Hello, I'm the community guy for Futuremark Games Studio, the developer of Unstoppable Gorg.
I just wanted to clarify one point so you get the complete picture - we can update our game whenever we want through Steam, but the Steam team are still involved in the process. We send them files, they put them up behind a test switch, we test them, and if all is OK we ask them to push that big red button of theirs.
They still have the ultimate say in what goes out on Steam, but we have always found them to be extremely helpful, easy and fast to work with. They are a great partner for indie studios like ours.
Thanks again Brian for mentioning our game, we are thrilled that you are enjoying the beta!
Hello, I'm the community guy for Futuremark Games Studio, the developer of Unstoppable Gorg.
Ohai! Welcome to Icrontic. We don't bite here. Unless you ask nicely. Then, well, I'm sure we can figure SOMETHING out. :bigggrin:
I just wanted to clarify one point so you get the complete picture - we can update our game whenever we want through Steam, but the Steam team are still involved in the process. We send them files, they put them up behind a test switch, we test them, and if all is OK we ask them to push that big red button of theirs.
I know Steamworks is NDA'd from here till next millenium, but can you talk a bit more about the process there perhaps? About how long does it usually take them to get back to you on major publish (say, >200MB) for a released game (say, Shattered Horizon) versus a beta which is currently trying to consume my soul (say, Unstoppable Grog)?
They still have the ultimate say in what goes out on Steam, but we have always found them to be extremely helpful, easy and fast to work with. They are a great partner for indie studios like ours.
Does that mean Valve performs their own thorough QA/QC set against titles before setting them loose on the world, or does that vary by title and/or release state? Is it easier to get them to push the publish button on a beta versus a release, or is it more or less the same?
Thanks again Brian for mentioning our game, we are thrilled that you are enjoying the beta!
Shh. Must not mention satellites. Must not get sucked back in. Must not. Work to - aw, 9 more levels won't hurt...
I know Steamworks is NDA'd from here till next millenium, but can you talk a bit more about the process there perhaps? About how long does it usually take them to get back to you on major publish (say, >200MB) for a released game (say, Shattered Horizon) versus a beta which is currently trying to consume my soul (say, Unstoppable Grog)?
Does that mean Valve performs their own thorough QA/QC set against titles before setting them loose on the world, or does that vary by title and/or release state? Is it easier to get them to push the publish button on a beta versus a release, or is it more or less the same?
Good questions, but hard to answer with our limited experience as we only have Shattered Horizon - our first game - and Unstoppable Gorg - currently in development - to go on.
Both games had/are having long beta periods with multiple updates before launch. I think we did at least 8 Steam updates during Shattered Horizon's beta, and it would not surprise me if we did at least that many with Unstoppable Gorg before it is ready for launch. It's hard to say how that approach affects the turnaround times, compared to say asking them to release a huge launch-ready game in one step. The biggest barrier for us is often the time zone differences - we are based in Finland, while Valve are in Seattle.
I do not know the answer to your second question - you would need to ask someone from Valve. As I said, we only have limited experience, but what we have seen so far, we like very much!
Steam is DRM-locked down on the open pc platform. Why close off an open platform like the pc? Gabe is a big hypocrite, going about others being closed, yet his own steam is sealed off from the outside. And they don't give out sales numbers. Why should i trust them. I avoid steam.
primesuspect
Beepin n' BoopinDetroit, MI Icrontian
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I just wanted to clarify one point so you get the complete picture - we can update our game whenever we want through Steam, but the Steam team are still involved in the process. We send them files, they put them up behind a test switch, we test them, and if all is OK we ask them to push that big red button of theirs.
They still have the ultimate say in what goes out on Steam, but we have always found them to be extremely helpful, easy and fast to work with. They are a great partner for indie studios like ours.
Thanks again Brian for mentioning our game, we are thrilled that you are enjoying the beta!
Ohai! Welcome to Icrontic. We don't bite here. Unless you ask nicely. Then, well, I'm sure we can figure SOMETHING out. :bigggrin:
I know Steamworks is NDA'd from here till next millenium, but can you talk a bit more about the process there perhaps? About how long does it usually take them to get back to you on major publish (say, >200MB) for a released game (say, Shattered Horizon) versus a beta which is currently trying to consume my soul (say, Unstoppable Grog)?
Does that mean Valve performs their own thorough QA/QC set against titles before setting them loose on the world, or does that vary by title and/or release state? Is it easier to get them to push the publish button on a beta versus a release, or is it more or less the same?
Shh. Must not mention satellites. Must not get sucked back in. Must not. Work to - aw, 9 more levels won't hurt...
Good questions, but hard to answer with our limited experience as we only have Shattered Horizon - our first game - and Unstoppable Gorg - currently in development - to go on.
Both games had/are having long beta periods with multiple updates before launch. I think we did at least 8 Steam updates during Shattered Horizon's beta, and it would not surprise me if we did at least that many with Unstoppable Gorg before it is ready for launch. It's hard to say how that approach affects the turnaround times, compared to say asking them to release a huge launch-ready game in one step. The biggest barrier for us is often the time zone differences - we are based in Finland, while Valve are in Seattle.
I do not know the answer to your second question - you would need to ask someone from Valve. As I said, we only have limited experience, but what we have seen so far, we like very much!