Nomad,
In general many would agree with the thrust of your comments I am sure. There are others who may not and I really don't know other than looking at recent posts. Many users do not comment.
Having said that again you have to go back to the beginning and creating a game engine one would presume that Yes there should be a plan. I guess it should be a detailed one which to be fair may have to have some leeway for unforeseen circumstance.
What do we want the engine to be and how will we achieve it.
What you want the engine to be I guess is what users and TGC aspire it to be. At the time of start I guess the main things looked for were solutions to fixing/improving/updating significantly of obvious well known core issues that had caused so much difficulty with Classic : Memory, Physics and stability, performance and some other important things like improved AI, water and of some major importance to many - larger/outdoor worlds in the main apart from any smaller issues. Most of these things were said by some to be largely influenced by the core engine technologies utilised by the Classic engine.
That being the case then I am not quite sure why anyone would think using the same core technologies would make much difference considering a new engine would presumably need to be somewhat better and more appropriate to the future, more powerful and so delivering more and better features as aspired to. At the time voices for updating the core to different or more advanced perhaps technologies were largely overuled and overshadowed by some - perhaps a majority who believed the existing classic technologies could and would be sufficient to meet and deliver the needs for a future engine. People who supported this being more experienced than I for sure for example in terms of core base engine programming languages, Direct X (of which I know nothing really) and so on whos opinions prevailed, supported by TGC partly perhaps out of lack of reasonable choice from a commercial aspect of the time. This to me despite logic which said to me that such technologies had not delivered in the past and so why would it be any different in the future when certainly one would expect as technology marches on inevitably too that such even at best would at some time be superceeded anyway.
Most uesrs too would not want to wait too long for a usable product - many years perhaps when Reloaded was originally scheduled to have a release in around 12 months as the alternative option using the existing technologies by and large.
As to the plan whatever the decision at that time presumably it was thought that success was possible using the existing technologies so I guess the Better engine and additional features we now see being looked at and introduced or already introduced would have been part of the plan and sufficient assessment made of those existing technologies and any others sourced that could be incorporated such as bullet physics and given due and appropriate consideration to conclude that the judgement is that the Objectives and aspirations could be met. That features and so on to be included would have been tailored into the plan with relevant details inside the plan of how it would be implemented in a sensible and logical order - start to finish and each objective achieved along the way and ticked off Yes. A measurable plan for success as it were.
Having a plan as said I guess its logical that it be done in sensible order of priority and necessity.
If you are including outdoors then I guess its a good idea to get that done first, sky, terrain, physics and so on so you can add the player.
I should think you would have some tick boxes on your plan and requirements for features and so on and tick them off as you go. Necessities first would be logical. You would not normally add the player until the terrain is done and some physics done to make sure the Player can move over the terrain and not fall through it.
Ideally perhaps you would complete one thing before moving on to the next in order of priority. Essentials first and then the next most important or as in the plan for whatever reason.
I guess the plan as far as users go is what you see published at this web site or elsewhere in no particular order as fixed but tempered by whatever is most pressing perhaps and with features not necessarily being completed to any final degree as one progresses. To be fair some flexibility is probably required though not sure major feature bouncing around is inevitable or desirable.
I don't think any user viewable features dev progress list need be very complicated or too technical - a list and a simple tick box when done is enough. If there's a lust in logical order then its then clear where you are when one is completed. Any plan should be here at the forums and don't need to have things spread everywhere complicating anything. Enough of that now.
Now I don't know but it seems to have been the case that even up until this last Beta most users would have been still of the same reasoning that the core technologies are OK and things will get better and the objectives and aspirations can be met. Personally I have been strongly suggesting that would not perhaps be the case and constantly suggesting the core items of engine quality, stability and performance need be better. I understand that many may have more powerful systems than I so can only speak for my own findings which have been largely singular in stressing. There may still be many I am sure who are happy say with performance and alike at this stage and believe that the current dev can be updated and improved sufficiently to meet with a future engines and the end users and game players needs.
I am not quite sure why it has taken so long for other users whoever they may be to question whether such will and can be the case. Whatever sooner or later any engine will be tested and pushed to the limits and its faults and weaknesses whatever and wherever they are will become apparent in real world practical application. That cant be avoided so if there are weaknesses they will be found out.
TGC have said and continue to say that users concerns are unfounded so I don't know that anyone of us can argue with that and so I cant see what really can be done or is likely to be done in any major way to change the engines main thrust and direction now.
Due to the users requests, wants, needs and aspirations and also TGC's own vision for the Reloaded product to some extent, the aspirations and hype is a lot to live up to. Ten years on from classic looking to a modern engine to see everyone well into the future is a massive undertaking.
I have been well known to be quite critical of software and game engines myself. Easy to say not easy to do. TGC is a small company and not many of that nature have an ability to create and develop what we aspire to.
I am not really critical of TGC as a team, not people, only game engine software sometimes. I have no idea of the difficulties, restraints and issues TGC face day to day. I am sure they do the best they can under the circumstances prevailing at any time. I must admit I feel for Lee in particular who is clearly under a lot of pressure which does not help. I guess that's the price of fame as the saying goes.
I think perhaps given the core technologies being used then there's not much more TGC can do only continue forwards as planned whatever the plan is.
This last issue seems to have a fair share of loss of quality control. Other than that Bugs general errors or instabilities can be fixed. If the Core inherently itself is flawed or not going to be capable then I am not quite sure what TGC could possibly do about that from here on in. As said I am not quite sure why only now thats being called into question at all.
It would seem to be the case that there is yet a lot more strain the engine may have to endure as more things are added so how it will cope with that I have no idea. Not very well one would imagine but that is again just an assumption based on what I personally find which counts for little or nothing.
I don't see many options. Either it will or it wont. TGC and some of our users have faith that all will be fine so I cant argue with that. Just have to wait and see. If the engine proves to be overburdened and very highly demanding on users, game players and their hardware/software and any associated technologies in order to get the best from it and that's the only option as it pans out then that's the way it will be.
Not sure that would be enough or that it would be a credible option for success but no one will know till we get wherever we are going and by then it will be too late to change a great deal of whats gone past perhaps.
TGC are not superhuman and superhuman may be the status that was needed to succeed from the outset under the prevailing circumstances. I don't know.
Anyway Lee is back soon and so I trust he can pick himself up off the floor and crack on.
Hopefully all will be well with you all this time next year.
