Patch this --immediately!

[Krazikarl]

There are multiple simple ways to get around or fix the bug. You can spend less than 5 minutes fixing it, or play on standard settings instead of marathon. Since there are two absurdly easy workarounds, yes, claiming that the game is completely broken, unplayable, and a waste of $30 is being a drama queen.

Yes, in an ideal world everything would be perfect on release. And you know what? Normal settings are pretty close to ideal. Nonstandard settings need to have one number tweaked. Not a big deal at all. Settle down people.

 

[MisterBarca]

point: dont offer a feature in settings that is broken or unbalanced from day 1. to say that one shouldnyt play certain settings that are offered because they are broken means they should be fixed before being offered

Amen, brother.

Amen!

 

[Innawerkz]

point: dont offer a feature in settings that is broken or unbalanced from day 1. to say that one shouldnyt play certain settings that are offered because they are broken means they should be fixed before being offered

counter-point:

Customer: Why did you sell me spoiled milk?
Shopkeeper: Sorry sir, there is an expiration date on the tag, but I would be happy to either refund your money or wait until fresh milk arrives.
C: But why would you sell me spoiled milk.
S: That was not my intention. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I am prepared to offer you two completely reasonable options to correct this.
C: You shouldn't sell milk if all of them aren't going to be fresh & perfect when I purchase.
S: Well sir - I apologize, but whenever you buy milk, there is a possibility of it being spoiled. If you are patient I would be happy to correct this for you with two very suitable solutions.
C: You are missing my point! You shouldn't sell milk at all unless it is ALWAYS going to be fresh.
S: But, that would require keeping it highly inventoried, having less on hand for our customers during peak demand and raise costs dramatically for all of the extra labour, work and delays that would be involved. It would raise the cost of milk for EVERYBODY. So, they developed a simplified way to fix this.

For milk, it's called an expiration date.
For software, it's called a patch.

------

Yes. I am in a client-relation field and believe me when I say: Customers are not always right, reasonable or flexible.

 

[Danielos]

counter-point:

Customer: Why did you sell me spoiled milk?
Shopkeeper: Sorry sir, there is an expiration date on the tag, but I would be happy to either refund your money or wait until fresh milk arrives.
C: But why would you sell me spoiled milk.
S: That was not my intention. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I am prepared to offer you two completely reasonable options to correct this.
C: You shouldn't sell milk if all of them aren't going to be fresh & perfect when I purchase.
S: Well sir - I apologize, but whenever you buy milk, there is a possibility of it being spoiled. If you are patient I would be happy to correct this for you with two very suitable solutions.
C: You are missing my point! You shouldn't sell milk at all unless it is ALWAYS going to be fresh.
S: But, that would require keeping it highly inventoried, having less on hand for our customers during peak demand and raise costs dramatically for all of the extra labour, work and delays that would be involved. It would raise the cost of milk for EVERYBODY. So, they developed a simplified way to fix this.

For milk, it's called an expiration date.
For software, it's called a patch.

------

Yes. I am in a client-relation field and believe me when I say: Customers are not always right, reasonable or flexible.

The problem is that Software companies sell us spoiled milk over and over again. Do they ever sell fresh milk from the start anymore?

 

[Innawerkz]

The problem is that Software companies sell us spoiled milk over and over again. Do they ever sell fresh milk from the start anymore?

Then you have an option like all customers do in the face of an inferior service/product. Stop buying.

That will teach them! Then, when they stop making the game that we love, we can rejoice about 'bringing down' the lazy corporation. Really stick it to The Man!

or

...we can get the game a few months earlier, short-term finance the assured patches and work around the few glithces that are with it for the meantime.

I, for one, am quite excited that the game is this good out of box and know that future patches are quite ambitious in their changes, balances and adjustments.

 

[mrt144]

the consumer shouldnt buy milk from a shopkeeper that has spoiled milk, until fresh milk is on the shelves. but one doesnt know whether its spoiled or not or how close to spoiled it is until they get home. the shopkeeper is selling milk that may or may not be fresh but is advertising only that they have milk.

personally i find you can only take an analogy so far.

i reiterate: the solution isnt to not play available settings in the game. the solution is for firaxis to fix them, or do their best to prevent them from being broken from the start.

at the very least provide a statement that things are still buggy under certain settings and reassure us that these faults are known.

 

[mrt144]

and simply keeping quiet about scaling and balance under certain settings is not helpful. complaining about the business cycles of companies isnt helpful.

 

[Fanaza]

stop it guys im drinking milk right now

 

[klokwerk]

No, it makes perfect sense. On Marathon, the amount of food needed to move up a level is increased. Therefore, using the same unhealthiness as Normal has a much lower impact on a city.

Bh

Ok, I must admit I don't play so much on marathon. I really doubt the scale should be linear though. How much more food does it take ? (Since it's not 3 times normal speed food, there's a bug) The answer should give us the number we should put in the XML file.

 

[Bandobras Took]

point: dont offer a feature in settings that is broken or unbalanced from day 1. to say that one shouldnyt play certain settings that are offered because they are broken means they should be fixed before being offered

Counter-point: to assume that Firaxis must catch every single error before releasing the game is to hold them up to a standard of perfection that the entire human race has consistently failed to achieve throughout its history.

 

[mrt144]

Point: Firaxis should at least be aware that they should playtest the game on various settings that people will play within the course of games. there are a few that are ridiculous because of scaling that have cropped up in the first few days of release. It's hard to imagine that the bug didn't come up at all within the context of extensive of playtesting on multiple settings.

 

[Chode]

I love all the Sid apologists who rabidly defend anything Firaxis does, even if the most basic features that they ADVERTISE ON THE BOX do not work. Espionage missions are hilariously broken on marathon and unbalanced on other speeds. Corporations can utterly cripple an AI's economy because they spread them like religions.

But oh hey Firaxis is only human, they can't be expected to have something longer than a 5 minute testing process.

 

[Innawerkz]

Again: It has nothing to do with 'fanboys' or 'rabid apology'.

It is simple: This has already been reported. Clearly outlined and confirmed.

Why do we still have this issue being revisited repeatedly throughout the Forum when all that can be done - as mrt144 pointed out - is bring it to their attention and hope for the best. Done & confirmed.

For the Marathon players - admittedly I have only managed to endure one such session - it sucks that your game preference was overlooked.

 

[mrt144]

It sucks that it was overlooked and people are telling us to not play our game settings like that is a satisfactory resolution to the problem.

 

[Innawerkz]

Agreed it sucks. Can only hope it is temporary until the first patch releases.

Other people were only trying to help with alternative suggestions and workarounds. Instead of saying "Thanks, but no thanks.
or something to that effect, the labels fly and the stubborness rises.

In the end, I don't really care. I will play with the workaround for now, avoid corporations and enjoy Epic length games until a patch arises. Others can choose to continue playing a broken level and venting about how it sucks.

All the best!

 

[The Almighty dF]

It isn't just marathon, though.
Most of the game is, for lack of a better and less comical word, BORKED.

There's bugged, and then there's "Hey, this is like Morrowind. *crash* *crash* *bad AI* *crash* *huge flaw* *unbalanced* *hugeflaw* ...yep. Hey where's Fargoth?"

...If you got that reference, my apologies. Good game, but still buggier than a hotel in New Jersey.

Did they not beta test? I mean how can you release something with all of these flaws?
Were the beta testers going "I'm gonna win a conquest victory with Gandhi!" the second they got their hands on their copies? Were these people building the National Epic in their commerce city? Or avoiding researching bronze working because "Isabella seems like a nice lady. =D She won't hurt me."

 

[Underdawg]

Before I bought BTS I kept reading about the bugged "Poison Water Supply" espionage mission on Marathon, but I've played 4 games already all on Marathon (18AI Huge Marathon maps are all I play), but it doesn't exactly seem game breaking... I rarely even lose a population point because the stored food + reorganizing the tiles being worked usually solves the problem...

I still think it occurs a tad too frequently and too effectively.

 

[MisterBarca]

Counter-point: to assume that Firaxis must catch every single error before releasing the game is to hold them up to a standard of perfection that the entire human race has consistently failed to achieve throughout its history.

Give me a break. Asking them to produce a game that is not functionally-broken is hardly asking for perfection.

 

[The Almighty dF]

Agreed.

Mr. Meier, patch up these bugs!

...What? It worked for Reagan.

Seriously, what can we do to help prod them into patching already?
Any specific emails we can complain to, forum members with ties, business men in ties, anything?

Sitting around and complaining may not be the option if we're not really being heard.

 

[White Elk]

I sympathize with the OP. I wanted a game from day one. Instead.... like normal I got a game that needs serious work. I am tired of it. I have had it 5 days now and played it 2. I bought an old game of DiabloII and that game has overwhelmed my enthusiasm for Civilization. The game of Civ used to rule my kingdom. Now it sits forgotten till modders make it right. Cant trust Firaxis to patch it as they left Warlords high and dry. Espionage breakage and weak arsed balancing is just one of many. But it alone is a big bug on its own. What a shame.