Page 2 of 5

Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2016 4:26 pm
by fafner
I just played the demo, and I have mixed feelings.

First I found quite a lot of bugs for a single run. I think I "got" it, but I had a hard time because of the lack of a few hints, not being familiar with this type of games; maybe time to fill both a bug and a feature report :p Unlike F-Man I didn't lose. I didn't win either. In fact I had a game-breaking bug: mostly everything frozen but the tutorial button :confused:

I am also concerned with the "mobile ports". When a game is compatible with both PC and mobiles, that usually means it is actually a mobile game, with some afterthoughts for PC to gain a little more marketshare. I have nothing against mobile games, but to me they often appear inconsequential, casual and mostly empty. Basically nothing more that time-killers for when you are waiting for the bus. Being a dinosaur from the 80-90 era, I like games that are "heavy", the kind that demands dense hours to finish (Zelda and Elder Scrolls games are an example). This doesn't look like a "real" game to me, but let's face it: to most young players accustomed to have a smartphone in their pocket, it is. I'm certain that in this regard the tweet isn't that much misleading, from a certain point of view :rolleyes:

Anyway...

On the other side, with a little care, it can be made a good game, especially if the scenario part gives more content: quick game for the bus, scenario mode for when you are at home. It isn't the kind of game I usually play, and I can't see how it could become one of my favorite games. But as MrsEclipse, I want to see it funded, in the hope they will create more Tezuka (or Astro) based games. Real ones :p

As a developer, I can already see what was wrong with the bugs and could probably reproduce them and explain precisely how they happen. And with alpha access I could probably get special builds from developers that would allow me to choose my deck so I can reproduce easily the problems that I find (good luck to reproduce the exact combination that led to the freeze, especially since it seems to involve a not very frequent card).



In the end, I will probably try my luck. Maybe I will play it while waiting for the bus.

When I have a smartphone.

One day :lol:

Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2016 5:47 pm
by CommanderEVE
I am blunt and to the point, I am not PC.

I live with someone who is a big fan of card-based games, and I have watched him play a lot of them. To be honest, this looks like it is going to be crap, I can just tell. To me, it seems like they have taken Astro Boys name and image and thought it was a good idea to ride it just to get a quick buck.

- It is a mobile game, most mobile game suck. I am also pretty sure it will be full of ads and it will try and make you buy the packs to get more cards.

- The art looks amazing; this is the games strongest aspect. But, it also makes the game over hyped; I have seen this done so many times before.

Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2016 9:08 pm
by F-Man
"CommanderEVE" wrote:To me, it seems like they have taken Astro Boys name and image and thought it was a good idea to ride it just to get a quick buck.


His name definitely but certainly not his image. He's nowhere to be seen. I hope it's a sign that he will look somewhat like his usual self which is a hard sell for most people as proven time and time again, as much as we love him.

Honestly, all hopes lie with the quality of the story.

Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2016 3:50 am
by Shiyonasan
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1732149603/astro-boy-edge-of-time/posts/1664467

A patched demo was just released that addressed some of the issues in the previous version:

https://s3-ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/projectatom/kickstarterDemo/AstroBoyDemo_Setup.zip

Update #4: New Build, Patch Notes & Working with Incredible Artists

Hey everyone!

For today’s update, we’re delivering an updated build of our playable demo, hot off the servers. There’s lots we’ve wanted to do with the demo, but some things didn’t make the original cut.

In addition, we’ve taken feedback into consideration, adding some features and eliminating several bugs that were in the previous version.

You can download the demo here: https://s3-ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/projectatom/kickstarterDemo/AstroBoyDemo_Setup.zip

Below are the patch notes for the newest version of the demo.

PATCH NOTES

(2016/08/26) UPDATE TO VERSION 0.11

NOTE: Before installing this new version of the Astro Boy: Edge of Time Demo, please uninstall the previous version!

BUG FIXES:

  • Fixed bug that prevented AI from finishing its turn.
  • Fixed bug that caused a graphical issue when more than 1 card was drawn in a row.
  • Fixed bug that prevented the player from using the cards in their hand under certain conditions.
  • Fixed bug where Tanosuke skill animation could trigger too late.

ADDITIONS:

  • Added coin flip animation to decide which player goes first at the start of the game and which player gets an extra card.
  • Added animation for the card Overclock.
  • Improved the animation of Nine Tailed Fox

Added new cards:

- Professor Ochanomizu (Ministry of Science)

- Ambassador Magma (Ministry of Science)

- Brando (Gearwork Revolution)

- Shiranui's Call (The 9 Kings Syndicate)

Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2016 9:37 am
by CommanderEVE
"F-Man" wrote:[QUOTE=CommanderEVE;241124]To me, it seems like they have taken Astro Boys name and image and thought it was a good idea to ride it just to get a quick buck.


His name definitely but certainly not his image. He's nowhere to be seen. I hope it's a sign that he will look somewhat like his usual self which is a hard sell for most people as proven time and time again, as much as we love him.

Honestly, all hopes lie with the quality of the story.[/QUOTE]

Good point, maybe they knew people would notice the cheese if they kept plastering his face all over it. When Astro does appear, I believe he will look something along the lines of this image:

http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11114/111145279/3674553-astro+boy

Judging by the other pieces of art that have been drawn for the other characters.But as you said, many fans, if not all the fans like him how he is, the game might not sell otherwise.

The story seems OK, but I cannot help but feel it has been thrown together to make sense. I feel the game and art came before the story.

Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2016 6:48 am
by thetrin
Hi everyone!

I'm Nayan Ramachandran, the scenario writer for Astro Boy: Edge of Time. Really glad to see all of you talking about the game.

I'll try my best to clarify some things on our end so all of you have a better idea of development on our side.

Also, if you have any questions about the game, feel free to ask! I'm happy to answer. :)

"F-Man" wrote:[QUOTE=CommanderEVE;241124]To me, it seems like they have taken Astro Boys name and image and thought it was a good idea to ride it just to get a quick buck.


His name definitely but certainly not his image. He's nowhere to be seen. I hope it's a sign that he will look somewhat like his usual self which is a hard sell for most people as proven time and time again, as much as we love him.

Honestly, all hopes lie with the quality of the story.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, it was never our intention to use the Astro Boy name to make a quick buck. I'm particularly passionate about Tezuka's work (particularly MW, Astro Boy, and Phoenix). It's part of the reason I felt comfortable writing a new story with these characters. It's, of course, very daunting, but it's a great honor.

"CommanderEVE" wrote:I am blunt and to the point, I am not PC.

I live with someone who is a big fan of card-based games, and I have watched him play a lot of them. To be honest, this looks like it is going to be crap, I can just tell. To me, it seems like they have taken Astro Boys name and image and thought it was a good idea to ride it just to get a quick buck.

- It is a mobile game, most mobile game suck. I am also pretty sure it will be full of ads and it will try and make you buy the packs to get more cards.

- The art looks amazing; this is the games strongest aspect. But, it also makes the game over hyped; I have seen this done so many times before.


The game is being developed primarily as a PC title. The game is being developed in Unity, making it flexible for other platforms (like mobile), but the PC audience is our primary platform.

We also won't be running any ads in the game. I hate when games do that.

Yes, you CAN buy cards with real money, but you'll earn in-game currency from finishing story arcs or playing competitively against other players that you can use to purchase cards.

I hope that clears things up!

Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2016 1:35 pm
by CommanderEVE
"thetrin" wrote:Hi everyone!

I'm Nayan Ramachandran, the scenario writer for Astro Boy: Edge of Time. Really glad to see all of you talking about the game.

I'll try my best to clarify some things on our end so all of you have a better idea of development on our side.

Also, if you have any questions about the game, feel free to ask! I'm happy to answer. :)

[QUOTE=F-Man;241126][QUOTE=CommanderEVE;241124]To me, it seems like they have taken Astro Boys name and image and thought it was a good idea to ride it just to get a quick buck.


His name definitely but certainly not his image. He's nowhere to be seen. I hope it's a sign that he will look somewhat like his usual self which is a hard sell for most people as proven time and time again, as much as we love him.

Honestly, all hopes lie with the quality of the story.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, it was never our intention to use the Astro Boy name to make a quick buck. I'm particularly passionate about Tezuka's work (particularly MW, Astro Boy, and Phoenix). It's part of the reason I felt comfortable writing a new story with these characters. It's, of course, very daunting, but it's a great honor.

"CommanderEVE" wrote:I am blunt and to the point, I am not PC.

I live with someone who is a big fan of card-based games, and I have watched him play a lot of them. To be honest, this looks like it is going to be crap, I can just tell. To me, it seems like they have taken Astro Boys name and image and thought it was a good idea to ride it just to get a quick buck.

- It is a mobile game, most mobile game suck. I am also pretty sure it will be full of ads and it will try and make you buy the packs to get more cards.

- The art looks amazing; this is the games strongest aspect. But, it also makes the game over hyped; I have seen this done so many times before.


The game is being developed primarily as a PC title. The game is being developed in Unity, making it flexible for other platforms (like mobile), but the PC audience is our primary platform.

We also won't be running any ads in the game. I hate when games do that.

Yes, you CAN buy cards with real money, but you'll earn in-game currency from finishing story arcs or playing competitively against other players that you can use to purchase cards.

I hope that clears things up![/QUOTE]

I am glad you and your team are committed, as there are a lot of game companies out there now, who want to make a quick buck any way they can. Some mobile games are the worst. It also helps that you are a fan of Astro Boy and understand the Astro Boy universe.

PC is the master race, it is good that you have chose PC first over mobile. On PC, people will take it more seriously and it could gather a nice following and get active discussions going between fans. Rather then something that is played waiting for the bus or train.

That is good, I am guessing the funding will from from those who chose to buy the cards? Is it going to be anything like Blizzards' Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft? As they have a similar system going on.

Thank you for clearing things up and good luck with your writing endeavors.

Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2016 8:50 pm
by fafner
I had a question, but couldn't ask it on the kickstarter page because I have not backed the project (still weighting the pros and cons and there is no rush for now).

Lately, there has been a lot of games requiring a server to work because they are online games. However, even when they have a solo mode, too many still require the game server. Of course, that means that if the company running the game decides to switch off the server, bye-bye nice little game :cry: The presence of game currency is a concern to me. You say it will be possible to earn it in-game, which is fine, but won't it need a server to be enforced? Otherwise a good hacker could just edit the save files, and maybe even use the fake currency online. Even if they are crypted, a very good one could still take time to reverse-engineer the file decryption.

Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2016 6:31 am
by thetrin
"CommanderEVE" wrote:I am glad you and your team are committed, as there are a lot of game companies out there now, who want to make a quick buck any way they can. Some mobile games are the worst. It also helps that you are a fan of Astro Boy and understand the Astro Boy universe.

PC is the master race, it is good that you have chose PC first over mobile. On PC, people will take it more seriously and it could gather a nice following and get active discussions going between fans. Rather then something that is played waiting for the bus or train.

That is good, I am guessing the funding will from from those who chose to buy the cards? Is it going to be anything like Blizzards' Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft? As they have a similar system going on.

Thank you for clearing things up and good luck with your writing endeavors.


Hi there! That is correct. We're going for a card pack-based system. We want to make sure that we're able to keep the game funded and running, but we also want to make sure that the game experience is a dialogue with the player, rather than us treating everyone like a mark waiting to be conned.

There are also going to be events where players can participate and earn variants, multiplayer avatars, and other unlocks that won't require money. It just requires that you're able to set aside some time during the event to participate. Generally, these events will involve special story quests and multiplayer matches with themed conditions.

For instance, imagine we have a one week event during PAX themed around the city being in the grips of a massive fire. Those that play multiplayer can participate in an event match with other players where fires will spring up on the battlefield, injuring units. This changes the general dynamic of the strategy, and puts a twist on how you play your cards, and which characters will be more or less useful given the situation.

Let's say that for completing this event, you get a PAX themed Astro Boy card. Statistically it wouldn't be different from the regular Astro Boy card, but the variant art that accompanies it might be a picture of Astro wearing a t-shirt that has the PAX logo on it (or something similar). This card would only be available during that event, but no money needs to be spent to earn it.

"fafner" wrote:I had a question, but couldn't ask it on the kickstarter page because I have not backed the project (still weighting the pros and cons and there is no rush for now).

Lately, there has been a lot of games requiring a server to work because they are online games. However, even when they have a solo mode, too many still require the game server. Of course, that means that if the company running the game decides to switch off the server, bye-bye nice little game :cry: The presence of game currency is a concern to me. You say it will be possible to earn it in-game, which is fine, but won't it need a server to be enforced? Otherwise a good hacker could just edit the save files, and maybe even use the fake currency online. Even if they are crypted, a very good one could still take time to reverse-engineer the file decryption.



You present an excellent point. I'm a game collector myself, and not having a future proof solution to playing an online-only title is a concern to me as well.

As you assume, the story mode has to be online for a variety of reasons. Piracy, as you stated, is a concern. It would greatly affect the economy, effectively destroying it. It would adversely affect the entire player base. In addition to this, we want players to be able to seamlessly switch between devices with the game installed, with all the cards and other unlockables they earned during their last playthrough. That requires constant syncing with our servers to make sure you don't lose progress.

That said, this is a point we will discuss in the near future. Future proofing and archiving is an important point to me, and there are totally reasonable solutions by which we could fix the problem.

This game is an important project to me, and the last thing I want is for our team's hard work (and your ability to play the game) to disappear into the sands of time some years down the road.

Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 6:01 am
by Shiyonasan
The Kickstarter for Edge of Time has officially been cancelled due to lack of funding:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1732149603/astro-boy-edge-of-time

However, the game was successfully funded on the Japanese Kickstarter page, Makuake:

https://www.makuake.com/project/atom/?utm_source=default&utm_medium=widget&utm_campaign=widget

Despite the lack of funding on the English side, the game will still continue development, and the game's staff still intend to release Edge of Time worldwide:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1732149603/astro-boy-edge-of-time/posts/1685941

The Project Atom Team wrote:The Last Post

Hi everyone,

It is with a heavy heart that we’ve decided to stop the Kickstarter campaign for Astro Boy: Edge of Time. During the campaign, we’ve had the incredible pleasure of interacting with backers who are truly as passionate about the game as we are. The feedback we’ve received with each new development build has been a huge motivator for the team, and it’s allowed us to refine parts of the gameplay and UI in ways we didn’t even expect.

We want to be very clear about one thing: the cancellation of this Kickstarter does not mean the end of the game. We have every intention of finishing Astro Boy: Edge of Time, and releasing it for the world to enjoy. That’s our pledge to you as a team. Astro Boy: Edge of Time WILL see release.

What does the end of the campaign mean for the project? Simply, it means that we’ll have to reevaluate how we approach development going forward. We want to deliver the game we want to make, but difficult decisions will have to be made. As we continue working, we’ll continue to evaluate the individual parts of the game, and see how we can deliver our game with our new situation.

The good news in all of this is that our Makuake campaign has been a success! This will make development easier, and make it possible for us to include additional elements to the game like voice acting and stylized cutscenes.

Additionally, to show how much we appreciate the backers that had faith in our project, we’ll still be delivering the backer rewards you pledged for, free of charge. We know a lot of you were really excited for many of the exclusive rewards, including the artbook and soundtrack. You believed in us, and we want to thank you for that in return.

For all of you still interested in keeping up with the game as we continue development, be sure to follow us on Twitter @playastroboy and Facebook (facebook.com/playastroboy).

The journey isn’t over. It’s just beginning. This may be the last city in existence, but the sky’s the limit!

See you all soon.

The Project Atom Team