Quote:
Originally Posted by smink1701
IL2 is a business and in business it's all about $$$. They will fix CLoD and the sequel ASAP because they need the income. I am sure the game has generated a fraction of the sales they anticipated because of the problems. They will fix the problems to get the franchise back on track or will go the way of Microsoft and kill their combat flight game division.
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A business it may be but I truly believe that this business is driven by people with the same passion for WWII air combat that many of us share. That fact is evident in everything they have produced so far. It is not run by folk who are just out to make a quick buck, I'm certain of that. None of this early release disaster was the result of Luthier's team wanting to make fast money with a hit and run job. The pressure almost certainly came from on high and the continued existence of the new series was probably at stake.
Unfortunately, passion for a product doesn't always equate to an efficient and profitable business. I've been a software developer for close to 20 years now and I've lost count of the number of times I've fallen out with the boss over my desire to make the best possible product set against the very necessary delivery and invoicing requirements of the business. These guys set the bar very high indeed and want to give us the very best air combat experience. Unfortunately the overwhelming complexity and desire to include every feature they had originally envisaged caused massive slippage in the project and an eventual ultimatum from the publisher - that's my take on it anyway.
I think Luthier and team are very well intentioned passionate guys who want to give us the ultimate WWII sim - and will if we give them the chance and support their endeavors. They are certainly not cynical money grabbing business types.
I can also relate to the periods when communication is lacking. When deadlines (I never agreed to) were approaching and my world was just a big pressure cooker overflowing with problems and demands I'd sometimes find myself switching off to the world - just to focus entirely on the problem in hand - ignoring communications and demands for ETAs. Not very professional I know but it was a way of coping when things just became too much. I don't think it should be seen as a snub to customers - just a by-product of an impossibly demanding project and unrealistic deadlines.
They will deliver and it will be the best sim out there - but time is the essential ingredient. Keep smiling.
