(Copy and paste this response on any location in the universe as you see fit, if you should see fit)
Ok I know around patch time for any game, especially one that was recently released, there are lots of forum arguments over game balance and in some cases lots of posters get way too emotional over a video game. (Previous poster not included, and many others here)
So what usually happens is there are a large player base that sees the inconsitancies with the game, and are a little unhappy that the game isnt working out the way the developers intended it to, or hinted that it should be playing out during the beta phase.
So there is always this gap between the time that patches are released and players are satisified (or more dissatisfied) with the results -- dissatisfaction is usually produced by having a large set of inconsitancies be unattended to for a long period of time, or by having sevral patches come out that dont seem to do anything towards the problems.
But the actual problem is that there is a very large gap between game development and design phases, software devlopment, and balancing all sorts of other stuff like new additions to future patches, hardware compatibility list and testing (and that never stops, in any patch). So game developers have to balance all this stuff out, and decide over the course of several patches, do we want to introduce new content, or bug fixes, or minor (or major) balance changes, or address hardware issues? Do we do this all at once, or in moderate bulk, or in small chunks (where one chunk is a quick small balance change, ala this patch, or hardware-software modification, or content, etc etc.) or leave the vast masses unhappy for a longer period of time to drop it all from the great heavens at once? (if that should fail, that can cause major dissatisfaction with the populous)
So that seems to be where we are at this juncture in time for this game, Sins of a Solar Empire (you know which fourm right?
Jk jk), so usually the group of people that are the most angry that their faction/race/units/graphics/PC/sound card/toaster doesnt work right are the loudest - well sorry man, but thats how the process is. Software development and Game Design doesnt happen over-night. It takes time, and the coordination of lots of people doing lots of different things at once, and there is someone that has to decide who's work goes into this new patch, and who gets left out for the next patch, or the patch after, or the patch after that patch after another major addition, or maybe never at all.
Its a slow one, and although sometimes it really sucks, and because no one has been able to figure out a better way to make games, coming to any game forum and being overly emotional does not help the situation. - Infact, game devs start to dislike small groups of their customers because they get into the "unwinnable war", where there is no easily viewable group of people that can understand what they have to do to get from the beginning of a task to a finished product, and they have to play the balancing act against time to keep their customers happy.
So hey, im not saying game Devs are going to start popping in and saying "Look, some of you are retards, relax, be positive, give me a daily boost insted of a constant negativity-universe that im reading here so I can make you guys happy again! (and earn money while I have fun)". They wont do that, but I will since I have no vested interest here at all.
Really, I know a lot of you guys even those with very good complaints are not all like this, but there is a percentage of users that are - and thats what im targeting here. If you know you arent a "whiner" and are constructive in your criticisims, you know im not talking about you -- but if you are a 16 year old boy (or act like one) with an over developed sense of self worth and improperly directed emotional responses (even though you may feel like you dont have any emotions at all), then you probabbly still dont know that I really am talking to you!
Criticisim is always a good thing, but this is grown up time, and nows a good time, (and you know who im talking to when you read this), to pull the Dev's up by their suspenders (do people even still wear those?) and give them a pat on the back and say:
"Hey pal, thanks for the software patch. Its not everything we wanted, but you made a good product here, so im going to keep thinking that you'll come out with some changes soon that will be really good".
No reason to be a dolt though and have false hope in a doomed project at anytime, but this game doesnt seem to be a doomed project, so no reason to go that route.
Pip-pip and all that.
Definatly agree that more changes need to be made, maybe soon eh? What ever happens happens.
'Thanks devs for this most recent addition! Gl on the next one!'
