Why Firaxis hold back Civ5 info?
- Thread starter hclass
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frekk
Scourge of St. Lawrence
There is no marketing strategy they can adopt that will prevent me from delaying purchase. I do not wait to see what critics are saying - I have to see for myself and actually I don't even want to know what critics think, I'd like to come to the game with no preconceptions about it. I wait because then when I purchase, the worst bugs will have been patched (plus there will also be alot of graphics, map scripts, scripts, and full mods already available).
This isn't a marketing failure, it's a failure to deliver a complete and finished product on release date. It's not Firaxis' fault, it's become an industry standard and to survive, companies have to do that now.
Immagine:
Firaxis:
We have the confidence that CIV5 is released with no major bugs, be it hardware incompatibility problem or software programming error... blah blah blah...
2K:
To show how serious we are in the quality of CIV5 when it is first released, so, anyone who can find us a confirmed and reproducable bug will get a full refund of CIV5 plus all its subsequent expansion packs FOC.
The above should sound very interesting to buyer like you who want to delay buying for all those reasons you have mentioned.
AH ha Ha HA... why don't they just employ me as the marketing head...
Oh! Poor, poor game industry, I pity you. You have to do all the sinful things to survive...
Yes! (brother, I see your point)
It is not sinful practice, it should be named "industry standard".
And
Yes! (brother, you are right)
It is not Firaxis's fault, it is you and I, we consumers have to be blamed for pushing them too hard.
frekk
Scourge of St. Lawrence
The above should sound very interesting to buyer like you who want to delay buying for all those reasons you have mentioned.
AH ha Ha HA... why don't they just employ me as the marketing head...
No, it wouldn't sound interesting, it would sound like an outright lie. You'd be pulling a Molyneux, which would not endear me to your product at all.
Immagine I am the marketing head of CIV5:
See. See. Look at yourself...
You have just pushed me too much! Do you want me to promise pulling back every copy of CIV5 and re-delivered a corrected one, just like what TOYOTA has done recently!
(Btw, Toyota never claim what they have done as an industrial standard.)
frekk
Scourge of St. Lawrence
It's nothing that Firaxis is doing wrong that causes me to wait, and there's nothing they can do about it. I'm just not that impatient. There are lots of reasons for me to wait, patches etc are just a few - for example, I'm not upgrading my computer just for civ5. What's Firaxis going to do - buy me a new computer? Tailor the specs to my obsolete one that I'll be replacing soon?
Do you see?
By pretending I am the marketing head of CIV5, I have helped you to figure out the actual and sole reason for delay buying...
I mean, it is not bugs to be patched (which obviousty is Firaxis's "wrong doing") or something else, it is your PC is already too old.
The fact is you are not a potential buyer, at least not an immedaite one when the game is first released.
I am sorry, but marketing strategy can only be applied on someone who is inside the market not outisde... sigh!
frekk
Scourge of St. Lawrence
Of course I am a potential immediate buyer ... I just choose not to be one. There's no reason why I can't immediately upgrade my computer just for civ5. Lots of people who buy the game will be doing exactly that.
It's just a personal decision not to. Marketing is about changing people's purchase decisions. What good is a marketing campaign that only sells to people who have already decided to immediately purchase?
Trias
Donkey with three behinds
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It would also delay release of the game by about a year or so, which will piss off a lot of other potential buyers. Of course, there are companies who (more or less) go that route. But even companies like Blizzard that delay release until there confident about the quality of their product after mass beta testing the product for half a year, cannot guarantee a bug free product. For example, blizzard is anticipating releasing a day one patch for SC2.Immagine:
Firaxis:
We have the confidence that CIV5 is released with no major bugs, be it hardware incompatibility problem or software programming error... blah blah blah...
2K:
To show how serious we are in the quality of CIV5 when it is first released, so, anyone who can find us a confirmed and reproducable bug will get a full refund of CIV5 plus all its subsequent expansion packs FOC.
The above should sound very interesting to buyer like you who want to delay buying for all those reasons you have mentioned.
AH ha Ha HA... why don't they just employ me as the marketing head...
Bug free software simply does not exist beyond a certain level of complexity.
EmpireOfCats
Death to Giant Robots
I certainly don't see that with Diablo III. They are giving out tons of info, including stuff people don't like (like no Necromancer), and not only getting feedback, but also giving everybody a chance to get used to some of the new ideas (no Necromancer). This way, people look forward to the OMG features, get all excited, and know more about the game when it comes out, so the aren't blinded by the lack of features everybody would otherwise expect (did I mention that there won't be a Necromancer?).
This would be a perfect fit for Firaxis, too, because the game is complex and so many things have been changed (hexes, no religion) while some things are the same (still no Necromancer) and others we look forward to (hexes).
Executive summary: This is bad marketing on Firaxis' part. They should include the community as early as possible.
Trias
Donkey with three behinds
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Blizzard is the textbook example of IV drip info marketing. At the time of the announcement blizzard released less actual info about the game than firaxis did now with civ4. Overtime, they have been slowly releasing new data, to keep the community and media buzz alive. They have been doing this for what is it now? two years?
Also firaxis have not shown much restraint in announcing controversial (to the community) features like the hex grid and 1upt.
But a "major" bug free software is always possible irregardless of its complexity.
Trias
Donkey with three behinds
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Depends on your definition of "major", I guess.
For exmaple all those with ATI graphic cards will have problem playing the game but those with nVidia card is OK... ha Ha HA!
I just can't help...
what a good experience we have had in the past....Koning
Warlord
Hmm, I should just leave this forum and return in september, when the game is (almost) on the shelves. No interesting news in the last weeks indeed, so I'm wasting my time
2K:
To show how serious we are in the quality of CIV5 when it is first released, so, anyone who can find us a confirmed and reproducable bug will get a full refund of CIV5 plus all its subsequent expansion packs FOC.
The above should sound very interesting to buyer like you who want to delay buying for all those reasons you have mentioned.
AH ha Ha HA... why don't they just employ me as the marketing head...
For one: you've just cost them a fortune in refunds, and you haven't even started yet.
I don't think it's realistic to iron out all bugs on all computers with all the strange combinations that exist out there. I think we'll have to live with the status quo and wait for the first patch.
My biggest concern is that this will kill PC gaming in the long run.
For one: you've just cost them a fortune in refunds, and you haven't even started yet.
I don't understand?Are you replying to a wrong thread?My biggest concern is that this will kill PC gaming in the long run.
Hello, hello, hello... testing... testing ... 123
Trias
Donkey with three behinds
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He was answering your (rhetorical) question, why Firaxis should not hire you as marketing head.
My guess is that his concern stems from his observations:
1) That PC games are typically released full of bugs.
2) That this unlikely to change because (among other things) of the huge number if different hardware setups that a PC game can work on. Each with its own quirks making it impossible to test a product on all possible platforms.
Since console games don't suffer from the last handicap, these tend to have fewer bugs, and he fears that this will cause the gaming market more in the direction of consoles.
Exactly. Sorry if that was unclear.
