Zero Games

Well there are custom servers that are not necessarily listed in the ingame list if you do not have a modded PA and the custom server does not use the proxy mod that mikeyh build. However those custom servers are not used all that much, only for 11+ player game usually and those are pretty rare. Like once a week is often for them. Don't think that splits the community.

We all know how important the beg of a games release is...the only way I can see the tides turning is by Uber polishing this game to near perfection, fixing all the issues with Gameplay,adding terrain that affects game play similar to the concept pics, more interesting units. If you look back to supcom if Fa didn't come out when it did that game would not have been as good & Uber is in a similar situation where they have the makings of a great game bUT tons of stuff needs to be done to get there.

Yeah, Uber even has the exact same producer working on it. So let's give them some time and trust them

It would help if Uber gave us an idea of what else they plan to do...most people are going to move onto other games. Like I said earlier Uber is going to need something big to get pa back in the spot light similar to what happend with sup Com and Fa

Damn, I hadn't seen that. I had thought it was understood since the kickstarter that the code would one day be fully open sourced. I had always held out hope that long after Uber was done the engine could see a long life through that. Stinks.

Well I guess if Uber is no more then there is nobody to sue over. Though if Uber is no more then I would guess they have better things to do than to consider how to open source their old projects.

Also I don't want Uber to ever leave us.

EDIT:
Then there is the case of lennard being given access to the SMNC source code in private so he could improve it. Though I dunno if much came out of it, I remember reading the bugs in SMNC were really hard to fix and lennard doesn't have all time in the world either. Also lennard already had other business connections with Uber before that.
But I guess that would be a way to get around the patent issues: Do not completely open source, but have the obvious people who would work on sign some contracts and share in private.
<dreams>I could certainly picture myself and a few others spending quite some time on PA like that xD</dreams>

For sure. You guys have done so much just with the limited access through modding. I can't even imaging what you could come up with the full engine, a community behind you making assets, a few years time + improved hardware standards. I'm not in the game of predicting the future but of course eventually Uber will have to move on from PA. Lets hope they come up with some way to get the code to us when that day comes.

I wonder if a Spring-like project would be allowed, which did wonders for TA. Did they ever get in trouble for that? That would take many years of course... Though it'd be a heck of a lot of fun. (Well, for certain definitions of fun of course.)

I have no idea how TA: Spring started, all I have in my memories about that is "they tried 3D TA and then didn't push through, but gave out the code". Dunno if I dreamed that or if it is real.

In response to the original post from the OP:

Just some thoughts from a gamer now going about it for about 2 decades

Why are there no games? And it's not only here: i see it on SC2 (where i play a lot more then PA) and some other games i still play outside of RTS's...

The problem nowadays is that we just have too much to choose from. Take it back 10 maybe even 15 years: we cherished the games we had. Why? Because we knew we had to stick with them for a long time. Developers also took/had more time to finish their games. Simply because the hype was only caused months before actual release and not while the games where still in their development stage (talking alpha and beta testing).

Steam, how good a platform it is, has a lot to do with this. How many times has everyone of you here looked at his/her 50+ list of games and said: "What to play today... I just don't know anymore" and eventually you'll just go back to the game that appeals to you most. Be it PA, SC2, C&C, shooters or (MMO-)RPG's.

Games aren't dying because they are inherently bad, games are dying out because every new month we can have a new fix. A novelty that once it wears out its first interest it's already replaced by something new. PA and Grey Goo are actually fine examples. PA hits the (digital) shelves, people buy it and play it. Granted, PA had some work at it when it was 'released' but it was more than playable. Then a few months later: Grey Goo hit steam. Lots of hype, enthusiastic RTS-gamers rejoiced: another game in their genre hit! A few months later: Homeworld Remastered. Now: Etherium.

See what is happening here? There is ALWAYS something "new and fresh" and (claimed to be) "innovative" lurking around the corner. We have no time to like a game anymore. If it doesn't appeal to us in the first few weeks/months, we replace it with the next best thing that comes around. Games have become an artform similar to music. Easily disposable, ready for the next one-hit wonder to hit the shelf...

Nowadays: we're spoiled, like arrogant little children. We see a title that we like? We want to play it now! Force devs into these 'early access' situations that are going on all and about. We get slapped around with all kind of games in all kind of genres that are merely off the drawing board, and that we can buy in for early access.

That's partly true sod but I think we would stick to one game if its really good. This happend with sup Com for me. I didn't care to play any other game for 5 years after its release even when the 2nd one came out and even when start craft 2 hit. Sup Com was a gem similar to ta & I was hoping pa would be the same but its just missing something...I hope its not to late to get it to the glory of ta and supcom:fa...I could care less about grey go, etherium,etc

Only three games worth playing these days... Assetto Corsa, Elite: Dangerous and PA. They'll keep me busy for the next 5 years.

That's the problem right there. I like PA, but it doesn't "stick". I played about 150+ hours via Steam and give and take another 50-60 via the Launcher, but i haven't touched it in months. I keep going back to SC2 or CnC for that matter. Is PA a bad game for me then? No not all, but it can't keep me atm. I find it a shame though, because the essence of the game is great, but it lacks so much in a lot of areas...

Hence why i gave the "rant" about early access and beta's and stuff like that. With such early buy-ins, we as customers pay the price (literally) and devs can get away with a lot of things without having to promise or upkeep to anything...

Your definitely right sod.
What do you feel is the main factor that makes it not stick? When you say sc2 do you mean starcraft? Not sure if you were a supcom die hard like me but supcom just felt epic &had everything I wanted in an rts game. I really hope that vision and feel can be captured again in sum game since pa fell short.

I feel like it is well known that buying early access or beta games is just a flat out bad idea in general.

But oh no! the businesses, they trick us into buying early access! the money was easily parted from this fool!

Also, customers always want the new product now, so the idea that customers bully the businesses into selling their product is hilarious, it's like shooting yourself in the foot and then blaming the people who laugh at you.

I see. Nice catch there, Denim.

dude make sure not to abbreviate and use the @ tag instead. the way you wrote it, it says something really really bad in British English. But luckily I understood.

hold on so originally Spring was Cavedog code?

@cola_colin ?

As I said I may have dreamed or may have not dreamed. I do not know for sure.

From Spring's site:

(source)
So only "inspired" but without access to the code, it seems.