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[color=#009900]"for the foreseeable future, StoryNexus is in maintenance mode."[/color]
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[/color] http://www.failbettergames.com/?p=1222
[color=#009900]So I’m afraid, folks, the answer to any questions about speculative features and possible additions is ‘probably never’. Occasional Fallen London features may leak into StoryNexus, but it’s substantial extra effort that we can’t usually afford to make things work on the SN front end as well; and ultimately we may have to fork the two code-bases in order to allow us to change Fallen London without worrying about breaking things on StoryNexus.[/color]
It’s a pity, as FL was essentially serving double-duty as a showcase for SN’s features. As an FL player coming over to SN, I find that not only can SN not do those things, but it’s still in Beta and not being actively developed. Great SN games being hooks to attract both new players and SN game designers was a good model, and I don’t see how that can happen under the present circumstances. I can’t help but think a bit more patience with SN would have succeeded enormously, and I’m inclined to think that a Kickstarter combined with additional manpower delegated to SN development would do it, but it’s not my helm to steer. What a pity. Thank you for the information. edited by Satori on 12/8/2013
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[color=#009900]Satori: this was a project I had been trying to make work, in various guises, since 2009. I sunk my savings into it. I told my team, back in July of 2012, that we were going to go big or go home, and we very nearly all went home. Three of our seven employees lost their jobs when we had to cut back. SN had been my dream for four years, and being forced to focus elsewhere or go bust was a bitter disappointment. [/color][color=rgb(0, 153, 0)]It’s very easy to second-guess decisions like these when you don’t have skin in the game.[/color]
It’s a pity, as FL was essentially serving double-duty as a showcase for SN’s features. As an FL player coming over to SN, I find that not only can SN not do those things, but it’s still in Beta and not being actively developed. Great SN games being hooks to attract both new players and SN game designers was a good model, and I don’t see how that can happen under the present circumstances. I can’t help but think a bit more patience with SN would have succeeded enormously, and I’m inclined to think that a Kickstarter combined with additional manpower delegated to SN development would do it, but it’s not my helm to steer. What a pity. Thank you for the information. edited by Satori on 12/8/2013[/quote]
Considering this post: http://community.failbettergames.com/topic5550-custom-images-and-css.aspx you may be able to do more than you think you can. There’s enough to build a good game - and creative thinking seems to have got other teams around limitations, sometimes to the betterment of the idea. edited by babelfishwars on 12/8/2013
Ms. Kennedy, it’s reassuring how evident it is that StoryNexus is very dear to your heart. That’s encouraging, because I’m seeing that the choice was due to genuine struggling rather than the arbitrary decree of some upper-management type completely unfamiliar with StoryNexus and zealously bottom-lining things and crossing out projects while giggling softly to themselves in a rather disturbing fashion.
What I’d meant with "a bit more patience with SN" was less in terms of time, and more in terms of SN’s maturing from Beta to something more full-fledged and full-featured. Given the model I’d evidenced from Failbetter’s approach - including evidently seeking to make games not only social but Facebookable at some point - that would seem to be a vital element. Investment shortfall, rather than some whimsical CEO project-cutting, would seem to be the stumbling block here. Got it.
I hadn’t replied to get into any sort of debate or argument with you regarding what is certainly a heartfelt project on your side, and stories I now find I can’t tell on mine. We both want FL, SN and FBG to succeed, and I must ask you to please forgive my presumption and forwardness in suggesting alternative options. If anything, those probably should have been posed as questions from a concerned user rather than armchair-quarterbacking. I misspoke, and in addition should have realized that any such obvious alternatives would have been considered already by people with more at stake. I get it now, thanks to the information you’ve provided in your response. On a more human level, I hope you won’t let discouragement cause you to give up hope, or keep you from seeking new solutions as they present themselves. And know that you have a support base of interested and involved users now, who’d like to assist if they can. edited by Satori on 12/8/2013
[quote=babelfishwars]Considering this post: http://community.failbettergames.com/topic5550-custom-images-and-css.aspx you may be able to do more than you think you can. There’s enough to build a good game - and creative thinking seems to have got other teams around limitations, sometimes to the betterment of the idea. edited by babelfishwars on 12/8/2013[/quote]
I totally agree. Apart from a few interface features (which, admittedly, might be nice to have), there’s not a lot that FL can do that SN can’t. In terms of game mechanics, I also don’t think there’s an instance where I haven’t figured out a way to do what I wanted to do, even if it involved a fair bit of lateral thinking!
As for the wider picture - so SN’s development has gone into indefinite hiatus. This must have been an extremely difficult decision (been there myself, although admittedly not to the point of having to make anyone redundant), but ultimately it’s still a great tool and one can still build a great game with it.
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[quote=cyberpunkdreams][quote=babelfishwars]Considering this post: http://community.failbettergames.com/topic5550-custom-images-and-css.aspx you may be able to do more than you think you can. There’s enough to build a good game - and creative thinking seems to have got other teams around limitations, sometimes to the betterment of the idea. edited by babelfishwars on 12/8/2013[/quote]
I totally agree. Apart from a few interface features (which, admittedly, might be nice to have), there’s not a lot that FL can do that SN can’t. In terms of game mechanics, I also don’t think there’s an instance where I haven’t figured out a way to do what I wanted to do, even if it involved a fair bit of lateral thinking!
As for the wider picture - so SN’s development has gone into indefinite hiatus. This must have been an extremely difficult decision (been there myself, although admittedly not to the point of having to make anyone redundant), but ultimately it’s still a great tool and one can still build a great game with it.
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[color=#009900]Cheers, folks! I do appreciate your enthusiasm, and if we had a spare developer and possibly a spare me, we would love to make more of SN again. But we are where we are.[/color]
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When I saw this, it hurt my heart at first - "But I just found StoryNexus! It can’t go away yet!"
Then I remembered that I write interactive fiction in a system (Inform 7) that hasn’t received an update in three years.
So long as the servers are stable and the lights stay on, I think there will still be new authors discovering StoryNexus. And I hope one of those new authors will make it possible for you to revisit this dream.
Wishing you all the best,
Carolyn edited by cvaneseltine on 12/9/2013
There’s more than enough StoryNexus there to make an engaging, high-quality game. And given FBG has opened the platform to outside art assets, it’s hard for me to imagine you’d miss any of the functionality it doesn’t have.
StoryNexus being in maintenance mode hasn’t impacted us developing the next piece of Zero Summer, which is due out this weekend. :)[li]
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CAVEAT: being able to send social actions to players who aren’t currently in the world/people who aren’t currently on StoryNexus is functionality I miss. But it really is the only thing left on my wish list, and I don’t think there are too many people who’ve worked with SN more extensively than I have. edited by levineg85 on 12/10/2013
Story Nexus hasn’t been turned off, which was my worst-case scenario. All the stuff is there to make games with; the very last tool needed (draw your own pictures) is in place. It’s free to use. It’s powerful. It’s a gift I’m suitably grateful for every time I manage to find the resources to spend a day or so tinkering.
Also, why not view “and everything could change if there are a couple of substantial SN successes” as a challenge?
Hi
I think the most important detail is that storynexus is still up and running! When I read the original post, I thought it meant that storynexus would be shut down sooner or later.