Has any work started on the expansion yet?

[MoldyCheese]

Since the game is pretty much at an alpha state, I was wondering if any of the dev assets had started working on the expansion yet? Or, is it being developed at the same time as the main game? Just curious if the expansions development will immediately follow the main game or if devs are being moved to other projects(unrevealed/recently revealed) with a break in between.

 

For those of you thinking that this may be a bit premature, it's not like the writers have nearly as much to do once the game hits an alpha state. Which is why I ask. Also, creature and class designers and concept artists may start running out of work at these stages.

 

Really enjoying all of the content that you guys have shown so far.

 

 

[Boox]

I think that Feargus mentioned in one of the Rock Paper Shotgun articles that the writers are currently working on the companions. Plus, isn't the PoE team pretty small? For example, isn't Josh responsible for class and system designs and project lead-y/director-y stuff? He seems to be busy on fine-tuning the mechanics, the spell system and a whole bunch of stuff. I think most team members wear many hats and they are all probably still too busy on the main game and haven't started any real work on the expansion yet. This is just conjecture on my part, though.

Edited March 21, 2014 by Boox

[Chaos Theory]

I think they have all been reassigned to...  Tanks.

 

It's a natural segue.

Edited March 21, 2014 by Chaos Theory

[Hassat Hunter]

I'm safe to say, NO.

 

It's a bit hard to work on an expansion when the base game isn't even set, you're just bound to have to re-do everything again. So why go to that trouble?

[rjshae]

Hopefully, they are at least contemplating what to do with the expansion... and where to take the story.

[MoldyCheese]

I'm safe to say, NO.

 

It's a bit hard to work on an expansion when the base game isn't even set, you're just bound to have to re-do everything again. So why go to that trouble?

 

So you figure that they have plenty of writing to do once the game has hit alpha....? They have to have had the writing done pre-alpha, at the very least, the plot. It only makes sense that they would have carried on to the expansion. Unless they're busier with other things. Like...tanks...

 

Hopefully, they are at least contemplating what to do with the expansion... and where to take the story.

 

This is what I'm hoping as well. And, I'm really curious as to what the timeframe will be like between the initial games release and the expansions release. 6 months? a year?

 

Just wondering.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

It depends. The expansion for BG1 apparently includes a lot of cut content, so perhaps the PoE expansion will contain some of that.

 

It's safe to assume they have a general idea of the expansion's contents.

[Hassat Hunter]

Not really.

It's not even Alpha yet, things can change. Not even from a plot point, even from a technical point.

You may have the idea the final villain does all kind of cool stuff, and want to build the expansion story on that, find out the engine doesn't support it, and what are you left with... having to re-develop the expansion story *for no good reason*

You can write a whole plot around X, then it's deemed detremental to the game and is just from the base game. Suddenly you got this whole plotline which expects you to know stuff which you can't possibly known, and not only the effort spend on X in the base game is gone, but also for the expansion.

 

And that's just a few quick examples I can think off...

[MoldyCheese]

Not really.

It's not even Alpha yet, things can change. Not even from a plot point, even from a technical point.

You may have the idea the final villain does all kind of cool stuff, and want to build the expansion story on that, find out the engine doesn't support it, and what are you left with... having to re-develop the expansion story *for no good reason*

You can write a whole plot around X, then it's deemed detremental to the game and is just from the base game. Suddenly you got this whole plotline which expects you to know stuff which you can't possibly known, and not only the effort spend on X in the base game is gone, but also for the expansion.

 

And that's just a few quick examples I can think off...

 

If they picked an engine that can't  support an IE style games plot, then Obsidian should be bludgeoned to death for their incompetence. Same goes with them re-writing the central plot at this stage in the game. It's supposed to be released by the end of the year. I've only been playing games and watching their development for 25 years or so...but I'm pretty sure that's not how this works. Writers are always the first to leave the project and move on to other projects. I just wanna know if that project is the expansion, or tanks... Granted, the leads (Josh included) are in a bit of a different situation, given that they are managing the project and helping with the implementation by the programmers, etc. But they have already said that they had writers under them for the sub-quests and didn't write the whole thing or all of the dialogue themselves.

[BruceVC]

 

Not really.

It's not even Alpha yet, things can change. Not even from a plot point, even from a technical point.

You may have the idea the final villain does all kind of cool stuff, and want to build the expansion story on that, find out the engine doesn't support it, and what are you left with... having to re-develop the expansion story *for no good reason*

You can write a whole plot around X, then it's deemed detremental to the game and is just from the base game. Suddenly you got this whole plotline which expects you to know stuff which you can't possibly known, and not only the effort spend on X in the base game is gone, but also for the expansion.

 

And that's just a few quick examples I can think off...

 

If they picked an engine that can't  support an IE style games plot, then Obsidian should be bludgeoned to death for their incompetence. Same goes with them re-writing the central plot at this stage in the game. It's supposed to be released by the end of the year. I've only been playing games and watching their development for 25 years or so...but I'm pretty sure that's not how this works. Writers are always the first to leave the project and move on to other projects. I just wanna know if that project is the expansion, or tanks... Granted, the leads (Josh included) are in a bit of a different situation, given that they are managing the project and helping with the implementation by the programmers, etc. But they have already said that they had writers under them for the sub-quests and didn't write the whole thing or all of the dialogue themselves.

 

 

What you saying makes sense to me

[rjshae]

If they picked an engine that can't  support an IE style games plot, then Obsidian should be bludgeoned to death for their incompetence.

 

Some posters should be flayed into a throbbing mass of pain with a burning strip of barbed wire, then boiled in molten sulfur for their hyperbole.

[Hassat Hunter]

Even stuff got cut or took way too long on IWD/IWD2 due to engine not allowing people to do what they wanted. That wasn't even an "IE-kind engine", that was bloody IE *itself*

This is Unity, to make it IE-like, they need to do a lot of modifications. And sometimes one may run to limitations. Or alterations that take more effort to work around then they're worth.

 

The only way to make it true IE-engine would be to use... IE. But I doubt that's feasible or desirable. And even that will probably have limitations on what they have now impleted, and thus couldn't do on real IE.

 

But feel free to point me and Obisidan to the perfect IE Next Generation engine that apparently is around for the taking, but we are too stupid to grasp with both hands... :/

 

EDIT:

Or, maybe, to use another example... think if they made an expansion on KOTOR2 which was pretty much based around the HK-Factory. Now, they had to cut it out of the main game due to time restrains.

So this expansion would have to be rewritten entirely.

 

And it doesn't even have to do with engine limitations even.

 

What is written in a book, script, whatever may not be appropriate in actual use. Be it movie, game.

Are you going, if a passage from a book is altered to make it better on the screen, also go out complaining "well, if they couldn't make the scene exactly as in the book, they should have hired a better director!" ???

Edited March 21, 2014 by Hassat Hunter

[MoldyCheese]

I don't know if you've seen what unity is capable of, or not. But, it can make pretty much any type of game you want. Be it 1st person, 3rd person, or even a cheap side scroller cell phone game. I'm just saying that there shouldn't be an issue as to what the team can do with it. There should be no reason to alter the plot because of the engine.

 

I get what you're saying as far as "we have to change this plot element because it just isn't working". I'm just saying that not all of the developers will stay on the project from beginning to end. That just isn't how it works. It's the same reason that devs that had worked on Southpark were working on PE over a year before Southpark even came out(I hope that made sense to everyone). A lot of the people that are there for the beginning of the project aren't necessary later on in the project, so they move onto the next.

 

So, I'm asking if PE is at that stage yet. Where some of the devs are moving onto either the expansion, or another project.

[Hassat Hunter]

You obviously never worked with game engines if you don't know about inherrent limitations. No engine *ever* allows you to do everything, unity included.

 

The unreal engine was used for Deus Ex... but the limitations... the amount of absolute hackwork in the code to get things work seemingly proper (but not really) is astonishing. The amount of glitches, errors. The amount of cut corners.

Think similarly of Vampire: Bloodlines and Source. I don't actually digged into the code here, or see the people work on the patches discuss things, but the shape of the initial game should say enough.

 

Also, you seem to be under the assumption that game development is... writers write stuff > stuff is implented. You'd probably be surprised how much content is re-written or outright cut during development. Engine limitations being only one of the many reasons for this. I was just pointing it out that something completely out of developers control can throw a wrench into plans... but apparently my subtle pointing out was too subtle.

So, yes, it's pretty much a waste of time to work fully on the expansion on this point, as a lot is still subject to change, whatever the reason may be.

While I suppose some content maybe re-used for the expansion (and so indrectly something is done for it, say, an unused outdoor map finds an actual use there) it wont be actively done so. It's not even Alpha!

[MoldyCheese]

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/65115-update-72-death-godlike-and-expected-ship-date/?hl=alpha

 

As linked, they said in update 72 that they were rapidly approaching alpha. A lot of people have speculated that it will be in alpha by the end of the month(March). Hence the question.

 

Just wondering where dev resources are at. Not that I expect that you specifically would know. Are they going onto the expansion next, or the fantasy MMO, or the tank mmo?

[Hassat Hunter]

You know what Alpha means, right?

Even if the main plot is set out, doesn't mean it can't still change. And there's a lot of side-stuff to do. I don't expect they can suddenly loose all their people on that... unless said side-stuff will be plotless (bad), mapless (bad),  enemyless (bad) etc.

 

It's way too early to 'let people go'...

[MoldyCheese]

Playable, has the major features in. Still getting the majority of the "smaller" assets in. Hopefully that works for you.

 

The game may not be in a complete state, but it's at least partially playable.

 

I had no idea that you were so personally involved with PE's development though, so I'll just take everything you say as a gospel. I guess I missed that big green "Developer" tag under your name. My bad.

[Bryy]

Alpha does not mean gold.

 

I guess I missed that big green "Developer" tag under your name. My bad.

I guess we missed the one under yours.

Edited March 21, 2014 by Bryy

[Mannock]

Alpha does not mean gold.

 

I guess I missed that big green "Developer" tag under your name. My bad.

I guess we missed the one under yours.

 

I'm reading your posts with the voice of Patrick Warburton in my mind. And it's awesome.

 

But seriously, let them focus on the main game first and foremost. They're a small team. Bunch of dwarves, the lot of 'em.

[Adam Brennecke]

We've started to plan the expansion, but no one is working on it. Brandon has put together a initial staffing/budget plan to be reviewed by Feargus, and we've had a design brainstorming meeting. The team is entirely focused on finishing the base game right now.

[Hassat Hunter]

That major features are in doesn't mean they are finished, or final.

Doesn't mean *new* content* can still break everything (as you must know with the expert engine knowledge).

 

Also, what Bryy said.

 

EDIT:

And I just thought, based on Adam's new post... since the X-pack is based on the income of PE... how can they really calculate/know that at this point?

Edited March 21, 2014 by Hassat Hunter

[MoldyCheese]

We've started to plan the expansion, but no one is working on it. Brandon has put together a initial staffing/budget plan to be reviewed by Feargus, and we've had a design brainstorming meeting. The team is entirely focused on finishing the base game right now.

 

Thanks for the reply. This is all I was looking for.

[MoldyCheese]

 

And I just thought, based on Adam's new post... since the X-pack is based on the income of PE... how can they really calculate/know that at this point?

 

I've already paid for the expansion, as have many others. So they should have at least some funds available for it right now.

 

Regardless, it's good to see where they are at with it.

[Hassat Hunter]

All those funds went into PoE base.

 

They said specifically the x-pack would be funded by the profits made from selling PoE (which apparently more missed, some even thinking PoE was only sold to backers, as seen in the Paradox threads).

[Fatback]

All those funds went into PoE base.

 

They said specifically the x-pack would be funded by the profits made from selling PoE (which apparently more missed, some even thinking PoE was only sold to backers, as seen in the Paradox threads).

 

Lol really people are stupid what a great way to operate a business that is so logical