Messages

I don't think AdamH is asking for "Will feature x be available in y months".  JUst some kind of update that there is work being done, what the priorities are and a rough timeline of when we can expect something.  I don't think any of that is unreasonable.  Personally I'm still holding out for news of a new campaign mode, but am resigned that that will likely never happen since it seems like this has long been left in the dust.

THe key here (and I've said it many times and say it again) is communication.

Even if it isn't written in stone or changes... Letting your customers know you are alive and working is kind of important, but ShuffleIt continues to fail in that manner.  I really do hope that changes.

It's not, so don't worry. All this talk is a load of nonsense.

Sounds like you might be able to provide the long awaited update.  It sure would be nice if after 8 months from the last release we had some kind of update.

Until then, all sides remain silent.

Which has always been my complaint.  While I understand the need to "control the message" it shows a complete and utter lack of understanding that without the customer you have nothing.  Leaving your customers in the dark is never a good move, unless of course there will be no dominion next year in which case you leave them in the dark so that they don't get complete disillusioned and walk away from the product earlier.

I've seen this move over and over again with different products and have never understood why silence is considered a good move.  It's not like you need banners and balloons to announce stuff, even the smallest of updates will at least partially satisfy those who want to know.  Bad news is still news.  No news leads to people making up their own news which, in my opinion, is never good because of how it makes some customers feel.

Have you tried clearing your browser cache?

Not sure if it will make any difference, but worth a try.

I fear you may be correct in your assessment.  It's never a good sign when a company goes silent.

Now comes the question of have they met their requirements (ie. an offline version was promised to those who had previous owned the MF versions) or have they set themselves up for claims of false advertising and failing to meet their promises.

*sigh*  To quote the X-Files "I want to believe".  I've been renewing my subscription over and over with the idea that the offline version would eventually come along.  Perhaps it's time I cut my losses and stopped feeding the beast.  Find another game to sink my time into or pull the boxes off the shelf. 

It's been almost 3 months since the last set of release Notes.  Any update on development?

09 November 2018, 02:56:20 PM
by Stef

I don't see any "silent majority" out there who had the same doubts as you but didn't dare to ask.

Let me add my voice then.  When the only updates we've gotten on the company's primary forum has been something along the line of "things aren't progressing the way I want" and "no update on offline mode (yet?)".  It doesn't leave much room for hope.

I don't completely agree with the way it's been stated, but I have been continuously asking for updates since Shuffle it started.  I don't agree with the don't tell them we're working on something because if it doesn't come out they will get their pitchforks.  The issue is when you communicate one thing and then at the last minute say sorry it can't be done.  Instead continuous updates are best.

Again I'd love to see a periodic post of "We're working on this now... hoping for release in quarter x... stay tuned for updates" rather than radio silence.

Okay enough ranting....
Love the updates.  Keep em coming and keep up the hard work, but remember communication is key :)

quite bad on oregon... time to do something else

Adding my name to this for tacking and bumping purposes.

Thank you for the update.  I hope things have settled for you in a favourable way.  I look forward to seeing future updates on the state of development and wish you the best.

It's been 2 months since the last update of any substance.  Could we have an update on the state of development please.  Are there any upcoming releases?  What is the current state of the list of features under the wishlist?  Any information is appreciated.

Thank you.

Username: Shawnk

Here are some features we have on our wishlist; please let me know if you would appreciate/use them:
1. An offline client, allowing you to play campaigns against bots

This is my personal highest priority.  I don't really play online vs. other people, I find it a bit slow and frequently seem to end up with people who don't chat at all, which leads me to rather play a bot... more details in next point.

As far as campaign.  YES please!  THis was my favorite part of the MF edition, having completed the entire campaign multiple times.  I love the idea of playing bots with slightly altered game play and rules.  This is even more important to me then the offline client.  I'd even love to play the campaigns against real people.... ie) I play the challenger or defender role.  Custom game play is a huge appeal for me.  I can't stress how much I enjoyed and miss this part of it.  Would also love to see it developed into a legacy mode where previous games somehow impact future games, but this is again a big ask...

2. A bot with a setting for different play styles

Including a random setting please.  Sometimes I might want to play against a banker bot, sometimes against a cascading action bot, or a balanced bot, or a combination bot.  I'd love there to be enough different play styles and behaviors that when I choose Random I have a hard time figuring out exactly which bot I'm playing against.

3. A strong bot.

Again variety is key for me on this.  I'd like to be able to set this to random as well.  So if I want to play a strong or weak bot I can, or if I want to be surprised I can be.

4. Options for timed games

This doesn't interest me per se.... I can see it being an interesting approach, but I'd want it to be with bots.... more of a personal challenge to play faster.  There are too many games I've played where either myself or the other player have been called away momentarily.  I suppose a pause option here would allow timed games, but with interruptions.

5. Options for undo settings

The current undo works fine for me.  I don't see much that needs to be done here.

6. Online mini-tournaments; the option to easily create one for you & your friends.

This is appealing, and might get me playing more.  I found the last tournament just too large for my liking which is why I didn't join in.  I like the idea of smaller and more tournaments and would love to see this developed to the point that it was mostly automatic and didn't require the overhead I think the last tournament did.  ie) automatches, a tracking system, an invitation system, etc... I could see this as being a huge feature that requires a lot of time to develop to the way I'd love to see it though.

7. Option to invite specific players to your table

Can't this already be done in a bit of a round about way?  I can message friends and try and match with them.  To be honest I haven't done this much, nor would I use it a lot.

8. More translations (to what language?)
Unfortunately I only speak one language.  Fortunately it's English so more translations isn't important to me.

9. Better animations when cards are gained/bought/played/...
Yes,  I'd love to be able to get rid of the log and follow game play without ever having to read the log.  So I would like this.

10. Better visualization of split piles, Archive/Crypt contents, Prince targets, ...

Yes please.  This is very important.  I'm starting to get to know these cards well enough to remember what the second half is, but occasionally I find myself leaving the game to double check what's on the bottom.

10. Option to hide the log

I know people who love the log.  I hate it.  I want to only see it at the end of the game, and most times not even then.  I want to play the game as if I were playing it in real life.  Having to pay attention during the other turns and not being able to look back at a log.  As mentioned earlier I also don't want to have to look at the log to figure out what happened.

11. Android app (or just improved compatibility?)
12. iPhone app (or just improved compatibility?)

I would love both an android and an iPhone/iPad app.  I understand the ideal of having a web app... means only maintaining one set of code, but I have yet to find a web app that works as well or seamlessly as a device specific app.

13. Downloadable game logs
No thank you.

14. Improved moderation (dealing with chat abuse, slowplayers, ...)
I'd rather see more responsiveness in the forums and feedback on plans, progress, etc... but again I don't play against real people very often.

15. Tutorial on how to play Dominion
I don't need it, but suspect it would be valuable to new players.  Ideally I'd see this built into the campaign mode.  Kind of a win/win

16. Tutorial on how to play dominion online.
I don't really see how this differs from the previous point.

I know I'm a bit of a broken record here, but my biggest thing I'd like to see out of all of this is more communication.  What are plans, what are timelines, what roadblocks are you hitting and how are they impacting the timelines.  I understand that takes time and it doesn't even have to be a lot of detail, but say a weekly post of "Here's what was accomplished this week, here's what we hope to do next week, here's our updated projected deliverable dates on features x,y,z.

That there is still a post here: http://forum.shuffleit.nl/index.php?topic=512.0 that has no updates to it bothers me.  Perhaps I'm an outlier, but the more information I have the more placated I am. Keep updates coming and I'm quite amiable to delays and issues.  It's when a date or forecast is offered and then not updated again that I start to get frustrated and disgruntled.

Appreciate the offer.... I realize this is a project of passion for you and have no idea how well it's working out (would love to even get an update on that... ie) Has this become a full time job, how many hours are you putting in, what kind of payback are you getting, etc... but realize that may be too personal of a request)

Good luck and hope it is successful in the end.

Below you'll see my current subscriptions:

until Sun Dec 31 2017
Guilds, Seaside, Dark Ages, Promos, Intrigue, Prosperity, Alchemy, Hinterlands, Adventures, Cornucopia
until Sun Dec 31 2017
Nocturne, Empires

I can play with every set except Nocturne and Empires.  Really this point is more to raise awareness than anything as it appears to be a off-by-one error and don't expect my 2 cents in compensation for missing 1 day.

Happy New Year.

What do you think I could have done differently? (and please don't come up with solutions that require a time machine)

I've said this multiple times.  Provide updates.  Communicate.  Etc...
Perhaps I'm recalling things poorly here, but I thought the deal offered was either 1 year of online subscription or an offline client.  Then it was changed to you'll get the subscription for up to a year, and then when the offline client was ready switch to it instead of completing the subscription.  Now the year is up and people who were hoping for the offline client are saying.... What happens now?  So tell us... what is happening with the offline client.  Is it still coming?  Will those who had purchased it from MF still be able to get those from the Offline client?

Unfortunately, whether it was your intention or not people thought the offline client was going to be available in January.  When it wasn't they thought early in the year.  Repeat.  Now that the year is over I don't think it's unreasonable that people want to know what happens next.  There was an assumption made (perhaps a poor one) that the offline client would be available before the subscription expired.  All of this could have been mitigated with clear communication.  Instead of waiting for people to ask "Where's the offline client?" "What happens now that my subscription is expiring?"  Etc... If a clear statement were made it would be something you could point to, instead of fighting these fires that keep popping up.

The other thing that seems to have happened (whether reality or not) is that it was understood that the offering of an offline client/year subscription choice was part of the contract agreement you signed with Donald X. and Rio Grande Games to get the contract in the first place.

Anyhow,  Thank you for the free year.  I have topped up my subscription several times.  I look forward to hearing any offical news and would encourage you to continue working on being as transparent on what you are working on and providing rough timelines and updates as you can.  I think you'll find that people are understanding when you provide updates that indicate things like "Offline Client forecast for Fall 2017"  "Offline Client bumped to Spring 2018 due to shifting priorities of new expansion"  "Offline client bumped to Fall 2018 due to complexity of framework" etc.. etc..  These updates indicate that it hasn't been forgotten.  Otherwise people will fill in the blanks with their own theories.

Again thanks for the hard work.  Keep aiming for greatness.

Hey Steph,

I was reading through your response and realized nowhere in it did you make reference to an offline client.  Is that still in the plans?

Thanks