CA: What we're up to update (Q&A thread)

[Tyler_the_Great]

Read the OP again, Craig is on vacation

@King
Same to u, Craig said he will check and try to answer some of the questions AFTER He returns to duty.
Atm its just gathering them nothing more...

"However, rest assured, if any major news breaks at CA one of my colleagues will no doubt let you know about it.

So, in lieu of exciting gossip from CA, I thought we could use this opportunity to let you ask some of the designers, producers and key figures from CA some questions. Feel free to fire whatever you like at us, and the team will strive to answer them on my return"

However there are many CA staff who post on this site, not just Craig. It shouldn't be that hard for a CA member to jump on and give us a heads up.

[Maréchal Lannes]

I don`t do multiplayer STW2, but have in other games and this is a common thing. I like the way you ask `will it be fixed?` Like it`s dead simple. But something like this is not really fixable in my humble opinion.

That's not difficult to fix.
No points in the map for battles won against a member of your own clan, and that's all.

The unit info card has the number of upgrades on it

How can you look the units card of ennemi units? I don't know how, I can see the unit cards of my own units only (yes call me a noob and an ignorant ^^)
And even if you can, that's still unfair and that's easier to see directly on the battlefield the number of upgrades.

[Arilon]

"However, rest assured, if any major news breaks at CA one of my colleagues will no doubt let you know about it.

So, in lieu of exciting gossip from CA, I thought we could use this opportunity to let you ask some of the designers, producers and key figures from CA some questions. Feel free to fire whatever you like at us, and the team will strive to answer them on my return"

However there are many CA staff who post on this site, not just Craig. It shouldn't be that hard for a CA member to jump on and give us a heads up.

Come on bro, u really expected Breaking News ?
Me not since the weekly updates mostly wasnt that breaking at all.
Useful info is rarely seen but at least they give a statement once in a while...

[Tyler_the_Great]

Come on bro, u really expected Breaking News ?
Me not since the weekly updates mostly wasnt that breaking at all.
Useful info is rarely seen but at least they give a statement once in a while...

Expecting? perhaps not, but pleading for some, yes.

[Humble Warrior]

Maybe the Designers, Producers and Key figures don`t want to come here and talk to us.

It does occur to me a lot to expect from these people who see us more as an irritation than anything else. While Craig might be able to talk to us, most of these guys probably prefer to stay behind the scenes.

I find it hard to believe a `key figure` will bother coming here.

[spicykorean]

PR is usually not the strong suit of your average game developer.

[cherryfunk]

I find it hard to believe a `key figure` will bother coming here.

I'm a key figure. What would you like to know?

You still worried about the siege AI bug? Well, we admit that, while the situation has improved tremendously since launch, there is still work to be done; but fear not Humble! Our team is continuing to refine all aspects of the AI including path finding during sieges and you can expect to see improvements in upcoming patches!

[KingIzzystero]

I'm a key figure. What would you like to know?

You still worried about the siege AI bug? Well, we admit that, while the situation has improved tremendously since launch, there is still work to be done; but fear not Humble! Our team is continuing to refine all aspects of the AI including path finding during sieges and you can expect to see improvements in upcoming patches!

You should have ended it like this: "Our team is continuing to refine all aspects of the AI including path finding during sieges and you can expect to see improvements in our new game release sometime in the future!"

[Humble Warrior]

I'm a key figure. What would you like to know?

You still worried about the siege AI bug? Well, we admit that, while the situation has improved tremendously since launch, there is still work to be done; but fear not Humble! Our team is continuing to refine all aspects of the AI including path finding during sieges and you can expect to see improvements in upcoming patches!

So no change, then, Mr. Key figure.

Who are you again?

[KingIzzystero]

So no change, then, Mr. Key figure.

Who are you again?

Why it is cherryfunk. You grace us with your presence.

[leonn]

perhaps hes a 'key figure' in his world?

[Huberto]

Craig,

I read this interesting post on the Tripwire forums from its developer. I couldn't help but think of CA:

Tripwire's commitment to the long term success of the game turned it around. Through polishing up the game, doing special promotions like free weekends and special themed events, and through releasing lots of free content for a long time after the release of the game it grew and grew. You see it is a key difference in the strategy of Tripwire vs the EA's and the Activisions of the world. Their strategy is to spend a 100 million dollars in marketing to get everyone to buy the game day 1, then to nickel and dime you for the next year with overpriced DLC's. Tripwire's strategy is to market the game as well as we can for the launch (although we aren't yet big enough to spend 100 million dollars), and then provide continued value for our customers over the long term. It is this long term value that in the end will bring the player counts up just as we did with Killing Floor. It will bring new players in, and bring existing players back.

So what are we working on right now?

First off we're making great progress on the mod SDK. We've recently released an update with functionality so modders can compile their own code to make mutators and mods. Soon we will release the full SDK with support for publishing mutators and custom maps. Why has it taken so long? Frankly we were caught off guard by the complexity of getting the modding tools working with "cooked content". All of these tools worked fine internally for or development content. But when you pack up and ship a UE3 game all the content gets "cooked" which reduces the file sizes and improves load times. So the SDK had a lot of issues handling this "cooked" content. But as I've mentioned we've got most of these issues worked out and will be shipping the full mod SDK soon.

If they can release a mod SDK and support their games long-term, why can't you? It sounds as though they face substantially similar obstacles with their game in terms of releasing mod tools but are going to overcome those obstacles rather soon after release of their game. Why not CA? Also why haven't we had an update to NTW or ETW in over a year?

[Humble Warrior]

Craig,

I read this interesting post on the Tripwire forums from it's developer. I couldn't help but think of CA:

If they can release a mod SDK and support their games long-term, why can't you? It sounds as though they face substantially similar obstacles with their game in terms of releasing mod tools but are going to overcome those obstacles rather soon after release of their game. Why not CA? Also why haven't we had an update to NTW or ETW in over a year?

Because, quite simply, there isn`t going to be one. I wish they`d just be honest and say, "There will be NO updates for ETW\NTW!" and put most people out of the hopeless waiting. We have to remember that for all Craig`s words, he still does not have the welly to really make things happen. Much of what he says is placation. While he`s not as bad as the previous `front-end` man, he stil basically does the same job, just with less spiel and more sincerely. But his job is to release steam, but gently.

Now that he`s quieten a few of us, CA have noticably gone quiet and taken a step back... The pressure is off. Now we have a danger that nothing will happen at all concerning STW2 single player. As for ETW\NTW it`ll take an incredible amount of fanbase whining for anything to happen, and if it does, I`ll eat my coloured socks! I think it`s very disengenuous (sp) to keep people hanging on for updates to ETW\NTW when there`s 0 chance of anything happening.

Although, Steamwise, i`m glad they pretty much came clean about that. I still protest anyway, regardless what anyone thinks.

End product still means we have to WHINE hard to get what? - 5% of what we want.

[Huberto]

One reason provided by CA to explain its failure to deliver promised mod tools for ETW or to develop them for S2 was the complexity of the Warscape engine, that so much data was "cooked" to minimize file sizes and to reduce loading times it became very hard and time intensive to develop mod tools.

Yet here you have a small developer bringing out an SDK only months after a game release despite facing similar difficulties -- all because mod support is a key component of long term value and appeal to their fans.

I would appreciate a better understanding of why CA'S Warscape engine has made it impossibly difficult to develop some sort of mod tools. The post from Tripwire's developers makes it seem as though in the end it was simply a question of priority for CA:

You see it is a key difference in the strategy of Tripwire vs the EA's and the Activisions of the world. Their strategy is to spend a 100 million dollars in marketing to get everyone to buy the game day 1, then to nickel and dime you for the next year with overpriced DLC's. Tripwire's strategy is to market the game as well as we can for the launch (although we aren't yet big enough to spend 100 million dollars), and then provide continued value for our customers over the long term. It is this long term value that in the end will bring the player counts up just as we did with Killing Floor. It will bring new players in, and bring existing players back.

So what are we working on right now?

First off we're making great progress on the mod SDK. We've recently released an update with functionality so modders can compile their own code to make mutators and mods. Soon we will release the full SDK with support for publishing mutators and custom maps. Why has it taken so long? Frankly we were caught off guard by the complexity of getting the modding tools working with "cooked content". All of these tools worked fine internally for or development content. But when you pack up and ship a UE3 game all the content gets "cooked" which reduces the file sizes and improves load times. So the SDK had a lot of issues handling this "cooked" content. But as I've mentioned we've got most of these issues worked out and will be shipping the full mod SDK soon.

I know that Craig -- to his credit -- has touched on some of these issues before and even implied that not everyone at CA places as great an emphasis on mod support as he and others like Jack Lusted do. Given today's larger, more complex games, would Craig please revisit these questions in light of a much smaller developer's apparent success in overcoming them?

Perhaps I am also questioning CA's priorities these days...

(a) Cranking out a lot of content, i.e. frequent games and DLC or (b) creating long term value by releasing mod tools and supporting games over time?

This explains my irritation at the clamor I often see here for the next Total War game. I certainly believe we should focus instead on encouraging CA to do a better job of supporting the games we already have.

If you need a quick fix, stick with Call of duty or Battlefield you can satisfy your desire for instant gratification and throw $60 at a "new" game every year.

[Brutalsubtlety]

Indeed CA will continue to justify its failure to deliver promised mod tools for ETW, or to even develop some for S2.

CA's main concern these days are...

(a) Cranking out a lot of content, i.e. frequent games and DLC
or
(b) creating long term value by releasing mod tools and supporting games over time?

This explains my irritation at the clamor I often see here for the next Total War game. I certainly believe we should focus instead on encouraging CA to do a better job of supporting the games we already have.

If you need a quick fix, stick with Call of duty or Battlefield you can satisfy your desire for instant gratification and throw $60 at a "new" game every year.
Huberto

While I am in unqualified agreement that CA need to correct and emend the games we already have. As well as genuinely address some pretty large promises made.
I don’t see why both options need to be mutually exclusive Huberto. I get that there are only so many hours in a day and that CA’s staff are only capable of achieving so much, and that you’d rather see them clean up a currently perceived mess, than move onto make another one. I also get your concern that Total War becomes some World of Warcraft/ COD eye candy/ throwaway superficial monstrosity. I guess what I’m ‘questioning’ is although there is definitely a shift, ‘we’ can’t do anything about that; excepting 'walking' out into the ‘tide’ and asking it to stop. I have it on good authority that this technique is doomed to failure however.
I guess at best we can hope CA learn from their preceding balls ups and endeavour not to make those kinds of regretful blunders again. At worst well Call of Rome anybody?

[Humble Warrior]

Unfortunately, these days, games are appealing to the lowest common denominater; the younger, more twitch RTS (which isn`t strategy) players with very short attention spans , the better, cos it gets MORE MONEY! You might say, "But wait, Shogun is rated 16 and many games are rated 18", but this is really a falsity as everyone including Ca, know that underage kids will play them anyway. Why else have a 16 rated game, yet for some reason omit blood? We were even told the omitted blood was as to not put off a younger crowd, I believe.

The only way I see it improving is if it goes full circle, like sometimes happens with the Movies. Basically, the kids get older and want more mature, strategic and tactical games based more on real history rather than pretended history.

Unfortunately, this means we have to go through a 5-10 + yearly cycle of rubbish, then good, then rubbish, etc.

The nature of capitalism, unfortunately. Few companies will stick by an earlier ethos.

[Huberto]

I guess what I’m ‘questioning’ is although there is definitely a shift, ‘we’ can’t do anything about that; excepting 'walking' out into the ‘tide’ and asking it to stop. I have it on good authority that this technique is doomed to failure however.
I guess at best we can hope CA learn from their preceding balls ups and endeavour not to make those kinds of regretful blunders again. At worst well Call of Rome anybody?

Obviously I wish CA would provide mod tools for the Warscape engine, but what I am actually asking Craig to do here is to step forward and explain in more detail why the Warscape engine makes it too difficult for CA staff hammer out some basic mod tools for public use. I know very little about this stuff and therefore my question may be a dumb one.

Is Warscape larger, more complex and densely coded than the UE3 engine? If a handful of guys at Tripwire can figure out how to get around "cooked" content and develop a map editor etc for the public why can't CA do the same for Warscape?

[cherryfunk]

Is Warscape larger, more complex and densely coded than the UE3 engine? If a handful of guys at Tripwire can figure out how to get around "cooked" content and develop a map editor etc for the public why can't CA do the same for Warscape?

Because they don't want us creating major expansions or total conversions.

[Brutalsubtlety]

Obviously I wish CA would provide mod tools for the Warscape engine, but what I am actually asking Craig to do here is to step forward and explain in more detail why the Warscape engine makes it too difficult for CA staff hammer out some basic mod tools for public use. I know very little about this stuff and therefore my question may be a dumb one.

Is Warscape larger, more complex and densely coded than the UE3 engine? If a handful of guys at Tripwire can figure out how to get around "cooked" content and develop a map editor etc for the public why can't CA do the same for Warscape?
Huberto

I know very little about genuine modding; however Huberto I have noted through numerous posts that you and thoughtless questions are of such a rarity I’m yet to see it.
I share your disdain for CA’s disregard, their on-going pantomime pretending: ‘We can’t do it ‘children’, it’s too hard to give you tools that will let you continue making mods that both improve, and in many cases outshine our own work…

Because they don't want us creating major expansions or total conversions.
cherryfunk

Without wanting to come across Mr ‘cynical authority’: cherryfunk... Nailed it.

[AlfonsoVIII]

the reason they do not release mod tools is that its hard to make a tool to do what we want it to do. also there internal tools have never been released and they would have to make something special for us. Did they ever promise mod tools for empire?