A new 4x game is coming

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KurtGodel7
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A new 4x game is coming

#1 Post by KurtGodel7 »

We're developing a new 4x game that should be pretty cool. But we need you to take a few minutes to fill out a survey. Tell us what you like about other 4x games, as well as what you dislike. The time you spend now on the survey will help make the game better once it comes. Thanks to everyone who decides to help!

The survey is here: http://www.surveyinside.com

herbert_vaucanson
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#2 Post by herbert_vaucanson »

Is "Brainstorming" the correct group for such a post? I would think it is off-topic, and "general discussion" would be better suited...
- Well, what about this: a lot of empty space, colored balls spinning around, the occasional nifty exlosion, and some infestation here and there to give it the "lived in" feel?
- It shouldn't take more than a week... ok, I am in.

KurtGodel7
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#3 Post by KurtGodel7 »

The survey asks people to brainstorm, which is why I put it here.

herbert_vaucanson
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#4 Post by herbert_vaucanson »

I would think we are supposed to brainstorm on FreeOrion. But I might be mistaken...
- Well, what about this: a lot of empty space, colored balls spinning around, the occasional nifty exlosion, and some infestation here and there to give it the "lived in" feel?
- It shouldn't take more than a week... ok, I am in.

noelte
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#5 Post by noelte »

Rant and Rave (or Strategy Games) would be the right place, here Brainstorming means fo-Brainstorming.
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KurtGodel7
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#6 Post by KurtGodel7 »

Well, I don't want to argue about this. I'd much rather talk about 4x games in general, whichever group this thread is in.

But at this point, I'm supposed to be listening to other people's ideas about 4x games rather than sharing my own. In this case, listening means reading through the survey responses.

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Zanzibar
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#7 Post by Zanzibar »

Sorry, but this is seriously off-topic. I'm requesting an admin lock and/or erase this thread. Again, brainstorming is for Free Orion, not for whatever pet project you'd like to be doing.
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#8 Post by Daveybaby »

Or just ask it to be moved instead of deleted/locked.
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KurtGodel7
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#9 Post by KurtGodel7 »

Zanzibar wrote:Sorry, but this is seriously off-topic. I'm requesting an admin lock and/or erase this thread. Again, brainstorming is for Free Orion, not for whatever pet project you'd like to be doing.
Dude, that's seriously anal retentive. You'd think I'd posted a link to kiddie porn or something based on your response. I just want people to brainstorm about ideas for a 4x game. I didn't come here to rant and rave, which is why I didn't post on the rant and rave group. If a mod wants to move this thread there anyway, fine. But asking for it to be deleted is just weird.

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#10 Post by KurtGodel7 »

Just to get this discussion back on track, my reason for making a game is this. You have games out there like MoO1 and MoO2. For me at least, neither can entirely take the place of the other.

But what if the designers of MoO2 had said, "Let's take MoO1, improve its depth and richness, and avoid all Civ influence?" There would be race design, because that's a natural evolution of the race differences that existed in MoO1. The ship design process may or may not have turned out the same way it actually did. But the real difference would be in planetary management. You'd have slider bars instead of those three rows of civ-inspired person icons. There would be no planetary buildings; hence no micromanagement problem. MoO1 did a good job of allowing you to use technology to upgrade your planets across the board, without having to mess around with build queues and so on. So if my only contribution to the world of 4x gaming was to create the MoO 1.5 described in this paragraph, I think it'd be pretty good.

Having said that, I hope to do even better. I know, I know, the MoO3 people hoped to do even better as well, and look where they ended up. But just as not every team is destined to have the success of the MoO1 or MoO2 teams, not every team will mess things up the way the MoO3 team did.

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#11 Post by noelte »

BTW: I would like to know the results of your survey. I hope you won't keep it under the hat. :-)
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#12 Post by pd »

i doubt that many people have taken part on it. i'm sure there are many surveys out there featuring nonrelevant questions, but this one tops them all. most of the stuff isn't even directly related to the topic.

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#13 Post by Tyreth »

It should be in another forum, but not deleted. So I have moved it.

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#14 Post by KurtGodel7 »

pd wrote:i doubt that many people have taken part on it. i'm sure there are many surveys out there featuring nonrelevant questions, but this one tops them all. most of the stuff isn't even directly related to the topic.
Actually, the response level has been pretty good. A lot of people have written intelligent and thoughtful comments. We're grateful to these people.

I realize that to someone without a market research background, the reasons for some of the survey's questions may seem obscure. Basically when you're putting together a survey, you're trying to understand who your customer is, as well as what they want. So you gather a bunch of data by doing a survey, and then you use statistical analysis to ask it questions. With the survey I've designed, I can ask the data questions like, "Does someone who prefers Civ to MoO1 have a different rank for game challenge than someone with the opposite preferences?" Using statistical analysis, it gradually becomes possible to build a picture of your customers; and even categories of customers. Most market researchers find themselves having to do several rounds of surveys; because what they learn from the first survey causes them to want to ask new questions for the second survey.

I think most people would agree that, when going into any new business venture, it's good to know as much about potential customers as possible. A survey is an effective tool for doing that. The more you know about your customers, the happier you can make them, the better you can target your advertising, and the better you can hone the message on your website. As I may have mentioned, this is pretty much a bootstrap effort, so we don't have a huge marketing budget to mask whatever errors we may make.

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#15 Post by Ray K »

KurtGodel7 wrote:But what if the designers of MoO2 had said, "Let's take MoO1, improve its depth and richness, and avoid all Civ influence?" There would be race design, because that's a natural evolution of the race differences that existed in MoO1. The ship design process may or may not have turned out the same way it actually did. But the real difference would be in planetary management. You'd have slider bars instead of those three rows of civ-inspired person icons. There would be no planetary buildings; hence no micromanagement problem. MoO1 did a good job of allowing you to use technology to upgrade your planets across the board, without having to mess around with build queues and so on. So if my only contribution to the world of 4x gaming was to create the MoO 1.5 described in this paragraph, I think it'd be pretty good.
Well, I hope this doesn't rain on your parade or anything, but creating a MOO 1.5 has been sort of a "Holy Grail" for a lot of gamers. A lot of fans talk about writing a game, some actually get a few early screen shots, fewer attract enough people to provide the variety of skills needed to create a complete game, and none have actually finished.

I see FreeOrion as inspired from MOO2 and my Rise From Ruin project as the MOO1.5 game you are talking about. Both projects are in pretty advanced stages and both are going to be free.

So not only are you behind the curve, but you have an even steeper hill to climb if you are going to try and sell your game.

There is a lot of talent on the FO team and I'm no slouch myself, so good luck! :wink:

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