Will I ever play this game finished? Can I ask for a refund?

[Achilles]

I am not one to get pushy about the release of a game until is properly finished, but this game starts to smell like one of those kickstarter games in which the developers grab the money, make as if they are really working in the project; and then silence, hoping everyone forgets about the game and the money they paid.

I don't remember how long it's been since I pledge the money, and it's not because of the the money itself, but I feel very stupid when I pay for nothing.

I go into the main page after a very long time and I still see "Pre-Alpha" and "Beta" , the most recent video from 2015

 

[ChildrenofMana]

Truth:
The main page has not been updated in a long time.
The most recent Official Video in the main page is from 2015.
Awkward silence from developers in official webpage/ forums in general.
Your feelings.

False:
Developers hope everyone forgets about the game and the money they paid.
That you pay for nothing.
Pretend that they work hard.

In between:
Pre-Alpha on Sui Generis
Beta in Exanima (Planned features vs actual features)
The sense of smell is subjective to each person.

Caveats;
The Developers are very active in the Discord Channel and Steam Forums. But not in the Official Page.
Considering the current content, Exanima can be assumed to be out of beta.
Judging by the quality of the work added by the Exanima Updates, Developers are working hard.

I hope the above information helps with your feelings.

 

[Gsprfdude]

Truth:
The main page has not been updated in a long time.
The most recent Official Video in the main page is from 2015.
Award silence from developers in official webpage/ forums in general.
Your feelings.

False:
Developers hope everyone forgets about the game and the money they paid.
That you pay for nothing.
Pretend that they work hard.

In between:
Pre-Alpha on Sui Generis
Beta in Exanima (Planned features vs actual features)
The sense of smell is subjective to each person.

Caveats;
The Developers are very active in the Discord Channel and Steam Forums. But not in the Official Page.
Considering the current content, Exanima can be assumed to be out of beta.
Judging by the quality of the work added by the Exanima Updates, Developers are working hard.

I hope the above information helps with your feelings.

It would probably help your case if you didn't shoot down people with genuine grievances as having "feelings". I'm confident that Exanima and Sui Generis will be finished, but I can understand why people are suspicious of kickstarted games like these. Many people on these forums, myself included have been burned by funding games that we never get, or never get completed. I trust Bare Mettle completely, but talking down to people who need reassurance just makes you look rude.

 

[Orlacktherof]

Truth:
The main page has not been updated in a long time.
The most recent Official Video in the main page is from 2015.
Award silence from developers in official webpage/ forums in general.
Your feelings.

False:
Developers hope everyone forgets about the game and the money they paid.
That you pay for nothing.
Pretend that they work hard.

In between:
Pre-Alpha on Sui Generis
Beta in Exanima (Planned features vs actual features)
The sense of smell is subjective to each person.

Caveats;
The Developers are very active in the Discord Channel and Steam Forums. But not in the Official Page.
Considering the current content, Exanima can be assumed to be out of beta.
Judging by the quality of the work added by the Exanima Updates, Developers are working hard.

I hope the above information helps with your feelings.

a little condescending methinks

 

[Parco]

I fail to see what was condescending about childrenofmana's reply, maybe i'm just desensitized to negative replies after years of dealing with people on the internet. Had i written a concerned post about something and gotten a reply listing things i was right and wrong about then in my case i would appreciate it since then i can ask further questions about the things i was wrong about.

@Achilles It has indeed been a long time since the main page and has been updated and the latest video released, but did you check the announcement forum? The latest update there is from july this year.
I was first a bit confused about what you meant when you say you payed for nothing, i thought everyone had gotten a steamkey for Exanima, but i guess only those who donated for alpha/beta got it? And i guess you pledged for the final release option? Have you checked your account page which you can access at the bottom of this page to see if you have gotten the steam key? If you haven't then contact Brendan, there has been issues with steam key deliveries before so maybe you got left out, I'm pretty sure everyone who pledged for a copy got the key, thought i might be wrong.

 

[ChildrenofMana]

genuine grievances as having "feelings".

I did not meant to be rude or condescending. I apologize.
The meaning of "feelings" is not one to take lightly. Acknowledge of other feelings is the first step towards empathy. No matter how wrong or how misguided are your intentions or reasons, your feelings are the only thing you can be 100% True. Maybe what you said about genuine grievances is what I meant to write.

It might have been unorthodox my reply, maybe too few words. What I tried to say in my last post was:

There are some truth in @Achilles statements, however not everything is at is seems. The developers are working hard but slowly. For some, Exanima is in a perfectly enjoyable state worth every penny. The project is still quite alive and getting big content updates.

 

[metrium666]

So it's been roughly 5 months since any form of an update. Am I missing something? At this point I don't see this game ever being finished. I'm not trying to be a dick. It's just a bit frustrating.

 

[Jimmini]

The update frequency has nothing at all to do with how development is going. Them focusing on getting an update out is actually the most inefficient part of the development, since they have to stop what they're currently doing and try to somehow squeeze unfinished parts of their work into a patch, have it tested internally then by a group of players, make sure the save files aren't getting currupted, and so on.

They are currently working on almost everything required to finish the game, including thaumaturgy, alchemy, levels, creatures, procedural weapons, dialogue, loot, maps, soft-body dynamics, water, arena, improving existing things, etc. which will all get incrementally added with updates.

It's easily the most ambitious game ever made, with so much complex technology that other developers would run away screamingly, countless intricate systems interacting with eachother, great attention to every single detail, and what have you. So obviously it needs some time to be made, especially with only one programmer. Players then impatiently and constantly screaming for updates always seems a bit silly to me, to be honest (not necessarily directed at you).

 

[metrium666]

I hope you're right!
And when I refer to an update, I don't mean a playable update. I'm all for developers taking the time they need to polish a game. My point is that I personally haven't read anything about progress etc. What you mention sounds great, but are you just assuming that's what's happening? Or has the team posted this information elsewhere?

Again, I don't care for playable updates. I would just love to read a post once every couple months from the developer. At the moment I feel completely left out of the loop. I have no idea what stage the game is at, or if it's currently being worked on at all.

 

[Jimmini]

The lead developer is most active on Discord. That's where he explained the things I mentioned.
Yesterday he also streamed some of the latest changes to the animation system and also showed a displacement thaumaturgy power. The recording can be found on Twitch.

 

[Roryn]

I hope you're right!
And when I refer to an update, I don't mean a playable update. I'm all for developers taking the time they need to polish a game. My point is that I personally haven't read anything about progress etc. What you mention sounds great, but are you just assuming that's what's happening? Or has the team posted this information elsewhere?

Again, I don't care for playable updates. I would just love to read a post once every couple months from the developer. At the moment I feel completely left out of the loop. I have no idea what stage the game is at, or if it's currently being worked on at all.

Indeed, none of what we say is speculative . There's no need to worry about the state of the game, and you can check that yourself with the links Jimmini posted.

 

[metrium666]

Cheers for the replies guys. Much appreciated