5000, mother boards, 10,000 video cards, Windows XP, VISTA, 7 , 32 bit 64 bit 20,000 drivers both sound and video, 3000 sound cards, numerous install methods = billions of hardware software combinations. Direct X 9,10,11. The list goes on and on. Of course there will be patches. Then you get to deal with game issues.
I think a new patch/update was just released!
- Thread starter hardcore_gamer
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Thoughtful Thug
Deity
Yeah you are right about that. I am waiting impatiently about whether we will get mods or not. If...
I am for one not going to buy DLCs. Expansions maybe.
paradigmx
Say yes to Steam
- Joined
- Nov 24, 2009
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I'd actually rather get smaller patches that fix a few issues over time than massive patches that fix a lot of issues and end up creating a lot more issues.
Small, frequent patches have a better chance of fixing issues without creating new ones.
Small, frequent patches have a better chance of fixing issues without creating new ones.
Yeah, if this is the thing where you could change the production of puppets from the economic view, I hope they fixed them building barracks and armory too, otherwise it just eliminated the way for me to stop puppets murdering me through maintenance.
It's ALWAYS about money, is it not? Again I really don't understand the train of thought. These aren't non-profit organizations. They're large corporations. As technology/methods of delivery change, their business model is going to change.
I just don't appreciate the blanket assumption that if DLC didn't exist, all the things that are released as DLC would be on the disc to begin with. You do NOT know that, no one does. It's just an easy argument to make after the fact to try and support your point when in reality you cannot know whether or not it's the truth. Whenever I would read interviews with developers in the past, before DLC, it was always "We couldn't get that in the first game, so we'll try to get it in the sequel." Well....now there is DLC, which can allow a developer to update a game and increase its shelf life if people so CHOOSE to buy it.
I guess the thing that gets me the most about it is that people talk as if DLC is required. It's not. Not by a long shot. And it seems like so often the same people who complain about DLC are people who are right there buying it. As someone who has absolutely no problem with DLC, I've rarely ever bought any of it. Expansion packs for PC games? Yes. I've bought many of them. But the small, intermittent DLC that's released for console (and I guess PC now too) games? I bet I haven't spent more than $75 total on it since it's started. And I don't see that as a big deal, at all.
It's totally, completely optional. And if anything they are mini-expansion packs for games, which like I've said have existed forever. I just don't see the big deal because it's been around forever anyway.
Beardy Dan
Warlord
- Joined
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- 150
BobTheTerrible
Just Another Bob
If? You can already download mods with the ingame mod browser, and yes, some mods already exist.
This, twice.
Especially in a game like Civ where every minor tweak has a potential of causing alot of havoc.
I also think that core game issue fixing patches will be available to anyone who purchased the game with their full money. You will ONLY pay for extra content (Extra leaders, additional game features that were never announced in vanilla and has been added etc'). Which is more than justified.
Thoughtful Thug
Deity
I swear to god that maybe a tiny fraction of all the apologists here work in the gaming industry. It is just me or my tin foil hat doing the thinking?
Bob. Show me where you see a mod that is an exact duplicate, or better version of the Babylon DLC. I am talking about whenever they release a DLC, someone in the modding community has also release a mod that is better or similar to it.
paradigmx
Say yes to Steam
- Joined
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- 205
prior to DLC and the Internet, we got the game... that's all, thats it, that was the whole package, you want more, buy our expansion, you want more for free, do it yourself.
With the rise of the Internet, we got nice little patches, they didn't add content, they just fixed bugs and issues, they made some games playable when before they weren't, and yet, people complained that the game should have been perfect out of the box, they complained that they had to download something to fix their games.
Then the modding scene started budding and people got used to the idea of being able to expand their games beyond the experience they got right out of the box, developers began supporting these efforts by releasing SDKs and information pertaining to the game.
Then some Developers decided that they would release their own additions to the game afterwards, developers doing this knew they would take a hit, but in the hopes that it might drive a few more sales they persisted, the modding community for most games was horrified because it's not exactly easy for a few armchair programmers and designers to compete with paid professionals, but eventually it was accepted.
Today, developers know that their customers are willing to spend a few bucks on those additions, this allows them to devote more time to post-production additions to games that would have never seen the light of day in the past due to budget constraints.
It is up to you as a consumer to decide if those additions are worth the price they are asking for then, if it is, then the point is moot, if not, then you vote with your dollar and don't buy it, it really is as simple as that.
With the rise of the Internet, we got nice little patches, they didn't add content, they just fixed bugs and issues, they made some games playable when before they weren't, and yet, people complained that the game should have been perfect out of the box, they complained that they had to download something to fix their games.
Then the modding scene started budding and people got used to the idea of being able to expand their games beyond the experience they got right out of the box, developers began supporting these efforts by releasing SDKs and information pertaining to the game.
Then some Developers decided that they would release their own additions to the game afterwards, developers doing this knew they would take a hit, but in the hopes that it might drive a few more sales they persisted, the modding community for most games was horrified because it's not exactly easy for a few armchair programmers and designers to compete with paid professionals, but eventually it was accepted.
Today, developers know that their customers are willing to spend a few bucks on those additions, this allows them to devote more time to post-production additions to games that would have never seen the light of day in the past due to budget constraints.
It is up to you as a consumer to decide if those additions are worth the price they are asking for then, if it is, then the point is moot, if not, then you vote with your dollar and don't buy it, it really is as simple as that.
Blame the governor.
With the 21st being "Sid Meiers Civilization V day", there was not really an option for it.
This game would have needed a month more for bug fixing, obviously.
paradigmx
Say yes to Steam
- Joined
- Nov 24, 2009
- Messages
- 205
So vote with our dollars AND our votes?
This is getting confusing now...
Thus is the blessing and curse of living in a Democratic Capitalist nation.
Thoughtful Thug
Deity
So vote with our dollars AND our votes?
This is getting confusing now...
Kinda hard to tell if you are joking or not.
It means that to stop them from making games people will not like, then vote by not paying them.
EmpireOfCats
Death to Giant Robots
Well, yes. This is what the non-Steam-haters here have been trying to point out: They can just send as many little patches out as they like, as often as they like, instead of having to bundle them up in one package. Nice, huh.
duxup
Prince
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2001
- Messages
- 385
I like Steam, but arguably this is also because the game needs a lot of hotfixes, not just because they can do it.
Civ V was most likely released with a lot of fixes in mind, but keep in mind that having a crew like the developers of Civ V have is RIDICULOUSLY expensive. Firaxis released the game with many fixes and bugs most likely in mind, but when it would be playable by the public. Because the consumers don't know how good the game will be before they buy it, to some extent, they will buy it anyway. Especially me, a long time fan base. So they get a boost of funds from those who buy it immediately, which will most likely relieve a lot of stress on the developers. Now they continue working on the game after the first wave of consumers has died down and they have a good supply of cash to fund them. After a series of patches there will be another wave of such consumers who want the game when it has been refined more. And this will continue using a variety of methods such as DLC, steam deals, and other publicity maneuvers. It's all about marketing and money.
A lot of bugs and exploits aren't caught by the testing team, but by the community. It's more than just the community size, it's also that testers are worse because they're biased from seeing the game come together. The community's come up with some crazy crap in the first week that I could see easily slipping by.
