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Author Topic: Summer is over, Fall has begun. Where is the tech demo?!  (Read 23328 times)

cloudpillow

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Summer is over, Fall has begun. Where is the tech demo?!
« on: September 23, 2011, 04:24:12 pm »

We've been promised since 2008 that a tech demo was going to be out soon.

We were told the demo was going to be released "imminently" and then it was ostensibly  delayed under the guise and pretext of a graphics glitch with ATI drivers. The alleged ATI/AMD graphics glitch issue was nearly two years ago... and still no tech demo...

Then the excuse was that audio sound and environmental effects "HAD" to be implemented before a presentable demo could possibly be released... (hmm.. where was this self-imposed restriction/objective two years ago when the demo was supposedly so-called "soon to be released absent any major issues"?)

Then the powers that be at Outerra all but explicitly promised that absence an act of God that at least one tech demo of some sort will be released by the summer of 2011.

The summer of 2011 has officially come and gone.

We are now in Fall. There has been no acts of God.

Where is the promised demo?

How much longer is this going to get dragged out? From 2008 to 2009 to 2010 to 2011... we will have to wait until the ends of the world to see anything come out of this at all...

By that time Outerra will be outdated. Check out Microsoft FLIGHT (2012)... Outerra is going the way of Alan Wake. It will be redundant, obsolete and out of date by the time it is finally "polished"...

Sorry but people's patience and technology itself just does not wait around forever.

I know the game these types of developers play, it will be 2015 before anyone sees anything tangible at all.

Good riddance.

I was prepared to pay for the demo, but now you ain't getting a penny of my monies...




« Last Edit: September 23, 2011, 04:29:10 pm by cloudpillow »
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C. Shawn Smith

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Re: Summer is over, Fall has begun. Where is the tech demo?!
« Reply #1 on: September 23, 2011, 04:34:30 pm »

 ???
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cameni

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Re: Summer is over, Fall has begun. Where is the tech demo?!
« Reply #2 on: September 23, 2011, 06:49:05 pm »

I know you won't believe it, but it really took 2 years until there were ATI drivers that finally worked. Even now people have to use beta drivers because the public ones still crash. Part of it is certainly our fault - we dared to add more features along the way, using the latest OpenGL features that always tended to be broken.
But as I said, you won't believe it, like some of our testers that were reluctant to install the beta drivers, fearing instability. Which is funny when official ones give you crashes and BSODs. Since the existing games don't have this problem (because they don't use the GPU that intensively), people simply don't believe it.

Summer demo (we said that we would like to release it, not that only an act of a supernatural power can stop it, but you know it) lags because we simply don't have it in a state viable for a public demo yet. It's not about "polishing", it's about not crashing, not having awkward controls and not leaving a bad taste, because as other people have said, we will only get to release it once.

Why are you so angry? As if Outerra was meant to solve all the world's problems and you invested into it and now think you've lost your money?
"Check out Microsoft FLIGHT (2012)" - what's this has to do with it? I guess that after the demo you'll soon start demanding that we release a flight simulator, and turn bitter if the two people don't deliver something that's better in all respects than what Microsoft does ...

Our fault (common for almost all the developers) is the consistent underestimation of amount of work and the number of problems to be encountered. That's why companies employ people that forbid developers to say or promise anything. But we need some feedback in order to continue with enthusiasm, and that's why we were publishing development stuff, that unfortunately gives some people a false feeling that it should have been ready for ages.

Quote
I know the game these types of developers play, it will be 2015 before anyone sees anything tangible at all.
A closed beta testing is underway, by now like 20 people got their hands dirty with OT already. We have selected some of the patient and nice people that lingered here for a long time and have an idea about the amount of work involved. We'll be slowly expanding the group as we can handle it, ironing all the quirks and bugs, so that eventually we can dare to include the bitter ones in the testing as well.
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RaikoRaufoss

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Re: Summer is over, Fall has begun. Where is the tech demo?!
« Reply #3 on: September 23, 2011, 07:01:33 pm »

Taking too long on a program can be disastrous; look at Duke Nukem Forever.  Or Il-2: Cliffs of Disaster-er I mean Cliffs of Dover.  But I don't see Outerra in any danger of becoming like either of them.  And in Alan Wake's case, I doubt the game itself was good anyway.
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Jagerbomber

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Re: Summer is over, Fall has begun. Where is the tech demo?!
« Reply #4 on: September 23, 2011, 07:24:18 pm »

"Ugh" and "sigh" are the only two things I can do in response to you two.  ::)
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Matt6767

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Re: Summer is over, Fall has begun. Where is the tech demo?!
« Reply #5 on: September 23, 2011, 07:49:29 pm »

A closed beta testing is underway, by now like 20 people got their hands dirty with OT already. We have selected some of the patient and nice people that lingered here for a long time and have an idea about the amount of work involved. We'll be slowly expanding the group as we can handle it, ironing all the quirks and bugs, so that eventually we can dare to include the bitter ones in the testing as well.
That's good to hear. I eagerly await the demo.
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DarkDXZ

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Re: Summer is over, Fall has begun. Where is the tech demo?!
« Reply #6 on: September 24, 2011, 04:25:07 am »

Don't be so impatient.
Sometimes not everything goes as well as intended - but I'm fairly sure that tech demo is on its way and you'll be able to fly through your very own virtual Russia, America and China before the end of October (I would hope even for September, but chances are mediocre...)

And note that there are just two (or three?) people in Outerra company. They aren't Valve with hundreds of people to work.
Remember - Outerra is nowhere beyond the impossible - already posted videos and screenshots are clear proof that Cameni IS working hard.

Unless I'm right, correct me.
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Spudly

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Re: Summer is over, Fall has begun. Where is the tech demo?!
« Reply #7 on: September 24, 2011, 06:48:46 pm »

We have selected some of the patient and nice people that lingered here for a long time and have an idea about the amount of work involved. We'll be slowly expanding the group as we can handle it, ironing all the quirks and bugs, so that eventually we can dare to include the bitter ones in the testing as well.

Haha, this was really the best response you could give to all the people complaining.  I'm always impressed at how civil you can be in your responses to some of the "uninformed" people that post here.
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yhwhluver

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Re: Summer is over, Fall has begun. Where is the tech demo?!
« Reply #8 on: September 26, 2011, 11:30:48 am »

Our fault (common for almost all the developers) is the consistent underestimation of amount of work and the number of problems to be encountered.


I hear ya.  What's worse is when you have stakeholders constantly badgering you when the product will be delivered and thinking you goof off all of the time when working.  Programming takes time.  Be patient.  Things always popup and it's a good thing Cameni and Angry Pig are taking time to do it right.
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AKNightHawk

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Re: Summer is over, Fall has begun. Where is the tech demo?!
« Reply #9 on: September 29, 2011, 04:17:24 pm »

cloudpillow: I can tell you just don't understand what it takes to develop a game engine. Or a game in general especially for just two people. 4 years might seem like a long time to you but it can and does take even longer to develop anything like this from the ground up. Hell I have been developing my own game for that long now as well. All I will say is please have patients. 

cameni has the drive and willpower to see this project through to the very end. If he hadn't the project would have not lasted for 4 years now. Understand that it takes a hella alot of time to develop any type of game.. And even more to create a engine from the ground up. And on top of that a planetary engine to boot. No offense but your being very disrespectful to him and every one else around here by acting that way. He did not even have to show any one here what he has been doing for these last 4 years. He has poured his blood sweat and tears into this project and for you to belittle it like you are doing is just wrong.

At least applogise to him and be more respectful to him and others around here.
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RaikoRaufoss

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Re: Summer is over, Fall has begun. Where is the tech demo?!
« Reply #10 on: September 29, 2011, 04:24:49 pm »

I agree for the most part with AKNighthawk.  Except where he calls for an apology.  As I see it, that's really uncalled for.
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Kye

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Re: Summer is over, Fall has begun. Where is the tech demo?!
« Reply #11 on: September 29, 2011, 04:58:31 pm »

Everyone in the games industry has been affected by ATI's poor driver support at some point in the past, we feel your pain cameni.
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yhwhluver

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Re: Summer is over, Fall has begun. Where is the tech demo?!
« Reply #12 on: September 30, 2011, 12:28:34 pm »

AKNightHawk:  hear, hear!
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Flubascrub

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Re: Summer is over, Fall has begun. Where is the tech demo?!
« Reply #13 on: October 18, 2011, 02:27:13 pm »

Did you pay for this? Nope.
Did you preorder this? Nope.

I see no reasoning.

Sure, if you paid like 10 bucks to preorder it, and then they delayed it (think about the Project Zomboid break in, some people got mad), it would be a fairly legitimate reason, but they're just giving you some pictures. They have no obligation to give you what you want.
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vinny2001

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Re: Summer is over, Fall has begun. Where is the tech demo?!
« Reply #14 on: October 31, 2011, 09:10:05 pm »

Hi, Guys!

The good news is the Outerra tech demo is in beta testing now! I'm waiting very patiently for the Outerra to come out.

             Cheers,
          Vincent
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