The weather is getting better. The sun is coming out, so how about some nice reading in the park? I recommend you the latest blog entry straight from Dan!
http://kingdomcomerpg.com/?p=481 is the place to go :), so check our new entry and let the discussion begin…
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Hopefully those bumps in the road get worked out quickly! It’s good to see some honesty in what’s bogging down some of the development process, but it’s also good to see the focus being kept on not getting too far away from the plan.
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Seems like you’re back in the harsh realities of video game development. I wish you all the best, Dan, but I think you’re experienced enough in the business to know that you can’t make a game without compromises. Don’t let the feature freak become a feature creep.
If you need more time for development take it. Your fans will forgive you. At least Steam Early Access seems to be able to take some weight from your shoulders by both giving you additional time, additional feedback from the outside and especionally additional funds during late development (but of course - like everything in life - it comes with costs).
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Looks like the time when things starts to be not just about the money, but getting things real. Keep up a good work (i think). I’ve got fingers crossed, wish you the best guys. Looking forward to alpha! 
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“I wouldn’t want it to look like I’m just crying here over my own incompetence, so I better share with you what we intend to do about it.”
I think Dan is being too hard on himself.
In my previous job I was in a company becoming a $1 billion dollar business with plans to get to $5 billion in a few years. Growth was rampant. Bringing new talent on board ironically slows you down at first because you have to integrate them into the culture and expectations. So I feel Warhorse’s pain in doubling their staff. In the long term it’s a good move.
I agree with Dan that drawing a hard line on scope creep is difficult but necessary. I’m sure good ideas are being generated at Warhorse just as some crackerjack ideas have come out of this forum. However, there comes a time that you just have to solidify your plans and get down to it. I can appreciate how hard it is to avoid scope creep with a game aiming so high for immersion.
No worries Warhorse. You’ll get around the obstacles. Because you don’t have a publisher breathing down your next you have the freedom and time to get everything just right. Based on Dan’s commentary it seems they’re not going to let a few roadblocks keep them down.
Sorry, crappy english below 
Well, you’ve been always honest and that’s one of the main reasons why I’ll keep supporting this project until the end. They aren’t good news but neither bad ones, I can talk just for myself, but I think we all trust in your way to do and your professionality.
We have to keep at bay the hype and start being realistic. If some things have to be discarded in the process, then such is life. I confide that you will always look for a high quality product on the extent possible.
Do your best and this will be the best game ever!
It’s not fair to remove features that you’ve already impressed upon backers, unless you’re planning on extending the date for refunds with interest.
Which features are they removing that were promised to backers? I’m asking as a serious question.
I really love the blog, always looking forward to it. Dan’s commentaries make for a very interesting read, he is very frank which is refreshing.
As much as I would like the game to be the best and most complex RPG ever, I like that they are looking to keep the deadlines. I also think that the idea to have separate Acts is OK as well, because they can keep improving the game between each Act and if the first Act is good, they will attract even a bigger audience. I understand that Warhorse can’t prolong development by years, because they are not an established studio with the whole world waiting for their games. Here’s to hoping that after the game is released, they will become one.
I don’t think the blog post implicates them removing any promised features, just that it will be hard to keep their promises.
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Indeed, what I took out of the blog is that it’s more about having to say no to new ideas because of scope creep. I’ll reread it but I don’t remember anything about trimming planned content out of the game.
EDIT: I reread the blog and came across this:
“By keeping my eyes on the ball I mean not getting dazzled by your own awesomeness and coming up with more and more new ingenious features before you realize that to implement them you would need a five times bigger team and budget and double the time. Then comes the cold shower, the crossing out and the annoyed fans who didn’t get what you promised them. The more new people joined our team, the more ingenious ideas there were about how to improve just about everything or add some awesome new thing.”
I still maintain that he was thinking about new features and scope creep. The way that’s worded certainly sounds like something promised is being cut; however, the rest of the blog isn’t consistent on that position. I don’t think that was a literal statement.
Short of Dan posting something that’s the interpretation I am going with.
I am not too worried, knowing that Dan Vávra is a bit of a perfectionist, who wants to make a great game (just from reading all the previous blogs and interviews it is kinda obvious), I think he wouldn’t want to release an unfinished / crappy product, not when he is the main guy behind this anyway. Probably wouldn’t make that much sense saying “OK, sorry, but there will be no large scale battles. We still got chickens, though!” with a year and a half to go. But it is a lot of pressure, seeing as this became a very anticipated project.
I think the “didn’t get what you promised them” has to do with both the game as presented, and the timeframes given. All that new, awesome stuff would take more time to put in at the very least.
I don’t think they will cut stuff or at least not now so early in development. Dan just prevenst that new stuff is added to the concept. And I think that his statement about promises was aimed at the release date/ETA which they probably won’t met. It’s not about cutting thing but about needing more time to implement them although they have more people now.
If they have to delay it a little, I’ll be okay, I’ve got a ton of games I have to cover anyway.
It looks like Dan had a problem outsourcing his stuff. With a team of 30 people it wasn’t a problem for him designing the game and leading his devs, but with the long uncertainty and all the new people, he needs to get his position as the lead straight, glad they involved professional help him with that. I think that Dan has to stand a bit back from developing and invest more time in leading and outsourcing.
I see that they are trying as hard as thy can to stick with their time table, but I hope that they better take more time to bring out absolutely stunning game instead a buggy and glitchy thing which has a DLC in the first week. I am totally willing to wait 6 months more to have a polished game which I enjoy playing instead of a fast release with 30 minute storyline and all the major features are missing because they are buggy.
I would even go so far and suggest them to take a day off so they can refocus, Dan sounded really stressed in this blog post.
Sorry for my English.
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And there it is …. hot, fresh and sexy… THE NEW BLOG ENTRY!!!
Keep calm and check it out!
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Tja, eine reale Welt nachzubauen ist schon ein gewaltiges Projekt. Noch dazu, wenn es eine terminliche Punktlandung werden muß…Bin nach wie vor der Meinung, ein Spiel “um den Spieler herum” zu bauen - zumal mit “Sandbox-Anspruch” - ist vom Aufwand her für ein RPG zu gewaltig. Sowas kann nur als Prozess angegangen werden, mindestens als Mehrspieler- oder gar partiellem Online-Spiel. Diese Option sollte bei der Entwicklung unbedingt im Auge behalten werden. Wer weiß, wie die Spiele in 2 bis 5 Jahren aussehen werden, also zum Release von Akt 3. Das ganze hört sich an wie ein automatisiertes “Die Sims” - mit nur einem echten Sim. Der Rest der Welt wird (soll) KI-simuliert funktionieren. Und die Welt ist recht klein und der Zeitraum sehr kurz.
Aber, lassen wir uns überraschen - freue mich auf die Alpha
Well, a real world rebuild is already a massive project. Especially when it has to be an exact date … I’m still of the opinion, to build a game “around the player” - especially with “sandbox claim” - is in terms of cost too powerful for an RPG. Such things can only be addressed as a process, at least as a multi-player or even partial online game. This option should be retained in the development fully in mind. Who knows how the games will look like in 2-5 years, so the release of Act 3 The whole sounds like an automated “The Sims” - with only one real Sim The rest of the world will (should) AI simulated function. And the world is quite small and the period is very short.
But, let’s wait - look forward to the Alpha