Answers to Community Questions

[Sandstone]

Originally Posted by Chivas

So you think that the devs can't improve COD's game engine?

Their performance to date suggests they probably can't.

[flyingblind]

I find this attitude rather strange in a thread where Luthier is answering questions from the forum folk after dozens of vitriolic posts on the lack of communication. As soon as he opens his mouth he is a bare faced liar. I hope no one is expecting lots more communication anytime soon.

I can't help feeling that some seem to have a rather tenuous grasp on reality. Sure, you have bought a game and are entitled to something fit for purpose but on receipt if it is not you are also entitled to return it and get your money back. If you choose to hang on to it then that is up to you.

Clearly customers are crucial to a business and a business needs to keep it's customers happy if it wants to be there for the long haul. But as Luthier has said quite bluntly that the only way to keep enough customers happy to survive is by providing a game that is good enough for large numbers to buy and enjoy. Trying to placate a small bunch of vocal malcontents who's main aim in life is to hurl abuse at him is a complete waste of time.

The reality is that he can no longer afford to bring CloD fully up to scratch before releasing the sequel. The sequel will benefit CloD but if it is not a success on release then I think you can say goodbye to the whole series. What will make it a success is good reviews as much as comments in forums. Don't forget that there will be one final official update for CloD that should make it far better and worth your money.

And what about your money on an individual basis? Assuming that you paid full price and didn't get it discounted or on the cheap from Russia than it would be about £50 or 50 bucks or whatever. If there are 50 people working on CloD then that is a pound or a euro or a dollar each. What can you get for that? A cup of coffee? Or maybe two if from a vending machine or three as they are in Moscow.

So all the little group of Mr Angrys together on this forum have done for CloD financially is kept the office in coffee for a week or two at most. Go figure.

I also think the latest update is a good improvement and that they can deliver a good series. I wonder if many people would not just be happy with the old IL2 but with CloD graphics. But CloD starts where IL2 left off. Take just the question on a manual for operating planes. With IL2 one set of controls worked for all planes so only one basic manual was needed especially as engine management was pretty basic. With CloD they want you to be able to use the actual manuals used by the pilots of the time for each different plane. How cool is that.

It might not be quite there yet but I really believe Luthiers vision is for a grown up game for adults and certainly not something for the Xbox generation.

[Frequent_Flyer]

Originally Posted by flyingblind

I find this attitude rather strange in a thread where Luthier is answering questions from the forum folk after dozens of vitriolic posts on the lack of communication. As soon as he opens his mouth he is a bare faced liar. I hope no one is expecting lots more communication anytime soon.

I can't help feeling that some seem to have a rather tenuous grasp on reality. Sure, you have bought a game and are entitled to something fit for purpose but on receipt if it is not you are also entitled to return it and get your money back. If you choose to hang on to it then that is up to you.

Clearly customers are crucial to a business and a business needs to keep it's customers happy if it wants to be there for the long haul. But as Luthier has said quite bluntly that the only way to keep enough customers happy to survive is by providing a game that is good enough for large numbers to buy and enjoy. Trying to placate a small bunch of vocal malcontents who's main aim in life is to hurl abuse at him is a complete waste of time.

The reality is that he can no longer afford to bring CloD fully up to scratch before releasing the sequel. The sequel will benefit CloD but if it is not a success on release then I think you can say goodbye to the whole series. What will make it a success is good reviews as much as comments in forums. Don't forget that there will be one final official update for CloD that should make it far better and worth your money.

And what about your money on an individual basis? Assuming that you paid full price and didn't get it discounted or on the cheap from Russia than it would be about £50 or 50 bucks or whatever. If there are 50 people working on CloD then that is a pound or a euro or a dollar each. What can you get for that? A cup of coffee? Or maybe two if from a vending machine or three as they are in Moscow.

So all the little group of Mr Angrys together on this forum have done for CloD financially is kept the office in coffee for a week or two at most. Go figure.

I also think the latest update is a good improvement and that they can deliver a good series. I wonder if many people would not just be happy with the old IL2 but with CloD graphics. But CloD starts where IL2 left off. Take just the question on a manual for operating planes. With IL2 one set of controls worked for all planes so only one basic manual was needed especially as engine management was pretty basic. With CloD they want you to be able to use the actual manuals used by the pilots of the time for each different plane. How cool is that.

It might not be quite there yet but I really believe Luthiers vision is for a grown up game for adults and certainly not something for the Xbox generation.

you make a number of exceellent points. I think Luither may have over promised and under delivered. ultimately actions speak louder than words and if the final patch fixes things within reason the majority should be content. However, there will always be the usual suspects droning on in favor of or against.to join chorus with " the FM's are inaccurate, etc.

[He111]

Thanks luther.

I personally think alot of CLODs problems could be solved by the community, we are here because we love the flight sim, we want it to be as good as it can be, we're not here to rip-off anyone. So look seriously into allowing modding and possibly releasing souce code.

You say the AI does more than stable flight and barrel rolls into the ground, i can't get anything else out of a defiant. in fact i suspect there is no defiant AI code other than that for other fighters.

I also suspect many users have their own favorite planes they'd like added to CLOD, even at their own expense / effort. Allowing this will be bonus for CLOD and cost you nothing! must be considered.

Thanks

.

[Chivas]

Originally Posted by Sandstone

Their performance to date suggests they probably can't.

Thats definitely a possibility especially if you disregard all the aspects of the sim that are already working. They have made advancements in the sound engine, performance, FM, Engine Management. Time will tell, but the longer they obtain financial support to work on the sim, the more likely things will get sorted.

[Icebear]

Originally Posted by Chivas

Thats definitely a possibility especially if you disregard all the aspects of the sim that are already working. They have made advancements in the sound engine, performance, FM, Engine Management. Time will tell, but the longer they obtain financial support to work on the sim, the more likely things will get sorted.

Sim(ulation) or MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online Game)? These are two completely different pair of shoes as they address two completely different range of customers. If I got Luther right his new cash cow or "sequel" will be a MMO with complex engine management. So neither fish nor fowl and too late as the competition already entered the market!

Good luck ladies !

[Chivas]

Originally Posted by Icebear

Sim(ulation) or MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online Game)? These are two completely different pair of shoes as they address two completely different range of customers. If I got Luther right his new cash cow or "sequel" will be a MMO with complex engine management. So neither fish nor fowl and too late as the competition already entered the market!

Good luck ladies !

They may be two completely different pair of shoes, but they can be done with basicly the same game engine, and add another source of revenue. It remains to be seen what direction the development will head. It could go only the Sequel route, only the MMO route, or both. Both would be better for revenue, but I'm not sure how difficult it would be to support both, even though they use almost exactly the same content, other than an MMO might not require extensive AI, and AI command software.