Apparently the bartender is with Evocati
So, basically after 3 years of working on this and hyping it up, they have achieved an AI on the level of something that could be whipped up in an afternoon by a comptent dev.
I'm not even a competent dev but i could whip up an AI like this (hell, better with more features) in NWN2 using NWScript in a few hours.
Well done CIG! Once again you show how its possible to make something simple into something incredibly complex.
This pretty much. I just don't understand how CR can justify the delays in completing the animations and AI for this one NPC (and other NPCs cloned off him). Especially since this concept was already accomplished 9 years ago in The Sims 3 Late Night DLC.
This TS3 expansion pack added the social aspect of night/club life to the base game (a feature which it seems CR has been trying to achieve? between the player(s) and NPCs planet side at the likes of stations like Arc Corp etc). Regardless, TS3 Late Night added the Mixology career which let your Sim work as a professional bartender. IMO the (inferior fidelity) TS3 Mixologist had far more superior bartender skill sets (by means of completed game play loops, career progression, player to bartender NPC AI interactions, and seamless bartender animations) than I've witnessed in SC to date. Like in this brief example of a player controlled bartender here:
The entire TS3 Late Night expansion pack added an entire new game world, new careers, new NPCs (e.g. bouncers, celebs) with associated AI routines, other functioning/cosmetic game content like dive/sports/karyoke etc type bars, interactive bar counters, multiple night club venues, interactive musical instruments, night club clothing, player to NPC social interactions, and even annoying Twilight vamps
And that was made by a significantly smaller dev team with even less resources. Yet released in an even shorter time than it's taken CI to achieve this feature creep milestone to date.
Leaves me wondering what if Chris had possessed better foresight. Hadn't been so stubborn and dead set on his simultaneous release model for SQ42 with the PU. If he had considered either a live service model. Or better yet, adopted the proven modular game design approach which Maxis/The Sims Studio took in developing The Sims franchise (i.e. release the base game and modular expansion packs as future drip feed DLC). Made it a goal to release the base game PU as the single (but complete) solar system that exists to date. With at least 70% of all promised backer ships. Then release the remaining ships with the fluff/extra feature creep as paid DLC. Like the C&P/prison break scenario, space spelunking, interactive sand worm POIs, vendor shops with their clothing/weapons/gear services, that annoying NPC hologram that tells bad jokes etc. etc. Released each station (Microtech, Arc Corp Olisar etc) with supporting fluff feature creep (like the bartender NPCs) as drip feed DLC on an annual basis.
He might have been able to at least meet his Kickstarter release schedule. Instead of being stuck in an infinite dev loop where he spends some 90% of the year in prep for Citizencon. Wasting precious dev labor/resources churning out ship jpgs and glossy movies. The other 10% spin doctoring and peddling said ship jpgs and glossy/non existent game play movies at Citizencon. A vicious cycle which he needs to keep the fan base motivated, engaged and lure in more backers. He might've been able to avoid this if he'd at least took a modular approach to SC. He would've been able to make real revenue from all the feature creep SC has become bloated with to date. Instead of having to rely on backer pledges. Because at least he would've released a game--regardless of how bare bones and bug infested of an MVP it might have been at launch. The Sims, NMS, Elder Scrolls Online, and that cancer that is Fallout 76 are current examples why he might have been successful had he taken this route.
ED's space legs feature is debuting next year. So it's hard to believe CR doesn't realize his "faking it until you make it" strategy will be near impossible to sell if Dec 31st 2020 ends without a SQ42 beta release. Will this result in a fire sale of the SC franchise to likes of the Exceptional A.$$.hats or Activision? Followed by a cashing in on a rainy day, multi million dollar Swiss bank account? Then a quiet, clandestine one way retreat on his yacht to a private, unplottable tropical island and permanent retirement?
He's got to have
some form of a clandestine exit criteria strategy on a back burner somewhere. Because it's hard to believe some of the most fanatic of the backer faithful will be going quietly when the siren song finally ends. One can only fantasize what his planned end game strategy will be for ending the SC dream...
