Just listening in on the Twitch Live stream.

It was mentioned that Frans and the guy speaking has been co-designing wave 4-8.

Wave 6 was referred to as released. hmm

well as far as they're concerned, it is. its been out of their hands for some time.

"The guy speaking" would be Alex Davy.

Also remember, they having things planned 18 months ahead of time. So, you can never be truly sure where they are exactly, and they might not have a complete grasp of what is out yet.

Probably no epic imperial ship even planned yet..

Arghhhhhhhhhhh

They have a year and a half schedule. There is probably a lot that we don't know about yet.

As FFG's best selling game in the history of the company, does this come as any surprise?

More scums, perhaps?

I'm more excited about Alex Davy's comment that some new stuff for the bomber will be coming out in the future.

Wave 7 and 8

And new stuff for the bomber :-)

good so they finally listened eh?

I am not sure how earth shattering this information is. Alex mentioned he worked on waves 4-8, coming on during Rebel Aces. To me that means that there are waves beyond 8 at least planed, and OF COURSE THERE ARE! X-Wing is a third of their business, I would imagine they plan to keep the game rolling for many years to come.

And by 6 being released, I would assume from the designers point of view that 'off to the printers and not changing now' equals released in their world.

I work for a company that has an R&D department and they have years of products listed out, with concepts, drawings, costing, prototyping, preproduction and full production planned out for years.

Knowing that up to wave 8 is in the queue is normal for development, as you need the lead time to work on the product before it gets production released.

Is there anywhere that one can get the video or audio of this now?

Ok, I've found all the video from that day, but does anyone know around when Waves 7 and 8 were referenced?

would you be more surprised if they said, "Well, worlds is done. Think we should start thinking about maybe making a new ship?"

Yeah. They're thinking ahead a few months....

Ok, I've found all the video from that day, but does anyone know around when Waves 7 and 8 were referenced?

I heard the reference too but I don't remember exactly where. I think it was during the match between Richard and Nathan but I'm not sure.

would you be more surprised if they said, "Well, worlds is done. Think we should start thinking about maybe making a new ship?"

Yeah. They're thinking ahead a few months....

18 to be precise.

If anyone else is interested this seems to be the video, starting around 1:29:00 in
http://www.twitch.tv/ffglive/b/586315161

Hell I'm surprised they aren't completely spoiled already

If anyone else is interested this seems to be the video, starting around 1:29:00 in

http://www.twitch.tv/ffglive/b/586315161

Cool. Thanks for the link.

I work for a company that has an R&D department and they have years of products listed out, with concepts, drawings, costing, prototyping, preproduction and full production planned out for years.

Knowing that up to wave 8 is in the queue is normal for development, as you need the lead time to work on the product before it gets production released.

This

At GW stuff could be on the drawing board up to three years before it came out. You'd hear about it a month or two before as the general public. It did make it frustrating when you worked there as you'd be at a show talking to customers who were really excited about a 'new product' but in your head that had been put to bed six months ago and your mind was focussed on something very exciting they wouldnt see for a year but you couldnt mention.

FFG are more 'open' about released so you tend to hear about theirs up to six months. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing. In one way it reduces speculation but in other ways by the time S&V is released most people will be aware of 90 per cent of the box contents so the 'fun' of discovering new strategies and surprises is defused somewhat.

One of the reasons they plan so far ahead is that even with 'rapid prototyping' processes now in use with companies like GW (and one would assume FFG) plastics production is very expensive and very time consuming.

If you make lead models you can bash up a green in a day if you're good, have it pressed as a 'tin' in a few hours and have those 'tins' make production moulds in less than a week. You coudl *possibly* rush out a run of lead figures in 48 hours if you really pushed it.

Plastics used to take *months* to make from concept sketches to putty/lead mock ups, some test pieces cast in lead (as its quick and you can see if parts fit together) , they you'd make the masters as three times sized models (three ups we called them). These are then sent away to (usually the far east but GW do their plastics in the UK) be 'pantographed' where a stylus is ran over the 3x size model and carves a negative of it out in a steel block to make a plastics mould. This takes *ages* as a process. The moulds close, fill with plastic, cool and open thousands of times an hour and you need to make sure its a perfect mould with no underhangs or they just get torn off.

As an idea around about 2005 a tank kit like a 'leman russ' cost about £250,000 to make the presses/jigs for.

So you need to get it right, hence a long R&D time.

Going back again to time at GW. I went for a job interview with UK studio in 1999 (about November i think) and they were playtesting the 'Tau' army and in particular plastic 'kroot' figures. The playtesting was being done with white metal /lead mock ups of kroot and scratch built APCs while the plastics were developed. I think the TAU army came out around september 2001 so thats over two years in development.

I cant see FFG being much different, lead times might have decreased slightly with rapid prototyping but I'd put money on the fact they have a release schedule planned and product planned for the game for at least 18 months in advance if not longer.

"They're on the boat."

I cant see FFG being much different, lead times might have decreased slightly with rapid prototyping but I'd put money on the fact they have a release schedule planned and product planned for the game for at least 18 months in advance if not longer.

FFG has confirmed that they have things planned out 18 months ahead of time. And not just for X-wing either.

Well there you go then.

I know back with the old crew I knew what we were releasing and promoting about 2-3 years in advance.

Even if i didnt know the *exact* product in three years time i knew that a 'major release' needed an event to promote it at certain points in the run up to and proceeding it.