Dom3: Expansion Pack

[Zeldor]

Some people think it's so easy. Dominions has a huge code. And really complicated. And there are many people that know the game better than devs.

Saying "write code from scratch" is easy. But doing so would take tremendous amount of work. I don't think that Johann is able to do it [as it'd have to be in newer language, which more sophisticated and time-taking solutions to handle all that we'd want]. And chance that they will hire someone to just do that is slim. It would be at least one year of coding, let's say 2-3k$ per month. Add new graphics on top of that [you wouldn't want sprites anymore, right?]. With the amount of units we have, let's say we can maybe get a good deal and get it done for just $500k. Or try some worse 2d quality, to get it to $100k. You'd also want to hire a guy to make AI, another $10k here. They probably get no more than 1/3rd of money from that $50 it is selling for. So it makes for minimum 50k copies sold to break even.

[those were just estimates, I may be totally off with those numbers, just wanted to say smth to those that think it's easy and cheap]

[lch]

Originally Posted by Zeldor

Add new graphics on top of that [you wouldn't want sprites anymore, right?]. With the amount of units we have, let's say we can maybe get a good deal and get it done for just $500k. Or try some worse 2d quality, to get it to $100k. You'd also want to hire a guy to make AI, another $10k here.

$100k -$500k for graphics and $10k for the AI coding? I wouldn't want to play that game, and I guess most others here wouldn't either.

[Omnirizon]

Originally Posted by lch

$100k -$500k for graphics and $10k for the AI coding? I wouldn't want to play that game, and I guess most others here wouldn't either.

is it because that's a lot, and thus no one here would want to play such a mainstream-style game, or because that's not very much at all, and no one here would want to play such a poor quality game?

sorry for my naivety, but I really have no metric here...

I think that I play games like Dwarf Fortress more than most other games, and it, in terms of man-hours, is probably under 100k. (assuming 55k a year per person for full-time. I think there's two guys working on it for a few years, and they by no means do it full-time).

[Edi]

Originally Posted by Zeldor

Some people think it's so easy. Dominions has a huge code. And really complicated. And there are many people that know the game better than devs.

Saying "write code from scratch" is easy. But doing so would take tremendous amount of work.

I know the difference between saying something and doing something quite well. I'm perfectly aware that it would be a tremendous task and far from easy. I just happen to have a recollection that it was the devs themselves who said it would need to be redone from scratch if a Dom4 were to be made. Could be I remember wrong, though.

But it is a fact that the engine limits are squeezing everything these days and some of them can't be expanded without breaking a lot of hard (or impossible) to fix things. That was what JK said when I asked about one of the more important ones.

[Calahan]

Am I the only person who doesn't want to see improved graphics in any Dom3 follow-up? Personally think that what we have now are perfectly fine and fully functional.

If you want pretty graphics, join the horde of mindless sheep out there and play MMO's, FPS's etc. All of which are highly original, unique, and immensely challenging

[Poopsi]

prettier graphics = higher reqs = no longer a game I can keep running alt-tabbed between other tasks (say, class).

More features and better AI would be nice, though

[Zeldor]

I'd call it rather low budget You'd have to spend at least $5-10 million for proper 3d graphics engine.

[Gandalf Parker]

Well to me a Dom3 Expansion Pack is:
Streamers and Standards mod
Worthy Heroes mod
Mytheology mod
Magic Site mod
SingleAge mod
and running each map thru the SemiRandom program before playing it.

I understand there is also a mod to add a ton of new spells to the game but I havent tried that yet. There is also a mod that put something like 12 new nations into the extended slots in one move with all conflicts ironed out.

Those are mods that extend the game. Took what was in it and added lots more.

Gandalf Parker
--
To some people, unlimited options seems to them to be zero options.
Without a menu of choices, they are lost.

[hEad]

Originally Posted by Gandalf Parker

Well to me a Dom3 Expansion Pack is:
Streamers and Standards mod
Worthy Heroes mod
Mytheology mod
Magic Site mod
SingleAge mod
and running each map thru the SemiRandom program before playing it.

I understand there is also a mod to add a ton of new spells to the game but I havent tried that yet. There is also a mod that put something like 12 new nations into the extended slots in one move with all conflicts ironed out.

Those are mods that extend the game. Took what was in it and added lots more.

Gandalf Parker
--
To some people, unlimited options seems to them to be zero options.
Without a menu of choices, they are lost.

Exactly right! The game as is stands is with out peer and I can appreciate that at this point of its development it has given all to most of what it has got, but the question is, what possibly extra could be added to the game - either as a metaphoric expansion or an actual sequal?

What more could dominions become? More of the same or could additional concepts or factors to the game with out it becoming something else? As it it, can Dominions 3 be topped? Can the strategy (again not emphasising UI or other improvements expected of a new engine)

For those who know, what was Dom 1 like and how has it changed over the series? I would have loved to player earlier versions to see how far it has travelled.

[Fakeymcfake]

Well I'd assume that Dominions originally spawned from Conquest of Elysium II, which you can get for free now. It's quite similar to Dominions in what you're expected to achieve, and I think I even saw some of the same sprites still being used. Worth playing at least once just for kicks.