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Is it dead?
Shadin
Member CommonPosts: 294
Well, I was.. still am somewhat.. looking forward to the release of this game..
However, the lack of news, information and foremost Simu not even changing the release date (even if a proper isn't posted) from 2007 quite makes me wonder. Perhaps they're working so much on their engine, perhaps they're working so much on HJ - I don't know.
What I do know is that I almost feel this is becoming another Darkfall Online, and I'm not so sure this game will be released any longer - even though I hope it will. A few updates, maybe once a month like Most companies do, can make a large difference.. But lately, the only recent news is from early october and then it's about dev applications open (not very promising), and some screens are posted in august 8th - quite some while ago in other words. Not to mention that the newsitem from before that is from May..!
Still it says in the FAQ:
Q. When will Hero's Journey be released?
A. It is slated for a 2007 release. However, play testing will ultimately determine when HJ is ready to go.
though nothing of how playtesting is going or release - be it on scheduale or pushed back - has been mentioned.
I still have what I feel is a somewhat naive hope for this game, since it looks so damn good, but right now the only thing I can think of is a quote or two from Boondock saints, but about the Hero Engine and not a cat.
"I can't believe that just fucking happened!" - "Is it dead?"
.. Is it?
Comments
It seems like they just Shifted all their attention towards perfecting their engine for the gaming market, instead of finishing the game.
I know they keep saying that isnt the case, but it has been well over 6months without an update, and the only recent simu news is another sale of the engine to zenimax.
Quotations Those Who make peaceful resolutions impossible, make violent resolutions inevitable. John F. Kennedy
Life... is the shit that happens while you wait for moments that never come - Lester Freeman
Lie to no one. If there 's somebody close to you, you'll ruin it with a lie. If they're a stranger, who the fuck are they you gotta lie to them? - Willy Nelson
I've been scouring the Internet for any news and life about the game. The last I heard, since the success of the Hero Engine it has pushed development back nearly a year. However, it has doubled their funding for the Hero Journey project itself and they are in the process of moving their development headquarters and hiring twice the staff they have now.
This, however, was a few months ago so I suspect this summer to have some sort of news after they get settled back in. The beauty of it all is they continue to develop the engine, which means the games graphics, looks, and feel continue to be updated as well. The latest video is on tentonhammer, which is simply a video camera filming some active gameplay at GDC 2007, which was March 5th - March 9th.
http://www.tentonhammer.com/index.php?q=node/636
There's the vid. BUT WE NEED MORE INFOZ!!
Well, I guess the good news is that with more funding, they will be able to hire more volunteers, right?
No, they would be able to hire more on-site staff. That's different from the off-site volunteer GMs.
No it is not dead ...
________________________________________________________
Sorcery must persist, the future is the Citadel
Ive been following this game and all its changes since 99 ... It will launch and will gobble up a good portion of MMO community quietly at 1st but it will be a contender..
It's certainly not dead. Just because a friend stops talking to you during a particularly hard boss fight in a game, do you think he/she has become deaf? Developing a game is a really long boss fight and Simu is doing the best they can to beat it with all the finesse possible. What they are lacking is a mind reading translator.
It's not dead. Something has to be alive before it can be dead. Otherwise it's just non-living. I would say that sums up a game that has been in production for this long with no beta, no release date, and a marketing department that has gone dark. Non-living.
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
You got yourself some real confused metaphors there. It's been in production but it's never been alive? Huh? The reason you're upset is because you want the game to come out as badly as anybody else, it's obvious. It's why you're one of the most frequent regulars on the HJ MMORPG forums. I don't know how you can say the game is dead, when GMs routinely make appearances on this site to state the opposite. Are they just lying for fun? I don't get it. The game is being worked on as we speak. The only real issue is that it isn't already out so I can play it.
Because I don't accept what they say at face value? Because I look at facts that others find inconvenient ?
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
Simu has already made a good amount of money by leasing the engine to other companies. They became focused on the engine when they realized they had an incredible product that caused a demand.
They're in a transition period now. Have they handled things poorly? Yes. I don't remember where I read it, but it was said they were moving to a new office and hiring twice the amount of on-site staff to continue work on the game.
Any game that seems past due in development and doesn't make many announcements as to its progress is... well.... this just doesn't bode well to me.
There are a lot of "aren't-to-be" titles that fit this pattern, so it makes me wonder.
You didn't answer my question, but let me rephrase. WHY would the official representatives lie about working on a game that was dead? Now, really think about this, because I'm going to point out another FACT that you should be aware of. They are VOLUNTEERS. So, to spell it out, why would unpaid workers lie about working on a game that you think isn't being worked on? They would have no reason to. If nobody was working on the game, don't you think one of those unpaid volunteers would quit, or the info would leak out? Seriously, think about it.Because I don't accept what they say at face value? Because I look at facts that others find inconvenient ?
And what are these "inconvenient" facts you're aware of that prove the game is dead?
Just so we're clear, because in your previous posts you seem confused about the definition. "Dead" means no longer being worked on. A game isn't dead because there has been no press releases for a while, which is what you seem to think the definition is.
I often get the impression that the volunteers are about as informed as the general community.
That's not to say it's dead, but that there's not much reason for a volunteer to quit when they aren't really doing any work right now. If i were a volunteer, I'd check in with Simu periodically to maintain my volunteer status, and hope that someday it amounts to something.
Or I could be wrong.. meh. Hope I am.
My theorycrafted state of the game:
Simu has a very ambitious game in mind, especially for a smaliish company. I think they ran into some conceptual / developmental roadblocks that were core to HJ. In addition to the Hero Engine gaining a lot of traction within the industry (licensing), it only makes sense for them to shift their focus onto their immediate cash cow (Hero Engine).
Simply by developing and testing their own engine, Simu can still be developing HJ. LIke testing and refining the terrain building features of Hero Engine, while they build a Hero's Journey mountain range.
That kind of split focus isn't ideal for game development though. And until a finished HJ product becomes a larger priority, the silence is deafening.
I think you're misunderstanding something somewhere.
Although we volunteer our time, we are required to put in a certain amount of work each week. I don't know why you think nothing is being done, the game is, and has been actively worked on.
There is a lot we know, but can't tell you as we're under NDA. The game is coming along. We all understand that the silence is hard to deal with, but until someone on-site releases the information, we have to stay silent.
I'm inclined to believe you if for no other reason than your steady presence at Hero's Hall. And yes, I understand you're under an NDA, but perhaps you can give us some insight on the core issue.
Why did they completely stop releasing new HJ information?
Concept art, screenshots, gameplay teasers. Hell, I'll even take a dev diary.
I understand it must be frustrating for you to have these frequent concerns pop up. But from the outside looking in, we don't have anything to go on other than the occasional volunteer saying that everything is fine. If you take into account the regular hype and vapor of the MMO industry, it doesn't feel like HJ is happening anytime soon.
Cynical, I know. I'm just tired of waiting
And when you cant find facts you make up innuendo.
Perhaps you could provide a link to an article stating the game has been cancelled? Didn't think so.
Oops - bad editing on the quoting
And when you cant find facts you make up innuendo.
Perhaps you could provide a link to an article stating the game has been cancelled? Didn't think so.
Hey, I didn't say that!
I know it's frustrating. I want to play HJ as much as anyone. What I will tell you is that the game is coming along faster than I expected. Big parts of the game are being finalized and we're moving steadily forward. Dang this vague PR-speak, but it's true.
HJ-Naught
Content Writing GM
www.play.net/hj
You didn't answer my question, but let me rephrase. WHY would the official representatives lie about working on a game that was dead? Now, really think about this, because I'm going to point out another FACT that you should be aware of. They are VOLUNTEERS. So, to spell it out, why would unpaid workers lie about working on a game that you think isn't being worked on? They would have no reason to. If nobody was working on the game, don't you think one of those unpaid volunteers would quit, or the info would leak out? Seriously, think about it.Because I don't accept what they say at face value? Because I look at facts that others find inconvenient ?
And what are these "inconvenient" facts you're aware of that prove the game is dead?
Just so we're clear, because in your previous posts you seem confused about the definition. "Dead" means no longer being worked on. A game isn't dead because there has been no press releases for a while, which is what you seem to think the definition is.
Well to be fair there have been numerous MMOs that went under but the devs repeatedly said the game is doing well and development is going well. Gods & Heroes is one example. Heck, even Sigil said Vanguard is doing fine when it launched.Why would officials lie or twist the truth? Because they don't want to ruin the game if it has a chance to launch. I suppose every game has a "chance." But let's face it, in reality either a game is being financed and worked on at full speed or it is dying.
As for volunteers, you think they don't have a vested interest in the game? If the game launches and their work stands out, they have an opportunity to get into the gaming industry. They wouldn't sabotage the very door they are trying to enter and will say whatever they are told to say or not say.
But the facts are, HJ has been in development way too long. It's worked on by volunteers which is a terrible way to build your product. And Simu has a track record of taking forever (sometimes never) in development of their other games.
I suppose I still have hope HJ will launch but it's a very small hope at this time. And yeah, I'm still hoping on Duke Nukem Forever...
I think that Simu got in over their heads with HJ and aren't willing to admit that they got in over their heads. Silence is better than admitting mistakes I guess. Why else would they suddenly go quiet when they halted work on the game and focused all of their resources on the game engine so they could license it? If they had been honest with us about that instead of keeping us in the dark then it probably would have made them look like they weren't prepared for this project. So they just told us nothing for several months and hoped that we wouldn't lose interest in the game.
Personally that's not the way I think a company should do business. I think they should be honest with their potential customers about any delays, hiccups etc. I'd have much more respect for a company that it honest with it's customers than one that hides things from them.
It's obvious that having your entire staff work on the game or the engine or whatever it is they're working on at the moment, isn't going to get the game finished and launched any time soon so why not take one person off the project just one day per month and have that person work on updating the website, so at the very least, what little info you do post there is accurate. There's no reason for that F.A.Q. to be out dated. Stuff like that makes a company look unprofessional and gives a bad impression to potential customers. If you think that all you need to do is make a good game to attract and keep customers then you're dead wrong. Customer service and public relations are just as important and those things start long before the game launches. If you neglect those aspects of business(and Simu certainly has) then you're setting yourself up for failure.
Again, I think that Simu got in over their heads with a lack of financing at the start and even now a lack of full time, on site staff. If you only have enough people to focus on one thing then you're not going to be successful. But keeping quiet about your problems and hoping that customers will forget about them is even worse. It may be a cliche but honesty really is the best policy and Simu hasn't been honest with their customers.
Unpaid volunteers don't work forever. There have been volunteers that have moved on after working on HJ. If the game was dying, don't you think that you would've heard something about it? Doesn't the fact that there has been absolutely nothing like that leaked mean anything? A volunteer can use their time at HJ on a resume, whether or not the game is released.
HJ has a full-time on-site staff. It's not a big company with a big PR firm, but who cares? Yes, the faq is outdated. Does that mean anything? Well, according to you it does, but to me it just means that they have a smaller team than most giant budgeted companies, and are prioritizing.
You go from saying that you think Simu got in over their heads (with no evidence aside from a lack of PR), and then you end with, "But keeping quiet about your problems and hoping that customers will forget about them is even worse. It may be a cliche but honesty really is the best policy and Simu hasn't been honest with their customers." Woah, there. Where did that come from? What are these problems, and when has Simu ever been dishonest with its customers (regarding HJ)? Are you referring to tentative release dates? Is missing one, lying? I'm confused how you came to this conclusion.
Unpaid volunteers don't work forever. There have been volunteers that have moved on after working on HJ. If the game was dying, don't you think that you would've heard something about it? Doesn't the fact that there has been absolutely nothing like that leaked mean anything? A volunteer can use their time at HJ on a resume, whether or not the game is released.
HJ has a full-time on-site staff. It's not a big company with a big PR firm, but who cares? Yes, the faq is outdated. Does that mean anything? Well, according to you it does, but to me it just means that they have a smaller team than most giant budgeted companies, and are prioritizing.
You go from saying that you think Simu got in over their heads (with no evidence aside from a lack of PR), and then you end with, "But keeping quiet about your problems and hoping that customers will forget about them is even worse. It may be a cliche but honesty really is the best policy and Simu hasn't been honest with their customers." Woah, there. Where did that come from? What are these problems, and when has Simu ever been dishonest with its customers (regarding HJ)? Are you referring to tentative release dates? Is missing one, lying? I'm confused how you came to this conclusion.
I love the ironic outrage.Simu hasn't been honest with their customers!
Of course, they have no Hero's Journey customers, since the game hasn't been released and nobody has, in fact, paid a dime for it.
People are just impatient and silly.
Agent_X7 AKA J Star
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Notice: The views expressed in this post are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of MMORPG.com or its management.
Well said. Lol
What I find amazing about a large percentage of gamers is that illusionary concept they have on what there entitled to.
Bottom line, were not entitled to anything, and no matter how much you whine, cry, flame, etc you still have nothing.
So ask yourself, did I spend my time wisely? Once its gone you never get it back.
Well said. Lol
What I find amazing about a large percentage of gamers is that illusionary concept they have on what there entitled to.
Bottom line, were not entitled to anything, and no matter how much you whine, cry, flame, etc you still have nothing.
So ask yourself, did I spend my time wisely? Once its gone you never get it back.
Actually, I think most people complaining here are not outraged. I'm just making observations and making opinions based on what's been presented. No one believes they are entitled to anything.I think your comments made you feel like you made some extraordinary insight on the thread. But the truth is, most if not all of us are bored and since there's a topic of interest to discuss, we add our opinions. Nothing more. We can discuss the faults of Simu without having to think more into the conversation.
What I find amazing about a large percentage of gamers is that illusionary concept that they have these great insights and clever thoughts (let's see if you can find the irony in that).