Shadowrun Returns - What’s Happening and What’s Next?

Couchpotato

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Harebrained Schemes has released a new post-funding update for Shadowrun Returns. In the update they go over future goals, and the various problems of the current version.

What We’re Working on Now

After taking a deep breath, the team is back at work supporting the game and making sure we meet our commitments. Here’s where we are:

Ongoing Bugfixing, Balancing & Support

As you’ll see below, the team is busting on several fronts simultaneously, but we’re watching the forums and reviewing bug reports for important issues to fix. When we have a critical mass of fixes ready to go or we find something important that needs to be addressed ASAP, we’ll do an update and provide documentation as noted above.

Linux Release

We have started working on the Linux version of Shadowrun Returns this week. We have our build machine up and running and have started making test builds. It’s still unclear just how much more work is necessary, because the builds are pretty rough in spots. For example, we can create characters, but there are errors when loading into the first apartment scene. The editor is now compiling in Linux, but unfortunately crashes when trying to load scenes. We’re confident we can work through the various Linux-related issues, but it is going to take some time to wrangle them into submission.

Localization

We’re also actively pursuing localizations of the game so Shadowrun fans around the world can enjoy Shadowrun Returns. We’re extracting all the text in the game and sending it to our translators. Based on their estimates, and budgeting for unexpected issues (always plan for the unknown), we believe we’ll have Spanish, Italian, German, and French versions ready to play by early October.

Berlin

Development of Berlin art is already underway, and our design team is also starting to prototype gameplay and mission ideas for the Berlin campaign. We’re targeting late October for the release of Berlin.

iOS and Android Tablets

While we wanted to get tablet versions of SRR out at the same time as the PC and Mac versions, our main priority was creating the best game possible on all platforms. To that end, we delayed the tablet release for a few weeks to make sure they meet our quality bar. We expect the remaining work on the tablet versions should only take a couple of weeks, but we don’t know how long it will take for the game to go through Apple certification so we can’t give you a specific release date yet. As a reminder, the tablet versions will not include the editor and will not contain access to community created content. We do plan to bundle the best community content and release it on tablets some time in the future.
More information.
 
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Development of Berlin art is already underway, and our design team is also starting to prototype gameplay and mission ideas for the Berlin campaign. We’re targeting late October for the release of Berlin.

So early in development and already a release date. Only 3 months seems short for a new campaign.
 
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Yes, that unfortunately indicates that Berlin will hardly be more complex, nor longer than dead man switch.
 
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Lot of work has been announced with this info by HBS. I wonder who pays for this insane amount of man-hours? Excellent sales might cover costs for these, but how good are the sales?
 
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Lot of work has been announced with this info by HBS. I wonder who pays for this insane amount of man-hours? Excellent sales might cover costs for these, but how good are the sales?

Game sold extremely well in first week game was in 10 most played on steam between counter strike source and call of duty, it's still in top 30 despite short campaign.So they are loaded right now
 
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I'm pretty sure they've been reckoning on Berlin well ahead of time regardless of the newsblurb considering it was reached in the original KS as opposed to just some recent thing out of the blue---plus there's the whole bit where now the core engine/game is situated as opposed to the original campaign that they had to build in parallel to the engine editor outright. I expect it will add a good smattering of various new and deeper bits to the mix overall as opposed to just some new art pieces and another storyline.
 
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So from this newsbit it doesn't seem like they will be focusing on the save issue at all. I haven't even seem them acknowledge that it is an issue. Head in the sand much?
 
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So from this newsbit it doesn't seem like they will be focusing on the save issue at all. I haven't even seem them acknowledge that it is an issue. Head in the sand much?

Not everyone has a problem with the save system, let alone a major problem.

You have to adjust your playstyle to the game. At least I did, easily. You figure out how long you have to game when you sit down, and when you hit a new area and it auto-saves you guess conservatively and don't continue on if you don't have time to.

Save points vs. save whenever is a design decision. I do prefer the latter, myself, but it is so not a deal-breaker for me.

YMMV
 
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I don't need a save anywhere option but a save on exit should be mandatory in all games IMO.

Losing progress because real life comes calling is ridiculous.

Then there's the issue of wether the game is compelling enough for me to not mind replaying areas. Sadly at this point SRR is not.

It's not bad but its not wowing me. Seems pretty simplistic and is making me want to play XCOM rather than continue playing it.

I vow to finish though and will push on. Hopefully it gets more complex but if not at least it's short.
 
I don't need a save anywhere option but a save on exit should be mandatory in all games IMO.

Losing progress because real life comes calling is ridiculous.

Then there's the issue of wether the game is compelling enough for me to not mind replaying areas. Sadly at this point SRR is not.

It's not bad but its not wowing me. Seems pretty simplistic and is making me want to play XCOM rather than continue playing it.

I vow to finish though and will push on. Hopefully it gets more complex but if not at least it's short.

I agree with you. The main campaign was not deep and complex enough. Way to linear. But then again the latest XCOM was simplistic too.
I truly hope the new campaign adds a save on exit option.
 
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I've no idea why SRR is drawing so much critical praise from game journalists. If a middle or eastern European developer released more or less the same thing as "Die Genericski Cyberpunken" than SRR's shallow environments and farcical save system would have it laughed off Metacritc.

What did they spent the budget on? I hope it was drink and whores because then at least they didn't waste it.
 
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For a game that only cost $15-20 I can't get mad at it. This is a budget game and I didn't except anything spectacular. Now if I paid the usual $55-60 then I would have a problem.
 
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I agree with you. The main campaign was not deep and complex enough. Way to linear. But then again the latest XCOM was simplistic too.
I truly hope the new campaign adds a save on exit option.

That's true, XCOM EU is not very complex but I thought it was a fair bit more complex than SRR.

To be fair though XCOM is strategy whereas SRR is more RPG.
 
It's just an editor with potential *if* it get's community support coupled with a brief early '90s point-and-click adventure game masquerading as an RPG and not:

"[O]ne of the most satisfying and complete tactical roleplaying experiences to come out [in] the last few years." - Hardcore Gamer Magazine (9/10)

"Judged purely as a standalone game, it's an unambiguous success." - Eurogamer (8/10)

And for balance:

"As an RPG, however, Shadowrun Returns falls flat on his stomach" - Game Star 6/10

"A perfectly capable tactical RPG that's unfortunately light on both the tactics and the RPG." IncGamers (6/10)


For me personally it was worth the money, but only just barely and would have being better spent supporting Balrum or some other more conventional CRPG on Kickstarter.
 
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