The game will be great in X months!

from Elemental Forums

I'm reposting this reply from another thread.

It seems to me that most of the rationalizations of the horrible release state of Elemental take the form of, 'wait 2 - 4 - 6 months and it will be a great game' or 'sure, it needs a few patches, but when it gets them, move over Civ 5!'.  One would think it is like a mathematical formula, 'wait 6 months = great game', like 2+2=4, that absolutely cannot be argued with.  Well, I'm gonna argue it.

Before I get started, I'm going to assume, for the sake of argument, that there *really is* a good game buried underneath the numerous bugs, imbalances, and broken mechanics.  I for one have my doubts, but let's assume that there really is an 8.5 game in there.  Even if this is the case:

1. Who knows, the 'final' game that finally gets patched may not coincide with the imaginary great game that you have in your head that is gonna be here in 4 months or whatever.  That is certainly a possibility, considering everyone has their own personal opinion as to what makes a good game.  So for a certain % of players, the 'equation' 'time + patches = good game' will not be true.  Unless you think that the 'patched' Elemental will be all things to all players, of course.

2. Look at the work load.  The Out of Memory, CTD problems.  Magic needs to be redone.  Weapon balance needs looking at.  Combat system needs overhauling.  Tactical combat needs a complete redo.  The UI could use a lot of love.  Synergy of the different systems not clear to the player.  All these changes need to be thoroughly tested before release, as there is no sense in compounding the original mistake by releasing patches which break the game even more.   And when that's all done, dear god, that disgrace of a campaign needs a coat of paint and a tune up.  To top it off, the devs are under pressure to make good on a botched release, the fans clamoring for their patches daily.  Not an ideal situation.

3. And most important, patching a game is a human undertaking.  There are no guarantees.  Things can happen, even given the best goodwill and desire to do right in the world.  Situations can change.  People can even make bad decisions.  It's been known to happen.

A fellow musician friend of mine once said, 'the gig's not over till after you've spent the money'.  I honestly hope and pray (since I've already spent the money) that if there is a great game lurking within, it manages to come out.  But I'll believe it when I see it, not before.

elemental
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Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

Hello, troll.

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

I agree with much of what you have said.

A few points:

1) I don't think the campaign will receive any support - this is a sandbox game and I think 90% of us want a great random fantasy TBS-strategy-RPG hybrid.  If I'm wrong - posters will contradict me.

2) Arcanum was a game that was panned as 'buggy as hell' etc. but, 10 years later I'm still playing it on a regular basis b/c patches have fixed it and it truly is an amazing game underneath.

However, #2 waits to be seen with Elemental. 

I do understand your frustration - and share much of it, although I know in my heart I'm "in SD corner" I also know they've released one hell of a mess and the verdict is out on whether it will be redeemed or not....

For those who bought a game - they have every right to expect just that: a fully functioning game - so the vitriol and anger is understandable.

J

Groupy 2 - Organize multiple applications into grouped tabs on your Windows desktop
Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

I hardy see how mine is a troll post.  I used logic to deconstruct an attitude I see a lot here.  I even assumed there was an 8.5 game within, if you had bothered to read the post in the first place.  I expressed my wish that the game is finally patched to playable goodness.  No name calling or personal attacks in the post.  Please stay on topic, thank you.

 

 

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

I hardy see how mine is a troll post.  I used logic to deconstruct an attitude I see a lot here.  I even assumed there was an 8.5 game within, if you had bothered to read the post in the first place.  I expressed my wish that the game is finally patched to playable goodness.  No name calling or personal attacks in the post.  Please stay on topic, thank you.

 

 

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

I hardy see how mine is a troll post.  I used logic to deconstruct an attitude I see a lot here.  I even assumed there was an 8.5 game within, if you had bothered to read the post in the first place.  I expressed my wish that the game is finally patched to playable goodness.  No name calling or personal attacks in the post.  Please stay on topic, thank you.

 

 

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

Against my better judgment, I'll take the bait.

1) You are right about one thing, everyone does seem to think that their idealized perfect game is just a few patches away. Everyone, understandably, has a different opinion of what that game is. What actually makes this possible is the ease of modding this game. So, if you have half a brain, and are willing to put in a few hours of work, you can change the mechanics to whatever your little heart desires. Elemental is actually fairly unique in this respect.

2) I agree, most posters would agree, and Stardock just happens to agree. But, see #3.

3) The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Thankfully, Stardock has a great track record of taking care of their games post release. Just look at the GalCiv series. Just for kicks, play GCII completely unpatched vs. GCII: TA. If you can't see the drastic differences, you might have bigger problems than being dissapointed in a computer game. Granted, there's two expansion packs here, but SD has already promised a free expansion pack to everyone who gets the game in its unpatched state.

I'm hopeful. The CEO, by all appearances is a stand-up guy, is taking his promise to make this a great game to heart.