Game News Steve Moret talks on ToEE patch #2

[Spazmo]

Tags: Temple of Elemental Evil; Troika Games

<b>Steve Moret</b>, lead programmer on <a href=http://www.greyhawkgame.com>Temple of Elemental Evil</a> at <a href=http://www.troikagames.com>Troika</a> <a href=http://www.ataricommunity.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=376117>posted something at the Atari forums</a> yesterday about the status of the second patch for ToEE. Here's the dirt.
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<blockquote>I've been holding off posting about this for a while now, but seeing as Atari doesn't want to respond to my questions as to what’s going on from their end I'm going to let you guys know what has happened on my end.
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On the morning of April 12th, 2004 I e-mailed the ToEE producer at Atari what we hoped to be the final beta of patch 2. Verifying that he did receive it, that producer wrote back indicating he was going to try and get it into testing as soon as he could.
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That was the last I've heard from Atari.
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In these subsequent weeks, I've been e-mailing that producer, another producer, and the PR manager for ToEE to try and find out what the status of the patch is. To date, I have received no e-mails back.
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I have also (unofficially) begun work on what I hope to be patch 3, which hopefully will include some new content (so far new long item descriptions courtesy of Mike Mercurio) as well as fix up any issues people are still seeing after patch 2 gets released.
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I am assuming patch 2 is still in testing, but since nobody at Atari has written me back in 2 weeks I cannot say for certain. I also cannot release what exactly is in patch 2. As soon as I have more information I'll let you know, even if it is as vague as "Atari has contacted me and we will have more information at a later date."</blockquote>
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Well, that just sucks. What the hell is up with Atari now? Steve and the other Troika programmer make a patch on their own time and then Atari just sits on it? Forshame! Check out the thread linked above for more poop straight from Steve Moret.
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Thanks to <b>Exitium</b> for surfacing from his new MMORPG long enough to bring this to my attention.
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[Saint_Proverbius]

Another wonderful reason to love Atari. I'm betting Steve can't release it to the masses because of the copy protection as well.

 

[Country_Gravy]

What is up with these game publishing companies? Sometimes I think that they don't care about the people buying their products, they only care about the bottom line. Other times, like with this, I know that don't give a damn about their customers. I guess it is all about the DOLLAR$. When you think about it, how much money does Atari make from releasing this patch, and how much does it cost them to test it? Releasing this patch doesn't line the pockets of the people at the top, so they probably will take their time.

I will now end this pointless rant.

Thank you.

 

[taks]

atari has already lossed their asses on this game, i'm sure they see no justification to continue spending money. in the end, we get screwed. damn. maybe once we all stop buying products that don't meet muster the big wigs will listen...

taks

 

[Transcendent One]

Yup, Atari is definitely keeping up withtheir standard

 

[Rosh]

This just reinforces the point that by far the most problematic issue in gaming is with the publishers. Some need to die, quickly.

Also, people need to stop excusing the publishers for bad business. Yes, they may not get any more money from releasing the patch. However, it's called supporting the product, which ANYONE in good business will tell you is the defining point of business to begin with. You are there to make money, but the purpose of a business is to have the customer come back, and if they are pleased with the product, they will then do the best thing a company could hope for and give favorable word of mouth, which tends to carry more weight than any advertising. Happy customers are regular customers.

It's the laziness that publishers take in business that is making more gamers pissed with the shitty support those cretins offer.

 

[smoret]

Another wonderful reason to love Atari. I'm betting Steve can't release it to the masses because of the copy protection as well.

Well, it's not quite the copy protection. Atari has already provided me (on March 11th) a SecuROM protected exe that I can use for all the future patches I plan to make. The problem is that the content doesn't belong to me to release. It is property of Atari and WotC. And therefor they are the ones who are licensed to release it.

If Atari were to say to me, you are free to release any patches to temple you wish, we don't have the abiltiy to test them or host the files, I'd happily find people to test the patches and an ISP to host the files. But I still haven't heard anything back from them.

 

[POOPERSCOOPER]

WTF do they expect with how Troika got fucking ass raped by Atari with all the limitations and time restraints they gave them. Wasn't it a bitch just getting patch one out? I'm not the least bit surprised with this anouncement, Atari was just BSing it and saying they are really commited to the game just to get the community to like them after the game released yet the patches weren't comming. Of course they fooled the DnD faggots on the official forums, but if you look at the OMG TEH FACTS you would of seen different.

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

We can always count on Pooper to set the record straight.

 

[Sheriff05]

This just reinforces the point that by far the most problematic issue in gaming is with the publishers. Some need to die, quickly.

Also, people need to stop excusing the publishers for bad business. Yes, they may not get any more money from releasing the patch. However, it's called supporting the product, which ANYONE in good business will tell you is the defining point of business to begin with. You are there to make money, but the purpose of a business is to have the customer come back, and if they are pleased with the product, they will then do the best thing a company could hope for and give favorable word of mouth, which tends to carry more weight than any advertising. Happy customers are regular customers.

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I don't think they're that bright. I figured they were just trying to kill off PC's games as quickly as possible by behaving as braindead bureaucracy and taking 6 months to make an obvious decision. That way they can expedite going *console* only and never have to worry about things like patches. I'm sure Atari has several other grade-A fucks up in the closet we haven't heard of yet.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Well, it's not quite the copy protection. Atari has already provided me (on March 11th) a SecuROM protected exe that I can use for all the future patches I plan to make. The problem is that the content doesn't belong to me to release. It is property of Atari and WotC. And therefor they are the ones who are licensed to release it.

Ain't that a pisser. So Atari has to say "okay" to a patch, and they're not responding on the subject? Eh.. Silliness.

 

[JanC]

I'm going to think long and hard before I put down money for an Atari game again. They obviously have no comittment to quality.
I think Atari just wants gamers to forget TOEE ever existed. I won't.

I'm impressed by Steve Moret's commitment to patching. I hope Troika's next game is published by a company with a clue.

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Is Activision a good publisher?

 

[Seven]

I'm curious, how come modders don't have to get permission?

 

[POOPERSCOOPER]

They dont have permission and dont care, its more under the table type stuff.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

Why don't they release something under the table like and have co8 put it on their site?

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Is Activision a good publisher?

Judging by the release and post release of BattleZone 2, no.

 

[taks]

modders aren't bound by a contract that steve moret is by working for troika. as long as the modders don't make a profit off of their endeavors, there's nothing atari can really do. if steve moret were to publish any custom add-on content, troika could probably be sued...

taks

 

[chrisbeddoes]

It is easy to find a good publisher on a expanding market where money are plenty.

But when money and profits are slim andeverybody try to cut cost you can only pray that the publisher is going to behave properly.

 

[Spazmo]

Why don't they release something under the table like and have co8 put it on their site?

Because Atari would eat Steve's BALLS for breakfast. And it'd be pretty obvious who did what, especially since lots of people have had the same idea, so that's a no-go.

 

[Seven]

Why don't they release something under the table like and have co8 put it on their site?

Because Atari would eat Steve's BALLS for breakfast. And it'd be pretty obvious who did what, especially since lots of people have had the same idea, so that's a no-go.

You know, for some one who's located at Monkey Island you're pretty smart.

 

[DIPthong]

Go back to Sierra, do Arcanum 2, rah rah rah

 

[Seven]

Yeah, but don't forget to revamp steam, right?

God do I love Arcanum, I'm playing it right now, it the RP options and the freedom just boggle the mind.

 

[Lemon]

I suppose they've put it bottom priority on the playtesting list - it would cost money that they don't expect to make back.

 

[Sol Invictus]

For a multibillion dollar corporation they're certainly being asinine about spending a few hundred dollars on a simple 2-man QA for a couple of days to check off all the new fixes on the list.

These are the same people who will spend a cool million on any given weekend on the travelling expenses of PR agents alone.