Still Disappointed

Yep, I have an answer for you: shoulder-shrug-hand-toss-up they ain't done tweaking it yet.

I'm sorry if that isn't the answer you wanted, but I figured I'd go ahead and try to sort this out before Lord Xia finds it. He hunts around this time you know

Also, before posting you should use the search function of the forums, there are many posts that are quite helpful in answering questions on the current development of the game and that of Fallen Enchantress(the game isn't an expansion btw, it is its own game). Oh yeah, and Elemental: War of Magic was a complete game upon release. Saying that it wasn't complete around here usually just tags you as a bridge-bully! But I'll assume your not green & mean. Anyway, the 1.3 version of the game is looking to be very promising! Shouldn't be too much longer now.

I think that the scope of the expansion has been extended greatly, which means more development time. It was originally just going to add a few new features, and now is going to be pretty much a brand new game. From everything I've seen, it looks like it's going to be pretty f'ing good.

Also, there has been a significant focus on improving memory management before adding new features to WoM, which isn't that sexy, but should boost your performance and eliminate OOM errors.

Why have they changed the story though, it was like you're getting a free expansion because you paid for this piece of crap. I read the FAQs and everything but I just feel thoroughly ripped off. Yeah, I am not mean just a very unhappy customer. I spend my money on something I want it to be complete. 'Looking Very Promising' is just a cop-out, its kind of like - 'Oh, hey, we are sorry that you bought this crap in a few more months you might be able to play it.' I've been patient with my 50 bucks... but it is 6 months later and it still isn't worth it and there is no way to return the product and get my cash back.

Really? I can't believe people cant get over this or understand it. You are getting FREE GAMES and they are fixing the first one on top of it all. Name one other company that would do that. If it was EA or some other big company they would say "Hey thanks for the $50, enjoy your turd sandwich". Yeah, maybe the game isn't where it needs to be yet, but big deal. It's getting there. It's leagues above what it was when it came out. You are getting the stand alone expansions for free plus the original will be fixed as well and you think you are being ripped off. I wish I could live in the land of rainbows, ponies and lollypops. Ugh.

Apparently you are not a consumer in Economy 2.0. If you are a company you don't put out crap, and try to pass it for a game. I bought a game, not an investment. I am going to be so busy by the time that this comes out that I won't be able to play, that is why I am so angry. Why did they release it in the first place if they knew it was crap? It is bad business practice. Why are you defending it? You got ripped off just as much as I did, but you are living in a land of rainbows and ponies. 'Oh, its going to be better in a little while maybe next time it will be fine.'

If you bought it before December(?) of last year, you'll still get the two expansions free.

I don't understand how anyone can be unhappy about this, even if WoM isn't your cup of tea (it's not really mine, either).

Well, all I have to say about that is that it's your own damn fault for not reading the reviews. In 'Economy 2.0' it's important to be an informed consumer.

I paid for a game that I could play, as soon as I got home and installed it. Not a year later when they finally make it playable.

When I bought this all I saw was the previews for it. They said it was promising, just as the post before said.

I am going to admit that hte game is better than when I first put it in and tried to play it to no avail. At least I can play it for an hour or two before it crashes. The problem is that Stardock has its priorities all screwed up, the game should be focused on playability before they make an add-on or stand-alone or whatever. The game has a solid foundation, but it is marred by crazy bugs. I am just sorely disappointed by the lack of support for the game because they have been so incredibly slow to release updates and patches, and releasing it through a Steam like software made it even worse. DRM is another huge problem, I am all for keeping intellectual property but when you have to jump through hoops to get just a simple update then its too much. What happened to just CD-keys?

If you did any research at all about this game you would know all there is to know. Your own ignorance is preventing you from being an informed consumer in your so called "Economy 2.0". They didn't know the game was as bad as it was until it was too late. Read what Brad as written in the diaries about why the game failed as hard as it did. Then you would know.

Again, you can be pissed all you want, but you are still getting free stuff to make up for being wronged. I don't know if you have any idea at all about how small Stardock is compared to other companies, and making games isn't an easy task. So expecting a "miracle fix" is completely ridiculous. 

What do you think is fair then to compensate you for "your pain" since clearly two free games is not nearly enough?

I would've liked my money back, that is usually how it works when something is crappy but due to software policies it makes it incredibly difficult to return video games for anything but the same thing you purchased. Or even worse if you had bought the game online then you were also screwed. You can argue all you want but the game was released incomplete and I understand that they are giving free games but these aren't even on the horizon yet.

I'm not a fan of the game, but I'm getting tired of all this constant bitching.

Do you really think negativity is going to motivate the devs to do their best?

Have you asked SD for a refund? Maybe they'll give it to you, maybe they won't. Maybe they'll give you a partial refund. I dunno. But take charge of the situation, remain tactful, and contact customer service.

The company made a mistake, they've admitted it, apologized and are doing all they can to fix it (with their eye on stability before features). On top of this they've offered us a free-game and are allowing us to participate in the beta process.

If this isn't enough for you then all I can suggest is that you forget Elemental rather than get an ulcer over it.

They're not going to work on updates "faster" because imploring them to do as much is the same as encouraging them to make the same mistake they made on Elemental's release. And you can try for a refund but you shouldn't get your hopes up.

Maybe come back at a later date, wait for patch 1.3, etc. That's the best you can do.

oh look... another one of these threads... >_>

Sometimes I wonder if it's worth being annoyed about, or if it shows that the game has some impressive staying power where people keep showing up to talk about it.

lol compared to the amount of griping there is... I like to see more positive threads... and I was being VERY sarcastic when I made that post xD

Mmph. I don't understand why people get all uppity whenever someone makes a thread like this. Not everyone is happy with the product they bought. Even with whatever free expansions they're getting. In the same way that they can't force you guys into hating the game you can't force them into liking it. 

If you don't like the game, go away. Yeah, blunt but whatever. Hate me, love me. I don't care. Don't come whine on a forum about a game other people like. Posting about something you don't like and expecting to be reimbursed for it is ridiculous, especially 4-6 months later, even when the devs say "yeah, our stuff wasn't good, and we love you guys so guess what, have our next game or two for free". The endless bitching about something you hate when clearly stardock is trying to make it right... its insanity. I buy games all the time and I sometimes don't like them. I don't go straight to the dev's forum and go "give me my money back, your game blows". It would be like eating a steak dinner somewhere and then coming back a week later and saying it sucked and asking for your money back. I cant comprehend why people feel the need to bitch about something that they bought months ago and don't like, even when there is great promise for the next games and you get them for free. FFS....

OH-EM-GEE, seriously? 

Quickly, everyone start making pointless gripe threads!

Not trying to force them to like it, just "politely" ushering them toward the exit.

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*Shoves*

Why do you think I dislike Elemental? I play it often. And the sarcasm/emote deal isn't cute. 

I would like all the people who urge others to go away, to go away... err...

Seriously though, the fanboism here is more and more rabid, with each month passing, and with the original premise "it will all be fixed in the next patch". We waited for a patch, now we wait for a datadisk. All depends on whether you belong to the "blind faith" camp, or the "sobering up" camp.

However, I think that every single buyer of the game is perfectly entitled to express his/her opinion about the game here, be it negative or positive. Why? Because 1) he paid for the game 2) this forum exists for the very purpose.

The point about whether to create new threads about it is valid, but only technical in nature.

Also, please note that people expressing their disappointment with the game are mostly very polite and civil here, why the rabid fanbois are... not (Lord Xia comes to mind).

Emperor_Nero, if you asked a refund when the game was first released, you would've gotten one. They said you will get two expansions for free, and you still do. They *never ever* promised any specific release date for the expansions. I am pretty sure of that since I've been following the dev journals and news constantly.

If you make your case now about feeling fooled with all of this, I believe you might even be able to still get a refund of Elemental if you emailed [email protected]. Just write a mail that says that the promises made for improvement of Elemental and the expansions misled you to believing something that wasn't true, and while you gave the benefit of the doubt to Stardock, you no longer believe in the product and feel fooled into not asking for a refund early on. Now you would like to get that refund and leave all of this behind.

Stop bitching and do something about it. Send that mail, get your money back and be done with it. I feel like people often seem obsessed with ranting and complaining and not actually making things happen.

I thought the thread could do with a little lightheartedness but I suppose I should've expected you'd receive it with a frown rather than a smile. C'est la vie. I'll keep up a more grumpy and serious attitude in my next post if you prefer.

By the by, even without humour, my point stands.