Delayed to early 2015

[Malignacious]

I will probably be playing the besheezus out of DA:I from late November 

 

I'm planning on replaying Dragon Age 1 and 2. I always like to have a good 3 month lag(at least) before I try any new release, so all the critical bugs are patched and major DLCs are released.

[karelia]

 

I will probably be playing the besheezus out of DA:I from late November 

 

I'm planning on replaying Dragon Age 1 and 2. I always like to have a good 3 month lag(at least) before I try any new release, so all the critical bugs are patched and major DLCs are released.

I tend to play the original immediately and enjoy the excitement of discovering everything with friends/online people, then leave a big gap until all the dlc has been released and play through again. This is useful to me because often the DLC is different in quality to the original - either slightly better or worse - or might change the balance/experience of the original. Both policies are good! ^__^

[hollowcrown]

Can't say I didn't expect another delay, but disappointed anyway, even if its for the best.

[rjshae]

Perfect is the enemy of good. If they took at the time they needed, we'd never see it. It just needs to be good enough.

[Elzarath]

*checks inbox*

 

Nope. Sure enough, just like the first delay I had to find out about this delay via a third party website instead of from Obsidian directly because it is obviously too much to ask as a loyal backer to be kept informed and updated on important project news.

 

I don't mind the delay. That's fine. But the communication is piss poor at best. Very doubtful I'd ever back another Obsidian game. They don't care about their backers so why should I care about them?

 

/rant

Pretty much my thoughts.

[Quantics]

*checks inbox*

 

Nope. Sure enough, just like the first delay I had to find out about this delay via a third party website instead of from Obsidian directly because it is obviously too much to ask as a loyal backer to be kept informed and updated on important project news.

 

I don't mind the delay. That's fine. But the communication is piss poor at best. Very doubtful I'd ever back another Obsidian game. They don't care about their backers so why should I care about them?

 

/rant

 

Whiners be whining. 

 

 

EDIT: also, how is a post from the devs on the official forums NOT hearing from Obsidian directly? seriously guys...

Edited October 2, 2014 by Quantics

[ManifestedISO]

Saw this in the new Bucky Barnes comic:

 

"Simplicity, Patience, Compassion ... these three are your greatest treasures. Simple in actions and thoughts--you return to the source of being. Patient with both friends and enemies--you accord with the way things are. Compassionate towards yourself--you reconcile all beings in the world."

 

Works when applied to a game delay ... am still waiting to see if it helps me reconcile how badly people drive. 

[Elerond]

 

*checks inbox*

 

Nope. Sure enough, just like the first delay I had to find out about this delay via a third party website instead of from Obsidian directly because it is obviously too much to ask as a loyal backer to be kept informed and updated on important project news.

 

I don't mind the delay. That's fine. But the communication is piss poor at best. Very doubtful I'd ever back another Obsidian game. They don't care about their backers so why should I care about them?

 

/rant

 

Whiners be whining. 

 

 

EDIT: also, how is a post from the devs on the official forums NOT hearing from Obsidian directly? seriously guys...

 

 

They are KS backers, so I would guess that they would like to get news about delay in KS update instead of this forum. And I can't fault them doing so as PoE is KS project and major information such as delays should be given for backers in KS updates. Although I believe that next KS update will include that information and forum message was to give backers that read this forum heads up about delay.

[Leferd]

It's a good call to delay, especially when an overwhelming majority (based on a sampling of forum posts on this thread) are in support of it.

[Rumsteak]

Good news! Would be even more relieved if they could stretch the definition of "early 2015" to April/May 2015.

 

Hope the devs will take their time, have good nights of sleep, and take excessiiiiiiiiively long holidays.

Good occasion for them to reflect on things, take a good step back (especially from the constant forum flood), think out of the box, and produce something that will be an inspiration for us all.

[Matt516]

Take yer time, Obsidian.

[BAdler]

 

 

So, Brandon, Steam Early Access release on the original release date? You know you want to.

I really don't want to. =)

 

I don't think we are going down that route. I don't make the final decision on it, but I don't think it is in the cards for us.

 

OK, I hope Paradox's new percentage isn't too harsh (assumptions.jpg ).

 

You guys did seem to be very very eager to release the game this year and very sure that you would, and I have to wonder why.

 

 

We were really pushing for a release this year because we felt it was possible. I still think we could have done it if we needed to, but it would have been a death march for the team, it would have lacked polish, and it likely would have been a buggy experience. We want Eternity to be good. We all have a lot of pride in what we do. Plus, we want to give the backers a game that they can be proud to have backed.

[Gairnulf]

I am glad of the fact the game is being delayed. I am very unhappy of the fact that my suspicions about the state of the game, based on what I saw in the beta, were correct. I feel sorry I spent the extra money on the beta access in the first place. The lesson I take is to be more confident about the accuracy of my first impressions. I suspect they have made the decision about the new delay first and foremost as a result of the disappointed reactions that came from the beta in the state in which it was released. I assume this pushed them to the conclusion that simply polishing the beta won't suffice, and I dread to think all they plan to do up to release is plug the holes in the beta and nothing more. Personally, I find the official announcement's wording unsettling and lacking confidence. My read is as follows:

 

 

 

Through your help and feedback, the Pillars of Eternity team has spent the past two years creating a fun, fulfilling experience. An open development has enabled us to interact with our fans and backers in a way we weren't able to in the past, and this has really helped shape Eternity into a game that we all hoped it would become.

(Reiterate the company line we've already said in every possible interview and presentation, we fear they might start losing confidence after we announce a second delay, after we claimed we were releasing it this year after our first delay)

 

 

 

]Plus, with the Backer Beta, we have been able to get excellent feedback from our backers that we are using to shape Eternity into an even better game. We really can't thank you enough.

(We gave them the beta to test their reaction - hmm, apparently no way to release the game in this state without them noticing. Oh man I hope we didn't set too high expectations for this...)

 

 

 

To incorporate as much feedback as possible, polish every nook and cranny of the game, and make sure we don't ship a buggy game, Obsidian has decided to push the game's release into early next year.

(We are behind schedule with a part of the development cycle that's obligatory - testing and bugfixing, but let's look for the regular cliche where we promise them that our catching up to "Gold" state will give them more than they would have gotten from a release made at "Gold" state.)

 

We are going to use the extra time to make Eternity shine for our backers, and a game that we were proud to call our own and would live up to your expectations.

(We need to communicate that the game we will release will be better than we had originally planned, thanks to the delay, and that's why we're taking the extra time - certainly not because we're behind schedule, no way)

 

I may be too pessimistic here. I sure hope I turn out to have been such.

[ManifestedISO]

Beyond pessimism, that's picking nits like a crazed man-bear-pig.

[BAdler]

I am glad of the fact the game is being delayed. I am very unhappy of the fact that my suspicions about the state of the game, based on what I saw in the beta, were correct. I feel sorry I spent the extra money on the beta access in the first place. The lesson I take is to be more confident about the accuracy of my first impressions. I suspect they have made the decision about the new delay first and foremost as a result of the disappointed reactions that came from the beta in the state in which it was released. I assume this pushed them to the conclusion that simply polishing the beta won't suffice, and I dread to think all they plan to do up to release is plug the holes in the beta and nothing more. Personally, I find the official announcement's wording unsettling and lacking confidence. My read is as follows:

 

 

 

Through your help and feedback, the Pillars of Eternity team has spent the past two years creating a fun, fulfilling experience. An open development has enabled us to interact with our fans and backers in a way we weren't able to in the past, and this has really helped shape Eternity into a game that we all hoped it would become.

(Reiterate the company line we've already said in every possible interview and presentation, we fear they might start losing confidence after we announce a second delay, after we claimed we were releasing it this year after our first delay)

 

 

 

]Plus, with the Backer Beta, we have been able to get excellent feedback from our backers that we are using to shape Eternity into an even better game. We really can't thank you enough.

(We gave them the beta to test their reaction - hmm, apparently no way to release the game in this state without them noticing. Oh man I hope we didn't set too high expectations for this...)

 

 

 

To incorporate as much feedback as possible, polish every nook and cranny of the game, and make sure we don't ship a buggy game, Obsidian has decided to push the game's release into early next year.

(We are behind schedule with a part of the development cycle that's obligatory - testing and bugfixing, but let's look for the regular cliche where we promise them that our catching up to "Gold" state will give them more than they would have gotten from a release made at "Gold" state.)

 

We are going to use the extra time to make Eternity shine for our backers, and a game that we were proud to call our own and would live up to your expectations.

(We need to communicate that the game we will release will be better than we had originally planned, thanks to the delay, and that's why we're taking the extra time - certainly not because we're behind schedule, no way)

 

I may be too pessimistic here. I sure hope I turn out to have been such.

 

I think you are being too pessimistic here and are attributing things to us that aren't true. We are genuine in our want to make this game a great experience and we realize that we need more time to do so. We want to be proud in what we release and make backers happy that they backed the game. Nothing nefarious in what we are saying.

 

Also, the feedback from the beta is gold. Not necessarily the bug reports - those are helpful, but our QA team has identified many of those issues - but we really get a lot out of seeing how people are playing the game. Seeing what people find enjoyable or things that are frustrating is very helpful for us. Keep in mind that, as developers, we don't always get to see the game in the same light as an end user. We try to put ourselves in the shoes of the player, but we have a different perspective on things.

 

The basic message is that we need additional time to get the game to where we want it to be. We are grateful that we have the time to do that.

[Bryy]

Just further proof that they're rushing the game, u_u...

 

*puffs away at his bubble pipe*=

Oh, you.

[Hiro Protagonist II]

Top decision from Obsidian. I'm hoping for a late Spring or preferably Summer 2015 release. The game needs more work and hopefully the backer feedback continues to help improve the game. There's been a lot of great feedback. Also, I hope this has put the team in a more relaxed position without having the looming deadline bearing down on you.

 

And I see Lephys and Bryy can't help but troll this thread too with their sarcasm.

Edited October 3, 2014 by Hiro Protagonist II

[DCParry]

Yet to wade through the thread, but I might have a minority opinion here. 

 

I am deeply disappointed in this. The inability to stick to their schedule makes me feel more and more unsure about this game. I want this to be a good game, but endless cycles of development do a good game automatically make. 

 

Obsidisan had a chance to really stand out among the various Kickstarter developers and raise the bar. I know that isn't their job, but I am still disappointed that they can't make their own schedule. I just hope this isn't indicative of greater issues being under the wide rubric of polishing. 

[Bryy]

The inability to stick to their schedule makes me feel more and more unsure about this game. I want this to be a good game, but endless cycles of development do a good game automatically make. 

 

Obsidisan had a chance to really stand out among the various Kickstarter developers and raise the bar. I know that isn't their job, but I am still disappointed that they can't make their own schedule.

They've stuck to a pretty good schedule so far. If they stuck to schedule, they'd know they'd be pushing out a game that is not ready. 

[Infinitron]

Challenge: Try to think of an RPG - one single RPG - that wasn't delayed. 

Edited October 3, 2014 by Infinitron

[Ieo]

It's kind of a Catch 22. On one hand, extending the release date increases expenses and may damage goodwill (the announcement wasn't posted to KS yet so who knows if, once it does, more backers will flock here to air opinions), and on the other hand, releasing something buggy wouldn't help Obsidian's already-questionable-reputation-according-to-some, which would definitely harm goodwill AND not help retail sales either. In terms of those risks, delaying seems the better risk.

 

Only the people at the helm with financial and market data can make the best call for this project, and the one thing we can assume about the decision-making process for release date is that the company definitely wants to do this as well as possible; raising the bar, in this case, means releasing with polish.

[Oerwinde]

Not surprising and not disappointing. I have a giant backlog to play through anyway, so I won't lack stuff to play. The first build of the beta was atrocious, didn't expect it to get out this year.

[Ink Blot]

I think you are being too pessimistic here and are attributing things to us that aren't true. We are genuine in our want to make this game a great experience and we realize that we need more time to do so. We want to be proud in what we release and make backers happy that they backed the game. Nothing nefarious in what we are saying.

 

Also, the feedback from the beta is gold. Not necessarily the bug reports - those are helpful, but our QA team has identified many of those issues - but we really get a lot out of seeing how people are playing the game. Seeing what people find enjoyable or things that are frustrating is very helpful for us. Keep in mind that, as developers, we don't always get to see the game in the same light as an end user. We try to put ourselves in the shoes of the player, but we have a different perspective on things.

 

The basic message is that we need additional time to get the game to where we want it to be. We are grateful that we have the time to do that.

 

Brandon, I assume there are still going to be regular Beta updates, yes?

[Hiro Protagonist II]

 

Brandon, I assume there are still going to be regular Beta updates, yes?

 

I'd assume there will be beta updates for the next few months. Hopefully, an update every couple of weeks. But I would like to see a little more added to the beta. Maybe another area or side quest.

[BAdler]

 

I think you are being too pessimistic here and are attributing things to us that aren't true. We are genuine in our want to make this game a great experience and we realize that we need more time to do so. We want to be proud in what we release and make backers happy that they backed the game. Nothing nefarious in what we are saying.

 

Also, the feedback from the beta is gold. Not necessarily the bug reports - those are helpful, but our QA team has identified many of those issues - but we really get a lot out of seeing how people are playing the game. Seeing what people find enjoyable or things that are frustrating is very helpful for us. Keep in mind that, as developers, we don't always get to see the game in the same light as an end user. We try to put ourselves in the shoes of the player, but we have a different perspective on things.

 

The basic message is that we need additional time to get the game to where we want it to be. We are grateful that we have the time to do that.

 

Brandon, I assume there are still going to be regular Beta updates, yes?

 

Yup. We would still like to put out a new beta build every few weeks. Even if we don't have big changes to systems things should get more and more stable over time.