Devlog update (2017-06-22) helloer's resignation, state of development

[Falcon`]

Hello guys,
 
reports of our death have been greatly exaggerated. Currently we're working on a new main menu, Steam storefront, updating the graphics to the previously outlined standard, and a couple of other features. There may or may not be changes to the weapon system, bonus kits, and game structure - too early to tell. Recently there has been quite a bit of drama and a lot of uncertainty regarding the game's direction, and I hope to clear up the situation.
 
While ideas have been always floating around and no one was ever unresponsive for a long period of time, the constant pace of development ceased around February-April. A lack of motivation and personal conflicts were likely the biggest contributors. Our new map editor project fell through, and everyone was for the most part idle. This long stretch of inactivity is ultimately my fault, as I failed to step up as a leader. Instead I was content to let things slide for the time.
 
Although helloer worked very hard, he was never very cooperative, much preferring to do his own thing. We had our conflicts, and in the end my lack of leadership made him shut me out completely. He kept working silently, but eventually quit in frustration, as you can see from his farewell post. The timing was a bit unfortunate - I had recently returned to work on the game proactively, putting a lot of hours a week into setting up the foundations of our new GUI. The lack of communication was our eventual downfall, and I admit that I should've left personal matters aside in my role as the project leader.
 
A build-up of negative feelings likely made helloer leave in such a dramatic fashion, but in the end I think that was a sort of a wake-up call for the rest of us. From now on I'll take bigger care to keep everyone updated and assume a more proactive role in our goal to re-vitalize the game we all love.
 
During his time helloer implemented in mostly finished state a new c_vars system, the .smap format, worked to refactor the code (with a bit of help from other devs), and ported the game to Linux & MacOS. We thank him for his great contributions and wish him good luck in future projects.
 
At the moment and for the foreseeable future I am free to put a lot of work into the game weekly, which should allow us to catch up to speed quickly. As mentioned previously, our current priorities are getting Soldat's Steam page finalized so that it may be displayed publicly, finishing the new GUI, and remaking more maps to the new standard. After the Steam store page is published, we will start to advertise the game to our best capacity. So chin up, we're going to need your help spreading news and enthusiasm about Soldat!
 
More updates to follow soon.

[Foln]

HOPE

[koooka]

I'm hopeful again

[machina]

So we should have a couple of devlogs this summer, right? Hopefully everythings works as planned.

[Maximatimus]

Still alive <3

[Akinaro]

From now on I'll take bigger care to keep everyone updated and assume a more proactive role in our goal to re-vitalize the game we all love.

A bit late for that, Such basic things like keeping people around by posting even basic posts is something that should be made from the beginning.

And most important you still have no clue how to advertise it properly. Because you seriously dont get first rule of making anything: making it is just a half of work, rest 50% is advertising. Without it you have product known only to few people.
You live in some weird world where you think that just by putting game to steam make it popular, just like that?


That "drama" that Helloer made was sadly the truth and you cant cover it with just one post that sound like nothing happen. Obvious things are obvious.

[Monsteri]

From now on I'll take bigger care to keep everyone updated and assume a more proactive role in our goal to re-vitalize the game we all love.

And most important you still have no clue how to advertise it properly. Because you seriously dont get first rule of making anything: making it is just a half of work, rest 50% is advertising. Without it you have product known only to few people.
You live in some weird world where you think that just by putting game to steam make it popular, just like that?

After the Steam store page is published, we will start to advertise the game to our best capacity.

--------------------------------

So we should have a couple of devlogs this summer, right? Hopefully everythings works as planned.

Yeah

[homerofgods]

Work hard!

[DutchFlame]

Work hard!

earn little

[Akinaro]

From now on I'll take bigger care to keep everyone updated and assume a more proactive role in our goal to re-vitalize the game we all love.

And most important you still have no clue how to advertise it properly. Because you seriously dont get first rule of making anything: making it is just a half of work, rest 50% is advertising. Without it you have product known only to few people.
You live in some weird world where you think that just by putting game to steam make it popular, just like that?

After the Steam store page is published, we will start to advertise the game to our best capacity.

So your plan is to publish it on Steam that MAGICALLY advertise it self...

we will start to advertise the game to our best capacity.

You see, problem with all people who worked on Soldat for past years, are lack of details. "We do something" "we will advertise it to our best", "We will check that"... etc etc
No specific plan at all.

And you threat every aspect of game as some hidden/mysterious thing like it Soldat was AA game...
No proper official long term plan,
No proper devlogs for past months,
No proper topic about future changes(gathering opinions/ideas),
No one really know who do what,
As Falcon him self admitted: there is lack of proper leadership and activeness.
There is lack of everything.

And because of that chaos with developing and relations with MM, you cant even get proper PR system with donations that would go to advertising or help with developing.

Soldat is still threated as summer project of few friends that do it because they are bored. If you will not threat it as a game, it will never be a proper game.
Free work on it or not, it doesnt matter, if you accepted to help, do what you need to, or say you dont have time and find someone else for that. Soldat is not only project that is made for free by random people working in their spare time, hell, most of smaller games and apps are made like that, dont feel special just because of that.
If you lack proper help in developing, there are lots of places where you can request even free help from all types of people to help starting from programming ending in graphic.


And if you think that one post of Falcon that show up randomly will fix everyone mood ,cover mess that is behind the scene, and make people come back to game, keep dreaming.

Too late, too little was made to fix that.

[Monsteri]

You misunderstood, us publishing the game's steam store page does not mean releasing the game, it's just the store page with media and information about the game and a coming soon text. What are we supposed to advertise otherwise, soldat.pl? 

Release the store page
->
Advertise
->
Release the game

As for official plans and public roadmaps - we don't publish those because it's essentially a promise to the community that these things will get done. We cannot be sure that they do get done, and even if we use all the disclaimers in the world it will still have felt like a lie if something is not delivered. Following progress we will post progress updates, rest assured.

[ginn]

There may or may not be changes to the weapon system, bonus kits, and game structure - too early to tell.

It's pretty important to have gameplay to be functional, wm and nade/med spawns need to be fixed.

[Illuminatus]

rest assured.

[xrealx369]

Steam is the solution

[Slasher]

Only steam is not enough, you need to spread it on famous sites, social networks and need luck.

[NiCeShOoT|GuY]

YupYup, a facebook page might just add few players every week.

[jrgp]

YupYup, a facebook page might just add few players every week.

There is an existing Soldat facebook page and it's quite popular actually.

[CCalp]

Every time I open soldatforums I get nervous because there might be the final message saying the development has stopped for good... Thank you for giving me back some hope :3 <3

[jrgp]

Every time I open soldatforums I get nervous because there might be the final message saying the development has stopped for good... Thank you for giving me back some hope :3 <3

That won't happen as the only person who could say that for sure is MM and he wouldn't.

[jony001]

Soldat is still threated as summer project of few friends that do it because they are bored. If you will not threat it as a game, it will never be a proper game.
Free work on it or not, it doesnt matter, if you accepted to help, do what you need to, or say you dont have time and find someone else for that. Soldat is not only project that is made for free by random people working in their spare time, hell, most of smaller games and apps are made like that, dont feel special just because of that.

That's so well said, Akinaro.

@Falcon, dudes, it's clear that you cannot handle it. But at least stop whining around about the others who have contributed to this game.
 
And about giving back some hope? That's not funny. Not at all.