"kotor news"

[Archon_Black]

Maybe LucasArts wants to delay the patch as much as possible so that Xbox people don't ask for a patch as well? (and don't get pissed for that matter) Considering the game on Xbox is pretty buggy too...

 

That would be a possibility considering they got our money, now they don't care about the customer support.

 

Or Obsidian is simply lying and do not care at all, they put only a few people working on the patch and the mass are working on NW2: the next big cash entry!

 

About George Lucas, I don't think he even knows every game that is released by LucasArts, I think LA is handled completely separatly from the movie section. He probably knows about the Episode III video game but that's about it in my opinion.

I believe that the movies are what really matters to him, the other things do not matter much: they are just some great marketing tool that allows him to gain much money and hence make the movies he wants to.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

Maybe LucasArts wants to delay the patch as much as possible so that Xbox people don't ask for a patch as well? (and don't get pissed for that matter)Considering the game on Xbox is pretty buggy too...

 

That would be a possibility considering they got our money, now they don't care about the customer support.

 

About George Lucas, I don't think he even knows every game that is released by LucasArts, I think LA is handled completely separatly from the movie section. He probably knows about the Episode III video game but that's about it in my opinion.

I believe that the movies are what really matters to him, the other things do not matter much: they are just some great marketing that allows him to gain much money and hence make the movies he wants to.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Mine worked fine. I've heard some problems with modded boxes, but I dont have any sympathy for them anyway.

 

If you look at the LA line up it's huge. I dont know if LA have to Q&A everything but they have around 10 games, maybe more due out over the next month or two across several different platforms. Including the new handhelds.

 

I was under the impression that when it came to consoles, the final say rested with the owner of the brand name.

[GhostofAnakin]

I'm not..

 

I don't know how much interest George has in that particular aspect of the business. It's kinda sad, or funny depending on your PoV. It's like when I was in school my friends were very "green". Once the reality of life hit, they ended up working for big multinationals and it all gets forgetton.

Once you become part of the machine, you start to think like the machine. The only way that would change is if you had someone at the head who actually liked to play games (most people in that position would never get the time). All you tend to see are reports and figures.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I'm still not convinced that a publisher will earn more total revenue by rushing a product rather than giving it more time to be complete. As it is now, I'm sure there are some people who haven't bough the game that probably won't because of the negative publicity its garnered. Had they given the game even another month of development/testing, those same people probably would have purchased a complete product. Not to mention the number of people returning their copies due to unplayability and such, which would also take away from Lucasarts' bottom line.

 

I know that an extra month or two of development means Lucasarts' costs also are an extra month or two more expensive, but I'm not convinced (and won't be until I see actual rev/exp charts) that the extra costs for 2 months extra development aren't vastly outweighed by the extra eventual sales when word gets around about the "complete" product.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

I'm still not convinced that a publisher will earn more total revenue by rushing a product rather than giving it more time to be complete.  As it is now, I'm sure there are some people who haven't bough the game that probably won't because of the negative publicity its garnered.  Had they given the game even another month of development/testing, those same people probably would have purchased a complete product.  Not to mention the number of people returning their copies due to unplayability and such, which would also take away from Lucasarts' bottom line.

 

I know that an extra month or two of development means Lucasarts' costs also are an extra month or two more expensive, but I'm not convinced (and won't be until I see actual rev/exp charts) that the extra costs for 2 months extra development aren't vastly outweighed by the extra eventual sales when word gets around about the "complete" product.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

It's a matter of scale. When you are talking in million a few 1000 sales dont mean a lot so word of mouth dosnt have much of an overall effect if on the other hand the game isnt a big seller, then word of mouth can make or break it.But many acclaimed games have bombed despite being raved about. Magazine reviews from what I have seen have been positive and the distribution company I have contacts with have also had positive feedback.

 

It's the holiday peroid that does it. Around 40% more software is sold over the holiday period. And LA saw the US/Xbox as taking the lions share in the sales, or the EU version would not have been at all feasable before localisation.

 

You have to remember that the US Xbox was released in december and this lot didnt come to light till the PC version was released. So any fallout over this really makes no difference. It's like LA have made their killing and gotten out of dodge.

 

As an aside I've played many "complete" products that still left the same questions, if not more.

 

Much longer in development and you also get clashes with the current prequel lineup. LA's big darkhorse seems to have been merceneries. Not had a chance to see it myself yet but it's on the eventual rental list.

[Jellybelly]

Let us hope there is a chance that they may take the time to consider a content patch after the Episode III game is out. I don't see it as impossible.

 

Then again, I am a hopeless romantic.

[GhostofAnakin]

It's the holiday peroid that does it. Around 40% more software is sold over the holiday period. And LA saw the US/Xbox as taking the lions share in the sales, or the EU version would not have been at all feasable before localisation.

 

You have to remember that the US Xbox was released in december and this lot didnt come to light till the PC version was released. So any fallout over this really makes no difference. It's like LA have made their killing and gotten out of dodge.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I was talking about the PC version and how another month or so could have eliminated 90% of the bugs that currently infest it. Obviously any cut material is a different matter, but just in terms of actual bugs and whatnot, another month, IMO could have ironed them out, while at the same time not hurting Lucasarts' bottom line all that much while preserving the Star Wars brand name all this fallout.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

I was talking about the PC version and how another month or so could have eliminated 90% of the bugs that currently infest it.  Obviously any cut material is a different matter, but just in terms of actual bugs and whatnot, another month, IMO could have ironed them out, while at the same time not hurting Lucasarts' bottom line all that much while preserving the Star Wars brand name all this fallout.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

When it comes to bugs the PC is a lost cause. It's just not feasable to test every configuration and every software setup.

 

I've only played the Xbox but I've had enough experience of PC's to realise it.

 

The only bug of note I came across was the airspeeder not triggering scenes. And the robe thing, but was really just common sense not to exploit it. "

[GhostofAnakin]

When it comes to bugs the PC is a lost cause. It's just not feasable to test every configuration and every software setup.

 

I've only played the Xbox but I've had enough experience of PC's to realise it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I guess when the patch is finally released we'll see just how much an extra month or so of testing can accomplish in terms of bugs. If this patch fixes the majority of the technical issues, then I'd say it's a good bet that my theory was correct about another month or 2 of development/testing being all that was needed to avoid the backlash.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

I guess when the patch is finally released we'll see just how much an extra month or so of testing can accomplish in terms of bugs.  If this patch fixes the majority of the technical issues, then I'd say it's a good bet that my theory was correct about another month or 2 of development/testing being all that was needed to avoid the backlash.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

It dosnt work that way. The best way to find bugs is to release the game. It's like having 1000's of unpaid testers because people love to come along and complain of what they found.

 

An extra month of testing with a small pool of testers dosnt have the same result.

You cant fix bugs you dont know about and the only way that you get to know about them is by releasing the game. Unless of course you already have your patch ready anyway which is a bit cynical.

[WoT]

LA knew of at least one problem before they released it cause they warn you about it in thr read.me file.

[kirottu]

Though frankly, given rushing the product was what caused trouble in the first place, all this bitching about Obsidian and LA not rushing the patch release seems pretty asinine to me.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

:D Heh. It

[Judge Hades]

In my ever so humble opinion there is absolutely no freaking excuse to have bugs on a Console game. The whole point of the console that each console has the same configuration. The same hardware. The same level of drivers and OS. The point of this uniformity is to limit bugs next to nil.

 

LucasArts QA failed in their task and such a great failure such as the X-Box release of KotOR 2 every member of the QA staff for the X Box should be fired. If I was their boss and they messed up that badly they would be getting the pink slip faster than you can say "Yoda's beatin' stick."

[FortranDragon]

LucasArts QA failed in their task and such a great failure such as the X-Box release of KotOR 2 every member of the QA staff for the X Box should be fired.  If I was their boss and they messed up that badly they would be getting the pink slip faster than you can say "Yoda's beatin' stick."

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Thou hath lost an eighth!, err, Dark side points gained. ;-)

 

 

And if QA got over-ruled by someone higher in the organization at LucasArts? Someone else makes the ship/no-ship decision...

[Judge Hades]

Then that person should get fired along with the QA staff.

[FortranDragon]

Then that person should get fired along with the QA staff.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

And if the QA staff was saying that it wasn't ready to ship?

[Judge Hades]

I don't deal with ifs only with what actually happens.

[FaramirK]

Then that person should get fired along with the QA staff.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Since you don't deal in ifs and only with what "actually happened", and probably don't know what exactly happened concerning the QA mess up (if it exists), you probably shouldn't run around looking for heads to roll. Mistakes happen. I never hear people cry so loud for so long when they waste they're money on a bad movie/meal experience. Lets just wait and see what the patch brings. It may turn out good in the end. NWN sure did.

[Judge Hades]

NWN only turned "good" due to the obsessive community and nothing else.

[FaramirK]

NWN only turned "good" due to the obsessive community and nothing else.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I disagree. Bioware released a torrent of patches that really helped (eventually). They looked after us well. All NWN 1.0 needs to be a great, great game is to be patched up to 1.65, which is all Bioware and no community. I think your statement is alittle exaggerated. I agree with you however, that the community truely blessed NWN with tremendous replayability with its CEP.

[Judge Hades]

No, NWN needs a decent game in it to be playable which it didn't. NWN can't stand by itself, it wasn't designed to.

[FaramirK]

No, NWN needs a decent game in it to be playable which it didn't.  NWN can't stand by itself, it wasn't designed to.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Why can't NWN stand by itself? The OC was great, SoU was great, and HotU was great. You can play those three BIOWARE games, be satisfied, and then move on to a new game without ever having to have downloaded a single byte from NWVault. I know because I have done so. Later, I added CEP and NWVault modules, and they enhanced an already great, complete, game.

[DarthWeevil]

NWN only turned "good" due to the obsessive community and nothing else.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Corr well maybe KOTOR2 won't be the heap of crap you keep pointing out it is forever, cos I reckon SW fans are at LEAST as obsessive as D&D fans. I should know, I'm both.

[FaramirK]

NWN only turned "good" due to the obsessive community and nothing else.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Corr well maybe KOTOR2 won't be the heap of crap you keep pointing out it is forever, cos I reckon SW fans are at LEAST as obsessive as D&D fans. I should know, I'm both.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Well, in Hades_One's defense, NWN seems alot easier to community fix than KOTOR 2, but maybe I speak out of ignorance. I'm no programmer.

[DarthWeevil]

NWN only turned "good" due to the obsessive community and nothing else.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Corr well maybe KOTOR2 won't be the heap of crap you keep pointing out it is forever, cos I reckon SW fans are at LEAST as obsessive as D&D fans. I should know, I'm both.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Well, in Hades_One's defense, NWN seems alot easier to community fix than KOTOR 2, but maybe I speak out of ignorance. I'm no programmer.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I'd imagine more due to Lucasarse content owenership standing than any real issues with the engine, seeing as its basically the same. Anyway i was just teasing :D

[Judge Hades]

NWN OC was great?!?!?! What the hell are you smoking? It was average at best.

 

Also I don't think that KotOR 2 is a heap of crap. Only the ending is a heap of crap.