Hound-B-Gone

[Deathray]

I'm really quite worried now. William Fisher has made an announcement on the Official MOO3 boards, but has been really, really vague about what is being cut, simplified etc. and what isn't. He said that the core bits are being left in, but since he states "lots of planets" as being a core feature and key to depth I'm a little dubious. He seems to be deliberately dodging the issue. If they know what is wrong and what they are going to do to change it then why won't they tell us? And now this about IFPs being cut. Oh dear.

Stormhound, in your honest opinion, have Infogrames screwed the game over?

[Garth Vader]

IFP's are gone Holy crap, I thought that was going to be a major part of the new game. I have a bad feeling about this.

[player1]

It's now April 2, and what I said yesterday still stands. I can add one bit of information that's public: IFP are now gone. If you hated them, you can be happy. If you liked them, c'est la vie.

IFP gone?
I don't belive that.
How do you know that?
You are no loger employed by QS.


I guess if it was easy to dump IFP that means that IFP was never realy integreted in the game code & AI. Just on design paper.

I have no other explanation.
If it was integrated into the game code & AI, it would be too diffcult to remove it, without spolining money and time.
Right?



Pitty.
I just wish it wasn't truth.


P.S.
I'm sorry you left Stormhound.

[Ellrohir]

You'll truly be missed, Hound. We all appreciated the bridge you provided between the forum and the game, even those of us with whom you didn't have the chance to interact with directly much.

Best of luck always.

[moomin]

Stormhound, I'm devastated by this news. While I'm confident you'll find a new job quick enough with your track record, this bodes ill indeed for MOO3.

They're cutting IFP? My god, that's what the game was all about.

And only yesterday I was all happy seeing a game company that wasn't about to rush...

[player1]

Originally posted by moominparatrooper
And only yesterday I was all happy seeing a game company that wasn't about to rush...

Hmm,

if they need extra 3 months just to release game stripped of many features, something strage is going on.

[Stormhound]

My honest opinion is that I don't know how the game will end up, nor am I likely to know prior to it hitting the shelves. I've already seen enough stuff that I cannot discuss (because it isn't public) that I'm concerned.

If you want to stack that against the unqualified endorsement I gave the game early in development, or if you want to stack it against my recent departure from QS, you may do either (or both). I don't give a fig whether anyone believes me right now, because the truth will be self-evident when the game is released and you'll be able to weigh my words then.

Truth?

[Flakker]

if they need extra 3 months just to release game stripped of many features, something strage is going on.

My thoughts precisely. I do not pretend to know what is going on, but I am getting very, very worried. And don't tell me to wait until the game comes out, there has been a suspicious chain of events since the second delay, and I refused to see it. Well, now the Head Designer of the game cannot post, and I cannot ignore the signs.

[The diplomat]

What? IFP's are gone?

So how will it work? Will the player just be able to do everything, they want like in any other TBS? I thought IFP's were a major part of the game, the whole "you can do anything but you can't do everything."

I am really dissappointed if it is true. If it is true, InfoGrammes should know that the chances of me buying MOO3 just dropped from 90% to 20%. I am sure I am not the only one.

I am sure the game will still be cool. But IFP's really were the #1 reason why I was going to buy the game.

[Sencho]

IFPs are indeed gone, replaced by something that still works to minimize your need/desire to micromanage. (No, we have to wait a few weeks for the announced changes.)

IFPs just didn't work in this project.

[MOHonor]

Originally posted by Stormhound
My honest opinion is that I don't know how the game will end up, nor am I likely to know prior to it hitting the shelves. I've already seen enough stuff that I cannot discuss (because it isn't public) that I'm concerned.

If you want to stack that against the unqualified endorsement I gave the game early in development, or if you want to stack it against my recent departure from QS, you may do either (or both). I don't give a fig whether anyone believes me right now, because the truth will be self-evident when the game is released and you'll be able to weigh my words then.

Truth?

The birth of Moo3's yin26.

[mactbone]

Salut

This really sucks. FWIW, you were real cool about everything and it was fun having you around. I *really* hope you land a good job somewhere.

BTW, IFPs gone... damn, that means this'll be just another advancement in TBS, not a revolutionary leap.

Instead of shooting for the moon, they're going conservative.

I always said, if they can pull off, what they say they can pull off, this game will ROCK! Well, they can't, as evidenced by the disappearance of IFP.

Who wants to bet the incentive is less corruption, ala Civ3 smaller country?

[player1]

Originally posted by Sencho
IFPs are indeed gone, replaced by something that still works to minimize your need/desire to micromanage. (No, we have to wait a few weeks for the announced changes.)

IFPs just didn't work in this project.

Just one thing:

Any solution should prohibit COMPLETE micromanaging.

If there is a chance to micromanage everything, tedious or not, having all kind of automantions and help, some players which want to beat game on impossible will ALWAYS micromanage.
MP included.

At the end only "MICROMANAGE" players would be best players, while other will be average.

Things like automated goveners never worked if player could always bypass them.

In that case MOO3 is in no way revolutional to any other game in marked.
Just very good 4X game (not 5X).


So please prohibit TOTAL micomanaging as an option.

[loinburger]

Hey Stormhound, will your NDA get lorded over you even after the game is released? There's no way that reviewing the game after its release could possibly count as a breach, is there?

[Leonidas]

Stormhound: You were always a gentleman and responded with courtesy to an endless number of questions. Your appearance on these forums shed a positive light on QS.

We all appreciate your candor and honesty. I'm reserving judgement on MoO3. But the way things have been going on new game releases, I'm expecting anything.

I sincerely hope you stay on the forums. . .

Cheers!