People just don't want to see the joke 3D Realms pulled here? DNF=Did Not Finish.

Forgboy, man, you're the hero and messiah of PC TBS enthusiasts around the world. And PC gamers in terms of proper publishing too, for that matter. I can't believe even the development of Elemental is getting that much flak from people wanting it to be released early. I know I don't really have to write this as you aren't really upset about the complaints at all, but I want to write at least one post showing my appreciation for everything you do. I think it's really cool you address the complaints in the blog too though.

It's hard to believe such a thing as Stardock exists. The way you develop your games and handle Impulse is simply too good to be true in the world we live in. I believe that it's not a stupid business move either. Hard boiled businessmen would point out that a lot of effectiveness is sacrificed with the way you operate, but the amount of goodwill and good PR you get from handling your business the way you do has to somehow show up in the balance statement. Not to mention it must be quite a bit easier to sleep at night.

I can't even imagine how difficult a feat it has been to actually get to this point. Being able to be financially stable and be able to ignore the pressure of releasing early and maximizing short term profits. I hope you someday get recognized as one of the all-time greats of the software industry.

I tend to think the game industry was a lot more imaginative in the early ages of computing, on Atari, Amiga or even on the 386/486 : there was nothing before, so everytime they made a game, it was original! Many games from this time didn't fit today's categories of STR, RTS, RPG, etc. Today's games are fancy and cost a lot more, but they lack true originality because they keep using the same patterns that did well before. Games are more commercial and less fun.

For that reason I totally approve your delays and have high expectations on your game. May you show the right way to the rest of the video game industry

Your game can't fail as it is fully modable, so that even those who aren't satisfacted with the retail can make it suit their needs. Truly modable games like Civ4 (or even Civ3) or in other genres Neverwinter Nights, had a VERY long life thanks to it

I also think that no game was nearly as rich as Master of Magic was in it's category, and you'r about to remedy this

I totally support you guys!

Thier joke was masquerading as a game developer.

I totally and utterly agree with Brad.

This game could be a Master of Magic beater. But what often kills the hopes of sequels, remakes and successors is rush. Master of Magic was a very fully featured game, so was Age of Wonders - Shadow Magic.

Nothing rushed will beat those games or even produce a worthy rival.

Without being original, please do not release it before it's ready and you are very happy with it!

I've never seen the appeal of being part of beta testing, I want to play the finished product! 

Yeah, they're calling it vaporware without any idea of what the word really means. We've already seen more of Elemental then anybody saw during the entire DNF development process. Nobody outside 3d Realms ever knew if there was a functional game or not.

In this case, we do. We know exactly what state it's in, and we know what the progression is over the last few months.

Brad's also right, in that someone will say it was rushed no matter how long it takes to release. Of course, Brad is also out to lunch if he really thinks beta 2 will only last 2 weeks. If it's only testing connectivity to Stardock servers, sure. But LAN and user hosted games? It's extremely unlikely the connectivity on those will be perfect on the first try.

This is a good question. If the release date will be pushed back, but the game will be ready to roll by November-December, why not release it before X-mas for example? That being said, I don't know jack about marketing.

The other reason I'm not worried about it being pushed back is that we have no idea how "complete" the last version of the Beta we'll receive will be. When that time get's here we could all have a version of Elemental on our computers that's 95% complete. That means during those months that everyone else will be whining and waiting and dying for it to come out, we'll all still be playing a mostly complete copy our-selves. It could be even more complete then that and downloading it on release day would be just a formality.

I am not worried at all. The game must be stable, and everything must work perfectly. If the game won't be in 100% condition by September, it must be pushed back. This is not even a question.

However, I hope that we can start to work on mods before the retail version gets released. [I suppose the answer is yes, since we gonna have a modding beta as well.]

Ignore the people that tell you to hurry up, those people are stupid and clueless.

There are far too many games that have been rushed.  Just release it when its finished, who cares what others think.

This is a game I will be playing for many years. At least until an Elemental 2 arrives. So, make it perfect please.....

The only games I play now are good old quality games like Heroes 3 and 4, Civilization 4, Galactic Civilizations 2, Hearts of Iron 2 and Europa Universalis 3. No other games made up to this date interests me for more then for a few game sessions. Elemental will be in the immortal catagory, I'm sure of that.

I think you should release it already really. I have been waiting 4 friggin days....

Oh damn. Apologies, I thought we had jumped topics to the the next Patch release date..  

On Topic:

Anyone who wants it before it is ready is just anxious for another great Stardock Title. You can't blame them really and anyone in the current Beta who wants to move on now?, is obviously missing the whole point.

The game now lives Thursday to Thursday. Soon, we hope, that will get extended.

P.S. I have found a FUN element but would prefer you not take it out...please.

Getting past 200+ Turns....

4th Quarter is already "booked". It's either 3Q2010 or 1Q2011 (or beyond if we're not satisfied).

Oh...I don't know what "booked" is supposed to mean, but I thought that the companies like to release their games around X-mas. Oh well, like I've said I don't know anything about these things.    

Hey I say take your time.  You guys at Stardock do a great job.  Up until now, I have never pre-ordered a game any where near this far in advance.  I did it because I know it is going to be great and because I am interested in the development process. 

It's admirable of you to post this journal for people who think you are moving too slow but in reality you are probably wasting your time.  There are some people who just like to complain and no amount of good will or information is likely to change that.

"People forget how fast you did a job -- but they remember how well you did it."  Howard W. Newton

Keep at it, sir--your model is enviable, smart, and way above the norm in business.

In the video game industry, most games are built upon investment and budget. Money indirectly means time, and the designer must finish his game in that amount of time. Which most of the time mean sacrificing  or rushing features to release the game without running out of money. Il also makes it hard to change direction in the design if the current design is bad.

If at Stardocks, you do not have this sort of restriction or pressure, then good for you. Take all the time you need. Since there is so few MOM remakes out there, why not take the time do it right so that we will not have to do it again before the next 20 years.

Speaking for myself at least, your business model is the reason you've been successful.  If the game(s) you make are in any category I'm interested in (Strategy, RPG, FPS) then I buy it without fail because inevitably even if its not my favorite game in the world its worth the money - which is much more than I can say for most game developers these days...  Really everyone but Blizzard and Stardock.

I suppose in their defense, other game developers don't have Enterprise alternatives or major cash cows like WoW giving them the leeway for release but... still not an excuse - if you don't have the venture capital, you don't start the endeavor.

Thank you for maintaining your corporate and ethical integrity - even if its obvious your smart enough to be doing it because its in your own best interests heh.

I pre-ordered already.  Although I cancelled it because I didn't want to be in the beta (and I don't like to be charged until I have the full game), but anyway, cash is set aside.  I look forward to another excellent game from Stardock.

Best of luck guys.

Ahh, that explains it. Thanks for the heads up, Frogboy

Um, they DON'T already think that it will be after September. (A lot of beta testers do, based on my polling, but the fact is the beta testers do not know how far along the pieces for beta 2,3,4, and 5 already are.

So far, Stardock has been very upfront of their estimates of release. It's really pretty unique. I have been in betas before where the company was saying 'release date x' right up until the day and then it got delayed for two months. A lot of it is nothing more than a marketing ploy to build interest or to gauge interest.

For one, I really like being dealt with honestly and treated with respect - not just a revenue stream. (OK, a small insignificant part of a revenue stream.) I am predicting a game of the year, and a game that people will still be playing in TEN YEARS. In other words a classic. And I have every confidence that SD will make the right choices to deliver that game.

Keep up the great work Frogboy! Beta defintely getting better, but a good decision to delay.

Please please take your time... this game is far from fun, or challenging........it needs ALOT more TLC!

  Heh im havin fun ... Great game keep up the good work