Hello everyone, today we are clarifying Rising Constellation's development schedule (quite a program). We had made some announcements about Legacy mode a little over a month ago and then, with summer vacation and the Euro Cup, things slowed down a bit.
To briefly summarize, we have been trying for a few months to move forward simultaneously on two game modes: Flash mode for quick and intense RTS-style games and Legacy mode for slower more role-play oriented 4x/browser-style games. It's become obvious that we currently don't have the necessary ressources to develop both modes at the same time. The project is already very ambitious for a team of our size and to advance on several fronts at the same time just isn't feasible.
We had originally decided to focus on Flash mode, which is easier to test, less time consuming, and potentially easier to sell. And while these points are valid, some players in the community have pointed out some issues: reaching the critical mass needed to run an MMO/RTS game properly is very complicated and maintaining that critical mass over the long term, even more so.
So what's the verdict?
The Verdict: Flash Mode
Concerning Flash mode we decided to take the past weeks to improve what was really necessary: a better map interface (v0.35) and adding keyboard shortcuts (v0.36, coming soon).
We also massively recalibrated this mode removing many buildings, patents and lexes to make the game easier to play over a few hours. Through this, we hope to achieve more streamlined and dynamic gameplay. This recalibration will still require some corrections but, going forward, no major changes to this mode are foreseeable.
Aside from these changes, we plan on leaving Flash mode as it is until the game is released. The format will benefit from the game's regular updates, but we're not going to do much more than that. Epic Tuesdays will continue, of course, and we'll use the format to prepare a more effective tutorial for the game.
The Verdict: Legacy Mode
Regarding Legacy mode, we decided to streamline the rest of development by simplifying what's not mandatory and cutting out what's not necessary. This will allow us to launch more quickly. Some features will be postponed until after the release.
Our goal is to release the project in October. This does not mean that development will stop after October. It means that we are putting in place the final blocks necessary for a good Legacy mode game experience.
On the week of July 12, we plan on launching a Legacy server with new calibrations and the the final versions of the win conditions. Later will come big improvements to the communications feature in the portal, the implementation of governments, elections and an inter-faction market.
In streamlining the process, we decided to scarp part of the complexity of government systems as well as the networks feature. This, of course, is temporary.
What's next?
See you on July 14th for the next Legacy! Thanks for reading and have a great week!