I have a bit of a stuck record complaint about how local game developers seem to be unable to publish games they are working on and simply move on.
Desktop Dungeons took a ridiculous amount of time to release and Broforce also appears to be heading in the same direction while Cadence really should be getting pushed out now as the core game is amazing – while the planned add-ons are going to make a niche game far more niche.
All of these developers disagree with me, and these are their games so they are welcome to do with them whatever they please – but one local(ish) developer who I feel is doing the right thing is the team behind Albert and Otto.
You may remember I covered them a while back during their failed kickstarter but this morning I received a new email from them with an update that the game is going to be released on the 30th of October 2015 and you can grab an early copy by plonking down $9.99 now and then you will receive the game, an official soundtrack and a poster 10 days before release.
Whether the game is going to be perfect or not really isn’t my biggest concern here. I feel too many local developers are so fearful of criticism that they would rather never release the game and continue living off the hype instead of releasing a product and accepting what comes their way.
So I applaud the man behind Albert and Otto, Nikola Kostic, for putting down a marker for when the game will be released and we will definitely be posting a review of the game as soon as we can. Oh and I called him local(ish) because he apparently spends half his time in Cape Town and the other half in New York. It’s a hard life hey.
And another thing
When I grabbed that link to my previous post I checked some of the comments again and saw two that I’d like to respond to.
First up from Megan who stated:
On a side note, we’re feeling a little left out here at RetroEpic Software. We’ve been working on our iOS version of A Day in the Woods for ages…since 2011…and we didn’t get a mention here 🙁 Luckily we’re releasing on 2 April 2015 😀 Check out our website for more: http://retroepic.com/our-games…
Well congrats, RetroEpic on releasing your game. I’m sorry I personally didn’t know about it. You also deserve a good job award for getting the game out, and I’m buying it now to give it a try.
Sorry we didn’t cover it, but apparently we did ask and were rejected because of a personal dislike for me. But as I’ve said congrats on getting the game out and I look forward to playing it.
And the second comment is from the Broforce guys
I think what Gavin is advocating is something of a scorched earth policy to game development, i.e. make as much money as quickly as possible and release games regardless of whether the game in question has all the features the players were promised or not.
Considering that Broforce has already paid for its development and then some, investing further in our game, and building a passionate fanbase, makes a lot more sense from a business perspective than releasing an undercooked product that hurts our reputation.
Just to be clear I’m not advocating a scorched earth policy at all, even though that game was excellent. (yes, I know what you really meant)
What I’m saying is that a game/application/artwork can suffer terribly from the idea that it is never finished and you can always add to it. I’m advocating that you set a destination for your project before you start and then when new ideas come up you assign them to the next phase or game. It’s not about making the most money but rather about being able to complete projects efficiently and then moving on to the next one.
Scope Creep is the killer of many a great idea and I feel that it is something that really hurts local development, and not just of the video game variety.
Last Updated: July 7, 2015
Kromas,powered by windows 10.
July 7, 2015 at 10:57
A fully agree with Scope creep. It is the reason we will never see a completed Star Citizen.
Alien Emperor Trevor
July 7, 2015 at 11:12
Think they’re really struggling with Star Marine, maybe trying to be a bit too fancy.
Kromas,powered by windows 10.
July 7, 2015 at 11:17
And yet many fans are questioning why split your dev team even more on something that was not on the original design roadmap and was not asked for in the first place.
I ain’t saying it isn’t a cool idea but it is pushing development time up and is unneeded for the product to be a huge success. It could have been a free dlc after release.
Alien Emperor Trevor
July 7, 2015 at 11:21
Well first person ship boarding was a very early stretch goal, plus he said a long time ago that first person stuff was always supposed to be part of S42. So I don’t think it’s something new but yes, they have expanded it a lot & it’s giving them problems.
Kromas,powered by windows 10.
July 7, 2015 at 11:24
Hopefully the game gets release somewhere between HL3 and Portal 3.
Alien Emperor Trevor
July 7, 2015 at 11:40
Now I’m confused, do you want it to come out or not? 😉
Kromas,powered by windows 10.
July 7, 2015 at 11:42
I want all three to come out but three is taboo number in certain circles so I may possibly just have Jinxed it more. 😛
UltimateNinjaPandaDudeGuy
July 7, 2015 at 11:07
I must admit it depends on the game whether they should release or not.
Take Star Citizen. Working on all this extra BS while all we want is the damn space sim. Just focus and complete the core game and then move on to the rest.
I am not saying release a broken game. Just prioritize!
Megan
July 7, 2015 at 11:18
We did actually email the Lazy Gamer staff about A Day in the Woods release.
Gavin Mannion
July 7, 2015 at 11:21
I never received anything. I checked before I posted… who’d you email it to so I can follow up with them?
Megan
July 7, 2015 at 11:22
I emailed Zoe several times.
Her Highness the Hipster
July 7, 2015 at 11:28
indeed, we emailed before launch and I asked to be informed when you had a set launch date and review code available. Never got the review code 🙁
Megan
July 7, 2015 at 11:31
Email about launch date sent on 16 March, as well as other details. As I didn’t get a response or any publication of that news, I couldn’t assume that sending a code would get review space. iOS limit the number of promo codes we can distribute, so we’ve got to be smart about who we send them to.
Dutch Matrix
July 7, 2015 at 11:33
Grabs popcorn…
Admiral Chief's Adventure
July 7, 2015 at 11:49
O_O
Dutch Matrix
July 7, 2015 at 11:57
Hey man. I just think these types of discussions need to happen via E-mail. Just sending a subtle hint…
Gavin Mannion
July 7, 2015 at 11:57
Zoe had to step out but she checked and on the 16th all we got was a generic new trailer email from multiple developers and games..
We are not hard people to get hold off 🙂
Dutch Matrix
July 7, 2015 at 11:58
That I can vouch for. Don’t think I ever had a query/tweet gone unanswered from you guys! You should work in my call centre! All of you!
Gavin Mannion
July 7, 2015 at 11:59
I could not think of a worse punishment 🙁
Alien Emperor Trevor
July 7, 2015 at 12:00
For him or for you? O_o
Admiral Chief's Adventure
July 7, 2015 at 12:25
Can you imagine the types of calls/requests HE gets?
*shudders*
Dutch Matrix
July 7, 2015 at 12:48
The usual. My PC is not working. My printer is not printing. My dick is stuck in the USB port…
Admiral Chief's Adventure
July 7, 2015 at 13:02
Ah, the size of a USB port being the joke here, heh
Dutch Matrix
July 7, 2015 at 13:07
I have seen some really tiny dicks on big men in my lifetime. (Don’t ask. My therapist said the nightmares will end soon…”
Admiral Chief's Adventure
July 7, 2015 at 13:19
Where did that line go?…..
Dutch Matrix
July 7, 2015 at 13:50
I REALLY need to put some brakes on my groot bek…
Sageville
July 7, 2015 at 14:02
You said you loved my selfies…
Megan
July 7, 2015 at 12:01
Neither are we 😉 Zoe has my email address.
Sageville
July 7, 2015 at 12:42
Scope creep is normally the bane of developers.