Further developpement of the game ?

[HappyBanker]

I asked this question in some other threads but I think it deserves a new one.

I just love this game but am sad now as there is IMHO still so much to improve with it but no news whatsoever of incoming patch or extension. So..

Does anyone as any news from development? Are they now focused on another project and we have nothing more to wait for ? Has this game definitly gone in the gaming history with no improvement and no sequel?

[Surtur01]

They are working on Napoleons Campaigns II at the moment. There is a patch planned, but I believe it is on hold. Further development is shelved.
I wish it were different, but I do not expect that this game will be brought to full potential.

[Romtos]

no improvement and no sequel?

Seems a bit too early to determine there'll be no sequel. Perhaps they'll make a PoN 2 on Clausewitz in a few years.

I do still have hopes for more content for PoN though.

[sagji]

There is a later start campaign planned - don't know if it is being actively progressed at the moment.
A patch is very likely at some point.

The team is concentrating on Napoleon's Campaigns II at the moment, and if that is successful it is likely that other titles will be refreshed - so a PoN2 is likely but probably not a year or two.

[Kensai7]

a PoN 2 on Clausewitz

This is almost Victoria II. I would expect further development of PoN or a PoN 2 to work on some the amazing ideas put forward in this game. There is so much potential in the AGE engine and this game. The Grand Campaign is simply epic.

[HappyBanker]

Agree.

It is obvious that I was not hoping for a sequel that soon .

The thing is I think the AGE engine adds a lot to the vic 2 one (it is different and both are great) and I would really like it to be improved some time in the future. This game is huge and it could be the best game I have ever played, but for now the wait between turns and the very rough UI, among other things (graphics could get attention too) makes it some kind of "demo" to me... it is so promising but there is still so much to do with it. The general game system is just so good not to be improved and re-used.

The real long term hope I have is that they start soon working on a second version of their great engine. I can wait, because I think this way they could have amazing games... in 2-3 years. And I am ready to help them by buying DLCs and other extensions they would release in between .

[chrism2012]

You brought it to the point, HappyBanker, and I think the devs have realized it as well.

The AGE engine must first be upgraded to 4.0 (full multicore support, far lower waiting times etc, better UI...) before even considering another big project like PoN.

Regarding the long development time and all compared to the sale numbers, my guess is however that PoN didn't go all too well.

So the question is: will they actually start with AGE 4.0... or simply vanish under PI and Clausewitz.


...I don't think another AGE engine will come out, I truly hope that I'll be wrong, though.

[Fadi_Efendi]

Regarding the long development time and all compared to the sale numbers, my guess is however that PoN didn't go all too well.

I feel it would have been a lot different, had the game on release been as it is today. The negative reports in the forums made me (and I guess a lot of people) think a lot before deciding to buy. The game is fully playable now, technically speaking, but the damage was done.

[HappyBanker]

Well I think that while it is playable for me it is still very far away from any "casual gamer" (the time between turn is for me such a sales killer...). I have no idea of the sales figures but my guess too would be that they were quite limited to a very hardcore circle. I am not even sure that every Vic2 player bought it (I will check the badges for that).

I do not really know how far they are related with PI but I do think that (if possible) PI "could"think over this as an investment opportunity : there could be the main PI engine for the main games, and a new improved AGE engine for (even) more complex games. PI commercial niche has allways been the very complex games and they now master this segment so why not continuing in this winning strategy. The potential idea would be a brand new AGE-like engine (quite old school and turn by turn) but co-developped by both companies. I do not fear the merging of the 2 companies as long as they keep something like the AGE engine. But of course I have no idea if this make any sence financially...

SO let's hope for the best: a new AGE engine developped by a mixed team of both companies with joint experience of both. It will keep the complexity, amasing depth and great ideas (Private capital ressources is so smart I don't want to see it vanished) and rise up to a new technical level.

[James The 1st]

Agree.

It is obvious that I was not hoping for a sequel that soon .

The thing is I think the AGE engine adds a lot to the vic 2 one (it is different and both are great) and I would really like it to be improved some time in the future. This game is huge and it could be the best game I have ever played, but for now the wait between turns and the very rough UI, among other things (graphics could get attention too) makes it some kind of "demo" to me... it is so promising but there is still so much to do with it. The general game system is just so good not to be improved and re-used.

The real long term hope I have is that they start soon working on a second version of their great engine. I can wait, because I think this way they could have amazing games... in 2-3 years. And I am ready to help them by buying DLCs and other extensions they would release in between .

Hopfully NC2 sells well, that way AGEOD has money to make PoN2 on a proper engine. PoN has some great ideas, but lets face it, the AGE engine it is based on is just too slow and cumbersome to handle such a game.

[ashandresash]

Hopfully NC2 sells well, that way AGEOD has money to make PoN2 on a proper engine. PoN has some great ideas, but lets face it, the AGE engine it is based on is just too slow and cumbersome to handle such a game.

I wish theyl invest the revenues of a successful NCP2 in improving AGE engine... but for making American Civil War 2

[HappyBanker]

Fine by me... I will wait ! No kidding, if they tell me that they are developping a new engine but for ACW2 first that would be fine I would think it is reasonnable. First developp it and sell a more wider market game as ACW2, make a brand (as Paradox made ad they launched the new generation of games with the best seller EU3) then use the improved engine and give us a PON 2 !

[joetabler]

I was put off by long turn times.....but haltingly tried a few times to play PON..... daunting size and multiplicity of stuff kept me from continuing with a game even past a year (1850). From time to time, I checked back to see if anything was happening to the game.....I kept looking at the Multiple Player Game going on and saw them going forward, years forward.... - tweaking the scripts and game - (1859 now) and became intrigued.....the play by mail sort of Chess game, but with PON somehow grabbed me......I played a year or so with the U.S. to see what a huge country had to offer/single player game.....learned more (there is a lot to this game!) and decided to ask to join the Mulitplayer....... It makes sense for ONE TURN A DAY.....That is Two Weeks in the game...... The Turn Time of several minutes No Longer is of Importance. In fact, I spent 15-30 minutes making my moves/decisions for today. China.... huge, yet, I think I can get a handle on it.
Some scripted events, but not much....open ended, I guess.....can try going into Siam, bring Tibet under Chinese sway, fend off the Russians, develop industry, bring China into the Modern World, lots of possibilities.

What will I think in a few weeks....in 1860? In a few months... in 1862?

[Kensai7]

Perhaps this is where the game really shines. Multiplayer!
You guys have to think of it as a long-term easy-going commitment. You can still play your other Paradox titles in parallel and submit once a day your PBEM orders for the ongoing game. It's like playing chess by mail. You put a lot of thought on where to move your pieces but you should not obsess as the wait (daily cadence) is perfectly compatible with other endeavors, both in real and game life.

Our current MP game is set to finish in 5 years (real time). Many of us might not be playing it anymore, others will have taken their place. It's pretty normal, the Grand Campaign is supposed to be epic. Having 17 countries played by humans is pretty amazing for the sophistication of the various interactions. It's becoming the real thing!

[HappyBanker]

Well I understand that... But I want to be able to see what the game look like after 1870... For now the longest game I ever done was up to 1870, and it allready took me a very long waiting time to get there. How do I know that late game is not boring and uninteresting due to balance problems (that could really happen in a game where very few actually made it to 1910-20 and tested it correctly)?

Moreover it would still be possible to make 1turn a day with reasonnable waiting time between turn. It would even be possible to train for the multiplayer games !

[Kensai7]

You can let the game running with all nations to AI up until 1880 or 1910 and then start from there. I suppose you will have to leave the PC crunching turns for a couple of days. I am planning to do this soon myself. Even if there will be inconsistencies, having all nations AI might mean all equally screwed (at least).

[HappyBanker]

Thanks for the idea and link. Is this still limited to 9 turns? And more important did you have any news of those "Game Engine Upgrades" !!! ?