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All Forums >> [Current Games From Matrix.] >> [World War II] >> Lock ‘n Load: Heroes of Stalingrad >> Erik

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Erik - 8/10/2010 9:44:41 PM

jimbo12

Posts: 33
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If you look at my history of posting you will find two things;

1. I do not post that often
2. I have always been very pro matrix games because you deserve it

This will be my first negitive post.

I check in on this game because i would buy it if it was real and it would bring me back to my boardgame days with SPI and the many cutting edge titles I bought in those days which include ASL. Having said that at what point does your company continue to allow Mark to keep a post like this alive without the least bit of courtesy to keep those of us that are interested with some info. With all due respect if somebody is busier than I am I feel sorry for them and I still find the time for my hobby. I am happy Mark won boardgame of the year but if he is intent on putting a product on the market he should comunicate with us or YOU should pull this string down and not give him the ability to advertise. Now if he is paying you, well that different, kinda. I do not think it speaks well of matrix to have a thread this dead. I really do believe in Matrix and I voted with my dollar! This is just plain disrespectful and insulting that nothing even close to any kind of update EVER happens. I am probably out of line but to me it just isn't right. I love your company and will continue to support it. You should demand that Mark support this or get him the hell off!!!!

Jimbo

Post #: 1

RE: Erik - 8/10/2010 10:42:19 PM

undercovergeek

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RE: Erik - 8/10/2010 11:26:17 PM

jimbo12

Posts: 33
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Thanks!

It takes a lot at my age to get me fired up but please. Those screen shots are probably from the board game. Put up or shut up! Get it up or get off! Prove you have a product or stop teasing US! I need to stop now because my next text was going South.

I'll stop now! ( well maybe )

(in reply to undercovergeek)

Post #: 3

RE: Erik - 8/11/2010 12:50:13 AM

undercovergeek

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FWIW i check here everyday - the last 'look at my awesome screenshots' post from Mark was what got me interested, and as you say that was it - and a handy link to the website to go buy the boardgame!

There is mention here and elsewhere that it should be by the end of the year, shrug.

Well, he has 2 customers!!!

(in reply to jimbo12)

Post #: 4

RE: Erik - 8/11/2010 6:37:18 AM

Skanvak

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I back both of you.

The problem is that the LnL forum for this game have vanished. This forum was less dead and Mark (the LnL boss) was answering there. But now, well nothing. And no commercial from Matrix ever say something.

_____________________________

Best regards

Skanvak

(in reply to undercovergeek)

Post #: 5

RE: Erik - 8/11/2010 12:38:55 PM

undercovergeek

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you could always start talking about religion and politics - itll at least get an admin in here!!

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Post #: 6

RE: Erik - 8/11/2010 7:27:33 PM

california_kid

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Joined: 4/5/2009
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Vaporware

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporware

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RE: Erik - 8/11/2010 9:39:38 PM

Josh

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Vaporware... I doubt it. After all it's a one of a kind game, nothing like it on the market. My hunch is that they are slowly working on it, Mark's priorities are elsewhere. So he's got a few guys (two if I'm correct) working on it, so yeah that'll take a while. A long while

We'll see when it gets here.

(in reply to california_kid)

Post #: 8

RE: Erik - 8/11/2010 10:36:22 PM

PunkReaper

Posts: 1085
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I am sorry for your loss but it is time we all moved on.........

(in reply to Josh)

Post #: 9

RE: Erik - 8/12/2010 6:57:36 AM

wmcalpine

Posts: 131
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Everyone,

LnL publishing is active on facebook, with short messages on game updates several times a week for the past 2-3 months. Based on those facebook entries (including one entry dated 8/11/2010), Heroes of Stalingrad is being worked on slowly, but consistently (Mark indicates that he works on this a day or two a week along with ~half a dozen new and 2nd+ print run boardgames).

Mark did say that working on the Heroes of Stalingrad computer game is much harder than boardgames though. I will keep checking in on the LnL facebook page and post Heroes of Stalingrad updates here every couple of weeks or so.

By the way, I am not affiliated with LnL in any way.

Best Regards

Bill

(in reply to PunkReaper)

Post #: 10

RE: Erik - 8/12/2010 10:29:13 AM

undercovergeek

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can we have a link to the facebook page?

(in reply to wmcalpine)

Post #: 11

RE: Erik - 8/12/2010 12:16:23 PM

Erik Rutins

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From: Vermont, USA
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Hi guys,

If we felt this would not get released, we would announce that and remove it from our site. While it is certainly taking much longer than we hoped it would, Mark is working on it and we do believe this will be a real release. I apologize for the lack of updated information.

Regards,

- Erik

_____________________________

Erik Rutins
CEO, Matrix Games LLC

For official support, please use our Help Desk: http://www.matrixgames.com/helpdesk/

Freedom is not Free.

(in reply to undercovergeek)

Post #: 12

RE: Erik - 8/12/2010 1:45:56 PM

undercovergeek

Posts: 1526
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July 25 at 3:03pm ·

Lock 'n Load Publishing
Lock 'n Load Publishing Finalizing Heroes of Stalingrad scenarios one by one.
July 24 at 11:29am · View Feedback (14)Hide Feedback (14)

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8 people like this.
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Lock 'n Load Publishing Nope never will, never has been an option. Never have gone more than a day or two without working on it. Trust me... a board game, even an epic board game, is no more than a drop in the bucket of computer game design and development. It takes quite a while. We'll have this out before Christmas.
July 25 at 3:02pm · 1 personLoading... ·
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Michael Wawrow Mark I can't wait!

Will the game design/engine be adaptable to other theatres?

didnt copy too well but this is from July - were talking 'finalising' and were talking Christmas!!

(in reply to Erik Rutins)

Post #: 13

RE: Erik - 8/13/2010 5:44:48 AM

Gunhawk

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins

Hi guys,

If we felt this would not get released, we would announce that and remove it from our site. While it is certainly taking much longer than we hoped it would, Mark is working on it and we do believe this will be a real release. I apologize for the lack of updated information.

Regards,

- Erik

OK. Sounds reasonable except that it's been in the works for several years and Mark said it was targeted to be released *last* year. We are now 8 months into *this* year. If you believe that it's actually going to be released you must have some kind of release date. The last word was that it's going to be released later this year. Do you believe that? We don't. Not with only 4 months left to go. But OK, we'll take your word for it. So what's the release date?

(in reply to Erik Rutins)

Post #: 14

RE: Erik - 8/13/2010 5:53:22 AM

Gunhawk

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quote:

ORIGINAL: wmcalpine

Everyone,

LnL publishing is active on facebook, with short messages on game updates several times a week for the past 2-3 months. Based on those facebook entries (including one entry dated 8/11/2010), Heroes of Stalingrad is being worked on slowly, but consistently (Mark indicates that he works on this a day or two a week along with ~half a dozen new and 2nd+ print run boardgames).

Mark did say that working on the Heroes of Stalingrad computer game is much harder than boardgames though. I will keep checking in on the LnL facebook page and post Heroes of Stalingrad updates here every couple of weeks or so.

By the way, I am not affiliated with LnL in any way.

Best Regards

Bill

Are you kidding????!!! I can't believe this. First Mark got annoyed that everyone was calling the game vaporware and said that he didn't want to check all of the sites to answer questions. So he told us all to check at the L&L site and tell everyone else to do same. We dutifully did that...and he closed the site down! Now we are checking at the Matrix site and that's no good either???!!! We have to check Facebook???!!! What's going on here?

(in reply to wmcalpine)

Post #: 15

RE: Erik - 8/13/2010 6:41:13 AM

Skanvak

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As usual, too few people to devellop the game....
This kind of game need a team to be devellop. Mark just discover that making a board game is simple, writing a computer game is hard (I did create from scratch very simple ugly and awful one as a school project and it was long and difficult, so figure out adapting something not created for the computer from scratch. 2 of my friend (who are really in the computer field) have tried and failed).

Well if they reach christmas with a good finished game. That would be ok. Otherwise it will be a sign to put half a dozen more people on the project.

_____________________________

Best regards

Skanvak

(in reply to Gunhawk)

Post #: 16

RE: Erik - 8/13/2010 3:12:01 PM

Gunhawk

Posts: 254
Joined: 11/30/2006
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Skanvak

Well if they reach christmas with a good finished game. That would be ok. Otherwise it will be a sign to put half a dozen more people on the project.

Mark has already told us several times that he doesn't have a large staff. He knows that he needs more people.

Good luck on seeing this by Christmas. Last year, after Mark announced in an interview that he was planning on finishing it by the end of 2009, I predicted that we wouldn't see it until 2010. I was wrong. Now I don't believe that we'll see it by the end of this year either. Not without a commited target date from Mark and Matrix. If it was going to be finished by the end of this year we'd know it by now as we would have seen the game go into beta testing.

(in reply to Skanvak)

Post #: 17

RE: Erik - 8/13/2010 3:42:54 PM

wmcalpine

Posts: 131
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Gunhawk,

I do not know long LnLP has been using facebook, but it seems relatively recent, and is probably much easier to send out a few one or two line messages a day than maintain a website forums (though I used to like their forums). They also tried updates using twitter, but I do not know if they still do that, or just rely on facebook now as a communications feed. It does look like other people at LnLP post on facebook as well, so maybe that will help communications. They do seem to be pretty active on facebook.

Undercovergeek,

Here is their Facebook address: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lock-n-Load-Publishing/127098757323891

Best Regards

Bill

Edit: Appended to the facebook address. It seems that the number at the end is necessary to get to the facebook page. Apologies to all for an incomplete link. Hope this link is complete

< Message edited by wmcalpine -- 8/13/2010 7:43:03 PM >

(in reply to Gunhawk)

Post #: 18

RE: Erik - 8/13/2010 4:09:52 PM

Barthheart

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From: Nepean, Ontario
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Gunhawk

...If it was going to be finished by the end of this year we'd know it by now as we would have seen the game go into beta testing.

I happen to know at least one beta tester so it's already in beta.

_____________________________

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty & well preserved body,
but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming "WOW, what a ride!"

(in reply to Gunhawk)

Post #: 19

RE: Erik - 8/13/2010 4:55:47 PM

undercovergeek

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Barthheart

quote:

ORIGINAL: Gunhawk

...If it was going to be finished by the end of this year we'd know it by now as we would have seen the game go into beta testing.

I happen to know at least one beta tester so it's already in beta.

seriously? wow....... under the chrizzy tree still a possibility i reckon

(in reply to Barthheart)

Post #: 20

RE: Erik - 8/13/2010 8:18:17 PM

Josh

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Well it won't be *under* my chrizzy tree, because it will be *in* my DVD player

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Post #: 21

RE: Erik - 8/14/2010 4:58:28 AM

Gunhawk

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Barthheart

quote:

ORIGINAL: Gunhawk

...If it was going to be finished by the end of this year we'd know it by now as we would have seen the game go into beta testing.

I happen to know at least one beta tester so it's already in beta.

How long has this game been in beta testing?

(in reply to Barthheart)

Post #: 22

RE: Erik - 8/14/2010 12:53:17 PM

Barthheart

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From: Nepean, Ontario
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Gunhawk

quote:

ORIGINAL: Barthheart

quote:

ORIGINAL: Gunhawk

...If it was going to be finished by the end of this year we'd know it by now as we would have seen the game go into beta testing.

I happen to know at least one beta tester so it's already in beta.

How long has this game been in beta testing?

That I don't know.

_____________________________

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty & well preserved body,
but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming "WOW, what a ride!"

(in reply to Gunhawk)

Post #: 23

RE: Erik - 8/14/2010 3:34:58 PM

Gunhawk

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Joined: 11/30/2006
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins

Hi guys,

If we felt this would not get released, we would announce that and remove it from our site. While it is certainly taking much longer than we hoped it would, Mark is working on it and we do believe this will be a real release. I apologize for the lack of updated information.

Regards,

- Erik

Erik

Yesterday Barthart informed us that the game is now in the beta testing phase. Is that true? As we all know, when a game is in the beta testing phase it means that the software is completed and could theoretically be released immediately but is only being tested for bugs and glitches to lower the impact to users. If the game is being beta tested that would certainly fall under the category of "updated information" and I would have thought that you or Mark would have announced it as that means that barring some major unforseen problem the game will be released shortly.

(in reply to Erik Rutins)

Post #: 24

RE: Erik - 8/14/2010 9:35:00 PM

Arctic Blast

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Gunhawk

quote:

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins

Hi guys,

If we felt this would not get released, we would announce that and remove it from our site. While it is certainly taking much longer than we hoped it would, Mark is working on it and we do believe this will be a real release. I apologize for the lack of updated information.

Regards,

- Erik

Erik

Yesterday Barthart informed us that the game is now in the beta testing phase. Is that true? As we all know, when a game is in the beta testing phase it means that the software is completed and could theoretically be released immediately but is only being tested for bugs and glitches to lower the impact to users. If the game is being beta tested that would certainly fall under the category of "updated information" and I would have thought that you or Mark would have announced it as that means that barring some major unforseen problem the game will be released shortly.

Actually, Beta testing typically starts fairly early on in a game's development cycle. A game being Beta tested is no indication of an imminent release.

_____________________________

Meditation on inevitable death should be performed daily.

(in reply to Gunhawk)

Post #: 25

RE: Erik - 8/14/2010 9:48:41 PM

undercovergeek

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i think 90 days is the average, i say average, dont go posting well blah blah blah took 4 years - its an average

(in reply to Arctic Blast)

Post #: 26

RE: Erik - 8/15/2010 1:17:46 AM

Gunhawk

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Joined: 11/30/2006
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Arctic Blast

quote:

ORIGINAL: Gunhawk

quote:

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins

Hi guys,

If we felt this would not get released, we would announce that and remove it from our site. While it is certainly taking much longer than we hoped it would, Mark is working on it and we do believe this will be a real release. I apologize for the lack of updated information.

Regards,

- Erik

Erik

Yesterday Barthart informed us that the game is now in the beta testing phase. Is that true? As we all know, when a game is in the beta testing phase it means that the software is completed and could theoretically be released immediately but is only being tested for bugs and glitches to lower the impact to users. If the game is being beta tested that would certainly fall under the category of "updated information" and I would have thought that you or Mark would have announced it as that means that barring some major unforseen problem the game will be released shortly.

Actually, Beta testing typically starts fairly early on in a game's development cycle. A game being Beta tested is no indication of an imminent release.

I very much disagree. Here's the definition from Webopedia:

"A test for a computer product prior to commercial release. Beta testing is the last stage of testing, and normally can involve sending the product to beta test sites outside the company for real-world exposure or offering the product for a free trial download over the Internet".

There are other similar definitions on wiki etc. that state essentially the same thing, that the product is ready for commercial release but needs to be tested first. If a product is being tested "fairly early in a games' development cycle" then it's "alpha testing".

Given the history of this game we might very well find that it's being beta tested for the next five years, but *normally* when the software is being beta tested it's almost ready to go.

Barthart might *think* that it's being beta tested while it's actually still being alpha tested. When I said that the product wasn't even ready for beta, so it wasn't going to be released this year, he used an admonishing icon when he told me that he knew "at least one beta tester". That's why I'm asking Eric if it's actually being beta tested.

(in reply to Arctic Blast)

Post #: 27

RE: Erik - 8/15/2010 10:32:15 PM

Arctic Blast

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Yeah, I've been a part of a couple of Betas, Gunhawk. Both started at least 5 months before the game was slated to go Gold. Alphas frequently start a lot earlier than that, when the base code is just laid down.

Again...a game being Beta tested means nothing when it comes to 'releasing soon'. More companies have gone with longer Beta periods to (hopefully) have more testers find more problems before release.

_____________________________

Meditation on inevitable death should be performed daily.

(in reply to Gunhawk)

Post #: 28

RE: Erik - 8/16/2010 12:26:00 AM

Gunhawk

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Arctic Blast

Yeah, I've been a part of a couple of Betas, Gunhawk. Both started at least 5 months before the game was slated to go Gold. Alphas frequently start a lot earlier than that, when the base code is just laid down.

Again...a game being Beta tested means nothing when it comes to 'releasing soon'. More companies have gone with longer Beta periods to (hopefully) have more testers find more problems before release.

Ok. I think that we're on the same page here. When I said that being in Beta meant that it would be released soon, I meant "soon" for this particular game, which would be by the end of this year, or 4 months before going "gold". When we're talking about *this* game we're talking about an entirely different set of standards than we're used to, so to say "soon" means that we might actually see it before 2012. Barthart doesn't know how long the game's been in Beta, but just to hear that it *is* in Beta is a good thing...we hope. It would be nice for Erik or Mark to confirm that it's in Beta, but I'm not gonna expect miracles.

(in reply to Arctic Blast)

Post #: 29

RE: Erik - 8/16/2010 12:47:22 AM

undercovergeek

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Jonas Jacobsson What's the progress of Heroes of Stalingrad?
Heroes of Stalingrad
www.locknloadgame.com
Friday at 6:34am · Comment · LikeUnlike · View Feedback (5)Hide Feedback (5) · Share · Flag

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Lock 'n Load Publishing I say this with nothing but love, but... I answer this question daily. Maybe no one reads the answers, maybe folks think that by constantly asking they will some how speed the process. It doesn't. Of all of the projects LNLP has, HOS is the only one that gets daily attention. Computer games are huge endeavors, please be patient.
Friday at 10:18am · LikeUnlike ·
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Justin Harper
I watch a lot of video games for PC and Consoles and some of them have been in development for five years or more before release so take your time on a good product.
I am quite excited for the game and if it's a hit hopefully more expansion...s and theaters of war will follow. See More
Friday at 10:57am · LikeUnlike ·
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Jonas Jacobsson Thanks for the answer. I think.
Friday at 11:17pm · LikeUnlike ·
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Jonathan Carruthers still good for a Christmas release as per your previous comment?
12 hours ago · LikeUnlike ·
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Steve Isaak will you release a board game equivalent of this?
about an hour ago · LikeUnlike ·
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facebook from a few days ago

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