There are a number of projects that Matrix has embarked upon, and some of them seem to be ambitious in the extreme. You gamers who are regular contributors to the various forums should be aware that there seems to be a number of ambitious projects (Close Assault, Combat Leader, Uncommon Valor, etc. ) , that are in development, but have no forseeable release dates. Think about this. The reworkings of previously existing games have been great successes. I haven't even included the latest slew of reworkings & new games(Titans of Steel, Starships Unlimited, Korsun Pocket, etc.) Doesn't it occur to the veteran gamers that Matrix is trying to reach too far too soon? David Heath may be swearing now that he will never speak to me again, but the company's reach seems to be far exceeding its grasp. We, as fans, need to tell these guys to slow down and give us a new product...ONE new product that they can give full support to. IF they can release all of these promised games is one thing, BUT giving us a quality product with the support comparable to that we've been given with SPWaW is something else entirely. This is a word of caution both to the Matrix company and to its dedicated fan base. Respectfully, Glenn Higginbotham.
[ November 30, 2001: Message edited by: KG Erwin ]</p>
A Word of Caution
Moderator: maddog986
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Paul Vebber
- Posts: 5342
- Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2000 4:00 pm
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TO be viable one needs cash flow, and to have cash flow one must release games. There are two ways to get a game. To make it yourself, to publish one that someone else has made, and to take one somebody did before and update it.
We are involved to various degrees in all three. Games like Starships Unlimited, Titans of Steel, and Le Grande Armee are in this category, these teh work of non-matrix design groups that we are assisting and acting as publisher for. Uncommon Valor is in a category of its own becasue we are working as a team with 2 by 3 games, but that involves one "design team". War in the Pacific will follow the same Teaming arrange ment with 2 by 3.
Combat Leader/Close Assault, Napoleonic Wars and Battleline are the three projects that Matrix is vigorously pursuing in the "do it yourself from scratch" mode. Three such projects by three different teams hardly seems a stretch of resources.
We also have several Matrix sponsored "redevelopment projects" games we have development agreements with, these are also being worked by small groups and individuals. Unfortunately some are progressing better than others, with some sort of stalled out. Sometimes folks get too ambitious in what they try to do, but with a variety of projects, if one is still born, that doesn't drastically affect the viability of the company. We are always looking for programmers to work these redevlopment projects, but frankly we have found these are high risk projects and that semi-pro programmers underestimate these projects. Mixed success is why we don;t talk much about these projects. That gets us some flak form folks wondering what ever happened to some of these projects. All I can say is we are still trying and if you think its that easy to cntact us...but if you've never done it before, its not as easy as it looks!
We have looked at a variety of business models and it comes down to two really. You either take the COmbat Mission route and you put all your eggs in one basket and develop a single product that sinks of swims. Unfortunately for every company that tries that, well for a half dozen attempts only CM succeded.
Support is something that we strive for, but the reason support fo SP is so good is becasue its a COMMUNITY EFFORT. The game designers and developers are often the only ones that can answer certain questions, but we also have to be developing games, so the input of the dozens of knowledgable folks on the SP forum is critical to the support effort. If the community answers the "easy ones" and we only need to chime in on the "hard ones" then it can work.
The initial period of introduction is difficult, because there is no commnity yet. But our support model is and has been community support based and will continue to be so.
So looking at what appears to be an unachievable list of product announcements, 3 are baically publishing arrangements that we have put development effort into, but are in essence SOLID games with existing design teams. Starships unlimited is in its end game and very close to going Gold, Titans of Steel is about to enter Beta and is a VERY clean Beta compared to a lot - the VB team is a highly professinal group and has a real winner here that, like Starships Unlimited we are proud to be associated with. Le Grande Armee at Austerlitz will IMO be the "Combat Mission" of Napoleonics. The AI is SUPERB and has been nearly 7 years in the making.
These 3 games and Uncommon Valor will give us a firm foundation across a wide range of genres form Napoleonics to Space. Our in house COmbat Leader/CA project is siad up front to be 3-4 year effort to get the full desirred functionality developed, but that we are going to experiment with an incremental design process. Battleline is progressing nicely as well and will give Operational Level of war fans a distinct alternatie to TOAW. Napoleonic Wars is pickiing up where we can with the abortive Napoleonic game we attempted earlier, the demise of which prompted us to cast our net a bit wider to prevent a single point of failure form being mortal.
It is ambitious and has taken us a lot longer than we thought, but we have learned alot in the process, we feel we are on the right track with the "triple threat" - publishing about a third of games, designing about 1/3 ourselves and the other 1/3 going to redevelopment efforts. The split is notionaland varies, but we feel diversification of our resources has a better long term viability than devoting all our effort to a single game.
WHile a success in the "single game" model can give you short term success, once that game reaches saturation, you have a problem on the back side with a niche within a niche within a niche. While you a novel it works, but when something else comes along and makes a major improvement, your sub-niche can suddenly evaporate. Viable "ecosystems" are diverse, and viable company's either are very specialized or diverse. We feel diverse is better in the long haul.
Patience...The only enemy of our business model is a lack thereof <img src="cool.gif" border="0">
We are involved to various degrees in all three. Games like Starships Unlimited, Titans of Steel, and Le Grande Armee are in this category, these teh work of non-matrix design groups that we are assisting and acting as publisher for. Uncommon Valor is in a category of its own becasue we are working as a team with 2 by 3 games, but that involves one "design team". War in the Pacific will follow the same Teaming arrange ment with 2 by 3.
Combat Leader/Close Assault, Napoleonic Wars and Battleline are the three projects that Matrix is vigorously pursuing in the "do it yourself from scratch" mode. Three such projects by three different teams hardly seems a stretch of resources.
We also have several Matrix sponsored "redevelopment projects" games we have development agreements with, these are also being worked by small groups and individuals. Unfortunately some are progressing better than others, with some sort of stalled out. Sometimes folks get too ambitious in what they try to do, but with a variety of projects, if one is still born, that doesn't drastically affect the viability of the company. We are always looking for programmers to work these redevlopment projects, but frankly we have found these are high risk projects and that semi-pro programmers underestimate these projects. Mixed success is why we don;t talk much about these projects. That gets us some flak form folks wondering what ever happened to some of these projects. All I can say is we are still trying and if you think its that easy to cntact us...but if you've never done it before, its not as easy as it looks!
We have looked at a variety of business models and it comes down to two really. You either take the COmbat Mission route and you put all your eggs in one basket and develop a single product that sinks of swims. Unfortunately for every company that tries that, well for a half dozen attempts only CM succeded.
Support is something that we strive for, but the reason support fo SP is so good is becasue its a COMMUNITY EFFORT. The game designers and developers are often the only ones that can answer certain questions, but we also have to be developing games, so the input of the dozens of knowledgable folks on the SP forum is critical to the support effort. If the community answers the "easy ones" and we only need to chime in on the "hard ones" then it can work.
The initial period of introduction is difficult, because there is no commnity yet. But our support model is and has been community support based and will continue to be so.
So looking at what appears to be an unachievable list of product announcements, 3 are baically publishing arrangements that we have put development effort into, but are in essence SOLID games with existing design teams. Starships unlimited is in its end game and very close to going Gold, Titans of Steel is about to enter Beta and is a VERY clean Beta compared to a lot - the VB team is a highly professinal group and has a real winner here that, like Starships Unlimited we are proud to be associated with. Le Grande Armee at Austerlitz will IMO be the "Combat Mission" of Napoleonics. The AI is SUPERB and has been nearly 7 years in the making.
These 3 games and Uncommon Valor will give us a firm foundation across a wide range of genres form Napoleonics to Space. Our in house COmbat Leader/CA project is siad up front to be 3-4 year effort to get the full desirred functionality developed, but that we are going to experiment with an incremental design process. Battleline is progressing nicely as well and will give Operational Level of war fans a distinct alternatie to TOAW. Napoleonic Wars is pickiing up where we can with the abortive Napoleonic game we attempted earlier, the demise of which prompted us to cast our net a bit wider to prevent a single point of failure form being mortal.
It is ambitious and has taken us a lot longer than we thought, but we have learned alot in the process, we feel we are on the right track with the "triple threat" - publishing about a third of games, designing about 1/3 ourselves and the other 1/3 going to redevelopment efforts. The split is notionaland varies, but we feel diversification of our resources has a better long term viability than devoting all our effort to a single game.
WHile a success in the "single game" model can give you short term success, once that game reaches saturation, you have a problem on the back side with a niche within a niche within a niche. While you a novel it works, but when something else comes along and makes a major improvement, your sub-niche can suddenly evaporate. Viable "ecosystems" are diverse, and viable company's either are very specialized or diverse. We feel diverse is better in the long haul.
Patience...The only enemy of our business model is a lack thereof <img src="cool.gif" border="0">
Im not happy about all this side development either,especially when the good games (CL,CA,UV) all keep getting pushed back.
I do however understand the need for cash flow.
What we all need is for some well to do person to buy the Matrix company and focus totally on combat leader and close assualt.
I feel like Matrix could produce these games alot faster if thier livelyhood didnt depend on it.
I do however understand the need for cash flow.
What we all need is for some well to do person to buy the Matrix company and focus totally on combat leader and close assualt.
I feel like Matrix could produce these games alot faster if thier livelyhood didnt depend on it.
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Ross Moorhouse
- Posts: 780
- Joined: Fri Jan 05, 2001 5:00 pm
- Location: Sydney, Australia
I am very happy working for David and Matrix as it is thanks. I doubt that I could find a better company to work for. If I didnt believe in Matrix and what it can do I wouldnt be working for them.
Having now worked within the PC wargame industry which means I have worked for more than just Matrix, I can tell you that there is nothing abnormal about the length of time it is taking for the games we are doing to come out. The Matrix fans are given heaps more in the way of info for the games via these forums than most other game companies do.
I would like to see us take our time and put out good games than rush them out the door only to have less sales as the game isnt well developed. Or that the graphics are below par. Which with CL they wont/arent.
I think the free games I.E. SPWaW (Which I think is one of the best game ever) has spolit the matrix fans. <img src="wink.gif" border="0"> This is meant to be a funny remark.
So hang in there and you will be very pleased with what Matrix is putting out.
Having now worked within the PC wargame industry which means I have worked for more than just Matrix, I can tell you that there is nothing abnormal about the length of time it is taking for the games we are doing to come out. The Matrix fans are given heaps more in the way of info for the games via these forums than most other game companies do.
I would like to see us take our time and put out good games than rush them out the door only to have less sales as the game isnt well developed. Or that the graphics are below par. Which with CL they wont/arent.
I think the free games I.E. SPWaW (Which I think is one of the best game ever) has spolit the matrix fans. <img src="wink.gif" border="0"> This is meant to be a funny remark.
So hang in there and you will be very pleased with what Matrix is putting out.
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Ross Moorhouse
- Posts: 780
- Joined: Fri Jan 05, 2001 5:00 pm
- Location: Sydney, Australia
Just like when the French bought up SSI amd Mattel who owned SSI. How many new SSI games are coming out ?? None that I know of becauseOriginally posted by MacCready:
What we all need is for some well to do person to buy the Matrix company and focus totally on combat leader and close assualt.
I feel like Matrix could produce these games alot faster if thier livelyhood didnt depend on it.
the French killed off the wargaming side.
So no way to selling off Matrix..
<img src="eek.gif" border="0">
Ok now that you've gunned me down with(was that a 7.62 mm or a 12.7mm)I need to explain better.
Im not saying that I want Matrix to be bought up by a larger company that just counts beans,I'm saying for instance if some concerned wargaming soul who happened to have unlimited finacial resourses bought the company,then matrix wouldn't have to pimp themselves out and remake these old(somewhat uninteresting games)
They could work full time on the games where all salvating over.
As far as Matrix giving out info about upcoming releases,they provide way to much in my opinion,It just makes me more impatient.
The demise of Steel Panthers:Modern Warfare and the defunct upgrade of Moderna for Steel Panthers III is something I havent gotten over,and as I'm into MODERN warfare,My wait as you can wee will be longer than all you WW2 freaks.
Cheers
Im not saying that I want Matrix to be bought up by a larger company that just counts beans,I'm saying for instance if some concerned wargaming soul who happened to have unlimited finacial resourses bought the company,then matrix wouldn't have to pimp themselves out and remake these old(somewhat uninteresting games)
They could work full time on the games where all salvating over.
As far as Matrix giving out info about upcoming releases,they provide way to much in my opinion,It just makes me more impatient.
The demise of Steel Panthers:Modern Warfare and the defunct upgrade of Moderna for Steel Panthers III is something I havent gotten over,and as I'm into MODERN warfare,My wait as you can wee will be longer than all you WW2 freaks.
Cheers
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Paul Goodman
- Posts: 180
- Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2000 8:00 am
- Location: Portsmouth, VA, USA