what is the actual status?The game is still in production, and no official release date has been announced yet.
That's not the point. They don't base their game status information on the actual livelihood of the development. They base it on the awareness, promotability, and proximity to completion. The game itself has lost awareness do to a perceived lack of development by the outside community (even if it isn't true). Also, it doesn't seem to be promoted on the gaming forefront, so only people with prior knowledge are going to think about it on a weekly basis. The game has no explicity defined end, so to a gamesite based on showing game status...it looks like a canceled project. They won't remove it because they don't know that for sure, but I surely wouldn't expect them to change the status without something giving them good reason to do so besides "trust us...it'll get done".
Good point. I think a lot of fans of the project feel the way GameSpot does about the project. If there was an official release date for Shadows it would give the fans more hope even if the release date was far in the future.
Example: I'm living with my parents for a couple months and only come around in the mornings now, for maybe an hour :P Can you imagine if I was actually working on part of the game? :P
Internet and a PC probably isn't the trouble.Example: I'm living with my parents for a couple months and only come around in the mornings now, for maybe an hour :P Can you imagine if I was actually working on part of the game? :P
Laptops, wireless cards, and remote access make where you are irrelevant to development. People will always find time and a way to get things done that they really want to get done. If you're relying solely on using your parents' computer hidden in the closet of their bedroom that you only get to use for 20 minutes before it explodes...you'd still find another way to get it done.
Example: I'm living with my parents for a couple months and only come around in the mornings now, for maybe an hour :P Can you imagine if I was actually working on part of the game? :P
Laptops, wireless cards, and remote access make where you are irrelevant to development. People will always find time and a way to get things done that they really want to get done. If you're relying solely on using your parents' computer hidden in the closet of their bedroom that you only get to use for 20 minutes before it explodes...you'd still find another way to get it done.
Mac is correct in that Cat's example does not fully match up to her point. Living with her parents does not inhibit her from working on TSL, nor does a limited amount of foruming time, by definition, mean a lack of time to work on TSL.Not so. Her example is that as she is living with her parents for a while, she no longer has time to complete her responsibilities as a moderator so actively due to the responsibilities which she has to take on from living with her parents.
It is further true that the higher a priority a person places on something, the more probable is it will get done, and that humans are capable of remarkable efforts and achievements in pursuit of something they greatly desire.No and yes. A higher priority is not a direct corollary to probability: (to relapse into absurd hyperbole) placing a high priority on making man-powered flight a competitor with space flight or supersonic jets in no way increases the probability of success (the probability of death or serious harm perhaps, but not success).
Team members have other priorities than TSL, and thus spend the effort on other things. If you agree or do not agree with this prioritization is irrelevant. It is reality.I don't think agreement is the problem (I guess, that you don't either). Somehow, these discussions of the progress of the game seem three-sided to me: you have fans talking with disheartened fans/hecklers, and the team or PR staff explaining that the team members happen to have lives too which--who would have thought it-- present problems of their own that happen to trump TSL.
True, but if you set a goal for yourself and set a date to have that goal done by then it is more likely to get accomplished. Imagine, you going to school or work and nothing has a date of completion then nothing or very little would ever get done.
I'm sure Delling will use this as an opportunity to express his ever-so-vast literary knowledge to divulge a convoluted, misguided, and pointless argument about the nature of trees...and how they affect the time-space continuum further impeding upon development habits of humans hence forth they extrapolate their orante abilities to ponder the intricacies of run-on sentences; therefore enabling their desires to relinquish coding time for the sake of fabricated livelihood.That was in extremely poor taste.
Yes, if the team was 'determined' enough and willing to make any sacrifice, including giving up all free time, family and collage the game would get done faster. I think none here will deny that. They don't want to do that, rightly IMHO, and simply wanting it to happen and being 'determined' will not make time to get things done appear out of thin air.
The point is, you can write any sentence with lots of complex wording to show everyone how great your degree in literature is, but when you finally type that "period"...you haven't made a strong point about anything.I shall make but two points: the degree I'm getting is in physics and I have used no vocabulary that exceeds a high school level.
I think people forget that TSL is something the team works on in their free time. Not everyone has the same amount or even a large amount, and as stated before, people have many other priorities that rank higher which cut into their development time. If everyone were able to work full-time on this game, it would be a completely different story and we'd be able to estimate a release date fairly easily. But the reality is that everyone is either working full-time or in school, thus making it very difficult to predict when the game will be complete.
We are getting closer and closer each day, but we're still not at a point where we can announce the release date with 100% confidence.
All I did was to match Mac's hyperbole for another....I have used no vocabulary that exceeds a high school level.
dew, I don't think asking for one repeatedly is going to get you a release date. They're not giving one. I, for one, don't have a problem with that.
How then, can you speak of counter-productivity when by your flaming you merely make the mods do more work?All I did was to match Mac's hyperbole for another....I have used no vocabulary that exceeds a high school level.I'm sure most people understood your intent of matching hyperbole to itself...I'm just not sure why. You should be making a point about the development, release dates, etc...not a display of your ability to do what I've already done. The language you used was indeed high school level...but when you've clearly scanned a thesaurus to replace commonplace words just for the sake of sounding more intelligent...it comes across as convoluted and sloppy. Just make your point, don't sensationalize an expected ability to write a thesus introduction. It's a game forum, not 11th grade English.
But from a fan stand point, we are all waiting for this game. I used to check this site almost everyday to see if any updates or developments were being made. Recently its been every two weeks or more. Even though the team is scared of making and breaking a release deadline, I think it would give us--as fans-- some hope. While you guys are busy giving up free time to work on a project that many of you might be tiring of, we see a stagnant web page with few updates and even fewer indications that the game is still being worked on.
I think that more focus should be spent releasing screen shots, previews, or even a demo from another part of the game. While I understand that any time spent on the website is time not spent on the game, what's a game when no one who cares is around anymore to play it?
Thank to the team, though, for all the effort that they've given. I'm sure if I was told to give up more free time so a bunch of us free-loaders could get a video game, I'd have a few choice words. :) Thanks team
dew, I don't think asking for one repeatedly is going to get you a release date. They're not giving one. I, for one, don't have a problem with that.
I was just hoping Neil would tell us at least when he would give us a release date but I really am starting to lose confidence in the team. I hope they will eventually release the game.
As for the release of screenshots...well, all I can say is you might want to start participating in the contests we are holding (last month was a Book Title contest, this month is a Smiley Contest). There are prizes involved, and I'm sure the three winners from last month's contest will say they liked the prize :D
I'm sure those THREE people who won loved their prizes. I hope that THREE people enjoy the game too. Tongue
I'm not trying to be a jerk. I just think some more updates are in order. Not one big update, but regular updates that keep us coming back to keep checking out whats new. But this discussion has gone on way to long, I've got better things to do. I'm sure I'll enjoy the game if/whenver it comes out.
PS: I think all the back talk that comes from moderators/team members whenever release dates are inquired about is dumb. You guys wanna put your selfs out like a quasi-"professional" group? Then expect professional standards from the community. If you wanna be seen like an amature group of volunteers, that's fine, we'll expect an amature product. See how it goes?
As for the release of screenshots...well, all I can say is you might want to start participating in the contests we are holding (last month was a Book Title contest, this month is a Smiley Contest). There are prizes involved, and I'm sure the three winners from last month's contest will say they liked the prize
Dew, by asking repeatedly for a release date is NOT going to get you one...especially several times in different threads. In fact, instead of getting us to come up with a release date, it is annoying. When there is a release date that we are confident about, we will let the fans know.
If you do not care about the community, checking the site frequently is a waste of time. You can get major updates directed to your email inbox, others here can tell you how. Personally, I recommend you do so and then try to forget about TSL. The email will remind you at the proper time.
That is my personal advice to you, not because I think it would be a bad thing if POS were to give more progress reports, but because I doubt you will get them no matter how you beg and plea, demand, threaten or whatever. Thus, it will simply save you some angst and Say* some annoyance if you stop and forget about it until your email reminds you.
I was really, really happy when this game got un-canceled and I found out it was going to actually happen again. This was over a year ago. In that time, we (the people who want to play it) have seen, game-wise a demo we were soon told was already out of date and two new screenshots. We've gotten very sporadic journal updates about progress, the most recent of which told us only that the developers have lives and that the team is really awesome. When someone asks if the team could release updates on progress, new screenshots, or some small tidbit, the only response I've seen is that the team all have personal lives and that we can't expect them to drop everything to please us. This approach has all but killed my interest in the project, and whenever I think about the project it's in a "what-might-have-been" way. I thought I was the only one, but looking around I'm starting to see there are more people who feel the same way.
I'm not trying to insult anyone. All I'm saying is that it doesn't make much sense for a company, even one not working for money, to advertise a product and then tell interested potential consumers to be more considerate of the staff's needs when they ask to know more about said product. If the public stays as in the dark as it has been about The Silver Lining, eventually there won't be much of a public willing to ask about it.
Ok, say a person wins one contest and receives a screenshot. When that contest is over, a new one starts. At the end of the new contest, why not release the old contest's prize screenshot to the public? That way the winner of each contest can feel like they've gotten something special (being able to see a screenshot/progress a month or so before the public), and then a month or so later, the public gets to see a bit of progress as well.
In the year 2100 -- the Silver Lining was releasedAnd the same team members will be working on the game because a new pill will have been developed to stop aging.