KickStarter Underworld Ascendant is a disaster

[MasterLobar]

Update 4 ist just to trick potential new SS3 publishers into thinking that they are not abandoning the project and throw their published (505) under the bus (which is what they are doing).

It's just window-dressing. Nothing substantial.

I predict: After the console version (contractual obligation for 505) is out, OS Boston is going to be closed as a cost-cutting measure and the UA and SS3 teams are going to be merged to make more progress to be shown to potential publishers.

Won't save the studio, though. They are doomed (see my latest post in the SS3 thready).

 

[JarlFrank]

The community manager seems to think we are idiots.

And if a company WANTED to inflate their score, they'd have to sink money (at full price now!) into buying people keys just to have them leave a positive review in masses.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/692840/discussions/0/1841314700720495889/?ctp=2#c1843567770211599411

Well, this is where a 75% discount comes in handy, which was granted exactly at the time when the most recent fake reviews started to show up (right after Update 2 which ppl on Steam say broke more than it fixed).

Come on, Sam, you can do better than this!

I thought Steam gave the publisher free keys to give out as gifts, review copies, etc?

 

[MasterLobar]

JarlFrank, free products don't go into the overall score, though OS was so incompetent to try to rig the score that way:

OS is taking fake reviews to the next level.

6 minutes of gameplay, received product for free, has not played a second since posting the review on January 14.

https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198836210988/recommended/692840/

 

[Nyast]

Speaking of SS3, NightDive's SS remake got a 20-mins gameplay video and it's just awesome. I couldn't care less about SS3 at this point, I just want the remake.

 

[Darth Slaughter]

https://forums.otherside-e.com/t/march-19-weekly-update/9987

Morning everyone! It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?

Just to clarify, we are still working on our Update 3, which is primarily focused on bug fixing and polish. Changes such as adding in a notification for quicksaves, fixing the bug where you could save mid-quest and then lose quest progress when reloading, and several other issues are being addressed as we keep our eyes on our Update 4. Update 3 is estimated to release sometime next week, once everyone is back from GDC.

For Update 4, we cannot promise which features will make it in, but I can share that we are strongly interested adding in additional NPCs/creatures/updated combat. Note that our focus on NPCs does not mean dialogue trees. Given the scope of our timeline and budget, we will be looking at ways to flesh out the narrative and world building with what we currently have as efficiently as possible. We’re kicking around a couple of ideas on how to do this without breaking the bank and also making it enjoyable; having fun and meaningful interactions within a game can really change the experience.

And of course, if you haven’t seen it already, the Austin team is busy with System Shock 3 2.

Seeing these "efforts" to "improve" the game, I have to ask: Why didn't they put the game as an early access? Not that it would make the game better, but it would probably have less negative reviews, and they would extend the benefit of doubt. And probably get more money to actually make significant improvements.

 

[MasterLobar]

Because the plan always was to abandon the game after a few updates and not invest more than absolutely needed to avoid lawsuits.

Had the game been launched as early access, they would have had to actually finish it before launching it properly while all the way people would have been screaming "THIS ISN'T FINISHED YET".

Much more convenient as it is. Throw a few half-baked updates over the fence and walk away.

And for OS, it doesn't really matter because all the money goes to 505 anyway.

 

[MasterLobar]

By the way, for those who don't believe this is all about not getting sued, here is point-by-point how they checked every box to shield themselves from legal claims by making an absolutely-minimum viable product:

https://forums.otherside-e.com/t/how-to-get-my-money-back/9822/2

Now they just have to make a console version and they can show 505 the finger.

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

Careful not to cross the Celerity precipice.

 

[MasterLobar]

What's that?

 

[Agame]

What's that?

"Oh sweet summer child"

Its when maximum autism meets maximum butthurt within a single human being and creates a glorious abomination ie Celerity and his unholy crusade against Darkest Dungeon.

 

[Alienman]

Every game needs one.

 

[MasterLobar]

My crusade is holy and just.

 

[Zakhad]

They really should have made this an EGS exclusive.

 

[Infinitron]

They really should have made this an EGS exclusive.

The game was released three weeks before the Epic Store launched. It is actually possible that if they'd held out for just a while longer, Epic could have funded another year of development. OS got no luck.

 

[Cael]

They really should have made this an EGS exclusive.

The game was released three weeks before the Epic Store launched. It is actually possible that if they'd held out for just a while longer, Epic could have funded another year of development. OS got no luck.

I prefer to think of it as the rest of the world dodged a bullet.

 

[BEvers]

They're making robust progress; Update 3 is imminent.

 

[MasterLobar]

Happily updating and making new versions for a game no one buys and that's still not running properly 4 months after launch.

The game has a whopping 353 reviews on Steam and is currently getting 1-2 new reviews per week, most negative. And the 75% 30-day positive reviews right after Update 2? Down to 41% again --- pretty much proof these reviews were all fake.

UA isn't a poor seller, it isn't selling *at all*.

But the philosopher kings in the Ivory Tower are still happy:

 

[Glic2000]

Yeah, I've lots of ideas I thought were "good" but when I tried to actually incorporate them into a game, turned out they weren't actually that good, for a variety of reasons.

 

[BEvers]

 

[LESS T_T]

I imagine there are a number of backers of this game at GOG, and some may have played the backer beta.

 

[Cael]

After 60+ pages, I think the title should be changed to "UA is a slow moving trainwreck; we can't look away!!!" :D

 

[Space Nugget]

"Strange criteria" = Quality?

FFS

 

[fantadomat]

Fuck me...

Why is this thread still going on?

 

[Unkillable Cat]

 

[Excommunicator]

But the philosopher kings in the Ivory Tower are still happy:

This sort of thing is such a cop out.

The reason why people can claim "hey great ideas are easy, I have heaps of them!" is because they don't have to prove that they're good ideas. Most of the time they're just not.

For example making your game with no save system is a REALLY BAD IDEA