Any chance of New Streams showing what the devs are working on?

[jamstorr86]

I really loved the dev stream you did, where you demoed various aspects of alpha 2. It was because of these streams that I bought the early bird edition.

I was wondering if there were any chances on some more streams in the near future? where you could show various bits of stuff currently in the works, to keep the excitement brimming until the next alpha release?

 

[inspectorgadget1]

Thought these threads would come but not this soon after alpha 2 (it's been just over one week!). If we're being realistic here we need to give them time to work on the new features before showing us, perhaps expect an alpha 3 stream schedule in 4 weeks or so with A3 released around July 26th (all TBC of course).

 

[Dalenotchip]

I really loved the dev stream you did, where you demoed various aspects of alpha 2. It was because of these streams that I bought the early bird edition.

I was wondering if there were any chances on some more streams in the near future? where you could show various bits of stuff currently in the works, to keep the excitement brimming until the next alpha release?

I would expect it to be pretty quiet for a few weeks as they work hard to address the new bugs and the overwhelming amount of feedback Alpha 2 caused.

 

[dalemac89]

I would expect it to be pretty quiet for a few weeks as they work hard to address the new bugs and the overwhelming amount of feedback Alpha 2 caused.

As well as all the stuff they already have planed for Alpha 3!

There is plenty of stuff in Alpha 2 to keep us all entertained for weeks!

 

[devilfish777]

I'd be interested in another stream where instead of talking about Alpha 3 (which is probably a long way off) they talk about Alpha 2 again now that people have been playing with it, created some cool stuff, and given feedback.

 

[cerealfruitcakes]

They'll probably do what they did before and have weekly Dev vids and Q&A's for a month leading up to Alpha3. The first dev vid they did for alpha2 was showing improvements and talking about feedback that they got so I'm sure they'll do that again.

 

[jamstorr86]

I'm at a point now where i have played a number of hours on Alpha 2, and now im excited to see what's next! I'm very impressed so far, but the best part of Early Access for me is to see the direction the development is taking. I am interested to see what they have learned from alpha 2, and what they plan to act upon from the feedback given, and I'm interested to know how the Simulation is taking shape. I think it is better to show their direction sooner, so they can gather feedback on what they are trying to achieve, and then act, once again, upon the feedback so they can avoid implementing aspects that may prove to be unpopular. Early Access is about the gamer helping shape the game that is to come. So, the sooner we can see what is in the pipeline, the better.

just to clarify, i don't want to see updates coming more regularly, as I am in favor of allowing the devs the time and freedom to properly implement new features and improvement. I would just love to see snippets of the things they are working on. How exciting would it be to see their first run at staffing, or the first attempt at coaster statistics? It would be fantastic, and we could sit back and contemplate and likely debate the pros and cons of what they have shown.

 

[dalemac89]

I'm at a point now where i have played a number of hours on Alpha 2, and now im excited to see what's next! I'm very impressed so far, but the best part of Early Access for me is to see the direction the development is taking. I am interested to see what they have learned from alpha 2, and what they plan to act upon from the feedback given, and I'm interested to know how the Simulation is taking shape. I think it is better to show their direction sooner, so they can gather feedback on what they are trying to achieve, and then act, once again, upon the feedback so they can avoid implementing aspects that may prove to be unpopular. Early Access is about the gamer helping shape the game that is to come. So, the sooner we can see what is in the pipeline, the better.

They are probably still analysing feedback and deciding on directions. It's only been 10 days, after all. We're all mega excited about Planet Coaster, but give the guys and gals time to work stuff out.

The more time they put in to 'sharing' with us, the less time they have to actually work on the game. If that means we don't have any previews of future developments for the next 6 weeks, that's fine.

just to clarify, i don't want to see updates coming more regularly, as I am in favor of allowing the devs the time and freedom to properly implement new features and improvement. I would just love to see snippets of the things they are working on. How exciting would it be to see their first run at staffing, or the first attempt at coaster statistics?

We know they are working on water. We know they are working on the simulation side of things. We'll be shown these developments before Alpha 3 in due time, I'm sure.

 

[jamstorr86]

I'm sure you are right, but I also gathered from previous streams hints at some features that didn't make Alpha 2 but were very close to being completed. It would be nice to see some details. 'simulation' is a fairly ambiguous term, so it would be great to see what aspect of simulation will be making their way into future updates.

I'm not trying to sound demanding or in anyway negative. I think the game is great, and the stuff shared so far is what prompted me to buy the game. I just like the idea of transparency, or as much transparency as possible in video game development.

I am a software developer myself, and when developing software, especially in an enterprise fashion, I always seek approval and feedback from my intended users throughout the development process, as this is key for me producing a product that is properly fit for purpose. So far, the game is great and what they have currently provided appears to feature few bugs, which is very surprising considering this is still in an Alpha build. I am just keen to have a glimpse on what is on the horizon, as I am with any early access game that I invest in.

Positive, but inquisitive.

 

[dalemac89]

I'm sure you are right, but I also gathered from previous streams hints at some features that didn't make Alpha 2 but were very close to being completed. It would be nice to see some details. 'simulation' is a fairly ambiguous term, so it would be great to see what aspect of simulation will be making their way into future updates.

I'm not trying to sound demanding or in anyway negative. I think the game is great, and the stuff shared so far is what prompted me to buy the game. I just like the idea of transparency, or as much transparency as possible in video game development.

I am a software developer myself, and when developing software, especially in an enterprise fashion, I always seek approval and feedback from my intended users throughout the development process, as this is key for me producing a product that is properly fit for purpose. So far, the game is great and what they have currently provided appears to feature few bugs, which is very surprising considering this is still in an Alpha build. I am just keen to have a glimpse on what is on the horizon, as I am with any early access game that I invest in.

Positive, but inquisitive.

I am a software engineer too!

You're right, transparency is great, but it shouldn't come at the cost of the timescale. Lets consider the previous live streams.

There will have been meetings prior to the streams to discuss exactly what was allowed to be talked about and in what level of detail. Let's say an hours worth per stream.They showed us loads of video's, which we know the developers themselves recorded. That's another couple of hours. Plus an hour for the streams themselves. That's half a day a developer has been taken off from his normal duties to share content. Imagine if they had to do this every week - that's a day of development time lost every fortnight. a 10% reduction of 'desk time'. Add that to the usual feature creeping that is inevitable in software development, and you're soon pushing back your timescales.

This reminds me of meetings we have at work to discuss progress. Some people don't seem to realise that you lose more than just the time of the meeting when you pull a developer away from their code. I'm sure you've been there as well - you're on fire, getting things done and everything is working as it should be. Then the clock strikes 11am and guess what - meeting time! For the duration of the meeting, all you can really concentrate on is getting back to your machine and getting that bit of work finished. If your mind wanders too much, when you get back to your machine, you have togo over what you've done, and it takes a while to get back into the zone. The more complex the bit of code you've been pulled away from, the harder it is to forget about, and the harder it is to get back into again.

We'll get to see stuff when it is ready - there have been 3 sets of artwork released on twitter since Alpha 2 launched. Patience is a virtue, my friend!