Patch Notes Update Beta Update 1.03 Now Available

[Mkstnbrnr]

You've been snoozing
They've been there since the start of standard beta and they're great fun (although not as profitable as trading).
But since a game is all about having fun I do play them when I need a break from trading

new to me as well. being since I suck at this game (haha) they helps me get on my feet so to speak.

 

[Moritasgus]

beta 2 i think will be this weekend. Seeing how unstable this is right now, im surprised they haven't said they're intentions now since Gamescom is over

I'd be surprised if we saw it this weekend, Tuesdays seem to be the optimum day for releasing software for most companies (i forgot which day the beta shipped).
The problem with releasing software on a weekend is unless they work the weekend there is no chance to hotfix, we went from 1.00 to 1.03 in 4 days fixing some critical bugs.
People are never happy with bugs and even unhappier if someone releases an update which totally prevents them playing eg CTD then they are even more unhappy if any fixes have to wait until Tuesday (Monday to learn there is a problem and Tuesday to fix it)!
Hence releasing it on Tuesday gives 3 days to monitor and quickly react to any problems.

 

[Keiyran]

I wish they'd make a list (not written in stone, I'd understand) of what they intend to implement during next update though.

 

[Zireael]

I wish they'd make a list (not written in stone, I'd understand) of what they intend to implement during next update though.

Not really likely.

 

[Keiyran]

No kiddin...

 

[Chemist]

If to count from back end, the final release will be in December, say, Xmas.
Before that will be Gamma test, I assume it'll take 2-3 weeks maximum. The aim will be to pick some stability issues. So Gamma starts around December 01.
Inbetween today and December 01 there will be Beta 2, so I bet for October.

 

[mckayi]

The rollout of Beta 2 and possibly Beta 3 will take longer than recent releases. When you look at how much more they need to add before Gamma e.g mining, interdictions, more systems to explor, more ship classes and stations then we can expect longer waits between updates and as a result bigger updates when they come.
I expect Beta 2 end of Sept or October and Beta 3 in November however they my skip this and go straight to Gamma end of November or December for a Xmas rollout?

 

[ElGuappo]

Never known a company so unwilling to keep people informed of their schedule, especially considering that essentially everyone playing it currently, is actually helping test the game that they're an investor in. It smacks at least of indifference if not actually rudeness to be this secretive. All there is is a huge list of expected features that will hopefully create a cohesive game, but no indication of what's coming when, what's finished/placeholder/in development and what might be next down the pipe.

And there's so much real substance missing from the game that when newsletters focus on pretty minor things like a decal or a new station design, I hear alarm bells sounding in the distance.

Increasingly I think that at the rate content is being added (and even ignoring how complete/bugged/broken that content may be), this game will fall into 2015.

 

[GeneralIdea1964]

Not really likely.

I'd like to know what they have planned also. but sometime I think they are not sure themselves.

A nice stable release is a priority, It would be a shame to kill it off with a rushed release in December if it's not ready.

For Beta 2 I'd like to see the new station types and how they work.

Also I'd like see progress on the infuriating bugs making things hang or slow down for a while with no apparent reason.

 

[Aleksej]

Never known a company so unwilling to keep people informed of their schedule, especially considering that essentially everyone playing it currently, is actually helping test the game that they're an investor in. It smacks at least of indifference if not actually rudeness to be this secretive. All there is is a huge list of expected features that will hopefully create a cohesive game, but no indication of what's coming when, what's finished/placeholder/in development and what might be next down the pipe.

And there's so much real substance missing from the game that when newsletters focus on pretty minor things like a decal or a new station design, I hear alarm bells sounding in the distance.

Increasingly I think that at the rate content is being added (and even ignoring how complete/bugged/broken that content may be), this game will fall into 2015.

Do you know many other companies that release Alphas to public?

We are given more details (weekly newsletters) than any other game developer with a publisher provides.

As well as current release is scheduled for the end of this year.

I do not see any problems.

 

[GeneralIdea1964]

Not really likely.

Never known a company so unwilling to keep people informed of their schedule, especially considering that essentially everyone playing it currently, is actually helping test the game that they're an investor in. It smacks at least of indifference if not actually rudeness to be this secretive. All there is is a huge list of expected features that will hopefully create a cohesive game, but no indication of what's coming when, what's finished/placeholder/in development and what might be next down the pipe.

And there's so much real substance missing from the game that when newsletters focus on pretty minor things like a decal or a new station design, I hear alarm bells sounding in the distance.

Increasingly I think that at the rate content is being added (and even ignoring how complete/bugged/broken that content may be), this game will fall into 2015.

Just read your post ElGuappo after I'd put in my response.
I think they are a smallish games company, so they are probably under a bit of strain. I agree though that they would be better to admit it.
We are mostly a friendly audience hear and if we complain about bugs etc, it out of a strong wish that the final product will be epic. Some of us have paid/donated quite a bit of money to the game development, we don't want to see it fail.

To all at Frontier, keep up the good work, but please keep us up-to-date with realistic information.

Thanks

 

[Aleksej]

Just read your post ElGuappo after I'd put in my response.
I think they are a smallish games company, so they are probably under a bit of strain. I agree though that they would be better to admit it.
We are mostly a friendly audience hear and if we complain about bugs etc, it out of a strong wish that the final product will be epic. Some of us have paid/donated quite a bit of money to the game development, we don't want to see it fail.

To all at Frontier, keep up the good work, but please keep us up-to-date with realistic information.

Thanks

Actually not setting deadlines is what allows them not to be under the strain. The problems arise if you set a deadline and cannot meet it. Then you are under the strain. Waiting some time before you can name the exact date is a valid strategy.

 

[Hawkstone]

Never known a company so unwilling to keep people informed of their schedule, especially considering that essentially everyone playing it currently, is actually helping test the game that they're an investor in. It smacks at least of indifference if not actually rudeness to be this secretive. All there is is a huge list of expected features that will hopefully create a cohesive game, but no indication of what's coming when, what's finished/placeholder/in development and what might be next down the pipe.

I disagree. We have the broad outlook for what's going to be happeniing with the game. It's all very exciting and it's why we're backing it.

Complex software is a strange beast and having detailed schedules for events simply adds pressure (with no benefit to anyone), and increases frustration when the schedule isn't kept to.

In a beta test we're being asked to test what is there, best to have no expectation and be pleasently surprised when something great is brought into the testing phase.

We all want the finished game ASAP, but that's not where we're at right now. If in December we're still testing BETA 1.03, then I'll start to worry

 

[Bravador]

It is true that lack of information can be frustrating but given the high quality of this beta I have entire confidence.

 

[alpharesearch]

It would be very cool if the launcher had some kind of selection what beta version to test (like Steam). In this case there could be a stable beta like what we have but we could also select something like nightly build that is on the beading edge and may not function right... I don't care for online multiplayer and if only the single works that would be fine with me. I also think an open bug tracker like in ARMA3 for example is better than a closed one. The other thing is there is not real testing mode... it would be good to have some cheats to be able to test all the elements without having to play the game.

 

[Kerrash]

Never known a company so unwilling to keep people informed of their schedule, especially considering that essentially everyone playing it currently, is actually helping test the game that they're an investor in. It smacks at least of indifference if not actually rudeness to be this secretive. ...
Increasingly I think that at the rate content is being added (and even ignoring how complete/bugged/broken that content may be), this game will fall into 2015.

Frontier have a long history of working closely with big publishers, a relationship which is inherently secretive towards the end users; however things are changing, we should give them the benefit of the doubt here.

I have never considered myself an 'investor' in this project; in a similar way to which, I do not expect any return when I give money to a charity for example.

We are not entitled to demand anything from Frontier, they are doing us a great service by working hard to deliver the game we have wanted for a long time.

Given their track record I would say they are on schedule right now, and I trust them to deliver.

 

[ykza5]

We are not entitled to demand anything from Frontier, they are doing us a great service by working hard to deliver the game we have wanted for a long time.

Sorry, but I disagree. We are entitled to demand (with some limitation) because we paid for a product, this is by no means a charity, I refuse to believe frontier is doing this because they are such a good people that they wanted to give us a game without making any profit.

I do think their approach has been good to us the backers so far, but I don't understand why people see backing a game as charity.

 

[Tinman]

Frontier have a long history of working closely with big publishers, a relationship which is inherently secretive towards the end users; however things are changing, we should give them the benefit of the doubt here.

I have never considered myself an 'investor' in this project; in a similar way to which, I do not expect any return when I give money to a charity for example.

We are not entitled to demand anything from Frontier, they are doing us a great service by working hard to deliver the game we have wanted for a long time.

Given their track record I would say they are on schedule right now, and I trust them to deliver.

Easy for you to say since you know a lot more about whats coming down the pipe compared to the rest of us...



I think they are doing fine though...I like a bit of "secrecy"...that just keep us wanting more!

 

[Ghost1]

The rollout of Beta 2 and possibly Beta 3 will take longer than recent releases. When you look at how much more they need to add before Gamma e.g mining, interdictions, more systems to explor, more ship classes and stations then we can expect longer waits between updates and as a result bigger updates when they come.
I expect Beta 2 end of Sept or October and Beta 3 in November however they my skip this and go straight to Gamma end of November or December for a Xmas rollout?[/QUOTE]

i don't believe this, that's such a huge gap and i think it will be august.

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

Sorry, but I disagree. We are entitled to demand (with some limitation) because we paid for a product, this is by no means a charity, I refuse to believe frontier is doing this because they are such a good people that they wanted to give us a game without making any profit.

I do think their approach has been good to us the backers so far, but I don't understand why people see backing a game as charity.

You have two products - beta access and finished game. You are entitled to receive products, and you are entitled being updated on schedule - only thing FD maybe hasn't been very prompt about. You are as any customer are entitled to query them - and do so if you want to receive answer, I use it all the time. Just keep in mind that they might not have answer detailed enough, as lot of things are still in air.

This is not about charity, but about sensible relationship between customer and company. I have not seen evidence on FD acting in bad faith. Might call me a fanboi, but we have been critical to FD in many times, we have been sitting for a month without specific information during alpha period - it took time for FD to understand their workflow and predict more precise schedule, also to talk with us.

I respect people who listen and try to figure out how to make things better.