strike anyone elseas strange that people here are talking about blurred lines and then speaking as if with certainty? In the end, who really cares as long as the game gets better? If someone wants to be optimistic, great. If someone wants to be pessimistic, go for it.

Spyndel · 2010-10-18T19:35:59.000Z

Dan_Theman:

Does it strike anyone elseas strange that people here are talking about blurred lines and then speaking as if with certainty? In the end, who really cares as long as the game gets better? If someone wants to be optimistic, great. If someone wants to be pessimistic, go for it.

I want to be optimistic about the game. Really, its hard not to be optimistic…things can only get better.

But my post was aiming to correct a statement to the effect that they had hired a lead designer for the game. That is not correct, based on what Brad is saying. He retains that role. If you want to read that as a statement of pessimism, it sounds like it has more to do with your own opinion of Brad as a Lead Designer.

Dan_Theman · 2010-10-18T19:52:28.000Z

Spyndel:

I want to be optimistic about the game. Really, its hard not to be optimistic…things can only get better.

But my post was aiming to correct a statement to the effect that they had hired a lead designer for the game. That is not correct, based on what Brad is saying. He retains that role. If you want to read that as a statement of pessimism, it sounds like it has more to do with your own opinion of Brad as a Lead Designer.

I have no opinion of Brad as a lead designer. I’ve never worked with him before, so how would I know? All I do know is I’ve generally liked the games he’s been involved in. Please note, I didn’t quote you intentionally but I guess that can get lost in translation. My comment was with a broad brush, not a small one (you were the second person to refer to blurriness, afterall). I didn’t know what your personal outlook on the game was until you told me, nor did I make an assumption.

I just don’t get all the buzz about what title Kael is going to have and precisely how much input on what aspects of the game that means he will or won’t have.

Spyndel · 2010-10-18T20:24:16.000Z

Dan_Theman:

.

I just don’t get all the buzz about what title Kael is going to have and precisely how much input on what aspects of the game that means he will or won’t have.

Do you really not get it? Because it seems a fairly straight forward equation. Kael was responsible for a very popular project in the fan community, and the Stardock status quo was responsible for a game that that is unpopular at best, reviled at worst, in the same community. It seems natural for people to be interested in exactly how much control he will be getting over the development of the product, over the existing creative team.

The guy responsible for the popular project getting a greater degree of creative control over the game, is a more exciting notion than the same guy being hired to say, sweep up the office and get coffee.

For people who want to be optimistic, it seems a good way for them to stoke the fires of that optimism, the same way fans of a struggling sports team might enjoy speculating over the impact of a newly traded player.

Alstein · 2010-10-18T21:25:49.000Z

I think that if Kael got blocked at every opportunity, he would likely walk from the project. That would be very bad PR, and I think I’d write off Stardock myself if I felt Brad made Kael walk due to his own ego.

Anaxagoras · 2010-10-18T22:11:09.000Z

Spyndel:

For people who want to be optimistic, it seems a good way for them to stoke the fires of that optimism, the same way fans of a struggling sports team might enjoy speculating over the impact of a newly traded player.

Yes, but the hosannahs which have been heaped upon Kael in this thread have been kind of silly. He’s a (good) game designer, not God.

In any case, good luck Kael.

John_Reynolds · 2010-10-18T22:14:47.000Z

Anaxagoras:

Yes, but the hosannahs which have been heaped upon Kael in this thread have been kind of silly. He’s a (good) game designer, not God.

In any case, good luck Kael.

So you’re suggesting it’ll take divine intervention to fix Elemental? :)

Spyndel · 2010-10-18T23:24:34.000Z

Anaxagoras:

Yes, but the hosannahs which have been heaped upon Kael in this thread have been kind of silly. He’s a (good) game designer, not God.

In any case, good luck Kael.

I actually think there’s a case to be made for him having a better resume for exactly the sort of project manager position he seems to have been hired for, than as a designer.

Without taking anything away from FFH2, which I enjoy and have played far more than vanilla BTS, as we all know, modding something on top of existing successful game mechanics is one thing. Designing a successful game from the ground up is quite another, in terms of design pedigree.

The more remarkable thing, is that he was able to will something of that scope into existence, coordinate the entirely volunteer efforts of numerous individuals, and actually assemble everything into one of the more polished and successful mods we’ve seen. Those who follow the fickle and under-motivated mod community, know how rare it is for these things to actually come to anything. There are highly motivated individuals here and there, but it’s rare for them to ever manage to wrangle a group’s effort into anything truly substantial. The vast majority of ambitious mod projects never amount to a finished project.

So I actually think he’s perfectly suited for the sort of managerial position he appears to have been given. But while I believe his input will be important, I think visions of him taking over creative control of the game are not supported by anything that’s been publically stated, either in letter, or spirit.

Dan_Theman · 2010-10-19T05:12:18.000Z

Spyndel:

Do you really not get it? Because it seems a fairly straight forward equation. Kael was responsible for a very popular project in the fan community, and the Stardock status quo was responsible for a game that that is unpopular at best, reviled at worst, in the same community. It seems natural for people to be interested in exactly how much control he will be getting over the development of the product, over the existing creative team.

Interested is one thing. Drilling down the definitions and delineating corporate structures from various dev houses seems quite another. It’s not bad, it’s just … unusual.

For people who want to be optimistic, it seems a good way for them to stoke the fires of that optimism, the same way fans of a struggling sports team might enjoy speculating over the impact of a newly traded player.
I don’t begrudge anyone their source of enjoyment or optimism, and I’m also happy that Kael is joining the team because I strongly suspect only good can come from it - I just don’t get the fixation on his title, hence my query.