I smell the rotten scent of Diablo II...

SlimShogun · Thu, 20th Jun '02, 6:31am

WTF -- There's ALREADY a patch!

Quote:

Neverwinter Nights v1.18 English Patch Now Available!

From - http://nwn.bioware.com/support/patch.html

[This message has been edited by Blackthorne TA (edited June 20, 2002).]

Wildfire · Thu, 20th Jun '02, 11:04am

So what? The game's being fixed. What's so bad about that?

Taluntain · Thu, 20th Jun '02, 1:00pm

Ah well... it was bound to happen with an auto-update system like Diablo's. Every time before you play, hit the Update button.

Earl Grey · Thu, 20th Jun '02, 1:56pm

Quote:

Wildfire said:
So what? The game's being fixed. What's so bad about that?

What is bad you ask? After years and years in development it's finally released and what happens? It immediately has to be patched! What happened during Beta testing?
Come on, I made fun of this possibility in whatnots but as usual fantasy takes a back seat to reality.

Yes, of course it's good that the game gets fixed, but surely you can see that that's not the point here!

Wildfire · Thu, 20th Jun '02, 2:20pm

Quote:

What happened during Beta testing?

The beta testing period was roughly two weeks long. Any bugs discovered during this were probably saved to be fixed in the patch so that they could get the game released.

Voltric · Thu, 20th Jun '02, 2:51pm

I'm with Wildfire here, I'd rather have a patch out the very next day then play the game with problems for weeks. I don't care how many times they patch the game. I hope they don't need to, but if they do then I hope it's timely. The worse thing is a game like PoR2 where you put out 3 patches but the game still has tons of issues. The key is fixing the problems. If they do this then I'm happy.

Earl Grey · Thu, 20th Jun '02, 4:09pm

Let me make my feelings clear:

Good: They quickly issue a patch.
Bad: The need to quickly issue a patch.

@Wildfire
So did Beta testing happen after the game was sent to print?

[This message has been edited by Earl Grey (edited June 20, 2002).]

Wildfire · Thu, 20th Jun '02, 5:59pm

Well, I was reading the BioWare forums, and one guy only received the CD with the beta test on on Wednesday...

Taluntain · Thu, 20th Jun '02, 8:32pm

Infogrames screwed up the shipping of the CDs for some people, so BioWare sent them out too. And everything was available for download, so that's not an issue. As for bugs, yea, some were saved for the patch... Which is obvious, since the news of NWN going gold came before the beta test was even finished.

Vandalore · Thu, 20th Jun '02, 10:42pm

Voltric: I'm the same way. Why play with the bugs and suffer, it's better to update frequently. Unfortunately for peeps without internet access like me, I'll be playing the game without updates. Too bad someone couldn't send me the updates via snail mail. I'd pay for postage (through Paypal or whatever)!

Leatherneck · Fri, 21st Jun '02, 8:53pm

I'm sure they were betatesting right up to the time when the game went gold. All in preparations for a patch on release day.

Actually, I'd be surprised if they weren't. They can't press all those CD's in a few hours. Printing manuals takes time.

In fact, I'd fail to be impressed with a game that did NOT have a patch available on release day. To them the game is "finished" and shouldn't need adjusting. A remarkably short-sighted and flawed view, IMO. It wouldn't speak well for the future of the game if there weren't frequent patches at the beginning.

Earl Grey · Fri, 21st Jun '02, 10:38pm

Well... doesn't this mean that the game we buy is in reality a beta test version then?

Voltric · Fri, 21st Jun '02, 10:56pm

Earl Grey, I'd suspect they fix as many of the bugs as they could before going gold but at least this way we have more fixes when we play. You'd you rather they held back the game another month to work out more of the bugs?

Vandalore, you can download the patch from the NWN website. I mean you must have some net access since you posted on this board. I'm not sure how big the file is but even with a 56K it can't be more than a hour or two for the transfer.

[This message has been edited by Voltric (edited June 21, 2002).]

Leatherneck · Fri, 21st Jun '02, 11:02pm

Quote:

Well... doesn't this mean that the game we buy is in reality a beta test version then?

Never played Everquest, did you?

Seriously...I can't think of a game in recent memory that didn't have at LEAST two patches after release.

Vandalore · Fri, 21st Jun '02, 11:11pm

True, but I don't have a means to transport files from the school's terminal to my home computer.

If you have time. See the topic I just posted - it's related to all this talk of patches.

Extremist · Fri, 21st Jun '02, 11:17pm

I actually can remember such game. Planescape:Torment. Only one patch. Only 12 bugs remained unsolved. But I assure you, not for long

But that's off topic.

Please, don't flame presence of patches. Flame if there are no patches and game is bugged. Like in cases of some other games.

[This message has been edited by Extremist (edited June 21, 2002).]

Earl Grey · Sat, 22nd Jun '02, 1:05am

Quote:

By Voltric
Would you rather they held back the game another month to work out more of the bugs?

Yes, of course I would. They delayed NWN long enough anyway saying they wouldn't realease it until it was "finished".

In my earlier post what I meant to say was: is the game being sold the same as the version being used for beta testing.?

Vormaerin · Sat, 22nd Jun '02, 3:09am

No, the game being sold is not identical to the beta version. While I didn't work on this particular beta, I do a lot of beta testing and the 'in house' guys are always playing with a higher version number than the betas are, even when you are getting beta patches one or more times a week.

The gold version is cleaned up a bit (most of the debugging codes and such disabled, which tends to noticably improve reliability), have some of the last minute discoveries fixed, and the rest goes out on an 'on release' patch.

I don't see this as a problem, particularly -for a game that is essentially purpose built for multiplayer.

Aloha
Vormaerin

Taluntain · Sat, 22nd Jun '02, 10:48am

What we beta tested was not even the whole version of the game, far from it. It was just the multiplayer client and Chapter 1. I.e. we only had the shell to work with and find bugs in.

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Thu, 20th Jun '02, 11:04am	#2
Wildfire Gems: 23/31 Latest gem: Black Opal Join Date: Jul 2000 Posts: 1,557 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 3,900 Level: 19 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 89.32% Daily Activity 2.55% Weekly Activity 0.73% Monthly Activity 1.73% Achievements	So what? The game's being fixed. What's so bad about that?

Thu, 20th Jun '02, 1:00pm	#3
Taluntain SPS Account Holder Founder Resident Alpha and Omega Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Cori Celesti Posts: 20,798 Blog Entries: 13 Like: 151 Liked 120 Times in 78 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 53,135 Level: 58 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 48.71% Daily Activity 2.55% Weekly Activity 0.73% Monthly Activity 49.01% Achievements Awards	Ah well... it was bound to happen with an auto-update system like Diablo's. Every time before you play, hit the Update button.

Thu, 20th Jun '02, 2:51pm	#6
Voltric Gems: 19/31 Latest gem: Aquamarine Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Boston, USA Posts: 1,145 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 2,952 Level: 17 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 61.34% Daily Activity 2.55% Weekly Activity 0.73% Monthly Activity 1.73% Achievements	I'm with Wildfire here, I'd rather have a patch out the very next day then play the game with problems for weeks. I don't care how many times they patch the game. I hope they don't need to, but if they do then I hope it's timely. The worse thing is a game like PoR2 where you put out 3 patches but the game still has tons of issues. The key is fixing the problems. If they do this then I'm happy.

Thu, 20th Jun '02, 4:09pm	#7
Earl Grey Mmm... hot tea! Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Lund, Sweden Posts: 1,930 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 4,862 Level: 21 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 89.19% Daily Activity 2.55% Weekly Activity 0.73% Monthly Activity 1.73% Achievements	Let me make my feelings clear: Good: They quickly issue a patch. Bad: The need to quickly issue a patch. @Wildfire So did Beta testing happen after the game was sent to print? [This message has been edited by Earl Grey (edited June 20, 2002).]

Thu, 20th Jun '02, 5:59pm	#8
Wildfire Gems: 23/31 Latest gem: Black Opal Join Date: Jul 2000 Posts: 1,557 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 3,900 Level: 19 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 89.32% Daily Activity 2.55% Weekly Activity 0.73% Monthly Activity 1.73% Achievements	Well, I was reading the BioWare forums, and one guy only received the CD with the beta test on on Wednesday...

Thu, 20th Jun '02, 8:32pm	#9
Taluntain SPS Account Holder Founder Resident Alpha and Omega Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Cori Celesti Posts: 20,798 Blog Entries: 13 Like: 151 Liked 120 Times in 78 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 53,135 Level: 58 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 48.71% Daily Activity 2.55% Weekly Activity 0.73% Monthly Activity 49.01% Achievements Awards	Infogrames screwed up the shipping of the CDs for some people, so BioWare sent them out too. And everything was available for download, so that's not an issue. As for bugs, yea, some were saved for the patch... Which is obvious, since the news of NWN going gold came before the beta test was even finished.

Thu, 20th Jun '02, 10:42pm	#10
Vandalore Gems: 7/31 Latest gem: Tchazar Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Urbandale, IA, USA Posts: 245 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 1,115 Level: 11 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 47.82% Daily Activity 2.55% Weekly Activity 0.73% Monthly Activity 1.73% Achievements	Voltric: I'm the same way. Why play with the bugs and suffer, it's better to update frequently. Unfortunately for peeps without internet access like me, I'll be playing the game without updates. Too bad someone couldn't send me the updates via snail mail. I'd pay for postage (through Paypal or whatever)!

Fri, 21st Jun '02, 8:53pm	#11
Leatherneck Gems: 1/31 Latest gem: Turquoise Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 2 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 403 Level: 7 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 28.49% Daily Activity 2.55% Weekly Activity 0.73% Monthly Activity 1.73% Achievements	I'm sure they were betatesting right up to the time when the game went gold. All in preparations for a patch on release day. Actually, I'd be surprised if they weren't. They can't press all those CD's in a few hours. Printing manuals takes time. In fact, I'd fail to be impressed with a game that did NOT have a patch available on release day. To them the game is "finished" and shouldn't need adjusting. A remarkably short-sighted and flawed view, IMO. It wouldn't speak well for the future of the game if there weren't frequent patches at the beginning.

Fri, 21st Jun '02, 10:38pm	#12
Earl Grey Mmm... hot tea! Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Lund, Sweden Posts: 1,930 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 4,862 Level: 21 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 89.19% Daily Activity 2.55% Weekly Activity 0.73% Monthly Activity 1.73% Achievements	Well... doesn't this mean that the game we buy is in reality a beta test version then?

Fri, 21st Jun '02, 10:56pm	#13
Voltric Gems: 19/31 Latest gem: Aquamarine Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Boston, USA Posts: 1,145 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 2,952 Level: 17 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 61.34% Daily Activity 2.55% Weekly Activity 0.73% Monthly Activity 1.73% Achievements	Earl Grey, I'd suspect they fix as many of the bugs as they could before going gold but at least this way we have more fixes when we play. You'd you rather they held back the game another month to work out more of the bugs? Vandalore, you can download the patch from the NWN website. I mean you must have some net access since you posted on this board. I'm not sure how big the file is but even with a 56K it can't be more than a hour or two for the transfer. [This message has been edited by Voltric (edited June 21, 2002).]

Fri, 21st Jun '02, 11:11pm	#15
Vandalore Gems: 7/31 Latest gem: Tchazar Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Urbandale, IA, USA Posts: 245 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 1,115 Level: 11 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 47.82% Daily Activity 2.55% Weekly Activity 0.73% Monthly Activity 1.73% Achievements	True, but I don't have a means to transport files from the school's terminal to my home computer. If you have time. See the topic I just posted - it's related to all this talk of patches.

Fri, 21st Jun '02, 11:17pm	#16
Extremist Gems: 31/31 Latest gem: Rogue Stone Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Croatia Posts: 4,366 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 9,531 Level: 29 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 22.25% Daily Activity 2.55% Weekly Activity 0.73% Monthly Activity 1.73% Achievements	I actually can remember such game. Planescape:Torment. Only one patch. Only 12 bugs remained unsolved. But I assure you, not for long But that's off topic. Please, don't flame presence of patches. Flame if there are no patches and game is bugged. Like in cases of some other games. [This message has been edited by Extremist (edited June 21, 2002).]

Sat, 22nd Jun '02, 3:09am	#18
Vormaerin Gems: 15/31 Latest gem: Waterstar Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 799 Like: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 2,028 Level: 14 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 94.81% Daily Activity 2.55% Weekly Activity 0.73% Monthly Activity 1.73% Achievements	No, the game being sold is not identical to the beta version. While I didn't work on this particular beta, I do a lot of beta testing and the 'in house' guys are always playing with a higher version number than the betas are, even when you are getting beta patches one or more times a week. The gold version is cleaned up a bit (most of the debugging codes and such disabled, which tends to noticably improve reliability), have some of the last minute discoveries fixed, and the rest goes out on an 'on release' patch. I don't see this as a problem, particularly -for a game that is essentially purpose built for multiplayer. Aloha Vormaerin

Sat, 22nd Jun '02, 10:48am	#19
Taluntain SPS Account Holder Founder Resident Alpha and Omega Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Cori Celesti Posts: 20,798 Blog Entries: 13 Like: 151 Liked 120 Times in 78 Posts vBActivity - Stats XP: 53,135 Level: 58 vBActivity - Bars Level Completion: 48.71% Daily Activity 2.55% Weekly Activity 0.73% Monthly Activity 49.01% Achievements Awards	What we beta tested was not even the whole version of the game, far from it. It was just the multiplayer client and Chapter 1. I.e. we only had the shell to work with and find bugs in.