Schedule Update - Part 2 - New core book art & Tiles!
over 8 years ago
– Sat, May 14, 2016 at 11:34:57 PM
Hi everyone thanks for the patience yesterday. Sometimes a UK hospital visit can take a while, but it's free and the doctors are amazing so we're really lucky here.
Today we have a big graphic update with lots of tile and graphic art that you haven't seen yet, plus a lot more detail on the production update.
First here's some more unseen art from the core book!
I don't know about you, but I want in on this mission!
PROGRESS REPORT
In yesterday's update I sent out the Chapter Status report. Here's a little more specifics on incoming PDF's followed by a more detailed discussion of the schedule.
The missing Psywar chapter should be with us in a couple of days which is great as it will complete the core rules block. It went through a major re-write based on feedback from the Conan playtesting. Sorry it's super late but it's well worth it. We are also relaying the Action Scenes and How to Play chapters. This is to clarify some of the rules better plus the Momentum and Heat rules have been rebalanced based on feedback. We should have those replacement PDF's after the weekend for you. We're also working as fast as possible to complete the Gear chapter as I know this is what a lot of you are waiting on. The writers actually ended up writing most of the gear for all the Faction books (it helps to balance all the gear at the same time) so we've been chopping out the gear that should be in the later books.
We're also currently working on the final Character and NPC Sheets and aiming to issue the next version for comment this week so we can get it finalised by the end of the month for production of the character sheet pads (and so you can use it!). We're going to extend the character sheet competition to the end of this month - so if you have any awesome ideas please post links again in this thread as we'd love to see what you're coming up with.
You should also get the RPG to Tabletop Conversion rules update in the next few days as a final test before it's locked for inclusion in the Player's Guide.
Here's some more info on the process we're going through:
In the core book alone we have over 15 chapters still with Corvus Bellis awaiting comments. Sometimes they come back greenlit, others need changes (often a few lines of notes, sometimes more). A good example was Concilium where CB had some knowledge they hadn't shared with us, the writers couldn't have known and so put together something based on available briefings and materials but it contradicted what CB wanted so it had to go in for a major re-write. Before chapters go to CB they are thoroughly checked and often sent back to writers by our own Infinity line manager Justin for re-writes. Justin ensures CB are getting the most accurate and well written material to reduce the likelihood of rewrites and make the team at CB's life as easy as possible.
As soon as approval comes back and the chapter is greenlit it goes straight in to edit, which is a fast process and then layout. This can sometimes take a little while to get right before we're happy releasing it to you. Side bars need shifting, sometimes spaces need filling, then we run it past CB again for a final visual check.
At CB's end we have Alberto (who is running CB's own Infinity RPG campaign with the original founders) working with our own full time Art Director James to speed up the art approvals process and things have been going very quickly now. We have an ever growing pool of approved artists who usually do a test piece, and once CB are happy we literally see how many images they can produce per month and book them out for several months! The goal is that once we get in to the layout on the rest of the books we'll be able to quickly deliver all the art assets.
As you can see this is all very thorough - there's numerous checks at our end, and CB's end to ensure you're getting the very best quality roleplaying game we can muster. And we won't stop until you're blown away.
Other Production:
Here's an update on other non-book items that I didn't cover yesterday (and I've included them all together for ease).
- Dice - due in next ten days
- Miniatures - Complete
- Tile Sets - Awaiting Combined Army set for production (20% complete now design style is approved by CB). Paradiso Set final tweeks and edits for usability then to be issued to backers by end of May in PDF (probably before). Print versions should print at the same time as core book.
- GM Screen - awaiting final tables from core book prior to production. Should print at the same time as the core book.
- Card Decks - Awaiting art from books, will ship in Wave 2.
- Fabric Maps (Paradiso, Human Sphere). Maps in work for core book. Once complete will be produced in 10 working days (expect by mid June). For your info we are redrawing all the planetary maps for the core book.
- Double-sided Poster Map (as above waiting on the two maps) - expect mid June.
- Bureau Noir Case - in development with factory. Awaiting delivery date but maybe in time for delivery of core book.
- Character Sheet / NPC Sheet Pads - Final sheets in development now and should be ready and approved by end of May, production due end of June.
- Heat & Infinity Tokens - Awaiting samples from Antenoctis Workshop. We're exploring whether we can add more details. Production will likely be delivered early June
- Character Creation Online App - http://infinity.modiphiusapps.hostinguk.org/ - Discussion is taking place here for the latest updates. A new version is now live as of 9th May - please note running multiple browsers / tabs will cause anomalies. Aiming to complete early June.
RELEASE SCHEDULE
So this brings me to a review of the release schedule. I'm really sorry that we did underestimate the capacity of CB to handle approvals, combine that with a major two month illness in the core team that delayed the review of a lot of chapters (which couldn't be helped, we need to support people and give them the space to get better), a massive increase in workload at CB's end with recent releases that drastically reduced their available time to approve content, and other delays (writer's dropping out and needing to be replaced, delays in finding enough artists that CB approved) and this had a massive knock on effect in approvals.
One of the delays (which also brought a benefit) was the updating of some of the rules chapters based on the massive amount of feedback to the Conan Quickstart. This delayed those chapters going through the process but it has resulted in much tighter and refined systems for Infinity. I think this delay has been well worthwhile
We've probably been stricter than many companies would, sending back content to writers because we aren't happy, let alone CB asking for edits. This has caused further delays. This isn't because the writer's aren't good enough - they've all got solid credits, they know the universe, but we have an exceptionally high bar on Infinity and we're pushing hard to meet it.
As these various issues became apparent we took as much action as we could - paying for additional staff time at CB's end to help speed up approvals, taking on our art director James full time at our end to focus on speeding up the art creation, supporting the core team as much as possible to reduce work load and assigning an extra full time layout designer to start looking at spreading the load of the additional books. This means once Adventures in the Human Sphere is approved by CB a different layout artist will work on this - typically a complete supplement book will take about 7-14 days in layout (depending on the page count) and we allow 7 days for proof reading and backer feedback before a final few days of corrections and checks before going to print. As we get closer to larger numbers of books being approved we expect to add a further designer so we can further speed things up.
So where are we at? Well you've seen the status on the core book. Things are moving quickly now, and I believe CB's work load is lightening now the latest N3 book is out so I hope we'll see some faster movement on approvals. I'm checking with them on this and to see what else we can do to make things easier for them. I'll continue to update you on the schedule so you can see movement.
From talking to the team this week my sense is we may have a complete core book by the end of June in PDF (which means you have it too). However we also need to work with CB on their timeline and we need to allow time for final proofreading and error checks before we go to print (we'll be doing this with individual chapters but the final assembled book needs a final check just in case - let's allow two weeks before actually pushing the button to print. That's mid July and it takes a month to print the hardbacks so we would be ready to ship mid August if all goes to plan.
What we are doing is making sure we have the resources to speed up editing and layout as CB approves the content so there's no bottleneck at our end. We would complete the extra content for the Collector's Edition and Player's Guide for the end of June. We should have all the accessories by the end of June if not before except the Card Decks which need Wave 2 artwork to complete them, the Bureau Noir Case (which is coming from China) though this should arrive in time to meet the delivery of the core book now.
This period will allow more time for the approval of the Adventures in the Human Sphere book and the 40 page bonus adventure which are both softbacks and only take a week to print. As soon as they're approved they'll go in to layout with our second designer and should therefore catch up with the core book. We'll be giving priority to complete the 40 page Bonus Adventure that comes with all the core books so it doesn't further delay it.
Wave 2 & 3
The writers who worked on the factions are at work on the supplement outlines though also working on re-writes for the core chapters as required. Each supplement is typically 112 pages, and the writer's produce detailed outlines for each chapter for CB to approve so that the full content is on track.
Writing supplements should be about a month plus revisions from outline approval, the longer books requiring more rules (such as the Gamesmaster's Guide have more people working on them and we have different writer's for each supplement. We'll stagger approvals to prioritise getting Wave 2 core Faction books approved first along with things like the GM Guide (which being mostly rules will require a lot less approvals). The supplements are softbacks (except for the GM Guide which is upgraded to a hardback) so they will only take a week to print.
Until we have a better idea how quickly CB can approve the remaining chapters and how quickly Adventures in the Human Sphere is turned around I don't think we should commit to a schedule. What I will say is we would be aiming to complete as much of Wave 2 by December 2016 - but orders will ship as books arrive between now and then. So someone waiting on just the Nomad faction book might get their shipment in October for example. It will be a constant stream of shipments going out as people's orders become complete. We won't be waiting for everything to be ready then ship Wave 2.
As a final note, the announced Living Campaign will be worked on once we know all the Wave 3 books are in work and there are available writers free to contribute to it.
I know this is all a lot later than we planned. We're trying to be as realistic as possible whilst having to balance the capacity of Corvus Belli. We'll keep giving you detailed updates on the chapters, and then also schedules of progress for each of the supplements so you can see how things are coming along in more depth. I really appreciate everyone's patience, feedback, and continued involvement in helping us make the Infinity RPG something really special.
Benefit of Delays
We had a big delay with the Mutant Chronicles supplements - the result of which is we obtained better print pricing during that period and upgraded all our books to colour interiors (they were originally black and white interiors). We will be using the Infinity delays to see what other benefits we can provide to you over time. Sometimes the supplements may come in larger than 112 pages, and as our print buying has massively increased with Conan we should be able to extend the page counts as required as a free bonus to you. Hardback upgrades are more difficult - they're still a substantial difference in price (one of the reasons the Conan Kickstarter stretchgoals were so much further apart), they take four times as long to print and weigh much more so have a big impact on shipping costs.
PDF Subscriptions - remember your subscriptions don't start until you have the final core book PDF in your hands, and once we clear the KS books, there will be a schedule of manageable releases with CB to keep you busy!
GEOMORPHIC TILES
Okay enough with the wall of text time for something cool to look at! All the Paradiso interior tiles have now been approved by CB and In the next update we'll be looking at some of the Combined Army interior tiles. Here's some more Paradiso interiors - you can see some examples of the clean and damaged versions.
Just who or what is holed up in these observation cells?
This control centre is going to see a lot of action.
You'll get an equal number of half size tiles (this is not shown to scale). These will help connect your larger room spaces. This is your classic store room full of boxes, does it hide a traitor's equipment? A clandestine meeting point? Is it the insertion point for a stealth mission?
Sometimes you just need some connecting corridors...
Here's another control centre that's been damaged and the Paradiso plantlife is spreading like crazy...
This meeting room is a mess - we can't have the Infinity tournament there...sigh
So as you can see the tiles are going to be amazing for RPG Sessions but adding these all together will make great spaces for Infinity tabletop scenarios too. Remember we also unlocked the ship interior tiles in PDF with the Conan Kickstarter. We'll be seeing those once these tiles are completed.
That's it for today,
Chris, Modiphius.
Schedule update - part 1
over 8 years ago
– Fri, May 13, 2016 at 11:43:17 PM
Hi guys sorry I hoped to send a full update on the schedule today but I had to come to the hospital for a check up and it's taking several hours longer than planned. i had this schedule below written which hopefully should be interesting. Tomorrow I will send an update on a revised schedule and I have a load of new art to show you including some new tile art.
Below you can see the status of the core book
APPROVED CONTENT - ALL IN PDF
- 0.1 Welcome to Infinity
- 0.2 Chronology of the Human Sphere
- 0.3 Wilderness of Mirrors
- 0.4 How to Play Infinity
- 1.1 Lifepath
- 1.2 Skills & Talents
- 2.1 Action Scenes
- 2.2 Warfare
- 2.3 Infowar
- 2.4 Psywar (being edited to improve rules content based on feedback. We should have the chapter next week)
As well as improving Psywar we discovered some errors in a couple of the rules chapters so they are being fixed in layout now and will be reissued.
IN PROGRESS
WITH CB AWAITING APPROVAL means Corvus Belli have had the text and are reviewing it. Sometimes we get comments back requiring a revision and resubmission. In a couple of cases we had major rewrites based on previously unreleased secret info that wasn't available to us before. Once it's approved it goes to the editor then layout.
- 2.5 Vehicles - EDITING PRIOR TO LAYOUT
- 3.1 Gazeteer Introduction AWAITING FINAL SUBSECTIONS BELOW
- 3.2.1 Ariadna - REVISING BASED ON FEEDBACK FROM CB
- 3.2.2 Haqqislam - APPROVED - IN PDF
- 3.2.3 Nomads - WITH CB WAITING APPROVAL
- 3.2.4 PanOceania - REVISING BASED ON FEEDBACK FROM CB
- 3.2.5 Yu Jing - WITH CB AWAITING APPROVAL
- 3.2.6 Corporations - WITH CB AWAITING APPROVAL
- 3.2.7 Mercenaries - WITH CB AWAITING APPROVAL
- 3.2.8 Submondo - WITH CB AWAITING APPROVAL
- 3.3.1 Acontecimento - APPROVED - IN PDF
- 3.3.2 Bourak - REVISED BASED ON FEEDBACK FROM CB
- 3.3.3 Concilium - REVISING BASED ON FEEDBACK FROM CB
- 3.3.4 Dawn - WITH CB AWAITING APPROVAL
- 3.3.5 Human Edge - WITH CB AWAITING APPROVAL
- 3.3.6 Neoterra - WITH CB AWAITING APPROVAL
- 3.3.7 Paradiso - DUE TO BE SUBMITTED (required revisions)
- 3.3.8 Shentang / Yutang - WITH CB AWAITING APPROVAL
- 3.3.9 Sol - WITH CB AWAITING APPROVAL
- 3.3.10 Svalarheima - APPROVED - IN PDF
- 3.3.11 Varuna - WITH CB AWAITING APPROVAL
- 3.4 ALEPH - WITH CB AWAITING APPROVAL
- 3.5 O-12 - WITH CB AWAITING APPROVAL
- 3.6 Combined Army / Evolved Intelligence - WITH CB AWAITING APPROVAL
- 3.7 Tohaa - WITH CB AWAITING APPROVAL
- 4.0 Acquisitions - APPROVED AWAITING EDIT
- 4.1 Gear Rules / Equipment Qualities - WITH CB AWAITING APPROVAL
- 4.2 Armour - REVISION REQUIRED
- 4.3 Weapons - REVISION REQUIRED
- 4.4 Ammunition - REVISION REQUIRED
- 4.5 Belongings - REVISION REQUIRED
- 4.6 Lifestyle & Services - DUE TO BE SUBMITTED FOR APPROVAL
- 5.1 Game Mastering - DUE TO BE SUBMITTED FOR APPROVAL
- 5.2 Adversaries - REVISION REQUIRED
- 5.2.1 Art Master Characters - DRAFT APPROVED BY CB
OTHER WAVE 1
Adventures in the Human Sphere - WITH CB AWAITING APPROVAL
Player's Guide - New conversion rules due for comment by backers (hope to send Monday), Other content due to be submitted for approval
Quickstart - Revision with new adventure in layout. Should be released in next week or so prior to printing
Collector's Edition - Plot Generator and other bonus content due to be submitted for approval
Bonus 40 Page adventure - due to be submitted, Original CB Characters REVISION REQUIRED
Paradiso Ruins tiles - all approved in complete form now being 'destroyed' (samples tomorrow)
Combined Army tiles - sample tiles approved bulk tile design now under way (samples tomorrow)
Dice - due for delivery in about 10 days.
Other items - will confirm more info tomorrow.
WAVE TWO AND THREE BOOKS
More info on the revised schedule tomorrow and our plan
That's it for now more info tomorrow thanks and sorry if I missed anything but finishing this on my phone!
The Final Stretchgoal & New Art!
over 8 years ago
– Tue, May 10, 2016 at 11:39:26 PM
Hi all we have a big production meeting tonight concerning deadlines and I'll be updating you on Thursday (I'll be out of the office most of tomorrow). I didn't want to push back this news for you though, and the chance to show off some of the latest art coming in for the core book.
The big news that Carlos shared in Madrid at the weekend was that we will have a living campaign for Infinity once all the books are complete. Our final Stretch Goal is funding an exciting project that will benefit the whole Infinity RPG community. What does this mean? Read on after this...
Let me paint a picture for you - each month you get a downloadable adventure - enough for a couple of sessions. At the end of the month you complete a simple web form giving us feedback on the results. Was the Aleph mission compromised? Did the Combined Army agent escape? Did the players visit the Nomad archive? Is the Pan Oceanic ship still intact? We'll use this information to construct the next adventure in the series (we'll be working two months ahead) so you and you're group will be helping to guide the direction of the whole campaign! You'll see an online graphic changing each month depending on all the participating groups actions.
Even better read below to see how you could feature in the story..!
The players and GM will discuss the most exciting events and can also include a report of something memorable that happened. Did one of the player's save the day, was there an awesome move that made everyone laugh or high five? We'll pick from the very best moments and mention them in our storyline recap.
All this leads us to the grande finale...
We'll be picking a major event somewhere in the world (most likely alongside a big Infinity tournament) where we will hold the finale of the living campaign each year. Players will get to play the last segments of the story and through a selection process could end up in the semi-final and final game which will be filmed and broadcast online! There you will discover the defining moments (and secrets) of the plot and we'll be using the Semi-Final and Final's to direct the storyline for the next year's living campaign. Those taking part will pick up some sweet prizes and there will be some epic prizes for the top players'. The finale adventures will be made available for all groups taking part, who will also be credited as official 'playtesters' for the campaign for when it's commercially released.
Now you can have your say about exactly how this is put together - we're running a survey alongside our announcement where we want you to tell us your feedback on living campaigns. You can find the survey here. Please take part and help shape how the living campaign will be run.
I'll be back in touch on Thursday with a production update which will include a revised overall estimate. There are several chapters in layout at the moment and we should be able to release more shortly.
Enjoy!
Chris, Modiphius
