Trials of Ascension, Shady Practices and the Big Crowdfunding Debate

[dextersmith]

So, let's see:
-Creating Creature Details

Um...besides the obvious 'there were never creatures in game', why would they need to create new details for existing creatures. Unless they never did that, which begs to differ, what is their 'lore' even about? Besides the obvious storybook rather than, you know, relevant game history and information about, you know, creatures.

Cows moo and hit for 1 damage. Complicated! /discuss

-More Art Talent for even more art assets
Now, Elyssia stated that they are reusing most of the animations (but no mention of art assets in which the animations deviate from?). Now, the pessimist inside is stating that they are recreating these assets, or at least there were never really any custom assets (aside from spider, and possibly gassy's dragon stuff). The other side (can't really call it optimistic with this track record) is exactly how much art assets do they need going from demo island to alpha islands. And will those new artists be paid with 'future profits' due to being part of the team?

Why? They buy everything from concepts to pixels. Art director and modellers can't make eye patches and candles?

-Cut-and-Paste from old code base...
But Elyssia states that the code was a mess, that it wasn't good code for their new approach, such and such excuses. And all fingerpointing blaming on Teddy doing such a horrible job that it makes it impossible for them to utilize his code, and that Teddy is the bad-guy here (Sorry Teddy). And yet they are cut-and-pasting such code? And if they were indeed cut-pasting code, why the HELL do they need to come up with a new character movement controller again, like it is/was some big hurdle and some grand accomplishment.

They can't program but they can discern good and bad code and designs?

- - - Updated - - -

I can see their change in philosophy, which is 'produce and ignore the critics/trolls'. They're trying to appear like they're doing something, documenting it with blogs and the like, and shutting down dissenting opinions(trolls and asshattery, according to Lord Brax )and discussion of them. They're doing everything to wipe out/ignore their past failures and act like it's a completely new product and not a reduction of a reduction of a reduction of a BSPD cooked up around 13 years ago in the wake of UO adding a PvE-only area.

There's no sign of production; in discussing their meeting, they're just talking about talking about things.

- - - Updated - - -

I guess im not even worth a percent of a percent for visiting their website (UK here)

Your visit may have increased their site traffic by 30%!

[Bodoh]

And this will happen again soon when the new programmers leave like everyone before them.

Sounds like someone hired the Greed Monger guys... everything they use... doesn't work and therefore, must be discarded.

[lawow74]

There's no sign of production; in discussing their meeting, they're just talking about talking about things.

They're producing what they've always produced most of: a lot of hot air. They've just figured out a way to put it in a little box with a ribbon on it now.

[khalltusk]

I think its not fair guys, they are producing content! It is just the content of a comedy show and I am enjoying it with my popcorn. :P

Seriously their excuses just get worse and worse. How do they think they can have anything like a game in 12 months when Brax does not know how to turn a server on. As for the shit code, thats just another excuse they made up. Seems to be a lot of smoke and mirrors if you ask me.

[Bodoh]

Why? They buy everything from concepts to pixels. Art director and modellers can't make eye patches and candles?

This should take 10-30 minutes at most for simple candle and eye patches.

The list of assets should take around max. 2 weeks to get, per scene or level.

If the art director can't set the art direction, check the artwork, and such, the junior artists will not receive guidances, and make some polygon soup...

Sounds like they are getting people with no portfolio to do their artwork...

[khalltusk]

@ https://www.trialsofascension.com/fo...eam-busy.4948/

This is just so freaking... holy shit.

what a shit reply as well.

Yes the team is busy? No elaboration on saying if someone will get back to him. Just yeh we're busy what of it? scoff scoff!

[Bodoh]

Does anyone know Elyssia portfolio link?

[Deleted]

She knows Crochet, do u even need moar?!

She's a dietitian and currently looking for a new job (or there's two people in the same city with the name Angelina Ackerman).

--SNIP--

Don't name & shame people like this

[Bodoh]

Is Elyssia an artist?!


Does anyone have the portfolio link to their artists?

[Azrile]

Is Elyssia an artist?!


Does anyone have the portfolio link to their artists?

She is just the community manager. And this really is the problem with everything about ToA.. they don´t have anyone who really has skills at making games. There are 3 developers, and of the 3, one of them can write lore.. the other two are basically worthless. You have a community manager who is doing all the talking about tech stuff who never worked on a game before... and again like Brax, her entire claim to fame is that she once played UO.

They have two people who can program, but neither has worked on games before. So much of Unity is technical, but not really programming, and the scripting part is a modified C# that is mostly game-related stuff. Obviously there is some benefit to being a programmer, but most of it will be them learning from scratch. Nothing you do in program is going to prepare you for mecanim, AI, character movement, the UI and stuff like that.

Gassy is doing a dragon, and has been for the last year... that is all.. one model.. which isn´t skinned, isn´t rigged, isn´t animated and certainly doesn´t have a character control or camera set up ( which is going to be where they decide to not have dragons as playable races). Also to note, their design has a bunch of different stages of dragon growth.. so um.. yeah.. they are 10% of the way to having the first one done... and that took their only volunteer, part-time artist almost a year.

[Bodoh]

The fun part of this is -


Why don't they hire professional illustrators and modellers?


They had the money to invest in proper concept art and models.


A dragon would take max. 2 weeks. 3 days to model, maybe 1 week max to texture using PBR and with different textures, and then 1 week max. to rig and animate.

At the most, maybe 3 weeks (max) to make a dragon.


Concept art is lacking left, right and side.

[Taojnhy]

The fun part of this is -


Why don't they hire professional illustrators and modellers?


They had the money to invest in proper concept art and models.

If you've learned nothing else in this thread thus far, know that FC only spends other people's money when they can't find someone to work for promises and rainbows. And even then it's been long suspected by some of us that the money they actually raised (not the amount they claimed to have raised) was all spent on Teddy's salary, licenses and some assets.

Oh, and then they turn around and claim that the work Teddy did was a mess and needed to be redone. FC is a paragon of "fiscal responsibility" as much as they are of "transparency".

[NotADevAlt]

The fun part of this is -


Why don't they hire professional illustrators and modellers?


They had the money to invest in proper concept art and models.

You ask a very good question Bodoh. I suspect the answer is that the three stooges simply don't want to pay a single dime out of their own pockets because they don't have any conviction in their own ideas/talent/skills to put any skin in the game. Thus to date they have relied entirely on their community to pay for them (all ~20 of them), who in total could only conjure up ~$67K, which - to absolutely no-one's surprise, is actually not enough money to develop a full fledged game when you have zero talent behind the wheel! That's mostly why they have used the money to buy random asset packs and art from the Unity store and beg for volunteers who will receive equity stakes in their imaginary company rather than hiring real professionals with talent who, you know, usually want to be paid with real money.

[Azrile]

Page 1 of this thread. If the 3 stoogies had bothered to learn anything in the first 12 years, they could have easily had a very playable game right now. And as much as we mocked them for this.. and drove the point home with all their silly mistakes.. THEY STILL have not bothered to learn anything and instead are just focused on duping another round of volunteers.. and in a year, they will be posting on the forums about how bad the work was that the volunteers did, and that they have to start over.

[ThePotato]

Page 1 of this thread. If the 3 stoogies had bothered to learn anything in the first 12 years, they could have easily had a very playable game right now. And as much as we mocked them for this.. and drove the point home with all their silly mistakes.. THEY STILL have not bothered to learn anything and instead are just focused on duping another round of volunteers.. and in a year, they will be posting on the forums about how bad the work was that the volunteers did, and that they have to start over.

THis whole thing has become like a tv series. How many more seasons do you rekon the 3 stoogies can manage? I mean there has to be a point where they run out of naive people who will just throw money at them? Who knows maybe Brax is hoping that some eccentric millionaire likes the idea of the game and just gives them that 6-7 figure some they were asking for.

[Fornax-]

They have run out.

They will never get greenlit. Whatever video and pics they put up will not garner enough support.

I suppose they could still try with some other service at some point, or just resolve to host a single 50 man server someday and say they succeeded.

But they have used up whatever goodwill was out there. And damn, if I didn't have a lot of good will.

[Bodoh]

Maths:
67k / 20 persons = 3.35k, per person.
67k, if 20 persons was drawing 3.35k a month, that would last 1 month...


ToA would have easily spent that money in a few months.


They should remove all idea guys, non-useful people from their team to conserve cash.

[Kyanion]

Heh they have an '11' person "TEAM" now. They are totally set up for success...well except that only 2 of them can code and neither are familiar with Unity/games in general.

[Deleted]

Heh they have an '11' person "TEAM" now. They are totally set up for success...well except that only 2 of them can code and neither are familiar with Unity/games in general.

Get lost with your negativity troll!

[lawow74]

Heh they have an '11' person "TEAM" now. They are totally set up for success...well except that only 2 of them can code and neither are familiar with Unity/games in general.

Blah blah blee bloo blow canned response excusing our complete incompetence at making anything concrete over the last 13 years.

*locks thread, cos trolls and asshattery are not allowed here, by the decree of Lord Brax, who no longer needs yer help...yer help...yer help...*

Seriously, this just keeps getting better, cos now we have scheduled weekly rides on the failboat to mock and laugh at in their 'blog'.