What should we focus on next?

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What should we focus on during the next few alphas?

Poll ended at Mon Sep 30, 2013 5:30 pm

Keep adding brand new features
696
60%
Finish and polish existing features
110
9%
Bug fixes
85
7%
Performance enhancements
183
16%
Story chapters
58
5%
Game Balance
37
3%
 
Total votes: 1169
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Chris
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What should we focus on next?

Postby Chris » Sat Aug 31, 2013 5:30 pm

Hey everyone,

We are deep in the alpha process now. We've added tons of new features in the last few months. We would very much like to know what you think we should focus on next. Let us know what you think.

What should we focus on during the next few alphas?

- Keep creating brand new features - eg dogs, drug usage, end game, education, reform etc
- Finish and polish existing features - eg the recently added tunnels, contraband trading, laundry etc
- Bug fixes - run through Mantis and tackle the current serious issues
- Performance enhancements - make the game run better especially with large numbers of prisoners
- Story chapters - start creating more chapters to continue the story started in Death Row
- Game balance - add more grants, balance the costs of everything, and tweak the difficulty of the game until it is properly fair and balanced
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Postby berke1100 » Sat Aug 31, 2013 5:35 pm

Game is really need performance fixes.I bored to play small map to trying squeeze everything.When I playing medium or large map, lag is very very infuriating.
I think all of us want performance and new features but unfortunately too hard do both.
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xander
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Postby xander » Sat Aug 31, 2013 5:41 pm

My opinions:

Chris wrote:- Keep creating brand new features - eg dogs, drug usage, end game, education, reform etc

Yes, please.

Chris wrote:- Finish and polish existing features - eg the recently added tunnels, contraband trading, laundry etc

This would be nice, too. But more features are even more betterer!

Chris wrote:- Bug fixes - run through Mantis and tackle the current serious issues

Meh. If you get a few bugs dealt with now, groovy. But I figure it will all get taken care of eventually.

Chris wrote:- Performance enhancements - make the game run better especially with large numbers of prisoners

Double meh. The game runs fine for most people, and optimization can wait. Though if you are talking about implementation of multi-threading, do that now, please.

Chris wrote:- Story chapters - start creating more chapters to continue the story started in Death Row

Quadruple meh. Remember how long it took to get all of the content put together for Darwinia? Do you really want to do more of that right now? ;)

Chris wrote:- Game balance - add more grants, balance the costs of everything, and tweak the difficulty of the game until it is properly fair and balanced

Please, no. The game isn't even feature complete yet. :\

xander
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Postby Lolloler » Sat Aug 31, 2013 6:16 pm

More features!
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Postby berke1100 » Sat Aug 31, 2013 6:17 pm

Chris wrote:- Performance enhancements - make the game run better especially with large numbers of prisoners


Double meh. The game runs fine for most people, and optimization can wait. Though if you are talking about implementation of multi-threading, do that now, please.

Very interesting, Can you explain me? : Why my game laggy over 150 prisoners ? (My Cpu : i5 2500k)
Last edited by berke1100 on Sat Aug 31, 2013 6:39 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Postby TheEisbaer » Sat Aug 31, 2013 6:17 pm

Maybe a fix for some NVidia Drivers/Cards that can't get fullscreen working? :D
-
I voted for NEW FEATURES 8)
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Postby Xoligy » Sat Aug 31, 2013 6:57 pm

Damn didnt see "try and implement segmentation" on the list i thought that was comming with us being able to search different cell blocks... well if you build them right one my cell blocks messed up i have to search EVERY cell but thats my iown doing :(
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Postby VoiD88 » Sat Aug 31, 2013 7:06 pm

More features, 'nuff said.




Ok, I'll elaborate a little ;)

The way the Alpha has been handled until now feels exactly right in my opinion: Heavy focus on brand new features, with some bugfixes and prformance tweaks thrown in every now and then.

Finishing/Polishing of existing features is something I would probably consider to put in second place of my fav-list, but ONLY if those changes are like the contraband system of Alpha 12 - large enough changes to make the thing feel like a new feature. Small tweaks and additions can probably wait until later.

Bug fixes and performance enhancements... as said above, a few fixes and a few tweaks from time to time will surely be welcome (especially if a really nasty/annoying bug appears that ruins gameplay, like the prisoners only starting to fulfill their needs for a few seconds and then stopping in their tracks that was in the game until A12, really glad that one got finally fixed and made the game playable again xD). But thorough bugfixing and performance optimization can wait until much later (which I guess would also make sense because you'd probably only break it again if you try to add more features afterwards :P).

The above paragraph also applies to game balance... wait until it's feature complete, THEN balancing makes sense xD

Story chapters... erm, wait, what? I never even thought there were more planned for alpha OR beta at all and rather thought that we would only see the story in the finished game :P Anyway, those can wait until much much later in my opinion^^
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Postby NormenJaydenFBI » Sat Aug 31, 2013 7:09 pm

The Deployment issue is pretty game breaking currently, so I vote for some bug fixes.
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Postby m1k3ol » Sat Aug 31, 2013 7:11 pm

I vote for polishing the current ones...main concern is that many non-polished ones might conflict with each other (or bugs frenzy), it would be wiser to tackle current ones while preparing for new ones instead of going one or the other...

Check the "Laundry issues" that came with A13:
http://forums.introversion.co.uk/prison ... php?t=4036

Which I guess it came with the "deployment" bug or something in that matter...

Or the "Tunnel exploit":
http://forums.introversion.co.uk/prison ... php?t=4098

Which renders the tunnel approach not "game changing" since prisoners can end up in a lock-down at any time

Imagine having this half-features along with more half-features....some find it more exhausting to keep dealing with this in each "test" prison they create and having to find a workaround rather than focusing on the test at hand (new stuff or changes on each Alpha version)
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Postby Terminaaaattori » Sat Aug 31, 2013 7:41 pm

More features
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Postby Xoligy » Sat Aug 31, 2013 7:54 pm

Voted add more features

The only people after polishing are those that are new to the forum not listening or taking advice that's given.
development bug there is a fix - they ignore.
laundry - yes it get out of hand but in 2 days ive fixed it plus laundy does not matter seeing as riots was disabled.
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Postby m1k3ol » Sat Aug 31, 2013 8:32 pm

Xoligy wrote:as riots was disabled.


Source?

The only thing I recall reading as "disabled" is the "Popup Markers".


Also, I doubt there's anyone that don't want more features, it's just a matter of knowing "when" to add them and when to hold them back a bit...
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Postby Xoligy » Sat Aug 31, 2013 8:39 pm

Alpha stage is all about adding things, beta stage is about fixing things.

If he stops and starts fixing things then every other alpha there is going to be "i want stuff fixed!" its going to slow down seeing what the end product is going to be. By adding more featues its making the game more enjoyable and keeping people playing for another month, by playing the same feature people will get a little bored and move on, im already only playing a mod of the game just to keep me occupied. (Global Financial Crisis Mod.)

oh here is your source!

Alpha 11
- Dirty clothes will no longer lead to riots
Not all needs will push prisoners to physical violence
Currently Exempt: Clothing, Comfort
These needs still prevent those prisoners from feeling "well treated", but will not push them to anger

Edit:
Also when im not in this im in Uplink (still trying to beat my best from years back) and splinter cell, infact thats where im off now.
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Postby Axios » Sat Aug 31, 2013 8:48 pm

More features: non lethal weapons, lethal weapons, education, dogs, gangs, a "reception" facility for a psycological visit in order to assign security levels at prisoners, chef assistant that move foods and trays (chef will cook only)..... more stuff please. And more deeper simulation. Example: sewage and prisoner can use sewage like tunnel....

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