Patch or Sequel...how much will you pay?

[Clevo]

This game is very buggy... luckily for me Santa payed for my gift.

NRL 2003 needs serious patching to make up for it's early release.

But the problem is the next patch will have to come out by the end of January otherwise you might as well release the sequel NRL 2004.

The problem is patches are usually free...sequels are usually payed for.

So a compromise will need to be realised.

The next Patchquel will need to fix 90% of the known bugs, including AI improvements, graphics etc etc....AND be updated with 2004 playing roster and team and player stats.

Total price should be around the AUD $30-$45.

Any thoughts?

 

[thomo]

I will pay $0 for a patch but am happy to pay up to $90 for the next release. In saying that though, I may wait a couple of weeks after release to hear the comments from other people before forking out the hard earned on it. I won't be pre-ordering next time regardless.

 

[Reggie Dunlop]

So firstly we fork out between $80 and $100 of our hard earned money on a game that is 75% complete at best. And now you suggest we pay these crooks another 40 bucks just so we get something that we were entitled to all along (plus 2004 roster update -which we can add ourselves).

I certainly wont be giving HES any more of my money until assurances are made of the quality of the product. This game as more bugs in it that an insect farm.

Its a wonder ACCC havent got wind of this and pursued the distributors.
Hopefully the people at Sidhe will realise that you are can't push Work in progress products on to the public and not expect to fix all the mistakes.
Just beacuse the game has been released does not mean they can wash their hands of the product and say bring on NRL2004.

We are entitled to have these patches for free

 

[MrCharisma]

I 100% with Reggie.... the presure was on for the game to be released but for them to release it 75% complete is a bit of a joke. I would have rathered a beta version released and then when its 100% done, to purchase it for $80.

But in saying that, I would be willing to pay a further say $30-40 to get an updated version. But I'd be wanting extra's like a shat load of new jerseys and old jerseys such as North Sydney Bears to use.

 

[Mario]

To say the game is only 75% complete is a complete overstatement. The game does have bugs, but compared to the amount of working functionality the number of bugs is minute in comparison.

We will not charge for a patch. We will charge for a sequel.

 

[[furrycat]]

Egg zachary why don't I get these bugs?

 

[Mayor_Quimby]

I recently bought cricket 2004, which was made by EA Sports.

After playing cricket and rugby league, i realise how lucky we are. :shock:

Cricket 2004 is an utter disgrace, thank god HES made Rugby League and not EA

This game sh!ts on any EA Sports game at the moment, and this was their 1st attempt, as the years go on and the sequels keep on being made we will end up with 1 of the best games in the market!

 

[gman]

To say the game is only 75% complete is a complete overstatement. The game does have bugs, but compared to the amount of working functionality the number of bugs is minute in comparison.

We will not charge for a patch. We will charge for a sequel.

Does this mean you guys are working on a patch???

 

[Mario]

Does this mean you guys are working on a patch???

I have already stated we are waiting for a few weeks to determine the scope of all problems before we make any decisions about patches.

 

[gman]

Does this mean you guys are working on a patch???

I have already stated we are waiting for a few weeks to determine the scope of all problems before we make any decisions about patches.

Sorry must have missed have missed that thread...

 

[Mayor_Quimby]

you have done a great job Mario.

I hope you will release a sequel

 

[Clevo]

Mario,

Seriously....some of the bugs affect the results of the game. let me just say that I have played the game for a bit now and it is addictive and fun but I can;t see myself doing any more than a couple of seasons of competition. Once the novelty wears off people will not play this game.

No need to go into all the bugs here but some of them are worthy of immeadiate green light for patching.

I doubt I will pay $90 for what will amount to a re-badged NRL 2003 + Patch. So NRL 2004 will need to be a quantum leap in several areas.


Sure there are lots of things that do work but the things that don;t make it annoying at times.

I will now have to go spend a further $22 on a Controller for the PC to get more out of this game. The default keyboard key set up must have been designed for hobbit hands

 

[Clevo]

]Egg zachary why don't I get these bugs?

You do...it's just that you don;t recognise them.

 

[DRRRAGONS]

To say the game is only 75% complete is a complete overstatement. The game does have bugs, but compared to the amount of working functionality the number of bugs is minute in comparison.

We will not charge for a patch. We will charge for a sequel.

Mario,

You guys have developed a rugby league game with a lot of great elements. What I must say is that you have let yourselves down with the game play bugs.

Commentary bugs I could not care less about, what I do care about are bugs that affect the playability and competition in the game.

When you first start playing the game you think Great!, this is a very good interpretation of a rugby league game. After a little play though you start to see that the game is not as slick as you first thought and a few weird plays/animations begin to happen.

Then you start to have tight matches and software bugs instead of the player’s skill decide them. This is the number 1 reason I will give up on a game and put it away for good.

If it is too easy to exploit the computers AI or important points in the game are decided by unrealistic outcomes you know you have big problems.

It's not just one or two Mario; it's more like 10 - 20. I don't know why you need to assess it; I can name them for you right now.

If you are saying that there are not enough people complaining about it yet then you are wrong and if you are waiting to see how much money you made first then fair enough. I can understand that a patch may be a lot of work for no financial gain but in the long run you will at least gain the respect of the gamers who forked out money for this game.

Besides all that I think you made two other huge mistakes,

Online Play not included - I don't know if this was too difficult or not deemed important enough, but big mistake

And for single player mode you should have had better team management and a career mode of some sorts. If you want people to be playing the game for a long time to come then you have to get the real life team management aspect right. Multiple seasons etc.

To sum up the little things were not done properly and I hope you learn they are more important then commentary or animations etc

 

[Mario]

It's not just one or two Mario; it's more like 10 - 20. I don't know why you need to assess it; I can name them for you right now.

If you are saying that there are not enough people complaining about it yet then you are wrong and if you are waiting to see how much money you made first then fair enough. I can understand that a patch may be a lot of work for no financial gain but in the long run you will at least gain the respect of the gamers who forked out money for this game.

Rushing in and making a patch at this stage would be a mistake.

We have to know the full impact of each issue, verify each problem, investigate a fix, implement the fix, and test the fix. That takes time and careful planning.

We don't want to introduce a patch that causes more problems than it fixes.

Besides all that I think you made two other huge mistakes,

Online Play not included - I don't know if this was too difficult or not deemed important enough, but big mistake

And for single player mode you should have had better team management and a career mode of some sorts. If you want people to be playing the game for a long time to come then you have to get the real life team management aspect right. Multiple seasons etc.

We had neither the time nor the budget to implement these items. Sales are so far proving these were not required in the first version and leaving them out was not a mistake but a prudent production decision.

To sum up the little things were not done properly and I hope you learn they are more important then commentary or animations etc

I submit to you that there were 1000's of "little things" that were done just fine and you are letting you vision get clouded with the 20 that weren't.

Besides which, animation and commentary are minimum requirements for a modern sports game. To have left them out would have made the game

a. look like a game from the 80s
b. lack atmosphere
c. sit on the shelf because nobody would be buying it

 

[Arnie]

i think you guys have done a great job Mario. for a first release and first attempt at a rugby league its turned out really great! - sure it has its bugs and i can be found pulling my hair out often because fo these bugs but overall its an enjoyable game and for a team that only had a short amount of time i am very impressed (though the goal kicking on the PC is still making me go crazy every time with its inability to stay in one poisition when i prses the kick button to make the little circle stop in the middle arggggh hehe)

anyway...you guys should be proud of your effort..

in regards to the sequel, i would probalby only buy it if there was a lot more features in the game such as not actually having to unlock things that should be in the game in the first place, more international teams, classic teams, online play, more realistic play and statistics - cause if i buy something thats a patch of what we already have for say $80, i'll play it for a bit and never touch it again and have to pay another $80 for the next version in the following year!

 

[Mario]

though the goal kicking on the PC is still making me go crazy every time with its inability to stay in one poisition when i prses the kick button to make the little circle stop in the middle arggggh hehe)

Try timing it in relation to when you release the button...

in regards to the sequel, i would probalby only buy it if there was a lot more features in the game such as not actually having to unlock things that should be in the game in the first place, more international teams, classic teams, online play, more realistic play and statistics - cause if i buy something thats a patch of what we already have for say $80, i'll play it for a bit and never touch it again and have to pay another $80 for the next version in the following year!

Don't worry - the sequel will be significantly improved, not merely patch.

 

[Jiffy]

to be honest there's no more bugs than there are in most sports games I play. I'm happy with this game and look forward to a patch coming out fixing some of the bugs that have been picked up! It was the first attempt and there's always room for improvement, I dont see whats such an issue about that!

It's a great game Mario and Ive spent ages on it.
In fact Im logging off here now to continue my season with the Raiders.

 

[Arnie]

okay i'll try kicking thing thanks Mario

well if its significantly improved count me in! one thing i'd def want to change is the agression and sprinting aspect - pressing the S button on the keyboard has left my ring finger really really numb and with soreness and achiness a lot - i've had to cut down on playing the game due to this

all in all however great game!

 

[Tupac Shakur]

ill definately pay 90 for the next version