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Think there'll ever be a 1.9?
Looking back at https://vo-wiki.com/wiki/ChangeLog/1.8 I realize that we've been on 1.8.x for 13 years. Obviously it's not like version numbers matter in this context, but do y'all think there'll be a 1.9 ever? Maybe on the 15 year anniversary of 1.8.0?
The version numbers are not actually arbitrary, they are defined by certain types of updates and goals, which are both around specific project completion, as well as marketing value.
We've hit a lot of the goals for 1.9 in the last couple of years, but the new-user-experience situation has definitely been one of the things that has plagued things (in terms of marketing outreach). The new economy isn't entirely rolled-out either. Plus various other targets.
So, to put it another way, the version numbers do matter in a given context, particularly when one is looking to do a marketing push around a major release.
Our development resources don't lend themselves very well to long-term linear goals, because we have to do a lot of "live ops", maintenance / administration, juggling periods of "necessary, complex but player-invisible projects" with "player-desired / visible projects", and everything else that comes with handling everything from the packet API through the GPU renderer (across N platforms).
So, the irony is that players sometimes regard our release progress as kind of lackadaisical or rambling, but it's actually been focused on the same coherent plan for years.. we're just always trying to inject enough "visible change" so existing-players can be happy and have something to do, and know that we're listening.
If we didn't do that, we'd be more like (most) other gamedevs who simply focus directly on their intended goals for years at a time (and effectively "ignore" their users).. which is inherently more efficient, but doesn't carry a "live game" with it.
(This is what you see with most MMORPGs that ship periodic "expansions": those are developed by a dedicated and largely-undisturbed team working full-time on the "next thing", while maintenance and administration and events are dedicated to a specific / smaller "live-ops" team).
Thus, we've been headed for the same goal of "1.9", but taking the "extremely scenic route" through new external requirements and player exploits and server migrations and other things that can take up months at a time. Those months all add up.
Clearly, we never expected this set of goals to take this long. But, we didn't expect to have to migrate the server twice, either (probably around six months of interruption / delay, each, when fully measured out over the long term). Or, any number of other challenges, inherent to a small company with limited resources, in a really chaotic industry.
Anyway, yes, there will be a 1.9.
We've hit a lot of the goals for 1.9 in the last couple of years, but the new-user-experience situation has definitely been one of the things that has plagued things (in terms of marketing outreach). The new economy isn't entirely rolled-out either. Plus various other targets.
So, to put it another way, the version numbers do matter in a given context, particularly when one is looking to do a marketing push around a major release.
Our development resources don't lend themselves very well to long-term linear goals, because we have to do a lot of "live ops", maintenance / administration, juggling periods of "necessary, complex but player-invisible projects" with "player-desired / visible projects", and everything else that comes with handling everything from the packet API through the GPU renderer (across N platforms).
So, the irony is that players sometimes regard our release progress as kind of lackadaisical or rambling, but it's actually been focused on the same coherent plan for years.. we're just always trying to inject enough "visible change" so existing-players can be happy and have something to do, and know that we're listening.
If we didn't do that, we'd be more like (most) other gamedevs who simply focus directly on their intended goals for years at a time (and effectively "ignore" their users).. which is inherently more efficient, but doesn't carry a "live game" with it.
(This is what you see with most MMORPGs that ship periodic "expansions": those are developed by a dedicated and largely-undisturbed team working full-time on the "next thing", while maintenance and administration and events are dedicated to a specific / smaller "live-ops" team).
Thus, we've been headed for the same goal of "1.9", but taking the "extremely scenic route" through new external requirements and player exploits and server migrations and other things that can take up months at a time. Those months all add up.
Clearly, we never expected this set of goals to take this long. But, we didn't expect to have to migrate the server twice, either (probably around six months of interruption / delay, each, when fully measured out over the long term). Or, any number of other challenges, inherent to a small company with limited resources, in a really chaotic industry.
Anyway, yes, there will be a 1.9.
Thanks for the detailed answer, John.
But what about 2.0.:p