When can we expect the first patch?

Does anyone have a clue?

There is a lot of bugs (especially with quests) to fix, small and large UI issues and balancing (trade routes...) to fix.

Do we prefer them to do everything perfect and wait or do we want a hot fix this week?

Any info from Fireaxis would be welcome...

 

I would prefer if they'd take a page from Valve's book and not release it if it's this buggy and imbalanced.

 

It could have been in a lot better shape on release day, but it has a lot of potential, so how fast will they start fulfilling that potential by giving us a patch?

 

Looking at Civ5's patch release history shows that the first technical/bugfix patch was released on 27th Sept (6 days after release) and the first major gameplay/balance patch came out 22nd Oct (31 days after release).

XCOM's release history shows us a small general patch on the 11th Oct (2 days after release) and the second patch (with minimal balance tweaks) on the 8th Nov (30 days after release). XCOM released with a fairly tight balance, though.

So, judging by Firaxis' history, I guess we'll get a bugfix patch in the next few days and probably start get meatier balance patches in a month or so.

 

Ah intresting, so this week hopefully...

 

You could say that for most gaming companies these days. Due to the internet, digital distribution, and so on, the vast majority of games, especially big pc games, released today will be released unpolished and even unfinished, with the intention to release patches, dlcs, and even an expansion to clean the game up. This decision is even made before the game is released, with expansions sometimes even being quietly developed before the base game is even on the shelves.

I don't see this changing any time soon. It's probably only going to get worse.

 

What would be better is if AAA developers could learn from Indie developers and release games that are in such a bad state as 'early release' titles.

 

I think this game is good, but there is a lot that needs to be fixed and a lot left to be desired if your expectations were high.

Thankfully, my expectations were low, so I am enjoying the game atm lol. It definitely feels like the best Civ V mod out there, which is good and problematic, if you know what I mean.

 

After today's playthrough, I think there's one thing that needs fixing more even than trade routes: stations. Do something with them, junk them, or failing that (or in the meantime) change their site selection so that they aren't landing in valuable locations they get no use from. I had a great early game on Mu Arae f - workers stalled and settlers having to divert around a rampaging siege worm, alien nests to clear that prompted me to rush Purity I before I could expand from my fertile little oasis into the surrounding resource-rich desert. All great, except...

My first batch of colonists was delayed by a station suddenly landing while they were on their way to the spot next to it to settle. New planet here, lots of land to fill - it rather breaks immersion when my main activity is not struggling against the planet, but a territorial dispute with an unarmed station that still somehow manages to deal a lot of damage to units attacking it.

Later, another - but admittedly pre-existing - station was just within the 3-tile exclusion zone for the next ideal piece of real estate. And later still, another colonist was on its way to a spot to colonise when it was gazumped by another station dropping into play.

 

Steam is downloading 176.6 MB of something for Civ BE right now. I have no idea what that might be.

 

They would all be early releases

 

I agree with almost everything you posted there, except for the tone This is the future of PC gaming, however long that future might be. The cost of making these games is astronomical now and you can be sure that the designers have to make hard choices before starting about what will be possible to do within the development span and what will have to wait. Pre-release purchases by customers probably give them a bit more time to develop a title before release. Not supporting pre-release might actually mean buggier, poorer quality games on release.

The alternative is that the developers have to extend the development period to several years with no income coming in or, more realistically, not to bother making them in the first place. Guess which I would prefer.

 

Yay! Now, where to find those patch notes?

 

Ah I can see the logic behind that. A lot of regular joes like me start to get frustrated or annoyed by it though, so it's hard to get rid of that tone entirely, especially from older gamers. I have a feeling younger gamers will start to accept it as it becomes more of the norm to the point of default, especially with the early release phenomenon on steam taking off.

 

I'm a grandpa

 

I've yet to see an indie game that has the level of depth and complexity of an AAA title.

 

Ever heard of Dwarf Fortress?

 

I don't know what dwarf fortress was like at public release, but its been in development for 12 years and still is not considered a final release.