New CA statement on RII release and future patches (Sept. 11)

[zznɟ ǝɥʇ]

http://forums.totalwar.com/showthrea...(11-Sep-2013)?

Hi everyone,

We’ve just put up a hotfix that significantly improves campaign map frame-rate on a variety of hardware combinations that were getting frame rates less than 15 fps. It took us until Monday to get a case of this happening in the studio, but it was a very simple fix, so we’ve decided to put it out as a single issue patch. This bug was introduced very late in the process, but we absolutely should have found and fixed it before release.

This release has obviously not gone as planned for some people, and I want to apologise to everyone out there who had issues with the game, whether they were hardware issues or disappointment in the performance of game features. We obviously don’t plan to release a game with any bugs, performance and AI issues. How this has happened is something we’re beginning to post mortem in detail now.

Fortunately, the same tech that gave us the rope to work on the game right up to release lets us keep working on it after it’s out, and the flaws in the game are mostly just bugs, not structural defects. We can and will get the game to where we wanted it to be for everyone.

The top priority is stability and performance – both frame rates in battle and campaign, and end of turn times and loading times. Then gameplay spoilers – AI flaws and exploits, balancing tweaks and the level of challenge on higher difficulties. Then minor bugs, lesser features that really didn’t pan out, UI improvements, and longer term adjustments to features and systems that could be better. Because there are a lot of us working in parallel there will be a mixture of different priority fixes in each patch. Much of this work would be part of the usual planned improvements we would make to our games post-launch anyway, but we are aware that they have now taken on extra significance and importance.

We have a major improvement to end of turn times in the pipeline, along with around 100 fixes in the next patch. We have another 100 or so fixes already being tested for the patch after that. At this point the limiting factor on getting issues fixed in patches is not our ability to fix issues, it’s our ability to test them and guarantee that we don’t repeat past mistakes by putting a patch out that breaks something new. We’ll also be putting each patch up as a beta you can opt in to before releasing it. It’s our aim to continue patching more or less weekly until all the bugs are dealt with.

Then we can start the kind of dialogue we always want to be having with the community – which new features you like, which you don’t like, which deleted features from previous games you really miss and so on. That’s a good conversation to be having, and since it’s our intention not to fall in to the trap of just re-skinning the previous game each time, it’s one that hopefully you’ll be having for years to come.

Lastly, I’m hoping we can fundamentally treat our releases differently in the future. Long open betas are the way things are going, and while that model hasn’t been compatible with the way Total War has been built to date, that could be the way forward.

Mike Simpson
Creative Director
Creative Assembly

edit; fixed color

[Cat-astrophic]

Sorry I cant hear you over the sound of broken dreams lol.

[TheRomanRuler]

"hen we can start the kind of dialogue we always want to be having with the community – which new features you like, which you don’t like, which deleted features from previous games you really miss and so on. That’s a good conversation to be having, and since it’s our intention not to fall in to the trap of just re-skinning the previous game each time, it’s one that hopefully you’ll be having for years to come. "I REALLY hope they inlcude/declude those things to Rome 2 before they make another game...

[cevap]

This statement was everything I needed to hear, now just to see it done.

[zznɟ ǝɥʇ]

Yeah, I'm really happy with this statement. I'm also really excited for the upcoming patch. The game is really fun as it stands but there are certainly some bugs that could use squashing.

[Humble Warrior]

Wow. i`m stunned.

You people really believe this rubbish?

Then we can start the kind of dialogue we always want to be having with the community – which new features you like, which you don’t like, which deleted features from previous games you really miss and so on. That’s a good conversation to be having,

You serious?

NO ONE said they wanted flags outside of a siege battle, you put it in anyway. No one said they wanted fire spears. you did it anyway. No one said they wanted to be tricked into another half-finished game- You did it anyway.

Have a conversation about it ... AGAIN?? You really are a piece of work.

[Cyrus the Virus]

A positive reply. If they can live up to their words..

What they can do to upcoming titles is irrelevant and not important, it's the current one that matters.
Besides the bugs and issues, I wonder how much CA could alter the game as for the "deleted features" and such.
Should they not be able to change the game, then it feels abandoned.

[I WUB PUGS]

Goody, now to see it actually happen.

[Moors of the Far East]

the last paragraph should have done it after Empire TW. anyway, I'm looking forward to it. beta tester minus 60 dollar charges like just what you doing right now. we're virtually a beta tester for Rome 2.

[MrExpendable]

Well, they seem to be a lot more honest on how the people feel about Rome2's release this time. But for now, we'll have to wait and see whether they can live up to these words.

[Jester]

well, nothing bad to say about that statement so far. now all will depend on if they hold their promises or not. i have no doubt that they will fix the bugs and improve performance since they always did that with previous titles.

but how much of the broken or superficial and arcadey features/game design will be fixed? this is still very uncertain and i will only believe it when i see it

[Risasi]

I hope for the best, but anticipate the worst.

[Captain W. Handberg]

Let's hope they actually do what they say. Even if I haven't experienced any issues personally I'm loosing trust with CA.

[Metallistic]

I will believe all of these statements when there are results to back them up. Hopefully they live up to their promises...

[Andre J. Jassoch]

I think there was a thread here called "Futures you want to see in Rome II" wasnt that enough dialogue for you?Now after release they want to talk again?Wake up ppl.One thing that just interests them is to get the game in someway stable and playable position so that they can start to throw hundreds of DLC´s at us.I dont believe in huge changes.The game is broken and unfinished.You should apollogise to all the people that preordered it and give them half the upcoming DLC´s for free.Good evening gentleman.

[MrBoBo1]

Great news. I hope CA take advantage of steams early access, it seems like a great tool thats helped Arma 3, hopefully it can help with more stable Total War releases.

[Swerg]

Actions speak louder than words. I'll believe it when I see a "community dialogue thread" and when the features people are clamoring for (guard mode, removal of flags, etc.,) are implemented.

[nameless]

Wow. i`m stunned.

You people really believe this rubbish?



You serious?

NO ONE said they wanted flags outside of a siege battle, you put it in anyway. No one said they wanted fire spears. you did it anyway. No one said they wanted to be tricked into another half-finished game- You did it anyway.

Have a conversation about it ... AGAIN?? You really are a piece of work.

Humble, you don't speak for everyone so stop acting like you're our spokesperson.

There's nothing wrong with capture points.

The only time they appear is if there's a naval/land battle which makes sense given the circumstances which people already discussed and the forced march stances.

I've never had to fight a defensive march stance battle because I never allow myself to get caught out in the open in enemy terroritory. You shouldn't be using forced march stances like that.

And for the record in regards to AI charging capture points, during Caesar's campaigns in Gaul, Vercintegorix during Georgiva attempted a massive charge and ran past Caesar's legions and into his baggage train which would've ended his Gaul Campaign and failed. It was a do or die for them.

[PT_ReVoLuTioN]

"Then we can start the kind of dialogue we always want to be having with the community – which new features you like, which you don’t like, which deleted features from previous games you really miss and so on. That’s a good conversation to be having, and since it’s our intention not to fall in to the trap of just re-skinning the previous game each time, it’s one that hopefully you’ll be having for years to come."

Really ? cause i remember to see lots of people complaining about some of the game design decision like the damn ui, unit cards, speeches, cut-scenes not to mention the damn flags and yet nothing was done.
Even though i can forgive the last one just because it would be impossible to remove when it was announced but i still think it should be taken out asap.

[King Xiao]

If they were that interested in wanting our opinion, they would have asked us about features before the game release. Only now after the game has been savaged, are they trying to recover any sort of relationship with the community.