Most of our budget (at least 90% of it) goes into updates that are adding new features and content, not fixes.
Like what?
Can you provide some examples? Real new features and content in updates.
As released, GalCiv II and Dark Avatar were very solid (especially compared to other titles). I really cannot think of any significant bugs that have been fixed in Dark Avatar (certainly nothing requireing a patch).
Not that there's a lack of bugs in DL that could have been fixed. Some are being fixed after DA, some are being discovered now. Of course, it's not cost effective to fix most of them, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. Also, it' not just about bugs, but about unbalanced stuff, unusable stuff, irrelevant stuff, etc. All of this gets "forgotten" because it doesn't affect gameplay in a significant manner - most of it anyway.
I think most would agree that changing the flavor text of tech descriptions that have been around for a very long time would not fall under a "bug fix".
So what would you call providing *wrong* info ingame?
When users start demanding that we re-do the tech tree text to suit them as a free update, that, to me, is sending the wrong message.
I don't see anyone demanding anything here. Is anyone demanding the constructor thing be fixed? Because it's been discussed ad nauseum in a number of other threads. The thing is, it's a problem. Some people are presenting their case, and isn't that what you advertise, you listen to customers? Are you going to charge for the constructor thing? What's the difference?
If you really think there's no internal QA on these betas, then I don't know what to say to that. Do you really think that these betas are so stable on release by sheer coincidence?
It depends on what you mean by stable. I don't read the crash threads and mem problems and whanot. What I do see is one version saying some problem is fixed but that not being exactly true. I understand those are betas, but this was just an example of a very basic thing. Also note that the changes in the betas are not so extensive as to potentially make the game unstable, and those that are actually create problems.
To me, one of my gripes about the game industry is that games are released and quickly abandoned.
Abandoned or without further support? Games only really need support after release if they're not working as intended. Ok, not that simple but,
By contrast, like other software companies, we treat our games as something that continue to evolve after release.
You see, I don't think it evolves all that much. After each release I mean. It has some cosmetic enhancements to justify the continued support, of course. I'm not judging the system, I'm just counter-argumenting. I understand that yo want to defend it at all cost, but you're hardly unbiased.
think, generally speaking, the way we do updates and deal transparently with users
I think that transparency is a bit selective though.
Final note. The guy selling meat at the butchers, he may be the CEO of his own company. He still is responsible for the quality of the met he sells. And for all intents and purposes, he *is* a "clerk".
@Bleeg
Yikes, that a few nitpicker's could elicit three responses from Frogboy himself on this issue conveys the twisted power of the forum...
Hmm, Frogboy *wants* to be treated as anyone else. He replies because he wants to. He is part of the community. The balance between being CEO and one of the guys, it's something he must have considered when he chose to act this way. So this kind of comment is really absurd.
I would point out all the typos and incorrect grammar used above in the very threads doing the complaining. (Kind of a cheap shot, I know.
It's way below a cheap shot actually. if that's the best you could come up with ...
Any changes for the descriptions would need to be edited and proofed for factual game information, grammar and effective prose before being updated into the commercial product. It takes time and expertise.
Which should be a given when making a game. But the really important thing here is the changes that were not integrated into the texts, the missing game-realted info, the wrong info being provided. These do not require a great effort. But people are beginning to side-track.
@eetmorsgrls
The point is that the game has been made to be moddable so the devs can focus on the larger issues that Frogboy pointed out, while us customers can improve our own and others' gaming experience by adding in our ideas.
Moddability is not the issue here. Neither is suggestions and ideas. The part of the issue being discussed here that the players can access is very limited. It's text basically. It's important for the game, but you're making it be something it's not.
