Steam

[Haxus]

Early Access title?

I read through the description of the Early Access section. It isn't the right fit for Shores of Hazeron, mainly because SoH is basically feature complete. Early Access is for software that is not that far along yet, where the developer wants active input from Steam players to help drive the development direction of the software. They specifically said that software in the latter stages of bug fixing and minor improvements was not appropriate for Early Access.

So we are going to jump into the sea with the sharks. There are turtles and dolphins and starfish and other fishies too.

[tackeart]

Hello, Haxus. It's been a while.

It's amazing to see Hazeron progressing into the Steam release, after all these years, but there's some stuff that'll end up being an issue as the new members filter their way in. Here's a couple random points:

Hazeron's visuals. While there is a certain appeal to the retro visuals of the game,, lot of people that I know are mostly put off by the graphics. You may want to do something like give foilage a flat texture instead of the weirder stretched textures that are already there, to clean up their look. Astroneer is a good example of that put into action. A general slight face-lift targeting minimalism would be really helpful, I think.

Another possibly useful idea is to figure out how to cheapen server upkeep, though I am obviously not qualified to know much about that. One possible route is AWS GameLift, which is pretty popular and supposedly pretty affordable.

I additionally thoroughly support Vectorus' suggestions from earlier in the thread. Witch hunts are very popular on the internet these days.

Should it all go well, though, Hazeron will fulfill a niche that no other game does. Pretty much nobody has successfully done what you've managed to do. It's inspiring. Good luck!

(Us here on the Discord would be happy to help out, as well. :P)

[Haxus]

people are in the mood to witch-hunt developers

Well thought out and deeply considered, as usual Vectorus. I'm not worried. You have to have a thick skin if you develop software for very long, at least with the bosses I've had, haha.

Why do you suppose they are lusting for developer blood? Do they perceive game developers having it too easy or something? Or are they just soft targets, sentimental and empathetic, who cry easily?

People who stick with the game for more than a few hours will be sympathetic to what it's about

She's no beauty but I can't force them to drink a six pack of beer before they meet her. I can only hope that enough of them stay long enough to be charmed by her winning personality.

Matt and the Toucans you banned are still active

I didn't ban them. I deleted posts from the forum with crudely offensive language, that would have had mom rubbing a bar of soap around inside my mouth. I have never banned anyone, ever, that I did not think was a bot.

But I understand how that doesn't matter. Perception is reality.

Let us hope they don't hold grudges. I don't. I don't even remember their names, tbh.

Your game will be insulted

Here are a couple of my favorites from years past.

• "The graphics are so bad it makes me want to hit puppies."
  
• "The graphics are so bad it makes my eyes bleed."
  

I like to think things have gotten a tiny bit better since then.

video trailer

This is a requirement of Steam.

Your list is very similar to my list. These things will take more than a month. Luckily, I have at least a month to wait. After that, I can keep it in beta for as long as I like before releasing it to the Steam public.

There isn't any hurry, really. I'm not in a desperate position, just feeling the need to make a change that will increase the number of players.

[AnrDaemon]

My primary concern is still the same: inconsistence.
With all due respect, the current city building and governance mechanics are a mess.

[Haxus]

character appearances are going to get bashed

This I know.  It's been on my mind recently.

I considered making a revamp of the characters a requirement before going onto Steam. This would delay at least six months, more likely a year. It's a very challenging topic.

I started working on it once but put it on hold to revamp spacecraft and building designs instead, with the associated new designer. That took about two years.

With funding and time, I could hire people (artists, modelers, programmers) to do a lot of amazing things with SoH. I am only one person. Look at the list of credits for most any other game out there, even the junky little kid stuff. They often have dozens of names on the list.

My gamble is that enough people on Steam will stick with SoH to provide that funding. Then SoH could mature at a faster rate.

[Haxus]

steam release would be pointless without a reset

I am glad you feel that way.

As long as I have resisted any thought of resetting the database, this cries out as the right moment to do so.

[Minty]

Some quick suggestions - 

First of all, you're going to need to help facilitate helping new players. The teleport system is great, but there's also nothing setting apart genuinely helpful people from Bastards, and new players aren't going to enjoy asking for help and then getting curb stomped because they can't tell the difference. Everyone who joins is going to be very, very, confused, and if they aren't helped, they're going to leave quickly. I'd say you need to deputize as many people as you can to both moderate galactic chat (keep out spammers, racial slurs, ect, the usual for any online game), and to help new players learn the basics so that THEY can go on to help others. Give people like Dean a little badge or something, to show that they're around to help and that they can be trusted. You should also probably let these moderators delete blueprints for you, too, in case any are... severely evil.

Secondly... look, I love Hazeron, and it has come so far in the past six years or however long I've been following it, but... you probably need to put this in Early Access. It doesn't matter how many features it has, people are going to see the graphics and think they're finalized unless you put it in Early Access. And, as I'm sure you know, the graphics are the biggest sticking point about the game. The Steam Community might be more willing to excuse an Early Access game for having them, but a full game... probably not. If I were a 3d artist, I'd offer my help, but I can't exactly say I could do any better.

Otherwise, congrats! I'm rootin' for ya, bud! And I also support a galaxy reset, by the way. I think it's only appropriate.

[Haxus]

facilitate helping new players

I agree.

I have a small budget. It is not zero.

I thought it would be well worth compensating a few people for their extra attention for the first few weeks on Steam. My budget does not yet allow me to offer full time employment to anyone.

people are going to see the graphics

I have seen the graphics of other games. It is hard to not let it make me quit. If it wasn't for my dream, and determination to see this through, I would have bailed a thousand times by now.

I don't agree that SoH should be put into Early Access just so people will go easier on the graphics. It is not the purpose of Easy Access. There is nothing about the current graphics that is unfinished. Could it be improved? Yes.

This move to Steam is a last resort effort to get this thing to generate some revenue so it can mature faster. Otherwise, it's just me. And I can't keep up with games that have dozens of artists on staff.

[expert700]

-snip-

I have a small budget. It is not zero.

I thought it would be well worth compensating a few people for their extra attention for the first few weeks on Steam. My budget does not yet allow me to offer full time employment to anyone.

-snip-

Haxus, I'm confident that there are plenty of people in the community that would love to help handle an influx of new players without you paying them. I've noticed that ever since the game went pay to play you've seen us all as just customers. But we're not just customers, we're your community, and we all want the game to succeed as much as you do.

[Haxus]

we're not just customers

I apologize for coming across that way. I usually write with a broader audience in mind. That may contribute.

Far more players come and go from this forum without a word, than those who come across like family and friends. And many more read the forum than ever contribute or even login.

I have to treat players like customers, with respect, because that is what they are. They paid their hard earned money to play my game and I feel a tremendous responsibility to give them the best value I can, and to treat them with respect. They are not just customers; they are my customers, my employers because I answer to no one else.

When it comes to asking someone to commit time to a task, I don't feel it is appropriate to ask them to do it for free, especially when I stand to benefit financially. Though I have no employees right now, I am no stranger to employing people. People like/want to be paid for their time, if you ask them to do things for you. There's nothing wrong with that. It's just business.

Would I welcome volunteers who want to help new players? You bet. However, I was thinking of a few people who were highly motivated and dedicated to the task, which would warrant some compensation.