Gray_Scale wrote:
... They don't need to create any new tech or convert what they've done to any new engine. They could fill in the expected features and then world-build, which could both be parallel tasks. Then quality assurance and bug smashing, which could go on for another year (but open to backers!)
Yeah it does seem that way, but that is something else that maybe could be asked about during the next Q&A? (hint hint)
There is no way for them to know what kind of tech they will have to create between now and release to be able to actually release. So I think we should get a definition of 'tech'. Perhaps we could get some more 'englishy' stuffs?
I've done a lot of debugging and minor coding over the years, some of it within game environments, and I know how difficult it can be to try to translate what is actually happening, into something that makes any kind of basic sense.
Obviously, they've already built a custom server and Unity engine. They're not going to switch away from that. They have already rebuilt the character generator once (twice?) and are now on the last leg to getting that 'tech' married into the system.
You could consider the chargen (character generator) like a module of a building set (engine), and this is a module they've been getting right, while prepping the whole to be able to accept it. One of how many thousands of modules to get right, and make them all work together?
So in the end, the reason why projections are better stated in the longer term to (hopefully) finish early rather than late, is because there will always be new tech you end up needing to get or create for something you can't foresee until you get to that stage. It seems disappointing or whatever now, but how disappointed and more aggravated would you be as time ticked by and they kept turning whatever too early of a date they set for themselves, to farther and farther back?
I think that more than anything - there is no way for them to know how much money they are going to generate, and how much manpower they are going to get. I would venture to say they are going on the idea that they get a decent amount and get to keep the few people they have and that's it. If they get a *huge* amount and can hire on several more people? I bet the date gets moved up. Just have to see
And... there's my trademark long-windedness. Oh well.