New poll on dragon flight...

[Shur]

to bring death right from the air

how exactly do we do that? land, gold rage, and GTFO before we get owned by the infantry division that spawned when we landed?

[Eisdrache]

The characters effort is my fun. I hate easy games.

And yes. Land, take or kill what you need and lift. A biped has to clear the area to get trough. I especially think about the satyr islands.

Especially if you hav a good airborne group you are able to chose a place easy to defend land there and hold it.

[Amecha]

I've been reading as much as I can since I'm not able to get back in game at the moment due to financial difficulties... hate snow. ((Off topic: I miss you guys! ))


I see this as a big benefit, regardless of how many see only the negative. How long has it been since the developers and staff were actually COMMUNICATING with us, constantly adding more to the game, let alone always asking for the 'players' input and actually taking it into account?


I remember for so long being tossed back and forth between owners with nothing really new or different to look forward to. Empty promises of new additions and improvements, only to have the game sold again to a new buyer. Now we have people who actually care about the game, and are fulfilling some of what we were hoping for all along.


Why do all improvements/changes/additions HAVE to be for the big picture of selling the game? Why can't improvements such as this just be added for the players' sake? We're loyal to the game, why shouldn't things like this come out every now and then to give US something new to look forward to? And who's to say it won't improve the game in the long run? Little things to remind the new player what they're working towards. Sure there are bugs and bigger issues to squish, but it's proof that they're still out there working on the game.


Sure, the big picture is to improve the game and make it marketable again, but big goals are better achieved if you take it a little bit at a time. You can't reach the stars until you learn how to fly.


It may be dormant for the time, but this is only a dying game when you choose to give up on it.

[Hrough]

Amen, Amecha. I don't think anyone's said it better yet.

[Theolaerynn]

I see this as a big benefit, regardless of how many see only the negative. How long has it been since the developers and staff were actually COMMUNICATING with us, constantly adding more to the game, let alone always asking for the 'players' input and actually taking it into account?

I remember for so long being tossed back and forth between owners with nothing really new or different to look forward to. Empty promises of new additions and improvements, only to have the game sold again to a new buyer. Now we have people who actually care about the game, and are fulfilling some of what we were hoping for all along.

I don't recall anyone saying it was all negative. On the other hand, taking a post about a specific thing and trying to apply it to this expansive concept you have outlined is just plain contextually wrong. I doubt highly anyone disagrees that the current communication is anything other than a positive thing, or that having developers who are committed to Horizons working on the game again is something to get excited about. I am pretty sure we all see these as good things, to say the least.

That doesn't mean everything they do will be golden, though, nor does it mean that someone pointing them out is being negative. Constructive criticism is a positive thing, not something to get defensive about or get into an uproar over.

I love Horizons, and I doubt *highly* there is anyone out there that wants it to succeed more than I do, with the possible exception of the creators. It is because of that, and because of the fact that I am intimately familiar with certain aspects of the industry, that I bother to spend the time and energy trying to warn a rather resentful audience.

Why do all improvements/changes/additions HAVE to be for the big picture of selling the game? Why can't improvements such as this just be added for the players' sake? We're loyal to the game, why shouldn't things like this come out every now and then to give US something new to look forward to? And who's to say it won't improve the game in the long run? Little things to remind the new player what they're working towards. Sure there are bugs and bigger issues to squish, but it's proof that they're still out there working on the game.

In a perfect world there is no reason at all that changes have to relate to the big picture of selling the game. In the real world, however, there are bills to pay from a finite pool of money. The deeper the pool, the more bonus content that can be added without considering the big picture of cash flow.

My understanding is Horizons' pool is not all that deep right now, and not only would the current development studio *not* be the first to go under due to poor project management (despite having a superior concept), they wouldn't even be the first to do so while working on Horizons.

I want Horizons to be around for a good long time, and I want to see their cash pool become an ocean. I believe in the developers, and I believe that if they had the money they would turn Horizons in to what it has had the potential to be all along.

It may be dormant for the time, but this is only a dying game when you choose to give up on it.

Agreed!! But then, I don't see anyone here talking about giving up on it either.

[velveeta]

That is not my main concern, however. My concern is that we are still playing a dying game, and unless the development resources are spent more wisely the term 'dying' will become past tense.

Horizons has had an uphill battle from day one, with its share of mismanagement and green developers. Inexperience is no longer a reasonable excuse, though, because even the new folks have had plenty of time to cut their teeth on Horizons. If they did not learn from past lessons, if they do not pick their battles correctly, and if they do not properly allocate their resources, then Istarians will soon find themselves homeless.

theo -
you said - I don't recall anyone saying it was all negative.
i ask - how is this statement anything but negative?

you said - I believe in the developers, and I believe that if they had the money they would turn Horizons in to what it has had the potential to be all along.
i ask - the above statement seems to say to me that you feel the devs are incompetent if they haven't made your changes by now or perhaps slow because they haven't 'learned from past lessons'. pray enlighten me, how is one expected to take that statement as one of trust?

you said - Agreed!! But then, I don't see anyone here talking about giving up on it either.
i ask - please explain how the entire post cannot be seen is your rationalization for leaving horizons because the things you want are not being worked on? 'we are still playing a dying game' - this is not giving up?

i am not trying to be facetious, i really don't understand how you can not know that these kind of sweeping and patently false statements would not engender some kind of resentment, especially after so very much of it?

[Theolaerynn]

Originally Posted by Theolaerynn
That is not my main concern, however. My concern is that we are still playing a dying game, and unless the development resources are spent more wisely the term 'dying' will become past tense.

Horizons has had an uphill battle from day one, with its share of mismanagement and green developers. Inexperience is no longer a reasonable excuse, though, because even the new folks have had plenty of time to cut their teeth on Horizons. If they did not learn from past lessons, if they do not pick their battles correctly, and if they do not properly allocate their resources, then Istarians will soon find themselves homeless.

theo -
you said - I don't recall anyone saying it was all negative.
i ask - how is this statement anything but negative?

How is a warning a negative thing? I have heard a lot of people express this sentiment, but I am quite confused about it. If you see someone falling into a common trap, you have two options: Warn them, or watch them fall into it. If you do the latter than you share some of the guilt of the consequences. If you give warning, however, then it is up to them to use that information in whatever way they will.

The response you have quoted is in explanation of that warning, taken out of context.

you said - I believe in the developers, and I believe that if they had the money they would turn Horizons in to what it has had the potential to be all along.
i ask - the above statement seems to say to me that you feel the devs are incompetent if they haven't made your changes by now or perhaps slow because they haven't 'learned from past lessons'. pray enlighten me, how is one expected to take that statement as one of trust?

My changes? I don't recall asking for any changes of this nature. The closest I have come to that is saying that they need to be very careful when it comes to managing development costs, hidden and otherwise. That is just common sense.

As for your assumptions, they are off base a bit. I do not know if the devs have learned from past lessons, for instance. Only time will tell.

You later accuse me of sweeping, patently false statements, but I wonder if you have understood what I have said. It certainly sounds to me like you have misinterpreted a few key points.

I do believe in the developers, and that their intentions are to bring Horizons to completion. That does not mean that I think it is a sure bet, nor do I believe it will be easy. The odds are definitely stacked against them, but haven't they been beating them all this time? It also does not mean that I think they have not and will not make mistakes. We all do, but those that survive usually do so because they learn from them.

you said - Agreed!! But then, I don't see anyone here talking about giving up on it either.
i ask - please explain how the entire post cannot be seen is your rationalization for leaving horizons because the things you want are not being worked on? 'we are still playing a dying game' - this is not giving up?

I believe you might be a tad misinformed. Not only is this entire statement completely fabricated rubbish, including that bit about whatever it is you think I want worked on, but my subscription is still merrily resubscribing itself. Kind of the opposite of giving up, wouldn't you say? Definitely quite counter to that whole nonsense about 'rationalizing my leaving Horizons'.

As for the dying game part, I believe you have interpreted that to mean I am saying 'abandon ship, she's going under!'. This is one of those unfortunate things that happens over text communication. Let me try to explain exactly what I mean by that.

I do not mean imminent death is the inevitable conclusion, or that it is even likely. What I mean is that until Horizons is pulling in enough subscriptions to fund itself, it is a race against time. *All* games start out this way, obviously, but either quickly turn profitable or die. Horizons is one of the few with the tenacity to last this long, which just speaks to the potential she has.

I am not one to use fluffy words. In fact, for whatever reason I seem to use verbiage that is not well received here. I guess it is because I am the kind of person that thinks that the more realistically a problem is analyzed, the more likely an effective solution will be found. Business managers love it, especially when I deliver, but it is not very popular with salesmen and promotional execs.

i am not trying to be facetious

Sure you are. I don't mind, though, as long as you can maintain an actual discussion. Otherwise we are just wasting each others time.

i really don't understand how you can not know that these kind of sweeping and patently false statements would not engender some kind of resentment, especially after so very much of it?

If those showing resentment have interpreted things incorrectly as you seem to have, then I can definitely see why it would engender resentment. Even if they were interpreted correctly there would still be some who would be upset that I spoke it, although I would hope far fewer than appear to have.

[velveeta]

thank you for your response

[Theolaerynn]

Thank you for giving me the opportunity. As you can see, communication is not my strong point. I am working on it, but it is slow going.