Shadowrun: Corrosion – A Tough Decision
Since starting development on Shadowrun: Corrosion I've had a tremendous amount of fun watching it manifest into something that people actually seemed to enjoy. I never actually thought that what started as an educational project for my brother and I would eventually attract more than 250 players.
One of the challenges was trying to stay true to the SR3 rules. We thought that if we just kept on trucking and kept expanding the foundation and implementing more material, we'd eventually get there. We made a few changes in order to standardise a few things because the rules have so many exceptions that it was going to become impossible to keep track of all those exceptions in the code. We built a fairly flexible foundation in which we were able to implement almost 95% of all the rules fairly loyally.
For all the things we did right, we also had a lot of problems -- problems we unfortunately were not able to overcome.
The first problem was the performance in missions. When we first started out, things were jerky, but it was acceptable as an alpha because we thought we would be able to come up with some performance enhancements in order to improve upon that. Unfortunately, we never did and in developing the options further, the performance just suffered more and more. We never did find a way to boost the performance.
The second problem was the fallout of implementing PvP. There was quite a backlash from the players because it was implemented too quickly and without a good understanding of the consequences. For a long time we were looking for the right way to offer PvP options without people getting ganked right, left and center.
The third problem was that the more we developed, the better we understood what we did wrong and what we had to redo to keep up with the curve. A good example was our shop mechanics.
The fourth problem was that despite several offers for help, I wasn't able to set up an infrastructure for code sharing, testing, quality control, etc.
All this created a situation where we had a hard time keeping up with the demands of the players, creating some friction with people like Rockso, ShadowDragon, etc. As we kept developing, we kept falling behind further and further and it became clear that the project was collapsing under the weight of itsown ambition. Adepts hadn't been implemented, let alone the matrix or the astral realm. No complex behaviour trees for opponents like I wanted...
I can go on, but I won't because, well... no use crying over spilt milk.
The death blow came with the latest problems with lag. What is causing the sudden bursts of lag is still somewhat of a mystery. It's likely that our server is being brought down by the large number of queries. It's not a beefy server, but one that I would expect to have more than enough resources to cover us. Having set up a test environment on my rather bad ass box at home, I can safely say that there's no lag here, confirming my suspicions that it's our server.
So we had a choice to make; either we were going to move to a different server -- perhaps something a little more professional -- and start paying, or figure out a way to lower the load on the database. Unfortunately, the latter option means we'll have to make some seriously fundamental changes to the framework. In hindsight, we over-extended ourselves and were too ambitious.
So as of right now, I am ceasing all development to Shadowrun: Corrosion. My brother has moved on to other games, mostly developing stuff to earn his degree while I have several small projects going on. I also have some ideas on different games that may or may not come to some sort of fruition.
Luckily for all of us, there's an RPG in development as well as an ambitious MMO. Check it out on www.shadowrun.com.
It's been a great experience and I've had a lot of fun chatting with all of you. I've also been amazed at how loyal most have you been and your advice and suggestions have been invaluable to me. You've taught me a lot.
It's been real.
Shadowrun: Corrosion is Broken
The mechanics of Shadowrun: Corrosion are broken and I don't know how to fix it and I'm starting to suspect it can't actually be fixed. Or rather, it can't be fixed in a way that would still remain somewhat true to the old SR3 system. It rarely happens that in the table-top version of Shadowrun, you end up playing a 1000+ karma character. But it happens rather "quickly" in Corrosion. Currently, you are able to make about 30 karma a day if you really dedicate yourself to it. (I'm not entirely sure how feasible it is, but theoretically, you could do two missions and about 20+ duels, and then I'm not counting what you can make in the arena.)
Once you've got your attributes maxed out, which is relatively soon, and you've lowered the costs of improving your skills, you could quite quickly and quite easily jack your pistols/smg/unarmed/edged weapons up to around 20 skill points, at which point it becomes a game I'd like to call "D or be D'ed" -- essentially, you do deadly damage or you get deadly damage, depending on whether you win the initiative roll or not.
This makes for a fairly boring game. Very few duels or PvP fights last more than one or two rounds. And the game starts to revolve around who can chuck the most drugs and still be effective in combat. I think it's inherent to the game of Shadowrun. The lethality makes the table top game so great and suspenseful, but if you're doing it as a browser game, it becomes very boring in my opinion. I'm wondering how Shadowrun Returns is going to deal with that.
A game that revolves around hitpoints, generally, makes it a little more easy. You can scale hit points together with damage resisting qualities, damage dealing qualities and you can even play with critical hit possibilities. Gear will simply scale with your progression through the game. I've heard people say that you'll start out with a weapon that does 4 damage while your enemies have 10 hitpoints and after a year you have a weapon that does 400 damage, while your enemies have 1000 hitpoints. In the end, it all remains the same. I suppose that in a sense that's true, but when the hitpoints always remain the same; namely the 10 boxes on your stun and physical monitor, things become dull.
It's really bugging me. To the point where I don't see any reason to continue expanding upon anything else in the game until I've figured it out. If I don't figure it out, and I continue adding new content or fixing bugs, I just have the feeling I'm decorating a cabin on the Titanic; a little pointless in the end.
In the mean time, I've had some ideas for other games that might work much better and I'm wondering if it's not better to cut the game loose and move on.
Shadowrun: Corrosion – Boom!
Yeah, I'm not really sure what happened over the last week, but we doubled the amount of registered players. And as if that wasn't enough, the number of actively logged in players probably quintupled. It's really very exciting and it also puts a nice amount of pressure on my brother and I. We've been working on and off for a while now, but it's always been a bit laissez-faire, without any real sense of urgency. Now, people are equally enthusiastic at the promise of the game as they are dissatisfied that it's not fully playable yet.
Most people are pretty good about it, and then there are a select few -- of course, they have to be the most vocal ones, don't they? -- whose abrasive style rubs me the wrong way. Luckily, I am pretty good at ignoring all the insults and jabs and still manage to concede the point if they have one. (I'm looking at you, ShadowDragon8685.)
Shadowrun: Corrosion – Casting Armor
Bearclaw posted on Dumpshock that they couldn't cast an Armor spell, so I decided to try and recreate the problem. Below is what I posted to them.
So I decided to make a spell caster, learn Armor 3 from Mojo Flux and I went to my spells section in my safe house. I cast the spell, got a success on the sorcery test and suffered a little drain. You can see that in the first screenshot.
Then I went to the armor page and I saw that without wearing any armor, I had a ballistic 3 and impact 3. See the second screenshot.
Then I went to the character information page and saw the same on the armor stat and I saw the armor spell among my buffs. See screenshot three.
Then I went to Neon Blight, got the first Ghoul Den mission and went inside. Waited for a ghoul to come and kick my ass and recorded the first attack in the combat log on the info tab. It says I was resisting with my 5 body dice against TN 3. The ghouls have a strength of 6, minus the 3 impact armor the Armor spell gives me, is TN 3. See screenshot four.
I think everything is working. If you see different things, please send some similar screenshots to shadowrun.corrosion@gmail.com and I'll get it cleared up as soon as possible.
Corrosion 2012
The last few months development of Corrosion has been very slow. As with all things, persistence has been cyclical and interest has waxed and waned. As a result, user participation is slowing too and I don't generate as much traffic any longer. Usually in a project of this magnitude and nature, where a long term commitment to develop is needed and resilience is a must, this usually leads to the slow death of the product. Disinterest, poor motivation or more interesting projects come along and kill any chances of a revival. I think it's even more dangerous the smaller the team is, because collective enthusiasm and moment counts and when you're essentially by yourself the strongest link in the chain is automatically the weakest.
Corrosion's code is already thousands and thousands of lines and I haven't even scratched the surface of what I want to do with it. I have decided that 2012 is going to be the year in which I either give it a proper go, reboot or scrap the project. By the third quarter of 2011 I wanted to reach the alpha stage, but Deus Ex and Skyrim severely undermined that goal. I'm still very far off, but there are still eleven full months in this year in which, if I dedicate myself, I can get a shit load done.
My heart goes out to continuing this project because I'm very happy with the stuff that's already been done and I've gotten a lot of positive feedback. There are quite a few people that want to see me continue and finish as well. The project is flawed, but you learn as you go and I have the feeling that even if I reboot the project, that six months in I will have regrets like I do now.
But rebooting does have advantages. I made many mistakes that prevent me from progressing as fast and as smoothly as I would like. Also, deciding to incorporate all the aspects of Shadowrun the way I would like is a very, very daunting and ambitious task, the likes of which I am not a hundred percent sure of will lead to a playable browser game, especially multiplayer. It's a case of waiting and seeing, tinkering and tailoring. Rebooting will likely net me a cleaner framework. Lots can be recycled and upcycled while the problematic bits can be canned. I have had several ideas about other projects to try, but I'm trying to keep my enthusiasm from wandering in that direction and focus it on Corrosion. A lot has already been done that would have to be redone. A lot.
Scrapping it has been on my mind too. Especially now that it appears an official Shadowrun browser game is in the making. Quite more high tech, done in a Unity type engine that will give a far more immersive type of play. It's of course unsure when that will be published (if at all), but I would love to play it myself so I can imagine it would wipe the floor with my relatively amateur, hobbyist game. Then there's the probable cease and desist I might be served, since I'm doing all of this in good faith, knowing that by the grace of the IP owners I am allowed to do this. At a whim they could shut me down.
But for now, I think it's a learning experience and character building as well. A project of this magnitude is forcing me to exercise my planning and strategy muscles as well as testing my fortitude. On top of that, and anyone who has made anything and seen a project come to life will attest, there is something invigorating and exhilarating in making something. Creating and nourishing something.
He Who Persists, Prevails!
Lately, Corrosion hasn't been getting the necessary attention it deserves. Sure, I discovered Bloodlines and Deus Ex: Human Revolution which have swallowed up significant amounts of my time, but still, I should've been a wee bit more diligent.
Working on the Arena has had me demoralised due to a glaring flaw in the approach we chose, which had been nagging on the periphery of my mind, had been noticed by certain players, but one that I was hoping to find a work around for. Tweaking the opponents in the Arena became almost impossible.
For those who care to know the details, read the following paragraph. For those that don't, skip this paragraph and move on to the next one. In essence, we had decided we'd like to let go of racial attribute maximums, allowing a near endless expansion of attributes only soft-capped by a maximum action points you can spend in one go to raise it any further, etc. etc. Unfortunately, a really high Strength attribute means a very high body resistance target number. A very high Willpower attribute means a very high sorcery target number. As soon as an attribute becomes the target number for something, this concept breaks. Nobody will shoot an Ares Predator with a damage code of 9M when the body resistance test is done with 25 dice against a modified target number of 4. Especially when you can also fight with a Combat Axe which, when you have a strength of 25, gives you a damage code of 25S and even if you have a Body of 25 to resist that, a target number of 20+ is brutal.
So yeah, we had to change that. So attribute maximums are back in and we reset all characters, basically wiping the slate clean. Everyone understood, but not everyone was very happy with starting over again. Asking for starting karma and reputation, which we weren't so keen on granting. It means we really have to step up our development from now. We've got a great idea for a new mission, which will incorporate some new things and should be available almost immediately. We'll retweak the Ripper mission so that it'll be available sooner and we'll hopefully keep some of the dissatisfied players.
Anyone, short update over!
Corrosion: New Mission
We've just released a new mission for Corrosion. Anyone with a reputation of 50 or over now will get a msg in their inbox asking for a meet. A rich man wants you to retrieve a reminder of something that was taken from him by a gang. You have to find that item in the gang's hide out. (Not without them putting up a fight.)
With the introduction of this new mission there will the introduction of three new enemies. Previously, there were just the ghouls to fight -- mindlessly running at you hoping to claw their way through your stomach. Now there are dogs, gangers and ganger lieutenants to deal with. Some of them carry weapons and shoot at you from a distance while they sick their dogs on you.
Also, while ghouls were mindless, gangers are social creatures. If one of them spots you, he'll warn the others. If you attack one that hasn't spotted you yet and don't immediately kill him, he'll warn the others. Yeah, it's not so simple anymore. :)
Also, there's the option of searching mission premises after you've cleared them. You might be able to find something worth using or selling...
Shadowrun: Corrosion Lifestyles
Trying to stay true to Shadowrun Third Edition as much as possible, one of the things we'd like to implement in Shadowrun: Corrosion are lifestyles, allowing you to purchase and maintaining a lifestyle that benefits your character in different ways. There's a wide spectrum of lifestyles, much like in Shadowrun and they offer an escalating amount of benefits.
Below is a small write up of each lifestyle and the basic setup of what benefits they bring.
Cost: this is the initial purchasing cost of the lifestyle.
Upkeep: this is the daily upkeep cost of the lifestyle.
Social: it's the penalty or benefits you get to social skill checks (Etiquette, Negotiations, Intimidation, etc.)
Ambush: when attacked in PvP it offers a penalty or bonus in avoiding the first, surprise/ambush round of the fight.
DocWagon: when you fall unconscious due to physical damage you are returned to Dixie's who patches you up. She takes 10% of your money and your reputation goes down and you're at 9 boxes of physical. This bonus changes things slightly.
Regeneration: regenerating lost physical health is dependent on your body rating, and can take a long, long time to heal. Regenerating lost stun health is usually quite a bit faster, but is dependent on your body or willpower, whichever is higher. This is a bonus that increases your body/willpower in terms of healing by a particular percentage.
Assets: these are money and influence generating things that a crew can purchase/conquer. Each asset has a legal owner, who gets extra benefits on top of the crew benefits. Because a character needs a solid identity to withstand government scrutiny, the higher the level of the asset, the higher the required lifestyle of the owner.
Street Lifestyle
You will live on the streets -- or in the sewers, steam tunnels, condemned buildings, or whatever temporary flop you can get. Food is whatever you are able to find, bathing will be a thing of the past, and your only security is what you create for yourself. This lifestyle is the bottom of the ladder, inhabited by down-and-outers of all stripes. But life won't be all bad; it will be free!
Cost: 0
Upkeep: 0
Social: +3 (penalty)
Ambush: +3 (penalty)
DocWagon: -10% nuyen, -1 reputation
Regeneration: +0% body/willpower
Assets: character can't own assets.
Squatter Lifestyle
Life stinks for the squatter, and most of the time so will you. You will eat low-grade nutrisoy and yeast, perhaps adding some flavors with an eyedropper. Your home will be a squatted building, perhaps fixed up a bit, possibly even converted into barracks or divided into closet-sized rooms and you'll probably share that with other squatters. Or maybe you can just rent a coffin-sized sleep tank by the night. You'll have the use of a public dataterm, when you can find one that actually works, to call or e-mail anyone, and you might be able to pick up a pirate trid station on the trid unit you found in a dumpster. The only thing worse than the squatter lifestyle is living on the streets.
Cost: 5,000
Upkeep: 500
Social: +2 (penalty)
Ambush: +2 (penalty)
DocWagon: -8% nuyen, -1 reputation
Regeneration: +2% body/willpower
Assets: character can't own assets.
Low Lifestyle
With this lifestyle, you'll have an apartment and nobody is likely to bother you much as long as you keep the door locked and bolted. You can count on regular meals; the nutrisoy may not taste great, but at least it's hot. Power and water will be available during assigned rationing periods. Security depends on how regular your payments to the local street gangs are. When you travel, you'll ride the tube. You'll be one among the factory workers, petty crooks and other people stuck in a rut, just starting out or down on their luck.
Cost: 20,000
Upkeep: 2,000
Social: +1 (penalty)
Ambush: +1 (penalty)
DocWagon: -6% nuyen, -1 reputation
Regeneration: +4% body/willpower
Assets: character can own a level one asset.
Middle Lifestyle
The Middle lifestyle offers a nice house or condo with lots of comforts. If you choose this lifestyle you'll sometimes eat nutrisoy as well as higher-priced natural food, but at least the autocook has a full suite of flavour faucets. You will also have a commuter car or first-class tube pass. You will have a basic vidphone, and subscribe to a few cable channels and a local news screamsheet. This is the lifestyle of ordinary successful wage-earners or criminals.
Cost: 50,000
Upkeep: 5,000
Social: 0
Ambush: 0
DocWagon: -4% nuyen, 0 reputation
Regeneration: +6% body/willpower
Assets: character can own up to a level two asset.
High Lifestyle
A High lifestyle offers a roomy house or condo, good food and the technology that makes life easy. You may not have the same perks as the really big boys, but neither do you have as many people gunning for you. Your home is in a secure zone or protected by good, solid bribes to the local police contractor and gang boss. You will have a housekeeping service or enough tech to take care of most chores, and a luxury commuter car is at your beck and call. This is the life for the well-to-do on either side of the law: mid-level managers, senior Yakuza and the like.
Cost: 100,000
Upkeep: 10,000
Social: +1 (bonus)
Ambush: +2 (bonus)
DocWagon: -2% nuyen, 0 reputation
Regeneration: +8% body/willpower
Assets: character can own up to a level three asset.
Luxury Lifestyle
This lifestyle offers the best of everything: ritzy digs, lots of high-tech toys, the best food and drink, you name it. You will have a household staff, maid service or gadgets to do the chores. You will be likely (and expected) to have a powerful car and a big house, a snazzy condo or the penthouse suite in a top hotel. Home security is top-of-the-line, with well-trained guards, astral security and instant response times. Your holophone is SOTA with all the features, multistation trideo, all satellite and cable channels, and subscriptions to several major newspapers and journals. You'll be on the VIP list at several exclusive restaurants and clubs, both real and virtual. This is the life for the high-stakes winners in the world of Shadowrun: high-level executives, government big shots, Yakuza bigwigs and the few shadowrunners who pull off the big scores (and live to spend their pay).
Cost: 1,000,000
Upkeep: 100,000
Social: +3 (bonus)
Ambush: no ambush possible.
DocWagon: 0% nuyen, 0 reputation
Regeneration: +10% body/willpower
Assets: character can own up to a level four asset.
Any other bonuses we can tie to lifestyles?
Monetisation
Recently, I found a great website at bbgamezone.net, a community of amateur and semi-professional social/browser game developers. It's cool to finally get to talk with some people who sometimes have up to five all ready running and successful games published. Their ideas on best practices are invaluable and the advice on monetisation of games like this are raw, uncut and realistic.
One of the things that surprised me is just how many games are out there, how many people are trying to make an enjoyable game, what a wide scala of genres are covered and how utterly simplistic some of these games are. Also, a suspicion of mine was confirmed; it's very, very hard to actually finish a game. There are tons of great ideas that are posted on the community board that will never see the light of day. I guess not many people can sink their teeth into a project and see it through to the end. I hope I'll be able to have the tenacity.