Should we feel comfortable that...

One would hope they've learnt their lesson.

That or they've simply given up and plan to just release the game as is and throw in a few more themed rooms islands.

Personally I lost much faith in the 'PC sprint', when it was mentioned on these forums that the PC Sprint is seen as an extra good will gesture to the PC players rather than an obligation as part of the core game development.

And - sadly - a large part of me now feels that, from all our collective experiences thus far, that's exactly what they (the controlling parties at 22Cans) hope to accomplish with all this stalling and shifting of priorities; that we will eventually forget about all the {broken} promises because it's been so long, or we get fatigued with it all and simply move on. It's an old tactic that I wouldn't put past them in the slightest at this juncture - due in part because of all the other 'seeming' attempts at trickery, stalling, and slight-of-hand they've pulled over the last 2 years.

Such a sad state of affairs they've wrought.

Although not as reassuring as you would probably like, at our latest internal announcement meeting we did talk about planning who in the office would be moving away from maintenance and other mobile stuff, and those people would be the ones doing the PC sprint. So it's definitely on the roadmap.

I doubt you'll be able to answer this, but your comment makes it sound as if the PC Sprint will not be an "all hands on deck" approach as we've been told the mobile sprints have been, is that the case? I understand that the mobile side needs constant attention but it saddens me that the studio's full attention may never be set on PC, even for a short multi-week sprint.

...sigh. I've said it before, I think 22cans has been constantly fumbling a golden opportunity to turn their terrible image around and wow the PC crowd by delivering a smashing PC version. I don't think your doing yourselves any favours by mitigating that opportunity by possibly splitting your workload, after all, we've been told repeatedly by 22cans that splitting the studio between tasks would be folly.

Regardless, good luck Rasbo and Team! I sincerely hope that by the end of the PC sprint those that have been assigned to the task will be satisfied that they have given their all and delivered their fans the best Godus PC version possible, and definitely something closer to what we backed in the first place.

Cheers. 

Thanks for your insight Rasbofabs.

The store page isn't allowed to make such promises - because the store page should reflect the product that is being sold.
Which is to say, a currently very much incomplete and unbalance product with strong mobile and freemium tendencies.
As opposed to "If you're patient, its going to get better soon! I promise!"

Meanwhile, the project as a whole, should have a clear and concise goal and objectives. As to ensure that the developer/creator isn't just running around like a headless chicken.
I don't think that using the new Steam Early Access regulations to excuse 22cans lack of solid planning is a particularly smart move...
More importantly, its in the developers best interests to ensure that customers are satisfied and aware of the goings on if they want to sustain themselves in the SEA model.
The main reason we're seeing projects drop out of SEA and crowdfunding in general is poor business management, planning and communications (often due to inexperience...).

Maybe, but Kickstarter demands you do.

Its not really that big of a conflict...

It really is quite simple especially if you think about it.
Kickstarter (crowdfunding in general) aims for a "final product".
It presents you with a concept, with idea's and with a broad outline of how to get there.
And then asks people to help kick it off the ground.

It helps "kickstart" the engine (hence the name) - a BIG BIG BIG issue with that is that people view Kickstarter and crowdfunding as the finish line.
When in reality its merely the starting point.
Without proper business and financial management aswell as future planning, its not going to get you anywhere.
Relying solely on Early Access sales and your kickstarter money is a foolish endeavour unless you are 100% certain you can consistently deliver and convince more and more people to buy into your product.

Which becomes harder and harder as more projects collapse under poor management and planning.
And as more and more people are getting stung.


So, its a two-edged blade.
On the one hand you have kickstarter/crowdfunding, and your "in development" project as a whole.
Which relies heavily on planning and communication/interaction with your players and customers.
Keep in mind Early Access itself ALSO has a strong pillar of communication...

On the other you have the Steam *STORE* which is actually about selling products.
What Valve did here isn't saying you can't plan for the future.
But rather they are saying you can't sell hot air based on PROMISES for the future that you currently can not fullfill.

They are forced to put in this clause purely because Early Access developers/participants have been putting in a whole boatload of features that they would like to put into their game.
Without the knowledge that they even CAN put them in. And I'm not talking solely time or funding, but also purely based on skill as a programmer.
Hell, look at Godus. It started off with a promise of mobile and PC being interconnected. We all know where that ended up.


Now its a good thing that most of the PC users aren't particularly interested in that side, and probably are glad to see it gone as it means that its easier to split the PC development into a different balance and mechanics focus aswell.

However these new rules do not mean that Early Access developers can get away with saying nothing and just doing their thing in the darkness.

This has not changed...
Valve is basicly just saying "Don't talk bullshit."
Stay with the facts.

HONESTY & TRANSPARANCY rather than smoke and mirrors.
And yes, honesty is double-edged.
Honesty means saying things that your customers may not like to hear.
Well TOUGH!, deal with it.

The reality is that its BETTER to hear something truthful that you do not want to hear than to be sold on lies and hot air.
Early Access is far LESS about trying to market your game and sell based on words.
And far more about generating those sales through actions - make a good game with feedback from your players and they will in turn spread the word and cause more sales.
Piss off your players and they'll be damned sure to let everyone know what happened to the money they dropped on you.

We're not doing eachother 'favors' here. As a developer you only have ONE objective. Which is to generate revenue so you can keep doing your job, maybe get a bit extra on the side in the end.
As a player and consumer we also only have a SINGLE objective, which is to get a fun game to play.

Thats it. No more strings attached. Fun game == revenue.
It doesn't get much simpler than that in concept.

There are obviously some obstacles. Sometimes development is buggy and boring. Sometimes you need to go through a valley before you can climb to the mountain peak.
And nobody said the road wouldn't be rough and bumpy.
However to rely on manipulation alone isn't going to get you there.