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Gold is one of the softer metals... Seriously though, thanks for the vote of confidence. Knowing that existing customers are happy with the game is reassuring. Steam is a bigger pool of people, and I'm prepared to disappoint some of them. But knowing that I make some subset of the gaming public happy, however niche it may be, is all it takes to make me happy  That, and having a niche big enough to support my continued development of games!
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Nov 17, 2013 18:10
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I think it probably won't be so bad; this is a niche game, everything about it says it's a niche game, so you probably aren't going to get random people just buying it and then complaining on the Steam forums since the only people who are likely to be interested are the kinds of people who would like this game anyway.
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Nov 17, 2013 20:18
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Oh yeah, I forgot to ask earlier - will people who own the game either through Desura or the bundle you were in get an option to cash in for a steam key? I know that some game devs have done so, but I don't know if it's a massive pain in the rear end and/or a massive cut in the profits.
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Nov 17, 2013 20:40
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The Cheshire Cat posted:I think it probably won't be so bad; this is a niche game, everything about it says it's a niche game, so you probably aren't going to get random people just buying it and then complaining on the Steam forums since the only people who are likely to be interested are the kinds of people who would like this game anyway. Yeah, I think you're right. The screenshots make it pretty clear you're not getting a third-person shooter nor cinematic experience. Plus, the home-grown graphics should be another clear sign Sputnik posted:will people who own the game either through Desura or the bundle you were in get an option to cash in for a steam key? Yes, if I can figure out a way. I've been working on a web form for current customers to request a Steam key, and it should be available to anyone who bought via bluebottlegames.com, Desura, or Be Mine 5 (which includes a Desura key). In fact, I even think IndieGameStand.com's version comes with a Desura key, so that should work, too. In practice, it probably cuts into profits a bit. But the trade-off is exposure and customer good will, which are both worth it.
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Nov 18, 2013 00:22
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It's official! NEO Scavenger is live on Steam Early Access! Woohoo! Thanks for all your help and encouragement, guys! Also, if you want to claim your Steam keys, that functionality should be live now on the Beta page. (Near the bottom right.) Desura users are eligible, too. They just need to Connect their account to bluebottlegames.com first.
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Dec 6, 2013 02:21
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 I haven't played in a while, now seems like a good time to get back in!
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Dec 6, 2013 03:17
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Oh my. This will clog my gaming time once again.
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Dec 6, 2013 18:53
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Congratulations! Happy to hear that! 
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Dec 6, 2013 19:08
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Congrats, dude! Now invent more things that kill us 
Tin Tim fucked around with this message at 19:23 on Dec 6, 2013 |
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Dec 6, 2013 19:20
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Tin Tim posted:Congrats, dude! Now invent more things that kill us Lol. Coincidentally, I was amused (and excited!) to see that a player finally discovered one of my earliest inventions! (Mild spoiler within) http://bluebottlegames.com/main/node/2183
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Dec 7, 2013 02:02
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When you're making content for the game, are you setting it up so that a player could (potentially) see everything in one run (not counting things that are mutually exclusive paths anyway, I mean on a broader encounter level), or is it set up so there's a bit of randomness in whether or not certain events/areas can occur at all? Given the Roguelike nature of the game, it might be kind of neat to set it up so that it's possible to just not encounter a bunch of stuff in one play, so that players starting a new game can potentially see things they've never seen before. On the other hand, that means more work for you to design content that not everyone might see. I guess it depends on how quickly you're able to design and implement the encounters. The thought just occurred to me because of the post you linked - I had no idea that was in the game, and it's always neat hearing about stuff from other players that I've never seen before. It's the kind of thing that makes me want to pick up a game months after I've finished it and give it another go.
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Dec 7, 2013 03:21
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The Cheshire Cat posted:I had no idea that was in the game, and it's always neat hearing about stuff from other players that I've never seen before. It's the kind of thing that makes me want to pick up a game months after I've finished it and give it another go. There is a bit of randomness, and what you said above is exactly why Cameron had the idea for making a few of the encounters into a mutually exclusive trio, where only one of the three was "active" each game. Each location could still be visited in each game, of course, but which one had more activity changed randomly each new game. In practice, I think folks seem to be of two minds on this feature. Some really like it, for the reasons you state. Others see it as a bug (e.g. "hey, this guy didn't appear this time. Normally he does.") I'm still partial to keeping it the way it is, so players can be rewarded for sharing stories and replaying the game. I just hope to find ways to reduce the chances of it appearing to be buggy behavior.
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Dec 7, 2013 18:31
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BlueBottleGames posted:I'm still partial to keeping it the way it is, so players can be rewarded for sharing stories and replaying the game. I just hope to find ways to reduce the chances of it appearing to be buggy behavior. I'd suggest you add in "missed it" events- events that imply something or someone WAS there, but they're gone. That does both sides: it informs the player that there's a reason they're gone (something about being too late, or whatever) rather than a bug, and also informs that there IS extra content. Adding in exclusive content runs the risk of meaning nothing if the player doesn't know it's there, after all. They don't have to be big or complex, just a short blurb is more than enough.
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Dec 7, 2013 18:52
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Woo, Steam keys for NEO Scavenger! One less reason to use Desura thank God.
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Dec 7, 2013 20:14
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BlueBottleGames posted:Lol. Coincidentally, I was amused (and excited!) to see that a player finally discovered one of my earliest inventions! I remember finding that once! But I didn't put it on and the spirit killed me. I was never able to find it again, always too scared of dying 
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Dec 7, 2013 23:51
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BlondRobin posted:I'd suggest you add in "missed it" events- events that imply something or someone WAS there, but they're gone. That's true, I'll have to see if there are some clever ways to work that messaging in there. And Cthulhuite, I think fear is the intelligent response in that house. All signs point to "nope"
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Dec 8, 2013 19:31
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I've been playing this a bit, and wow, it's tough! I didn't see any obvious way to file bug reports, so I guess I'll do it here, since you're active. * hitting the ESC button to back out of a fullscreen info pane takes you back to the menu, but it also disables fullscreen and resets the resolution. It's kind of annoying! * The new "Free sleeping bag in the car" encounter can happen at odd times - like in the middle of combat, or on a empty field middle-of-nowhere tile. Might want to fix that! Maybe fix it by giving the player a free extra-crappy sleeping bag one that crumbles to dust in 2 days, in the parking lot of the cryo facility, instead of a forced encounter? After restarting a few times, the "random" encounter seems anything but. * The start of this game is really, really tough. Games are won/lost within the first 24 hours by whether you can find a sleeping bag and a backpack (or something that goes in that slot, like a trash bag), or a sled to haul stuff around? Anything but "Well, I don't even have pockets, I can't forage without dropping this multitool!" * I understand the discovery aspect of crafting is important but basic recipes should be listed, especially if I took a related perk. I took medic but couldn't figure out to use my free clean rags to bind/heal my wounds. Having to boil the water and prepare a campfire, all things you do in the first day, are non-obvious as well. * No obvious way to tell which weapon is better than another. Is the butt of this gun, this multi-tool, or a glass shiv more effective? I suppose it depends on the length of this multi-tool blade and how big the pistol is. If straight numbers go against the spirit of the game, maybe look at something else? All I know is it took about 10 "grazing" shots to the head and chest with the multi-tool blade, while vulnerable and prone, to finish someone off. I sort of wonder if I was really attacking him with the nail file part. All in all, a really fun game that I'm definitely going to sink more hours into. Bhodi fucked around with this message at 21:12 on Dec 8, 2013 |
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Dec 8, 2013 20:07
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Sounds like the early game would be improved if you could make a bindle out your hospital gown and a stick.
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Dec 8, 2013 20:56
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Bhodi posted:* The start of this game is really, really tough. Games are won/lost within the first 24 hours by whether you can find a sleeping bag and a backpack (or something that goes in that slot, like a trash bag), or a sled to haul stuff around? Anything but "Well, I don't even have pockets, I can't forage without dropping this multitool!" There's a random event that sometimes triggers which will give you a sleeping bag, but its a crapshoot whether you get it before freezing to death. I honestly find hypothermia kills 90% of my runs before the first day is up.
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Dec 8, 2013 22:05
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I bought this game last night after seeing it linked in the Unreal World thread. It is definitely worth $10. I have a hard time not picking the same few skills every time though.
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Dec 10, 2013 00:23
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I find that recent builds are a lot more brutal than the ones from a few month ago, I usually die from dehydration within the first couple of days, that is if the cold doesn't get me within the first day.
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Dec 10, 2013 10:59
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Bhodi posted:I've been playing this a bit, and wow, it's tough! I didn't see any obvious way to file bug reports, so I guess I'll do it here, since you're active. Glad to hear you're enjoying it! Even if it does beat you down occasionally. I often swing by here, so there's a good chance I'll see comments at SA. I usually haunt the Official Forums and now Steam Forums, too. Bhodi posted:* hitting the ESC button to back out of a fullscreen info pane takes you back to the menu, but it also disables fullscreen and resets the resolution. It's kind of annoying! Yeah, this is actually a shortcoming in Flash. Escape is hard-wired to exit full-screen in Flash, for security reasons (so spammers can't take over desktop). Resetting resolution is my fault, though. I was worried that the user might get stuck if the game res was higher than the window res (e.g. res buttons stuck off-screen), so I auto-downsize the res when window dimensions change. However, I've defaulted the F1 key to go to the main menu for this reason. Using F1 should allow you to access the main menu without leaving fullscreen or changing res. Does that work? Bhodi posted:The new "Free sleeping bag in the car" encounter can happen at odd times - like in the middle of combat, or on a empty field middle-of-nowhere tile. Might want to fix that! Maybe fix it by giving the player a free extra-crappy sleeping bag one that crumbles to dust in 2 days, in the parking lot of the cryo facility, instead of a forced encounter? After restarting a few times, the "random" encounter seems anything but. I'll have to look into this. It shouldn't be interrupting combat. As Beef Express says, it gets triggered when the player is severely hypothermic within the first 24 hours, as a sort of olive branch for really harsh starting weather. It should reliably trigger under those conditions, and that might be why it occurs during combat. Bhodi posted:I understand the discovery aspect of crafting is important but basic recipes should be listed, especially if I took a related perk. I took medic but couldn't figure out to use my free clean rags to bind/heal my wounds. Having to boil the water and prepare a campfire, all things you do in the first day, are non-obvious as well. I've got that on my wishlist, somewhere Bhodi posted:* No obvious way to tell which weapon is better than another. Is the butt of this gun, this multi-tool, or a glass shiv more effective? Which one is more effective in real life? How would you determine which to use in a fight? It's true that I'm trying to avoid UI stat analysis like one often finds in RPGs. My hope is that after a couple of fights, it becomes clearer which weapons are more likely to produce the desired results. It depends a lot on character skills, and those of the target, too, though. (E.g. melee, strong, tough have big effects on weapon effectiveness) Nomikos posted:Sounds like the early game would be improved if you could make a bindle out your hospital gown and a stick. A bindle! That's what they're called! I had "hobo sack on a stick" on my wishlist of future items, and now I can give it the proper terminology
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Dec 10, 2013 17:47
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This game is pretty cool. I spent a few hours playing it last night. One thing that annoys me is that enemies constantly retreat from combat and then immediately re-engage me, which makes fights take very long. I managed to beat my first bandit in a battle of fists though and he surrendered to me, netting me a sweet backpack. Hell yeah!!!! This was of course after I died 3 or 4 times fighting bandits, but that makes it feel that much sweeter.
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Dec 11, 2013 05:12
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Since this has been placed on Steam it's returned to being my "Got 15 minutes to kill? Lets X" game. I'm having the best run I have had yet. I somehow managed to survive for a week without a backpack or lighter. Highlights include scaring off 4 looters with my crowbar. Having said looters follow me and steal my sled with all my stuff. Getting into a fight with a deer which I chased forever and crowbared to death  . Ate it's meat raw which kept me alive for much longer. I think I didn't get a ton of infections because at the start I found 10 pills that boost immune system so I've been drinking from every water source and eating meats raw. Eventually I made it to the city junk market where I bought a lighter. Then ventured out again to see if I could find a drat backpack to no avail. Just tried to sleep when a dogman woke me up. Sucks for him cause I beat him to death and now I'm slowly eating what remains of him, cooked this time.I really like the changes you've made to the game from 3-4 months ago and beyond. Random events are neat. Better combat I feel. I'm not instantly dying to silly things as often. Definitely having fun with it. Edit: Went out in a blaze of glory, butchering 3 bandits with a meat cleaver before it broke and the 4th man killed me.
Age of the Atomic Mom fucked around with this message at 01:20 on Jan 22, 2014 |
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Jan 22, 2014 00:50
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Dang, this game definitely got way more brutal for early round characters than it used to be. Little hard to get anywhere before you die of hypothermia.
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Jan 22, 2014 04:11
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I just bought this game on steam, and so far I've put in a good 20 hours over the past 3 days, definitely one of my favourite games of the past year. I want to thank Dan for making it, since I see he posts here.
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Jan 22, 2014 05:41
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This much developer interaction coupled with quick updates and transparency is giving me the biggest loving hard-on. Hope this game sends you to financial freedom-land. Props to you gentlemen.
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Jan 22, 2014 07:59
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Party Plane Jones posted:Dang, this game definitely got way more brutal for early round characters than it used to be. Little hard to get anywhere before you die of hypothermia. Sometimes you have an unlucky start and are just about screwed from the beginning. It can be easier if you have the right skillset and set out with a specific plan in mind for becoming self-sufficient. Woodsy survivalist characters can beeline for some ruins, scrounge up a few glass shards, rags, and bits of string and twine, and run to the woods to kill up some squirrels and/or craft a bow and a few arrows, which can make hunting way easier. I think there's a recipe for starting fire without a lighter, too, which could probably help quite a bit; filling a shopping bag with quality torches (stick+rag+twigs) is a decent way to carry the awesome power of fire around with you until you finally find a lighter. I personally prefer making a Violent Ogre with Strong, Melee, and Trapping, using the Strong+Melee option to kill the Dogman at the start, rushing to a nearby ruin to find a shard, rushing back, and skinning the dogman with the Trapping skill. This nets you a shitpile of meat to cook if you can find a way to make fire, and it also gives you a totally loving sweet dogman fur coat which keeps you warm and looks badass to boot. Take Tough and Athletic as well (with a disability to open the fifth slot) and this is a great way to start a Wasteland Viking game. e: Oh poo poo, looks like there are shards right in the cryo facility now. That makes things a bit easier. Angry Diplomat fucked around with this message at 15:18 on Jan 22, 2014 |
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Jan 22, 2014 15:06
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It seems like the 'You randomly find a sleeping bag in a car' event happens really consistently now if you are getting to cold during the first day. I've never died of hunger/thirst/cold. It's always been a combat gone wrong. My favorite build is Metabolism-Insomniac for penalties, since both of these are trivial and have a decent upside to them, then I take tough,strong,medic,botany,melee,ranged. Botany lets you find and identify berries and mushrooms in nearly every hex (and berries hydrate you, so you don't need to worry about cholera) medic gives you the early medical kit, and lets you treat wounds better. The rest makes you a combat powerhouse - you have enough resources leaving the cryo facility that you can make your way to the nearest forest, and craft yourself a broad spear - it's the best melee weapon I've found and lets you make short work of everything not carrying a gun.
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Jan 22, 2014 15:49
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Thanks guys! Yeah, the game has been changing pretty steadily, so if your last foray was months ago, there might be some surprises @THE PWNER, enemies re-engaging is something I'll have to watch. In theory, there should only be slight variations on their courage each turn, so they should be more consistent. However, if they're on the edge, this might cause fluctuations. The upcoming non-hostile feature might affect this, too. @Party Plane Jones, the early game can definitely be brutal, but as The Lord Bude says, there should be at least one safety net for hypothermia. I added this to mitigate early games where the RNG conspires to combine cold weather and poor loot. @Pr0phecy, thanks! I hope so, too. So far, launching on Steam seems like it'll keep the repo man at bay for a while. It'll be nice to have some breathing room for a change
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Jan 22, 2014 17:00
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If what's been going on with enemies constantly re-engaging is that their morale number keeps bouncing around the fight/flight threshold, a way that I've seen other games get around similar things is to apply a bonus penalty to morale when they fall through the threshold, so they are guaranteed to spend a while demoralized. Also, I bought the game in the Groupees bundle a while back. Are you giving Steam keys to people who bought it there?
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Jan 22, 2014 17:34
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Angry Diplomat posted:
Ahahaha, I had no idea you could use them both at once for a flawless result (and the description is pretty great  ). Are there any other encounters that let you combine two or more skills?
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Jan 22, 2014 18:28
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Thompsons posted:Ahahaha, I had no idea you could use them both at once for a flawless result (and the description is pretty great I don't know, but I do know you should keep that security tape on you, because it can be used in a later storyline encounter for a pretty humorous scene and a shortcut past one of the more annoying missions. e: also you get it back after using it and I think it's worth like fifty bucks for some reason, so once you've gotten that scene, you can go sell your homemade action movie for some booze money. Angry Diplomat fucked around with this message at 18:36 on Jan 22, 2014 |
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Jan 22, 2014 18:34
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People get absolutely absurdly intimidated if you are wearing a dogman pelt. The only times I've actually died are to raiders with guns.
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Jan 22, 2014 22:16
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I bought this game yesterday after the thread got bumped and I'd been eyeing it for a while. I had no idea the dev was a goon What's the range I have to make to end a combat encounter? I died yesterday because a combat encounter wasn't ending after I made almost 200 units distance between me and two raiders, when my guy passed out from exhaustion. Also it seemed like as soon as I killed one bandit, another was on the way toward me. I guess I shouldn't greet the first one with a headbutt to keep this from happening?
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Jan 23, 2014 01:30
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You should always greet everyone with a headbutt. It is a really good move and it's also hilarious to run up to a deer and headbutt it in the chest so hard that it dies. Fleeing isn't done solely by gaining distance. There is a specific "run the gently caress away" command that can end the fight if you're far enough out. If you're outnumbered and not athletic it can be a bitch to escape, so you may have better luck trying to intimidate or even surrendering.
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Jan 23, 2014 02:18
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Party Plane Jones posted:People get absolutely absurdly intimidated if you are wearing a dogman pelt. The only times I've actually died are to raiders with guns. Makes sense really. It's like "You know those monsters that can take several bullets to the chest without slowing down and tear you in half with one swipe of their claws? I'm wearing one." Certainly more intimidating than a coat made of squirrel pelts.
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Jan 23, 2014 08:21
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I always feel sad killing those poor melonheads, but hey, one of them might be carrying something that's not worthless. 
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Jan 23, 2014 09:07
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The Cheshire Cat posted:Makes sense really. It's like "You know those monsters that can take several bullets to the chest without slowing down and tear you in half with one swipe of their claws? I'm wearing one." I've killed 3 so far. You can take them out really easily with a broad spear, on two of them I wasn't injured, the third caught me asleep.
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Jan 23, 2014 09:58
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Kevin DuBrow posted:I always feel sad killing those poor melonheads, but hey, one of them might be carrying something that's not worthless. I don't. Those fuckers multiply. I think it got toned down a little, but I remember back when you'd meet like three of them and they'd all start screaming and summon more melonheads that all started screaming and so forth ad infinitum until there was a giant game-lagging horde of eternally screaming melonheads that were too afraid to fight you but too stupid to stop chasing you across the map so you'd ultimately be destroyed by a recursive melonhead singularity that broke the world under its weight. Melonheads 
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Jan 23, 2014 12:26
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