MicScoTho wrote:I didn't buy that one, but I can only imagine.
It ruined such a perfectly balanced game (BFME II 1.05) and introduced
alot of new bugs/exploits. Instead of addressing the wide range of issues and the community's complaints, they moved on to C&C 3. The community actually decided to take things into their own hands with an unofficial patch, but it could only go so far.
Secondly, the expansion pack was just
cheap. The main menu was just a piece of concept art slapped behind the UI. Curious, I took a look at the shortcut properties on the .exe one time and noticed that it had the "-quickstart" command, similar to the one for C&C Generals. I didn't want to touch it; I doubt that the game would function properly if I disabled it.

Most of the new units were simply existing models/animations with re-skins. For example, the new Dwarven infantry were Gimli clones with the same "axe throw" special ability. The Angmar bowmen were called "Dark Rangers" or something like that, which were clones of the MOTW Rangers and also had the longshot ability. Great originality there, EA. I bet that even the
The Power of San Andreas mod team could have done a better job at designing units.
MicScoTho wrote:You can get refunds from most retailers and/or manufacturers for many kinds of defective merchandise. As a software developer myself, I wonder: why not for defective software?
That's actually quite a good idea, though defective software would be on a global scale unless you're talking about critcal issues regarding functionality with the hardware/drivers, OS, etc.
MicScoTho wrote:The bad news is that Kane's Wrath patch 1.01 - originally slated for release today - has been pushed back until next week. Presumably, this is because a bug was found in the patch that EA decided to fix - so in a way, this is actually good news. Despite the vehement and completely justified anger on the official forums.
As long as something's getting fixed, it doesn't bother me, though I would like to finally play this game. If I can't play with the AI after all of this waiting, I might consider selling the game...
MicScoTho wrote:The other good news - if your definition of good includes promises for the future, which it may not - is that EALA General Manager Mike Verdu has announced that EA is creating a "live" team for supporting their released RTS titles:
'I am not as proud of our record in supporting our games after launch. In fact, I'm downright unhappy with that aspect of our business. There have been some bright spots: For example, our community manager's passionate advocacy on behalf of our customers, the huge patch 1.05 for Battle for Middle-earth II that was a labor of love between our team and the community, and our fast response to some initial problems on C&C3. But overall, the level of support has been lacking. We tend to put out a limited number of patches for our products and in many cases those patches take longer than they should to finish, test, and release. It’s been a chronic issue for more than four years, and we need to fix it.'
However, this isn't the first time Verdu has apologized for EA's poor performance and promised to do better in the future (to dig up an old favorite - see the Generals Ladder Kit, for starters). So, forgive me if I remain a skeptic. Indeed, I think Verdu's comments support my skepticism: 'I am not going to say that this initiative is going to instantly solve all of our support issues – and I don't think we have the credibility with our customers to make that claim anyway.'
I'm happy that they at least acknowledge this problem and perhaps even
want to do something about it. Their customer support is horrible; they have a bad reputation for this among many people, including myself for numerous reasons. Unfortunately, we can only take this at face value, because as you've said, this isn't the first time that they've said this. You are right in being a skeptic, but I still hope for the best in their future endeavors regarding customer support.
Edited by user Saturday, July 5, 2008 10:36:59 AM(UTC)
| Reason: Not specified