What if Starbound is a failure?

Actually that could be a good strategy to enjoying the game more than anyone else! Just have the lowest of expectations for the game until you get to play it.

 

If only.. I've never been pleasantly surprised. I'd welcome the change. I wouldn't be this outwardly vocal otherwise.

 

If they're so willing to waste their precious FREE time on the game, why don't they use it for making the game release sooner, not adding some crappy features that could be saved for post-release? Y'know, like "Version 1.1 - Songs and music update".

 

Just beware the repercussions you may receive for presenting your own opinions so openly.

In my own opinion, I don't think time is a good reason to start getting angry about how long the game is taking to be released. Yes, knowing about it earlier means you'll have the knowledge of it longer, and if you're very interested it, you'll get that anxiety of having to wait for it to be released; and it tends to keep getting worse over time. But it's hard to get that anxiety if you're just simply doing something else that isn't thinking about the game.

I do truly understand what you're feeling, I can empathize at least partially because I've had too many moments already where I've thought to myself "What game would I like to be playing?" and have had to bash my head against my keyboard a few times to stop thinking about Starbound. The truth of it to me isn't really how much time you've had to wait, but how much time you've spent worrying about it. That's what raises your expectations, and if you're spending more time getting worried about the quality of the game than the quality of the game can be improved over time, you're only going to make yourself hate Starbound in the end.

 

So... they should spend their free time working on the main game, or basically just not having any free time? The joy of free time is that it is your time. You can choose what to do with it. I work all week. I enjoy my work but at the weekend I want to work on my things. If they are related to my weekly work and I still wish to do it, then that is my choice.
You are saying that because they are working on things for this game in their free time, that means it is no longer their free time and they should work on the main game.....

 

Because then folks would bitch about the updates being nothing but this "cutesy-anime-crap" instead of quality updates.

 

Seriously, it's simply impossible for this to fail now... From what we've seen, this game won't be anything worse than Terraria, at least, and that's already fucking amazing, really...

So I'm SURE that it won't be a failure... It might not end up the way people has been imagining, but it will definitly not be a failure...

 

Yeah, saying "we made some cutesy-anime-crap for the game instead of releasing it sooner" is OHSOMUCH better idea.

 

I'm only chiming in because your perspective is obviously horribly slanted by your frustration. I understand your frustration, but geez...
Instead of taking their weekends off, they're spending it on pet projects that enhance the game and make the game more of their own. Your argument is that they should spend this time on core features. Their time. Not Chucklefish's time. Not your time. Their time.

Pushing them to work on core mechanics on their time off will not only burn the developers out, but it'll also make them less excited about their own game. These pet projects not only add depth to the game, but they also let the developer's add a little piece of themselves to it; and I would hazard to guess that these pet projects make them much more excited about the game itself. That kind of excitement about a work project can highly improve efficiency during the work week when they're working on core features. So I'm not sold on the idea that they'd get the game out faster if they didn't work on their own projects during the weekend.

And even though you think these projects are just 'crappy features,' not everyone shares that view. I just consider them 'features.'

 

Don't worry, you've just replied to Necrius.
He's negative about everything

 

If Starbound is a failure, I'm out 15 bucks. All the parts seem to be there to make it great, but execution and behind-the-scenes stuff can easily break a game. I hope it's great, but if it's not then oh well. There are thousands of other good games out there.

 

I don't know if you've ever done any significant amount of programming, but one of the biggest potential problems when you work in software development is burnout. This is especially true when you're making something as large and complex as a game. And the best way to combat burnout is either to take a break, or to do something different and creative on the side. Chucklefish have opted for the second option.

The benefit of the weekend projects is that it keeps the developers refreshed and interested in what they're doing, which in turn gives us new and interesting features that add charm to the game. It wouldn't benefit anybody if they used their "precious" free time to work on the core game because they'd just drive themselves into the ground.

And again, I still don't get why some people are so hung up on the singing/instruments. It might seem like there's an emphasis on the music since it's a feature that's easy to show off, but if you actually read the updates for the past week line by line, there's been a ton of progress on all fronts.

 

there is no discussion.
i'd be disappointed, but would still follow the game and see if the glitchy, boring parts were made into working, and fun parts.
(probably the same thing everyone else would do)

 

Doubtful it will be a failure due to the sales it made.

 

About a page worth of comments yet not a single alert...

 

It isn't a good strategy even though it appears rational.

Set your expectations too high, and you will always be disappointed.
Set them too low, and you will never care enough to be "pleasantly surprised".

 

*Reads threat title. Laughs for about 15 minutes, falling out of his chair and somehow relocating to the kitchen in the process.*

... wait, you're serious? Then I wanna take some raised concerns one at a time...

- It's taking way too long. People might get tired of waiting! -
I spent 15 dollars tops to pre-order this game. I'm not on such a tight budget that I need to request a refund for the price of a family lunch at McDonalds. If it takes a long time, I'll just lose interest in following it until that magical day when I get an email that reads "WELCOME TO THE STARBOUND BETA. Click to download!".

- People might want their money back! -
I refer you to my previous response.

- What if we get disappointed because of all the hype and suddenly the game isn't what we thought it would be? -
The problem with this is that StarBound ISN'T being hyped. We're getting specific information about what it's going to be like. Everyone who's following it knows exactly what kind of game they're getting because the devs keep feeding us information about what is and isn't being pumped into the game. We even have a daily report! Now if a certain dinosaur would stop slacking on the RoadMap...

- But, still! It could happen! -
Relax. Duke Nukem Forever couldn't POSSIBLY happen twice. Relax...

Inhale... Exhale. Inhale... Exhale. Breeeaaathe. Relaaax...

- I... I'm just... scared... -
I know. I know... Shhhhhshshshshshshhhh...

 

This game has raised so much money already, how could it possibly fail? Even if it fails, it'll be no worse than most stuff Steam charges the same amount of cash (or $5 more for). Either way this is the closest thing to Terraria 2. And I own a Steam copy of Cortex Command (that should say something).

 

What if Starbound is a failure?

This is a statistical impossibility.

I could use this question to fuel my Improbability Drive, cross the universe, and be back in time for Beta.

 

Could you pull off a Chaos Dunk with the energy?