Disappointment in the Update Schedule
By
8_Ball,
Posted on: 2006-11-21 24:55 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
I think Geko is still with Cryptic on the Marvel MMO. There was mention of him in a topic a few weeks back by Castle I think. He is definitely alive and still with Cryptic because Castle was consulting him on something for CoX.
EDIT: Was typing at the same time Ned was. So it was Castle that posted about Geko.
Not sure about NCSoft affecting Cryptic. The NCSoft people are our GMs right? So in-game service is affected. Are the NCSoft people also part of the QA staff? If so that does affect updates and bug fixes getting out to customers. If the QA people are all within Cryptic, then nevermind.
Anyway it's good to hear we should get 3 updates next year. But as someone already said it's more important what we get in the updates. If we get Kheldians for villain side but no other epic ATs that's going to be pretty disappointing. We need some SFs or trials on the villain side to fill in level gaps where there are none. Hero side still needs a 35-45 zone, since The Hollows, Striga, Croatoa and Faultline all failed to fill that need that has always existed. Villain side already could use the same 35-40 zone at least, if not another new one. If all those things are in the three updates somewhere that'd be a pretty good chunk. Maybe some new (or borrowed) powersets to certain ATs could help as well. Easier than a whole new AT at least.
Anyway, happy i8 is finally here. And I will settle in to enjoy it and whatever winter event rolls around in Jan before I worry too much more about i9 and beyond.
As I understand it, both Cryptic and NCSoft have QA departments.
Patches go from Cryptic, to NCSoft QA, and thence to the Test Server, and then to Live. Its pretty clear that its been bugs and over reaching (being a little too ambitous in terms of what they try to get into an Issue) at Cryptic's end, rather than a logjam of patches waiting to get through NCSoft QA that have caused the delays.
Heroes
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Villains
Jotunheim Skald
Saer Maen
Jen Corbae
Illuminance
Venator Arawn
Taiga Dryad
Tarranos
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In the meantime, we've had massive staff cutbacks. A shame, that coincidence.
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Source?
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here .
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That's NCSoft, they don't make the game. Cryptic makes the game.
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Amazing how after all this time this still isn't clear to people.
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In any case, the updates have slowed dramatically, which was the point actually. Whatever caused the slowdown, we may not know. But it is true that there was a major cutback in NCSoft personel, and the end user never knows all the unsavory things that go on behind closed doors, and the company always spins things positively regardless of the truth.(any company, not just this one) Cuts at NCsoft? No cuts at Cryptic at all? (Where's Geko, for example? I remember this being asked before, I think the answer was he's on another NCSoft game)
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Geko went got a different job somewhere else (not within NCSoft). There's turn over in any company. People come and people go. And just because the new people choose not to be active on the boards does not mean they don't exist.
Also, the reason for the slower updates is apparent when you look at the size of the updates compared to what has been released in the passed. They're bigger because it's more efficient to release bigger updates. Meaning, the 3 updates per year will have more content then if they did it with 3 updates. Also, the content that you get now is "harder" to produce then content before. We're getting more and more features that were not handled by the game engine. Where as before, it was all low hanging fruit.
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Not to make a quote pyramid, but this is QFT. Couldn't have stated it better myself.
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Geko went got a different job somewhere else (not within NCSoft). There's turn over in any company. People come and people go. And just because the new people choose not to be active on the boards does not mean they don't exist.
Also, the reason for the slower updates is apparent when you look at the size of the updates compared to what has been released in the passed. They're bigger because it's more efficient to release bigger updates. Meaning, the 3 updates per year will have more content then if they did it with 3 updates. Also, the content that you get now is "harder" to produce then content before. We're getting more and more features that were not handled by the game engine. Where as before, it was all low hanging fruit.
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Not to make a quote pyramid, but this is QFT. Couldn't have stated it better myself.
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Well, except that it's wrong. About Geko at a mimimum, personally don't agree that content's harder to write now either. Content != new shiny game engine features.
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2007 has three Issues planned for it, one near Q1/Q2, one for the summer, and one for the end of the year.
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OK, then. January 1st, June 21st and December 31st. We'll be waiting with complaints at the ready should any of these dates slip! 
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Umm... near Q1/Q2 would be near the end of April/beginning of May, and the second one will more likely be in August not June. That's if you use every 4 months as a rule.
You may want to adjust your complaint calendar a bit. 
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Hey, Q1 Starts January 1st. Summer starts June 21st. Posi said Q1 and Summer. So there. 
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My companies' Q1 started in November.
And now I will summon Statesman to speak on Cryptic's staffing!
VIM VAM VOOM GO STATES!
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Cuts at NCsoft? No cuts at Cryptic at all? (Where's Geko, for example? I remember this being asked before, I think the answer was he's on another NCSoft game)
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Geko is on another Cryptic project.
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Geko went got a different job somewhere else (not within NCSoft). There's turn over in any company. People come and people go. And just because the new people choose not to be active on the boards does not mean they don't exist.
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Geko still works for Cryptic, he's likely working on MUO. Note that this post by States was made before Cryptic's involvement in MUO was announced.
Click
Edit: Shakes fist at Statesman.
Heroes
Dysmal
Lumynous
Sam Steele
Pluck
Wile
Slagheap
Pressure Wave
Rhiannon Bel
Verified
Stellaric
Syd Mallorn
Villains
Jotunheim Skald
Saer Maen
Jen Corbae
Illuminance
Venator Arawn
Taiga Dryad
Tarranos
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2007 has three Issues planned for it, one near Q1/Q2, one for the summer, and one for the end of the year.
[/ QUOTE ]OK, then. January 1st, June 21st and December 31st. We'll be waiting with complaints at the ready should any of these dates slip!
[/ QUOTE ]Umm... near Q1/Q2 would be near the end of April/beginning of May, and the second one will more likely be in August not June. That's if you use every 4 months as a rule.
You may want to adjust your complaint calendar a bit.
[/ QUOTE ]Hey, Q1 Starts January 1st. Summer starts June 21st. Posi said Q1 and Summer. So there.
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Well, it's probably foolish to expect that Positron meant to indicate that product would deploy on the earliest possible date in a larger indicated timeframe reference. More than probably foolish, in fact.
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Cuts at NCsoft? No cuts at Cryptic at all? (Where's Geko, for example? I remember this being asked before, I think the answer was he's on another NCSoft game)
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Geko is on another Cryptic project.
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Does cryptic HAVE a third project, or does that mean MUO? I don't like Cryptic being cryptic.
According to their Website:
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Cryptic is now developing several un-announced next-generation online RPGs, both internally and with outside partners.
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Heroes
Dysmal
Lumynous
Sam Steele
Pluck
Wile
Slagheap
Pressure Wave
Rhiannon Bel
Verified
Stellaric
Syd Mallorn
Villains
Jotunheim Skald
Saer Maen
Jen Corbae
Illuminance
Venator Arawn
Taiga Dryad
Tarranos
It means every three months . January - March = Q1 April- July =Q2 etc...
So I9 would be somewhere between March and April.
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Cuts at NCsoft? No cuts at Cryptic at all? (Where's Geko, for example? I remember this being asked before, I think the answer was he's on another NCSoft game)
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Geko is on another Cryptic project.
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uh huh.....welocme to maintenence mode people. Marvel is the new money maker and we were the test bed
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Cuts at NCsoft? No cuts at Cryptic at all? (Where's Geko, for example? I remember this being asked before, I think the answer was he's on another NCSoft game)
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Geko is on another Cryptic project.
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uh huh.....welocme to maintenence mode people. Marvel is the new money maker and we were the test bed
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This seems an ironic thing to say the same day a new issue goes live (and with inventions coming in the next issue).
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Geko went got a different job somewhere else (not within NCSoft). There's turn over in any company. People come and people go. And just because the new people choose not to be active on the boards does not mean they don't exist.
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Geko still works for Cryptic, he's likely working on MUO. Note that this post by States was made before Cryptic's involvement in MUO was announced.
Click
Edit: Shakes fist at Statesman.
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I must have been thinking of somebody else. Either way, the argument stands. People come and go 
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Cuts at NCsoft? No cuts at Cryptic at all? (Where's Geko, for example? I remember this being asked before, I think the answer was he's on another NCSoft game)
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Geko is on another Cryptic project.
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Does cryptic HAVE a third project, or does that mean MUO? I don't like Cryptic being cryptic.
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One of them is supposed to be different, has statesman excited, but isn't greek history related, or something like that.
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It means every three months . January - March = Q1 April- July =Q2 etc...
So I9 would be somewhere between March and April.
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Actually, I think Posi said 'Q1/Q2'... So that would give a timeframe from January to the end of June...
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Hey guys, our plan is to get you new Issues three times a year.
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I remember the days when it was "4-6 new issues a year". I'm doing the math on the original "2-3 months per issue" that we had at the beginning.
In the meantime, we've had massive staff cutbacks. A shame, that coincidence.
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As a staunch Financial Conservative, I have to agree with this guy...
Posi can call them "Free" all he wants, but there's plnety of other games out there that charge much less than $15 a month for basic Support and Bandwidth. Guildwars (which is where I am right now) charges nothing for Bandwidth & Tech/GM Support. There's no way in Hell that our subscriptions are only going to that stuff. There's no doubt in my mind anymore, they're using the profits and resources from this game, to either bloat their own salaries, or on their next pet projects.
And now the Issues are getting smaller and even less frequent? Issue-7 was a lame duck that should come out of Crytic's pockets, not ours. Boasting an increase in subscription numbers while shrinking the Development team down to a skeleton crew while still charging the same price is unnacceptable. I think I've seen enough... I'm tired of getting screwed. This game's potential has finally decreased the the point that it fails to balance the monthly cost and time investment.
I'll be back when/if they ever come around and accept their share of the burden.
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Cuts at NCsoft? No cuts at Cryptic at all? (Where's Geko, for example? I remember this being asked before, I think the answer was he's on another NCSoft game)
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Geko is on another Cryptic project.
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uh huh.....welocme to maintenence mode people. Marvel is the new money maker and we were the test bed
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This seems an ironic thing to say the same day a new issue goes live (and with inventions coming in the next issue).
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Inventions are an IF and a very big if.....hell i can code inventions to be exactly like Titan So's....right no one knows about those because they truly suck. ED was balanced around the fact that we would get new enhancment types....except we suffered ED and havent seen but a glimpse of inventions.......
Inventions were also scheduled way back when, i4 i think but got put off because of the not fun factor......which is Dev speak for "we couldnt make them suck time out of you guys".....conjecture was because the dev team couldnt make them suck enough to be worthless and take up timesink hours for people to try and get them.
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And now the Issues are getting smaller and even less frequent? Issue-7 was a lame duck that should come out of Crytic's pockets, not ours. Boasting an increase in subscription numbers while shrinking the Development team down to a skeleton crew while still charging the same price is unnacceptable. I think I've seen enough... I'm tired of getting screwed. This game's potential has finally decreased the the point that it fails to balance the monthly cost and time investment.
I'll be back when/if they ever come around and accept their share of the burden.
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Skeleton crew? Guys, let's not jump to conclusion here. First, Cryptic Studios hasn't layed anyone off. A quick glance shows we're hiring! Second, NCSoft announced cutbacks, but the announcement didn't specify where people were taken off. Remember, NCSoft is a leading MMORPG publisher. They have LOTS of stuff on the burners...Most of which never see the light of day.
A quick look at our release schedules show that only the first issue was released within two months. The second issue was 79 days later (as noted in this thread). Issue 3 then followed 110 days later, Issue 4 120 days, etc. We started trending more towards 3/year within a few Issues...mostly because we started learning about the production & QA cycle.
Bottom line: CoH remains a success in NCSoft's portfolio. They're continuing to financially support the product for a long time to come...Cryptic Studios loves the game. It's our baby. The game isn't going anywhere!
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I'll be back when/if they ever come around and accept their share of the burden.
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So you'll be back tomorrow since this latest threat to quit is just a desperate cry for attention like all the other idle threats?
In all seriousness, though, get off your soapbox. I'm ashamed Statesman even replied to your temper tantrum. What part of issue 7 was a lame duck? The hundreds of 40+ villain story arcs that were needed to finish CoV? Recluse's Victory, which is still one of the most populated PvP zones? Mayhem Missions, which were so good they ported them over to heroes and were EXACTLY what people asked for before they were announced?
So please, if all you are going to post is histrionic ranting and threats to quit, do us all a favor and actually be a man and do so.
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GWs maintenace come out of the fresh boz sales a couple of tiems per year.
Once those sales start drying up - you can expect the online environment there to deteriorate. Its actually the one thats got a substationally different business model to the rest of the MMO styles right now.
$15/month id the goin rate in the market, but yes if you feel like you are not getting value for money then by all means leave.
The bloating their own salaries is a real low dig though.
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....
I am seriously wierded out right now. Catching up on this thread I saw Foo summon Statesman! He summoned him like he was a primordial wizard or something. The powers of The Foo I knew were many, but scorcery and the magical arts? Whooo, those are new to me..
>.>
<.<
Oh, yeah, I have nothing on topic to say. This thread lost me a few days ago.
=^ ^=
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Skeleton crew? Guys, let's not jump to conclusion here. First, Cryptic Studios hasn't layed anyone off. A quick glance shows we're hiring!
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You haven't laid anyone off, but you've also started work on at least two games. So, even if you had the same crew you had before (which I'm sure it's more), they'd be spread thinner, right? Is the Cryptic CoH team as big as it always has been or has shifting around people (like Geko) made it so CoH has less. Secondly, you're hiring... is that for all projects or just the ones that aren't released yet?
Not that I'm saying Ilr is correct in his criticisms, but it doesn't sound like you addressed the complaints exactly, unless when you're saying "Cryptic Studios," you're referring to the CoH development team too.
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Hey guys, our plan is to get you new Issues three times a year. Issue 7 was bigger than originally planned (Mayhem Missions got thrown into the issue at the last possible second) and that, coupled with other delays, screwed up the schedule for 2006, thus only 2 free content expansions on the Live servers this year.
2007 has three Issues planned for it, one near Q1/Q2, one for the summer, and one for the end of the year. I can't give more exact dates than that because everything is subject to change.
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Thanks for the update Positron. This is the sort of information that players love to get.
What exactly does Q1/Q2 mean? I only know the term in reference to financial years or whatever. Q1/Q2 = March/April?
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In this case, I think Q1/Q2 simply refers to the calendar year, pegging Issue 9 somewhere in the January to June 2007 timeframe.
And to those wondering about Geko, a recent post from Castle suggests that he is still looking over aspects of CoH/CoV but it's believed that he has mainly shifted over to Cryptic's work on Marvel Universe Online.