Demigod: Gamma Status Report

from JoeUser Forums

This week Demigod goes into private Gamma testing.  It’ll be in Gamma for about a week (and no more than a week and a half in order to make the April 14th street date).

So what are the changes you can expect from the beta to final?  We’ll know a lot more this week but here are some general things that are on our mind:

  1. Lots and lots of balance tweaks based on feedback. See http://forums.demigodthegame.com/342558 to get a sampling.
     
  2. Implementation of Multiplayer Skirmish.  That’s where you choose a Demigod and press fight and the match making finds someone for you to play with.
     
  3. Impulse Reactor Overlay. The ability to send messages to friends, chat, user score, etc.
     
  4. Impulse Reactor NAT. This is the infamous connectivity stuff. Unlike most games, Demigod is pure peer-to-peer in order to reduce in-game latency. The challenge, however is that EVERYONE has to be able to send and receive UDP packets (in most games, only the host needs to do that).  This past week, the lead developer of RAKNet was at Stardock to help in this area.  We expect to have a new beta of Demigod this week with some of these changes in.
  5. Impulse Integration.  We’re going to try to put as much useful information into Impulse for finding and getting games going as possible. So data like disconnects, rank, etc. will start to be displayed. You’ll be able to pick a game, click launch and be inserted
    into that game.  This is an area we plan to expand on after release as well.
     

Impulse Reactor: Phase 3 internal beta

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34,912 views 37 replies
Reply #1 from Demigod Forums Top

Sweet, thx for the update!

Siege of Centauri
Reply #3 from Demigod Forums Top

And as a reminder: No matter what changes we do, no one will ever be fully satisfied with balance...

 

Reply #4 from Demigod Forums Top

Lol, never thought I'd see the day a Publisher's CEO would be invoking Godwins Law on his own forums! :rofl:

Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top

Whenever I play the game I still find Generals too unerpowered. Is it just my strategy?

Reply #7 from Demigod Forums Top

I suspect everybody and his dog eventually purchases Ashkandor`s Sword. When they do that - boom... there goes the scale in their favour (10% chance of 4x damage per hit is amazing). Assassins usually have a speedier path to it than Generals with their Minion expenses.

Reply #8 from Demigod Forums Top

I would like to proclaim that no matter what changes are made, I am always satisfied with the balance ^.^

Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top

Every time I see that video it has different subs. This one was funny though :D

Reply #10 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting Frogboy, reply 3
And as a reminder: No matter what changes we do, no one will ever be fully satisfied with balance...

 


End of Frogboy's quote

That video was HILARIOUS! never seen it before! Pure WONDER!

Reply #11 from Sins Forums Top

Even as I comment here, there are multiple active threads I'm seeing on the Demigod forums proclaiming that we need to postpone Demigod for "months".  Because it's buggy? No.  Because it's incompatible or too slow? No.  But because it needs more time for unspecified "balance" changes.  Because, as you know, there is only ONE correct way to balance. :)

Reply #12 from Demigod Forums Top

Quoting SH0DAN, reply 8
I would like to proclaim that no matter what changes are made, I am always satisfied with the balance ^.^
End of SH0DAN's quote

LoL

Reply #13 from Demigod Forums Top

Whenever I play the game I still find Generals too unerpowered. Is it just my strategy?
End of quote

Yes.  Oak is probably one of the strongest team demigods and in the hands of a strong player he can easily bring in a win that an extra assassin on that team couldn't have.  In groups where teamwork isn't happening then assassins are definately better though.

Sedna I would say is the second strongest team-oriented Demigod and Queen is very good at pushing towers early with Uproot (though some argue this isn't worth it, at release towers are worth 800g to the whole team).

Reply #14 from Demigod Forums Top

I suspect everybody and his dog eventually purchases Ashkandor`s Sword.
End of quote
Actually, I never get artifact items anymore.  Generally, the gold to bonus ratio is much higher on regular items and by the time slots become the primary limiting factor I'm at War Rank 8 which means all my gold is going to giants and then to upgrading them.  In a very small handful of games I'll eventually get artifact gear but only after the citadel is almost fully upgraded and even then, I usually go with the girdle (for cleave) and armor (so I can tank hordes of creeps longer).

Basically, early-game is about surviving, leveling and making gold.  Mid-game is about killing demi-gods and end-game is about pushing the citadel.  The stuff at the artifact shop is end-game gear and at that point killing demigods isn't the primary objective anymore, pushing their citadel with giants is so I don't focus on gear that helps me kill Demigods.

Reply #15 from Demigod Forums Top

Quoting Frogboy, reply 11
Even as I comment here, there are multiple active threads I'm seeing on the Demigod forums proclaiming that we need to postpone Demigod for "months".  Because it's buggy? No.  Because it's incompatible or too slow? No.  But because it needs more time for unspecified "balance" changes.  Because, as you know, there is only ONE correct way to balance.
End of Frogboy's quote

Atleast you aren't serving the WoW community like blizzard when it comes to balancing, yes sometimes developers do put out some really retarded changes nobody wants. When I was playing I even took part in some forum protests getting banned for commenting on nerfs, a spam thread of ascii fingers to blizzard for a retarded nerf etc. At least our messages got across even tho they don't accept petitions, can't stand against 20+ pages of ascii fingers I guess. Hopefully it won't come to that here =P

Reply #16 from Demigod Forums Top

Quoting Frogboy, reply 11
Even as I comment here, there are multiple active threads I'm seeing on the Demigod forums proclaiming that we need to postpone Demigod for "months".  Because it's buggy? No.  Because it's incompatible or too slow? No.  But because it needs more time for unspecified "balance" changes.  Because, as you know, there is only ONE correct way to balance.
End of Frogboy's quote

Well to be fair the game would make use of two or three more months of development but then, what game wouldn't. I retain my idea that Demigod will be a solid game experience at release, but will be awesome at the release of DLC#2 and beyond.

Reply #17 from Demigod Forums Top

Well if someone can find me a game that was/is very well balanced on release I'll uninstall windows xp and reinstall windows 98 :)

Reply #18 from Demigod Forums Top

Quoting [AC,
DalzK" reply="17" id="2118793"]Well if someone can find me a game that was/is very well balanced on release I'll uninstall windows xp and reinstall windows 98
End of [AC's quote

FPS games in deathmatch mode, tends to be balanced since everyone has equal things =P

Reply #19 from Demigod Forums Top

Quoting [AC,
DalzK" reply="17" id="2118793"]Well if someone can find me a game that was/is very well balanced on release I'll uninstall windows xp and reinstall windows 98
End of [AC's quote

Solitaire  :)

Reply #20 from Demigod Forums Top

Quoting Raspyn, reply 19
Quoting ACDalzK, reply 17
Well if someone can find me a game that was/is very well balanced on release I'll uninstall windows xp and reinstall windows 98
End of ACDalzK's quote


Solitaire 
End of Raspyn's quote

LOL

Reply #21 from Demigod Forums Top

First of all before i uninstally XP, I meant a RTS/Strategy game

Secondly, Solitaire is so imba, so much luck involved it annoys me...they shud release patch for it imo.

Reply #22 from Sins Forums Top

Minesweeper?

Reply #23 from Demigod Forums Top

The flags are imba.

Reply #24 from Demigod Forums Top

I heard flags get nerfed in next patch

Reply #25 from Sins Forums Top

Well if someone can find me a game that was/is very well balanced on release I'll uninstall windows xp and reinstall windows 98
End of quote

Y'know, I bet someone (ie. someone less lazy than me:zzz: ) could find one of those old, seriously bad RTSs, where the "different" sides were just the same units with a marginally different skin/model. How's that for balance?

(Oh, and don't ask me for names of those old games, or remind me that there are still third rate studios bashing them out right now.  I'm trying hard to repress those memories.)

Oh! here's one! "Z", I think it was called. 2 sides, identical units, but one was painted red, the other blue.

(AAAAAGHHHH! You made me remember!)