Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Mark Jacobs on the delay
Leftyh
Member Posts: 21
"""""".... source: http://www.warhammeralliance.com/forums/showthread.php?p=738067#738067
Folks,
So, I'm going to go ahead and create a topic here in which I'll be happy to talk about the change in release day and other associated subjects. As usual, I'll ask people to be polite and I will be so in return. Below this paragraph I have included some questions I expect you'll ask with some answers in advance. Please take the time to read this Q&A before asking me a question in return. I hate to be rude but I don't want to have to answer the same question again and again. Also, please read the entire thread (or at least my responses in it) before asking a question for the same reason.
And please, if you are going to use this thread to either outrage, disappointment and/or anger (real or feigned), I ask you please to do that in another thread. This topic is for people who want to talk to me about the delay, the reasons behind it, the effect on WAR, etc. As I said in the Eurogamer thread I expect lots of visits from trolls (just as we got the last time) from other games looking for an opportunity to pile-on because of this announcement.
Mark
1) When’s the release date? We are only prepared to say that the game will launch Fall 2008. Given the highly competitive nature of the MMO industry right now, we feel it is best not to establish a set launch date at the present time.
2) Will you still be able to launch the European and North American versions of the game simultaneously? That’s always been our plan for WAR and nothing about this delay endangers that at all. Actually, it gives us a little more time to make sure that everything is ready to go at launch.
3) How’s the beta going? It’s going quite well. We’re getting tons of great feedback and overall, we are quite pleased with the game’s progress. Given the rather complicate nature of MMOs in general, and the fact that WAR is both a PvE and an RvR game, getting it right at launch is paramount to the game’s success.
4) Do you think you are going to hit this release date? About as sure as we were the last time, which means that we’ll be sure that we’ll hit the date when the game goes gold master. Our confidence only increases the longer we are in beta.
5) It seems that WAR is taking a long time to develop, is this true? Mythic began work on WAR in Fall 2005. Even with this delay, if the game launches within the new window it will be only a three-year development cycle. That is far less than most other MMORPGs ... other than Dark Age of Camelot, of course.
6) How does EA feel about this delay? They feel the same way about it that we do, sad but supportive. We all would have loved to release this game in the 2nd Quarter but it wouldn’t have been a great game at launch we know it can be. A good game absolutely, but not great. Our CEO has been a vocal proponent within EA and spokesmen outside of it of the need to improve the quality of all games, including EA. We are thrilled to be happy to help meet his trumpet call.
7) It’s going to be a pretty crowded couple of quarters in the MMORPG space, why do you think WAR is going to be able to stand out? One of the lessons from developers like BioWare and Blizzard is that you can’t rush a great game to market. By taking the necessary time to make WAR a great game, we feel it will be able to stand out in any season. We would rather release a great game in the fall then a good one any other time.
Do you see any positives in the delay of the game’s release? Yes, lots of them. Extra time for polish, more time for iteration and a chance to be one of the standout products of the biggest selling season for the industry.
9) Why did you announce the date now? We could have waited to announce a delay, and in doing so take advantage of the hype surrounding the of the Collector’s Edition to sell a ton of copies. However, that has never been the way we’ve done business and that is not about to change now. We’ve always told the community that when a delay was necessary we would tell them right away, and we’re doing just that. I wish I could say all other developers do this but the fact is that they don't. We did what's right for the game but delaying the release and what's right for the community by announcing it now.
10) Will this have any effect on any other overseas launches for WAR? This has no impact on our plans for Asia.
.............""""""""""""
Comments
You don't even need to use [Search] to see 2 more topics about delay >.<
I thought MBJ comments was interesting enough to have its own thread.
This part is the kicker in my opinion. From what I've seen read and heard so far and after the clear cryout from Beta testers at the end of last year my main suspicion is that they simply aren't managing to get the right chemistry going at all. It would seem their original design was just not as great as they had hoped it would be (which if it had been wouldve put the game for a release at the time they wanted it) and they're struggling to find something that works.
Given that I already felt that Mythic didn't have a clue what actually made Daoc great this is not a hopeful sign at all in my opinion. (to clarify, they released a great game and every step after that was a step to breaking down what actually made it great)
*Exclaimer: This is all guestimation on my part*
I'm personally pretty happy with the delay for a number of reasons. Some Mark Jacobs already commented on, like time for more polish and at last a finished product at release day which I feel are massive issues for MMO's.
But also as an ex WoW player who left because of the poor community upon it, I also see one other point which at least to me seems a good point.
If AoC & WotLK etc. are released before this i see a good chance that many immature & impatient players of which I have sadly come to dislike will take to the other games first cutting down the part of the MMO community I dislike that will come to WAR.
And I do not mean this as a flame to certain members of the MMO community, just I believe to enjoy WAR fully I (and other players) could do without the attitudes I have come to dislike over the years and hope that forerunners to this game will weed such attitudes out.
""9) Why did you announce the date now? We could have waited to announce a delay, and in doing so take advantage of the hype surrounding the of the Collector’s Edition to sell a ton of copies. However, that has never been the way we’ve done business and that is not about to change now. We’ve always told the community that when a delay was necessary we would tell them right away, and we’re doing just that. I wish I could say all other developers do this but the fact is that they don't. We did what's right for the game but delaying the release and what's right for the community by announcing it now."""
/respect to Mythic!!!!!!!!!
Anyway I think its a good thing that they postpone if they think its needed. I rather have a finished and great product instead of somthing that should have stayed in beta.
This part is the kicker in my opinion. From what I've seen read and heard so far and after the clear cryout from Beta testers at the end of last year my main suspicion is that they simply aren't managing to get the right chemistry going at all. It would seem their original design was just not as great as they had hoped it would be (which if it had been wouldve put the game for a release at the time they wanted it) and they're struggling to find something that works.
Given that I already felt that Mythic didn't have a clue what actually made Daoc great this is not a hopeful sign at all in my opinion. (to clarify, they released a great game and every step after that was a step to breaking down what actually made it great)
*Exclaimer: This is all guestimation on my part*
I disagree with your guestimation. In my opinion, they are on the right track, but the change in course after beta feedback required additional development, and that takes time.
At least they didn't just run out of money, and release a piece of crap. It may or may not end up being an MMORPG classic, but they have a shot since it will be finished when they release.
If you release a half finished game, you never get the chance to finish it while the game is live. You end up with bad press, not many people on the servers, which then doesn't attract more people, and by the time you fix and polish the game, everyone has just moved on to play something else.
I've seen the Age of Conan combat vids, and for me the clickety click combat, and running around and jumping like a chicken with your head cuf off would get old pretty fast. So, even though I might check it out if it releases soon, I'll still be waiting on WAR.
Hmmmm.......... Pheace or Mark Jacobs, thats a tough one.
I choose Mark Jacobs.
Weren't open world PvP/Sieges were one of the things that most felt were a strong point of DAOC? Mythic has gone back to bring more of that into the game after initially trying to emphasize Instanced Scenarios.
In a recent interview with Paul Barnett, we hear that Mythic was emphasizing Scenarios because as a small developement company they wanted to protect their DAOC license. With the EA buyout they no longer had to worry about that and were reworking things to bring open world sieges back to the front row. I suspect that's one of the reasons for the delay, but who can say.
That's odd, I didn't think I said anything counter to MJ or asked anyone to make a choice between my point of view or MJ's or that such a thing was even in there?
Indeed you didn't ask, I was thinking out loud regarding my opinions on who knows how things are going within beta and the strong points of Mythics previous game "Dark Age of Camelot."
Forum Regular who is not in beta.
or
Mark Jacobs the GM of EA Mythic.
Well, I guess I'm just glad there are also people here mature enough not to make such petty posts based on attacking the posters integrity rather than actually talking about the point being discussed.
Calling others "immature" in an attempt to sway the arguement provides a +10 boost to your integrity stat.
+ Level Up!
I'm glad they delayed the game.
"Negaholics are people who become addicted to negativity and self-doubt, they find fault in most things and never seem to be satisfied."
^MMORPG.com
That's odd, I didn't think I said anything counter to MJ or asked anyone to make a choice between my point of view or MJ's or that such a thing was even in there?
Don't be suprised. He gets real emotional when it comes to his warhammer.
I have the same suspicions. Seems like something's rotten at the core and another layer of goop probably won't fix it. Watching this long, slow, faltering process with warhammer over the years... seems like identity crisis. I think delaying is the only thing they can really do about it now so there's one good decision at least.
That's odd, I didn't think I said anything counter to MJ or asked anyone to make a choice between my point of view or MJ's or that such a thing was even in there?
Don't be suprised. He gets real emotional when it comes to his warhammer.
I have the same suspicions. Seems like something's rotten at the core and another layer of goop probably won't fix it. Watching this long, slow, faltering process with warhammer over the years... seems like identity crisis. I think delaying is the only thing they can really do about it now so there's one good decision at least.
Yes IGN and Gamespy are both dirty dirty dirty liars and so are all the Reviewers at the EU press event..the game is awful Mythic is a bunch of witches that must be burned! .. Psh Honestly....would it kill any of you to be something other than jaded and uninformedly biased (totally makes up a word and doesn't care)?The delay sucks but its not really unexpected anyone whos been watching the game has been wondering when the delay would hit. Gamestop sort of gave it away when they pushed their release projected date to September.
Please Refer to Doom Cat with all conspiracies & evil corporation complaints. He'll give you the simple explination of..WE"RE ALL DOOMED!
That's odd, I didn't think I said anything counter to MJ or asked anyone to make a choice between my point of view or MJ's or that such a thing was even in there?
Don't be suprised. He gets real emotional when it comes to his warhammer.
I have the same suspicions. Seems like something's rotten at the core and another layer of goop probably won't fix it. Watching this long, slow, faltering process with warhammer over the years... seems like identity crisis. I think delaying is the only thing they can really do about it now so there's one good decision at least.
Yes IGN and Gamespy are both dirty dirty dirty liars and so are all the Reviewers at the EU press event..the game is awful Mythic is a bunch of witches that must be burned! .. Psh Honestly....would it kill any of you to be something other than jaded and uninformedly biased (totally makes up a word and doesn't care)?The delay sucks but its not really unexpected anyone whos been watching the game has been wondering when the delay would hit. Gamestop sort of gave it away when they pushed their release projected date to September.
Yeah. We'll see.