Friday Update, February 24, 2012

[furbs]

Most know they are being worked on yes, its just getting on a bit you know, almost a full year.

[Baron]

Originally Posted by furbs

Most know they are being worked on yes, its just getting on a bit you know, almost a full year.

Its not like this is the first patch we got this year. After a while the team relized that its better to make major changes to the core in stead of putting band aid on a broken bone and of course that will take longer.

A big part of the community doesnt seem to want to or simply cant realize that they ARE addressing the core problems while they are adding EVEN MORE content that in no way detracts resources from the important issues. What is the problem really?

People going "tanks, WTF?" also doesnt think about the fact that the same can be said for ships for ex. I personally couldn't care less if we have a german minsweeper or a fishing trawler, i simply dont care and yet we had another massiv "we are doomed" reaction on that very topic a while ago (some of them are the very same people going "WTF" now btw) . What i am trying to understand though is that its not allways about me me me. If just one person on this forum was allowed to decide the entire content of this flightsim i guarantee u that it would look a lot different than, for ex, your perception on how it SHOULD look.

They are working on the problems AND more.

Again, whats the problem really? (not directed at you specifically)

[furbs]

My problem is what has the FM guy been doing for the last 12 months, not wait whats he been doing for the last 3 years?
Same with AI and DM,CEM what have them guys on the payroll been doing for the last year? the problems have been well documented since release.

The core aspects of CLOD need to work before ANYTHING else, with out them we dont have anything.

There is a reason why the numbers are so low in MP, its because it doesn't work as well as it should, no COOPs and the problems it had since release.

There is no other reason, if it was working great and didn't have major problems with the core of the game it would be more popular.

Fix the problems and more people will play.

I hope so much this patch has been worth the wait and addresses the core problems, we know it fixes the FPS issues, what we dont know is has it stopped the CTDs or improved AI, FMs and the rest.

Lets all hope this is start of something great.

[ElAurens]

The simple fact is that combat flight simulation is probably the smallest niche in all of computer gaming.

Yet, we all clamor for more and more features, realism, details, dynamic everthing. Raising the bar this high above last generation sims exponentially increases the amount of time and money it takes to produce sims to this level. Yet, and this is the important bit...

The amount of time and money available is the same or less than before.

So what is a developer to do?

Well, you can do it like DCS and only make sims that feature one aircraft at a time, that will never have broad appeal, and still cost as much as a full featured WW2 air combat sim.

Or,

You can have a sim like Rise of Flight, where you buy all but the most basic plane set one aircraft at a time, and where even the most basic necessities like the correct gun sights and instruments, have to be purcased seperately for each aircraft.

Or,

You can try to broaden the player base by adding a ground and sea element and making a combined arms simulation.

Of the three, and I've recently been back in RoF, I'll take Oleg's vision of how to do it.

So, do you want a study sim like DCS?, or a pay as you go like R0F that still struggles owing to a small player base and poor choices, or a full featured simulation that you may have to wait longer for and may have areas that don't necessarily interest you, but that will be sustainable in the long term?

Think.

[VO101_Tom]

Originally Posted by speculum jockey

People who want a WWII Combat Flight Sim: Picked up CLOD and are wondering what the hell is happening!

You don't care if someone likes it, why do you expect to anyone to care that you don't? The aircraft-simulator part is not worse because of it, so the problem does not exist, only you generate for yourself.

[5./JG27.Farber]

Originally Posted by VO101_Tom

You don't care if someone likes it, why do you expect to anyone to care that you don't? The aircraft-simulator part is not worse because of it, so the problem does not exist, only you generate for yourself.

+1

I think this thread has run its course.

[Osprey]

Originally Posted by speculum jockey

People who want a WWII Tank Simulator will pick up "T-34 vs. Tiger"

People who want a WWII FPS: "Will pick up COD: World at War" or "Red Orchestra 2"

People who want a WWII Combined Arms game will pick up: Forgotten Hope 2.

People who want a WWII Combat Flight Sim: Picked up CLOD and are wondering what the hell is happening!

1. T-34 vs Tiger stopped development. They went bust.
2. FPS is not on the table, check the opening post.
3. Forgotten Hope is based on the BF2 engine - it's old.
4. Plenty of us have open eyes.

[Pudfark]

Mark me down for agreeing with Furbs and the Cat Doctor....

It never occurred to me that I would ever use my rudder pedals for gas, brakes, clutch and steering. Or my joystick to shift gears....

My simple thought, was that they be used for what they were designed for...flying an airplane...

This patch will make it or brake it...with me.

[Fredfetish]

For one lets hope the current bug issues will be resolved in the next patch. If not, then I'm spending my time rather on more fulfilling gaming experiences.

Also, I wish the additional content had more to do with enriching the current game play of CloD. Offline is useless and I have given up on it due to AI plane behaviour.
The strat side of things mentioned by others e.g. why it should be bad for me to just respawn my plane if I see the first sign of damage or why it matters to go after objectives and not just follow my own nose upon take off in multi-player should be of more concern. Addressing these things will add to the current game's immersion and is sorely required. Some mentioned that WoT will be short lived while Clod will have a much more lasting appeal. In my opinion, you are dead wrong. The only tie in at the moment with Clod is the flight experience (shooting someone down is always a perk though), but that is the limit of current game play.

With WoT, the actual tank game play is only half of the experience. Fiddling around with your tank/new tanks, making decision on ammo, calibre of cannon, spending time on the game has a permanent outcome, etc is the tie in...

I see no additional game play elements being added to the flight sim through the ground vehicles playability. Example: I for one will not spend 3 hours driving cross country and get attacked by a flying player that can instantly respawn at his base and attack me in 3mins again. To add to this, the only current reason tankers would do so is to disrupt an airbase. So the ultimate goal would be... drive for 3 hours and then prevent flight simmers from taking off as they spawn? There is no game elements being added, only more unrelated content.

Also, some suggest that this will save the flight sim market. You are once again dead wrong. There is what, 3 small competitors in the flight sim industry? By broadening your market you broaden your competitors as well. There is no way in f*** that anyone playing WoT would be content with a game optimised as a flight sim, buggy as hell, ugly as hell from the ground perspective and with from what I see in the vids not adding any realism above WoT, whilst WoT has almost zero game play affecting bugs, runs perfectly on those +200k players' computers every night and is FREE to play (unless you want some unfair advantage). Seriously? If you want to take on the big boys in their market than surely the "O but flight simming is such a small community" excuse for quality must be addressed first! Staying niche market is the only chance of survival for MG. Unless their only aim is to be bought out by someone that already can compete in the mass market.

Thirdly... I think it is laughable of all the experts on this forum to claim that ground vehicle resources have nothing to do with the other priorities. The common argument is that only ground modellers are involved. One question, what makes these models interact with the game engine? What dictates these models behaviours? Everything is interrelated in software development folks, get over it.

Lastly, I do support Clod and hope the patch solves most of the current issues. Just a little annoyed about the flights of fantasy that some people have on this forum and their response to anyone who's views are based in reality.

[swiss]

Originally Posted by Fredfetish

Example: I for one will not spend 3 hours driving cross country and get attacked by a flying player that can instantly respawn at his base and attack me in 3mins again.

But spending 45min in the air just to lose a DF vs a spit is ok?
Why cant my tank just spawn at the frontline, 3 min away from the battle?

To add to this, the only current reason tankers would do so is to disrupt an airbase.

Tankers have the same motivation like fps players or flyboys.
Action and humiliating other players.

Also, some suggest that this will save the flight sim market. You are once again dead wrong. There is what, 3 small competitors in the flight sim industry? Staying niche market is the only chance of survival for MG.

So only a few competitors turns it into a huge business opportunity?
What if there are only 3 competitors because it's an unprofitable market?
If I remember correctly luthier said something about $8M they already invested, if that's correct it's more like 9 by now.
How many copies have they sold?

Another option could be to take $200 for a copy, won't sell for this price though.

And the market for a decent WW2 CA simulation is huge.