Last year there was a lot of talk about the 'Component Pipeline',and how it was expected to 'start pumping' in the new year. Since then, all has gone quiet on this front. As such, can you give us an update on the component pipeline, and when we can start seeing something other than weapons and shields in the store?asked by Logical Chimp
TL;DRComponent work is progressing, with the pipeline detailed, first-pass concepts done and designers and artists working on it, but the store timing is marketing's call and no date is given.
So, I can't tell you when you'll see stuff in the store because that's marketing, that's Ben's realm. But we actually have been making a lot of progress on components lately. If you saw ShipShape a few weeks ago, we had Elwin on and he talked about plans for components and he has been working on that nonstop ever since. We have our pipeline fleshed out in excruciating detail for art and design which is fantastic. I took a break from working on our til the end of the year components schedule to come down here and do this. We've been having a lot of meetings about it. We have at least a first pass concept of every component type in at least one size, so we have an idea of what the norms are going to be and the visual cues, because obviously the smallest and largest size shield generator are going to look very different. But we're hoping to have visual cues in there so you can look at either one and say, 'Oh, that's a shield generator', right away. So we have the basic concept art fleshed out to give those cues and we have Gage working on a lot of the whiteboxes right now and Elwin supporting him.
On the tech design side, Matt Sherman he's our item/component guru.
He's fantastic. He's starting the design on a bunch of that stuff too and again, like we were talking about before, he was saying, 'For the first one give me X amount of days and the next one give me just half that' because we know after that's all been fleshed out it'll be a little bit easier to predict from that point on. So, I know we've been kinda quiet but we are making progress, it's just not as shiny to talk about as ships all the time.
Like Lisa said, it's being worked on, we haven't forgotten about it.
No, not at all. It's like my day to day.