Egosoft: Never again

[Kirlain]

Will I buy a product you release, when its released. Maybe a year later, at minimum six months.

Heh, todays date is November the 28th...

1.21 was released/posted Thu, 30. Oct 08, 17:29. That was after a week or so of horrible play time. Now its almost December.

Still no 1.3 patch, game is still horribly bugged. Guess I'll wait till the new year to check for a patch..

[xeon_1]

You want bugs try red alert 3.
It only crashes every other minute thankfully i didn't buy it only borrowed it.
Compared to that TC is bug free.

[The Great Destroyer]

The game isn't that bad.It seems most bugs are mainly storyline related,since I'm playing Custom universe I have averted those problems.

I also will not play any of the storylines until the Final patch.

[summon_libre]

bugs are so bad that I've stopped playing for the meantime, until they are properly ironed out.

...which going by Egosoft estimates, usually takes a year.

to name a few:

- Ships ramming stargates
- Ships ramming ships going through stargates
- Station Traders not working properly
- Universe Traders not working properly
- Flak bugs and deals no damage
- Overpowered PBGs
- Overpowered PSGs
- M7s with bugged turrets
- AI M7Ms are completely useless (no ammo)
- Lasertowers don't work OOS
- General OOS combat bugged
- Stations turn red way too easily
- CTD after spending certain amount of time in Kha'ak sectors
- Completely stupid Patrols (My M6 vs 100 Ps, woo)
- Completely stupid Payouts (I got 130mil credits to build a factory that costs 3mil)

...and that's not even touching the Storyline.

Yes there's 'workarounds' for a lot of these, like not saving during combat so the Flak bug dosen't happen... but it's got to the point that I feel like I'm spending more time learning bug workarounds than actually enjoying the game...
...which is really the job of a Beta Tester.

Don't get me wrong, I love the game (what's RIGHT with it) but seriously...

[RegisterMe]

I can understand where you're coming from but.... if you want to play a polished game go play X3R with the latest bonus pack and patch.

If you want to get X3TC to the same place stick with it and help .

Personally I think that people who've "wandered in off the street" and picked up X3TC have a right to be disappointed. Old time X players pretty much know where they're at. Not an excuse but..... Having said that I have confidence in Egosoft, and, perhaps more importantly, the dedicated community around them.

It will be a supremely good game.

[Malakie]

I can understand where you're coming from but.... if you want to play a polished game go play X3R with the latest bonus pack and patch.

If you want to get X3TC to the same place stick with it and help .

Personally I think that people who've "wandered in off the street" and picked up X3TC have a right to be disappointed. Old time X players pretty much know where they're at. Not an excuse but..... Having said that I have confidence in Egosoft, and, perhaps more importantly, the dedicated community around them.

It will be a supremely good game.

I agree with you.... BUT I will also admit that even I am starting to get frustrated. I am even using the custom vanilla start to try and get through or around issues... BUT the one big issue is the major stutter/lag issue in any combat whether it is one ship you are fighting or 50.

THAT is extremely frustrating. 50 ships I can understand some slowdown of a system.... But one ship? No what is frustrating me is how long it is taking to remedy the most agregrious bugs. I am not looking for the next patch to be the end all of end all patches. I am not looking for it to fix ALL known bugs nor resolve every little issue... But I do expect it to at least make things playable.

One thing I have never understood is why developers do not release immediate hot fixes for games that have potential and major play stopping bugs. Forget the small stuff for a bit... release an immediate update to resolve the most reported issues.. and if the update does not work, then keep at it until that major issue is fixed. THEN start working on a first major patch to fix bugs.

I am getting frustrated because I simply cannot get through one battle without the stutter and fps issue hitting hard. I can leave a sector and FPS will partially rebound and I can again play for a while albeit at a lesser FPS than before that battle started... But if I re-enter that sector where I got in a battle or if I get in a battle in the new sector.. pow same thing..

I like TC but if we do not see anything in terms of fixes, I am sure more and more players are going to just give up... and the sad part is so will the top modders for the game.... which would not be at all a good thing.

[eladan]

One thing I have never understood is why developers do not release immediate hot fixes for games that have potential and major play stopping bugs. Forget the small stuff for a bit... release an immediate update to resolve the most reported issues.. and if the update does not work, then keep at it until that major issue is fixed. THEN start working on a first major patch to fix bugs.

They did - that's what 1.21 was. It did help with performance for some people, but unfortunately wasn't the entire answer. That's the problem with rushing fixes out, that you can't be totally sure that you've nailed the problem.

People have an unfortunate habit of expecting a fix as soon as a problem is reported. I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. Egosoft will be working to fix the issues, and I'm sure they will release fixes as soon as they possibly can.

[RegisterMe]

I agree with you.... BUT I will also admit that even I am starting to get frustrated. I am even using the custom vanilla start to try and get through or around issues... BUT the one big issue is the major stutter/lag issue in any combat whether it is one ship you are fighting or 50.

THAT is extremely frustrating. 50 ships I can understand some slowdown of a system.... But one ship? No what is frustrating me is how long it is taking to remedy the most agregrious bugs. I am not looking for the next patch to be the end all of end all patches. I am not looking for it to fix ALL known bugs nor resolve every little issue... But I do expect it to at least make things playable.

One thing I have never understood is why developers do not release immediate hot fixes for games that have potential and major play stopping bugs. Forget the small stuff for a bit... release an immediate update to resolve the most reported issues.. and if the update does not work, then keep at it until that major issue is fixed. THEN start working on a first major patch to fix bugs.

I am getting frustrated because I simply cannot get through one battle without the stutter and fps issue hitting hard. I can leave a sector and FPS will partially rebound and I can again play for a while albeit at a lesser FPS than before that battle started... But if I re-enter that sector where I got in a battle or if I get in a battle in the new sector.. pow same thing..

I like TC but if we do not see anything in terms of fixes, I am sure more and more players are going to just give up... and the sad part is so will the top modders for the game.... which would not be at all a good thing.

Yep, I hear you. I bought two copies of the game just because my pre-ordered postal delivery didn't arrive on time. Parts of this "space" really disappoint me (the stuttering being one, ***modified*** being another, mission or plot bugs being a third) but I am trying to help - I'm talking to devs, sending saved games in etc. Should I have to? No, in an ideal world I wouldn't.

Anybody who bought TC as their first encounter with Egosoft can, unfortunately, be forgiven for simply binning it. That's a real shame. Those who've stuck by Egosoft down the years have had their painful gameplay investment repaid wonderfully. That is something that stands in great contrast to many of the larger game companies / publishers about the place these days.

Do you want to polish a Cullinan or hold a Great Star of Africa?

There isn't a right answer.

[Chealec]

The only bugs that _really_ nark me are the ones where the game goes ptooooi when there's too much stuff going on... things like:

> immense lag caused by certain weapon-fire effects or complexes
> Xenon invasions where most of the ships can't fight, move or do anything because the game can't cope - I generally pick off the fighters in the hope that the capitol ships wake up

I've only run into a couple of the storyline bugs - using all ten save slots helps mitigate them (that and the spoilers forum so I know when they're coming).

I've tried going back to Reunion a couple of times but I miss the new shiny shiny That and the fact that there's not a whole lot to throw my fleet of Split capitol ships at... could start again I guess.

[Kirlain]

I can understand where you're coming from but.... if you want to play a polished game go play X3R with the latest bonus pack and patch.

If you want to get X3TC to the same place stick with it and help .

Personally I think that people who've "wandered in off the street" and picked up X3TC have a right to be disappointed. Old time X players pretty much know where they're at. Not an excuse but..... Having said that I have confidence in Egosoft, and, perhaps more importantly, the dedicated community around them.

It will be a supremely good game.

I'm sure it WILL BE a good game. It shouldn't have been released with this many bugs, PERIOD. They themselves should be ASHAMED to have released it like this.

I won't be playing at all until its 100% patched.

[Kirlain]

I agree with you.... BUT I will also admit that even I am starting to get frustrated. I am even using the custom vanilla start to try and get through or around issues... BUT the one big issue is the major stutter/lag issue in any combat whether it is one ship you are fighting or 50.

THAT is extremely frustrating. 50 ships I can understand some slowdown of a system.... But one ship? No what is frustrating me is how long it is taking to remedy the most agregrious bugs. I am not looking for the next patch to be the end all of end all patches. I am not looking for it to fix ALL known bugs nor resolve every little issue... But I do expect it to at least make things playable.

One thing I have never understood is why developers do not release immediate hot fixes for games that have potential and major play stopping bugs. Forget the small stuff for a bit... release an immediate update to resolve the most reported issues.. and if the update does not work, then keep at it until that major issue is fixed. THEN start working on a first major patch to fix bugs.

I am getting frustrated because I simply cannot get through one battle without the stutter and fps issue hitting hard. I can leave a sector and FPS will partially rebound and I can again play for a while albeit at a lesser FPS than before that battle started... But if I re-enter that sector where I got in a battle or if I get in a battle in the new sector.. pow same thing..

I like TC but if we do not see anything in terms of fixes, I am sure more and more players are going to just give up... and the sad part is so will the top modders for the game.... which would not be at all a good thing.

Yep, I hear you. I bought two copies of the game just because my pre-ordered postal delivery didn't arrive on time. Parts of this "space" really disappoint me (the stuttering being one, ***modified*** being another, mission or plot bugs being a third) but I am trying to help - I'm talking to devs, sending saved games in etc. Should I have to? No, in an ideal world I wouldn't.

Anybody who bought TC as their first encounter with Egosoft can, unfortunately, be forgiven for simply binning it. That's a real shame. Those who've stuck by Egosoft down the years have had their painful gameplay investment repaid wonderfully. That is something that stands in great contrast to many of the larger game companies / publishers about the place these days.

Do you want to polish a Cullinan or hold a Great Star of Africa?

There isn't a right answer.

So you're saying since they finished product is awesome after its patched for a year, that makes them great designers? There are HUNDREDS of games out there that are just fantastic within 2 weeks of release or sooner. Hell, look at pretty much every Valve game ever released. Thats just one example.

You earn a reputation and a name based on the products you release. Egosofts is this: Awesome games a year after release. ****** games until then. Do not buy until product is 30 dollars or less.

[dshighway]

As a first time player of any X game and coming off a 2yr stint in EVE.. I gotta say this game is great fun despite the bugs!!! Save often and at multiple saves, that takes care of the physical bugs. The Graphical things, we wait. They will have my patience because this _IS_ space and its good fun!

This is no game to throw back into the bin!

[KiwiNZ]

Will I buy a product you release, when its released. Maybe a year later, at minimum six months.

Heh, todays date is November the 28th...

1.21 was released/posted Thu, 30. Oct 08, 17:29. That was after a week or so of horrible play time. Now its almost December.

Still no 1.3 patch, game is still horribly bugged. Guess I'll wait till the new year to check for a patch..

Ho about you just buy yourself a compatible computer instead of moaning? I have absolutely no problems playing this game. Apart from that, next time you are writing an essay of 10.000 words for school, make sure you don't make any mistakes because you don't want deliver as buggy a text as this game allegedly is, right?

[xTemon]

The only bug I've seen so far is with the wing command system; it makes all the ships follow each other somehow. Not sure what the trigger is as its only happened once; but, I do know it has a Flying in Formation navigation for the wing as the primary indicator that its wrecked.

I will note that some of those reported bugs have been around from the start; and, for most of us, are not bugs at all. Ships crashig into each other and gates for example; happens all the time in real life. Why would you expect a PC to be perfect

[Malakie]

One thing I have never understood is why developers do not release immediate hot fixes for games that have potential and major play stopping bugs. Forget the small stuff for a bit... release an immediate update to resolve the most reported issues.. and if the update does not work, then keep at it until that major issue is fixed. THEN start working on a first major patch to fix bugs.

They did - that's what 1.21 was. It did help with performance for some people, but unfortunately wasn't the entire answer. That's the problem with rushing fixes out, that you can't be totally sure that you've nailed the problem.

People have an unfortunate habit of expecting a fix as soon as a problem is reported. I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. Egosoft will be working to fix the issues, and I'm sure they will release fixes as soon as they possibly can.

I guess I look at things differently when trying to fix a problem... I was taught to take something, troubleshoot it and once I 'think' I might of found a problem to make any changes to try them out to see if there was any change of 'symptoms'. If no change, I have learned more than I knew before... and if there is a change, I now have more information to go with toward fixing the problem. And this method works extremely well. Even if you are not sure that could be a fix or cause another problem, by making the change then trying you can learn a whole lot more because you then eliminate certain possibilities etc..

When you have a problem like this, you need to request assistance of the users willing to help try out quick changes in code to see if a symptom change happens. I am sure MANY users of the X series would have no problems helping this way.... I know I would help. Isolating the problem can go much faster when you try something, see what happens then take any information from that and try again. Just changing code and not trying it out is not the way to fix things in my opinion unless you get it to the people who are having the problem.

Maybe they are fixing some of the code... but no one, even the devs cannot know if they have found or fixed anything until we all try it... and when we do get patch, if the major problem is not fixed, more people are going to loose what patience they do have right now.

If you keep users involved in the process, at least they see you are doing something and that the information they give back is worth something to the effort of trying to fix it.

[Malakie]

Will I buy a product you release, when its released. Maybe a year later, at minimum six months.

Heh, todays date is November the 28th...

1.21 was released/posted Thu, 30. Oct 08, 17:29. That was after a week or so of horrible play time. Now its almost December.

Still no 1.3 patch, game is still horribly bugged. Guess I'll wait till the new year to check for a patch..

Ho about you just buy yourself a compatible computer instead of moaning? I have absolutely no problems playing this game. Apart from that, next time you are writing an essay of 10.000 words for school, make sure you don't make any mistakes because you don't want deliver as buggy a text as this game allegedly is, right?

A compatible computer?? What kind of remark is that? You telling me that a dual core intel 2.8gHZ 4 gig ram, 2 terabytes HD space with ATI 3870 HD cards is not a compatible computer?

That is a pretty funny statement considering I can run anything else with narry a hic-cup. Sure some games are better than others.. Crysis can slow things down with all tunings maxed out but I STILL get 25-30fps even then.

If the 'complaints' being made were from 1 or two people or even just 10, THEN I would consider your statement for those users.... I would also consider still looking at driver issues, hardware issues and configuration issues. However when you get to the obvious majority of users reporting the 'same' basic problems it becomes no longer that but instead something wrong in the one common thing ALL those systems have... in this case, the game.

[NeverSnake]

- Ships ramming stargates
- Ships ramming ships going through stargates
- Station Traders not working properly
- Universe Traders not working properly
- Flak bugs and deals no damage
- Overpowered PBGs
- Overpowered PSGs
- M7s with bugged turrets
- AI M7Ms are completely useless (no ammo)
- Lasertowers don't work OOS
- General OOS combat bugged
- Stations turn red way too easily
- CTD after spending certain amount of time in Kha'ak sectors
- Completely stupid Patrols (My M6 vs 100 Ps, woo)
- Completely stupid Payouts (I got 130mil credits to build a factory that costs 3mil)

At least half of those are design decisions (numbers of enemies, rewards, weapon power) or technology limitations (stupid traders) rather than bugs.

[palm911]

People have an unfortunate habit of expecting a fix as soon as a problem is reported. I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. Egosoft will be working to fix the issues, and I'm sure they will release fixes as soon as they possibly can

SOME OTHERS have the HABIt of releasing an un-tested game, with promises of stuff that is totally broken, or not present.

when you are a paying customer you have the right to complain, they have my money as well the as the money of everyone "playing" the game,
i did not pay to help egosoft, and certainly not to help em fix the problems (i did not pay for be a beta tester) . i payed to enjoy a game. so far in my books with the attention given by devs to the comunity, they dont deserve any kind of consideration. we DEMAND that they fix things.

is it soo hard to release hotfixes to game elements that can and should be easily fixed? that will let us (some of us) feel like they are actually doing something.

as it is now, there might be players thinking that egosoft is not giving too much attention to what is happening ti the game or well people thinking that egosoft does not really care much and that they are not working as hard as they should with the "fixing the game".

they could fix things with a patch once every 2 weeks, even small fixes can keep the faith up,

im staring to think that for some EGOSOFT is a glorified game developer and the fact remains that the game IS BROKEN. and not a single word of then fixing it.

my 2 and a half cents.

[Stryc9]

I've never seen any game company release a patch for their game every two weeks. Doing that would be inefficient for the dev team. From what I've seen the majority of people are running the game without serious problems, like crashing to the desktop or bugs that literally make the game unplayable.

The people like the OP speak to the main problem with PC gaming with his first post, no developer can cover the entire range of possible PC hardware configurations without doing an open beta which Egosoft didn't do. Even holding an open beta doesn't necessarily fix all the bugs, like someone else mentioned look at Red Alert 3.

If there had been a US retail release of Terran Conflict, in spite of it's problems I would have grabbed a copy at the first opportunity and at least tried it. X3R was my first X game and it took me until the game was fully patched before I even started to understand some of the functions of the game and I'm still learning it.

Think of it this way, you have the game now, you don't have to worry about not being able to find a copy later when it's all patched up and working properly.

[delray]

Egosoft, just release it already....