Hard Light Productions Forums
Hosted Projects - FS2 Required => Blue Planet => Topic started by: the.raven on February 24, 2019, 09:17:25 pm
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I wanna play
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Years if ever I'm afraid.
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Years if ever I'm afraid.
A while back you said if the team ever got to a point where it felt like BP would probably never get finished in the near future you'd write out a plot summary so at least we'd know how things would have ended.
Is that still the plan?
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We did more or less. Anyone can ask any spoiler question they want in the BP Oracle.
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Aww. That's sad :(
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We did more or less. Anyone can ask any spoiler question they want in the BP Oracle.
How about tweaking it to be a follow up to the 'Morrigan' stories on Clarkesworld? The second story ended on quite the cliff hanger :-)
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Years if ever I'm afraid.
Is it because there's still so much work left to do or because the team has little time to work on it?
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Is it because there's still so much work left to do or because the team has little time to work on it?
Both.
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Reading this has hurt me SO deeply... Blue Planet is one of the most beautiful, powerful, amazing stories (not to mention some phenomenal game play) that I've ever played, and it's absolutely ruined my week to hear that it's in limbo. :(
I wish I was fabulously wealthy so I could just offer the team so much money they'd have no choice but to quit their jobs and finish it. :banghead:
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Reading this has hurt me SO deeply... Blue Planet is one of the most beautiful, powerful, amazing stories (not to mention some phenomenal game play) that I've ever played, and it's absolutely ruined my week to hear that it's in limbo. :(
I wish I was fabulously wealthy so I could just offer the team so much money they'd have no choice but to quit their jobs and finish it. :banghead:
+1
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Reading this has hurt me SO deeply... Blue Planet is one of the most beautiful, powerful, amazing stories (not to mention some phenomenal game play) that I've ever played, and it's absolutely ruined my week to hear that it's in limbo. :(
I wish I was fabulously wealthy so I could just offer the team so much money they'd have no choice but to quit their jobs and finish it. :banghead:
Could that cause some legal problems though hypothetically? I don't know if Interplay would be happy if they saw people making money off Freespace.
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Interplay wouldnt care about it as long as you're not taking money for the product.
There was also some talking whether Battuta would get paid for working on BWO, but nothing came out of it (so far), and some people got indeed paid for their work in the past IIRC.
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Given the (at least according to my tastes) extremely approximate quality of gaming nowadays, I for one would be delighted to pay for mods with the narrative power of BP or BWO.
As far as i’m Concerned, there’s no questioning the investment.
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Yeah I actually have money and a job at this point so I too would have some interest in that.
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Reading this has hurt me SO deeply... Blue Planet is one of the most beautiful, powerful, amazing stories (not to mention some phenomenal game play) that I've ever played, and it's absolutely ruined my week to hear that it's in limbo. :(
I wish I was fabulously wealthy so I could just offer the team so much money they'd have no choice but to quit their jobs and finish it. :banghead:
Could that cause some legal problems though hypothetically? I don't know if Interplay would be happy if they saw people making money off Freespace.
Interplay isn't the problem here, not really. They barely exist as an entity.
No, the issue is that once we start taking money, we need to figure out how to pay everyone who would be owed their fair share. BP wouldn't be what it is without the works of dozens, if not hundreds, of people who have contributed to the FSO asset pool over the years. We would need to negotiate licensing for every piece of community art we used, we would need to figure out how to administrate the funds so that none of us gets into trouble with whatever tax authority is responsible for us (BP is a very international project: Its core contributors come from Australia, the US, Canada, Germany, Sweden....). There's a lot of overhead involved in taking something that was a for-free hobby project into something that can accept money (at least if you want to do it properly and without ****ing over anyone in the process), so much so that unless we basically make enough money that some of us could quit their jobs and work fulltime on this, it's thoroughly unfeasable.
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But the current team is just a handful people, or?
I think BWO (atleast intended to do so) paid people for accomplished tasks, so it would be more "earning addontional money in your freetime" rather than "quitting your job for FS".
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We did just that for the voice acting. Battuta paid a few actresses and actors out of his own pocket to get that done.
The problem is, if we don't quit our jobs or reduce our hours, we won't be able to work on BP. When we take donations from you, you have a reasonable expectation that your donations will, in some way, speed up the process of getting more BP to play, and at the moment, we just cannot guarantee that.
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It was a lot easier when we were all kids right? Free time was abundant and noncommitments. #adultbadtimes
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Keeping my fingers crossed for a bit lotto win then ;-) "Here is £1,000,000. Is that enough?" :lol:
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Has anybody thought about recruiting new members? I mean, it won't be easy to find people capable to work on BP, but if you're asking for help you atleast have the chance to draw some veterans back in. Of course that makes only sense if people from the original team have time to give people joining guidance/motivation by working themselves but it's been almost 3 years since the last release so even if parts of the core staff aren't always having time, others might have. BP started as Darius' one-man project, and a lot of people went in, but over the years quitted/don't have time anymore, so it might be worth an attempt to get reinforcements?
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Has anybody thought about recruiting new members? I mean, it won't be easy to find people capable to work on BP, but if you're asking for help you atleast have the chance to draw some veterans back in. Of course that makes only sense if people from the original team have time to give people joining guidance/motivation by working themselves but it's been almost 3 years since the last release so even if parts of the core staff aren't always having time, others might have. BP started as Darius' one-man project, and a lot of people went in, but over the years quitted/don't have time anymore, so it might be worth an attempt to get reinforcements?
I volunteer as proof-reader / editor / play tester. Actually that goes for anyone's mod :-)
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Consider this a raincheck for me volunteering in helping FRED. I've only got a bit of experience right now, but hopefully in a year or so I'll have learned more. :)
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Has anybody thought about recruiting new members? I mean, it won't be easy to find people capable to work on BP, but if you're asking for help you atleast have the chance to draw some veterans back in. Of course that makes only sense if people from the original team have time to give people joining guidance/motivation by working themselves but it's been almost 3 years since the last release so even if parts of the core staff aren't always having time, others might have. BP started as Darius' one-man project, and a lot of people went in, but over the years quitted/don't have time anymore, so it might be worth an attempt to get reinforcements?
I dunno, man. It could work really well! But BP has had exquisite team chemistry, we work together about fifty times better than any other HLP team I've been on (or frankly any actual studio I've worked at). It would be hard to recreate the magic.
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Has anybody thought about recruiting new members? I mean, it won't be easy to find people capable to work on BP, but if you're asking for help you atleast have the chance to draw some veterans back in. Of course that makes only sense if people from the original team have time to give people joining guidance/motivation by working themselves but it's been almost 3 years since the last release so even if parts of the core staff aren't always having time, others might have. BP started as Darius' one-man project, and a lot of people went in, but over the years quitted/don't have time anymore, so it might be worth an attempt to get reinforcements?
I dunno, man. It could work really well! But BP has had exquisite team chemistry, we work together about fifty times better than any other HLP team I've been on (or frankly any actual studio I've worked at). It would be hard to recreate the magic.
That's pretty obvious, elseway it wouldn't have been possible to create something of that quality. :nod:
Just given how important BP has become for the community (though I'm still an INF fanboy :D ), it would be bad if it was left unfinished.
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It would be okay. Hardly anyone plays campaigns any more, there's not much left to kill.
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I'm afraid there're still some people around here who'd think otherwise. :p
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It would be okay. Hardly anyone plays campaigns any more, there's not much left to kill.
Boy it sure is nice to know that all the time I spent working on Inferno was wasted. Thanks for enlightening me.
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Don’t shoot the messenger! I just don’t think ‘it would be bad for the community if you didn’t release’ is what motivates anyone to finish a campaign these days. You do it because you love the campaign.
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Sorry, I didn't wanted to demotivate you; I hoped you understand it rather as "it might be worth the try". :)
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It would be okay. Hardly anyone plays campaigns any more, there's not much left to kill.
Boy it sure is nice to know that all the time I spent working on Inferno was wasted. Thanks for enlightening me.
I don't think it's wasted. I'd love to play the rest of Inferno, it'd be a pity to see Nostos unfinished.
There are also a number of other campaigns in progress I'd like to see. I'm hoping we get Exile 2/3 someday and hopefully The Aftermath 2 will be completed this year.
Also, I'm hoping the FSCRP team can get Allied Forces fixed like they said they were working on too.
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I love inferno too!!!
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Welp. RIP Blue Planet. Nice knowing ya!
(Goes off to read stuff about Squadron 42)
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Welp. RIP Blue Planet. Nice knowing ya!
(Goes off to read stuff about Squadron 42)
Nothing’s changed. ETA still when it’s done.
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Welp. RIP Blue Planet. Nice knowing ya!
(Goes off to read stuff about Squadron 42)
Nothing’s changed. ETA still when it’s done.
So vague though. Reading through all the comments about act 4 makes me really think this is the Half Life 3 of freespace mods now.
My apologies but this really ruined my enthusiasm for freespace for the time being.
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@emark4.
You could make a spin off campaign? Fred keeps it fresh.
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Welp. RIP Blue Planet. Nice knowing ya!
(Goes off to read stuff about Squadron 42)
Nothing’s changed. ETA still when it’s done.
So vague though. Reading through all the comments about act 4 makes me really think this is the Half Life 3 of freespace mods now.
My apologies but this really ruined my enthusiasm for freespace for the time being.
We've never been vague. We all have real lives and careers (much more so than when we started!) and finishing an act usually takes several months of full-time effort from at least one person. The last time we did that we got Acts 1+2 voice acted. Next time it happens we can get Act 4 done, but we have no way to know when it could be.
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I did a bit of work just a couple months ago. The best chance of it happening is when I've turned in my next three books and have a bit of a breather publishing-wise.
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I did a bit of work just a couple months ago. The best chance of it happening is when I've turned in my next three books and have a bit of a breather publishing-wise.
Take your time, real life must come first. You and the rest of the BP team have already given us an experience that few other games can match, and you did it all for free. So even if act four etc. never gets finished, thank you for everything you have done already. 🙂👍
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Well you can of course wait until the team has retired from work. :D
I mean, my recent experience is that quite a lot of people coming/returning here still care about their old pets.
When I got here last year I asked about several projects unheard of for years...
-BWO had been declared dead by former team members, but Raven and BlackDove said they wanted to finish it at some future point.
-Teeth of the Tiger was inactive for 5 years. Then BengalTiger returned and stated he had plans to finish it.
-MindGames had been inactive for a similar amount of time but Karajorma stated he preferred to keep story and assets private so that it can be finished at some future point.
Of course you can say "aside saying that they don't leave their brainchilds to die nothing happened", but after all it is their hobby, so they can work on it as long as they please (though releasing would be good of course :lol: ). When I asked about TI it had not received attention for a long time as well, but there were several interested people and I still hope it'll get released some day.
TL;DR as long it is not cancelled, there's still hope.
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I did a bit of work just a couple months ago. The best chance of it happening is when I've turned in my next three books and have a bit of a breather publishing-wise.
Again, much more apologies. I felt very dissapointed in reading this thread (probably should have not touched it) that i forgot about the fact that RL has to take priority. Act 4 or not, thank you and the team for giving us Blue Planet.
Head into exile I must go (before I start ranting again).
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I did a bit of work just a couple months ago. The best chance of it happening is when I've turned in my next three books and have a bit of a breather publishing-wise.
Your next three books? Excellent! I'm excited to get those too. But like BP, they are done when they are done. Don't make yourself miserable trying to push them out.
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Uh-oh, looks like I started something.. . :nervous:
1st - Definitely no blame or ill-will should be directed toward the BP team, as they certainly have to take care of themselves before they can worry about a hobby/project like this. As much as we all love BP and are itching to see the end, they have a duty to themselves and their families that far outweighs any obligation to the fans (not that there really is any, though I'm sure we'd all appreciate it) to complete the series.
2nd - My original statement about being able to pay them to finish it was based on the "Money Is No Object" theory, in which any additional staff (like accountants, business managers, etc.) could be hired at a real-world salary to ensure the completion of all planned work, including monetary compensation for anyone and everyone who could lay claim to a piece of the pie, etc. etc.
Unfortunately, I don't think any of us, even collectively, could pool enough money (easily $1m+ depending on projected timelines) to actually make such a thing possible... but it's fun to dream. ;)
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Here's the link to the discussion from BWO btw.
It’d need to be a couple grand, probably payable only on completion, but I’ll be open for projects once I get this book turned in and my latest Bungie work finished. PM me if you want to discuss further.
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It would be okay. Hardly anyone plays campaigns any more, there's not much left to kill.
Wait, I don't get it. If people don't play campaigns, what are they playing? Or do you mean that people simply aren't playing FS2/FSO itself?
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I'll second the confusion on the line about not playing campaigns... :confused:
As for the number I cited ($1m+) for the amount of money it would take to get the rest of BP done, I was working on the assumption that I would be buying out the entire team, with each offered a large enough salary to leave them little choice but to leave their jobs (for probably a couple years) in addition to all the other necessary expenses. That'd add up REALLY fast! :P
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I'd do it but I want to play Act 4, not make it. I feel like making it would kill the actual play part for me. I'd be happy to contribute models, but if I'm not mistaken what is really needed here is FREDders.
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Nah, making BP missions can't be that hard. ;)
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You can add me to the list of people who would kickstart/contribute. But of course your real lives definitely come first!
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Eh, 2 deployments and 3 years later, this really bums me out.
I regret greatly that I have NO relevant skills in this area (not that I have any more free time than our wonderful BP team of course but meh...)
Much much sadness.
If ever there is a way you all can think of for a knuckle dragger to assist please PM me!
Skills include:
breaking down doors and other things not designed to be broken
yelling expletives
standing in line (no seriously, this is like my number 1 skill, I bet I can do it better and longer than any of you XD)
but I digress
Love you all, still be BEST campaign I've literally ever played.
I'd take Act IV over:
Dragon Age V
Elder Scrolls: VI
or
Mass Effect (with original writers back on track) V
Heart goes out to all you all, keep up the good work when/if ever you can!
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Please keep the fire lit. BP gameplay is perhaps one of the most artistically crafted space combat experiences ever created.
If money motivates, consider BP themed T-shirts and coffee mugs or whatever that uses only your own assets. Your core development team deserves to be recognized as an entity that the public can support. "Blue Planet Productions" or whatever.