[Discussion] Tired of hearing "soon"? Thoughts on the Q&A

[Phillzor]

The problem is that updates are taking way too long to be released. The game is in alpha, this is the time where the updates need to be ROLLING out non-stop, not seeming like its coming to a halt as if the game is in its full released state. I realize its a 1-man team, but honestly, i don't care and most others don't either.

I've basically stopped playing this game because there hasn't been a single proper update since i started playing it! Which was a few months or so ago now. A few MONTHS in alpha without any sort of real update = NOT GOOD, and definitely not hopeful. I also realize that there is (finally) a major update coming with the new weapon system and so on, but WHEN are we getting this update and will it contain more important things like fixes, not features, to the actual game?

Because i agree with everyone here, the game is extremely buggy and it does indeed have memory leaks. Whenever I'm running a server, even locally, i need to restart it once every few hours because the whole game just pretty much dies.

Anyway, my main point is: The game is in alpha, there literally should be updates every week, no matter how small. Oh and dev build updates dont count.

 

[Winterhome]

The problem is that updates are taking way too long to be released. The game is in alpha, this is the time where the updates need to be ROLLING out non-stop, not seeming like its coming to a halt as if the game is in its full released state. I realize its a 1-man team, but honestly, i don't care and most others don't either.

I've basically stopped playing this game because there hasn't been a single proper update since i started playing it! Which was a few months or so ago now. A few MONTHS in alpha without any sort of real update = NOT GOOD, and definitely not hopeful. I also realize that there is (finally) a major update coming with the new weapon system and so on, but WHEN are we getting this update and will it contain more important things like fixes, not features, to the actual game?

Because i agree with everyone here, the game is extremely buggy and it does indeed have memory leaks. Whenever I'm running a server, even locally, i need to restart it once every few hours because the whole game just pretty much dies.

Anyway, my main point is: The game is in alpha, there literally should be updates every week, no matter how small. Oh and dev build updates dont count.

Are you sure you understand what an "Alpha" is?

 

[Cybertooth]

I realize its a 1-man team, but honestly, i don't care and most others don't either.

Totally the wrong attitude dude. All you're doing is sounding unreasonable, because you don't care what the reason for the hold up is, you just want the updates now. Like a spoilt child. I'm really fed up of people on this thread acting as if they have some god given right to something when they don't. And dont use the argument that you paid for it, if you did, its because you felt it was worth it. You had a choice.

The updates will be here when they're here, theres no changing that. Now can everyone please let this thread die.

 

[Phillzor]

Did you read my entire post? Ever since i started playing this game (A few MONTHS ago), there hasn't been any sort of significant update. I was patient at first, looking at the "news" tab every day, hoping for something other than fucking website updates which i literally have no interest in as it has almost nothing to do with the actual game itself.

Now im just fed up and over it.

And to the smartass who asked if i know what an "Alpha" is, the question can be shot right back at ya.

 

[MrFURB]

Did you read my entire post? Ever since i started playing this game (A few MONTHS ago), there hasn't been any sort of significant update. I was patient at first, looking at the "news" tab every day, hoping for something other than fucking website updates which i literally have no interest in as it has almost nothing to do with the actual game itself.

Now im just fed up and over it.

And to the smartass who asked if i know what an "Alpha" is, the question can be shot right back at ya.

Please try to remain calm when debating or discussing things on the forums. I find that the more effort I put into having a generally agreeable statement, the more people will pay enough attention to take the statement's message to heart and possibly support it, rather than ignore it as gibberish.

A year ago, Schema was updating the game every week. Actually... Every single day if you count bugfixes. He added the majority of the features in the current game within only a tiny fraction of the game's development history. The problem that wasn't quite apparent then but is now that we're looking at Starmade with the same expectations as other games from other development studios is that those features could be described as sloppy and rushed. What I believe Schema is currently doing is going through each feature/system in the game and updating it to comply with newer and higher standards, making sure it's modular/customizable enough to add to it later via mods, and fixing as many of the issues and instabilities sprouting from the feature as possible.

 

[Viridis00]

The problem is that updates are taking way too long to be released. The game is in alpha, this is the time where the updates need to be ROLLING out non-stop, not seeming like its coming to a halt as if the game is in its full released state. I realize its a 1-man team, but honestly, i don't care and most others don't either.

I've basically stopped playing this game because there hasn't been a single proper update since i started playing it! Which was a few months or so ago now. A few MONTHS in alpha without any sort of real update = NOT GOOD, and definitely not hopeful. I also realize that there is (finally) a major update coming with the new weapon system and so on, but WHEN are we getting this update and will it contain more important things like fixes, not features, to the actual game?

Because i agree with everyone here, the game is extremely buggy and it does indeed have memory leaks. Whenever I'm running a server, even locally, i need to restart it once every few hours because the whole game just pretty much dies.

Anyway, my main point is: The game is in alpha, there literally should be updates every week, no matter how small. Oh and dev build updates dont count.

Why don't the dev builds count? You want features and updates to be rushed out faster, you should be able to accept the bugs that come out with it then.

We had to wait a long long time for the last update, but we got a massive amount of bug fixes. I expect the same for the next update also. Right now we get bursts of fixes and features instead of a steady trickle.

 

[Phillzor]

Yeah see, a year ago when he was updating the game every week, that is what an alpha is! Constantly updating to get the game out of alpha, and thats what i feel like we should be getting now aswell.

Mind you i could be wrong and this new update (whenever it comes) might be absolutely mind blowing and take the game to the next level (in terms of features + bugfixes/ optimizations), but from what ive seen on the dev builds. I doubt it.

 

[Phillzor]

@Viridis00
The problem with massive updates coming once every 6 months is that people get bored and tired with current content which causes them to quit or stop playing the game, potentially forgetting about the game all together which in turn leads to a dead game.

Also the dev builds dont count because how many players actually play the dev builds as oppose to people playing the stable build?

 

[rece ktore leczo]

The dev build has new planets, new weapon systems, effects systems, changing projectile color, logic blocks and more decoration blocks (crystals, grids, medic stations, danger things) so it is pretty game-changing. And we would be able to change the stats of each system very easily while playing Starmade.

Also i don't really think that many players want to have unstable dev-build on theirs servers with the risk of loosing everything they've done in game.


You just want "moar fun features!" released everyday. Well, we all want that, but majority here understand Schema is doing his best to provide us the best game He can make.
It's really simple to understand that one man can make a limited amount of work in one day, if You do not accept that, then You are showing Your ignorance.

 

[gravypod]

Also i don't really think that many players want to have unstable dev-build on theirs servers with the risk of loosing everything they've done in game.

Have you played with the release builds?

 

[Winterhome]

And to the smartass who asked if i know what an "Alpha" is, the question can be shot right back at ya.

Seeing as how you have sidestepped my question, I am tempted to not answer yours... But I will, if it will help clear some things up for you.

Alphas have, historically, been testing phases for the developers, not for a community. Betas were where developers opened the game up to community testing, and added and balanced game features while taking notes on community suggestions.

Just because a game has an open alpha phase does not mean that it is specifically for the community. The alpha phase is intended to complete the game engine's core features and prevent as many bugs as possible from surving until the beta. The beta is where features are spammed by most developers, and final release generally only sees extra bug fixes (and, if the community is sufficiently abrasive, for an occasional additional feature, or DLC).

I do not know exactly what schema's view on the subject of terms and intentions is, but I do know that his goal is to make as good of a game as possible, which does not guarantee an amazing alpha or beta experience.

 

[Phillzor]

You just want "moar fun features!" released everyday. Well, we all want that, but majority here understand Schema is doing his best to provide us the best game He can make.
It's really simple to understand that one man can make a limited amount of work in one day, if You do not accept that, then You are showing Your ignorance.

No i do not want "moar fun features!" released everyday, that is ridiculous. What i want is either an update on whats going on with development OR an actual update itself to the game, every week. Not every 6 months. The last news article on may 9th was great, there was some info about what is going on with the game. Do you know the last time they did a news post with some development info on it besides the day before with the weapons development update? On this new site? NEVER. Schema had a development update on the old site, almost 2 months ago now?

Also, im more for bug fixes/ optimizations than actual game features. In alpha, those are just more important than more features.

Seeing as how you have sidestepped my question, I am tempted to not answer yours... But I will, if it will help clear some things up for you.

Alphas have, historically, been testing phases for the developers, not for a community. Betas were where developers opened the game up to community testing, and added and balanced game features while taking notes on community suggestions.

Just because a game has an open alpha phase does not mean that it is specifically for the community. The alpha phase is intended to complete the game engine's core features and prevent as many bugs as possible from surving until the beta. The beta is where features are spammed by most developers, and final release generally only sees extra bug fixes (and, if the community is sufficiently abrasive, for an occasional additional feature, or DLC).

I do not know exactly what schema's view on the subject of terms and intentions is, but I do know that his goal is to make as good of a game as possible, which does not guarantee an amazing alpha or beta experience.

Once again, im not asking for more features to properly play a game that is in alpha. Read my above point. Also, "Alphas" historical meaning is not really the same as todays meaning. I guess its just the new standard in this day and age with gaming.

 

[DukeofRealms]

The problem with releasing a news post every week is, the same material will pop up maybe 2 weeks in a row 3, 4 and so on. One news post can sufficiently cover a months worth of work. Also, when we do release news posts informing users about what is to come in the future/what is being worked on, we get complaints that no release build has come out or when we release dev build notes we get memes and comments that state we don't want news posts/dev builds, we want x.

We can never make everyone happy, and that is just the way it is, we can only try to make the majority of the population happy.

 

[AnnaShade017]

No i do not want "moar fun features!" released everyday, that is ridiculous. What i want is either an update on whats going on with development OR an actual update itself to the game, every week. Not every 6 months. The last news article on may 9th was great, there was some info about what is going on with the game. Do you know the last time they did a news post with some development info on it besides the day before with the weapons development update? On this new site? NEVER. Schema had a development update on the old site, almost 2 months ago now?

Also, im more for bug fixes/ optimizations than actual game features. In alpha, those are just more important than more features.

Once again, im not asking for more features to properly play a game that is in alpha. Read my above point. Also, "Alphas" historical meaning is not really the same as todays meaning. I guess its just the new standard in this day and age with gaming.

If you have a keen interest in bug fixes, I'd suggest watching and looking through the bug tracker. (You should find some navigation on the right for some more specifics, but you can read up on current bugs and progression there.)

 

[ToyotaSupra]

Better don't joke like that lest someone will take it seriously and we'll get crowds of players complaining about and generating bad rep for the game because of instability and horrible performance.

I'd agree that solid foundation is vital, especially in a game like Starmade which already is quite demanding when it comes to system resources. I strongly believe that optimization and bugfixing should take absolute priority over all features and polishing, though I'd say that at this point of development, it'd be also good to have core features finished before undertaking to rework and optimize them.

Yeah about that first part...I think it's called Poe's Law or something, where someone takes a joke seriously on the 'tubes. It was a joke BTW, I personally think the game needs more bugfixes than shiny as it makes this game more playable and less resource-intensive. It might be boring but it's alpha and it is meant to be boring. I think people tend to forget that, with a normal game you have a dev team work on a game for 3 years, then announce it then release it after another year. This is an indie game with a handful of devs and us guys as the testers released in alpha indev for a few months at best...

/wall'o'text

 

[headstro]

The one thing all the people whining about progress and updates and whatever else are failing to realize, And the bottom line is be grateful for what the game has. How many games out there allow people to get and play a game for free in alpha? and comparing SM to a turd like SE come on get real.... SE is nothing more than a let me build a ship and troll game, you mine you build a ship you pvp rinse and repeat. SM on the other hand has more potential than any other space sim out there, Infinite space its own game engine factions planet building the list goes on. Everything done by one man and might I add he is doing an excellent job and for one man he is doing it a lot faster then some. Everyone complains about a Q&A, Updates FYI most alphas you dont play or hear anything until beta or release at most. Enjoy what we have and be patient it will only get better. And for the comment made about it taking time will lose player base, The only player base I see it losing are the trolls and imho that will do nothing but help the game succeed even more....

 

[therimmer96]

The one thing all the people whining about progress and updates and whatever else are failing to realize, And the bottom line is be grateful for what the game has. How many games out there allow people to get and play a game for free in alpha? and comparing SM to a turd like SE come on get real.... SE is nothing more than a let me build a ship and troll game, you mine you build a ship you pvp rinse and repeat. SM on the other hand has more potential than any other space sim out there, Infinite space its own game engine factions planet building the list goes on. Everything done by one man and might I add he is doing an excellent job and for one man he is doing it a lot faster then some. Everyone complains about a Q&A, Updates FYI most alphas you dont play or hear anything until beta or release at most. Enjoy what we have and be patient it will only get better. And for the comment made about it taking time will lose player base, The only player base I see it losing are the trolls and imho that will do nothing but help the game succeed even more....

Once again, people seem to think we hate the game, but we dont. the people who want things to change want things to change because we love this game, and we want to see it fulfil its potential, we are just offering our opinions. If no-one pointed out the problems they have, then they will never be addressed.

 

[mindlord0013]

No i do not want "moar fun features!" released everyday, that is ridiculous. What i want is either an update on whats going on with development OR an actual update itself to the game, every week. Not every 6 months. The last news article on may 9th was great, there was some info about what is going on with the game. Do you know the last time they did a news post with some development info on it besides the day before with the weapons development update? On this new site? NEVER. Schema had a development update on the old site, almost 2 months ago now?

Also, im more for bug fixes/ optimizations than actual game features. In alpha, those are just more important than more features.

Once again, im not asking for more features to properly play a game that is in alpha. Read my above point. Also, "Alphas" historical meaning is not really the same as todays meaning. I guess its just the new standard in this day and age with gaming.

Take a chill pill and calm down a bit. You can only truly complain about the development of the game once you can do what the devs are doing (including skills and knowledge). I don't have the skills, or quite as much knowledge as schema , Omni , kupu , Calbiri, or any of the other devs do. The entire Schine team have my complete support and respect. I won't complain about the release schedule or anything, because I know if I was doing the coding I couldn't do any better. Even if I was as skilled as them, I wouldn't change the way I release builds from what they're doing now.

Also:
When you buy or pre-order a game, you're not actually buying the game itself. Same goes for music or movies, tv shows, etc. You're actually purchasing the rights to own a copy of the product - in whatever commercial state that it's in. Buying an Alpha or Beta is akin to pre-ordering a movie dvd before the producer has even finished making the movie. The only legitimate reason for complaint is if they end up not finishing the product at all. So don't think of yourself as "owning a game", or even "owning a copy of the game". That train of thought is likely to make you believe you are more entitled to complaining than you actually are.

 

[kupu]

Once again, people seem to think we hate the game, but we dont. the people who want things to change want things to change because we love this game, and we want to see it fulfil its potential, we are just offering our opinions. If no-one pointed out the problems they have, then they will never be addressed.

There is a right way and a wrong way to do this.

As soon as this;

I realise its a 1-man team, but honestly, i don't care and most others don't either.

was posted, it became apparent nothing i could reply with would be taken into consideration.

Feedback is taken onboard and Schema has addressed these issues in this very thread. I encourage Phillzor to read them as it sounds like he hasn't...

 

[gravypod]

As soon as this; was posted, it became apparent nothing i could reply with would be taken into consideration.

I cannot control other people's tact and that shouldn't remove validity from our basic claims. There are problems in the game, they need to be fixed, new features aren't needed if the game cannot start, and more developers on the team would be nice.