UF NEWS: Interview with Brian and Sean: Owners of Utopia

[Demancer]

Best interview ever! Lots of good questions and answers with important subjects while not having to suffer the rambling of an inflated ego!

[beeper]

indeed, it explains why they destroyed game, having no ideea what are they doing:
"Sean: I used to play a lot of Quake and Counter-Strike"
- that's why they dropped strategy part of the game that made this one of a kind and make it more like a shooter game, despite the fact it can't be a shooter
- another thing still they did not learn is about cheating: design game so cheating does not make much impact. they made changes so cheating is encouraged then complain they spend too much solving the issue

Here 2 changes that totally destroyed original game:
1. attacking time in war does no longer take account of prov. NW difference
- this made cheating a big advantage and destroyed strategy war game, making it more like a shooter and along with reduced attack time 50% of players had to quit. there were players doing 14...16 hours attacks and was not a big problem. right now if you don't make min. 2 attacks/day you have to quit. it takes no brain for a multi to make 16 hits in 10 seconds and destroy a province. hard chaining , like in a shooter game is most used now.
2. introducing destructive races like avian, undead ... and helping big kingdoms to attack or raze-kill much smaller kingdoms. why big kingdoms have still good gain attacking 1/2 their size and not fight each other ? who want to play such an unfair game ?
3. still no definition for war wins, game scope ... so what else is this game about if not about cheating ? because cheating is the only fun part this game offers now , for those that can enjoy doing it of course

[Che Guevara]

indeed, it explains why they destroyed game, having no ideea what are they doing:
"Sean: I used to play a lot of Quake and Counter-Strike"
- that's why they dropped strategy part of the game that made this one of a kind and make it more like a shooter game, despite the fact it can't be a shooter
- another thing still they did not learn is about cheating: design game so cheating does not make much impact. they made changes so cheating is encouraged then complain they spend too much solving the issue

Here 2 changes that totally destroyed original game:
1. attacking time in war does no longer take account of prov. NW difference
- this made cheating a big advantage and destroyed strategy war game, making it more like a shooter and along with reduced attack time 50% of players had to quit. there were players doing 14...16 hours attacks and was not a big problem. right now if you don't make min. 2 attacks/day you have to quit. it takes no brain for a multi to make 16 hits in 10 seconds and destroy a province. hard chaining , like in a shooter game is most used now.
2. introducing destructive races like avian, undead ... and helping big kingdoms to attack or raze-kill much smaller kingdoms. why big kingdoms have still good gain attacking 1/2 their size and not fight each other ? who want to play such a unfair game ?
3. still no definition for war wins, game scope ... so what else is this game about if not about cheating ? because cheating is the only fun part this game offers now , for those that can enjoy doing it of course

Errrm, Undead and Avians were introduced in like, age 2-5 or something.

[Bashar]

No matter anyone's opinion about S&B, it's in our best interest for them to strengthen their bond with the community. I'd ignore a bunch of whiny *****es moaning about every action I take (or don't take) too. I understand this is the first real appearance they've made in a long time and people can't wait to flame on them...

Someone with actual intelligence knows when to complain and when to STFU.

[DjTeddySpin]

indeed, it explains why they destroyed game, having no ideea what are they doing:
"Sean: I used to play a lot of Quake and Counter-Strike"
- that's why they dropped strategy part of the game that made this one of a kind and make it more like a shooter game, despite the fact it can't be a shooter
- another thing still they did not learn is about cheating: design game so cheating does not make much impact. they made changes so cheating is encouraged then complain they spend too much solving the issue

Here 2 changes that totally destroyed original game:
1. attacking time in war does no longer take account of prov. NW difference
- this made cheating a big advantage and destroyed strategy war game, making it more like a shooter and along with reduced attack time 50% of players had to quit. there were players doing 14...16 hours attacks and was not a big problem. right now if you don't make min. 2 attacks/day you have to quit. it takes no brain for a multi to make 16 hits in 10 seconds and destroy a province. hard chaining , like in a shooter game is most used now.
2. introducing destructive races like avian, undead ... and helping big kingdoms to attack or raze-kill much smaller kingdoms. why big kingdoms have still good gain attacking 1/2 their size and not fight each other ? who want to play such an unfair game ?
3. still no definition for war wins, game scope ... so what else is this game about if not about cheating ? because cheating is the only fun part this game offers now , for those that can enjoy doing it of course

You have either never played a game competitively before or you know nuts about FPS and Counter Strike. I see why you think you can pick up a gun and start killing people in league games without strategy and teamwork.

Big provinces attacking another province half their size won't get good gains, when you attack someone, its a province-to-province comparison and KD's overall NW plays a smaller role.

Lastly, if you know nothing about game design don't speak like you have a plan. You're one to talk but have no real workable plan. I bet you work at a place designed so that not having you makes little impact.

[gergnub]

indeed, it explains why they destroyed game, having no ideea what are they doing:
"Sean: I used to play a lot of Quake and Counter-Strike"
- that's why they dropped strategy part of the game that made this one of a kind and make it more like a shooter game, despite the fact it can't be a shooter
- another thing still they did not learn is about cheating: design game so cheating does not make much impact. they made changes so cheating is encouraged then complain they spend too much solving the issue

Here 2 changes that totally destroyed original game:
1. attacking time in war does no longer take account of prov. NW difference
- this made cheating a big advantage and destroyed strategy war game, making it more like a shooter and along with reduced attack time 50% of players had to quit. there were players doing 14...16 hours attacks and was not a big problem. right now if you don't make min. 2 attacks/day you have to quit. it takes no brain for a multi to make 16 hits in 10 seconds and destroy a province. hard chaining , like in a shooter game is most used now.
2. introducing destructive races like avian, undead ... and helping big kingdoms to attack or raze-kill much smaller kingdoms. why big kingdoms have still good gain attacking 1/2 their size and not fight each other ? who want to play such an unfair game ?
3. still no definition for war wins, game scope ... so what else is this game about if not about cheating ? because cheating is the only fun part this game offers now , for those that can enjoy doing it of course

You sir don't really know what you are talking about.

[Mad_Scottish]

Beeper, I think you are way off the mark. There is still as much strategy as there was before and there are many more race combos that can be run and can work successfully in an active kingdom than there was before.

Return times have been like this for years, not just under B&S. You dont have to quit the game if you cant make 2 sets of attacks per day, just find a kingdom that isnt as strict.

When kingdoms are in war, nw shouldnt influence return times. It was a huge pain in the butt when that existed and made the implementation of plans (strategy!!) much more difficult because larger provinces basically got played out of the war. You now have to apply more STRATEGY in order to ensure that big provinces dont get left sitting to wreak havoc on smaller provinces with quad taps etc. All strategy!!

And since when has cheating ever the only fun part of the game? Spoken like someone that is walking around with their eyes closed. The vast majority of people do not cheat. People are determined to believe top kingdoms cheat, some of them do, just as some small kingdoms cheat. It doesnt go hand in hand, oh you are a large kingdom oh my god you cheat.

oh my god, you waved my kingdom with more hits than me so you cheat. It is like the salem witch hunts, oh my god, that mans wife is hotter than my wife, she is a witch.... try and post something that is slightly more constructive rather than what is clearly a lot of crap.

The point of my interview with sean and brian was to try and welcome them back into the community because we need them to keep doing what they are doing if we want the game to survive over the long term, which quite frankly I would like it to do. People have flamed some of the most pointless crap already, although it is vastly the minority which is awesome.

[Surrakar]

Great interview!

And a big hit to the face of the guys using their programming skills to cheat in a game like utopia.

I don't even understand how that can be fun...

[tzar]

wow, a tzar!

what of it?

[Decibel]

Awesome interview!

[Bishop]

How do you decide who is on vacation and who isn't? I mean, sometimes I like to take a break or a "vacation" from the game when I know that there is nothing left I need to accomplish that age. Just because I want to lounge around watching football instead of logging into my province for the last few days doesn't mean I'm not on "vacation".

Definition of VACATION
1
: a respite or a time of respite from something : intermission

If they aren't logging into the game, they are on vacation from the game. How do you have the authority to say one person taking a break is within the rules, and the next person taking a break is acting outside the rules? A break is a break regardless of where you spend your time. With the rise of smartphones, there should only be VERY, VERY, VERY rare instances of not being able to access the game. So the NEED for a vacation mode is gone, it's just there for people who want to take a break. Yet if they do it at the end of the age, they are abusing? Excuse me, but that is ignorant. People should be active throughout the age furthering their goals and their kingdom goals, and take their breaks at the end of the age. But apparently, that is against the rules...

Being online on irc and actually being online ingame are pretty good indicators that people arent really on vacation. And while your definition of vacation may be accurate in RL, this isnt RL. Hitting VM to stop your province from exploding because you are stuffed to the gills with soldiers is abusing.

This is what is against the rules - not the fairytale you and dark azn are spouting.

I really enjoyed this interview however one thing is sticking in my mind... Sean and Brian created a paradox that I think is a huge limiting factor for the current version. The paradox is the fact that S&B have invested much of their own time and money to run Utopia --- however --- they maintain that they will only do this project on their own.

It is not a good idea to try and force squeeze "paid premium features" out of 7000 people in order to make a future for a free-game. I would be willing to bet that there are a few people in the community who can code for mobile platforms and would be willing to "work for free" to develop a Utopia App.

I wish S&B were willing to allow the community to help develop the game if they can't. This interview proves to me that they are never going to involve the Utopia community members further solidifying the division that they are trying to remove...

First point to address - the plan is to have more than 7k people. But the second, and main point - is how are you going to get people to work on the game? Its no where near as simple as you seem to think. First, you need to asses that these people who volunteer can help - devs cant afford to spend a week helping someone to get up to speed and then have them not bother helping - that's time wasted. Second, doing work remotely isn't really ideal or what they want - they said that themselves. Finally, who owns the code created? Youd need a watertight NDA and security in place, as well as vetting of volunteers.

FYI: i was a community member. This division you are on about, i don't get it. You expect them to release the code for us to decide on changes?

[Korp]

Being online on irc and actually being online ingame are pretty good indicators that people arent really on vacation.

So.. you never online when you're on vacation?

Hitting VM to stop your province from exploding because you are stuffed to the gills with soldiers is abusing.

So why dont you act? There is plenty of people that goes into vac mode for the right reasons but it seems only its against the rules if someone reports it. You cant have a rule that depends on if people reports it or not cause its impossible to enforce it in that case.


Nice interview btw!

[Syntico]

First of all, there is no OMAC. After acquiring Jolt, everything became known as Jolt, and that?s what everyone calls them. I bet most people who work in Jolt today don?t even know what OMAC is.
Second, the legal entity that controls the game is called Arcadia Games. That is a company that belongs to us, and whose sole purpose at the moment is Utopia (?Arcadia? means the same thing as Utopia). We (Arcadia) run the game in its entirety, and have no regular interaction with Jolt anymore.

So like, when people get deleted nowadays.. do we say "I got joltulated or jolted or maybe even arcaded" as opposed to the classic "Mehulated/Mehulled" and the more recent "Omacdonald"? I r confuzzled.

[Bishop]

So.. you never online when you're on vacation?



So why dont you act? There is plenty of people that goes into vac mode for the right reasons but it seems only its against the rules if someone reports it. You cant have a rule that depends on if people reports it or not cause its impossible to enforce it in that case.


Nice interview btw!

We have to rely on the community to help us police the game - simple as that.

[E_Boko]

I am happy that Utopia still exists, thank you Brian and Sean for not giving up.

I will even use some of the pay features even if they do not seem like anything I feel I need.
So it would be more like a donation.

btw: Storing intel ingame for the whole KD would be something worth paying for.

i bought creds to help even though i dont need them all. to be fair thoguh i do give creds around now though for vaca ppl