Zack Oak
Posts: 205
1/26/2013
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So, the conversation came up with my friends about Fallen London endgame content, and I remembered an old blog post about the release time of Fallen London's endgame being released and stats being raised to 200 by October 2012. Now, please don't think I'm demanding new things or complaining, as I'm glad for the new content that keeps coming, and I love seeing what I'm seeing, but I can't help but wonder: when should we start expecting things in Fallen London to reach their conclusion? I'm very excited to pursue my Ambition to the end, and to see where that gets me. I understand that involves a lot of writing and coding, and I'm not meaning to be like one of the people who want content on demand. I'm just curious as to when I should start trembling with even more anticipation.
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Roland Banning, The Ambitious Operative (Profile)
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Open for social actions (no cats or photographers, please. Currently taking a break from K&C.)
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Alexis Kennedy
Posts: 1374
1/26/2013
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Epic response! because a lot of these are things I keep meaning to talk about.
Yup, the October 2012 date has been postponed to (my wild and very non-binding guess) Dec 2014. Ambitions will wrap up before that - they're all basically in the fourth act of five, but a couple need some other material created first, and we're reluctant to finish one without finishing all. This is mostly due to other projects - StoryNexus, Machine Cares, Cabinet Noir, Night Circus, Silver Tree, Black Crown and an unannounced probable project I can't even give a codename for. When I look back over what we've done since 2010, I sometimes wonder when the hell any of us got any sleep.
Re story threads being wrapped up. If you mean tied in a neat bow, with no further possible outcomes or consequences... I can't think of one that is or will be until the game closes. That's not how Fallen London works.  But in terms of stories that have a proper ending of some kind, then *off the top of my head* - Black Ribbon, Comtessa, Loquacious Vicar, Mysterious Benefactor, Battle of Wolfstack Docks, Black-Framed Painting, Correspondence Stones, Affair of the Box, Jack, Big Rat, Velocipede Squad, Cheesemonger, Rubbery Murders, Flute Street, Long-lost Daughter, Regretful Soldier, Silk-clad Expert, Temple Club, War of Assassins, the University whodunnit, Voyage of Scientific Discovery, Person of Some Importance, Inconvenienced by your Aunt... I could go on. Of course, everyone remembers the ones that are left hanging, not the ones they polished off two years ago!
BUT! I know some stories _are_ long due a resolution (Secular Missionary is a good example). I promise that nothing has been forgotten, only postponed.
So where are the stories? Well, first of all, we are writing them, but the more content we have, the less significant new content looks. If we added a hundred storylets at launch, we'd have tripled our content. Now it'd be about a 3% increase. It's a rare day when I don't add at least a little FL content, and I literally can't remember the last time a week passed without at least a token addition.
Secondly, a lot of the deep mysteries that power the major plotlines are layered as all hell, and they were meant to be that way. The story has had a lot to say about (eg) the agenda of the Bazaar, its history, its relationship with the Masters, the identity of characters like the Duchess and the Widow and the King with a Hundred Hearts - there are answers of some kind to all of these out there. The lacre content answered questions left over from 2009. And a lot of those answers do raise more questions, sure. But that, as the adage has it, is a feature not a bug. :-) I always wanted to create a world that players could swim in for years. When all the doors are opened, we'll be shutting off lights and putting chairs on tables. There is a specific answer to every significant question in the game. That answer may never be laid out in an expository conversation - the nature of the Gothic genre is that some matters are left to be understood generally but at a distance, like shapes under black sheets - but it's there.
Thirdly, we have a really narrow content pipeline, and we need to balance enrichment of the early game - the only part most people see - with enrichment of the late game - the part that our most dedicated players see. So we have to apply our efforts carefully, and while we can see from the database what the bulk of our players are doing, that's not always obvious from outside. And sometimes we've delayed a story until the original writer can come back on to work on it, and by the time they're available, something else urgent has come up. And of course sometimes we just have a better or more important idea that we really need to add right now. Or sometimes we just get carried away by enthusiasm.
But even the least of these stories are like difficult but well-loved elderly relatives in remote market towns. We honestly mean to get back to them - we miss them and we'd like to see more of them. And one day, we will. Thanks for your patience - it's the enthusiastic responses that make all this fun.
(edit: typos)
edited by Alexis on 1/26/2013
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Fhoenix
Posts: 602
1/26/2013
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I am greatful for the new content/stories. I want the game to have some endgame, but I think we are still pretty far from it. As for the time... well, we just have to wait, there is nothing to it. Although I do wish Failbetter would finish some old stories first, before adding even more new ones. I mean, The Cheery Man and The Last Constable are very well and all. But we have stuff like
a nocturnal visitor to the Palace Cellars (still get the card from this)
Playing with Broken Toys (was this ever finished? I think not)
Visiting Clathermont's Tattoo Parlour (wouldn't even remember what this is about, if not for the Wiki)
And then there are people like the Secular Missionary, Firebrand Revolutionary, Honey-sipping Heiress and The Quiet Deviless, who were simply put on a Bus so long ago. I think they were supposed to be Constant Companions, but never made it, and now their qualities just hang there... A great pity, since The Quiet Deviless was my favourite.
As for the next Act, the Court (more politics! let's get us some real political power!), University (more Correspondence! Correspondence is always good!) and the Labyrinth (more... Coils?!) are still there. The is also this matter of the Glass and the Shroud.
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My Character
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Nigel Overstreet
Posts: 1220
1/26/2013
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The October finality date was pushed back to December in a blog post from last Summer, and then pushed back further to 'eventually.'
Which is fine. I think Failbetter's focus right now is StoryNexus and Fallen London is just going to have to take a back seat until that's finished. Much like Mary Kay Ash never sold cosmetics but rather sold women on selling cosmetics, I think the notion is not to sell free to play games, but sell people on making free to play games, which is a very cool and novel idea.
If the last year's worth of progress in terms of story is any indication, we're years away from the story of Fallen London being concluded. Even when it is, I'm sure there will be epilogues. I hope to have my Cider(which will take at least two years) by the time all is said and done.
I would rather Fallen London take years to finish and be written and designed with the standard of excellence which has made it the best browser game in the history of the English language than for it to be done haphazardly just to say I finished it.
In the meantime there is no end in sight to the number of things you have yet to accomplish in Fallen London.
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The Romantic Egotist: Most Hedonistic Man in All of Fallen London
Are you or someone you know Overgoated? Please, let me know!
Cider Club
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Alexis Kennedy
Posts: 1374
1/26/2013
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Saharan wrote:
Alexis Kennedy wrote:
No, I'm being cheap. there are a lot of odd little secrets, shortcuts and Easter eggs, but I don't think there is anything extant and undiscovered of that size and scope. Apart from the Enigma ambition of course.
Can one correctly take this as confirmation that Enigma is available to players, provided they stumble upon how to unlock it, or is it purely a dev-only thing? I think I could enjoy dedicating myself to finding it, provided I knew it could be done.
Eh, it's only fair to come clean and say, the Enigma Ambition is in fact a gag. I'll regret admitting this, but it's had a good long run and I've had a glass of wine. Although you never know, I may yet implement it in my copious free time.
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Saharan
Posts: 247
1/26/2013
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Alexis Kennedy wrote:
Eh, it's only fair to come clean and say, the Enigma Ambition is in fact a gag.
Perhaps that's just as well. I can't even remember how it came about, but for the longest time I had this nagging hunch that it was initiated by drinking Tea Leaves whilst having no ambition to forget but London herself. I'm glad I didn't have to see myself proven wrong by firsthand experience.
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My Saint - My Twitter - My Seeker
"To light one candle to God and another to the Devils is the principle of wisdom."
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Spacemarine9
Posts: 2234
1/26/2013
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I suspect it'd almost be easier to compile a list of the major story plots that HAVE been wrapped up.
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my rats will blot out the sun
Ratgames
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Diptych
Administrator
Posts: 3493
1/26/2013
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There's certainly a lot left to cover, and I've no problem with them taking their time. I might get antsy now and then, wondering when promised features will materialise - the ability to change Dilmun Club patrons or favoured Connections, for instance - but I'm certainly glad it didn't all end in October!
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Sir Frederick, the Libertarian Esotericist. Lord Hubris, the Bloody Baron.
Juniper Brown, the Ill-Fated Orphan. Esther Ellis-Hall, the Fashionable Fabian.
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