DX9 / XP discussion

[philip.ed]

Originally Posted by Blackdog_kt

It seems like you are half-right, half-wrong:

1) Yes, a test, non-mandatory patch can skip a feature or two and focus on what it wants to test.
2) The final patch however cannot and must work towards the inclusion of all features stated/advertised.
3) These feature too have to be tested before release, with a test patch of their own.

That's what the next patch is probably going to be: finalize and test DX10 optimizations, test DX9 optimizations, test FM changes.

It's still going to be a test patch before it goes final.

I think the misunderstanding comes from the fact that many people treat alpha/beta patches as final ones and expect them to be gameplay changers like the final patch is supposed to be, when in fact they are meant to test the final patches. That means possibly doing things in a couple of different ways on each patch and watching for feedback to decide which is eventually best.

In that sense, saying DX9 users are holding us back is totally untrue. It's not them who are doing it. It's the choice of initial user requirements advertised and published that do so, because these requirements have to be satisfied:implemented, tested, finalised and released.

Blackdog, you can appear to be quite condescending at times. This is called wasting ten minutes of your life to regurgitate the poster you were quoting from. At no point did Baron indicate that DX-9 users were holding the patch back. In fact, releasing the DX-10 patch for testing would suggest a beneficial move forward in clamping down DX-10 issues, thus being a positive move forward (especially on the premise that the team's 'minor issues' tend to take weeks to sort out)
The fact that the team already released a Beta patch just for DX-10 users negates any suggestion that the two can't be released (in Beta form) separately.

You're right that all the features will need to be tested together