Hello everybody,
First of all, I wish you a happy new year! During the steam sale, Computer Tycoon got a lot of new players - I'm happy about that - hello guys! Feel free to join to the discussions, I'm really interested in your feedback about the game. If you like the game, please write a recommendation as well.
You should join to the discussions especially because as one of the first things this year I'd like to sum up the feedback that I got there and via email so far and I’d like to write the public roadmap of the game for you.
Next to the fact that by summing up the recommendations/suggestions/critics I can improve the game, it will be useful to give you that list - so you will be able to read my plans easier in a single document instead of reading back the discussions (what is, of course, tedious and barely did read it, anybody :) )
The game needs a lot of improvements (that’s why it is an alpha, right? :) ). Without ordering and naming everything... I have to add:
- more feedback about the market,
- give more statistics about sales,
- showing more about the AI's activity (and improving it),
(about this first tree, please give me exact examples what you’d like to see)
- improving the GUI usability/look and making its functions more obvious (did you notice that you can order the lists?),
- creating a country list screen (avoiding the manual clicking on the map),
- creating a site management screen to handle upgrades and department budgets at one place
- creating a tech-tree like research screen and altering the system as well (you won’t have this year binding of (real dates – 7 years) that filters what you can start research, but techs that are way too advanced for the current date in the game will cost more RPs),
- adding more features such as selling hardware separately,
- adding the employee system (and increasing your PP by it),
- improving the customer behavior
- redesigning/extending the marketing system (binding it into the employee system),
- implementing a tutorial with minimal text explanations (I will build up the current gameplay from smaller periods. You will start from a garage and you won't have the map. Your first task will be choosing your starting technology, the second is building a computer design, then buying a new country market, building a site and buildings, and maybe eventually hiring a manager etc.) So basically, I'd like to build the tutorial into the natural game start (or early game phase).
- creating the historical map mode where you will get real-life population and economic data (and the soviet-union that will make half of the world an unplayable area),
- adding governments and dynamically changing economies and priorities,
- adding the random events,
- implementing company loans and the ability to sell a building site
- expanding/adding the black market/espionage/RPG elements
- making the death of the CEO switchable (you will have an employee to be your new CEO)
- making the winning goals selectable
- adding localizations (including the so waited German and Chinese – unfortunately, I can’t keep my word about giving them early this year)
- adding score lists and Steam features
- etc.
- Fixing/implementing stuff from my bug/glitches/improvements to-do list that has 173 (!) lines pre-prioritized at this very moment.
It's a lot of stuff and work, but around 90% of this list was already planned (and even published in a similar announcement post), but of course most of you didn't see it - that's why I will put the link of the roadmap into the description of the game. A native player/friend will correct my English mistakes in it so it will be easy to read haha (Thanks, William)!
The 10% that wasn't really in my plans are the "tech three like" research screen and the complete and deep feedback about the products/market/opponents (including computer values and prices). Honestly, my vision about these was totally different originally. I imagined a lot of stuff differently than a significant percentage of the players here. The majority of the players are satisfied with the current systems, BUT these two things, for example, are something that I really wanted to avoid, while the people who didn't enjoy the game - didn't enjoy the game (mostly) because of these.
Still, I do believe that my vision was correct/good, but I will make this argument short this time: the players who already enjoyed my vision, won't lose much (and after some talks, they are really not afraid of the possible changes), while for the others this will eventually make the game fun. And this is the most important. It is you who play the game, not me - it's a one against the many situation, so I have to embrace it. At least if I'm concerned about your fun and I'm definitely concerned. Please forgive me if I seem to be pedantic or diehard sometimes. Next to the kind stuff and the critics - being an indie game developer often really sucks.
Still, I will argue about these subjects for sure because I'd like to really understand you. Please consider that I'm from a different gaming era, different culture, with a different taste, and it seems that my priorities are also very different in games (maybe these are what made me a game developer), BUT I made the decision to launch the game into the direction that will make you more satisfied, I will make the mentioned 10% as well. I'm not saying that I can put _everything_ into the game that you asked for, but I was able to let go most of my own petrified notions. Thanks Eddie, vpsycho, Gendo, ChiefWiggum, way2co0l_2003, Frodo, =TLD= Yoggler, CobaltCanine, OWIS, William, KG, and everybody (!) who had the motivation to stay friendly and giving helpful critics at the same time!
Computer Tycoon is special to me because it is something that I wanted to create since my childhood. Also, it is special to me, because this is my first widely played game and lastly it is important to me because there is simply no similar game out there.
I think if people have a strong opinion about stuff I must follow them even if I don’t agree. Management/Tycoon games are mostly indie games because they offer no real financial opportunities, so if I decided to undertake the consequences of it, I think it’s better to create a game that will be enjoyed by as many of you as it is possible.
So… stay tuned. I will be back with a roadmap soon.
Your friend,
Andris