Something to hold us over?

DVDerek · 03-24-2004, 03:54 PM

Any chance those who pre-ordered OOTP6 could get some sort of access to OOTP5... especially considering there's no official release date planned? The Demo just expired.

Cole · 03-24-2004, 04:08 PM

I would say most people who preordered OOTP 6 already own OOTP 5, so you may have a tough time getting support for that idea.

DVDerek · 03-24-2004, 04:17 PM

Yeah, I realize that the idea behind this was "upgrade pricing" but I just can't stand not knowing when I'm going to get my hands on the game. I pre-ordered because it sounds like a great product, but "when it's ready" is not a good way to appease paying customers. I'm not saying they should release a product that's not ready, but most projects operate with release dates and those release dates are communicated to the user community eventually. Especially when you start collecting money.

Yeah, I signed up for it. I'll wait. I knew what I was getting into.

treedom · 03-24-2004, 04:19 PM

hang in there mate, it shouldn't be much longer...

they did say around opening day...

Bonedwarf · 03-24-2004, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ripwalk
I would say most people who preordered OOTP 6 already own OOTP 5, so you may have a tough time getting support for that idea.

Well if most people own it, I must be in the minority then as I skipped 5.

smeyers003 · 03-24-2004, 09:05 PM

Although it's frustrating not knowing a release date, it's better than them doing what most companies do, setting an unreachable release date knowing the game is just going to be delayed.

Patience is a virtrue my friends.

Steve Kuffrey · 03-24-2004, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by smeyers003
Although it's frustrating not knowing a release date, it's better than them doing what most companies do, setting an unreachable release date knowing the game is just going to be delayed.

Patience is a virtrue my friends.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dagrims · 03-24-2004, 09:31 PM

To give yourself some peace of mind, plan on the game being released on April 15th. Then you'll be pleasantly surprised when it comes out earlier, and you can sim a couple seasons while completing your tax return extension.

Of course, if for some reason it doesn't come out before then you'll be agitated, but at least not for a few more weeks.

AnotherAlias · 03-24-2004, 09:42 PM

Here's what I heard....
"OOTP6 will be released when it has been fully tested and found to be ready.
"

Rizon · 03-24-2004, 09:44 PM

I think it's going to be released sometime after March 24, 2004 and sometime before March 23, 2005.

Smiley · 03-24-2004, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by smeyers003
Although it's frustrating not knowing a release date, it's better than them doing what most companies do, setting an unreachable release date knowing the game is just going to be delayed.

Patience is a virtrue my friends.

03-24-2004, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DVDerek
I pre-ordered because it sounds like a great product, but "when it's ready" is not a good way to appease paying customers. I'm not saying they should release a product that's not ready, but most projects operate with release dates and those release dates are communicated to the user community eventually. Especially when you start collecting money.

Maybe you shouldn't have pre-ordered if you felt that way? It was pretty crystal clear to me that if you pre-ordered, then yes... you pay for the game and it would be released at a _later_ date. That was the entire premise of the pre-ordering process.

I, personally, can live without that Total Pro Football debacle invading my little OOTP niche. Release dates only ruin a customers experience... they do very little to enhance it.

If they set the date and the engine needs fixed, they're faced with releasing a ****ty product that they'll never hear the end about [while upseting life time customers like myself] _or_ push the release date back and then we hear the whining from the other end because they're not honoring the release date. Who wants that headache?

You'll never hear me ask about a release date because when it's finished? That's when I want to receive it. Not a minute sooner.

Jase

DVDerek · 03-24-2004, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by smeyers003
Although it's frustrating not knowing a release date, it's better than them doing what most companies do, setting an unreachable release date knowing the game is just going to be delayed.

Patience is a virtrue my friends.

I agree. Companies do this often when they're estimating a date 12 or 6 months away. When they start collecting money they usually have a pretty firm date. There are exceptions (see ESPN Major League Baseball 2004).

Sure, some companies set these unreachable dates in the early parts of projects on purpose. But that doesn't mean every company who announces release dates has to do it that way.

The game is wonderful. I just think the "covert release" is a bad idea. I fear that I'm off to a bad start on these forums. I really don't mean to be a malcontent. Honest!

DVDerek · 03-24-2004, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by avwjase
Maybe you shouldn't have pre-ordered if you felt that way? It was pretty crystal clear to me that if you pre-ordered, then yes... you pay for the game and it would be released at a _later_ date. That was the entire premise of the pre-ordering process.

I, personally, can live without that Total Pro Football debacle invading my little OOTP niche. Release dates only ruin a customers experience... they do very little to enhance it.

If they set the date and the engine needs fixed, they're faced with releasing a ****ty product that they'll never hear the end about [while upseting life time customers like myself] _or_ push the release date back and then we hear the whining from the other end because they're not honoring the release date. Who wants that headache?

You'll never hear me ask about a release date because when it's finished? That's when I want to receive it. Not a minute sooner.

Jase

I just know that I could never tell my boss that "it will be done when it's ready." When you're selling goods to a customer, they are the boss.

Again... I'm not whining. When someone critical of the company or the game or it's process it's not always a whine. In my case, it's constructive critisizm. I'm just pointing out that the lack of a release date 1 to 2 weeks before it's supposed release isn't a good business practice. And that I'd be appeased with an extended demo of OOTP5

In the interest of averting any potential flame wars in my first thread, I'm ending my discussion of this now.

Cole · 03-25-2004, 12:05 AM

Yeah Derek, if you need any further proof of why not announcing a release date until the game is READY is the best policy for a small company like this, feel free to refer to the boards on 400softwarestudios.com.

Just take a peak at some of the threads around the release dates of TDCB and TPF, and the reasoning may be quite a bit more clear

Operation Shutdown · 03-25-2004, 12:39 AM

here you go, this should work well.

It helps me when I just can't wait any longer.

03-25-2004, 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by DVDerek
I just know that I could never tell my boss that "it will be done when it's ready." When you're selling goods to a customer, they are the boss.

Look, I'm not trying to bite your head off... but you knew before you pre-ordered, as did everyone else that there was no release date set. Now, I feel it pretty silly to pre-order knowing this, then claim the system stinks. If you felt it was a terrible system, then why pre-order? I mean, you knew what you were getting when you placed your order. A 9 dollar price break and a wait until the game was released -- a release they made clear from the onset, they had no _firm_ release date for.

Quote:

Again... I'm not whining. When someone critical of the company or the game or it's process it's not always a whine. In my case, it's constructive critisizm. I'm just pointing out that the lack of a release date 1 to 2 weeks before it's supposed release isn't a good business practice. And that I'd be appeased with an extended demo of OOTP5

Technically, it is whining because you knew the rules before you rolled the dice, so to speak. I agree with you that we essentially are Markus' boss and I agree whole heartedly, that anyone that plunks down money they earned should be free to criticize the _product_ if not fully satisfied.

What I think is silly, as stated above, is if you're told something in plain English, agree with it [apparently by your pre-order] then scream foul when you become impatient. No one said you had to pre-order. You could have easily waited until it was released and been instantly gratified, which it seems you're wanting.

Also, how do you presume to know they won't give a release date before it's actually released? You claim they should tell us a week or so before it's released... well, how do we know they won't? No one knows the release date and from my experience, every single release of an incarnation of the game has been prefaced by an "OOTPX release party will be in XX days!" announcement.

I have no doubt they'll do something similair this time as well. They're just doing what's important right now and making sure the game works. Once it's near ready, we'll all know, I'm sure.

Other than that, welcome to the boards. And I'm not trying to bite your head off... jsut explaining why a release date is the least of our [majority, I'd assume] worries. Getting the game we've come to expect in a fully functioning state is what most of us care about.

Jase

dougk62 · 03-25-2004, 03:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAlias
Here's what I heard....
"OOTP6 will be released when it has been fully tested and found to be ready.
"

I've seen that exact same thing posted somewhere, but I just can't put my finger on exactly where I've seen it.

Ragnar · 03-25-2004, 04:12 AM

I'v seen at least two posts where one of the administrators said they are confident of a late March, early April release. What more can be said? Do people want an exact day? Be careful what you wish for because if you aggrivate them enough they might give you just that. A May 25th release date. Sit on it until then just to show they are prompt with their promise!

reds1 · 03-25-2004, 06:30 PM

I suppose .400softwarestudios could have said nothing at all about a new version until just before they released it.

But would anyone here in this forum appreciate that approach?

Sounds to me like the developers will be criticized no matter what they do, and that's not fair.

At least this way, we have plenty of time to decide if we want to pre-order OOTP6 or whether to order it at all. Or we could wait to see what the feedback is on the released version before buying it.

That's what makes this forum pretty neat - instant feedback from fellow game users as well as the developers themselves.

03-24-2004, 03:54 PM	#1
DVDerek Bat Boy Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 9	Something to hold us over? Any chance those who pre-ordered OOTP6 could get some sort of access to OOTP5... especially considering there's no official release date planned? The Demo just expired.

03-24-2004, 04:19 PM	#4
treedom Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Transylvania Posts: 2,900	hang in there mate, it shouldn't be much longer... they did say around opening day... __________________ A rake and a roustabout.

03-24-2004, 09:31 PM	#8
Dagrims Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 3,827	To give yourself some peace of mind, plan on the game being released on April 15th. Then you'll be pleasantly surprised when it comes out earlier, and you can sim a couple seasons while completing your tax return extension. Of course, if for some reason it doesn't come out before then you'll be agitated, but at least not for a few more weeks. __________________ "Read books, get brain."

03-24-2004, 09:44 PM	#10
Rizon Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: SF Area, California Total Posts: 531,691 Posts: 2,370	I think it's going to be released sometime after March 24, 2004 and sometime before March 23, 2005. __________________ JML MILKSHAKES

03-25-2004, 12:39 AM	#16
Operation Shutdown All Star Reserve Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Pittsburgh PA Posts: 912	here you go, this should work well. It helps me when I just can't wait any longer. Attached Images __________________ "And Shepherds we shall be, For thee, my Lord, for thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand, Our feet may swiftly carry out Thy commands. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee, And teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomeni Patri Et Fili Spiritus Sancti."

03-24-2004, 04:08 PM	#2
Cole Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Fredericton, New Brunswick Posts: 2,685	I would say most people who preordered OOTP 6 already own OOTP 5, so you may have a tough time getting support for that idea.

03-24-2004, 04:17 PM	#3
DVDerek Bat Boy Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 9	Yeah, I realize that the idea behind this was "upgrade pricing" but I just can't stand not knowing when I'm going to get my hands on the game. I pre-ordered because it sounds like a great product, but "when it's ready" is not a good way to appease paying customers. I'm not saying they should release a product that's not ready, but most projects operate with release dates and those release dates are communicated to the user community eventually. Especially when you start collecting money. Yeah, I signed up for it. I'll wait. I knew what I was getting into.

03-24-2004, 09:05 PM	#6
smeyers003 Major Leagues Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 416	Although it's frustrating not knowing a release date, it's better than them doing what most companies do, setting an unreachable release date knowing the game is just going to be delayed. Patience is a virtrue my friends.

03-24-2004, 09:42 PM	#9
AnotherAlias Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I'm back...for now Posts: 4,190	Here's what I heard.... "OOTP6 will be released when it has been fully tested and found to be ready. "

03-25-2004, 12:05 AM	#15
Cole Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Fredericton, New Brunswick Posts: 2,685	Yeah Derek, if you need any further proof of why not announcing a release date until the game is READY is the best policy for a small company like this, feel free to refer to the boards on 400softwarestudios.com. Just take a peak at some of the threads around the release dates of TDCB and TPF, and the reasoning may be quite a bit more clear

03-25-2004, 04:12 AM	#19
Ragnar Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 3,583	I'v seen at least two posts where one of the administrators said they are confident of a late March, early April release. What more can be said? Do people want an exact day? Be careful what you wish for because if you aggrivate them enough they might give you just that. A May 25th release date. Sit on it until then just to show they are prompt with their promise!

03-25-2004, 06:30 PM	#20
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,985	I suppose .400softwarestudios could have said nothing at all about a new version until just before they released it. But would anyone here in this forum appreciate that approach? Sounds to me like the developers will be criticized no matter what they do, and that's not fair. At least this way, we have plenty of time to decide if we want to pre-order OOTP6 or whether to order it at all. Or we could wait to see what the feedback is on the released version before buying it. That's what makes this forum pretty neat - instant feedback from fellow game users as well as the developers themselves. __________________ United Leagues of Braeland