All of this waiting...

Discussion in 'General Game Discussion and Questions' started by Pacificsun0481, Nov 27, 2010.

  1. Pacificsun0481

    Pacificsun0481 Well-Known Member

    Jul 10, 2010
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    So, here is my own personal opinion. Maybe some of you will feel the same, while others will not.

    I'd like to start by asking a simple question.

    Why are certain developers not wanting to give basic info to the audience whom will be purchasing their game?

    Release dates or purchase pricing, as examples.

    They share certain game details and communicate with us, which is greatly appreciated. I do appreciate that interactivity. What I cant understand, is why they refuse (after waiting over a year in some cases) to even allow us look forward to a date or a price. We're the ones whom will be rewarding their work with our dollars.

    It's not about entitlement. It's about simple basic info, that should be given.

    I'm not a developer, maybe I just don't understand. If I were, I would definitely give as much info as people wanted. As long as it were plot spoiler free.

    I guess, as I get older I translate the games space to politics, in a way. I just want honesty and transparency, I don't understand why things need to be so secretive. Especially release dates.

    I just had to vent. The anticipation of the big late November/December titles is getting to me. Few of them are giving any concrete release info. I don't like looking forward wondering "is this the week?" and then feeling let down when it's not...then waiting and let down again. I don't like being strung along.

    I'm talking about titles that are on the verge of release.

    Sorry if I'm sounding too negative. I just hope I'm not the only one.
     
  2. Cilo

    Cilo Well-Known Member

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    You should step outside, enjoy the fresh air for a second, maybe take a jog or something, it might help ease your anxiety.
     
  3. crex

    crex Doctor of Game of the Week-ology

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    I totally agree with what you say. And don't be afraid to say ARALON SWORD AND SHADOW(no offense Josh). They really should give us more info. About time someone said something. I applaud you for that.:D
     
  4. meatz666

    meatz666 Well-Known Member

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    #4 meatz666, Nov 27, 2010
    Last edited: Nov 27, 2010
    You're half right, but when we are posting on specialised forums, we tend to save patronising comments...

    As I said on a different thread, nobody is staring at a wall in a dark room waiting for some games to be release, we just like to speculate because, for some people (like you, me and Pacific), we started to enjoy games as much as we enjoy it's market.

    I really believe that it's the time that you realise that you care for games as much as you care about it's philosophy and market aspect of digital and interactive entertainment.

    Regarding you Thread start, Pacific, you can't judge softhouses. They have to produce the buzz, start the hype, and sometimes the last line of code will be written hours, or minutes, before they apply it to Apple.

    I don't know if you work in software development at all, but everybody in this field knows that several weeks before the "release date" you start to work nights, holidays, weekends in order to meet the company's established release date. That's why they don't define a release date, unless the project is really tight with it's planning.

    Regarding prices, this is an area that I don't know... As you, I can only speculate... And I think that they check the market until the day of release to set the price.

    Games are a kind of commodity that people don't NEED... It's not like food or shelter. So, what defines the price of a game is basically the offer/demand factor. Believe me, if they detect that a lot of people demands their game, and the offer for something similar is very low, they put the prices up... Just check the games related to licenses... Ignore this week sale, but do you think you can compare a DS port like Harry Potter to Monopoly or Scrabble? I don't think so... But those licensed board games had their price high for almost the whole year...

    Just some thoughts... Share yours!
     
  5. ScottColbert

    ScottColbert Well-Known Member

    Well first of all, they may not know a specific release date. It's hard to say we'll be done working on it and have it ready for release on such and such a date. Delays happen. I'm sure you'd be just as upset if they said a release date of say 12/07, and then it doesn't come out because of unforeseen problems. Another reason is perhaps strategic; why let others devs know when your game is going to come out when they can try and rush theirs to the market?

    As for pricing, well with only a few exceptions it's going to be 9.99 or under, so there's no big deal.

    Let the devs do their job and stop worrying about things out of your control.
     
  6. Cilo

    Cilo Well-Known Member

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    I know absolutely f*** all about app development or marketing, but I did learn a little bit about it playing Game Dev Story :D lol. It would piss me off so much when I was in development of a game and another studio decided to rush their title to the market that was similar to mine!
     
  7. meatz666

    meatz666 Well-Known Member

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    Totally... as much as pissed me off when Gameloft (sorry, I hate them) released a "space sim" one week before Galaxy on Fire 2...

    Sorry, but don't you guys think that Gameloft is like the dinosaur in the market? They are here since J2ME games, releasing half-baked versions of console titles during a time that mobile gaming were "No man's land"... Now their games to me are so predictable and boring... Check their Prince of Persia/s, Assassin's Creed/s games...
     
  8. TNT_HEADSHOT

    TNT_HEADSHOT Well-Known Member

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    I think devs should at the least give a release window. If we're not informed we forget about it,
     
  9. Cilo

    Cilo Well-Known Member

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    I'm talking about the game Game Dev Story hahahah
     
  10. meatz666

    meatz666 Well-Known Member

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    I know... And in the same way on Game Dev Story they would release a same genre game 1 month before your killer game, Gameloft did the same thing with Star Battalion/Galaxy on Fire 2...

    Are you new to iOS gaming whatsoever??? :D
     
  11. Pacificsun0481

    Pacificsun0481 Well-Known Member

    Jul 10, 2010
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    I enjoyed the post with relation to dev. Story, that's a damn fine game.

    On to the topic of this thread...

    Here's the conundrum. I have plenty to spend on the games I'm looking forward to. However, many gamers on the forum will not. Let's say gamer A is really looking forward to Aralon, which has no release window other than a coy "soon...." so then, Nova 2 releases and then Infinity Blade releases. Gamer A then buys both of those titles. Aralon then releases, even though Gamer A may have wanted Aralon more than the other 2 - Gamer A has no money left. That's one less sale toward Aralon, and it could be many others.

    All because they refuse to give at, the very least, a release window.

    It could be as simple as "watch you calendar for the third week of December"

    These are all hypotheticals, but I'm getting peeved.

    These are my dollars, I am willing to exchange for their goods. I don't see why info is so sparse. It's the complete opposite of the console and pc space. Those games have firm release dates, and when they can't make that date, they then issue a new one.

    I'm sure part of that has to do with fiscal quarters and earnings statements...

    Sigh.

    I'm just trying to vent my frustration. Only because I've been more fond lately, of iPad gaming vs. my 360. Therefore I'm looking forward to some of these titles and feel so in the dark.

    I even asked repeatedly on the Aralon thread, without so much as a response whether the iPad version will launch alongside the iPhone version, mainly because in the beta thread Josh mentioned that the iPad beta wasn't ready.

    Here is a perfect example of a developer I will support, by purchasing their game. Because the game looks good and I applaud their transparency:

    Hooga developer replied in the thread to my question:


    "Hi Guys,

    I'm happy to see a lot of good feedbacks about our game!

    The game will release 2nd December for all iPhone devices and iPad.

    Don't miss to see our facebook page and to follow Hooga on twitter

    FOLLOW US: http://twitter.com/iQuilibrium
    FACEBOOK : http://www.facebook.com/Hooga/
    OFFICIAL PAGE: http://hooga.iquilibriumstudios.com"


    "Quote:
    Originally Posted by Pacificsun0481
    Thank you for being candid. Any idea on pricing?
    Chillingo is the main manager of the prices.
    I think that at the launch the prices will be very low..."
     
  12. ScottColbert

    ScottColbert Well-Known Member

    I know as much about game development as you do, but do have experience with book publishing and many of the same things apply there as well as game development.

    And I hated that in Game dev Story. That and blackouts.
     
  13. backtothis

    backtothis im in ur base killin ur d00dz
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    Who's fault for finishing a week too late? Not Gamelofts. kthx.
     
  14. ScottColbert

    ScottColbert Well-Known Member


    If this is your biggest problem today, then you're pretty damn lucky. As for those who may not have the disposable income you or I do, it's not like these games go away or get pulled. To say they've lost a sale simply because it wasn't purchased on launch day is simply ridiculous. And they have given a tenuous before Christmas release time for Aralon, anything more is really none of your business until they release it.

    Sorry, but your pet peeve is just plain silly. Unless you've been involved in any type of publishing you just won't understand why things don't get firm release dates.

    However, I will give you an example. When my former partner partner and I started our publishing business last year we decided what to release and when to release. What we didn't anticipate were some of the problems we encountered which delayed things. When I forced him out and took over in order to save the company, that delayed things even more. I've put out one book that should have been out in July and just got the proof for another that should have been out in February. I decided to make seasonal releases rather than set dates. It avoids disappointment among customers, and doesn't make me look like I can't conform to a timeline.

    Seriously though, with all the problems in our world, devs not giving release dates or pricing info is simply not on my radar.
     
  15. meatz666

    meatz666 Well-Known Member

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    #15 meatz666, Nov 27, 2010
    Last edited: Nov 27, 2010
    Pacificsun, my mate... If the gamer is a gamer, despite buying NOVA, he will buy Aralon as well... And if he doesn't have the money, he will try to find any way to get that money and buy it... I don't believe that AppStore consumer's resources are limited in a way that they have to choose carefully what they are going to buy... Au contraire, they will do everything they can to buy all of those titles...

    You might have to relax... Think with me... Would you be concerned with the price of you product if your product wasn't ready? After finishing your product, you can really measure it's value... Nobody will pass Aralon because they bought NOVA, trust me...
     
  16. Pacificsun0481

    Pacificsun0481 Well-Known Member

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    I totally Understand. I mean, yes, I do have far more real world worries than release dates. This is a forum for games and as silly as I sound, I needed to vent to an audience that could understand.

    I'm not so much implying Aralon, as I am Infinity Blade. Thats what's had me more frustrated, lately. No one can seem to get anything out of Chair or Epic. And both of those companies are old pros and should have no reason to be as vague as they're being.

    IGN mention it could release this week or in a few. Salt Lake Tribune said within a few days.

    If the game WERE ready, wouldn't it have stronger business sense to have had it released on or right before Thanksgiving? My logic is as follows:

    I have a nephew (17) and 2 nieces (10, 14). My nephew has an XBox 360 and wants several games for Xmas. My 14 yr. old niece is wanting an XBox 360 of her own. I saw them yesterday for the holiday. Had Infinity Blade have been released, it would have been a perfect game to show of on my iPad. Thus, maybe shifting some of their Black Friday wish lists toward an iOS device, so they could have games like Infinity Blade. It would have been a smart move for both Apple and Epic. A win/win situation.

    The companies are positively affected by selling more devices, therefore games. The customer wins, by being able to play the game.

    In the console space, Epic is never this cryptic. I don't see why they would be with iOS. There's no need.

    Anyhow...
     
  17. TiltMyTouch

    TiltMyTouch Well-Known Member

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    #17 TiltMyTouch, Nov 27, 2010
    Last edited: Nov 27, 2010
    I haven't read any replies so I'm sorry if all this has been said yet, but I can give you a solid answer for the release date issue. Good developers do not want to announce a release date, only to find their final product not suitable for release by that date. Too many factors can play against an on-time release, from bugs and glitches to uncompatibility to real life issues the developer may be facing, as well as a lot others. As for pricing, I can't confidently give you an answer, but I would guess that the developer really has no way to determine the value of his/her finished product until it actually is finished. Sure, they might have a general idea of the price range in the beginning phases when the general layout of the game is known, but I'm guessing developers can't really determine the value of the time, effort, and work that is put in until the time, effort, and work has already been put in.

    EDIT: I will admit though, any developer that announces a solid release date and delivers on time gets my attention over other developers instantly.
     
  18. meatz666

    meatz666 Well-Known Member

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    I totally agree with you about "Xmas timing"... But Chair people are probably still finishing their game... That's why we don't have a release date or estimate price... Believe me, Apple put Infinity Blade on their press conference and iPad TV advert... They would release this game yesterday if they could... IB is not on AppStore not because they're holding up the game to wait a good opportunity, but maybe because the game isn't ready... Simple as that...

    I remember when Blizzard started beta testing Warcraft 3... I manage to get a pirated copy of the beta (ok, I'm not proud of that), and it took more than 6 months for them to release the final version... Doesn't matter if specialized media already have a build of IB, I really believe that the game is not ready yet...
     
  19. meatz666

    meatz666 Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, you said everything... The marketing department can't put a price on a product that it's not finished, and release date is only set when a softhouse finally finished it's product, or already have it's product finished, but want to wait for a better timeframe...
     
  20. Pacificsun0481

    Pacificsun0481 Well-Known Member

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    Very true.

    I just need to play some Modern Combat 2, LOL!
     

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