Catch21
Posts: 511
Joined: 4/13/2006 From: Dublin Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Tamas Hello Guys, I would like to raise a few points: 1) I completely understand if the community is impatient. Can't really blame you for that. We really appreciate those of you who still keep an eye on this forum, and I will be counting on you to join the beta team once we extend it (following the finalisation of the new graphics) 2) The beta testers have signed an NDA and under it they can't even disclose information without our approval, let alone release the game or the source code (which they don't have, anyways) to the community. This is just silly talk and please stop. 3) We have asked the beta testers to withold information for now not because we are cruel, but because things are still too much prone to change. The moment we have the final graphics look of the game I will start posting screenshots, and we will probably do beta AARs. Just a little more patience please. 4) The reason for very slow communication is that progress itself has been much slower than we anticipated. This does not reflect on our dedication to make TOAWIV a high quality product and a worthy new flagship of the series, quite the opposite. 5) Finally a very good news: Bob, who you know as Curtis Lemay on the forum, has started helping Ralph out with coding tasks. His feedback has already been invaluable, and now he is able to take over smaller but still quite important work (like improving UI features) while Ralph can concentrate on the bigger stuff. This already has resulted in the development picking up pace, bringing the time when we can unveil the look of the game much closer. Thanks again for your patience and continued support of the team! Hopefully just asking the obvious Qs here, and to your points: 1) Great, thanks. Finalization of the new graphics- do you have a deadline, end date (or to put another way, when can we expect to see something that would indicate progress)? 2) Of course the Beta Testers don't have the source code, that's silly talk. But someone does, and putting the source code on Github (or some such) might get this project the help it so obviously, desperately needs. I don't see why this type of talk needs to stop, surely this has taken so long now that other ideas, ANY ideas, are worth discussion. 3) We know you're not cruel, but some folks might wonder whether it's because you don't have anything to show, or it's so minimal it might be regarded as a dilettante effort (and don't forget we already have the ability to mod graphics and some aspects of the UI, so what's being withheld has to look as though it's taken significant time and effort). 4) Fair enough. But why is that? And it absolutely does reflect on your "dedication to make TOAWIV a high quality product and a worthy new flagship of the series", since if this were the case you'd put more time, effort and resource into it than you have done. If the projection #s aren't working for you, and every extra year of delay they surely worsen, the more reason to get extra help to finish it. 5) Curtis Lemay on this. Great. I have the utmost respect for his good efforts and stand in awe of his patience regarding the delays on this. But there's a point at which I have to start wondering why- as a longtime fellow TOAWer- he doesn't speak out at the endless delays on this project and become more of a voice advocating a solution to this endless loop. Rather than his good name being trotted out as an apologist for Matrix here and risking being perceived as part of the problem. To put it another way, NDAs (as in non disclose) can be necessary or used as devices to muzzle good folks (as in nothing done). I truly hope my pessimism is wrong and that TOAW IV eventually appears. Can we just turn this effort into a professional one, with deadlines, extra resources as needed and non-Neverland delivery dates? And then get an ETA on delivery date?
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Tactics are based on Weapons... Strategy on Movement... and Movement on Supply. (J. F. C. Fuller 1878-1966)
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