New interview with Peter Molyneux

Here is a new video interview with Peter.

My thoughts:

I don't like his kitchen analogy. He still thinks we object to the present state of GODUS but will be happy when his vision is revealed. We can see his vision and we don't like it. Its not that the kitchen is partially complete and we don't know what a kitchen is. Peter your wife knows what a kitchen looks and what is supposed to be in it. With GODUS you've effectively put a toilet in your kitchen where the oven is supposed to be and nobody thinks that is a good idea. Check out the steam stats - the lowest number of people playing it since Feb and that's despite various sales.

Peter claims that if we trust him and his vision we'd be happy. He's never actually explained his vision beyond the most high level ideas. He doesn't even know what GODUS will be because he has no design documentation. If your builder was building you a kitchen but wouldn't tell you what it would end up like, told you he didn't like plans and that his approach was iterative and if he kept installing cabinets and taking them out you'd get a little upset. This is what is happening with Peter. We've said we don't like F2P mechanics, he keeps adding them. Its like me telling my builder I want a white kitchen and he keeps installing pink cabinets. Its a case of not listening to feedback. Peter if you have a magical vision that we'll love then explain it to us. We aren't stupid and we aren't preset to hating you. If you explain the core mechanics of GODUS and how they will be fun we will understand and we will back you.

He talks about the timers being designed to encourage us to do stuff, there is nothing to do in GODUS that isn't a chore. Now I get its not finished but its not like you want to have a break from growing your civilisation and take some time out doing some back breaking (really wrist breaking) sculpting. If I could build something creative or do something awesome for my people (not mundane) then that would be great. I love the sculpting mechanic its just too hard to do it. As I've suggested previously give me powerful sculpting and a vanilla world and let me make something wondrous. Give incentives to build interesting terrain and you wont need to lock the existing terrain in place. Peter's idea of tending to my peoples needs is boring shit. I don't want to place fountains or repetitively click on stuff, this is not fun. I want to do something with my mind.

I hated his explanation of happiness and waiting. He talked like happiness has been implemented is this true? So now instead of just waiting for the slow build times you can flog your people and make them unhappy while they work 24/7. This is stupid in the context of GODUS. It would work in a game like Civ. Say I want to rush a wonder I could flog the people in my city to increase the work rate on a world wonder. This could give me an advantage against another player that is worth the hangover from temporary unhappiness. The problem with the GODUS implementation as Peter describes it is the only purpose of rushing building is to relieve the arbitrary frustration of waiting. Why would you take the negative consequences of rushing building (whatever they are) just to speed up building a building that is essentially meaningless from a strategic sense. In GODUS my people are locusts and they'll get there eventually so why rush things? The only reason to rush is to relieve boredom but if I'm going to be penalised for rushing and get no strategic benefit why rush? Please just change the timers so they are short timers (sub 5 minutes like in other games) or let us put like 20 people on a build.

Peter's defense of GODUS essentially comes down to we are either impatient or haters. The truth is we are neither. We love gaming and we are patient. Most of the people who have bought/kickstarted GODUS believed in Peter and his vision. We just want to see progress and more importantly a change of direction. Hopefully the settlement update that is due any day will be the first step.