That’s is a sad bit of news they were working pretty hard on that. Bright side is the title is very high profile and as the email says there might be some more experienced parties ready to step up and take a crack at it.
Tom M
Not surprising, since the last official GMT word was that it would “definitely be out before the end of 2012”, and the most current update on the Rivermyst site is that they are hoping to start beta testing in March - of 2013. Oh yeah, and the forum was taken down a few months ago.
Actually I AM surprised, because I expected them to eventually release some half-assed piece of crap. Not that I wouldn’t have bought it anyway (see the Paradox version of Diplomacy for more details.)
Yeah, I sort of got the impression (and I have NO inside knowledge, just guessing) that GMT wanted to do this (and all their other PC/tablet games) with no up-front cost, so they partnered with whoever came to them first and said they’d do it without having to get paid – hobbyists with day jobs, most likely. That would explain why none of them (except Dominant Species) have been produced yet, and also explain why some of the game choices were insane (Empire of the Sun? On a tablet? Really?).
Hopefully lessons were learned all around without too much financial damage done. Maybe now they’ll hire Codito or Playdek or some other established tablet developer to work with. Or if they want to do PC versions of the more serious wargames, maybe Slitherine or suchlike. I might actually buy a PC version of Empire of the Sun if somebody made it – lord knows I’m never getting my copy to the table.
So now the good news. The next dev in line is… Playdek.
Here’s the Kickstarter link:
Tom M
I’ll start. That’s going to be a lot of scrolling to get around the map!
This is good news. After a strong start this year (or was it 2013?) I felt like the major iOS board game releases trailed off quite a bit.
Oh, man. I need another thing to throw money at like I need a hole in the head. Some of those tier incentives are really tempting, though. Thanks for the heads up.
I wonder how much emphasis they’ll put on developing the AI? At first glance, it looks like the main thing they’re aiming for is a good framework for online play. (Which stands to reason.)
I didn’t realize there was an existing thread for this as I tacked this onto the general kickstarter thread below.
I went with the 30 dollar level as I really do want the mini expansion as well. I’m sure it’s just a few cards, but TS is one of my all time favorite games so I felt it was worth it.
I’m… apprehensive about this announcement. Yeah, I’m sure Playdek will do a good job, but the way the kickstarter is set up is odd. It’s $10 for the android version, $15 for the iOS version, and $20 for the PC, Mac or Linux. Can a PC player play against an iOS player? And the “Backer Rewards” images at the bottom of the kickstarter page show “Digital Copy of the game” starting at $10, which is misleading.
Also they mention paid entry online tournaments, which… what?
Anyway, I don’t think I’ll be pledging this. I’ll just wait for the release (if it happens).
Empire of the Sun works great on Vassal so I think it’s definitely doable on tablet. Seeing the aircraft zones of control, getting immediate feedback on whether units are within the headquarter units massive 20+ hex ranges is also better on digital than the physical game. Whether the market is there or not is another question.
Sorry, repeat question from the Kickstarter thread:
Is the “Deluxe edition” of the physical game they’re giving as a reward different from the one I’d find at retail?
Is the “Deluxe edition” of the physical game they’re giving as a reward different from the one I’d find at retail?
Why would it be?
I think it is the current edition. The original did not have a mounted map and a few other differences. The current one is marked as Deluxe and has these things.
So I believe it’s the same as you would find in the store.
Tom M
Just to correct myself, the kickstarter actually does say cross-platform play will be possible.
Hmm, I consider myself a big fan of the game but there seem to be few issues with the offerings:
- If cross play is available I’m not sure why they don’t have options that offer both a PC and a mobile version.
- They’ve already crossed the finish line. Going to Kickstarter in the opening hours of the campaign and already seeing the “early bird” backer levels not available is sad. I wonder if they went quicker than anticipated.
- It would be nice to be able to enter the backer-only tournament without buying another copy of the physical game, which I already own, or ponying up $150 for the collector’s edition
I went ahead and backed it though at $30.
They’re about to hit stretch goals for ps4 and vita development. Wow!
I’m all about both of those things. And imagine playing this on a console!
“I’m gonna coop Cuba…lols a 6. Where’s ur OAS now, fagit?”
I think one of the stretch goals should be integration with Defcon.
For those of you who have backed it for $30 or more - they are promising access to the Beta. Is it out yet? And if so, how is it and how complete? If there is an NDA in effect, answer as completely as you can. If there is really a beta available I may just eat my words and cough up $30.
I dont think there will be beta access until the KS is over and they’ve collected money.
Will there be a tutorial?