ESF Release Schedule - Important

[Chronologger]

As a new member of this forum, I find the attitude directed towards new members to be quite shocking, frankly.

I understand some of the verified members have been waiting for this release for a good few years now, but so have I.
I have followed this mod since about 2009 solely by checking the updates on the moddb page, not a week has past since where I haven't checked that page at least once for the latest news. So I find it disturbing that the credibility of a members suggestions is brought into question by other members simply because of the fact that they do not have a verified copy of Half Life. Personally I WILL be buying half life as soon as this final version of the mod has been made available, and it would be nothing less than an insult to assume that I (or any other non verified member for that matter) would attempt to dodge having to pay a whopping (/sarcasm) £5.99 for a game that would allow me to play this mod. :-/

I have voted for option 2 because I believe (as others have said before me) that it would bring about a spike in awareness of the mod and it would also be an invaluable contribution to bug squishing, which would in turn bring about a complete final version of the mod faster than if the ESF devs and testers were to do it alone. I'm not sure how many people comprise of the testing team, but I can't imagine there being enough variety in the hardware the mod is being tested on to rule out a large enough number of possible incompatibilities with certain hardware specifications. The more people you have testing your game the more incompatibility problems you will be able to take note of and start working on incrementally. If the mod is released in one "final" version then the moment the mod hits the web the comments sections of the forums and inboxes of the devs will be flooded with hundreds (perhaps thousands) of people submitting reports of problems with the compatibility of the mod that you would have no prior knowledge of all at once.

It seems to me that not only would option 2 make the developers lives easier, but it would also bring about a complete bug-free version of the game for us sooner than we could expect the devs to accomplish it alone.

 

[Deverz]

As a new member of this forum, I find the attitude directed towards new members to be quite shocking, frankly.

It has nothing to do with age

 

[Avenger]

I have voted for option 2 because I believe (as others have said before me) that it would bring about a spike in awareness of the mod and it would also be an invaluable contribution to bug squishing, which would in turn bring about a complete final version of the mod faster than if the ESF devs and testers were to do it alone.

Option 2 would not bring any more awareness. A finished version released would almost instantly be snatched up by various game and mod review sites, plus various other communities. ESF's problem is not publicity.

 

[Viper]

As a new member of this forum, I find the attitude directed towards new members to be quite shocking, frankly.

I understand some of the verified members have been waiting for this release for a good few years now, but so have I.
I have followed this mod since about 2009 solely by checking the updates on the moddb page, not a week has past since where I haven't checked that page at least once for the latest news. So I find it disturbing that the credibility of a members suggestions is brought into question by other members simply because of the fact that they do not have a verified copy of Half Life. Personally I WILL be buying half life as soon as this final version of the mod has been made available, and it would be nothing less than an insult to assume that I (or any other non verified member for that matter) would attempt to dodge having to pay a whopping (/sarcasm) £5.99 for a game that would allow me to play this mod. :-/

I have voted for option 2 because I believe (as others have said before me) that it would bring about a spike in awareness of the mod and it would also be an invaluable contribution to bug squishing, which would in turn bring about a complete final version of the mod faster than if the ESF devs and testers were to do it alone. I'm not sure how many people comprise of the testing team, but I can't imagine there being enough variety in the hardware the mod is being tested on to rule out a large enough number of possible incompatibilities with certain hardware specifications. The more people you have testing your game the more incompatibility problems you will be able to take note of and start working on incrementally. If the mod is released in one "final" version then the moment the mod hits the web the comments sections of the forums and inboxes of the devs will be flooded with hundreds (perhaps thousands) of people submitting reports of problems with the compatibility of the mod that you would have no prior knowledge of all at once.

It seems to me that not only would option 2 make the developers lives easier, but it would also bring about a complete bug-free version of the game for us sooner than we could expect the devs to accomplish it alone.

Unfortunately, you're the exception to the rule. Most new, unverified members swooped in here like vultures when they heard that they can vote to have the mod released. Also, make no mistake, there are ways of playing the Steam version of Half Life without buying it. Most of them won't give enough crap to actually pay for the game and use their cracked servers.
So, no.
Also, this mod already had an Open Beta a few years ago. The devs got constructive feedback like "This sucks.", "F this game, it crashes a lot" and so on. The majority of the community isn't as eager to help as they are eager to play this game.

 

[Avenger]

Viper's dead on. The same atmosphere was in place when the team was forced to release the 1.3: Open Beta, and it was a disaster.

 

[krzyhox]

give requirements please Exact

I have




will the game go for me max ?.

 

[hleV]

The thing about only validated members being able to vote is that the vote would be of a much higher quality, and that's needed. What's the big deal about not letting people who don't have HL "yet" vote? Just treat it as a special vote of a certain group of people, rather than a completely public one. Hell, if there were more active FP members, the vote could even have been FP-only.

 

[ArunasMe]

Option 2, simply because I don't feel like waiting for the full 'pimp' thing. Would be satisfied with the 'lite' version.

 

[Avenger]

Just like people were satisfied with the 1.3 Open Beta?

 

[Dokutayuu]

As a new member of this forum, I find the attitude directed towards new members to be quite shocking, frankly.

I don't think it's a problem with treatment of the group as a whole, it's just certain members. I'm sure a lot of you are very nice, some of the guys posting in the POTW threads are as nice as pie. However, a problem comes about when somebody registers only to demand a release date. Or even try to convince everyone that option 1 is silly and they've waited too long for a release, after perhaps a year or two of waiting. This might irk some people who have been waiting patiently for say 6 or 7 years. It's not that new members are hated, it's just that a fair proportion only have playing the next release on their minds.

Now, with option 1, I'm certain there will be minor bug fixes released afterwards. It wouldn't be a release and then "have fun with all the bugs". I'd be happy for either release plan, but I feel that a lot of people don't quite understand the first option.

 

[Grega]

A lot of people dont understand any of the 2 options TBH

 

[McVries]

I find it funny how so many people have been comparing phase 1 of the second option with the 1.3 Open Beta. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but the 1.3 Open Beta was the result of a leaked version of the game, forcing the developers to release an unpolished version of the game to appease the community. Am I wrong? If not, then it isn't a valid comparison. Phase 1 would be polished as much as possible before release because it would have been properly prepped by the team and been through numerous tests with the beta testers. It would not be a rushed product, much like the Open Beta. I'm sure it would have some bugs, like the release of any game, but it wouldn't be broken. If it is the intention of the developers to reach Phase 1 as a personal goal, then I'm sure if they decided to release it it wouldn't disappoint. These guys have done a phenomenal job so far, have more faith in the team.

 

[Grega]

I find it funny how so many people have been comparing phase 1 of the second option with the 1.3 Open Beta. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but the 1.3 Open Beta was the result of a leaked version of the game, forcing the developers to release an unpolished version of the game to appease the community. Am I wrong? If not, then it isn't a valid comparison. Phase 1 would be polished as much as possible before release because it would have been properly prepped by the team and been through numerous tests with the beta testers. It would not be a rushed product, much like the Open Beta. I'm sure it would have some bugs, like the release of any game, but it wouldn't be broken. If it is the intention of the developers to reach Phase 1 as a personal goal, then I'm sure if they decided to release it it wouldn't disappoint. These guys have done a phenomenal job so far, have more faith in the team.

Each and every open beta release was worked on to be as stable as possible. If we had a crash bug, we didnt release the open beta before we fixed it. So it was kinda more trouble than it was worth it.

Especially since it gave the chance for the people to see EXACTLY what the internam version of the game looked like. Not to mention the creation of change logs and installers so people would know what was different.

But yes Phase 1 would not be like that. It would be like ESF 1.2 with Phase 2 being like ESF 1.2.x

This however means the following. The gameplay will not change regardless of suggestions. There may be smaller tweaks, but we will not be recreating elements of the game for Phase 2. Phase 2 will focus on adding the missing stuff (chars, forms) and fixing small issues.

Thats why i said people dont get either of the 2 options. Some compare Phase 1 to the open beta and thats wrong, while others treat phase 2 as the next version of the game, which it isnt.

 

[Z Power]

I understand the difference.

Right now I am 25% with Option 2 and 75% with Option 1. Whatever floats your boats is fine with me.

 

[pumadace2000]

Each and every open beta release was worked on to be as stable as possible. If we had a crash bug, we didnt release the open beta before we fixed it. So it was kinda more trouble than it was worth it.

Especially since it gave the chance for the people to see EXACTLY what the internam version of the game looked like. Not to mention the creation of change logs and installers so people would know what was different.

But yes Phase 1 would not be like that. It would be like ESF 1.2 with Phase 2 being like ESF 1.2.x

This however means the following. The gameplay will not change regardless of suggestions. There may be smaller tweaks, but we will not be recreating elements of the game for Phase 2. Phase 2 will focus on adding the missing stuff (chars, forms) and fixing small issues.

Thats why i said people dont get either of the 2 options. Some compare Phase 1 to the open beta and thats wrong, while others treat phase 2 as the next version of the game, which it isnt.

I see now. I must admit I did have the wrong idea about option 2 in some places.

However since I'm the type of person that is more forgiving but also at the same time somewhat impatient, I'm still routing (hope that's the correct word for what I mean) for option 2 and here is one of the reasons that might have not been mentioned here before but I think everybody is thinking about this in some degree when it comes to the second option with the 2 phases and that is: ,,Will phase one have the improved combat system?" I don't care about things like lots of maps, or lots of characters(hell If I where calling the shots I would have only released 2 of them as full as possible as a demo both having playable bots if necessary, and let's not forget if at all possible possible)... buuut not being in charge and not being in any way qualified for this, I can't really say what a dev can and can't do, now can I.

All I want to see, even if I'm impatient, and I bet someone is making quite a hate file on me for this ( I have pro's and con's, God forbid) is that ,,advertised" new combat mechanic and by that I mean no more QTE's that completely break your movements for way to long and (hopefully) no more constantly hitting me while I'm rolling on the ground for increased damage*.

If these will show up in phase 1 then I can happily say that my wish has been fulfilled even if it doesn't have those bonus moves that you have to stack to pull of combos, even if it has bugs, even if it's only a map and even if it's just a bunch of Gokus playing, hell that wouldn't be so different from the current stable version of esf, now would it. (Sadly not many people think like this, but I'm just showing my point of view).

However if phase one meant no new combat mechanics just improved graphics and some other stuff, then I must, shamefully but also respectfully ask, that my vote be removed from the poll if possible as I have been utterly and disgracefully wrong in my decision. Though to be fair if that really is the case then I must really point out that more info should be offered on what phase 1 contains, being the phase that indirectly states ,,it won't innovate much" I mean come on if phase 1 is meant for improvement of the old and phase 2 is meant for innovations and improvement of the improvement you can at least say what the improvement would be without having to reveal the innovation. Why? Because (if this is the case) then I'm a complete and utter moron for not seeing that the first time and I'm afraid some other people would also get the wrong idea:

Phase 1

Reduce the playable characters down to 5-6
Limit characters to 1 transformation level
Postpone non-deathmatch game modes

* I think that's a bug, but if it's not, while I don't find it to be ,,not Dragonball Z-ish", as things like that do happen sometimes in the show as well, I find that fact that I can't defend myself during the rolling and that I can't un-roll no matter how many buttons I mash quite frustrating add to that increased damage every time you get hit... and you get alot of :cry: from the victims of this bug/move/mechanic thingy. Hopefully it will be solved cause the fact that pro players can charge towards you from forward, then teleport at the last second behind you and hit you from there makes the game hard and frustrating enough, but acceptable non the less.

<Note to self> Stop saying ,,however" so many times!

 

[Z Power]

The difference between Phase 1 and 2 is similar to the difference between a demo and a full game. Thats all there is to it.

 

[pumadace2000]

The difference between Phase 1 and 2 is similar to the difference between a demo and a full game. Thats all there is to it.

But a demo usually includes some of the features of the full game, for example it has some of the mechanics and in this case some characters. I'm interested to know which mechanics it offers and as I said before, the ones I'm looking forward to seeing in the ,,Demo" are the new combat mechanics, I repeat no QTE, no getting smashy smashy on people when they roll. Tha'sts basically what I wish to know so that I may be sure if I'm an idiot or not for voting the wrong option because I had the wrong idea.

 

[Grega]

The 1.2 thing was an example.

1.2 got release (like Phase 1) and after a while an update to 1.2 was made bringing forth the 1.2.x versions (what Phase 2 is essentially for the final)

There were minor changes and some maps added, but no big gameplay changes between 1.2 and the following versions.

Im saying itll be the same for Phase 1 and 2. No big gameplay changes. Thats the part people dont seem to get with all the comments about changing the game for phase 2 depending on approval. It wont happen.

Phase 2 will only be adding stuff and fixing bugs, but not making changes.

 

[krzyhox]

And the game in the first phase will be the one what we can see now on potw?.

 

[Raven]

And the game in the first phase will be the one what we can see now on potw?.

no the screenshots provided an insight in the work in progress of the full release.. meaning that the first phase will not have everything in it that was shown in pics and vids.