Beta 20 ... And Counting

[GhostDog 0]

Fresh from the Ubi board:

 

posted Tue June 01 2004 11:22 AM 

 

 

We tested all weekend and all day Monday. Betas 18 & 19 have also been in testing with Ubi Soft's QA Department.

 

We have found a few problems that required new versions. Most notable is a memory problem with multiplayer.

 

I am downloading Beta 20 this morning and we will continue to test.

 

It is frustrating to be this close, but as I have stated before, we want to do this the right way. We have to fix the more serious problems before we release the patch.

 

It will be worth the wait. Hang in there.

 

Cheers,

Carl

[JayJay 0]

Jeeez, if this continues like this we will never see the patch...

[GhostDog 0]

if it continues we will hopefully see a good patch... but it is taking rather long

[Snacky 0]

Well you guys choose then. You want it right? or right now??

[SlickWili 0]

It is frustrating to be this close...

I can just imagine these guys hurling expletives, empty cigarette packets & coffee cups at their monitors when a beta fails.

 

So close, and yet so far.... :(

[GhostDog 0]

@Snacky

 

I hope i made myself clear. I want it right.

 

Time is a subject though as i'm sure you would agree. I take (most) peoples expession of impatience and frustration as a sign of their fundamental love for this game. I know it is so for me - why else bother?

 

GD

[JayJay 0]

Don't get me wrong. I want it right as well as you, but what's the purpose of waiting so long for a patch when you could just make it available to the public with one or two minor bugs and then get a small patch for it?

My concern is all about timing, there's no use in waiting 1 year for a patch.

[GhostDog 0]

I must say i fully understand their wish to go "the whole way" and do it right this time instead of creating a patchwork (no pun intended) of patches.

 

I like their approach of first adressing the big problems fast and then taking the time to do the second one right the first time. ( )

[+Fates 63]

My guess is they want it to be right...because they don't plan on any more.

 

<C>

Fates

[Bard 0]

My guess is that the intention is to make this the last patch, all indications are that it will be (the effort being made, matt's statements upon leaving ubi etc.).

 

from the fix list it looks like a lot of work has been done to get the sim in shape and a lot of (in my personal opinion) things that hadn't been completed development wise upon release have been implemented.

 

hopefully we won't NEED another patch after 1.02.

 

It's been a long time coming, but i really hope 1.02 allows LOMAC to live up to it's potential.

[GhostDog 0]

You are probably right and it wont be a bad thing if they do the job good. Let them move on and spend their energy on new projects that will thrill us as much as Lo:MAc does

[JayJay 0]

This might in fact be the last patch for Lock On and I suppose they'll waste their energyes on the new add-on.

 

And that's exactly what's concerns me. What are they going to implement on that add-on? More aircraft? Even if that's sounds tempting I'd rather wish a improved terrain and some kind of Electronic Battlefield similar to that one present in Falcon 4 and Total Air War (probably the most advanced concept of all sims so far).

Another thing that would rock would be multi-cockpit in multiplayer. An F-18D comes to mind. :)

[+Fates 63]

New addons mean more beta testing...something that many are just tired of.

[*BtS*$y$t£M=M= 0]

Hey Guys New Here.

 

I am Just Grateful They are almost finished with the Patch I love LOMAC and I sympathise with the team at UBI, Im a programmer myself and BETA is the worst part about it all cos thats when the sh*t really hits the fan. These Guys have got guts and determination to finish the patch and we should appreciate that and respect them fo r all the effort they have put in. I would of given up a long time ago :P :) NIce 1 UBI Team :)

[Bard 0]

I think it's more finishing an unfinished product than anything else. If LOMAC was left in 1.01 state i think there are many people who wouldn't purchase another ED developed product. As it is I think many people are going to be more cautious next time around.

[GhostDog 0]

Im sure they weren't happy with the state this product was at the time of the release and that they would have wanted to have a bit more time but if you take a look at the 1.02 readme file you will see that this is more than a patch. They are adding features as well as fixing bugs

[MadJeff 3]

As it is I think many people are going to be more cautious next time around.

No they won't. You know it and I know it, the next big sim that comes out (regardless of producer), we will rush down to the closest store and buy it, then whine when it doesn't work right again. This has been going on for years and every time we SAY we will wait, but we never do. That's the sad thing about it, the whole system is geared to crank stuff out the door and patch it afterwards. The producers/distributors do it because they know they can, and we have no one to blame but ourselves. :D

 

This goes for just about all software, not just flight sims. ;)

 

Now with that being said, I still think ED is doing the right thing by getting this patch done right and then released, and I am grateful for their dedication on working towards getting it done correctly. There is a ton of good stuff slated in this patch, and while a lot of companies could have just walked away and not tried to get things fixed, they have been working hard to make the sim better for us.

[JayJay 0]

Indeed, MadJeff said it all.

This just makes me think if it would't be better for a group in the community to develop an advanced simulator from scratch. Yes, there is Project Phoenix but we never know where this things stand.

[GhostDog 0]

...the story goes on.

 

Here is Carl C. Norman' latest update, fresh from the UBI battlefield:

 

posted Wed June 02 2004 10:25 AM 

We tested Beta 20 and there remains a serious crash bug in multiplayer that has to be fixed. The Team in Moscow is working to eliminate this problem. It would be unwise to release the product with this problem.

 

There are some minor problems as well but nothing as significant as the crash problem.

 

Many of you have suggested that we just release it as is and then do another patch. It just doesn't work that way. We want this to be a comprehensive and complete patch. The decsion on doing a subsequent patch will depend on many factors, particularly how well V1.02 does with the majority of users. We cannot keep doing patches without having future titles in development or we will go out of business.

 

Some people have experessed their frustration about these regular reports and that they want them to stop. I disagree and will continue to keep everyone informed of the status of the patch while it is in development. Once the patch is submitted to Ubi Soft and approved by them for release then it will be out of our hands and the actual release date will be a matter for Ubi Soft.

 

I want to ask a favor; we all appreciate your support and good wishes but please, you do not have to start a "thank you" thread for every update I post.  We know you appreciate our efforts and we feel bad that it is taking so long to get the patch finished. We are working very hard and giving it our best efforts.

 

As I said, I think the updates are important and I will continue to do them. If they bother you then just don't read them!

 

All of us appreciate the support and we are grateful for your patience and understanding.

 

Cheers,

Carl

[Bard 0]

As it is I think many people are going to be more cautious next time around.

No they won't. You know it and I know it, the next big sim that comes out (regardless of producer), we will rush down to the closest store and buy it, then whine when it doesn't work right again. This has been going on for years and every time we SAY we will wait, but we never do. That's the sad thing about it, the whole system is geared to crank stuff out the door and patch it afterwards. The producers/distributors do it because they know they can, and we have no one to blame but ourselves. :D

 

This goes for just about all software, not just flight sims. ;)

 

Now with that being said, I still think ED is doing the right thing by getting this patch done right and then released, and I am grateful for their dedication on working towards getting it done correctly. There is a ton of good stuff slated in this patch, and while a lot of companies could have just walked away and not tried to get things fixed, they have been working hard to make the sim better for us.

Not this little black duck - and i can see from the UBI boards that there are a hell of a lot of other people sharing the same thoughts as I.

 

There's just been a SLEW of incomplete sims pushed out the doors the last few years and i've had enough of purchasing something then waiting a further six months for it to work properly.

 

Not everyone has the money spare to buy games on a whim - you know, married, children, mortgage etc ;)

[Dolamite-325TH- 0]

Here's the problem first ill start with the incremental patch subject and why it would be better

 

1.Cheaters anyone ever seen a aim54 or a aim120 on a su27 I did in my server in hyperlobby about 3 months after the game come out no further patches = no cheating in multiplayer problems will be addressed.

 

2.See number 1. and add the fact that no dynamic campaign or new bug fixes will be addressed in any further patches,that is disturbing due to the fact that there really is nothing other than multiplayer dogfights with someone you have never faught before to keep the new in the game and keep anyone from coming back for more they need to throw a little content in a patch every now and then like all other multiplayer or sp games (see IL2, FB ,AEP,1942,ofp,BFViet, shall I continue)

 

3.Instead of waiting for a new patch we'll be waiting for an add on and then wait 6 more months so they can patch it so we can play without bugs or crashes (that I dont mind as long as I have an enjoyable game to play while I wait ( see number 2.)

 

Problem 2

 

Noone can deny it multiplayer is where the action is SP is nice But if I just wanted to play SP I wouldnt waste 95$ a month on my high speed internet connection

Multiplayer is where the masses are (see all other computer games currently available) and there is just no team oriented content in the game I really dont know what im actually saying here but if nothing in the game changes after the patch besides bug fixes and a score screen there will never be any team orientation to the game (that would suck because i really like having a human wingman that i know and you can't password sides in lomac or force loadouts)

[Bard 0]

aah... polish.

 

yes - i agree, little things like that which shouldn't require much effort to implement but add so much to function would be great.

 

that's why i like to see software released in great shape from 1.00 - more likely to get some polishing :)

[Ruggbutt 45]

A patch ia always for fixing an unfinished product. If it was finished it wouldn't need a patch. It's not endemic to LOMAC, it's all software that is released. Let's not forget that please.

Edited June 3, 2004 by ruggbutt

[Bard 0]

I don't think you understand the difference between unfinished and broken, and are equating the two.

 

Here is an analogy that might help you understand.

 

1) You buy a car and there are no doors manufactured for it.

2) You buy a car and a door won't open because the lock is broken.

 

1 is an unfinished product

2 is broken product

 

Developing software isn't much different.

 

A product can be finished but have bugs - All the features are present but some may not work correctly due to design or programming errors.

 

here's the english language definition of the word patch in relation to computer science:

 

"patch ( P ) Pronunciation Key (pch)

n.

 

Computer Science. A piece of code added to software in order to fix a bug, especially as a temporary correction between two releases. "

 

bug <> stuff not implemented yet - ie missing doors.

 

Patches are for fixing stuff already implemented that are not working correctly because of programmatical or design logic errors.

[Snacky 0]

LOL here we go again. You gotta love speculation, it fuels the drama.

 

 

btw- your speculations on future plans are wrong. ED is not stopping work on Lomac.

Actually the future of Lomac looks pretty good, but I suspect the naysayers will always be looking for the glass half empty.