I have followed this game for a while. A while back progress was at a snail's pace and there were no updates, but now it seems to be rapidly picking up. The Prelude looks good, but I'm also a backer of Kingdom Come, and that gets small updates once a month... How much content is in the Prelude so far, and how often is more added in?
Close to backing... but...
- Thread starter pareod
- Start date
Tony
Insider
If you're just wanting a full game experience I'd suggest waiting for the full release of Exanima (the prelude). Currently the Exanima alpha consists of about three hours worth of content to explore if you know what you're doing and if not you could probably spend days figuring everything out. There's also the arena mode which consists of 16 different opponents which you can battle using different weapons/gear. I've spent over 100 hours in the arena mode alone.
Since the game is currently in an alpha state the main focus is squishing bugs and after that they'll keep adding more content (even post release). If you enjoy doing this then I'd say it's totally worth it.
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I enjoy testing and playing incomplete builds, I just want to know that it won't be a year between updates (exaggerating). Is there a road-map for alpha updates? How frequent are they?
Tony
Insider
Well, the Exanima alpha has had quite a few updates already though most of them are bug fixes and not additional content. The last content update was released about a week ago and they're currently working on adding some pretty significant features in the near future. After these are added to the alpha and tested then Exanima will move into beta and shortly after that the game will be released for Steam's early access.
Things are moving at a much quicker pace now that they have most of the base systems in place and so development is going to focus more on content delivery. I'd estimate that within six months Exanima will be officially released (this is only my guess, not an official statement).
Vold
Insider
Here you can read a part of the incgamers interview about SG (feb, 02 2015), which is related to their goals in the next few months:
Link to the full interview.
Link to the full interview.
ZaratanCho
Insider
I think working on features and content is becoming more of a focus now that major technical development is kinda done.
It took 2-3 months for this big update, but a lot of technical stuff needed work, content and gameplay features weren't a priority.
My initial reaction is that 6 months seems like a lot, i guess it really depends on what they plan on doing with Exanima. I can't really guess how fast things will progress from now on though. After a month we could have an idea.
I'm pretty sure plenty of new features and content will be coming a lot faster now.
It took 2-3 months for this big update, but a lot of technical stuff needed work, content and gameplay features weren't a priority.
My initial reaction is that 6 months seems like a lot, i guess it really depends on what they plan on doing with Exanima. I can't really guess how fast things will progress from now on though. After a month we could have an idea.
I'm pretty sure plenty of new features and content will be coming a lot faster now.
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Tony
Insider
Well, here's how I came to to the estimate of six months...
Another month or three of alpha testing/adding features. This is going to be required when they add features and people start reporting dozens of issues with said features which will require time to fix. On top of bugs needing fixed I also figured that people will be giving feedback and any changes made will require additional time to fine tune/tweak mechanics.
Next comes a month or two of beta testing. There will be a flood of new people that don't have alpha access which will be playing and testing the game so new bugs are bound to be discovered. These people will also be giving more suggestions and feedback so more tweaking/fine tuning will occur.
Lastly, I figure it'll take a month or so for unforeseen problems. It is the nature of things that there is almost always some last minute problem that arises just before release. Adding the last bits of polish before release is crucial for a good first reception of the game. Plus it'll give them time to create some promotional materials (videos, interviews, etc.) to help create a good first impression and to raise awareness.
Tony
Insider
Exanima plays like a dungeon crawler. You are in the underworld and you don't know why you are there or what is going on. There are hints and clues hidden about so the more you explore the more you will discover and find out. Exanima is lacking the more advanced features like the dialogue system since they are still being worked on. The main focus of Exanima is exploration and simply surviving.
tiny lampe
Insider
I'm not sure. Madoc did mention in the interview Vold posted that:
"the game is now preparing for an imminent beta release of the prelude"
To me at least, this statement suggests that the beta version of ExAnima will be released as soon as the bugs present in the current alpha are ironed out. I assume the beta will be a second round of bug-testing and, after that, the game will be released as an early acces on Steam. I expect new features to come at some point after the Steam release (ideally after having been tested by alpha and beta backers first).
I believe that at this point BareMettle are satified enough with the current ExAnima to show it to the general public. The latest update addressed the 2 major issues/concerns they had: performance and content. While more features will undeniably come, securing funds through Steam is also important and BareMettle may have decided that the game already has a high enough appeal to draw people in. Also, keeping a constant stream of 'cool' features like Thaumaturgy, stabs etc post-release could be positive since people could think that the game is moving forward at a great pace.
Personally, I predict that the beta will hit us this month and the game will be released as an early access during the first half of March.
Tony
Insider
While I wouldn't mind if the game was polished and ready that early I would be quite surprised. If the features in the previous Supdates are intended for post-release (instead of pre-release) then I could see Bare Mettle releasing the game earlier. However, doing so could be a double-edged sword. On one hand it would appear that development is progressing rapidly, while on the other hand people will point out every single flaw and accuse Bare Mettle of not being capable of doing things properly.
Currently one of the biggest criticisms I read about SG and Exanima is that it's a bunch of neat technology that wouldn't make a good game. Releasing features that haven't been properly tested first would only reinforce this opinion and I think it'd likely do more harm than good. Things need to be tested and polished a bit before being released to the general public, especially if Exanima is being sold as a stand alone game. People will overlook features not being present at release, especially if they know that features are being added later. People will not overlook things that are broken and buggy in a game they paid for.
If they plan on adding major features post-release I hope they release alpha and beta versions first.
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Madoc
Project Lead
There is no official roadmap yet but I can easily sum up our immediate goals. As it is we're quite happy with the general state of the game and engine, there's a couple of bugs to fix but otherwise nothing significant development wise that requires urgent attention. So yes, a beta release is imminent. As of now we're focusing on content for Exanima, this includes new encounter types, more environments and more items. After some early steps for the new content our focus will shift towards game features such as the skill system, introducing some thaumaturgy, new combat manoeuvres and animations, new interaction mechanics and extending our AI behaviours. An additional goal is to add some kind of tutorial as the learning curve is incredibly steep.
We do think some of the additional content is a top priority but adding content and features is something that will continue after the Steam release and alongside the develoment of Sui Generis.
While it may not be very apparent in terms of gameplay the recent changes we made to significantly improve performance and support large persistent worlds involved some drastic changes to engine and game systems, chaging systems that are already in place is always problematic. That's behind us now and future updates to Exanima will come much more quickly and smoothly.
There is a lot of misunderstanding and criticism surrounding the game but honestly it looks like that's unlikely to change until Sui Generis is released so I think we're just going to have to live with it.
We do think some of the additional content is a top priority but adding content and features is something that will continue after the Steam release and alongside the develoment of Sui Generis.
While it may not be very apparent in terms of gameplay the recent changes we made to significantly improve performance and support large persistent worlds involved some drastic changes to engine and game systems, chaging systems that are already in place is always problematic. That's behind us now and future updates to Exanima will come much more quickly and smoothly.
There is a lot of misunderstanding and criticism surrounding the game but honestly it looks like that's unlikely to change until Sui Generis is released so I think we're just going to have to live with it.
turtleman155
Insider
thaumaturgy, skills new combat maneuvers and extra content 
it must be my birthday
it must be my birthday 
Pilluminati
Insider
That looks like a pretty good plan. I think having more moves in combat will have a very big impact on the enjoyment, as will the progression.
The performance increase is very noticeable btw. Zooming out doesn't drop my fps at all anymore.
Thank you for the reply. This does sound like a good strategy, but I wouldn't put off releasing new content for too long. After all, the Steam release could either be huge or mediocre. I'm a bit concerned about one of your statements in an interview where you said that you guys weren't interested in epics, rather a living world with many smaller stories. I agree with this idea, but I hope it won't be the case that a lack of story content turns this into an example of what the technology behind this game could do rather that what it is doing.
Anyways, the recent work is impressive, and the speed at which it is being done is more so. I believe that you guys can create the game you envision, and so I'll take the risk and finally back the project. I would make the Insider forums public for reading purposes just so that people like me can be more convinced that this game isn't dead or dying.
Murf
Moderator
Damn still does for me.
JonU
Insider
I backed Kingdom Come as well. There is FAR more content in just Exanima already. Kingdom Come, while beautiful and with excellent art design, still feels very much like a rough and content bare tech demo. I'm very much looking forward to it, but judging by what has been released to backers for both games, I'd say Sui Generis is much further along in its development.
There aren't quests and such yet in Sui Generis/Exanima. But there is a fair amount of juicy lore and story tidbits, along with one of the best melee combat system in video games. And the only one I can think of that is based upon the actual physics of swinging weapons. If you enjoy the combat system, it is already highly replayable.
There aren't quests and such yet in Sui Generis/Exanima. But there is a fair amount of juicy lore and story tidbits, along with one of the best melee combat system in video games. And the only one I can think of that is based upon the actual physics of swinging weapons. If you enjoy the combat system, it is already highly replayable.
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