Vintage Story: Adventure Mode

[Crick]

I understand why some people feel hesitant about this news, but I have full faith in the Vintage Story team to deliver the best game possible! I'm also looking forward for the possibility of having official alternate textures to use in the survival game. I think these two game modes can happily co-exist.

[Streetwind]

I think some people haven't really come to terms with the fact that Anego Studios is, as the name might suggest, a fully fledged games studio... it's not just Tyron in a shed. It hasn't been that for a long, long time.

A studio can work on multiple projects at a time. Yes, even indie studios. Look at Rocketwerkz - they're actively maintaining two games and are developing three more. Look at Hello Games - they can continue to churn out massive free expansions for No Man's Sky while also doing The Last Campfire and Light No Fire.

Companies grow when their products are successful. Vintage Story has been successful. Taking on new hires and new projects is a perfectly logical step at this point.

[idiomcritter]

following the vs development paradigm, i'm interested in exploring the exploration (if not curious)

[falco_lombardi]

8 minutes ago, Streetwind said:

I think some people haven't really come to terms with the fact that Anego Studios is, as the name might suggest, a fully fledged games studio... it's not just Tyron in a shed. It hasn't been that for a long, long time.

A studio can work on multiple projects at a time. Yes, even indie studios. Look at Rocketwerkz - they're actively maintaining two games and are developing three more. Look at Hello Games - they can continue to churn out massive free expansions for No Man's Sky while also doing The Last Campfire and Light No Fire.

Companies grow when their products are successful. Vintage Story has been successful. Taking on new hires and new projects is a perfectly logical step at this point.

Imagine if Stationeers added a story mode, drastically changing the scope of the game. Not a good comparison either way because Dean Rocket Hall's company publishes on Steam where players can rate and review games. They also have a physical studio which absolutely helps with team cohesion and role clarity. Part of me wonders if Vintage Story prefers its echo chamber rather than accepting valid criticism. Why are forum-goers so quick to dismiss critique rather than take it into consideration?

[Oto Nokyo]

19 minutes ago, Streetwind said:

I think some people haven't really come to terms with the fact that Anego Studios is, as the name might suggest, a fully fledged games studio... it's not just Tyron in a shed. It hasn't been that for a long, long time.

A studio can work on multiple projects at a time. Yes, even indie studios. Look at Rocketwerkz - they're actively maintaining two games and are developing three more. Look at Hello Games - they can continue to churn out massive free expansions for No Man's Sky while also doing The Last Campfire and Light No Fire.

Companies grow when their products are successful. Vintage Story has been successful. Taking on new hires and new projects is a perfectly logical step at this point.

There are eight chapters more or less expected to be implemented in the game let alone other content along the road map still yet to be added. We only have roughly three chapters with some additions coming in the 1.21 update. Think it's more prudent to keep on the route adding to Vintage Story with the full team then trying to have a side project going.  Once more chapters are out and expanded content. An adventure mode isn't needed to test content, if that's the case in begs the question of the competency of the developers being hired with the engine VS runs on. Hytale got ambitious and crashed. It can happen to Anego Studios as well (unless Tyron some how has some wealthy backer or money himself to keep the studio afloat through hard times). Focus on what made the VS successful. 

Edited July 5, 2025 by Oto Nokyo

[falco_lombardi]

21 minutes ago, Facethief said:

Besides, if this gains enough traction, it won’t be using your “vintage-payer dollars.”

Awesome, I love this idea. Let's get everybody we know onto this! I want to buy two mismanaged games; one of which is essentially a paid mod of the other!

[Wilbur Demitel]

shit idea. Refunding VS, this wont end well.

[Voldemort]

@Tyron Well, this explains the recent updates and patches' quality. I would like to see more work on Vintage Story or at least finish the main game before creating a new one.
The only thing it creates is uncertainty about VS future.

To be fair, I'm kind of disappointed, but that's just my opinion. Let's see what happens and if I was wrong.

[Filip Nowak]

To be honest, I don't like the idea. If there's an opportunity to expand the team with some top-tier developers from the Hytale team, do it—but don't split your focus on some alternative branch for Vintage Story. You can't sit on two chairs at once. One thing or the other is bound to suffer. Strengthen the team and continue doing what made Vintage Story such a successful game—realism, great game mechanics, a promisingly evolving story, and all the lovely little details.

With a stronger development team, there’s so much you could speed up and bring to life more quickly. Huge ocean liners that players can build, including lower decks and cabins, and then launch into the water! Or airships. You've already laid the groundwork with Minidimensions. Expand on that! More mechanical machines, tracks and trains, wagons. Better support for multiplayer servers, a better Land system that allows nested lands, etc.

@Tyron, you originally worked with the Hytale team and didn't like the direction it was taking. So you started creating your own game and gave birth to this beautiful title—Vintage Story. Why suddenly rework it into Hytale? I know it's meant to be a second project, but in my opinion, it'll just take your focus away from developing the original Vintage Story.

Edited July 5, 2025 by Filip Nowak

[Voldemort]

42 minutes ago, Gabe Heasley said:

Why are forum-goers so quick to dismiss critique rather than take it into consideration?

Messages and posts are sometimes getting deleted. Some moderators have their own policies, and if they see even a small criticism, you’re called a bigot, hater etc.. etc.. you know the drill  

[Dugs]

I dislike the idea. The people-power and money/time investment should go toward finishing the game that was advertised first, after 1.0, then do what you like. I don't think this will end well at all. 

[Thorfinn]

TBH, I see this as an unalloyed good, though I wonder a bit about whether it's the right organizational structure. I understand why, I think -- coders gotta pay bills, too. The way this is, Tyron and several coders work on the engine, the rest of his VS team, particularly the artists, work on VS, and these new people work on Adventure. Nothing has changed, except that maybe Adventure needs the roadmap re-prioritized. Off-hand, the herbalism system is going to have to move forward, maybe fishing, and automation and steam will move back. I'm indifferent to the order.

OK, maybe I have one criticism -- that is a truly silly name. Maybe it means something different in German or something.  

No game engine locks itself into a single game. Like it or not, that is death. Kind of like you saw with Hytale. It's high time Anego started diversifying.

Edited July 5, 2025 by Thorfinn

[Brigadier Elm]

I'm guessing the appeal here is to branch the studio in the vein of similar indie startups, I.E Auroch Studios, Hyperstrange, Chucklefish.

Personally I can't say I'm a fan of the idea - I want the game I purchased to be more feature complete, Hytale is not a product that would appeal to me and for your current player base I can't picture how that Venn diagram looks either.

I'm all for extending the olive branch to get the talent in the door, but why not just use that talent to work on the product you're already building - at least get the story finished, and not half bake rushed out the door either.

Onboarding to the current project would take less time, and give more value to the current product - best case on this path you're spread thin for project management for 6 months to a year while you onboard, develop the secondary project idea beyond "hytale but finished in the VS engine", and then development really gets underway.

Worst case you cannot guide two projects to fruition, and they both suffer - and dwindle or collapse the studio resource pool.

[Voldemort]

20 minutes ago, Dugs said:

I dislike the idea. The people-power and money/time investment should go toward finishing the game that was advertised first, after 1.0, then do what you like. I don't think this will end well at all. 

most based message on this forum so far.

[Thorfinn]

21 minutes ago, Dugs said:

after 1.0, then do what you like.

1.21 is about to drop. We are well past 1.0.  

[dakko]

The end of Hytale has resulted in an unexpected windfall of talent - talent that is already immersed and up-to-speed on the skills and thought processes necessary for the proposed new project. This could very well be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Anego Studios and I'm glad that Tyron has the forethought to see the value that diversifying presents to the overall success and longevity of his company.

The new team would not detract from the existing team in any way; quite the opposite since overlapping mechanics (such as combat and improved enemy AI) will be shared between the two teams. That is a huge win for Vintage Story!

Bottom line: 

I trust Tyron's vision and his ability to see the bigger picture. He has a proven track record for thoughtfully considering the options, preferring long-term success over short-term profits.

[corred]

If these 3-4 new employees are all that will work on adventure mode, and it won't take ANY current devs from VS development, I can see this being a positive and uplifting change.

 

Worst case scenario it is risking the games identity and can cause internal disputes on game direction.

 

I'd personally recommend expanding to the steam storefront to secure a larger playerbase and more funding in case things go wrong before doing something THIS ambitious (developing 2 modes at once that is).

 

However I do think there are some overreactions here, let's at least see what happens to the first update cycle before jumping to conclusions. Even if it ultimately comes down to an internal dispute on game direction, there is always a last resort of the game separating from VS and becoming it's own thing.

Edited July 5, 2025 by corred

[Voldemort]

13 minutes ago, Thorfinn said:

1.21 is about to drop. We are well past 1.0.  

we are still in EA versions

Edited July 5, 2025 by Adnyeus

[Cleitus]

This doesn't sound like a good idea to me. I would rather have more resources allocated to the game I paid for, especially to the remaining story content. 

Granted, I know barely anything about Hytale, but why would you put effort into a similar project when the original failed?

[Thorfinn]

Run the numbers. Let's say the 4 coders will run $400k in payroll/expenses. At $20 a copy, they only need to sell 20k copies a year, 2k copies a month, 50 a day, to break even. And my guess is $400k is pretty generous. But you are correct that it is up front expense, just like any startup.

The upside is, of course, is the influx of the fantasy player base. And, let's be honest, a player base which has been extraordinarily patient in waiting for Hytale. If they can even get the textures ready and a few models, they can have a playable proof of concept very quickly. The core engine functions are complete enough that the gaps can be worked around, so all they need to work on is content.

And with a proof of concept/playable demo in hand, the streamers will do all the marketing that's needed. If it does well, great. If it gets panned, well, maybe the Adventure Crew has to find a different job. They don't have wealthy backers to support them indefinitely. It's all on their shoulders.

[Thorfinn]

8 minutes ago, Cleitus said:

why would you put effort into a similar project when the original failed?

Because of why it failed.

[dakko]

3 minutes ago, Thorfinn said:

If it does well, great. If it gets panned, well, maybe the Adventure Crew has to find a different job.

I think Tyron already said that he would pivot them to working on making VS better.

[Thorfinn]

1 minute ago, dakko said:

I think Tyron already said that he would pivot them to working on making VS better.

In which case, the money is not an issue. If they are working on VS, they will not be selling any Adventure, and, evidently, cash flow for just VS is enough to carry.

[Cleitus]

5 minutes ago, Thorfinn said:

Because of why it failed.

Why did it fail?

[VintageStoat]

To summarize this comment section:
"Grrrrr, change bad! Never try new things! Give me only the same thing forever, because I deserve it!"

Relax. Everything is going to be fine.
Vintage Story is my favorite game, and Tyron/the team can take on whatever challenges they are inspired to.

My 20 EUR has been more than well spent after hundreds of hours of gameplay.
I don't anticipate that will change by taking a few more people on for an experiment.