T20 Release Schedule!!

[phydaux]

Well, I use to work for a company that made COMPUTER games. Differant, but only slightly. You had game play design, game mechanics design, programming, art, playtesting (over and over and over...) make changes in game play and mechanics, program those changes, then more playtesting. Plus, art (not to mention sound and full motion video) are much more important in a computer game.

That said, our little 40-person company cranked out 4 titles a year, and never missed a ship date by more than a week.

How did we do that? Well, 2 things really:

1) We has a team of playtesters who worked 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, and sometines 14 hours a day 7 days a week. And let me tell you, if you think that playing the same scenario of the same game over and over day after day isn't work, well you're WRONG.

2) We had design teams that included a game designer AND a producer. The designer sat in his office with pencils and pads of paper and just thought stuff up, and the producer kept Gant charts and sent e-mails saying "I need this by 3:00 PM so Tommy can go do...". As long as the designer and producer were on the same page, projects didn't slip.

 

[Captain Tylor]

While we're listing games that have had release dates slip, I believe that the 3rd edition of CYBERPUNK was originally supposed to be out in spring of 99. It's on R. Talsorian's release schedule for this spring, but I'll believe it when I see it at my FLGS.

 

[Vargas]

Schedule seems to be a problem for those companies which, for good or ill, lack depth in terms of people and skills. For some of the small companies I can think of, the same person running the business is writing the products and holding down a real job. That's far from easy.

 

[dafrca]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Vargas:
Schedule seems to be a problem for those companies which, for good or ill, lack depth in terms of people and skills. For some of the small companies I can think of, the same person running the business is writing the products and holding down a real job. That's far from easy.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think this is the real issue I miss sometimes. Being in publishing where a missed street date could cost the company millions has tainted my point of view.

I forget that some of the game companies might not even have a full time editor or Project Manager. I wish I lived closer because I would gladly offer to be a "part-time" project manager for people like Hunter.

dafrca

 

[hunter]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Vargas:
Schedule seems to be a problem for those companies which, for good or ill, lack depth in terms of people and skills. For some of the small companies I can think of, the same person running the business is writing the products and holding down a real job. That's far from easy.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Damn close when it comes to T20, except this is my full-time job.


Hunter

 

[simontmn]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by hunter:
16 classes of various types including the obligatory Army, Navy, Scout, Marine, and Merchants!

6 races not including Humans: Aslan, Vargr, Luriani (minor human), Ursa, Sydite (minor human), and Virushi

A unique (to d20) Prior History system. Traveller characters tend to start around 5-7th level, although you can of course play a 1st level character if you wish.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Sounds great - and the new cover looks fantastic. I'm starting to get a bit concerned about the release days though, but I guess it'll be ready when it's ready. Generic sf D&D-compatible rules using the good bits from Traveller is something I've wanted for a long long time.

 

[sylvermane2022]

Hello Hunter,

Just a few questions about your tidbits of pre-release info. I'm familiar with the Aslan & Vargr from previous versions of Traveller, but don't remember hearing about the Ursa or Virushi before - can you give a little more info about those two races?

When you say humans, are you just referring to Solomani or is there information on playing Vilani or Zhodani, too? Darrians maybe?

Will there be a section on history & background for the Solomani Rim sector or another to be used straight from the core book? Or do we have to wait for sector books before we have background flavor information?

Aside from the 100 ton scout, what other ships will be included in the core book?

Is there any information on the more bizarre Traveller alien races - Hiver, Ithklur, K'Kree, Droyne or Vegans?

I guess that's all I will ask you for now - I'm sure I think of more as time passes

Thanks for all your hard work to date and I hope you guys get through editing, layout & printing really quickly now.

Tym Carroll

Waiting eagerly and - mostly - patiently at this point

 

[Nightshade]

Ok, here's my 2 cents:

Its always better to put out a late, good quality product than the alternative.

And yeah, what about the Hivers?

And yeah, is T20 gonna mesh with the Classic Cannon timeline?

 

[mshensley]

Are we ever going to see another update to the news on the website? Its been a month now...

never mind

[This message has been edited by mshensley (edited 12 April 2002).]

 

[GypsyComet]

The Virushi have been around a long time, though I don't recall any stats for TNE or T4. They were introduced in a JTAS article in CT (which works for MT), and have been covered in G:T and now in T20.

The Ursa are new.

 

[Cleon the Mad]

Simon Jester posted this in part recently:

>Including hybrid combats? That is, dealing with characters getting strafed by a air vehicle, or run over by a truck (it's happened to my PCs before). Or air-fighters attempting to intercept a starcraft trying to lift out of a planet's atmosphere?<

Okay, this is a somewhat off topic aside, but I'm wondering how well the T-20 system will handle really oddball situations. Like, the time a PC decided to try and land on someone in a TL8 hovercraft (this was a CT game, and well...this PC wasn't invited back, I always ran a solo session to see how someone would work out, but I digress). Anyway...based on how this hovercraft was designed, think...err...having a flying lawnmower land on someone. My question is how does the system handle an oddball like that? Okay, it's late, I'll even admit to maybe one too many Scouts brew, but I'll post anyway...

------------------
It is not I who am crazy, it's I who am mad!

 

[Stei'awtliyrl]

Don't forget that HERO 5th just hit stores this month, three years late.

A couple of months for T20 still flies par for the course.