Combat Mission status

Started by RyanE, May 27, 2018, 02:09:59 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Grim.Reaper

Quote from: Sir Slash on May 27, 2018, 10:34:01 PM
Yes, no point bitching about the DRM stuff. Everybody knows about it by now. CMBO Is available from GOG, maybe the rest of them will end up there eventually.

100% agree...people know what it is and is a personal choice of whether to support it.  Not my favorite scheme, but it wouldn't keep me from buying.

But on a related point with all the talk of them "going under"....has Battlefront ever stated what they would do with their games if they went out of business?  I have read about other companies (although at the moment I can't recall which ones) where they claim if they ever did go out of business they would remove the DRM from their games to ensure people could continue playing.  Any chance Battlefront has stated a position on this in the past?

Staggerwing

What's the history of companies going under and turning off their DRM along with the office lights on their way out? I don't know of any but that doesn't mean it has not happened.

More likely, if Battlefront does go under then the current Combat Mission IP and rights would end up being salable assets used to offset some of the debts. Whether that means that any new owners would honor past licenses would really be up to them, though common sense would suggest that they at least offer a hefty discount to current game owners as it would generate a quick cash infusion from lots of rebuyers.
Vituð ér enn - eða hvat?  -Voluspa

Nothing really rocks and nothing really rolls and nothing's ever worth the cost...

"Don't you look at me that way..." -the Abyss
 
'When searching for a meaningful embrace, sometimes my self respect took second place' -Iggy Pop, Cry for Love

... this will go down on your permanent record... -the Violent Femmes, 'Kiss Off'-

"I'm not just anyone, I'm not just anyone-
I got my time machine, got my 'electronic dream!"
-Sonic Reducer, -Dead Boys

Grim.Reaper

Quote from: Staggerwing on May 28, 2018, 05:45:34 AM
What's the history of companies going under and turning off their DRM along with the office lights on their way out? I don't know of any but that doesn't mean it has not happened.

More likely, if Battlefront does go under then the current Combat Mission IP and rights would end up being salable assets used to offset some of the debts. Whether that means that any new owners would honor past licenses would really be up to them, though common sense would suggest that they at least offer a hefty discount to current game owners as it would generate a quick cash infusion from lots of rebuyers.

hasn't yet but they stated they would if ever they did...wasn't big companies, smaller niche shops

Apocalypse 31

Maybe the new owners will finally put the games on Steam and get some exposure.

Pete Dero

Maybe somebody from Matrix/Slitherine could comment on the effects they've got from exposure on Steam (and sites like Fanatical selling Steam keys for their games).

(besides the obvious forum remarks on Steam : $70 for a game with such terrible graphics !)

Destraex

#20
Did you guys not believe this on January 1st?
"The good news is that 2018 is set to reap the benefits of 2017's development efforts.  Right now we have three products in advanced stage of development:

CMFI Rome to Victory Module to bring the timeline to the end of the war
CMSF being thoroughly updated for its move to Engine 4 and all of its massive improvements over the original 2007/2009 code
CMRT Module 1 (no name announced yet) bringing the war's end timeframe for the Eastern Front"

http://community.battlefront.com/topic/126172-happy-new-years-day-2018-look-ahead/

Funnily enough though. A friend has spent the last two weeks trying to successfully update CMFI to engine 4.0 so we can have a PBEM.
"They only asked the Light Brigade to do it once"

MikeGER

#21
in case of belly up
i would not be astonished if Battlefront would put out a more bitter statement then
like: "Sorry all licenses had expired and you had enuf years/month/days to enjoy our product for your small investment. the software is now a part of the bankrupt's estate and has, according to the bankruptcy trustee, no value if we 'set it free or alter in any form' the build-in existing DRM scheme"

RyanE

I think we can consider ourselves lucky if we one of those gets done.  The track record for meeting commitments on Steve's plans is pretty poor.

Just looking at past releases...its a couple months from official announcement to final release.  And that was with a full staff.  Doesn't look like we are close to an announcement.  So if the announcement for one of those is in two weeks, we are into August before it releases.  Close to 2/3 of the year gone.  And I think that is optimistic.

Even the beta testers are now starting to carp a little about lack of info.  That is what is different now versus in the past long periods of silence.

RyanE

btw, what ever happened to the big website update they said delayed all their releases.  That seems to have fallen by the wayside.

Rayfer

Quote from: MikeGER on May 28, 2018, 12:59:37 AM
Quote from: Rayfer on May 27, 2018, 07:22:20 PM

My dream scenario would be they put the entire Combat Mission library on Steam with Steam's auto patch/update features and sales during the holidays.  I know, ain't going to happen.  :'(

This! O0   and existing customers get a Steam code like Matrix does.

+1:dreamer:

Slightly off target but here it goes anyway...I wish John Tiller/HPS would make the Steam transition as well.

sandman2575

Quote from: RyanE on May 28, 2018, 08:00:04 AM
I think we can consider ourselves lucky if we one of those gets done.  The track record for meeting commitments on Steve's plans is pretty poor.

Just looking at past releases...its a couple months from official announcement to final release.  And that was with a full staff.  Doesn't look like we are close to an announcement.  So if the announcement for one of those is in two weeks, we are into August before it releases.  Close to 2/3 of the year gone.  And I think that is optimistic.

Even the beta testers are now starting to carp a little about lack of info.  That is what is different now versus in the past long periods of silence.


I hate to be cynical, but my response to the Jan. 1 announcement was very much "I'll believe it when I see it."

If there is one thing that does get under my skin about Battlefront's way of doing business, it's the pretense that they're working so hard they just can't possibly find time to update the community on their progress. I have no doubt they are working hard and know it's a very small operation. But the idea that occasional updates on progress would somehow cut into precious development time (often justified with defensive posts to the effect "what would you rather have us do? post in the forums or work on Combat Mission?") is ridiculous.

The spotty dev communication coupled with the track record of underestimating how long new updates/releases are going to take make the "Look what's on the horizon for 2018!" happy talk hard to take seriously.

Toonces

If Steam can work for Matrix and Eagle Dynamics, I can't see how a transition to Steam would be a bad thing for BFC.
"If you had a chance, right now, to go back in time and stop Hitler, wouldn't you do it?  I mean, I personally wouldn't stop him because I think he's awesome." - Eric Cartman

"Does a watch list mean you are being watched or is it a come on to Toonces?" - Biggs

Skoop

Part of me wants to see battlefront fail so the code can become open source and turned over to teams of modders.  Then the game would take on a whole new life like BMS did with falcon.  Hell, the game might finally reach it's full potential and the canceled CMC operational layer might finally be completed.

Apocalypse 31

#28
Quote from: Toonces on May 28, 2018, 09:32:53 AM
If Steam can work for Matrix and Eagle Dynamics, I can't see how a transition to Steam would be a bad thing for BFC.

Lets not get crazy; I dont think its working well for ED - due to their own greed and refusal to fully commit to Steam.

ED is also a community that has severely been, and will remain, fragmented by Open Beta, Release, and Pay-for Maps.....another self-inflicted wound by Eagle Dynamics.

Why is it that video game developers can make something so beautiful and enjoyable, but be such shit businessmen?



Quote from: Skoop on May 28, 2018, 11:48:39 AM
Part of me wants to see battlefront fail

I agree - and as horrible as that sounds:
1. I havent enjoyed a BF release since Shock Force. Each release has been low effort with a high money grab
2. I want their model to fail. The refusal to expand their reach and their reliance upon 1990's DRM technology needs to fail. They can defend their stance on Steam all the way, and it just goes to show that they are out of touch with the market. Dinosaurs went extinct for a reason.

mikeck

Quote from: Toonces on May 28, 2018, 09:32:53 AM
If Steam can work for Matrix and Eagle Dynamics, I can't see how a transition to Steam would be a bad thing for BFC.

I seriously don't understand why a company WOULDNT go to steam. I don't bother with Battlefront games ever since the disaster I had trying to update to the new engine and a subsequent patching info. The latter never resolved by a company that didn't seem to care. Regardless, I'd buy every single one of their games if they were on steam since I don't have to worry about buying patches, DRM and activating subscription crap
"A government large enough to give you everything you want is strong enough to take everything you have."--Thomas Jefferson