Announced feature cuts

[Stormhound]

MOM2 = Master of Magic 2

[Roman]

Thanks. What type of game is it??

[Roman]

Sorry, last question now. Where can I find more info on MOM2?

[tniem]

Originally posted by Stormhound
MOM2 = Master of Magic 2

So has Quicksilver begun some work on MOM2?

[Stormhound]

So far as what type of game, the original Master of Magic was like a fantasy Civ. Your best bet for learning more about it is to search the web, because that's what I'D have to do to point you anywhere for more info.

QS (nor anyone else, for that matter) have not been contracted to work on MOM2. At this point, it's merely something we'd LIKE to do after MOO3, and we've approached Infogrames about the idea but there's nothing doing yet. If we actually DO get to do it, you can bet you'll hear about it just as soon as we're allowed to announce it.

[Roman]

I see. Thanks for your prompt replies.

[Leonidas]

Stormhound: thanks for the info and the quick responses. It helps to have the feedback

I'd like to wish you and your company all the best on the game. . .

[Stormhound]

Another round

Thanks to all of you for being so polite in response. I guess we've got most of the hotheads over on our forum.

Another pair of "if we have time" ideas got axed yesterday:

Battle simulator (this would've been a neat way to prototype ships, but we don't have time to code it up and I suspect it would've been a major drag on multiplayer pacing as well)

Space monsters (this one I'm rather more sanguine with; it would've taken another load of code and artwork time)

I'll continue to keep you informed. I wish we'd picked a better time to start announcing this stuff, but I guess if I was already feeling sick to my stomach a little more is hardly noticed.

[Thue]

Hmm, too bad about the team victory and space monsters.
But no matter how much you cut, I have no doubt that moo3 will be a great game!
It is not like there is a lack of features left in... I would rather worry about the game being overstretched or bloated (eg civ:ctp...)

Btw will there be news updates? There have been none on your website for 40 days?

[Stormhound]

The news updates have been taking a back seat...the person who's responsible for the web page is also one of the artists, and they have a big load of work to do. Quicksilver isn't a big company, so a full-time web person isn't in the budget. I think they may also be working on revamping the site a bit, but I'm rather less sure of that.

However, the forum is also a good place to get the news and discussion, and I'll also do my best to post some of the bigger bits over here as well.

[loinburger]

Pity about the ethos system having to go; that looked pretty interesting.

C'est la vie.

[tniem]

Thanks Stormhound.

Can I make just one suggestion. For your website I think it would be good for you guys to just post that those items have been cut due to time and budget constraints. Just put it as a news item. That way those that don't post on either these forums or your forums have a way of finding out what is up.

It would be another way that you guys could contact the fans in a positive way. Thanks and keep up the great work.

[Master Marcus]

As soon as it doesn't affect the AI ability to manage the civilian things in your colonies, I don't mind the Ethos cut, though I ask : will there be some cultural and religious concepts to be remained, or everything on that matter is axed?

The only thing cut ( so far...) that makes me weep is the Space Creatures. I really liked them in MoO2 and added a brief but interesting sense of fantasy. Hope the remaining concepts to be reinforced to compensate......

[SnowFire]

Hmm, too bad, the Ethos system seemed interesting. I can see why it was cut.

But why cut the team victory conditions? That would seem like a piece of cake to program. Granted, programing the AI to use it intelligently is another matter, and I don't know how complex that these conditions were. But even still...

Space Monsters will not be missed.

And as for the Annals of Space and Time, I'll settle for a mechanical retelling if not an embellished one.

[Stormhound]

I'm not aware of all the decisions behind the cuts (you miss out on a few meetings when you're 1700 miles from the home office), but I do know that there were some things that hadn't been developed enough and weren't going to have the time to get done properly. (As an ex-programmer, I wince every time someone says "oh, that'd be EASY to program", but be that as it may...)

Space Monsters, for instance, only had middling support and other than some basic design thought hadn't had any real work done on them...too easy a target not to get the axe.

Ethos, on the other hand, had had extensive design work, but touched practically everything and was proving a bear to model, let alone test. Way too big a beast, and way too much risk of whiffing badly if we took a swing anyhow, and too many other things that could be coded instead. Basically, it's completely out, though there'll be hooks left in various places in case it can be brought back in at some later point.
PS: It may be a few days before I'm back by, so hang in there. I'll respond to what's waiting for me after I've had a chance to unfrazzle.