WW1 Bad Players Reviews on GamersGate - Call for Voicing your Opinion

[PhilThib]

Hi all,

I am calling here those players who have bought our game on GamersGate and are currently having a good (or better) opinion of the game, our team handling it and followup.

I noticed there are 3 comments, all bad, from players who expressed their feeling about the product. See: http://www.gamersgate.com/index.php?page=product&what=view&sku=DD-WW1&via=player_reviews


This is their most legitimate right of course ... the problem is that a minority (much less than 1% of all buyers!! :bonk is making a bad and not fully objective impression of the product...which is in some ways influencing other players and preventing them to make their own opinion ... not including the fact that obviously the later improvements from patches have been discounted...


We shall correct this on our side by continuing improvement on the game, and [color="DarkRed"]a new beta patch with lots of fixes will be here tomorrow morning[/color]

In most democratic environments, we would be entitled a "Right of Response"... unfortunately, GamersGate rules prevent us from doing so, because they limit (with good reasons) the reviews to those who bought the game from them... nevertheless, game developpers should have their say....

Anyway, nothing we can or intend to do.

But, should some of those who like the game, or even have a moderate assessment about WW1, AND have bought it there would be kind enough to make their own statement an express their opinion in the GG Reviews, that would both help and do us justice

In other words, feel free to open your mouth

FYI; I have expressed to GG's staff directly my frustration about this, although I clearly understand their sticking to that policy

[Franciscus]

This is very bad for WW1 sales and for AGEOD reputation. I had forseen that this would surely happen, and let's hope that when "professional" reviews start coming it does not get even worse.
You have to agree that for a newcomer, without previous knowledge of AGEOD's undying efforts to improve their games, and with a low tolerance to game crashes, map oddities, etc, (which, BTW is perfectly understandable) it is reasonable to express bad opinions.

I am not saying that I have a bad opinion myself. For me the jury is still out. Remember that what us "old-timers", delighted players of AACW and etc think about AGEOD as a company tends to get confused with what we may think about the game.

As per your request, I can not help it, having bought it directly from you. But even if I could I would hold a considered opinion for the timebeing.

[PhilThib]

I totally agree and consider all opinions as perfectly acceptable, including those who do not like some, part or all of the game...

The only thing I have 'trouble' with is when one is denied the opportunity to present one's defense...this hurts my conceptions of what democracy and justice should be

[vonRocko]

The only thing I have 'trouble' with is when one is denied the opportunity to present one's defense..

[Franciscus]

Yes, I am also a strong believer in the values of democracy and justice, one of the most important ones being the right to freely express one's opinion. Even in these forums I have stated this several times.
YET, those are GamerGate's rules, that are public and should be known by you. I presume that nobody forced AGEOD to sell through GG, but now you have to take the flak and keep a "stiff upperlip".

But I sincerely hope that after a few more patches the situation will improve and good reviews start to appear

[jastaV]

My decision to leave the game on the bookcase, without even installing it was not so bad!

It's not first time AGEod games hit the stores with bugs to be fixed and improvements to be undergone ...... Where's the trouble?
It's just a matter of time and games are fixed and improved, and then improved, improved, improved to excellence!

Are you in a playing-hurry?
.. go after AACW, (the Best!) or any other classic AGEod title!

I was experienced with Flight Sim...... two exellent titles beeing Microprose Falcon and Il-2.
With the second, we had months to wait before getting a decent version. With Microprose Falcon we had to wait for yeeeeeeeeeears!
So, WWI users could wait for few weeks, I suppose!

BTW, waiting, but long was worth and proficient with Microprose Falcon, as Il-2.
I'm sure that will be true too with AGEod WWI.
..... My opinion based over game-manual spare parts PhilThis is posting

[tgb1]

The fact is you chose to release the game in an unfinished state. Now, almost a month into what is essentially a public beta test, you are reaping the results of that decision. Had I known it would take this long to get a finished product (let alone a proper manual), I would never have ordered it when I did.

You made your own bed - now you can lie in it.

[ConstantinScipion]

here, I will take a stand for both point of view cited above.
Yes, everybody has a right to express its opinion on any matters and the fact that the designer are responding to any buyer comments is rightful and understandable.
It is true also that this latter have tried to improve the game consistently and they have succesfully done it thus far.
Nonetheless, as a buyer from gamergate of WW1 and being fond of strategic game I am accustomated of buying games with bugs. But here I was really surprise by the state of the game: Unfinished.
I am sure that as with every project there is a dead line to conform with, and an economical issue behind this. Nevertheless my surprise was great when I discovered the game at first sight: too much bugs to really enjoy it.
But I have to say in addition that the game is also well thought and surely will rise as one of the best game of the WW1 era :thumbsup even if there is room for improvement).

[AndrewKurtz]

The fact is you chose to release the game in an unfinished state. Now, almost a month into what is essentially a public beta test, you are reaping the results of that decision. Had I known it would take this long to get a finished product (let alone a proper manual), I would never have ordered it when I did.

You made your own bed - now you can lie in it.

Curious. Given what you've seen of the game and the vision for it, do you think you would have ever bought it? In other words, is it the lost time value of your money that has you upset or something bigger?

[jastaV]

You have not bought some yougurt, going acid having not it soon!
It's a game, that we'll keep gaming for years to come!
A bit of time and a great swon will come out of the ugly duck!

[AndrewKurtz]

You have not bought some yougurt, going acid having not it soon!
It's a game, that we'll keep gaming for years to come!
A bit of time and a great swon will come out of the ugly duck!

Ahh...but you forget about the time value of money!

If that $60 had been invested over the past few months instead of spent on WWI, it would now be worth $30!

[tgb1]

Curious. Given what you've seen of the game and the vision for it, do you think you would have ever bought it? In other words, is it the lost time value of your money that has you upset or something bigger?

I would have bought the game eventually anyway. But don't expect sympathy from me because Ageod is getting slammed for releasing incomplete, buggy product. It's clear from some of the bugs that are cropping up now that there is some understanding of how the game is SUPPOSED to work that they knew it wasn't ready Nov. 11.

[jastaV]

Ahh...but you forget about the time value of money!

If that $60 had been invested over the past few months instead of spent on WWI, it would now be worth $30!

+1

[Provolution]

Hi there

I was one of the three votes on gamersgate, and I gave it a 2-star, not a 1-star, due to the fact that I knew that with a few patches, the game would be good. However, reviews are given for the state they are given in. For example, the terrible Combat Mission Shock Force got a 4.6 in Gamespot, well deserved. Kind of shame, when they made the great games CMBO, CMBB and CMAK, that had almost no bugs when they come up.

Remember, software development requires a lot of testing in order to protect the reputation of the brand, to enter the market with a finished, not unfinished products.

Sorry, the lack of stability, infinite loop bugs, wasteful use of memory (I got 4 GM RAM and a very strong CPU, so do not argue hardware or Vista, as I also got optimized XP). There where too many excuses, and too few recognition of guilt, almost what we saw from the Pakistani PM, calling the Bombay terrorists for "stateless persons, not pakistanis", where plausible deniability is the communication strategy.

However, I respect the great effort and excellent contact with the fans of the game on these forums. If I get a price deduction or other perk for my pains in struggling with getting the game to work on the user side, I would be willing to give it a 3-star, for the sake of giving a second chance.
However, there is only one first impression, and that was gone the 20th time I booted up this game before it froze.

Anyhow, with a few more patches, I may even give it a post-patch review of 4 stars, which I think is the real potential of this game (83 % Gamespot or 4 stars gamersgate). If the game works, I am happy I bought it.

[AndrewKurtz]

Provolution,

Very well stated. The only thing I disagree with is the statement "too many excuses and too few recognition of guilt". AGEOD came out in the first few days and said (paraphrased) "we goofed and if you want you money back, we will refund it". That seemed an extraordinary step and admission they they had erred IMHO.

But your point is well made and makes sense. Based on my experience with AGEOD games, in a few weeks/months, WWI will a great game and it will keep getting better. So hopefully, as they continue to update and upgrade the game, the reviews will be adjusted accordingly.

Andrew

[keith]

i have not bought the game yet as i, with experience of how ageod works decided to wait 6 months before getting the game

the only problem i have is how much did the ageod management know about the bugs in the game before it was released and if they did know there were serious problems then i think it is a shame the public was not informed that they were in fact taking part in a public beta test

still look before you buy !!!

[Provolution]

Provolution,

Very well stated. The only thing I disagree with is the statement "too many excuses and too few recognition of guilt". AGEOD came out in the first few days and said (paraphrased) "we goofed and if you want you money back, we will refund it". That seemed an extraordinary step and admission they they had erred IMHO.

But your point is well made and makes sense. Based on my experience with AGEOD games, in a few weeks/months, WWI will a great game and it will keep getting better. So hopefully, as they continue to update and upgrade the game, the reviews will be adjusted accordingly.

Andrew

Good we agree on the fundamentals, that WW1 has great potential, but had a failure in delivery. I also made it clear that I liked their community response, except for the bulk of initial excuses (hardware proofed etc).

There were a few too many excuses, when they explained they had already done some testing etc. I am yet to hear ONE person that had no problems in getting the game running on a stable basis. Certainly, next time, AGEOD should spend some resources on testing, both internally and externally, and follow the production flow of closed and open betas, and document this. As soon as bug reports are down to a manageable size (10-20 main bugs found by testers, but game works) , then they can release this to the public.

Also a lesson to Gamersgate, which takes in games right and left. Like Alpha Anti-terror was in Russian, with Russian interface. I needed to dig up my old oxford dictionary (Russian-English) in order to figure out the game. No english patch. I also think Gamersgate is more amateurish than Steam, allowing this to happen.

[animaluk]

I was one of the guys who got a refund, i then bought this game for £17.30 from amazon. i am happy so far with the patches but there is still along way to go ie a proper manual. ctd but for the price i have paid i am happy to wait

[abulbulian]

Yes, I will agree it has been a bit frustrating and I agree with some of what was already stated above.

But we can all agree that the forum and responses by the dev team has been very prompt and helpful. Yes, they might have made it easier on themselves by having a few more QC/testing iterations.

Also, we're able to voice our opinions and collectively customize this game in some special ways so that it can be one of the best WWI computer games on the market. We'll all benefit from that end result.

[Queeg]

We've all bought games where it's apparent right away that no amount of patching or tweaking will ever make it a good game. This is definitely NOT one of those games. I'm convinced this will be a excellent game in time.

[06 Maestro]

It's a game, that we'll keep gaming for years to come!

Yep jastaV, this is how I look at it also.

I have set the game aside a couple of times to wait for the next patch, but I knew it was coming, and a good faith effort was being made to correct some glaring deficiencies. Trying to play this game initially was getting irritating, but still, it looked like it would be a winner in the end-which is why most everyone is still holding on to the game. I have no regrets of buying WW1 on the 11th. Of course, a fully bug free game with an all informative manual would have made it so much better.

Regarding the reviews, I'm sure that there will be many good reviews in the near future-assuming that the rate of progress over the last 2 weeks is continued. Ageod gambled on an early release, and is taking some hard knocks for that decision. However, the game is not over, and the gamble could be considered a great success in the end.

In the words of an American football champion coach; "it ain't over till its over". Most games do have time limitations though...

[Kotik]

Well I got to admit that AGEOD partly have themselves to blame for the bad review but I remember Paradox Interactive's games, they was almost unplayable so buggy was they, before the hired one of the forum member as the head of their Quality Assurance department and after that their games was almost completely bug free and needs mainly tweaking and they are finished.

[PhilThib]

Thanks for all the comments and messages. They are in line with our own way of thinking...

For the moment, we are mostly concentrating on fixing what needs to be in order to improve our game...

By the way, here is the link to the latest BETA patch... it will become official next week after more testing, but it may be of interest for those of you who want to dig in more in our WW1 trenches.


http://ageoddl.telechargement.fr/3rdParty/WW1/Patches/WW1_Patch_v1.0.4f.exe

[Emeg]

I totally agree and consider all opinions as perfectly acceptable, including those who do not like some, part or all of the game...

The only thing I have 'trouble' with is when one is denied the opportunity to present one's defense...this hurts my conceptions of what democracy and justice should be

I agree with you, in principle every one has the right to reply criticism about a product he/she has made. But freedom of speech and democracy is, as far I understand, only a public affair that is guaranteed by democratic states to her civilians. It is nice if a private company see herself as part of the democratic society and allow the right of free speaking too, for every one, but many of them don't allow this as far I know.

I wrote before, it is i.m.o. good if a small(er) game company is clear to her early costumers that they are used as free beta playtesters. Nothing wrong with that strategy but only if they are open and clear before a beta version of a game is launched to the paying costumers. The most expressed dislikes where as far I have understand not because the game itself but because the unpleasant experience to have bought a beta version of the game without knowing this before. And probable they don't know how to play the game because the absence of a good manual when the game was launched.

Please, don't misunderstand me, I don't write this (above) to blame Ageod or you, only to give my opinion how to prevent disappointed early costumers and bad game reviews. I adore the desire that small(er) game companies and their game developers have to create and publish great (historical) games for us.


Greetings, Emeg.

[PhilThib]

+1 :d

[onslo89]

Amazon.uk also gives this game a bad reveiw as does gamersgate,anybody visiting these forums over the last month would of seen the posts in the ww1 section,endless CTD,bugs,stability issues and the most important lack of a game manual.I was aware of all these issues but i still went ahead and bought the game.For all you moaners and groaners out there just think how far ageod have brought PC wargaming forward,were dealing with a very complex game system,this is not talonsoft battleground series nor is it like anything else on the market.Its new its groundbreaking its going to have problems but in the end it will be worth it.Im also running this with just 1 gig of ram no ctds no freezes,so now for me all thats missing is the manual.

[PhilThib]

The manual will come, it's just a gigantic task that I am alone to handle for the moment in terms of creation... hopefully, there are volunteers here that have shown up to assist in proofreading... this saves time...a lot

[tgb1]

The manual will come, it's just a gigantic task that I am alone to handle for the moment in terms of creation... hopefully, there are volunteers here that have shown up to assist in proofreading... this saves time...a lot

Perhaps if you had waited until the manual was done and the game working properly before you had released it (cash grab), you wouldn't be facing these issues.

[soundoff]

Perhaps if you had waited until the manual was done and the game working properly before you had released it (cash grab), you wouldn't be facing these issues.

I personally think you are right. But thats in the past now. Whats done is done and it serves no useful purpose to keep hammering the team for previous mistakes. Its time to move on.

I'll continue to keep fingers crossed and wish the team well. I do so hope the game becomes a triumph. You certainly cannot fault the dedication of Calvinus or the amount of effort he is putting in to correcting things.

[tgb1]

I would have let the matter drop if they didn't ask us to post comments defending their release over at Gamersgate.