Author Topic: Alpha-testing  (Read 3520 times)

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Offline littleWolf (OP)

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Alpha-testing
« on: January 10, 2018, 04:22:47 AM »
Steve, maybe will release an alpha (early beta) version of Aurora-C# ?


 

Offline Froggiest1982

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Re: Alpha-testing
« Reply #1 on: January 10, 2018, 05:25:13 AM »
Better wait for Steve, but based on what happened in the past 8 years I can safely say that it is highly unlike to happen.  However, Steve does always a fictional AAR of the version in development, so you can enjoy the new features while reading a good story and interacting with him on designs, rules, etc.  as soon as the game will be on a live stage.

The last update from Steve was actually clear: the game is still not in the turns calculating version yet but the base has been built which should speed up processes this year, the only problem is that if he doesn't push the 5 seconds buttons and even if he does that but the game somehow doesn't respond how it supposed to. . . well then who knows how far we are.

Would be also good to note that while the Aurora game (not its predecessor) has been in actual development for a while it never actually had an alpha or beta stage, sort of dwarf fortress.  Basically, there are just a few new functions added from time to time leaving the backbone of the game pretty much intact.  If you have played (or still playing) the V6 version of the game expecting the C# to be a sort of Aurora II then you'll be extremely disappointed considering that the majority of the new features are limited to ground combat, removal of PDCs, revamp of all logistic operations (fuel, ordnance, etc. ) plus all that was already on the list for version 7. 2 (example Titans).  I know it seems a lot and it is, but we are mostly not talking about new features, we are talking about tweaks based both on Steve's thoughts and experiences over these years of playing Aurora.  The real gain will be a better UI and faster calculation of turns and this yes, I am really looking forward to.

The Aurora 2 project has been partially put aside, but Steve may do it one day considering he always left the door opened on such matter many times.

I personally still enjoy the V6 version quite a lot and even if the hype of the C# is very high, wait another year won't make any difference and I apply the same logic to Victoria 3; I've been waiting for so long but Victoria 2 with the right mods still feeds my hunger.

PLEASE NOTE: All the above are not meant to undermine Steve's job which is absolutely huge, it is merely a personal consideration based on the information available and Steve's words over the past 2 years of Aurora C# development and previous Aurora's one.

Starhero

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Re: Alpha-testing
« Reply #2 on: January 15, 2018, 04:14:46 PM »
Thank you for the post last poster, you have answered my question on where dev is at the moment, I believe I found this game during 2016 and now have been waiting for 2 years for an actual PLAYABLE version. 

My computer DIES once i am starting to get into other systems. . I have no idea why on the current version that is playable, but i remember during the time I was playing, it came down to the turn calculations that drove me up the wall and caused me to even look at another group of people that were originally saying they were gonna make a C# copy of the game. . . Then steve took up the idea, learnd the lang, and here we are 2 years later . . . . still waiting. .

I have other games to play, but aurora is literally the only 4x game I have ever seen that goes the way I want a 4x game to go.  Stellaris doesn't have smeg on this game!

if anyone can point me to a thread that is ONLY about progress towards a PLAYABLE C# version, I would appreciate that.  As much as I love other banter about the game.  I find myself more frustrated that I can't play the game atm, then excited about designs,ideas etc.

I really only come back to this site to find out how far the games progress has gone, and have learned not to take any "predictions" of time frame of completion from anyone, even from sieve :P
 

Offline Kelewan

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Re: Alpha-testing
« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2018, 05:56:21 AM »
Quote from: Starhero link=topic=9785. msg106146#msg106146 date=1516054486
if anyone can point me to a thread that is ONLY about progress towards a PLAYABLE C# version, I would appreciate that.   As much as I love other banter about the game.   I find myself more frustrated that I can't play the game atm, then excited about designs,ideas etc. 

In the the Following Threads only Steve can post:
hxxp: aurora2. pentarch. org/index. php?topic=8455. 0 (Screenshots published so far)
hxxp: aurora2. pentarch. org/index. php?topic=8495. 0 (C# Aurora Changes List)
They show the latest development. 

The other Threads on this subforum  try to find the "best" way (mechanic and code wise) to solve old problems and new features,
or try to get the ETA for the C# release,  where they hope the answer it is "soon"  ;D but only got "when it's ready"    ;) so far.
 

Offline TurielD

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Re: Alpha-testing
« Reply #4 on: January 16, 2018, 04:58:38 PM »
Quote
we are mostly not talking about new features, we are talking about tweaks based both on Steve's thoughts and experiences over these years of playing Aurora. 

This is cool and all, but all the new 'features' there might possibly be aren't particularly interesting compared to the massive, exponential, groundbreaking improvement of the game actually being playable past 80~or so years with multiple species.

If you look at something like Steve's own Nato vs Soviets campaign, from back in 2010, it took him 6 real-life months to play through about 10 years of game-time.  Sure, some of that will have been 'playing' the game, but the reality of VB8 aurora is that 90%+ of the time is spent not being able to interact with the game, not being able to look at your fleet list or your science officer stats or your mineral income, because the game is processing turns and locks you out.

I think that's probably why Steve writes those fiction/AARs. . .  he needs *something* to do while he waits for the game to iterate through those interminable 5-second steps and endless interupts ;D


I don't mean to disparage the work put in to working out the details of ground combat and what have you, but at this stage the game is *great*, feature-wise.  Space combat is excellent.  Exploration is interesting and rewarding.  Spreading in to the galaxy is an adventure.  The game has tons of modifiers to tweak the difficulty and challenge to your liking, and near infinite ways to play.  New features now going to tweak that experience, making it more realistic here and there, giving you more control over certain aspects, letting you play as 'cool space empire X' in just the way you imagined, compared to having to role-play some aspects differently.

But all that really doesn't mean a whole lot if every minute of game-time takes 5 minutes of real-time, when the game is supposed to span years.
 

Offline Froggiest1982

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Re: Alpha-testing
« Reply #5 on: January 16, 2018, 10:32:37 PM »
I think that's probably why Steve writes those fiction/AARs. . .  he needs *something* to do while he waits for the game to iterate through those interminable 5-second steps and endless interupts ;D

Mean but probably true!

 ;D

Offline Person012345

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Re: Alpha-testing
« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2018, 11:44:42 PM »
Literally I recall Steve saying that one of the impetus for starting the upgrade to C# was that he wanted something to do during his campaign turn times and decided to code C# aurora in the breaks whilst he was waiting for turns to process.
 

Offline Steve Walmsley

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Re: Alpha-testing
« Reply #7 on: January 17, 2018, 03:24:47 AM »
Literally I recall Steve saying that one of the impetus for starting the upgrade to C# was that he wanted something to do during his campaign turn times and decided to code C# aurora in the breaks whilst he was waiting for turns to process.

Yes, this is true :)

Then it gained a life of its own and I started concentrating on C# Aurora instead of campaigns.
 

Offline littleWolf (OP)

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Re: Alpha-testing
« Reply #8 on: January 17, 2018, 12:45:35 PM »

I became a pensioner playing in Aurora. (really)

I'm afraid that the next version will wait too late ( ;D).
 

Offline TurielD

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Re: Alpha-testing
« Reply #9 on: January 18, 2018, 09:03:21 AM »
Quote from: Steve Walmsley link=topic=9785. msg106194#msg106194 date=1516181087
Yes, this is true :)

Then it gained a life of its own and I started concentrating on C# Aurora instead of campaigns.

And we're all very happy about that!

Well. . .  we will be, sometime in the next 6 months or so *crosses fingers*