A mild rant about multiplayer

[Heavensmith]

Hello,

The Strategic Command community is one of the most patient and loving gaming communities I have ever seen, even if I don't really hang around the forums. However, there are some unpleasant things that I feel now need to be said.

This delay with multiplayer is becoming ridiculous. You have been selling an incomplete 40$ game for almost four months now. This isn't a bugfix or a patch we're talking about, it isn't even added DLC, it's MOST OF THE GAME'S MULTIPLAYER. Do I really need to stress how much this handicaps a strategy game? At best you'll piss a lot of people off, at worst you'll kill your own player base because people will become too bored of the AI and waiting for PBEM, and will on to something else.

I personally love this series, but I really feel like I'm being played for a fool when I come back month after month and there's still no sign of progress. At best I can read an occasional laconic message from Hubert saying "we're working on it". Come on guys, the internet is full of crappy little studios who put out games and then abandon them as soon as they get tired of them. I know you're not like that, and you can do better than this. Your community loves your games, so show them some respect and deliver on your promises. Being a small development team does not give you a freebie to pull shit like this.

</rant>

[CapitaineHaddock]

I tend to agree with you... except that PBEM is actually out now - even though it's still in beta.

[Hubert Cater]

Hi Heavensmith,

For my part I can sincerely say apologies for PBEM++ taking as long as it has but as CaptaineHaddock has mentioned it is now available in Beta and will be available as an official release very soon.

There is no real excuse on our end other than circumstances and unforeseen hurdles to finally get PBEM++ working as intended. Implementing the game to use the Matrix PBEM++ server was a new endeavor for us, none of our games have used it before and there was unfortunately a bit of a learning curve and number of compatibility issues that took much longer to address than we had anticipated.

For the development team, we are indeed very small and on the coding side it is just myself, and with the timing of the release, the holidays and then getting quite sick with pneumonia these were all factors that contributed to an extended delay.

On the technical side of things we ran into a few very significant issues, file size being the biggest as SC game files are by default quite large, and I needed to work around that to ensure an optimal experience as well as to work within the limits of the PBEM++ server.

Nothing was insurmountable but it takes time to work out the needed solutions and to ensure they work as intended.

Again, more information than probably needed but hopefully this paints a bit of a picture and I also can't say that I wouldn't agree with your frustrations if I was on the other side like yourself, it just was what it was for us on our end and we were just as frustrated with the delay as well.

But the good news is we are finally here and an official release should be just around the corner [:)]

Hubert

[DeriKuk]

The last 5% eats up 55% of the time. [;)]

[dox44]

-1 OP

you did a great job.

a great game and for $40 i ripped you off.

a lot more important things than PBEM for a damn $40 game.

[sapper32]

I've had my money's worth out of this game already and when PBEM is ready I will get even more out of this great game.

[elmo3]

Also -1 to the OP. Hubert had pneumonia for Christ's sake and that delayed everything. PBEM is out in beta now and working fine for me and a friend. Your post is out of line IMHO.

[freeboy]

Seen in context..

[Heavensmith]

Hi again,

First of all, thanks for your reply Hubert. As I said I don't hang around the forums much, so I didn't know you were sick. I hope you're all well now, or at least well on your way to recovery I of course understand how such an unfortunate turn of events must have affected your job. I just feel like sometimes there's a lack of communication around the game's progress, and I am glad for any details you give since they do help put things into perspective.

I was expecting to get some flak on this topic, but I still think my initial position was justified and that as long as everyone keeps their calm, we're fine. I still feel like something being in beta doesn't count as it being released, since it usually implies having to mess with your game files, using a glitchy version and ultimately losing your saves when the final version comes out.

Anyway I'm still looking forward to PBEM and will probably keep playing this game for eons to come

[Hubert Cater]

Appreciate your follow up reply here Heavensmith and yes unfortunately the release took a significant toll on my health at the time... I suspect too many late and sleepless nights and I think my body just decided to shut down on me.

It unfortunately completely threw off the PBEM++ schedule as I had hoped to wrap it up prior to the Christmas holidays (as we had promised) which in the end didn't happen. Physical recovery was really good, but mental recovery also took some time and I also needed to catch up on quite a few things at home that piled up over the last few months prior to release, and last but not least I also needed to recover some lost time with my family and especially with my wife.

The overwhelming amount of work, forum responses, emails and technical issues that needed to be addressed right after release also took a lot of time, and without both Bill and I having nervous breakdowns we eventually managed it all but again it reached the point of only so much time in the day to get everything done... and now finally to very shortly wrap up PBEM++ as promised.

Again, probably more information than needed, it is just one of those situations of "all the best laid plans" and for us having a very small team trying to produce and put together a game that competes with some bigger studios and significantly deeper funded games out there, we really have and are doing our best.

But like you've said initially, has it taken too long? Absolutely, and we are not happy about that either, but thankfully it is really now just around the corner [:)]

[IrishGuards]

Faugh a ballagh'

[&o]
IG

[xwormwood]

Hubert, don't worry, everybody who has been in your shoes will feel you - no matter how willing the mind may be - you can' neither cheat your body nor your sould. If one does, he will be shut down by either one (or both) of them. Been there, learned to respect that. Got a tinnitus out of it, which helps me to never to forget about some of the most basic rules in the game of live.
Steer your course, but take your time.
You and Bill do a tremendous job, SC is the best strategic computer game out there. Since over a decade.