I am thinking loud !!

Cattleya · Posted: Tue Nov 28, 2006 7:50 pm Post subject: I am thinking loud !!

This is not to be seen as negative criticism, or some kind of attack...

But... I where thinking, maybe there is to many projects running for our dear head programmer RDK.
First the new simulator came, Poc3dsimII, that meant that the normal 3d sim where overruled, by this I mean, that no further updates, absolutly nothing, then I just read that another version, a so called smallwater version, is being programmed in the moment of writing this. Maybe this will mean that the updates for POC, Poc3dsimII and th normal 3d sim, will only come every 4-5 months. Already now there is going many weeks in between every update. I think that maybe RDK and his team should finish one thing at the time, and then start up new projects.

Dear RDK, I really appreciate your work, and all of your ideas, and you have made a great game, obviuosly! But again why not finish one game at the time... Because i find these half-hearted, and half-finished games a bit annoying.

Please anyone who i reading this, i am not a angry bastard.... It is only meant as good criticism.

best rgds
Cattleya

Christian Todt · Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 2:58 pm Post subject:

hi cattleya,

i agree partially with your criticism:
the poc sim3d2 were programmed because relating to writings of rdk
the making of harbors was to much work. so i think here you're not quite right.
But i also think rdk should finish poc xxl(release v.1.0) before releasing first betas of poc sml.

CT

rdklein · Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 3:50 pm Post subject:

we have one commen source for xxl and sml so to save time this was my choice and as we need more fundings we need a 2nd project to earn the money so this has also priority, the pocsim3dII can handle all of them, so to save my working time in the sum this was choosen as an optimized way.

the final xxl will come first of course (eg 1.0) ,

The sml is done in already in parallel since about 2003 internally.

Bearsie · Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 12:01 am Post subject:

Aller guten Dinge sind 3
Good things come in 3's
3 keer is Sheprecht

Very Happy

_________________
Frohe Reise, Bearsie.

ricardo · Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 10:56 am Post subject:

we have one commen source for xxl and sml so to save time this was my choice and as we need more fundings we need a 2nd project to earn the money so this has also priority, the pocsim3dII can handle all of them, so to save my working time in the sum this was choosen as an optimized way.

So I understand it that we shall have to pay for the "sml-project" where one bought a plat-lic for xxl and the updates are not even at ver 1.0 yet.
I do not understand this and I feel we as license holders paid to support the upkeep of POC at the beginning and know me must stand back whilst other projects are being done.
This is only my opinion as I do not know who else in S.A. owns a copy of POC.

rdklein · Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 1:28 pm Post subject:

POC sml is a new game concept not the classic one. So platinum only is for the table given on the homepage and not for future products, but of course for new upgrades. Its uncommen for other products to have a lifetime license, but we dont extend this to all product lifetime license.

We think about a packet price eg. upgrade for platinum users.

And we REALLY need more fundings to speed up development.

An other problem are lost licenses, we plan to charge about 4 euro per lost license as we are now getting more and more busy in searching old licenses holders (even emails changed...) and resent them. we almost spend 1/2 a day with problems like this.

corne_mo · Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 5:25 pm Post subject:

You're 200% right in charging for re-producing new licenses for people who have lost them. If you buy a game on a CD-ROM, and you loose the CD, you have to buy it all over again.

I have a strange feeling about this commercial idea though. In your last post you say that you're thinking about a update package for plat. lic. In some posts above you told that in the future the 2 versions will get integrated. So I first have to pay for something I get for free later ?
_________________
Freight Containers In The Port Of Antwerp

Christian Todt · Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:42 pm Post subject:

hi rdk,

good to know that sml doesn't belong to platin.
i would just like to know how much it will cost.
then i could really imagine to buy it as soon as possibile!

best regards,

CT

PS. is sml planned as boxed game?

Captain Brackwasser · Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 10:28 pm Post subject:

Hi Folks !!

To develope a game like POC takes lot of time (and money). So I think RDK is doing a very good job.

For my opinion, POC is the user friendliest game i know. Where else can you get your wishes integrated in a game.

Yes, it takes time but i think it is worth the waiting.

The are only three things that should be develope first before all others:

1. the Computer Players
2. the network for online playing
3. the editor for harbour creation

and than all others things like using of the harbour and ships codes in the xml files and so on.

And for me it is totally ok, that POC SmallWater is NOT integrated in the Platinum license.
If you buy a game, you must buy later extensions also and SmallWater ist a game of his own.

Greetings
Captain Brackwasser

Christian Todt · Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 6:48 am Post subject:

rdklein · Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 7:54 am Post subject:

yes thats what we plan also, some things can be done in parallel for example.
The harbour editor is also done in parallel, but will take longer than the sml (as sml also will have this feature useable, we had to implement it first, so to save develop time overall, some things can share code and ideas - the pocsim3dII is very generic, so I want to use it also for SML and maybe upcoming games in far future)

For platinum users SML wont be free and not integrated (only data can be exchanged maybe in a sens of game, when you have XXL and SML you might be able to drop freights and carry with SML to the desination in a network environment) also not in future, only a reduced cost is what we thought of.

We work on increasing our development power for the games, so I hope this increases the speed also in future and we need a synergy effect to gain more money (to pay the developers I plan to hire). So please help us in this way.

Bearsie · Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 10:09 am Post subject: 3 = 1

Sounds like a good plan to me Very Happy

Will it be possible to play SML on my old machine, or does it have the same requirements as 3DII ?
Personally I don't mind the beta versions.
I know of no other game where one has so much input.
Quite agree with Captain Brackwater.
Will SML be available soon as Beta or will we have to wait a while for a final version ?
_________________
Frohe Reise, Bearsie.

rdklein · Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 11:19 am Post subject:

it will work like the XXL with evenb old computers. There is also a 2d simulator working with old machine.

Only the 3d part if used later on has the same demands (as it is the same engine pocsim3dii using different datasets).

There will be of course a beta version also a tryout (very similar to xxl),

Before I can release this we have still to do some programming and entering the datasets (all waterstreets will be digitized very accurate with up and downstreams ) This is very different from pocxxl but required for the new game. A router then searches the best fitting route which fits for the ships (a spit can go almost everywhere, where largers ship have more restrictions.

Expect this beginning of next year in thr first quarter.

BigAlMoho · Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2006 1:13 am Post subject:

Will I be able to buy a platinum license for SML when the beta is released? I would be happy to buy another product from you if it will help to speed developement...

Thanks,
Al

BigAlMoho · Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2006 1:16 am Post subject:

Hey! How come it says:

PoC Visitor
Unlicensed

on my previous reply?

I am signed in and I have a platinum license...

Al