I have a serious question.
Are you guys okay with me splitting the update into two? Thankfully the majority of the update are finished, we're just rounding up the last few critical bits before we can release it but unfortunately there's also others that may not make it in time. There are some pros and cons to this that I'd like to point out;
Pros:
Allows me to gather information and feedback regarding the new stuff.
There'll be more people playing the mod than just me and my internal group. That means higher chance of detecting and hopefully solving issues.
Alleviate the pressure of everyone waiting for the update. Both the playerbase and developer team.
Cons:
'Half-baked' update. We have a lot of features kinda half-implemented as proof-of-concept but weren't completed due to priorities given to something more important. ( This is evident when you guys watch me play the mod live on Twitch )
The planned 'campaign-layer' changes and quality of life additions won't be in the mod in time.
The much anticipated lore addition to the mod will not be fully included.
It's obvious that the United Aurora Federation mod were no longer made by two people. It's a passion mod driven by everyone. Myself, my friends, and everyone else including you guys. This kinda goes without saying, I believe we can reach the finish line if we help each other out.
So, why am I asking this?
Well... honestly, I have several reasons to this. Every now and then, there'll be people asking me when is the next update. I wish I can answer it but words these days can be twisted or taken for granted. Silence is the only way that won't hurt nobody.
It's also because I don't want you guys to think that I'm taking your support for granted as well. Every week, we quietly worked in the UAF discord and putting some kind of progress one way or another. Then comes this predicament where I also refused to release some unfinished work just for the sake of keeping up the pace.
I've seen and experienced the consequences of overworking yourself and others that helped you. I was also badly affected by the kind of first impression I received when the UAF was released by surprise about four years ago. So, in the end - I've found myself in dilemma with unprecedented consequences.
Will you help me solve my dilemma?
So what say you if I cut this update by half and let everyone try out the new stuff and test on our behalf while we continue to work towards the end?
Thank you for reading this, please let me know what you think in the comments below. Trust me, I do read through all of them.
Sincerely,
CY
Comments (46)
He demanded results, but never perfection, and had amazing stores of patience for those who were truly working to their fullest ability. I wait in silence and observation.
I think i need to clear a few things here for some of you. This isnt the last update. But the shipline will count as being done. There is still balance, story, intros and so on comming. Maybe even more ships, we know cy being itchy with that. But what he meant is: ships are done, not the mod
as far as i under stand it this is the last update this ever gonna get so i rather wait for full thing play get sad after sets in no more stuff is coming biggest reason i play starsector is your mod
FACTS
What ever you and the team feel fits the best. They both have pros and cons like having the time to complete your vision, or gaining valued feedback.
don't worry about it as long as it is still being developed I'm good with waiting for the full update
I'm going to wait for the full version myself, because I'm interested in the campaign layer, lore and all. However, I think it's worth releasing the half-update so that people who don't care about those can test out the new additions, and it doesn't really hurt those who choose to wait for the full update.
If the half update helps development, then the half update is better, if it hinders development, then it isnt is how i feel.
At first I believe in Full-update But I believe it should be a half-update, so we can fix and see what needs to be done and change accordingly.
It really depends, I would rather wait until it's all good and ready however how valuable would the feedback from a test build for you guys be? If it'll give some much needed time to rest up and get feedback/bug testing in at a larger scale, then I'd say release what you want and take the time to fix/change things how you all feel you need to.
As Gabe Newl once said: “(9 years development) hopefully it would have been worth the wait, thanks and have fun” and look how TF2 turned out in it’s golden era. What I’m saying is take the time to polish it up and finish the vision you have for the project and make something you’re proud to be sharing with the world! :)
I'm fine either way. If it's gonna take the same amount of time til the full release is done we'll be waiting for it whether you release what's currently done now or not. Like if it's gonna take a year to finish the full version and you release a WIP now, it's still gonna be a year. WIP would give us something to play with, knowing we've got even more coming with the full release. The people who're gonna judge you for the WIP not being as theoretically great as the release they imagine are gonna judge your full release for not being as theoretically great as they imagine anyway... so fuck em.
do whatever makes you like the project more
Full version will be better. Somethings fully cooked taste better. And dont over stress yourself and the team. Passion project is meant as an love for it. Don't let overwork and stress dim that love.
Personally, i would wait for the full version just to have that WOW-effect. But, and it's a pretty big but(t), if releasing the WIP would remove pressure from the DEV team and make working on it easier, i would happily go with the WIP.
It’s worth waiting for.
Perfectly willing to wait for the full updoot.
I say its better to wait it and flesh it out. I usually buy some early access games and learn that people hate broken and unfinished updates more. Plus, there is no rush anyway. Maybe if you need a broader opinion, add more testers? That's just my opinion though.
I'm quite interested in the UAF as a faction so to me getting more lore in a game otherwise lacking story presently makes it feel worth the wait for the full version (also just want to say thank you for a all the joy your mod has brought my playthroughs)
There is nothing more permanent than a temporary solution or half baked feature. I've always found this doubly true when it comes to game/mod development. Take the time, make it right, and make it last.
Early access to the finished part can help find small or non-obvious bugs so that you don't have to rush to make a hotfix on the full release, and also quench the "Thirst for content" of those who can't wait
Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
I believe either choice will be beneficial as long as you manage expectations either way. If it's half a patch just communicate that, I personally think that's a good option to get more hands on the patch to help squash bugs and provide feedback on proof of concept systems.
I, myself a programmer, opt for the half baked now, so we (players) could do E2E SIT for you and your dev team. But at last, if the community wants to wait, I could also wait
Personally, I'm torn. On one hand, get to try out all the new goodies while waiting for more. One the other waiting for a more polished mod is even better. But honestly, I'm gonna go with wait. You and the team behind you have done an amazing job so far, so I believe we can let y'all focus and enjoy what you post and share with us until you believe its ready for release.
Your pros and cons were well laid out. If you go with the "half-baked" option it should only be to enjoy the benefits of fan based bug reporting. You can also post surveys on the "proof of concept" pieces to see if they are well received before devoting more time to implementing them fully with set dressing. I would like to add though, you could have all of these benefits by releasing a closed beta. Offer the build version to a certain tier of your Patreons or ask for volunteers. That way you can get feedback from a focus group of your fans.
My people have a saying "Eile mit Weile" simply said take your time, don't overwork yourself and others. Deliver a good finished update when you are ready to do so.
I'm happy waiting, Im also happy to provide feedback. You've done a great service to making Starsector even more enjoyable to me and I find it hard to be anything but thankful either way.
Well at end of day, it take as long as it takes.. and better to leave it baking some more for a finer tasting cake while taking some time to relax and chug along at own pace. On the other hand getting information is tempting and would help the bakers. hmm..
Do it full. I rather way and get something good then something half baked. The pressure on you guys must be imense, but do it in your space. Better make it good then twice, so take your time
I voted for full. But honestly. the end decision is up to you. If you want to grace us early. Go for it. If you want to let it cook. still with you here.
You take all the time you need honestly, keep cooking, focus on your work and yourself (IRL comes first obviously). We can wait c:
Cy, we waited a long time and we can wait a bit more. Show us why we stayed aroud for so long. I think most of us want to play a new update in complete state. We have seen how much work you and the team put into UAF. Get everything done so we can have fun with the new patch and good job on your progress!
I feel like an update or beta testing wouldn't be a bad idea as not only would it give us an excellent idea of what is to come with some of the new ships and ideas but also allow us to maybe find potential bugs in the mod that may have been overlooked
I personally believe it is better to have people try it around. Test the waters of the new update, and assist with any bugs or issues that comes up and inform you what may needs recalibration and fixes. As the Mod is quite massive and complex now. It is wiser to treat this Mod on a larger scope, and what is more important, rather think you can wait for full update and believe it will go just fine. Sooner the problems that comes up get fixed, the better for literally everyone, and testing the new content for anything at all. Since everyone is more or less involved, and many of us are quite passionate about this gigantic Mod. At least i feel so. Take care and all the best to you all!
Man, hard choice. I barely picked full-update. Keep cooking the best stuff, we gobble it down every single time lad.
Very hard choices to make, and that I completely understand. The pros and cons are laid out easily, and both of their says but in the end, it truly is how YOU feel would be the best route for your mod and development team. But in my personal opinion, it would be better to actually cook the whole thing than to piecemeal it out. If the concerns for testing and bug hunting is warrant, then the access to more beta testing will be required to cover for that. I would rather you give your best update yet than to do little updates here and there to quench the thirst
Personally I think you should choose because this is your hard work that you want to share and if people are being inpatient then so be it just ignore them. This is your work to be proud of and if you want to wait for it to be fully done then we can wait but if you want to give out what you have then do it. We all believe in you and you need to believe in yourself. Long Live You and Long Live The United Aurora Federation
Rather than dropping it as an update, you could list it as a type of playtest/beta.
I do not mind you hold off the update if it is not fully done yet. You could just select a few more ppl to QA/Bug test in the discord if you need more data
I agree it is best to release it as a full, quality update. Impatient people will exist no matter what. Quality over quantity.
I won't stop you from cooking as something amazing
Personally I'd prefer full update. Take longer if needed for whatever reasons may be.
I’d happily wait until y’all are done, but trust y’all to make the right call. If you want more eyes, then maybe an organized beta test pass might be the better way to go.
Half-update seems to be better development and bug hunting wise. You work too hard as it is. (need more NEUKO's though)
I think it’s the best to continue cooking