modules and features?

[herr_oberst]

Get a 32GB thumb and store all your BFC files there.

Indeed. I have a 16 gig SanDisk USB drive that's barely bigger than the USB port it sticks in. I've seen a 32 gig (same form factor) as well.

[heyhellowhatsnew]

One of the things I hate about devs/publishers that sell grognard games, perhaps the only thing really, is that there is never any release date notice, not even a release week. I really don't understand it at all. Even if you said oh about a week or two that would be great so I could start saving money.

AoC just randomly came out of the blue. It was a nice surprise, but I don't know, I don't think Battlefront/Slitherine/Matrix checks a build and go ok its done *flips switch*

What i'm saying is what's the release date for Gustav please. Thanks. Unless it's really a tradition for developers/publishers who make these games to never announce release dates ever even when its close and known on the inside.

I'm honestly just trying to understand the rationale. If you announce a date and you made a thread and said sorry need one more week, we can take it, we're adults.

It just seems really silly to me, thats all.

[Baneman]

...

I'm honestly just trying to understand the rationale. If you announce a date and you made a thread and said sorry need one more week, we can take it, we're adults.

Lol, you may be able to take it like an adult, but there's plenty on these boards who while appearing to be adults ... well, say no more

Thing is, if they hit a small bug, put back a week, find another, and so on, it can push back the release several times. More than one or two "sorry we need another week" post and the "we can take it" starts to evaporate. It may be somewhat annoying not to know the release date, but that's nowhere near as annoying as having your hopes dashed repeatedly.

So for a small company, it's not worth the loss of goodwill. Big companies book their fanfare in advance, so you get to know the date, but you probably get a bunch of bugs needing to be patched asap.

"Take it live and we'll fix the bugs as they get reported" is a phrase I've heard many times in my career.

I'd rather get a mostly bug-free "surprise release" to be honest.

[Michael Emrys]

Lol, you may be able to take it like an adult, but there's plenty on these boards who while appearing to be adults ... well, say no more

Damn straight. If BFC announced a release date and then couldn't make it, or could only make it with a product that was only marginally playable, the collective whining would reach a pitch that could be heard in darkest Africa. Even without an internet connection.

:eek:

Michael

[Lt Belenko]

One of the things I hate about devs/publishers that sell grognard games, perhaps the only thing really, is that there is never any release date notice, not even a release week.

The original Pre-order announcement said aboot 6 weeks. I count 5 weeks 3 days.

[Waycool]

The original Pre-order announcement said aboot 6 weeks. I count 5 weeks 3 days.

Rubbing hands together Gustav you will soon be mine:)

[heyhellowhatsnew]

I'd just like an official Battlefront rep say something about this reasoning, no offense to other posters. I want to understand it from their perspective.

[Waycool]

Details about the contents of Market Garden will be released soon after Gustav Line is shipping. And no, it won't be a long wait But know that the Market Garden Module is focused on that and not on other parts of the front, though it is possible to simulate a lot of it (especially if you have Commonwealth Module).

Steve

won't be a long wait Steve says so.

[womble]

I'd just like an official Battlefront rep say something about this reasoning, no offense to other posters. I want to understand it from their perspective.

They will only repeat what has already been said. Again. And doing so would distract from actually getting us the product. It's almost worrying that Steve popped up in another thread, this close to release... Usually he's "in purdah" as release dates get imminent.

[c3k]

(Much redacted)

If you announce a date and you made a thread and said sorry need one more week, we can take it, we're adults.

That was funny! Thanks for brightening my morning.

To answer your followup, I most emphatically do NOT speak for BFC, however, I think you could reason out the answer to this yourself.

Your post strikes me as coming from someone with a very mature perspective. (I stand ready to be proven wrong.) Please recognize that not everyone has as balanced an outlook. If BFC pre-announced a release date, even if by only a week, they'd be held to that date. The outcry, were it NOT to be released, would be huge. (That's not hypothetical: do some deep searches from earlier games.)

Why would they miss the date? Well, a LOT of bug smashing and tweaking occurs, especially near the end. "Okay", you say, "just wait till it's done, announce it will be released in a week, and sit on the game for that time."

Really?

Then there's the saying, "Perfection is the enemy of good enough." Do you really think BFC would let that newborn code sit there for a week, totally untouched, while it's crying out for just one little tweak? Just a dab more dunkelgelb on the Elefant backside? Really, it's a tiny art change with no chance of affecting anything else. Until it does. Oops.

All the above is just my .02, offered for free. I'm not sure what that makes it worth.

Ken

[Guest]

One of the things I hate about devs/publishers that sell grognard games, perhaps the only thing really, is that there is never any release date notice, not even a release week. I really don't understand it at all. Even if you said oh about a week or two that would be great so I could start saving money.

AoC just randomly came out of the blue. It was a nice surprise, but I don't know, I don't think Battlefront/Slitherine/Matrix checks a build and go ok its done *flips switch*

What i'm saying is what's the release date for Gustav please. Thanks. Unless it's really a tradition for developers/publishers who make these games to never announce release dates ever even when its close and known on the inside.

I'm honestly just trying to understand the rationale. If you announce a date and you made a thread and said sorry need one more week, we can take it, we're adults.

It just seems really silly to me, thats all.

We opened pre-orders and said we thought it would be ready in 4-6 weeks. Steve and I are going around now and saying that it won't be long before it's done. That meets pretty much all of the criteria you're asking for, yes?

If you want to get into the details of why we don't give you a precise date that the game will be ready, it's because doing so would be nearly impossible, and unlike big game companies, we have no reason (marketing, retail channels) to lie to you and say the game is done when it's not. We release the game when it's ready to be released. We try to give you a window, with every release, so you can start saving your money, etc. And we're usually not super far off.

So... does that answer your question? I can get Steve (who is one of the two founders of the company, not just a "rep", mind, so he's actually a good brain to pick) to come out and answer as well if you'd like, as this is just from the perspective of the lowly First Second Programmer.

[Wodin]

^^+1

Not everyone is that mature Chris (hehellowhatsnew)...believe me if they gave a date and they didn't meet it there'd end up being a big flame war..

Plus code is so fickle..all could well the day before release..then wham..major issue will tkae another 4 or 5 days to fix..

These big studios give a date many months in the future then work their employees into the ground to get it done..and when it's released it's buggy..

[Sequoia]

as this is just from the perspective of the lowly First Second Programmer.

Nothing lowly about you Phil

[MikeyD]

Some people seem to be treating the upcoming module release as though they were catching a city bus. Rest assured you're not going to miss anything, it won't close its doors and drive off just as you're running to catch it.

[Sequoia]

Some people seem to be treating the upcoming module release as though they were catching a city bus. Rest assured you're not going to miss anything, it won't close its doors and drive off just as you're running to catch it.

That's what they should model. Guys boarding a vehicle, but one guy is slow and the driver doesn't notice and the vehicle takes off leaving him behind. It could happen!

[76mm]

Gustav Line blah blah blah.

I'm waiting for the surprise, no-warning release of CM: Bagration on June 22, that will be great!

[para]

Any of the beta testers going to give us some thoughts on MG without giving secrets way?

[Battlefront.com]

Market Garden talk will start up, in detail, shortly after Gustav is released. We've been keeping that quiet so as to not distract anybody, ourselves and testers included, from finishing Gustav within the expected timeframe.

To restate our loooooooooooooooooong held policy of not announcing specific release dates (this goes back to 1999, BTW)... it's because there are far too many variables in the last phase that can affect when the game is actually ready for release. Some are within our control, others are not. For example, we couldn't make a Gustav development build for more than a week because there was a problem with the DRM we use. That problem could have happened today and if that would add +1 week to whatever timeframe we thought we needed for release.

And to echo what's been said by many already... being late for a specific date does not sit well with too many people. This is not limited to wargamers, it's standard Human behavior. They would rather have the game delivered on time than in good condition. Until they find out it's not in good condition and then they bitch about it being released early. Funny stuff

Hence our policy of giving people pretty good, yet non-specific, release timeframes which get more and more narrow as we get closer to release.

Release is near. It will be available the day it's ready, but we don't know what that day is. Other than not this weekend

Steve

[heyhellowhatsnew]

Thanks. I appreciate the answer.

[GSX]

I don't know what the final size of Gustav will be, but you can purchase 4GB thumb drives for peanuts these days. If you have SOME connection to the internet at home then you can register online from there after installing. Piece of cake. As MikeyD said it only gets annoying when you have to register without any internet connection at all.

Details about the contents of Market Garden will be released soon after Gustav Line is shipping. And no, it won't be a long wait But know that the Market Garden Module is focused on that and not on other parts of the front, though it is possible to simulate a lot of it (especially if you have Commonwealth Module).

Steve

Your base game and module policy has always been that you don't need a module to play another module. Does this mean that you don't need The CW module to play the Market Garden module? If this is so then it won't leave much of a representation of MG only having US units on the Allied side.

[Broadsword56]

Excuse me??

If you want to play just the CW part of Market Garden or just the US side of it, that's your affair. But the US part alone was a HUGE campaign. Of course both nations fought together in many of the same battles too (Guards and US Airborne)

[womble]

That's also assuming that there won't be any British/CW units included in the MG module. It sort of makes sense that all you'd be missing if you didn't have the CMBN-CW module would be the June-August British formations. Unless the Brits didn't make any changes of TO or equipment between the end of August and the end date of the MG module, any such changes would have to be in the MG module, since they're not in the CW one.

I'm sure answers to these things will be available when MG talk starts: "shortly after Gustav is released".

[verulam]

Well it would be a very strange game without allied armour. Steve said it was modelling the MG area of operations only, other parts of the extended front could be simulated if you had the earlier module. So I'm thinking that 30 corps will be extensively modeled.

[Buzz]

"Release is near. It will be available the day it's ready, but we don't know what that day is. Other than not this weekend"

Steve

Maybe my tingling sensation was not a super power...just my belt was to tight

[kohlenklau]

An old bull and a young bull stand on a hillside, overlooking a pasture. The young bull says to the old bull, “Hey, let’s run down and &%$# one of those heifers.” The old bull replies, “let’s walk down and &%$# ‘em all.”

Go battlefront! You guys are awesome.

I'm here for the long haul.

I trust you, just release it when you know it is ready.

I know I will never get "colonial marined" by you guys.