Paradox CEO admits SotS2 a "big mistake"

Started by Martok, February 01, 2012, 03:03:34 PM

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Jarhead0331

#15
Quote from: son_of_montfort on February 02, 2012, 10:19:38 AM
I'm admitting I made a "Big Mistake" when I preordered SotS2.

JH, I hate to say it, but I think Kerberos is already on my black list. I feel pretty betrayed, I was an avid fan over there and chatted with the devs pretty regularly. So when they dropped that bomb, it was almost like a personal insult!

If you had some kind of a rapport with them, do you think you could get some information on their future plans?  I just cannot accept that they are abandoning the entire project. To me, this is unthinkable.

Has anyone actually looked at the actual code to see whats going on underneath the hood.  Is this even possible to do?  Is it something that could eventually be fixed by modders, similar to MOO3?   
Grogheads Uber Alles
Semper Grog
"No beast is more alpha than JH." Gusington, 10/23/18


Arctic Blast

The total confusion that seemed to be the aftermath of release tells me a lot of people were on very different pages in terms of where the game was at, possibly to the point that they were reading different books.

My own person read on it was that Kerberos realized as release approached just how far behind they really were. Then it became a choice of either delaying release, continuing development spending, and throwing more money down the rabbit hole...or releasing it in the state it was in. That might not have been so bad had someone stepped up right from the start and admitted "Yeah, it's a mess."

Martok

@ Arctic Blast:  Apologies for the OT comment, but I dig your avatar!  It got a "LOL" reaction out of me.  :D 




Quote from: Arctic Blast on February 04, 2012, 03:43:30 AM
The total confusion that seemed to be the aftermath of release tells me a lot of people were on very different pages in terms of where the game was at, possibly to the point that they were reading different books.

My own person read on it was that Kerberos realized as release approached just how far behind they really were. Then it became a choice of either delaying release, continuing development spending, and throwing more money down the rabbit hole...or releasing it in the state it was in. That might not have been so bad had someone stepped up right from the start and admitted "Yeah, it's a mess."
I'm wondering if that's more or less what happened.  Perhaps development was taking a lot longer than Kerboros realized (and/or wanted to admit to themselves), but were hoping -- albeit deludedly -- they could somehow still get things done within the alloted time frame? 

Not that Paradox doesn't deserve its own share of blame for what happened, of course.  But I am increasingly starting to wonder if Kerberos (hopefully unintentionally) put them in a lose-lose situation. 

"Like we need an excuse to drink to anything..." - Banzai_Cat
"I like to think of it not as an excuse but more like Pavlovian Response." - Sir Slash

"At our ages, they all look like jailbait." - mirth

"If we had lines here that would have crossed all of them. For the 1,077,986th time." - Gusington

"Government is so expensive that it should at least be entertaining." - airboy

"As long as there's bacon, everything will be all right." - Toonces

son_of_montfort

Quote from: Jarhead0331 on February 02, 2012, 10:23:25 AM
Quote from: son_of_montfort on February 02, 2012, 10:19:38 AM
I'm admitting I made a "Big Mistake" when I preordered SotS2.

JH, I hate to say it, but I think Kerberos is already on my black list. I feel pretty betrayed, I was an avid fan over there and chatted with the devs pretty regularly. So when they dropped that bomb, it was almost like a personal insult!

If you had some kind of a rapport with them, do you think you could get some information on their future plans?  I just cannot accept that they are abandoning the entire project. To me, this is unthinkable.

Has anyone actually looked at the actual code to see whats going on underneath the hood.  Is this even possible to do?  Is it something that could eventually be fixed by modders, similar to MOO3?   

Unfortunately I do not have any sort of rapport that would cause them to say any more than the "party line" they have given out thus far. As a member of the gaming press, one of use could attempt an interview, but I don't know where that would go.
"Now it is no accident all these conservatives are using time travel to teach our kids. It is the best way to fight back against the liberal version of history, or as it is sometimes known... history."

- Stephen Colbert

"The purpose of religion is to answer the ultimate question, are we in control or is there some greater force pulling the strings? And if the courts rule that corporations have the same religious rights that we humans do, I think we'll have our answer."

- Stephen Colbert

Jarhead0331

Well they just released another fairly large patch, so my faith is a little restored that work on the project will continue.
Grogheads Uber Alles
Semper Grog
"No beast is more alpha than JH." Gusington, 10/23/18


son_of_montfort

Quote from: Jarhead0331 on February 04, 2012, 12:13:35 PM
Well they just released another fairly large patch, so my faith is a little restored that work on the project will continue.

I think they are committed to patching, yes... but your other question bothers me the most - is the code and the AI just too borked to ever be workable. I have no doubt the mechanics can be fixed, what I worry about is if the mechanics will have a framework that is sound and if the AI can understand that framework.
"Now it is no accident all these conservatives are using time travel to teach our kids. It is the best way to fight back against the liberal version of history, or as it is sometimes known... history."

- Stephen Colbert

"The purpose of religion is to answer the ultimate question, are we in control or is there some greater force pulling the strings? And if the courts rule that corporations have the same religious rights that we humans do, I think we'll have our answer."

- Stephen Colbert

Jarhead0331

Monty...Have you tried playing at all recently?  I've ran a few turns and it does seem stable.  I'm just apprehensive about jumping in head first if its still missing a lot of promised features. 
Grogheads Uber Alles
Semper Grog
"No beast is more alpha than JH." Gusington, 10/23/18


LongBlade

Quote from: son_of_montfort on February 04, 2012, 11:05:17 AM
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on February 02, 2012, 10:23:25 AM
Quote from: son_of_montfort on February 02, 2012, 10:19:38 AM
I'm admitting I made a "Big Mistake" when I preordered SotS2.

JH, I hate to say it, but I think Kerberos is already on my black list. I feel pretty betrayed, I was an avid fan over there and chatted with the devs pretty regularly. So when they dropped that bomb, it was almost like a personal insult!

If you had some kind of a rapport with them, do you think you could get some information on their future plans?  I just cannot accept that they are abandoning the entire project. To me, this is unthinkable.

Has anyone actually looked at the actual code to see whats going on underneath the hood.  Is this even possible to do?  Is it something that could eventually be fixed by modders, similar to MOO3?   

Unfortunately I do not have any sort of rapport that would cause them to say any more than the "party line" they have given out thus far. As a member of the gaming press, one of use could attempt an interview, but I don't know where that would go.

I have worked with Paradox for a long time. I certainly wouldn't be able to find out any more than they were willing to say to anyone else, but I will say that with a substantive patch apparently released, now might be a good time to give them the opportunity to discuss what is going right with the game. If y'all want to work up some questions and email them to me, I'll be more than happy to get it to them.
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

son_of_montfort

Quote from: Jarhead0331 on February 04, 2012, 05:15:34 PM
Monty...Have you tried playing at all recently?  I've ran a few turns and it does seem stable.  I'm just apprehensive about jumping in head first if its still missing a lot of promised features.

I haven't recently, bit the other boards I frequent have some players who report the AI having problems with the newly fixed features. I keep meaning to boot it up, but February is the month of releases (and finishing my dissertation), so it is on the back burner until I see some reports that the game is where it needs to be.

LB, I think that is a great idea, if JH wants to spearhead that, I'll try to think of any additional questions I might have. An interview would be a good feather-in-the-cap for this new venture!
"Now it is no accident all these conservatives are using time travel to teach our kids. It is the best way to fight back against the liberal version of history, or as it is sometimes known... history."

- Stephen Colbert

"The purpose of religion is to answer the ultimate question, are we in control or is there some greater force pulling the strings? And if the courts rule that corporations have the same religious rights that we humans do, I think we'll have our answer."

- Stephen Colbert

Martok

#24
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on February 04, 2012, 05:15:34 PM
Monty...Have you tried playing at all recently?  I've ran a few turns and it does seem stable.  I'm just apprehensive about jumping in head first if its still missing a lot of promised features. 
For whatever it might be worth, I know one gal (whose strategy game tastes run similar to my own) who's played Sword of the Stars 2 just within the last couple weeks, and she remains unimpressed (despite really wanting to like it). 


On the plus side, she concurred the game seemed pretty stable overall.  However, she also said it still felt very incomplete with lots of missing/broken features still, and that it also suffered from a lack of adequate information/feedback. 

Her overall impression was that SotS2 was only now finally entering a beta state (as opposed to the alpha state in which the game was released)...and that it was still far from being a polished, fully fleshed-out product.  Saw lots of potential like you guys have, but that it was almost wholly unrealized at this point.  Said she'll *maybe* pick up the game again in six months or so, presuming Paradox/Kerberos keep patching it. 


"Like we need an excuse to drink to anything..." - Banzai_Cat
"I like to think of it not as an excuse but more like Pavlovian Response." - Sir Slash

"At our ages, they all look like jailbait." - mirth

"If we had lines here that would have crossed all of them. For the 1,077,986th time." - Gusington

"Government is so expensive that it should at least be entertaining." - airboy

"As long as there's bacon, everything will be all right." - Toonces