Hi,
I did the Keeper's Pledge for ths game like 3-4 years ago. I am not going to read through al that's been happening so instead in a quick sentence what's the current state?
I did see some Alpha release stuff today. I haven't chekced on this game in about 2+ years.
Are we going to see this in 2022?
Thanks.
The official, and often repeated position of VR is that they are not going to make estimates for Alpha, Beta or Release. When they are close enough to be absolutely certain that it will happen on the date they give, they will announce a date.
They have not yet announced a date.
They HAVE talked in more detail about their process of getting to alpha in their recent newsletters. But you'll have to read some stuff to get caught up on that.
Currently in pre-alpha. 2022 should bring alpha, you can hope for sooner but I wouldn 't hold my breath... beta in 2023? If so launch in January 2024, just before the 10th anniversary of games Kickstarter... All dates are my own (except game is in pre-alpha) and not endorsed by management!
Honestly, right now, a timeline is nothing but speculation. There are internal dates that the team wants to hit, but these haven't been shared.
As said above, they have been more open about the goals they want to hit before alpha. You can read up on some of the newsletters or watch past dev streams if you want more details, but a major goal is to have at least 9 of the 12 classes playable. The monk will make the seventh class available for testing, from my understanding. The ranger and the summoner are the next classes slated for PA release. Once the summoner makes its way into testing, that will be the time to re-evaluate where Alpha stands. I want to be clear, though, the team has stated that they are also working on other major milestones while they get the classes up and running.
If I had to venture a guess for Alpha, I think the summer of 2022 is possible, fall 2022 is most likely, and early 2023 would be the latest. This is complete speculation, though.
You can find a lot of these milestone here: https://www.pantheonmmo.com/news/producers-letter-march-2021/
This thread title kind of reminds me of Kilsen CM piece ... "In one sentence ... Tell us when do you think Pantheon will release". lol
I'll be honest, I've been here for over 5 years (can't believe its been that long) and it seems like there has been almost no real progress in that time. I check in every couple weeks just to read the drama of people arguing but I've long given up on the game ever coming out. I hope it does, I just don't think it will.
EppE said:I'll be honest, I've been here for over 5 years (can't believe its been that long) and it seems like there has been almost no real progress in that time. I check in every couple weeks just to read the drama of people arguing but I've long given up on the game ever coming out. I hope it does, I just don't think it will.
No real progress in 5 years? That may be how you "feel", but that's certainly not reality.
Wellspring said:EppE said:I'll be honest, I've been here for over 5 years (can't believe its been that long) and it seems like there has been almost no real progress in that time. I check in every couple weeks just to read the drama of people arguing but I've long given up on the game ever coming out. I hope it does, I just don't think it will.
No real progress in 5 years? That may be how you "feel", but that's certainly not reality.
Some people conveniently forget that VR has been very honest about how they have, basically, started over twice with the game. Yes, that has caused years of setbacks. But the version of the game they are developing now is going to be the retail/production version and they are ticking off the last handful of items needed to go into Alpha. Once Alpha gets here the game will be out before you know it.
People can be mad that they did this, which is fine, but that doesn't mean no progress has been made. The most progress on this game has been made in the past 2-3 years.
Wellspring said:EppE said:I'll be honest, I've been here for over 5 years (can't believe its been that long) and it seems like there has been almost no real progress in that time. I check in every couple weeks just to read the drama of people arguing but I've long given up on the game ever coming out. I hope it does, I just don't think it will.
No real progress in 5 years? That may be how you "feel", but that's certainly not reality.
The below quote explains why the game development hasn't progressed...
bigdogchris said:Wellspring said:EppE said:I'll be honest, I've been here for over 5 years (can't believe its been that long) and it seems like there has been almost no real progress in that time. I check in every couple weeks just to read the drama of people arguing but I've long given up on the game ever coming out. I hope it does, I just don't think it will.
No real progress in 5 years? That may be how you "feel", but that's certainly not reality.
I think some people seem to conveniently forget that VR has been very honest about how they have, basically, started over twice with the game. Yes, that has cause years of setbacks. But the version of the game they are developing now is going to be the retail/production version and they are ticking off the last handful of items needed to go into Alpha. Once Alpha gets here the game will be out before you know it.
So people can be mad that they did this, which is fine, but that doesn't mean no progress has been made. The most progress on this game has been made in the past 2-3 years.
I full understand they have restarted twice and that is a huge reason why the game hasn't progressed farther into development. If you keep starting over, by definition you are not progressing. I can't start something twice, give up, and start again and pretend like we're farther. The game is different than it was when I first bought in, and they have done work, but again has it really progressed THAT much farther? I would say no.
*Edit*
I want to add this in. I don't believe it's intentional or some scheme. I honestly think VR wants to launch. The issue is that since the team is so small development is progressing at a slower rate than technology constantly forcing the "start over new engine/new graphics" situation.
EppE said: The issue is that since the team is so small development is progressing at a slower rate than technology constantly forcing the "start over new engine/new graphics" situation
This is the simpler one to respond to, so it comes first. There is no public statement by VR that I know of, that suggests they have ever started over because their tech was outdated and they needed "new engine/new graphics". If there is, please link or describe where it can be found.
EppE said: I full understand they have restarted twice and that is a huge reason why the game hasn't progressed farther into development. If you keep starting over, by definition you are not progressing. I can't start something twice, give up, and start again and pretend like we're farther. The game is different than it was when I first bought in, and they have done work, but again has it really progressed THAT much farther? I would say no.
I disagree with you completely. Every person and every company makes mistakes. Any course on how to succeed as a business or an entrepreneur will emphasize this point repeatedly: Successful people and companies are NOT the ones who don't make mistakes. They are the ones who have developed the skill of LEARNING from their mistakes. And not giving up.
No great accomplishment, by a person or a company, has ever been achieved without making some mistakes, discovering them, backing up far enough to fix them, and continuing on. And then doing it again. Success comes from not giving up, rather than not making mistakes.
EppE said:I full understand they have restarted twice and that is a huge reason why the game hasn't progressed farther into development. If you keep starting over, by definition you are not progressing. I can't start something twice, give up, and start again and pretend like we're farther. The game is different than it was when I first bought in, and they have done work, but again has it really progressed THAT much farther? I would say no.
*Edit*
I want to add this in. I don't believe it's intentional or some scheme. I honestly think VR wants to launch. The issue is that since the team is so small development is progressing at a slower rate than technology constantly forcing the "start over new engine/new graphics" situation.
Then the only alternative was for them to release a game that would not have been playable. Would it have made you happy if they released 2 years ago in a state that would of been bad long term?
What alternative do you think they should have done?
Chimerical said:Currently in pre-alpha. 2022 should bring alpha, you can hope for sooner but I wouldn 't hold my breath... beta in 2023? If so launch in January 2024, just before the 10th anniversary of games Kickstarter... All dates are my own (except game is in pre-alpha) and not endorsed by management!
We've been in pre-alph going on 4 years now... I wouldn't assume alpha will be next year when they haven't even gotten all of the classes (one of the most important aspects required for player interaction to test in Alpha) flushed out yet. They may get all of the classes' base functionality down by next year (although I'm highly skeptical at this point), but I still wouldn't hold my breath on Alpha even then.
I'm at the point where I think its cool to watch a game's progress, and it would be nice if this were ever completed, but I'm not expecting it any time in the next 4-5 years. Maybe I'll be pleasantly suprised (instead of horribly dissapointed every few months).
Darch said:Chimerical said:Currently in pre-alpha. 2022 should bring alpha, you can hope for sooner but I wouldn 't hold my breath... beta in 2023? If so launch in January 2024, just before the 10th anniversary of games Kickstarter... All dates are my own (except game is in pre-alpha) and not endorsed by management!
We've been in pre-alph going on 4 years now... I wouldn't assume alpha will be next year when they haven't even gotten all of the classes (one of the most important aspects required for player interaction to test in Alpha) flushed out yet. They may get all of the classes' base functionality down by next year (although I'm highly skeptical at this point), but I still wouldn't hold my breath on Alpha even then.
I'm at the point where I think its cool to watch a game's progress, and it would be nice if this were ever completed, but I'm not expecting it any time in the next 4-5 years. Maybe I'll be pleasantly suprised (instead of horribly dissapointed every few months).
I feel your pain. I'm hoping the ignominy of taking longer than 10 years to develope a game will motivate them to move heaven and earth to complete by then. If only they had AGS's budget... *sigh*
I've been diagnosed with cancer. Have lived through chemo, surgery, and radiation. Have lived through remission. Am now surviving recurrent cancer. I really don't think I'll live to play this game - and I signed up for an original Knight's pledge when it was first offered so I could play in alpha. Serious question: Can I gift my purchase to a gaming friend? I'd rather not see it die out with me.
Benezetta said:I've been diagnosed with cancer. Have lived through chemo, surgery, and radiation. Have lived through remission. Am now surviving recurrent cancer. I really don't think I'll live to play this game - and I signed up for an original Knight's pledge when it was first offered so I could play in alpha. Serious question: Can I gift my purchase to a gaming friend? I'd rather not see it die out with me.
I would like to offer you my deepest sympathy and sincerest heartfelt prayers during this time. What you are going through can't be easy, and it must have taken a great deal of strength and courage to share the battle you are currently fighting.
In regards to your question, I would try opening a ticket and contacting customer support. Typically VR is pretty great at handling customer concerns and generally very understanding. If you explain your situation to them, they would probably be able to work with you.
I hope this response helps.
Darch said:I'm at the point where I think its cool to watch a game's progress, and it would be nice if this were ever completed, but I'm not expecting it any time in the next 4-5 years. Maybe I'll be pleasantly suprised
My own mindset is that I have more than gotten the value from my pledge through the time I have spent on these forums. Sure I could have gotten forum access in other ways but I also wanted to back the game.
So if the game releases - wonderful.
If it doesn't - a disappointment but I still view the pledge as a good move.
At least we aren't getting all the articles Camelot Unchained has lately about alleged failures to live up to promises and the possibly questionable state of their finances. After all my time in DAOC I would have been supporting that game also if it wasn't so focused on pvp without even the pve elements DAOC had.
bigdogchris said:Then the only alternative was for them to release a game that would not have been playable. Would it have made you happy if they released 2 years ago in a state that would of been bad long term?
What alternative do you think they should have done?
I think you misunderstand. I'm not here shouting they should launch or that they necessarly made mistakes. I think if anything this is an excellent example of you can make no, to few, mistakes and still not achieve your goal. I don't think launching early is the answer, but I think everyone needs to be rather realistic about technology. I was under the impression that they switched engines about 2 years ago. If that is true it was a good decission to keep up with modern graphics, but it would have set them back. If they didn't upgrade the engine/graphics, well then we are looking at a 2016 game graphics likely to launch in 2024 at the soonest.
Throwing more people isn't always a solution to a problem, but when you're understaffed then more people can be a solution. Given how long the game has been in pre-alpha and the technological upgrades that have occured over the past 5 years, do you really think the graphics will be comparable to temporary games when it launches? Will people on the forums who have been here since day one have to constantly defend and make excuses for why the graphics are dated at launch?
This isn't like Borderlands or Minecraft where a less realistic art style was an intentional choice. Pantheon is going to look extremely dated when it launches at its current rate and while die hard people will shout from the roofs "it's about gameplay" that will not help people outside this bubble pick it up... and no matter how hard people here don't want to admit it, more than just these forums need to play this game. Will I not play because of graphics? No, of course not. I still play EQ to this day, but EQ is over 20 years old. I don't expect it to have good graphics. If EQ launched today there is no way I would be able to get past the graphics.
EppE said:bigdogchris said:Then the only alternative was for them to release a game that would not have been playable. Would it have made you happy if they released 2 years ago in a state that would of been bad long term?
What alternative do you think they should have done?
I think you misunderstand. I'm not here shouting they should launch or that they necessarly made mistakes. I think if anything this is an excellent example of you can make no, to few, mistakes and still not achieve your goal. I don't think launching early is the answer, but I think everyone needs to be rather realistic about technology. I was under the impression that they switched engines about 2 years ago. If that is true it was a good decission to keep up with modern graphics, but it would have set them back. If they didn't upgrade the engine/graphics, well then we are looking at a 2016 game graphics likely to launch in 2024 at the soonest.
Throwing more people isn't always a solution to a problem, but when you're understaffed then more people can be a solution. Given how long the game has been in pre-alpha and the technological upgrades that have occured over the past 5 years, do you really think the graphics will be comparable to temporary games when it launches? Will people on the forums who have been here since day one have to constantly defend and make excuses for why the graphics are dated at launch?
As far as I know, Pantheon has always been with the same engine which is Unity. Not sure if they've changed versions within Unity though. As far as graphics go, from what I understand they're currently working on going from a universal render pipeline to a high definition render pipeline, both of which are already in the game engine. Once this switch is made it will make the graphics for Terminus much better. This was said under the programming highlights for the June Producers Letter. Link >> https://www.pantheonmmo.com/news/producers-letter-june-2021/
I do agree that when understaffed extra people can be a big help. They've been hiring more people and I think that trend will continue.
