Steam Launch of Patch...When is this going to happen? (A. Now!)

[AcerbicMaelin]

It's pretty ridiculous that Steam only has one guy in the company who knows how to implement patches. What happens if that guy has a car accident on his holiday? No more patches for Steam, ever? More likely there is only one guy who is authorised to implement patches, which means: good news, everybody, your patch is being held up by bureaucracy.

Also, whoever said "there is nothing that can be done", that is clearly untrue. If I offered every employee of both companies US$100,000 if they can get that patch released by this time tomorrow, you can bet your donkey that patch would be released. So really there is simply nothing that anybody is willing to do. And I realise this is mainly Steam's fault, not Egosoft's.

I'm also curious: if the patches have to go through a whole pile of testing before they can be implemented and that's why we have to wait for the 2.0a patch, how come Steam didn't pick up this game-breaking glow bug when they first got the patch? I think Egosoft dropped the ball here with their testing a bit too, but at least they got right on the case and fixed it immediately. Steam however, seems to have taken the fixed patch and are now subjecting it to the very testing they evidently failed to apply to the 2.0 patch. What's going on here? What are they doing in this supposed "testing time"?

The fact that, had Egosoft not released the patch early and found the bug before the Steam patch release, we Steam users would have all had broken, unplayable games for a week fills me with doubt about Steam's automatic update system and leads me to believe I should give every patch a few days after release to make sure it isn't actually going to corrupt my game for whatever ridiculous amount of time it takes for Steam to release a fix.

And as to the reason why everyone comes here to complain instead of the Steam forums: nobody bothers reading the Steam forums. At least if we vent our frustrations here, somebody will hear it.

[palm911]

It's pretty ridiculous that Steam only has one guy in the company who knows how to implement patches. What happens if that guy has a car accident on his holiday? No more patches for Steam, ever? More likely there is only one guy who is authorised to implement patches, which means: good news, everybody, your patch is being held up by bureaucracy.

Also, whoever said "there is nothing that can be done", that is clearly untrue. If I offered every employee of both companies US$100,000 if they can get that patch released by this time tomorrow, you can bet your donkey that patch would be released. So really there is simply nothing that anybody is willing to do. And I realise this is mainly Steam's fault, not Egosoft's.

I'm also curious: if the patches have to go through a whole pile of testing before they can be implemented and that's why we have to wait for the 2.0a patch, how come Steam didn't pick up this game-breaking glow bug when they first got the patch? I think Egosoft dropped the ball here with their testing a bit too, but at least they got right on the case and fixed it immediately. Steam however, seems to have taken the fixed patch and are now subjecting it to the very testing they evidently failed to apply to the 2.0 patch. What's going on here? What are they doing in this supposed "testing time"?

The fact that, had Egosoft not released the patch early and found the bug before the Steam patch release, we Steam users would have all had broken, unplayable games for a week fills me with doubt about Steam's automatic update system and leads me to believe I should give every patch a few days after release to make sure it isn't actually going to corrupt my game for whatever ridiculous amount of time it takes for Steam to release a fix.

And as to the reason why everyone comes here to complain instead of the Steam forums: nobody bothers reading the Steam forums. At least if we vent our frustrations here, somebody will hear it.

suggestion:

if you are a steam user: go here : http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/f ... y.php?f=83

register .

join the club.
post your complaints.
Mass hit the report to moderation button. that will draw some attention.

also it is a good idea to post here:

EDIT : added the right forum:

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/f ... y.php?f=15

it is steam discussions (suggestions ideas)

this might speed things a bit, or else we will give then something to worry about.

and they are the only ones that can deploy this. this issue was never in Egosoft hands.
(my 2 cents)

[Tiedyeguy]

Just out of curiosity, WTF is this Glow Bug? Do Spaceflies emit a large bright halo of diffuse light? Is this a screen-shootable problem? (Yes, I searched the forums for the following: Glow Bug, Glow, and 2.0 Bug)

[palm911]

its a bug that makes your screen go White. or something like that. (nasty game breaking bug)

[Tiedyeguy]

this issue was never in Egosoft hands.

I think we all know that it is not Egosoft fault, nor were the Steam people likely to read this thread. The main reason I posted here instead on Steam's forums is because we here all know X and most of us, to some degree, know each other. Here our frustrations are met by people on common ground. On Steam's forums our frustrations would be met by 12-year-olds that know exactly where to throw a frag to hit the CT spawn on any map.

[Eandir]

I hate to be the jerk in the room, but Egosoft is not blameless. From what I can tell the majority of the wait steam users are subject to right now is due to the 2.0a hotfix. I'll be the first to admit I make the occasional mistake, but that doesn't make me blameless when I admit them.

[RMSe17]

As I stated in another thread, it would be a lot easier without the DRM. If the CD key was the only means of protection, then the same patch could be used on every distribution method. There is no reason for DRM in programs. Now, for music and movies, sure, you can't serial code lock that stuff...

[eladan]

Mass hit the report to moderation button. that will draw some attention.

I'd suggest that the most that is likely to do is earn you a ban. Attention seeking behaviour like that is frowned upon in most places.

[palm911]

you are right. however i will take my chances if i get banned over there is not a big deal. will never do any type of business with then..

their forums seems deserted. but i suggest to follow eledan tip .

thanks for the suggestion eledan

[SirMerlin860]

Mass hit the report to moderation button. that will draw some attention.

I'd suggest that the most that is likely to do is earn you a ban. Attention seeking behaviour like that is frowned upon in most places.

you are asuming there is someone at steam that actually reads the forums.

i had the 'cannot access game bug' and it took about two weeks for them to send me an email asking if i still had the problem.

by then i had solved the problem myself and &^*$ them they can solve it for someone else by themselves.

[eladan]

you are asuming there is someone at steam that actually reads the forums.

Not really, no. My statement is unaffected by whether they take notice of their forums or not.

I clearly can't comment on steam policy. If they're not responding to customer service issues, then I suspect that market forces should eventually show them the error of their ways.

[SirMerlin860]

If they're not responding to customer service issues, then I suspect that market forces should eventually show them the error of their ways.

i agree with you

i had a game stopping 'cannot access game' bug and it took two weeks for them to send a reply email.
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if the game was available in canada i would have baught it already!

this is my first and last purchase through steam!
being able to play x3 isn't worth the hastle
i'd sooner wait until i know someone going to the states or the uk like i did for the reunion.

[Cisor]

I'm sorry, I simply don't buy the 'Ego is doing everything they can' in this instance.

This situation could be resolved if Ego provide the steam version of the 2.0/2,0a update EXE for download as an interim solution. (There are multiple posts indicating a method of using the DVD 2.0 + 2.0a patches with the old 1.4 steam executable, so all we need to is the steam exe).

With the appropriate disclaimers, i.e. interim solution, use at own risk, backup your steam X3tc folders and a brief howto (extract to a temp folder, replace exe steam exe and copy all to x3tc folder) the essential gripe behind this thread would be resolved.

Wouldn't that buy steam the time to get their update together and make these unhappy users happy?
.

[SirMerlin860]

i think it's too late for steam..

they have shown too many of us what profitability is all about.

[Gothsheep]

Geeze, all this intensity about when the Steam Patch is going to hit, really makes me feel a little bad for hoping it's delayed at least another week.

[Fumciasty]

From what I can tell the majority of the wait steam users are subject to right now is due to the 2.0a hotfix.

Where did you get that idea from?
The 2.0a hotfix is for people who downloaded the update. The final version distributed on CDs is not affected at all.
The Steam version is not affected at all.

The hotfix was released because Egosoft rushed the patch release and made a mistake in packing the patch. If they released it as scheduled and ignored the US retailers, Egosoft would have 800 less problems right now.

If any admin/mod is reading this and can talk to the people responsible for patch releases:
Never do an early release because a handful of people can get the new version from somewhere else.
In an act of good will you just simply shot your own foot. I'm sure that there would be one or two threads about "They can get the game earlier, lucky bastards", and that'd be it.

[Cisor]

The Steam version is not affected at all.

You are incorrect. If you read this thread in its entirety, you'll see the steam update got the packaging glow bug error too. So ego resent it to steam and now all the red-tape involved means there is another week delay.
.

[Gothsheep]

From what I can tell the majority of the wait steam users are subject to right now is due to the 2.0a hotfix.

Where did you get that idea from?
The 2.0a hotfix is for people who downloaded the update. The final version distributed on CDs is not affected at all.
The Steam version is not affected at all.

The hotfix was released because Egosoft rushed the patch release and made a mistake in packing the patch. If they released it as scheduled and ignored the US retailers, Egosoft would have 800 less problems right now.

If any admin/mod is reading this and can talk to the people responsible for patch releases:
Never do an early release because a handful of people can get the new version from somewhere else.
In an act of good will you just simply shot your own foot. I'm sure that there would be one or two threads about "They can get the game earlier, lucky bastards", and that'd be it.

You know, as horrible as it is, I agree with this. The problem right now isn't so much that the Steam release is delayed...It's that those people over there got it, and these people over here didn't. Bugs aside. If you had everybody in the 'these people over here' category, then there wouldn't really be a problem. I mean sure, people would KNOW that it was released on disk early, and some people would be saying, "IF I'd bought it now I could be playing the patched version," but you wouldn't have nearly the amount of indignant people as you do with half your English speaking customers saying, "Hey, I got the patch, let's talk about it!" and the other half saying, "Man, why don't I get the patch!?"

If everyone is suffering equally, than nobody feels singled out.

[SirMerlin860]

and not a peep from steam.. we had to hear that here! that is what gets my goat.

[Cisor]

and not a peep from steam.. we had to hear that here! that is what gets my goat.

I don't see why steam should respond.. They did nothing wrong. They have their processes and timelines, and I'm sure Ego is well aware of that.

It was Ego's bug so the responsibility is all theirs.

Ego should provide the steam exe for download so we can patch own steam versions ourselves.
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