Friday the 14th Development Update

[ChicoMick]

What I don't understand is this. If the Sequel has the power to 'update/fix' clod in the future then why can't those fixes still be available as 'stand alone' patches? ie without the BoM maps missions and planes ? Then we can decide whether we want the sequel or not.

I don't especially want to fight on the russian front.

I guess this doesn't fit the business plan.....

[BRIGGBOY]

Originally Posted by macro

come on krupi mate, the whole of clod has been a beta test for the russain front, why do you think they did bob first instead of the other way around?

To fund it. Thats why.

Fact is, id pay for a modern 1946, with all the theatres and aircraft. Id just wish theyd admit it. This version of the game was a money making beta. Nothing more. The money has to come from somewhere.

Its going to take alot of time and effort and money to get to the stage 1946 got to. That money comes from us with each release of this series,
i will buy each release of this series. Because it will get better time after time. I just wish they hadnt started with bob. By the time the game does get better and more playable for the 1946 crowd, the later era ww2 planes will be more popular to play (ie p51, fw190) and the bob era will be forgotton. Just like 1946, thats the main thing that annoys me the most.

+1000
and the thing that annoys me the most is that money makes the world go around.

[yobnaf]

very good news, keep up your great work, luthier, b6 and team

[dflion]

The positives.

1. Working hard on delivering a stable, working milestone for the sequel
2. We then return to now almost-final patch, cram as much as we can into it and make it our final COD patch
3. The next time it will be updated is when you install 'the sequel' over it.
4. Q&A. Will there be a complete readme - Yes!
5. The SDK's we really want to release - at least the map making SDK's

Just a few of questions

1. Would you release an SDK for new aircraft making by third parties in the future
2. Will you keep the COD map scenario alive by releasing new flyable and AI aircraft e.g. Spitfire V, Typhoon, Fw190, Lancaster, Dornier 217 etc in the sequels
3. Will you release more working functions in the sequel FMB

DFLion

[BRIGGBOY]

Originally Posted by dflion

The positives.

1. Working hard on delivering a stable, working milestone for the sequel
2. We then return to now almost-final patch, cram as much as we can into it and make it our final COD patch
3. The next time it will be updated is when you install 'the sequel' over it.
4. Q&A. Will there be a complete readme - Yes!
5. The SDK's we really want to release - at least the map making SDK's

Just a few of questions

1. Would you release an SDK for new aircraft making by third parties in the future
2. Will you keep the COD map scenario alive by releasing new flyable and AI aircraft e.g. Spitfire V, Typhoon, Fw190, Lancaster, Dornier 217 etc in the sequels
3. Will you release more working functions in the sequel FMB

DFLion

dont get me wrong i am drooling like a rabid dog to fly those planes. but what i wanted and what i paid for is the bob.

[icarus]

Originally Posted by ChicoMick

What I don't understand is this. If the Sequel has the power to 'update/fix' clod in the future then why can't those fixes still be available as 'stand alone' patches? ie without the BoM maps missions and planes ? Then we can decide whether we want the sequel or not.

I don't especially want to fight on the russian front.

I guess this doesn't fit the business plan.....

+1

There is no reason they cannot do that. The only reason to do it the other way is to extract more cash unethically like bait and switch. Perhaps they will have a change of heart.

[Chivas]

Originally Posted by dflion

The positives.

1. Working hard on delivering a stable, working milestone for the sequel
2. We then return to now almost-final patch, cram as much as we can into it and make it our final COD patch
3. The next time it will be updated is when you install 'the sequel' over it.
4. Q&A. Will there be a complete readme - Yes!
5. The SDK's we really want to release - at least the map making SDK's

Just a few of questions

1. Would you release an SDK for new aircraft making by third parties in the future
2. Will you keep the COD map scenario alive by releasing new flyable and AI aircraft e.g. Spitfire V, Typhoon, Fw190, Lancaster, Dornier 217 etc in the sequels
3. Will you release more working functions in the sequel FMB

DFLion

The COD map and aircraft will be in the Sequel. So any aircraft you find historical or otherwise in the Sequel or subsequent Sequels should be available for use by on the COD map. They probably won't be making any missions or campaigns for the COD map, but you can make them yourself, or download a ton of user made mission once things start rolling. I'm also hoping they will fix and add features to the FMB, and see no reason that wouldn't happen at somepoint. It will be interesting to see Luthier's anwsers to yours and other questions.

[He111]

Thanks Luther, I always expected BOM would overlay CLOD, like most, pity no more CLOD aircraft though! hopefully DSK will allow more development.

You give the impression that SLI is already up and running in CLOD ??? I hope I've misread that as I cannot see any 2nd GPU card activation.

CLOD is still a great BETA, I don't Know any other WWII air sim with the quality models like these.

And yes it is very strange that CLOD was not a good seller compared to the success of IL2 ?? I think it was just timing and quality control.

.

[BigC208]

Thanks for the heads up. Good to see that we get a final patch and further support thru the sequel. Me buying that sequel at release at full price will depend on two factors. 1: Did the final patch fix the most glaring problems. 2: Is the sequel a fixed product or another work in progress. All the stuff surrounding the release and slow progress of CloD has fixed me of my Il2 addiction. I can and will wait untill the sequel is in the the bargain bin if it's another bug ridden disaster. Release it when it's ready or I'll treat the sequal as a patch for CloD and pay accordingly. Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping the patch and sequel give me reasons to get addicted again!

[Redroach]

Originally Posted by mazex

C'mon Tree It's simply impossible that you work in the private sector of what the rest of us call "the economy"? Basically it's about the fact that if your company does not make a profit it gets shut down... Fast.

So - who would put up the money to have the team working on patching a product for 18 months that unfortunately must have been a financial fiasco? 1C? Ubisoft? Just get over it, CloD was a failure - both financially and technically. End of story. Now they have actually spent too much time trying to get it right as they are naturally embarrassed that some bean counter forced them to release it while the engineers with Oleg at the helm most certainly wanted to do a second (or third) restart of the project with a new engine... Which was naturally impossible after that last managed code experiment that failed...

A pillar of the market economy is that you don't throw good money after bad. The only reason we have gotten patches the last 18 months is that Ilya and "the new" team convinced someone with money that they could do a sequel based on the failed project to get some money back from that seven year investment. The financier probably realized that even if a sequel was successful, they would never get all the money back for the previous seven years. As they don't live in Northern Korea they know the meaning of "sunk costs" and agreed to finance the development of a sequel anyway, as the costs to have the team running another 2.5 years would be smaller than the expected revenue from the sequel (keeping in mind that they did not start from zero). Ilya probably had to get a new suit for these meetings and certainly got some milestones set that they had to deliver along the project time line or the money tap would get shut down at any point...

I really would like the CloD we all dreamed of, but we have to to accept the fact that it will not happen. Every hour spent patching CloD that does not benefit the sequel increases the risk that MG will have to pick down the sign next year (or this year if they don't show good progress). That sequel has to get decent reviews at least and sell a couple of hundred thousand copies. That's the only way we will ever see a FW 190 in the future in this engine...

And no, the argument that they have to fix CloD or no one will buy the sequel is naturally bull. If the sequel hits the market next fall and gets reviews in the > 80% range every single one of the customers that bought CloD will buy it as we there are only 1-2 decent simulators released every year. We are not that many anyway - so it's the ones that did NOT buy CloD that they need to get green figures at the bottom line

EDIT: The ones we have a right to be pissed at are the publishers 1C/(Ubisoft) - that actually released the game to the market in the state it was, I don't hold MG responsible for that bad decision at all... But - if it was that or nothing I must say that I've had quite some fun with CloD anyway that definitely makes up for my $39.

That's a very optimistic view, mazex. You may be right that they were pushed to release CoD early after a long time of development. But I don't think the developers were in any way pushed to release the do-nothing-"patches" they released over the past 18 months, leaving us basically in the same state as per the release.

And the thing that many people buy BOM regardless, is pretty optimistic, too. I think, by now, after so much crookery and blatant lies, many users have made it a matter of principle NOT to buy BOM (as did I), preferring to stick with 1946 or so rather than to let that shabby scheme succeed (*).
Plus, many gaming magazines probably will think similarly, and will consider the utter failure when testing the sequel, so even IF the addon is somewhat 'good' (which I don't believe for a second...), high ratings for it will be next to impossible - game tests in magazines are there to inform about quality and to save people from rip-offs, after all.


(*) It may be true that companies' power is great these days, but if that doesn't spark some sort of 'grass-roots' boycott, then I don't know what does...