Got my first day off in more than a month. Time to write a bit about our visit to F.A.C.T.S.!
I'm going to try and keep it short, but still expect it to be long. Sorry for that!
We're all full-time working or studying, so time was limited to get the game to a playable alpha version and also do preparation work for the booth. To make things even harder I also worked and helped coordinate a major event the week before. This made it stressful and very nervous for me.
What did we do to prepare for FACTS?
- For the game itself we prioritized basic gameplay and balance. Which meant a working and (semi-)clear UI, testing for bugs and balancing. No unnecessary graphic elements or other new features.
42 Stories is mainly a multiplayer game and needs internet for this to function. We heard there was internet available at the convention, but there was nothing sure about the reliability of it. So I obviously didn't trust it and asked Stijn(our code-wizard) to make a version that could work without an internet connection. He created a version that works with a direct cable link between 2 PC's which worked great at FACTS. A good decision considering the connection there was indeed not that reliable and would've caused us a lot of problems. This does mean the current build can't really be played at a home set-up. Something Stijn is putting back in now.
- For the booth we wanted some stuff to give to people to remember us by. We thought about flyers or stickers but decided against it because flyers would be thrown away or stickers sticked at places people wouldn't like it. Both risking fines for us. A friend of us could fix a button-machine so we decided to create buttons. It's something more valuable than flyers which makes it more desirable for people, they don't throw it away as easily and can only stick it on other people. We got 500 made and I think we gave 400 of them away. I think it was a great decision, people seemed to love it and it was great walking around the convention and seeing people wearing them, instead of finding it on the ground(which would've been the case with flyers).
For the booth itself we fixed some tables and chairs. We wanted a set-up with 2 computers, where people could battle each other(because our AI isn't that smart yet
)and also added a big TV for passers-by to spectate the game.
We also printed posters to hang there. We were kinda afraid our booth would be underwhelming seeing some things the other devs were bringing.
Setting up at FACTS:
When we arrived at FACTS (the day before it started) we had a very unpleasant surprise... None of the tables or chairs that we reserved was there. There was also just one power outlet for 10 companies with several many computers and screens. Very unpleasant indeed.
Extra tables would be delivered later that evening, but when we checked up on that it turned out those would be very unstable and small wooden tables. So we asked around with family and managed to get a big table there. Chairs we 'borrowed' from the bar of the convention itself. We also captured that one power outlet and put a power switch on it so some the other early people could also get some. Later that evening someone of the organization came and luckily added more power for everyone.
The convention was also next to an Ikea so we also got a black tablecloth there. Stan(our main artist) also got one of the extra tables to put our TV monitor on the next morning.
FACTS itself:
I was very nervous to see people playing the game and if the build would be stable enough. Luckily our hard work paid of and everything went great.
We started with one iMac(with Boot Camp Windows) and a HTPC with passive cooling. The last one caved really quick because of the heat and a memory leak so we replaced it very fast with a decent desktop pc. There were also some bugs that would've taken too long for Stijn to fix that he left in. Those appeared more than we wanted, but we can still count those occasions on one hand.
42 Stories itself got received REALLY WELL. The multiplayer aspect worked really well because most people were with friends and loved to battle it out against each other. The TV screen was a also a good decision because people often grouped around it to watch the game while others queued behind the players to play next. We often had people who came back later to replay or others we'd have to ask to give others a try. Something I really didn't expect.
The balancing of the game also seemed to be much better than I expected. The exploits from the prototype/jam-version were removed and it was great to see a losing player getting back at the other one and getting his tower down like a house of cards. Our latest balancing of the game also made our current upgrade-system redundant. This is something we're fixing now which will also balance the game more.
We also discovered that some people immediately got the game(the strategists) while others really, really couldn't. The first group were the people that came back to test strategies and/or try to exploit the game. Only one other guy, also a game dev there found an exploit.
But now we know what people will love 42 Stories(strategists) and we know to make it more accessible to the more casual audience.
Seeing other peoples booth ours was quite okay, and people paid more attention to the game so our worries there were needless.
We also don't have any plans to try and get on Steam because we think 42 Stories is too casual, but many other people there kept asking if we'd be on Steam, or when we'd be on it or why we wouldn't. Something which also surprised us and gave us food for thought.
There were also some reporters who passed by so we expect some stuff comings weeks. We also got our first preview article:
http://www.noobfeed.com/previews/265/facts-2013-42-stories-hands-onUnfortunately that reporter was part of the group that didn't get the game. More the reason to work on that.
TLDR; FACTS went great, now working on new, better-balanced build which we'll probably put here as well when it's ready.
Our photos of the event you can still find here:
http://priapusstudio.com/visit-facts-42-stories/Thanks for reading and don't hesitate to ask questions!
As a treat I'll also give you our poster:
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