Brian



Posts: 1206







ModeratorPosts: 1206 1/17 Monday Design Update - This Can Help « on: January 17, 2011, 09:03:20 pm »



This seems like a minor issue, but misinformation can sometimes hurt interest or expectations for the project from a whole group of gamers that read those posts. Sometimes we’re making the game people at that forum really want to play, but one erroneous post turns them all off the project. I’ll give you an example, paraphrased from another forum:



“Dead State? Who knows if that’s coming out. There’s only like one guy working on it part-time. There aren’t even any screenshots for it. Also, I don’t like multiplayer games, so I’m not interested in it.”



Most of you are regulars and know what’s going on with the project – that’s why we post updates and answer questions on the forums, to keep you informed and to ward off panic caused by sudden lack of developer activity. A lot of you already help answer questions from people who are new to the forums, and so far you’ve done a great job at pointing them to the info they need.



But sometimes people get a game of bad information operator going on and all of the sudden we’re getting emails about when we’ll be available on Xbox Live and how much our monthly subscription fees will be. So, if you see people discussing Dead State, and you’re in a position to politely correct them with a simple, factual statement pulled from our boards, we would really appreciate it.



Here are some good example and bad examples of the kinds of misinformation we’re talking about and how they could be handled.



Good Examples



“Dead State? I’m so sick of shooting zombies. I want a game that focuses on survival.”



-If you happened to see something like this, just remind them that Dead State is about long-term survival and possibly post this line from the FAQ, “A survival RPG that takes places as society is breaking down due to a zombie apocalypse.”



“I heard this game’s being worked on after Age of Decadence comes out.”



-Let them know we’re in active production in addition to Age of Decadence, not necessarily with all the same team members but sharing some.



“That’s that game using the old Fallout engine? Pass.”



-Point them to any number of quotes where we’ve mentioned we’re using a heavily-customized version of Torque 3D. Or screens on our website. Or just here.



“I can’t wait to play online with all my friends!”



-Let them know it’s single-player, but you may want to tell them we have a hardcore mode where you can make a game of living longer than any of your friends.



Bad Examples



“I hate slow zombies and turn-based games, so I will hate this.”



-Everyone is entitled to their opinion. The fast zombies/action game lovers may not like it, or maybe they will like it when they play it, but there’s no reason to fuel the debate over which is better.



“I won’t play it until it comes to consoles.”



-Cool. We’re PC only right now, and if people don’t want to play it on PC, no reason to argue for them to do so.



“Indie RPGs are awesome but zombies are stupid. They should make a game about cyberpunk mermaids.”



-Don’t try to sell anyone on the idea. Leave that to us.





So, if you’re talking games on a board and Dead State comes up, it’s okay to post known info or links to here. We’re all too happy to hear that people are aware of us, we just want to make sure they have all the facts. Of course, if you want to go an extra step in helping the project, here are some other ways to do so:



-If you’re an artist with experience building low-poly props, we could always use contributions to help enrich our environments or create basic assets. We have a sticky thread with all the details. We may also be looking for help in other departments in the future.



-You could purchase something from the DoubleBear or Dead State stores. Or even the Age of Decadence store, if you want to help support Iron Tower and Indie RPG communities. Here’s a link to the newest Dead State merch for those who missed it the first time:



http://www.cafepress.com/deadstate



http://www.cafepress.com/mmmbison



Thanks, everyone. Your support and assistance is much appreciated.

Everyone working on Dead State is really happy to have you all visiting the forums, discussing the game, and motivating us to make it something really special. Most likely you read other game forums or sites, and sometimes you might see our game mentioned on other forums or sites. We can’t check all of them or comment on all of them, obviously. So, this week, if we can request one small favor from you all – if you see false or perplexing info about Dead State on another forum you contribute to, could you maybe post the correct info (directly quoted from a dev or FAQ quote) or just point them toward these forums?This seems like a minor issue, but misinformation can sometimes hurt interest or expectations for the project from a whole group of gamers that read those posts. Sometimes we’re making the game people at that forum really want to play, but one erroneous post turns them all off the project. I’ll give you an example, paraphrased from another forum:“Dead State? Who knows if that’s coming out. There’s only like one guy working on it part-time. There aren’t even any screenshots for it. Also, I don’t like multiplayer games, so I’m not interested in it.”Most of you are regulars and know what’s going on with the project – that’s why we post updates and answer questions on the forums, to keep you informed and to ward off panic caused by sudden lack of developer activity. A lot of you already help answer questions from people who are new to the forums, and so far you’ve done a great job at pointing them to the info they need.But sometimes people get a game of bad information operator going on and all of the sudden we’re getting emails about when we’ll be available on Xbox Live and how much our monthly subscription fees will be. So, if you see people discussing Dead State, and you’re in a position to politely correct them with a simple, factual statement pulled from our boards, we would really appreciate it.Here are some good example and bad examples of the kinds of misinformation we’re talking about and how they could be handled.“Dead State? I’m so sick of shooting zombies. I want a game that focuses on survival.”-If you happened to see something like this, just remind them that Dead State is about long-term survival and possibly post this line from the FAQ, “A survival RPG that takes places as society is breaking down due to a zombie apocalypse.”“I heard this game’s being worked on after Age of Decadence comes out.”-Let them know we’re in active production in addition to Age of Decadence, not necessarily with all the same team members but sharing some.“That’s that game using the old Fallout engine? Pass.”-Point them to any number of quotes where we’ve mentioned we’re using a heavily-customized version of Torque 3D. Or screens on our website. Or just here.“I can’t wait to play online with all my friends!”-Let them know it’s single-player, but you may want to tell them we have a hardcore mode where you can make a game of living longer than any of your friends.“I hate slow zombies and turn-based games, so I will hate this.”-Everyone is entitled to their opinion. The fast zombies/action game lovers may not like it, or maybe they will like it when they play it, but there’s no reason to fuel the debate over which is better.“I won’t play it until it comes to consoles.”-Cool. We’re PC only right now, and if people don’t want to play it on PC, no reason to argue for them to do so.“Indie RPGs are awesome but zombies are stupid. They should make a game about cyberpunk mermaids.”-Don’t try to sell anyone on the idea. Leave that to us.So, if you’re talking games on a board and Dead State comes up, it’s okay to post known info or links to here. We’re all too happy to hear that people are aware of us, we just want to make sure they have all the facts. Of course, if you want to go an extra step in helping the project, here are some other ways to do so:-If you’re an artist with experience building low-poly props, we could always use contributions to help enrich our environments or create basic assets. We have a sticky thread with all the details. We may also be looking for help in other departments in the future.-You could purchase something from the DoubleBear or Dead State stores. Or even the Age of Decadence store, if you want to help support Iron Tower and Indie RPG communities. Here’s a link to the newest Dead State merch for those who missed it the first time:Thanks, everyone. Your support and assistance is much appreciated. Logged