Release or not release it?

[Irgendwer]

Now, where about 90% of the content is spoiled, I see now point anymore in finishing the game.

 

[tep392]

Now, where about 90% of the content is spoiled, I see now point anymore in finishing the game.

 

That's very interesting. I would like to understand why you feel that way. Maybe you could explain.

 

Our resident 7800 programming guru, Pacmanplus, posts full versions of his games in development. It has provided great opportunity for feedback so that the games are most enjoyable and of the highest quality. I know from experience with Donkey Kong XM that I would not have found all the bugs if I only had a handfull of people privately testing it.

[José Pereira]

You are trying to drive things into a point that there is not true.

In all the places and things I have or know with others I never posted them here nor anywhere else.

The point is that Simonl (like Gauntman with Uwol) disappeared... Your point is that anyone can stop what they are doing because of other things to do in life and this is true.

But anyone here and with our likes are here almost all days. You don't have to post everyday but it becomes strange if you don't say nothing (O.K.) but not active for one, two, three, four years (like Gauntman).

Do you ever get in touch with Simonl after his last post on the messenger? I don't think so.

But thats O.K. because its not the first time we have problems and some talkings...

[Irgendwer]

Do you ever get in touch with Simonl after his last post on the messenger? I don't think so.

 

 

You cannot read, can't you?

 

 

My last contact is nearly exactly one year ago.

 

 

It may wasn't that clear, but I as the artist never had any problem to contact simonl.

 

You still didn't tell what the benefit was of releasing this intermediate version.

 

BTW: Don't expect any further conversation with me.

Edited July 8, 2014 by Irgendwer

[Irgendwer]

That's very interesting. I would like to understand why you feel that way. Maybe you could explain.

 

Why does Apple try to hide development until release?

The recognition/experiance is different.

 

Many games have the aspect of discovering something - even if it is only some kind of different platform type or bonus items etc. on higher levels (e.g. fruit in pac man). The discovery is part of motivation - esp. for 'Downfall'. For testing purposes all kinds of platforms and items are displayed in the demo, reducing this value a lot after spoiling. Do you like to know how a match, movie, adventure etc. ends before enjoying it?

 

Finally my strongest point why I don't release until completion: Time. Nobody disturbs, pushes or sets virtual dead-lines - which frees my mind enormously.

Of course you need some trusty beta testers to discover bugs and get valuable feedback.

 

Edit: An other aspect is that ripping data & code can also be an issue. Like extracting a font and using it for other creations.

Edited July 8, 2014 by Irgendwer

[tep392]

I understand your points. I wouldn't worry so much about spoilers though. People who hate spoilers will not download demo's or trailers. Depending on their level of paranoia, they might even avoid discussion topics on games in development. But people who download demo's understand that surprises might be spoiled and don't really care. They are just anxious to try it out and maybe have a discussion about it. It's a risk they willingly take.

[+CharlieChaplin]

Bang!

 

Imagine this: All of a sudden, someone has a harddisk-crash and then he is very happy that atari-age forum has at least some kind of backup (and not everything is lost)...

[phoenixdownita]

Let me recap if I got this right:

 

It seems that a beta tester leaked some early version because he needs bragging rights/street creds/whatever .... after he has been told that his reason of "unrecoverable loss" as he thought to be the only keeper of the only surviving copy of someone else alleged masterpiece, well it is simply not true as there are more advanced versions in the right hands, and the coder is still around.

 

If that is indeed the case it is really sad.

Even worse if said tester decided to leak just because he got cut off for whatever reason.

 

Am I missing something here?

Edited July 8, 2014 by phoenixdownita

[José Pereira]

No.

I saw the game on Jaguar and started here a topic like I do in many other games:

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/183817-a-jaguar-game-with-parallax-scrolling

Simonl was interested and opened a personal message with me, Irgendwer and the Jaguar guys.

On that messeger the gfxs Irgendwer presented its graphics idea and that is what its used in the game.

From this forum thread you see that the game wip is already public and that was Simonl that posted files of it.

The talkings and new files continued regularly on ours personal talkings untill Simonl started to entered and talking less and many times nothing.

In its last enter there and after months he doesn't saying nothing and less and less times active on AA and in one of my posts asking if everything was O.K. with him he answered and said that although he was still interested he was also very busy and was working on another thing but he will return to Downfall soon and will inform us...

This was many many months ago.

 

For an almost all days active here his off AA for so long and after many calls from me and no answer I thought in the bad, thats why I thought if better not post what was done.

When Irgendwer post the link to that old topic I thought better people saw the beauty the game look with the guy, objects and new platforms...

I still hope that everything is O.K. with Simonl but that all this is strange it really is.

And if Irgendwer have other contact with him then why not say him to now post here and say that everything is going well with him?

 

Just to finish I want to say that I know to keep secret like many here know

Good or not my decision I just wanted to show the looking of a game that for me it seemed lost forever, and now I hope it really isn't.

[+therealbountybob]

If people add something to their profiles about who is a second contact (or contacts) who know them in person this would help. Several people just go missing and you never know what has happened. Forum admins could add a box for this perhaps. Previously I tracked down a couple of people via their listed friends...