My main gripe is that they released an unfinished product on the day they said the game was coming out. If it wasn't ready, it shouldn't be on Impulse as the final product. Period. They themselves have admitted that what was released to the manufacturer was not ready ... why else would a 0-day patch be necessary? This is sadly endemic to the games industry these days: release it broken and patch it later.
Now, that being said, I agree that it's very cool of them to put out what they had early because some retail stores broke street date. I just wish it had been clearer that that's what's going on. They also should've made it clear that what is on Impulse right now is not the final release. All this stuff about "delivery time," after the fact, is too late (especially because it's been inaccurate so far...it's 5:40pm EST as I type this and no patch in sight).
I would rather they have delayed the game a day or two until it's ready than release something that was not. Don't say it's coming out on the 24th, put out a version number greater than 1, and then complain when people expect a finished product.
To be clear, I don't regret buying this (at least not yet). I just regret expecting a finished, playable experience on release day. At this point I'm going to wait for the final product to come out (which hasn't happened yet, apparently) and come back to it.
You really have no idea how this works.
The gold version went to the manufacturer to burn the CDs and wrap the boxes at the beginning of August so that everything could be ready and to the retail stores on time. Of course there's going to be a release day patch, they have kept working on the code for all that time.
Release day in the retail sector usually means the day the product gets shipped to them, usually arriving on trucks late in the afternoon and going on the shelves the next day (at the earliest).
Regardless, to delay the game a few days as you suggest just isn't possible. A decision to delay or not had to be made back in late July and it could not have been for just a few days. Retail slots are booked many months in advance and if you miss your slot you have to book another. With the busy fall and christmas season coming, the next available slot according to the Devs was in February.
I for one am thankful that a six month delay was not needed and that the devs plan to continue supporting and patching their game for many many months to come to make it even better.
