Only In The Gaming World

[Archangel]

Only in the gaming world is it acceptable to delay a product for YEARS past the original release date.

Isnt it sad that games nowdays can sometimes go so far beyond there original release dates, I understand that with all new technologies there are hurdles to over come, but YEARS? I mean come on, surely a developer must allow for teething problems with new tech prior to commencement of a project, right? and delaying to allow supporting tech to catch up to a desireable standard, how about releasing a game for current high end tech and get busy designing a game for upcomming tech instead of designing a game so far advanced that its just not feasible to release.

I Just cant see how some of these developers stay afloat, do they fire poor performers at a blistering rate, as that must be the type of people who are working in these companies for products to be delayed so long? or maybe its just coffee and biscuts every 5 minutes and group hugs?

I just cant put my finger on it (apparently neither can they as this happens all to often, so much so that its now deemed acceptable for poor performance), maybe some of you can I dont know.


Sorry about the rave, but its just so frustrating.

[MrPoodle]

whilst i understand what you are saying lets take the BF series into consideration. how many patches have been released for this games? Too many for my liking. I would rather see them get it right the first time than trying to keep the game up to speed with a lot of new patches.

[Nail]

fwiw, if you have no investment, you have no claim. The developers owe you nothing

[dzjepp]

Games are a lot more difficult to make these days than what they where in the 16bit days. Also, how often do you really see a game have a definite release date set by the developers? I don't think it's that often. Game websites, communities, etc. try to push fake releases all to often. I don't think quake wars ever had a solid release date announced by splash damage.

[Fanatik]

I agree on making games for current tech, rather than future tech we don't even know about yet. I don't see much of this happening though, since i'm sure every company making games would like people to buy their product now, and still be interested in buying it in a few years.

I just hate the fact that it takes so long to make a single game, and in the end most of them end up sucking.

[Archangel]

fwiw, if you have no investment, you have no claim. The developers owe you nothing

So by buying their products I have no claim, and to say they owe me the end user nothing? I say they owe me and every other user everything, without us they cease to exist.

As for the other comments, we see games that have taken years to release patched also, so it is not a case of if we wait it will be perfect far from it.

[Nappy]

So strange. A company gets together and starts working on a game. Everyone begs for a finish date, so they provide a best estimate. Now they should be held to that date even though it is not in the best interest of the produce? Welcome to the world of software development. They are creating another world inside your PC. The problems associated with this are not predictable.

Those complaining that the release date has not been met will be the same people who will complain if the product is not perfect. Gief me!!!!!!

[Archangel]

Games are a lot more difficult to make these days than what they where in the 16bit days. Also, how often do you really see a game have a definite release date set by the developers? I don't think it's that often. Game websites, communities, etc. try to push fake releases all to often. I don't think quake wars ever had a solid release date announced by splash damage.

As I said, all new tech has hurdles, as must all developers allow for new tech hurdles prior to development, I'm not saying some delay is unacceptable but years?

Also to tell the truth I have never complained of a games little glitches, as these are unavoidable and will be fixed, as have I never "begged" for a release date, all I expect is companies give realistic dates to begin with.

[dzjepp]

Ok, but are you trying to say that quake wars was delayed? I don't think so, because like I said nobody from the dev. team ever said anything about a solid release date.

[dzjepp]

Also, I think many products besides games take years of development time. Research and development, marketing, etc. Windows Vista took 6 years to be released. Cars can take multiple years from the planning stage to the showroom.

[Joe999]

... stuff ...

see, once you grow up and get a job you'll find the answer all on your own ;)

[Joe999]

Ok, but are you trying to say that quake wars was delayed? I don't think so, because like I said nobody from the dev. team ever said anything about a solid release date.

of course he doesn't speak of quake wars because he mentions "years". quake wars was supposed to be released in 2006, so we have beginning of may 2007 now. the worst he could say it's delayed by 4 months now :)

[Archangel]

I never said QW was delayed it was a generic veiw of most developers games, though I'm sure SD would have cruised through a few deadlines (not necessarily release deadlines) even if they werent advertised outside of the office, as when someone takes the attitude of "when its done, its done" it usualy implies they have missed acouple of deadlines and now have no idea as to when is realistic.

[dzjepp]

Well lets not forget about duke nukem forever, it pales in comparison to every other game :D

[Archangel]

Also, I think many products besides games take years of development time. Research and development, marketing, etc. Windows Vista took 6 years to be released. Cars can take multiple years from the planning stage to the showroom.

I never said it didnt take years to develop something, I said how in the gaming world it has become acceptable to go years past a release date.

Your example of cars, take holden, designed from the ground up over years, but planned for and still released at the 4 year mark after the VZ keeping with their 4 year mark major design change (vs-vt-vy-ve)(not inc vx & vz as they were not major design changes).

[Nail]

So by buying their products I have no claim, and to say they owe me the end user nothing? I say they owe me and every other user everything, without us they cease to exist.

As for the other comments, we see games that have taken years to release patched also, so it is not a case of if we wait it will be perfect far from it.

what Splash Damage products have you bought ?

everything they have done so far has been free to you the user. They exist because they want to exist, nothing you've done has any influence.. They make games because they are gamers, not because they're accountants

[Archangel]

Well lets not forget about duke nukem forever, it pales in comparison to every other game :D

That just ADDS to my original comment

[Archangel]

see, once you grow up and get a job you'll find the answer all on your own ;)

How old are you? I have a job.:)

[Grayman]

Some developers are fortunate enough to have very large sums of money themselves. Duke nukem forever for example has been bankrolled just by the original duke nukem and the build engine licenses.

Rarely a publisher funding a project will allow a developer to do this on their coin. If Spore takes a year longer than was expected EA might keep funding it and not force it out. All the first party developers for consoles can take as long as they want on a game and get paid for it as well.

For how delays happen i'd expect it to just be not budgeting time perfectly and more problems then expected popping up in development.

[Archangel]

what Splash Damage products have you bought ?

everything they have done so far has been free to you the user. They exist because they want to exist, nothing you've done has any influence.. They make games because they are gamers, not because they're accountants

So they are designing ET:QW without the hope of making buckets of money, excuse me if I dont believe you, as for making anything previously and releasing for free, it was more likely they NEEDED to in order to be recognised as a capable team.

[Kapeket]

Game makers have to answer to higher powers that pay them.

It is called investors. Publishers. Hello?

That aside, I haven't been waiting a single minute longer than I figured and I figure that the extra time spent will be well worth any wait some of the rest of you have experienced.

ETQW > anything from Ubisoft =)

[Phobos]

not only in the gaming world

cd world :Guns and roses, chinese democracy cd

movie world: terminator 4, few others

most things that are held back usually end up good tho, i can see why people compare the game to battlefield cause of the screenshots but ET will never be anything like battlefield, just alot of the bugged battlefield players are coming here comparing the two

check out W:ET in the meantime

[Grayman]

W:ET was going to be a commercial expansion but the single player part of the game never came together.

Splash Damage also created content for Doom 3 and Quake 4's multiplayer modeOnly thing they've done free would have been Q3F.

[Archangel]

Game makers have to answer to higher powers that pay them.

It is called investors. Publishers. Hello?

That aside, I haven't been waiting a single minute longer than I figured and I figure that the extra time spent will be well worth any wait some of the rest of you have experienced.

ETQW > anything from Ubisoft =)

All Investors are only concerned with how well the end product sells as that means more cash, that means how well we take to it has would have a direct effect on shareholders/investors

[Nail]

W:ET was going to be a commercial expansion but the single player part of the game never came together.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wikipedia
Splash Damage also created content for Doom 3 and Quake 4's multiplayer mode

Only thing they've done free would have been Q3F.

I did say free to you the user, ET was free, they did that

[Moonstar]

So by buying their products I have no claim, and to say they owe me the end user nothing? I say they owe me and every other user everything, without us they cease to exist.

As for the other comments, we see games that have taken years to release patched also, so it is not a case of if we wait it will be perfect far from it.

They owe you nothing, cause you didn't buy the game yet.

I can imagine if the game was released buggy on schedule, you'd be here complaining how it isn't finished.

Everything hits a snag now and then, so your thread title is ridiculous.
I planed to go skydiving this spring, i set a date ... but i broke my ankle and therefor had to delay it for next year <= see, a snag, unexpected situation.

[Zaknifar]

Well lets not forget about duke nukem forever, it pales in comparison to every other game :D

Well, ETQW is still long way from being vaporware :P

[Archangel]

They owe you nothing, cause you didn't buy the game yet.

I can imagine if the game was released buggy on schedule, you'd be here complaining how it isn't finished.

Everything hits a snag now and then, so your thread title is ridiculous.
I planed to go skydiving this spring, i set a date ... but i broke my ankle and therefor had to delay it for next year <= see, a snag, unexpected situation.

They are hoping I buy the game, me and about a million others.

I never said things didnt snag, read the thread properly, I said years worth of snags should be deemed unaceptable.

If you did read the thread posts you would have seen my comments adout bugs

[Archangel]

Everything hits a snag now and then, so your thread title is ridiculous.
I planed to go skydiving this spring, i set a date ... but i broke my ankle and therefor had to delay it for next year <= see, a snag, unexpected situation.

I see your point, someone in the development phase broke their ankle now cant finish the game for 4-6 years?

[Moonstar]

I see your point, someone in the development phase broke their ankle now cant finish the game for 4-6 years?

Damn, you really are thick arn't you? Don't know what should i even replay here ..... oO

Btw. i read your thread, to respond to your previous comment, you mentioned "little bugs" ... if they released the game early, a year ago, i'd imagine there would be some major bugs ... don't you think?

[Nappy]

I never said QW was delayed it was a generic veiw of most developers games
We would assume your comments pertained to ETQW because you posted in the "Quake Wars General Discussion" forum vs the "Off topic" forum.

[Archangel]

Damn, you really are thick arn't you? Don't know what should i even replay here ..... oO

Btw. i read your thread, to respond to your previous comment, you mentioned "little bugs" ... if they released the game early, a year ago, i'd imagine there would be some major bugs ... don't you think?

And if your to stupid to notice sarcasm then I cant help you.

Read the Thread, I said delays were inevitable, but not for YEARS,open your eyes.

[plodicus29of9]

As it has been mentioned earlier, games are so much more complex to code than what they previously were, so obviously take that much longer.

I think the main problem is that this game was announced way way too early IMO, and therefore suffered almost a 12 month delay as a result. I don't think that these games should be announced until 6 to 12 months before release, but that's only my opinion :D

[MrPoodle]

Damn, you really are thick arn't you? Don't know what should i even replay here ..... oO

Btw. i read your thread, to respond to your previous comment, you mentioned "little bugs" ... if they released the game early, a year ago, i'd imagine there would be some major bugs ... don't you think?

nothing a little can or big can of insect spray cant fix!!! :D

[Archangel]

We would assume your comments pertained to ETQW because you posted in the "Quake Wars General Discussion" forum vs the "Off topic" forum.

As someone else mentioned ET:QW was delayed from 2006, so this is a relevant topic, and I'm going to go out on a limb and say it wont be ready before the end of the year.

Though this is one thing I'd be glad to be wrong on.

[MrPoodle]

As it has been mentioned earlier, games are so much more complex to code than what they previously were, so obviously take that much longer.

I think the main problem is that this game was announced way way too early IMO, and therefore suffered almost a 12 month delay as a result. I don't think that these games should be announced until 6 to 12 months before release, but that's only my opinion :D

AMEN to that then it wouldnt feel like we had such a long wait

[MrPoodle]

As someone else mentioned ET:QW was delayed from 2006, so this is a relevant topic, and I'm going to go out on a limb and say it wont be ready before the end of the year.

i heard from the computer game store i preordered that it would be released in about 3 weeks

[Moonstar]

Read the Thread, I said delays were inevitable, but not for YEARS,open your eyes.

and who are you to say how long delay is acceptable?
how do you know what happened that it was delayed for that amount of time?

[Archangel]

As it has been mentioned earlier, games are so much more complex to code than what they previously were, so obviously take that much longer.

I think the main problem is that this game was announced way way too early IMO, and therefore suffered almost a 12 month delay as a result. I don't think that these games should be announced until 6 to 12 months before release, but that's only my opinion :D

Yes harder to code, but its not as though its based on a totaly new tech as it based on another engine, its not as though they have made an engine from the ground up

They would be lucky to anounce the week before and still come in on time

[Evil]

You can not actually compare a car design to a computer game, believe it or not, the pc game is harder to do. Sure you will disagree, it sounds stupid, but as someone in the automotive industry I assure you, its true.

The lead design is actually started usually before the present model even hits the floor, designs are done years in advance, the hold up is re-tooling the line, once thats complete manufacturing a car is easy, very easy.

The majority of the components used in a car are made by 3rd parties too, so you have 1000 times the manufacturing ability compared to a single developer like you generally get in a game, plus, once the components are made, assembly is easy.

Here in pc game land, there are a lot of "whatif's" that come into play, not so with the car industry, 95% of the whatif's no longer exist, again, it sounds silly, but its a fact.

Besides which, Holden are not the best example either, sure they maintain a new vehicle every 4 years, but the vehicles often have design flaws that require recalls, or simply get fixed up in the series2 edition, gamers wont ware that, thats what BF2 got wrong, we want a good game now and we want it perfect, SD are doing their best to release a perfect or as good as perfect game they can, if Holden had that approach they wouldnt release every 4 years. But their theory is different, if its borked it gets fixed under new car warranty

[Archangel]

i heard from the computer game store i preordered that it would be released in about 3 weeks

and youve never heard that before?

[MrPoodle]

and youve never heard that before?

yes i have and you have a point there but this is from a reliable and trustworthy source

[Archangel]

You can not actually compare a car design to a computer game, believe it or not, the pc game is harder to do. Sure you will disagree, it sounds stupid, but as someone in the automotive industry I assure you, its true.

The lead design is actually started usually before the present model even hits the floor, designs are done years in advance, the hold up is re-tooling the line, once thats complete manufacturing a car is easy, very easy.

The majority of the components used in a car are made by 3rd parties too, so you have 1000 times the manufacturing ability compared to a single developer like you generally get in a game, plus, once the components are made, assembly is easy.

Here in pc game land, there are a lot of "whatif's" that come into play, not so with the car industry, 95% of the whatif's no longer exist, again, it sounds silly, but its a fact.

Besides which, Holden are not the best example either, sure they maintain a new vehicle every 4 years, but the vehicles often have design flaws that require recalls, or simply get fixed up in the series2 edition, gamers wont ware that, thats what BF2 got wrong, we want a good game now and we want it perfect, SD are doing their best to release a perfect or as good as perfect game they can, if Holden had that approach they wouldnt release every 4 years. But their theory is different, if its borked it gets fixed under new car warranty

Firstly I never made the comment about cars i just replied to it, secondly I never said one was harder than the other.

what I said was, it still took years of planning but they kept to a deadline. YES AGAIN, delays are inevitable, but only in the world of games is it acceptable to be delayed by YEARS.
You make it sound like one guy is designing the whole game, where in fact its numerous teams working on different aspects (kind of like other companies making parts)

[Archangel]

yes i have and you have a point there but this is from a reliable and trustworthy source

A computer game store?

[Mr.Cripples]

ok, this game has already been delayed for a few months now, cant u just have one-two more month(s) of patience?

[Archangel]

and who are you to say how long delay is acceptable?
how do you know what happened that it was delayed for that amount of time?

In any other company delays of these timeframes would be followed by mass sackings, CEO's looking for new jobs, nots so games developers (or at least it would seem that way) so I say by comparing it to any other companies standards you should be able to gauge what is and is not acceptable

[Evil]

Firstly I never made the comment about cars i just replied to it, secondly I never said one was harder than the other.

what I said was, it still took years of planning but they kept to a deadline. YES AGAIN, delays are inevitable, but only in the world of games is it acceptable to be delayed by YEARS.
You make it sound like one guy is designing the whole game, where in fact its numerous teams working on different aspects (kind of like other companies making parts)


Obviously more than one man is working on the game, but it still fails in comparrion to tens of thousands that work on a car.

The point I tried to make was simple, a pc game is harder to do, has less people involved and as such will have more delays and more problems to overcome.

[Archangel]

ok, this game has already been delayed for a few months now, cant u just have one-two more month(s) of patience?

Its not just THIS game, its all games, I have patience, but stretching it for years can be testing (not nessisarily for this game but who knows)

[Archangel]

Obviously more than one man is working on the game, but it still fails in comparrion to tens of thousands that work on a car.

The point I tried to make was simple, a pc game is harder to do, has less people involved and as such will have more delays and more problems to overcome.

yes but a car has many more individual parts which is why it takes so many more people, whereas game developers have numerous teams working on software only and each team only works on a part of the game, there is in actual fact quite a lot of people working on a game, they dont have to make the CPU GPU or any other hardware part, hell they dont even create the drivers for these parts and they are also working off an existing platform (engine) in most cases(un like a ground up car design, VE)

[Durandal]

To be honest, I can't think of a single vocation that hasn't released stuff late. Books, movies, etc. And when you add in that this is an interactive medium, it becomes even moreso. If you make a movie, you dont have to check several hundred different types of reels to see if they all work properly.

yes but a car has many more individual parts which is why it takes so many more people
It also has an assembly line. You only need to design one car -- and then build it. You don't have to make sure that car could work with diesel, work in sub-arctic temperatures, work with different styles of car battery, etc. You have to keep in mind, it's not like game developers have to make one version that works for Windows XP, stock Dell computer.

[Lanz]

All Investors are only concerned with how well the end product sells as that means more cash, that means how well we take to it has would have a direct effect on shareholders/investors
Yes and a high quality product sometimes need more time, hence the delays. I don't see a problem with a long production time, as long as the end product is good. We see far to many products released on time and some of them are frankly so bug infested and unpolished that it feels like a ripoff if you happen to be the one buying it.

[Redqueen]

Its not just THIS game, its all games, I have patience, but stretching it for years can be testing (not nessisarily for this game but who knows)

That's hardly true now. What about all the movie games? Take Spiderman 3 for example, that was released the same day as the movie. Now theres a company working towards a very specific release date. What about console launch titles? Once again all completed before a specific date.

Yes sometimes games get delayed and if you only buy 2 games a year it will appear as if all games get delayed but they really don't. There are hundreds upon hundreds of games released each year that never slip and never miss their release schedules. It's all about perspective.

Oh and delays happen in every industry, it's just that you only hear about it in the games industry because of its open nature and the fact that so many of its fans and followers are very information savvy.

[Zaknifar]

That's hardly true now. What about all the movie games? Take Spiderman 3 for example, that was released the same day as the movie. Now theres a company working towards a very specific release date.

Tried that once it was released.. during the first battle I had I threw some guy to a wall with some web spin. The problem is that he didnt fly _against_ the wall but _inside_ it. After that I was unable to continue it. That is what happens when you release with forced release date and not "when it's ready".

[Redqueen]

I'm not in a position to pass judgement on Spiderman specifically, I was just giving an example of a recent game released on a specific pre set date which was made even more difficult by the need to tie it in with another products release date.

[Archangel]

It also has an assembly line. You only need to design one car -- and then build it. You don't have to make sure that car could work with diesel, work in sub-arctic temperatures, work with different styles of car battery, etc. You have to keep in mind, it's not like game developers have to make one version that works for Windows XP, stock Dell computer.

So does a game, you only need to design one then copy the rest, and car design goes through all kinds of testing, inc temp operating tests, you make it sound easy to develop a car (but it only a reference), have you realy thought about whats involved or was that the stupidest comment yet?

[Archangel]

That's hardly true now. What about all the movie games? Take Spiderman 3 for example, that was released the same day as the movie. Now theres a company working towards a very specific release date. What about console launch titles? Once again all completed before a specific date.

Yes sometimes games get delayed and if you only buy 2 games a year it will appear as if all games get delayed but they really don't. There are hundreds upon hundreds of games released each year that never slip and never miss their release schedules. It's all about perspective.

Oh and delays happen in every industry, it's just that you only hear about it in the games industry because of its open nature and the fact that so many of its fans and followers are very information savvy.

Console launches, they dont even compare as they are, in comparison, an even easier platform for development, hence the release of games on consoles months before PC. PLEASE READ THE THREAD, I didnt say there were no delays I said they were not for YEARS...........................................F* *K SAKE

[Redqueen]

You also said every game was delayed which I've just shown you isn't true. You however chose to fob that off because it inconveniently destroyed your argument.

Really what do you expect to come of this thread? Do you expect the industry to change despite the fact that even with its problems it's bigger than Hollywood? Do you expect companies to lay off talented staff every time something goes wrong just so the competition can snap them up? Do you want an apology? What do you want?

[Archangel]

You also said every game was delayed which I've just shown you isn't true. You however chose to fob that off because it inconveniently destroyed your argument.

Really what do you expect to come of this thread? Do you expect the industry to change despite the fact that even with its problems it's bigger than Hollywood? Do you expect companies to lay off talented staff every time something goes wrong just so the competition can snap them up? Do you want an apology? What do you want?

You truly are an idiot, I dont expect an industry change, I'm expressing an opion, so grow up and realise not everyone has the same one. Maybe if developers canned a few crap preformers for gross delays they might sit up and notice, there is a load of talent out there waiting for their chance.

As for you destroying my argument, I'm actualy talking about BIG games, the super hyped games, not some crappy movie based game that they churned out in 20minutes of free time.

[Durandal]

So does a game, you only need to design one then copy the rest, and car design goes through all kinds of testing, inc temp operating tests, you make it sound easy to develop a car (but it only a reference), have you realy thought about whats involved or was that the stupidest comment yet?
While you only need to make one copy of the game, when you make a car, you don't have to go through Internationalization. While you might have to write, say, a manual for other countries, you don't have to make the car so modular that you can use some newfangled battery from Poland, a new road that normal cars cant drive on, convert it for diesel, etc etc. I've worked in the game industry, and I can tell you, the amount of work that has to be done just to have a game allowed to be released in certain countries, and on each system, is ridiculous.

If you've ever seen something like Germany's "what's allowed" list, or Nintendo's "What is allowed on our console," you'd break down and cry. Well, maybe not, but it's still awful. Not to mention that car companies only have to go to the .. whatever it's called in each country, the Government Agency for Safety. Games have to go to a ratings board, Microsofts whatever board for if it works for XP Pro, XP Home, Vista, Windows 2000, Mac, etc.

Maybe if developers canned a few crap preformers for gross delays
Uh... do you have any idea how many parts of companies like EA are canned each year?

[InsideTheAsylum]

While the topic creator makes a decent point (about not meeting deadlines), the whole "not meeting deadlines" thing isn't only confined to the software world. Almost everywhere you look you see large companies coming in late and way over budget. It's just how the world works -- the manager goes to his workers and goes "give me an estimate how long this is going to take," the workers say "well, I'm going to guess 2 years." The manager goes to his investors and says "we'll be done in 18 months" and then the investors go "Okay, we expect the product in 16."

[reyalp]

Only in the gaming world is it acceptable to delay a product for YEARS past the original release date.

Schedule slip is common in any project that requires real development. This is not unique to games by any stretch of the imagination.

[Spoofeh]

Only in the gaming world is it acceptable to delay a product for YEARS past the original release date.


Acceptable according to who? I'm sure investors give developers a hard time when the game is being delayed, and consumers even whine about games that haven't had a formal release date announced yet.

Only in the gaming world? How about Windows Vista? How about other software projects outside gaming (some examples (http://spectrum.ieee.org/sep05/1685/failt1)) that have failed over the years? How about projects that get canceled without us even hearing anything about them? It may not be "acceptable", but unfurtunately it's not unexpected that software gets delayed or canceled.

http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000588.html

If Las Vegas sounds too tame for you, software might just be the right gamble. Software projects include a glut of risks that would give Vegas oddsmakers nightmares. The odds of a large project finishing on time are close to zero. The odds of a large project being canceled are an even-money bet (Jones 1991).



I Just cant see how some of these developers stay afloat
Stupid investors or money from previous, successful, projects. (And of course some don't stay afloat.)

Anyway, I think the media hype and consumers who fall for that is one of the reasons the gaming industry can keep doing what they do. If we all ignored games until a playable demo was released (unless the developer/publisher have a good track record of keeping release dates) and the media focused more on released games than on unavailable product then maybe there would be a chance of improvement.

[zig-zag]

A) A game company sets a date, then misses it to make sure the product doesn't release unfinished - you piss and moan

B) A game company doesn't set a date so if they need more time to make sure the product doesn't release unfinished - you piss and moan

C) A company sets a date and releases an unfinished product to meet the date - You're happy??

What is with people? :confused:

[isendel]

only in the computer world are developers expected to release unfinished software. the sheer number of buggy, poorly designed products is astounding when compared to other fields. everywhere else, the user expects a modicum of functionality

if delaying games was a bad idea, nintendo wouldve have gone out of business long ago. theyre well known for delaying their games until they meet or exceed their requirements (see legend of zelda: ocarina of time)

"A delayed game is eventually good; a bad game is bad forever" - Shigeru Miyamoto

[L33t Masta]

I agree completly. They need to be like everyone else and be true to the timelines and release dates they set out. Spore was supposed to be released this year, but now I've been told I have to wait till AFTER March or NEXT YEAR!

[LTF_Savage]

A) A game company sets a date, then misses it to make sure the product doesn't release unfinished - you piss and moan

B) A game company doesn't set a date so if they need more time to make sure the product doesn't release unfinished - you piss and moan

C) A company sets a date and releases an unfinished product to meet the date - You're happy??

What is with people? :confused:

Word

It's a game, not a prison release date.

[Javert]

I have to agree with the OP. It seems that gamers are too lenient on developers who decide to take their good old time and not adhere to deadlines.

Imagine if they "delayed" Spiderman 3 or the latest Harry Potter book. Both entail technical or creative measures, and they get released on time. It's called planning and discipline.

With that said, I give Nintendo and the developers of the Zelda franchise as much time as they want to make their games. Some deserve the priviledge, some don't. Some games are delayed and then don't live up to it. We'll see about QW.

[moonshield]

AFAIR SD never gave a release date. Activision did.