Kemsley

Brad owes Stardock fans an apology...

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Brad owes Stardock fans an apology...

from Elemental Forums

Before i rant let me clarify that i love stardock and have always admired Brads and his companys attitude on many issues such as DRM but i really feel he made a terriable call with Elemental that breaches various promises that he constantly assures people his company belives in. Here are two lines from the gamers bill of rights that Stardock themselves came up with...

 

2) Gamers shall have the right to demand that games be released in a finished state.

 

5) Gamers shall have the right to expect that the minimum requirements for a game will mean that the game will play adequately on that computer.

 

I agree with those statements as i do the whole bill of rights and no one can tell me that Elemental, Stardocks long awaited new game comes close to fulfilling them. Many many people are still completely unable to even play the damn thing and those that can run it are constantly running into bug after bug, the game is broken and clearly unfinished. What really annoys me however is that Brad and his company were clearly aware of these issues as evident from the whole "PC gamer" incident, he was told time and again it isn't ready. There isn't even an evil publisher like EA rushing them to release, they publish there own games and there's no excuse for this. All i hear from the Fan boys on this forum is "GalCiv was the same, they will patch it" and "Stardock will support it, dont worry the game will be fixed", i have no doubt that this is correct but it does not excuse the release of an unfinished and to many people an unplayable game. I waited since the announcement of Elemental, refusing to apply for beta so as not to spoil a game i was so massively looking forward to only to wind up in a beta anyway. The release version of this game barley deserves a 6 out of 10 on a reputable review site (Gamespot have tried to play it on three systems and are luaghably unable to even play it to write a review at all) imo and that's sad because that will stain forever a game that should have been remembered as a classic.

 

Ill wait this out and bear the frustration because i can see underneath is a gem but its a hard bitter pill to swallow, i feel Brad needs to admit he made a mistake and apologise esspecially to those that pre ordered the game. The wait for Diablo 3 is litterally killing me but i know it will be worth it because i trust Blizzard to release a polished solid product, Stardock and many other companies should take a page from there book.

elemental
25,732 views 59 replies
Reply #51 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting John_Hughes, reply 49

There is enough room on this forum for both constructive criticism and praise.

RAT


Then practice what you preach and perhaps offer the Forum some of your constructive criticism?

I have and continue do do so. Assuming I have not done so is presumptious. Look before you yap and flame someone.

RAT  

Reply #52 from Elemental Forums Top

I agree with Kemsley that Elemental is not finished. Stardock should have assessed its state, looked at how balanced it was, where the campaign was, etc., and waited. But they had a window to release it in and in order to not miss out on sales in this time spot, they released it. That's the way I see it anyhow.

Had they waited a few months, released it in March or whenever the next opportunity is, they may very well have released something far better than any of their previous games. Elemental could have been GOTY in 2011, a game that got 9s and 10s from reviewers.

But instead it will be pitted against Civilization V and although some of us will continually revisit it, many will forget about it altogether. Meanwhile, unsold copies will sit on store shelves and people might ignore them because they know it's the game that was rushed.

So while the Gamers Bill of Rights might be a load of crap, as PC developers and publishers routinely release buggy games, Brad told us pre-release that the Day 0 build would fix most of the issues, that the game would be done and ready for us to enjoy. Retailers breaking street dates has nothing to do with this, and I frankly feel sorry for anyone who installs from disc and never updates.

Bottom line is Stardock is still not done with even V1.0 of Elemental. What we have is a decent sandbox game that is unbalanced. It has some fun aspects, and I still play it daily, but with games like Civ V and Fallout New Vegas coming out in the next couple of months, I wonder how I'll feel about it then? Will I even care?

I hope so.

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Reply #53 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting charon2112, reply 6
Jeebus!  How many threads like this do we have to see on here?  We get it...some of you aren't happy.  Guess what?  Many of us are VERY happy.  So do us all a favor and return your game...quietly.

Then why are you on the forums? Why aren't you playing? Basically what you're saying is that because you're a happy customer, the unhappy customers should keep quiet. It doesn't work that way. Try telling something like that to a guy standing in line at a customer service desk and you could end up getting hit in the mouth. Customers have a right to complain and if that bothers you then maybe you shouldn't read or respond. Nobody forces you. Better yet since you have no problems with the game and are VERY happy then just play the game. Complaining about complaint threads is just as bad.

Reply #54 from Elemental Forums Top

Stardock / brad does not owe me an apology.. I had been following elemental a good long while and was all over the beta boards and in beta so I knew where about we were and why.. their giving refunds to those who ask (unless you pre ordered and were in beta(it was posted that was non refundable so not sure whats will happen in these cases)). I do recognize that for some customers there are issues that are intolerable and I respect that for them this is true. but I am not owed anything. So while some folks deserve answers for their issues (and I believe working with tech or sales support they will get this even if it is in form of refund) demanding an over all apology seems over the top to me.. but that is just my opinion on the matter..

Reply #55 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting rossanderson48, reply 39

 and those that can run it are constantly running into bug after bug, the game is broken and clearly unfinished.


Wrong! I can run it constantly without any bug after bug and the game is not broken and was stated it would never be finihed. So you are just trolling around like the rest of the trolls looking for your attention for today. Brad doesn't owe me or us anything. Besides he's already given what I consider an apology and made new promises of a better tomorrow.

So go away troll. You've done nothing to help improve the game.

You must have a very special version, different from everyone else. Even Stardock admits problems and lays out the plan for fixing them. Trolling goes both ways ya know. If expressing dissatisfaction and legitimate complaints with the game is considered trolling then praising the game should also be considered trolling. Bottom line is if Brad had not promoted the Gamer Bill of Rights the way that he did, he wouldn't be catching as much hell as he is right now. He set himself and Stardock up to a higher standard. Sorry but they have to earn my trust again. Why should I trust them to fix a game they released unpolished and unfinished? Because they say so? They already proved they were willing to violate their own GBoR. So I guess that was nothing more than a sales pitch. Other publishers and developers are probably getting a good laugh out of all this. You reap what you sow.

Reply #56 from Elemental Forums Top

OMG iluvthis stinking buggy unfinished game that has everybody happy and sad just like Master of Magic when it came out and stuff i luv the damn stupid lazy stardocks people too I luv to not luv the froggman who is so luvabull

Now apologize!!! How DARE you, how could you? The humanity! The injustice, I demand retribution, and by the gods I'll see you lashed to ribbons, broken on the wheel, then drawn and quartered, but you will apologize first from the squeaking crushed slit of your trachea as I choke you for fun...APOLOGIZE MO-THER-FU...

Oh wait, you did? twice? err

you mean it's just a game? really? so I could be living my life instead of...

 

 

Reply #57 from Elemental Forums Top

Bottom line is if Brad had not promoted the Gamer Bill of Rights the way that he did, he wouldn't be catching as much hell as he is right now. He set himself and Stardock up to a higher standard.

 

Thank you, youve hit my point exactly. Brad went on and on about the bill of rights and in the build up to the game went on and on about how he listens to the beta community and what a great polished game they were making. Hence my oppinion that he has failed to deliver on what has been stated and should apologise to those folks who belived and paid on day 1 based on that belife.