The Future of PA

No I meant random asymmetrical maps. Where you don't know what type of map(s) you are going to get. You have to think on your feet.

Plus all 1v1s seem to be played on single planet systems... BORING!!!

Team games are where it's at!

There's no way to balance random asymetrical maps.

There's no need for "totally 100% balanced" random asymetrical planets in team games with multi-planet systems with multiple spawn points.

Any further discussion is pointless as imho 1vs1 is the only gamemode that's real fun.

That's a very specific type of play and I understand the appeal of it (I like it myself) but it has nothing to do with a competitive structure in a modern RTS. And the good thing about PA is that I think it could be very good at both: provide this interesting "into the wild/unknown" experiences while having a stable and engaging competitive scene.

Thank you thank you thank you.

You formulated well once what I formulate badly on a regular basis (and how I get myself a bad rep )

if people, especially the devs would listen more to this kinda thing PA could be skyrocketing.

We're actually really doing things that go in the direction of getting them more money. (Other then just backing them).

We actually support the ideas that are source of game perennity. although it may not be obvious a lot of the time.

Figuring these things out is actually rather tricky.

I'm curious what new title uber is working on. Surely they are working on something, they would be mad not to.

Feel like their best bet might be to do a paid expansion pack for PA.

Altrought it is important that their diversify their activity, i think a paid expansion pack for PA might not be the best thing to do (at least right now).
Why ? Because it is a Kickstarter game.
As long as the core features are not well finished and polished, any try to monetize anything will receive a huge backlash from the community.
Also, the kickstarter promises are still not fullfilled :
- Planetary Documentary ? (was a stretch goal, so not something that can be ignored...)
- Physical rewards ? As long as nothing is received... You know the drill. (and yes, i know we received an update on this topic, that the stuff is ordered, waiting for manufacture and shipping... But the project as been funded in September 2012, more than 2 years ago...).

I really hope Uber is working on an other project, but i really hope for them it is NOT a paid something for PA.

What was the documentation about anyways?

I still don't get what's wrong with an expansion pack for PA?

New content, opportunity for polish, more immediate cashflow, don't need to develop new IP or engine, leverage current assets, opportunity for another marketing refresh. None of this has anything to do with kickstarter, besides the minority of people who naturally feel overly-entitled to everything.

- They have said physical rewards are coming, and they've already made the base models for stuff. Businesses tend to do more than one thing at a time and it's pretty accepted behaviour. Don't know what this has to do with an expansion pack.
- Don't know anything about a planetary documentary, but again i'm pretty sure this has nothing to do with expansion pack content.

The 2.1 million dollar stretch goal on kickstarter

Very simple reason Elodea. The playerbase of PA is currently way too small to make enough money to fund the expansion pack. Even when taking into account possible new players. Im pretty sure they are working on a new IP and finishing up on PA as i think its just not profitable anymore. (studio costs are insaneeeeee)

I think at this point it could be badly perceived, much like the Human Resources Kickstarter, as being a premature move when the core game still isn't 100% there yet. I think more polish, fixing, balance stability, galactic war improvements etc. need to happen before they can get away with working on an expansion. Expansions should expand upon something 100% finished rather than adding more stuff to an unfinished base product.

No, the active playerbase is very small. The actual playerbase is very large.

What the future of PA needs is a marketing refresh. A reason for people to look at the game again, and for reviewers to review the game again, and for an official reset of public opinion which has haunted this game ever since release. All of this is exactly what an expansion pack does. It also addresses the biggest piece of feedback that PA has received, which was that there arn't enough units, and that the units that are in the game have no life.

Exactly because new IP and development costs are large, an expansion pack would be a good decision. There are companies which aim to throw as much as they can at the wall, and there are companies which try and produce the best quality products. The latter are the ones that generally succeed in entertainment markets.

I can name a few that publish **** unfinished games and get named triple A games and studios But that's not the point. I actually very much agree with you that it can invoke some new interest in PA by the old playerbase and the reviewers.

I really feel however that they just don't have the manpower to make PA the game we all want it to be. I mean.. Have they actually finished the comms from kickstarter yet? The game just lacks so much polish. Don't get me wrong I still love PA, but with the slower and slower content updates (not including the balance and performance updates) i'm getting more and more sceptical of PA ever being the game we all wanted it to be.

Maybe do a monthly video of some sort, or a video on a per patch basis? Take prison architect for example. A highly successful indie game, having sales exceeding 9 millions. The thing that I feel reengages the player base is their per patch/month videos, which often get critics and players alike to revist the game again. Maybe do this for pa? (And yes, I bought it, and also interestingly, they have the same initials, which got me a bit confused initially. ) Also, is there any sales statistics for PA that uber released?

this is true. It could be said for any other game as well. LoL comes to mind.

thing is what would those videos talk about if nothing much has changed in a month, just a single or two unit stats? applied to an RTS game it seems a bit tricky.

Well, maybe, for example in the latest patch, which did the massive balance sweep, maybe the devs could explain the meta a bit and help people who are too lazy to calculate on the best way to start each games for each type of playstyle. And it doesn't have to be on a per month basis, it could be on a per patch basis. The reason I stated "a month" is that prison architect patches per month, hence the monthly videos

Maybe another inspiration pa (this game) could take from pa(prison) is the bug bashes. Where a patch is dedicated for bug bashing with minimal feature changes.

that's a terrible idea. top tier gamers explain it to the devs who then pass it on in a video sure.

But it's a well renowned fact that devs are not the best at their own games.