What happened to free access to 1 of 5 new ships?

[Danneh]

I dug up some of Michael Brooke's clarifications about these bonus ships:

So this clarifies the ships, the rest of the stuff we have (besides the artwork but I'm sure that's coming, and it doesn't detract from the game), and FD graciously offered refunds for the offline mode. I don't think this "solicitor" has a leg to stand on.

 

[Unpleasant]

Advertising rules do not apply to crowd funding and "pitches". This can't possibly apply to crowd funding/Kickstarters otherwise nobody would be able to take the risk. Quite a few KS projects haven't materialised and very few have been able to offer a discount following failure. When you back something you are essentially saying "go ahead and take my money". The developers have to sink that money into the project, you are essentially investing something that otherwise wouldn't have got funded - your return is merely the possibility that it becomes a reality. if it fails they aren't actually liable to return your "investment".

Changing fundamental features of a product AFTER people have invested in that project, just to save money, is the same as bait-and-switch, isn't it?

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Its more important to me that any new ships are interesting. Big or small doesn't matter. I dont want to have big in game advantages as a backer either.

But I do want something interesting. Something that feels important or special - maybe from a historic or lore standpoint, maybe just the design or rarity, or maybe something else.

A ship should ideally have character and while it might take awhile for that to really happen in game (ships logs,ship names...), it should be thought about a little when designing ships. These arnt just vessels to fight or trade...these are (sort of) our virtual homes.

Should give you a wire framed cobra to fly around in.

 

[Mostly Awol]

Changing fundamental features of a product AFTER people have invested in that project, just to save money, is the same as bait-and-switch, isn't it?

The key word in the above quote is "invested". Kickstaters invest in a project without being a shareholder of the project. Basically you are giving people money because you want to they do not need to return any at all. Now if you bought a finished product that stated something on the package but didn't do it. That is False Advertising or Bait and Switch.

People please learn that Kickstarter is just a fancy way to donate money to people who in some cases don't really need money.

 

[darshie76]

So because you work IT you think you know the dev process or what kind of work it entails? Nice try.

We aren't saying FD doesn't need to fulfill their promises. We're saying that they've worked hard for a good amount of time and deserve a break, and that people need to calm down instead of turning into entitled children that can't wait.

Yes, I know that's insulting. I'm tired of the behavior of people on this forums. I'm tired of people on these forums not realizing that the devs are human, and it's a small team, and they're working on it.

Oh, and FD always planned on releasing this game in an unfinished state with development continuing after release. Go look at the kickstarter page, watch a few of Braben's videos.

As much as we can relate with the devs, and as much I respect their work, you can't deny that things happened, that changed the opinion of the majority of us.

I won't go as far as attack developers, because they are people and they work hard, independently if they deliver what was expected; the fault is never on the one that does the job, if it is not up to the expectation level that they built, but on the people that dictate how things has to go.

I suspect that DB had to compromise with whoever gave him funds; which is not us backers or the original kickstarters...if this was what was planned from the beginning, it would be quite reductive.

Your defense is admirable, but you should not protect them indiscriminately as you do; FD did some things wrong; and what saves them is that the final product that they delivered is mildly attractive and technically flawless and outstanding; and for this, you can say a big "thank you" to yourself, me, and everyone here that spent time on this game. Because we cared, and many of us still care, to see it become what it was supposed to be.

Let's face the truth...this is no Star Citizen; the money here are one order of magnitude lower (5M vs 50M?), here you have one team of what...20-30 people, vs the 5-6 different teams in SC, where the total headcount seems to be above 150 people? And look at where are they now, while ED was released.

The OP attack is a bit unjustified and rushed, but understandable; and at the same time your unconditional defense of FD is also, IMHO, a bit excessive; I can't believe that you approve all of what was done, how was done and you like this game without a single major doubt.

If you do...I envy you, because you've got what you were dreaming for, since 30 years ago.

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So this clarifies the ships, the rest of the stuff we have (besides the artwork but I'm sure that's coming, and it doesn't detract from the game), and FD graciously offered refunds for the offline mode. I don't think this "solicitor" has a leg to stand on.

Unless things changed, FD offered refunds only for the cases where the backer did not play a single second of the game, and on a per-case basis.
There are a ton of people that got nothing, others that started a class action, others that just let it go and dumped the game, to never play it again until it will be close to what was promised.

 

[darshie76]

The key word in the above quote is "invested". Kickstaters invest in a project without being a shareholder of the project. Basically you are giving people money because you want to they do not need to return any at all. Now if you bought a finished product that stated something on the package but didn't do it. That is False Advertising or Bait and Switch.

People please learn that Kickstarter is just a fancy way to donate money to people who in some cases don't really need money.

Indeed kickstarter does not mean investing....people mix up the concept of donate to a cause, like you do when a disaster strikes, vs be part of a company.

If you want to dictate what FD does, buy their stocks, in quantity that allow you to sit at the board of investors, call in when they have the quarter meetings and let your voice be heard. Otherwise there is no other way.

Kickstarter is a fancy way to say "I am doing this, you pay for it and I let you be part of it". Once that people understand that, then maybe things will get better, and we will avoid to see enraged people, that just because they spent 200 or 400 dollars/pounds/yen/euro, they feel like they are part of the next big thing.

In a kickstarter you don't BUY a product or service, but you receive as GIFT, a product or service; when the kickstarter is done, which MAY or MAY NOT be as promised.

As person that works in the field since 2005, I can tell you for sure that the features and how they get designed, made and delivered, may vary wildly from person to person; on paper things always seems different, especially when you have stuff like "living and engaging world"....how do you translate it in a way that is technically sound, when a living and engaging world may be something different for each of us?

 

[popuptoaster]

So because you work IT you think you know the dev process or what kind of work it entails? Nice try.

We aren't saying FD doesn't need to fulfill their promises. We're saying that they've worked hard for a good amount of time and deserve a break, and that people need to calm down instead of turning into entitled children that can't wait.

Yes, I know that's insulting. I'm tired of the behavior of people on this forums. I'm tired of people on these forums not realizing that the devs are human, and it's a small team, and they're working on it.

Oh, and FD always planned on releasing this game in an unfinished state with development continuing after release. Go look at the kickstarter page, watch a few of Braben's videos.

I don't need to know how devs work, all i need to know is that they are office workers, I'm tired of people who read other peoples posts and pick out the bits they want to argue with, i said maybe they should hire more people, and I said everyone deserves holiday time also Braben said in his last dev diary it was great to see the game completed and released after so long, go back and watch it without the fan boy glasses on and stop picking holes in other peoples opinions when you don't bother to read what they write.

Saying the game is complete and more stuff will come later is clearly not the same as promising extras for backers and then not giving them out, if the extra ships are not ready then why release the game?

If I sold you a car with bits missing and said you could have the rest later when it was ready but it may take a while because the workers were tired and had been a bit busy you wouldn't be defending the same attitude you would be wondering why the hell they sold you a car before it was ready, the game industry has got itself into a position where it thinks it can release unfinished games and claim stuff that should already be in there is "DLC" or will come later, it would have made more sense simply to wait until everything promised was ready, get it released and then go to work on the DLC packs.

 

[aRtFuL]

I think they will be available once all the initial 30 ships are released.

I would guess that they probably released the game too close to the xmas ny break and will probably do it after the holiday period, just to be safe (they probably didn't want go the ArcheAge-suicide path lol so taking it one step at a time )