If you've ever wanted to Ask Me Something, 1) Did you not read the title of this thread?, and 2) I've been led to believe I'll be part of a Beamdog Reddit AMA at 2:00pm Edmonton time on Wednesday, Nov. 19.
Can you tell us a link for this AMA or at least a subreddit? The last Beamdog AMA from 2012 was at IAmA subreddit. Will the one be there as well? Can we start asking questions prior to the start of AMA so that you will already have something to answer from the start?
It was fantastic, thanks. If I'd known it would be that great, I would've had one ages ago.
The wife and I are talking about having another one next year to the west coast. It is awesome
Which west coast? And where specifically?
We are eyeing San fancisco or San Diego in the late summer before the kids go back to school. We took them to Disney this past June and want to get awaybfor a bit this year. We had a short trip to Washington DC this fall and it was great. Our honeymoon was 8 days in Cancun years ago.
Can you tell us a link for this AMA or at least a subreddit?
I can't, because I haven't been given a link yet. I did ask for one yesterday when I found out we were doing this and will drop it here and at my twitter feed @theandrewfoley as soon as I've got it. My current understanding is that the url will probably go out via Trent and/or he Beamdog official account first.
Can we start asking questions prior to the start of AMA so that you will already have something to answer from the start?
I'm going to say no, mostly because I'm not 100% clear on what the etiquette is on these things. If you ask a question on this thread I will usually try to answer it as best I can in the thread, though sometimes I lose track of what got asked three pages ago and sometimes I'm just not in a position to answer truthfully or possibly at all for contractual reasons.
So if you ask me something over there and it doesn't get answered, bring it back over here and I'll see what I can do.
Thank you for letting me know that the gazebo joke was getting stale, I need to be informed of these things as I tend to run jokes into the ground. I will attempt to find something else amusing.(which is difficult as i am not a creative person) I apologise, I will refrain from mentioning garden shelters again.
Many apologies, wubble
Back on topic @AndrewFoley Could you tell us how many projects beamdog is working on? (aside from adventure y) I'm just curious as to whether you are focusing on one project or if you have definite plans for other things after.
will anything be announced? Right now IWDEE has been released so there is nothing in the future officially to discuss, right? Someday adventurey and newer engine stuff is all we've been told.
Thank you for letting me know that the gazebo joke was getting stale, I need to be informed of these things as I tend to run jokes into the ground. I will attempt to find something else amusing.(which is difficult as i am not a creative person) I apologise, I will refrain from mentioning garden shelters again.
Many apologies, wubble
Hoo it ok @wubble I didn't meant for you personally it just that in the adventure Y thread people eat it alive with no salt & pepper to death, and it kinda dead one so I just ask to find something else to chew so it will be refreshing at last, maybe the game need a gorilla or something I don't know.
Thank you for letting me know that the gazebo joke was getting stale, I need to be informed of these things as I tend to run jokes into the ground. I will attempt to find something else amusing.(which is difficult as i am not a creative person) I apologise, I will refrain from mentioning garden shelters again.
Many apologies, wubble
Hoo it ok @wubble I didn't meant for you personally it just that in the adventure Y thread people eat it alive with no salt & pepper to death, and it kinda dead one so I just ask to find something else to chew so it will be refreshing at last, maybe the game need a gorilla or something I don't know.
we're on cats now in the adventure Y post. It isn't the internet without cat topics and cat memes. Or is it?
Could you tell us how many projects beamdog is working on? (aside from adventure y)
Accurately? Probably not...
The problem with a question like yours is defining exactly what constitutes "working on" something. Also, what a "project" is. I might look at the Alveus Malcanter videos as a short-term project, seeing as a certain block of my time was committed to them with a defined outcome expected. Others may see them as promotional materials for Icewind Dale Enhanced, which they are, and deem them part of that project even though the team involved with it was almost completely separate from those who made IDWEE the technical success it is.
There are a lot of moving parts and many of them aren't very big (in the sense that they're one or maybe two people) and aren't very close to me (in the sense that they're working in another part of the office, country, or planet).
AS FAR AS I CAN TELL, the big things around the office right now are Adventure Y and upkeep on IWDEE and the BGEEs.
There's another project very different in almost every way from Beamdog's other games that unannounced at the moment that's in development by a small team, BUT it's kind of experimental--it's possible, though not desirable or, at this point I think likely, that it could get dropped depending on how it plays out progress-wise and what other opportunities come up.
(That does happen. I spent a couple months last year designing NPCs and a long-term storyline that got dropped for various reasons.)
Lots of ideas are bouncing around for possible post-Adventure Y games, and there's at least one person in the office whose current assignment largely revolves around exploring new technology that may or may not be used in those games.
There are two internally generated games that have been kicking around for ages--one of them was being discussed before I ever arrived. It'll be at least 2019 before either of those become a thing we could announce, assuming they ever do, which is not a safe assumption to make. Even so, if I have an idea that slots into one or the other, there are folders collecting concepts and ideas for those possible futures.
I'm just curious as to whether you are focusing on one project or if you have definite plans for other things after.
There are definite plans to do things after; what those things will ultimately be is (again, so far as I know) in flux at the moment. Amber and I and Phil (mostly Amber and Phil) have a lot of ideas for a lot of possible things to do next. Before we can really dig into them, the higher-ups and any potential partners need to make some basic but necessary decisions.
(Wow, this post kinda got out of control. Don't be surprised if some or all of it ends up being copy/pasted to the AMA tomorrow.)
@AndrewFoley Awesome, that told me everything I wanted to know. Its good to see that Beamdog has got lots of ideas going around even if they take until 2019 to announce or are dropped entirely. As log as you guys are keeping your creative juices flowing I'm satisfied.
Good to have you back @AndrewFoley ! Glad you had a good time...
Pretty sure you cannot answer the most pressing questions that would not need to be sent to the AMA as they are questions you cannot answer here... That have already been asked and not answered...
These questions being...
How many Werebears would it take to close down the forum (city, country, earth, galaxy...)?
What do you like to burn or what would you burn if you could?
UPDATE: According to the official Beamdog twitter feed, the AMA is at 2:00pm Eastern time tomorrow (Wednesday), which wasn't my understanding previously. I've asked for clarification just so I'm 100% sure when I'm safe to go to lunch.
Comments
Hope you had a nice honeymoon!
So if you ask me something over there and it doesn't get answered, bring it back over here and I'll see what I can do.
@AndrewFoley please throw some bone for those guys so they can chew it to death other then @Cuv gazebo please.
Thank you for letting me know that the gazebo joke was getting stale, I need to be informed of these things as I tend to run jokes into the ground. I will attempt to find something else amusing.(which is difficult as i am not a creative person)
I apologise, I will refrain from mentioning garden shelters again.
Many apologies,
wubble
Back on topic
@AndrewFoley Could you tell us how many projects beamdog is working on? (aside from adventure y)
I'm just curious as to whether you are focusing on one project or if you have definite plans for other things after.
The problem with a question like yours is defining exactly what constitutes "working on" something. Also, what a "project" is. I might look at the Alveus Malcanter videos as a short-term project, seeing as a certain block of my time was committed to them with a defined outcome expected. Others may see them as promotional materials for Icewind Dale Enhanced, which they are, and deem them part of that project even though the team involved with it was almost completely separate from those who made IDWEE the technical success it is.
There are a lot of moving parts and many of them aren't very big (in the sense that they're one or maybe two people) and aren't very close to me (in the sense that they're working in another part of the office, country, or planet).
AS FAR AS I CAN TELL, the big things around the office right now are Adventure Y and upkeep on IWDEE and the BGEEs.
There's another project very different in almost every way from Beamdog's other games that unannounced at the moment that's in development by a small team, BUT it's kind of experimental--it's possible, though not desirable or, at this point I think likely, that it could get dropped depending on how it plays out progress-wise and what other opportunities come up.
(That does happen. I spent a couple months last year designing NPCs and a long-term storyline that got dropped for various reasons.)
Lots of ideas are bouncing around for possible post-Adventure Y games, and there's at least one person in the office whose current assignment largely revolves around exploring new technology that may or may not be used in those games.
There are two internally generated games that have been kicking around for ages--one of them was being discussed before I ever arrived. It'll be at least 2019 before either of those become a thing we could announce, assuming they ever do, which is not a safe assumption to make. Even so, if I have an idea that slots into one or the other, there are folders collecting concepts and ideas for those possible futures. There are definite plans to do things after; what those things will ultimately be is (again, so far as I know) in flux at the moment. Amber and I and Phil (mostly Amber and Phil) have a lot of ideas for a lot of possible things to do next. Before we can really dig into them, the higher-ups and any potential partners need to make some basic but necessary decisions.
(Wow, this post kinda got out of control. Don't be surprised if some or all of it ends up being copy/pasted to the AMA tomorrow.)
I think they should put it as Andrew Must Answer. (Given he's the one that will answer, right?)
Pretty sure you cannot answer the most pressing questions that would not need to be sent to the AMA as they are questions you cannot answer here... That have already been asked and not answered...
These questions being...
How many Werebears would it take to close down the forum (city, country, earth, galaxy...)?
What do you like to burn or what would you burn if you could?