So... are you guys for real?

[sh4rkb1t3]

Hey,

I think it's great and all how you guys want to bring back the old game, but is it really going to happen? I'm not trolling, these are serious issues. I don't mean to burst everyone's bubble, but are we getting in over our heads here? Can someone please answer these questions for me?

Are the new developers actually computer programmers, or are they just starting to learn?

Will it be possible for anyone who didn't originally work on the game to be able to get stuff done?

Are the new developers going to working full-time or part-time on this, or is the new Legions going to be a hobby? We saw what happened when IA was running the show: we almost never saw updates to the game, and that was with a team of paid professionals working on it full time.

When can we expect to see the game playable for the general public?

GG spent thousands of dollars developing legions, why are they giving it to us for free, when it's an asset that has real life value?

And how do we know they aren't going to come in later and shut us down, since they are the copyright owners?

Who's going to be signing the legal papers and stuff for this, do we have a lawyer on the development team?

Who's going to be paying for the master server, dedicated servers, and website to keep the game running? How is the game going to be supported financially?

If the game does get back up and running, how often can we expect to see new content being added?
One thing that killed Legions on IA was the fact that we would only see an update every 6 months, and even then it was usually just a few tweaks and new maps.

Is there motivation to add new gameplay mechanics to the game, or are the devs going stay true to the orignal format and only add new maps and auxillary features?

 

[MJ1284]

http://forums.legionsoverdrive.com/threads/legions-faq.39/

 

[sh4rkb1t3]

That FAQ explains none of the issues I raised, and the fact that you posted it shows me that you, ironically, didn't even bother to read it yourself.

 

[MJ1284]

Can you honestly blame me for not bothering to read YOUR posts?

 

[moronval]

Are the new developers actually computer programmers, or are they just starting to learn?

Are the new developers going to working full-time or part-time on this, or is the new Legions going to be a hobby? We saw what happened when IA was running the show: we almost never saw updates to the game, and that was with a team of paid professionals working on it full time.

When can we expect to see the game playable for the general public?

One thing that killed Legions on IA was the fact that we would only see an update every 6 months, and even then it was usually just a few tweaks and new maps.

^I know those are answered in the FAQ section on the main page.

I've heard them say they don't have a specific date set in stone for opening up to the public (as, I guess, an official release) but their goal is to get it out before or by christmas, since this is a community project I wouldn't get my hopes up of it going past a part-time thing, the people that would be in the "programming" category of development are certainly qualified programmers, and (although I lost the link) Fixious had recorded a ventrilo conversation with Bugspray (head of the team) saying the goal is an update every 2 weeks once legions is open to the public.

Legal stuff would need bugspray to comment since he was the one that worked with IA/IAC to get the rights to develop and continue this project.

 

[sh4rkb1t3]

Can you honestly blame me for not bothering to read YOUR posts?

I'm not sure who you are, but many people from the IA forums didn't bother to read any posts at all. So I was expecting at least one person to write a boneheaded reply like that, and looks like that person is you.

 

[moronval]

Can you honestly blame me for not bothering to read YOUR posts?

Do yourself a favour and stop posting too.

 

[Cauchemar]

I'll answer what I know.

1. Are the new developers actually computer programmers, or are they just starting to learn?

2. And how do we know they aren't going to come in later and shut us down, since they are the copyright owners?

3. Who's going to be signing the legal papers and stuff for this, do we have a lawyer on the development team?

4. How is the game going to be supported financially?

1. "Three of us have worked at GarageGames/InstantAction either as interns or full-time. Most of us have professional experience in our respective fields, many of which are not gaming related." -BugsPray-

2. "We approached IA in May about developing Legions and have worked since then to bring it to a reality. We signed an agreement with IA about 4-5 weeks ago." -BugsPray- They have an agreement, they have to respect it, so no.

3. They're probably already signed by the team.

4. If they need it, they might ask for donations, they can't sell anything about the game though because of their agreement.

It's all I know for sure.

 

[Fixious]

Hey,

I think it's great and all how you guys want to bring back the old game, but is it really going to happen? I'm not trolling, these are serious issues. I don't mean to burst everyone's bubble, but are we getting in over our heads here? Can someone please answer these questions for me?

Are the new developers actually computer programmers, or are they just starting to learn?

They've essentially re-written the entire game. So I think it's safe to say they have some smart people on board.

Will it be possible for anyone who didn't originally work on the game to be able to get stuff done?

I don't really get this question, to be honest. They've been working on this since May, if that helps.

Are the new developers going to working full-time or part-time on this, or is the new Legions going to be a hobby? We saw what happened when IA was running the show: we almost never saw updates to the game, and that was with a team of paid professionals working on it full time.

There's a fairly strict schedule, but at the same time somewhat laid back. They don't have a company breathing down their neck, giving them due dates or anything.

When can we expect to see the game playable for the general public?

Before Christmas is the current estimate.

GG spent thousands of dollars developing legions, why are they giving it to us for free, when it's an asset that has real life value?

They can't legally make any money off the game.

And how do we know they aren't going to come in later and shut us down, since they are the copyright owners?

I'm not all the privy on the legal standings. It could happen, but it sounds like things were straightened out a few days after IA went down.

Who's going to be signing the legal papers and stuff for this, do we have a lawyer on the development team?

Lawyers cost money. If by legal papers you mean NDA's and such, we're going by the honor system. Those who sign NDA's are expected to follow the rules, even though no legal action can be taken against them.

Who's going to be paying for the master server, dedicated servers, and website to keep the game running? How is the game going to be supported financially?

Out of the devs pockets and community donations. As far as I know they have no official backing from any company.

If the game does get back up and running, how often can we expect to see new content being added?
One thing that killed Legions on IA was the fact that we would only see an update every 6 months, and even then it was usually just a few tweaks and new maps.

If things go as planned, quite often. No more 6 month waiting between updates, that's for sure.

Is there motivation to add new gameplay mechanics to the game, or are the devs going stay true to the orignal format and only add new maps and auxillary features?

Definitely. The devs are adding stuff they, and the community, have wanted for quite a while.

 

[SeymourGore]

Ah, these are all valid concerns. I'll let the project lead, BugsPray, handle the specifics of them. I, myself, have no such experience with code or anything like that, luckily enough I'm just the Community Manager, so my charm is much more important than technical wizardry. As for the other guys, well I'll let them handle their own introductions and experience; Note: that the work I've seen so far has been excellent and I have a lot of faith in this team.

Is there motivation to add new gameplay mechanics to the game, or are the devs going stay true to the orignal format and only add new maps and auxillary features?

It's pretty much unanimous amongst the developers that Legions, while a very good foundation, was just that: a foundation. Expect many additions to the gameplay above and beyond new maps, weapons, minor updates, etc.

 

[discord]

If you were around towards the end of Legions' availabilty on IA you should have noticed the NanuNanu and LP servers that were available for play. Those are an example of what these guys were able to do in short order, and many of the crew that were working on that project are now working here on a standalone version. If you ever have the pleasure of speaking with these folks, you will find them to be quite intelligent and its very clear that they have the bests interests of Legions in mind with the amount of time you see them putting into a 'free' project.

They are definitely for real, and the proof will come.

 

[GReaper]

Just to answer a few questions:

Are the new developers actually computer programmers, or are they just starting to learn?

Will it be possible for anyone who didn't originally work on the game to be able to get stuff done?

Are the new developers going to working full-time or part-time on this, or is the new Legions going to be a hobby? We saw what happened when IA was running the show: we almost never saw updates to the game, and that was with a team of paid professionals working on it full time.

The team includes the vast majority of past developers and testers with the skills to actually do something with the game, along with a bunch of additional talented people. We're part time, but we're putting in quite a lot of effort to get this thing going.

Various people from the team have already brought you numerous game fixes in the past, many hours of testing resulting in updated game balance, weapon balance, new maps, dedicated servers when it was almost impossible to run them, etc. Some of us brought you quite a lot of additional content whilst the game was still on InstantAction but not being updated.

A team of paid professionals working on a product which isn't generating enough revenue isn't going to get any updates, which is exactly what happened to Legions. Whilst I'm sure a company running the game and getting sufficient funds from game sales could produce better results, our situation with Legions is probably one of the better outcomes for the game.

Who's going to be paying for the master server, dedicated servers, and website to keep the game running? How is the game going to be supported financially?

At the moment, I'm covering the costs for the master server and website. Once we're ready to roll hopefully the dedicated server costs will be covered by donations.

Not that many servers are required for reasonable coverage in the most popular areas. We can do this pretty cost effectively given that there aren't any employees to pay and all of the donations will go towards running costs.

 

[sh4rkb1t3]

Thanks for answering these questions everyone.

You've made me more optimistic in my outlook for this game. But as for whether or not I think it's going to come back, I personally think it could go either way at this point. I could definitely see time and money constraints being a major stumbling block in the long run. And I'm not going to be convinced until I've played it myself.

Best of luck to the developers and the community!

 

[DeadGuy]

To be honest, most of us did the work that you saw on legions in the past (not including skins). Having to go through IAC slowed a lot of it down and rushed product to be released when it shouldn't have. Munge was a *true hero* for allowing the development of legions back in the day and I am sorry to lose him, but all in all this is a hugely positive change.

 

[sh4rkb1t3]

Yeah, IA was really holding legions back, and if you guys get the game back up, I'm going to say "good riddance."

The IA interface felt like the middleman between me and my gaming experience... it was completely unnessessary and added no enjoyment. I figured it was only a matter of time before it died, and took the old legions down with it.

Now that IA is dead, maybe we'll see some real progress for once.

 

[BugsPray]

The money is a non-issue right now. With that said, we will be looking for donations from the community in the future. Everything said above by the devs/Fixious is pretty much on-target.

 

[RedInk]

Looking at the last few replies, It looks like the admins have taken over this thread.
There For We Are Dead.

I for one am absolutely on board with you guys, because I am sure you know how well this economy is.

 

[Vustom]

I honestly think that this is a fresh start for Legions, and that the team will push Legions to it's full potential.

 

[jedics (ovo)]

So everyone should remember to be extra generous with donations when the time comes.

 

[Disci]

So everyone should remember to be extra generous with donations when the time comes.

I'd hope it would be not so generous as one time donation but small donations every month. They need to upkeep the servers and this site and that bill drops in mail box every month.