[mlyons]

JD, I think I understand your main point -- that OOTPdev needs to tighten up as a company if it wants to grow into a major factor in the software industry. I actually agree with you about this in a number of ways, and am somewhat concerned about the long term future of this company, because I want to see it continue to produce a game I've probably enjoyed more than any other game series I've ever played (it's a fairly close race with Civilization). I'm actually slightly ashamed to admit it, but I even purchased ITP (even though it didn't sound terrifically appealing to me) in an attempt to contribute in some small part to the company's financial well-being.

One point you miss, however, is that OOTPdev is not a major factor in the software industry yet, nor is it even plain that they ever want to be. Because they are not at the level of the major software companies, it strikes me as inherently unfair for you to try to hold them to the larger companies' standards. You can wish that they would do so, and even suggest that they do so, but to write a bad review of them for not conforming to industry standards when I'm not sure that they even qualify as "industry" seems about as unfair as criticizing their lack of an advertising campaign.

I'm not criticizing your opinions here; I agree with some of them and disagree with others. What I am criticizing is what seems to be a threat to write a bad review of OOTP6 based on release dates and customer service rather than the quality of the game itself. It's a very small company; the game is all there is. Any review of it should include that information as a caveat, but it really shouldn't be the primary focus of the review.