How to stop the constant 'whens it out' posts. Why

[Marshal]

Over the past few months OFP players have constantly asked for details for ArmA. Topics start up all the time asking whens the game coming out and every one gets locked. Why dont BIS just make an announcement of the current state of the game to stop all the speculation? This topic just keeps going around and round in circles with the community asking for some current information and the admins here just locking the topic making no comment.

I see that Lead Programmers take part in the forum and yet cannot answer any questions - why?

BIS all you need to do is make an official announcement on these forums saying 'Guys here is the current state of the game, here are the details that youve all been asking for so now please be happy and let us finish the game.'

The constant questioning and locking of topics asking about development is completely unproductive.

Whatever news that is available will be of interest to the community here no matter how small.

The old saying of 'No news is good news' cannot be used in this situation. The community want to know whats happening, especially as you have said that the game 'should' be released in Q4 2005. By just not talking about it will not make the problem go away, in fact if anything you will drive potential customers away from your new product because they will get bored with asking the same questions without any response!

Now I guess this topic will be locked http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/nener.gif

[D.murphy man]

Im sure BIS aint giving out detials for a good reason. Also what sort of reply are you looking for here? its not like there gonna read your post and then suddenly think 'You know what this guy on the forums is right! quik guys release everything!' http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/tounge2.gif

Best thing to do is sit tight, and not add to endless sea of locked post icons.

Im sure soon one of the mods is going to blow a valve and start handing out tempoury bans to every one making these sort of posts. I know if i was them i would http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/crazy_o.gif

Any way, yay! another post count racked up in another soon to be locked thread http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/yay.gif

[orange juice]

*singing* it´s all just a little bit of history repeating..... http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/whistle.gif http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/biggrin_o.gif

[Marshal]

Well what 'good reason' would you suggest? According to them and if theyre on track, the game should be out within the next month and they refuse to answer the constant and simple question of 'any news?'.

Personally it gives me the impression that there must be some type of problem if they are unwilling to give any news at all.

We are the paying public who pay their wages, dont you think that we deserve a little news once in a while?

It doesnt look good either when you read all the bad comments on their official ArmA website written by disgruntled games players - it seems that they're not even moderating the messages?

[colossus]

its not like there gonna read your post and then suddenly think 'You know what this guy on the forums is right! quik guys release everything!' http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/tounge2.gif
Damn, I was hoping that was the case http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/sad_o.gif


Speaking of locks, see anything familiar?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/colossus/dancing-lock.gif            http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/yay.gif

[D.murphy man]

Well what 'good reason' would you suggest?.....

....that there must be some type of problem if they are unwilling to give any news at all.
http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/wink_o.gif

[orange juice]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/colossus/dancing-lock.gif
*stealing* http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/nener.gif

[philcommando]

I aint no BIS staff or admin here to give comments worth a damn. However, lets stay positive.

BIS is darn busy developing the staff for the markets, last minute changes and adjustments, market strategizings, etc, and the last thing they wanna be is to be distracted is by all the questioning fans are clamouring for. Answer one question and it will lead to another. Ask another and it will lead to million other questions. Anyone who is not answered will go away feeling petty and start a ruckus here.

Its just like a surgery operation. Why do u think they put a red light on the entrance for? its to tell folks to let the pros do their jobs and rest assured once its done, all news will be made known, dead or alive. Best is let them focus on their jobs.

Same here, lets let BIS pros do and focus on their jobs. Judging by their previous acheivements, standards and sneak peaks, it will be awesome..so hold on to yer horses...yer lives are gonna change as it did for many back in 2001 when ofp1 was release http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/wink_o.gif

[Leone]

Well what 'good reason' would you suggest? According to them and if theyre on track, the game should be out within the next month and they refuse to answer the constant and simple question of 'any news?'.

Personally it gives me the impression that there must be some type of problem if they are unwilling to give any news at all.

We are the paying public who pay their wages, dont you think that we deserve a little news once in a while?

It doesnt look good either when you read all the bad comments on their official ArmA website written by disgruntled games players - it seems that they're not even moderating the messages?
You do NOT pay their wages. BIS employees do not get paid via royalites (or if they do it probably isn't much). They get a wage from the publisher. The owners of BIS would receive royalties. Just like a Grip working on a film isn't paid by you buying a ticket to see a movie.

However, just in case you have picked up on this I'll explain it clearly for you. YOU HAVEN'T PAID THEM A CENT FOR AA. Got it? Clear enough? So no, you don't pay their wages.

Obviously you haven't been around any games before they have been released, but here's a tip. 99% of them DO NOT release hour by hour, day by day or month by month updates to the public.

So before this get topic gets locked I'll explain a couple of things to you and all the other stupid idiots that whine.

1. Games are complex. Example: here are some rough plans for a car and 200,000 pieces of metal. Day 1: When are you going to be finished? Day 2: When are you going to be finished? Day 3: When are you going to be finished? Day 4: When are you going to be finished? Day 5: When are you going to be finished?

Gets annoying asked a stupid meaningless question over and over doesn't it?

2. How long is a piece of string? What on earth makes you think they know EXACTLY how far along they are? They could probably spend a whole week analysing exactly where they are up to...time that is better spent building it.

3. They probably (like 99% sure) have a deadline they have to meet. And they probably don't want that known publically until close to the event in case they miss it. Partly this is so whining bitches like you won't be disappointed but mainly because they then probably don't get paid as much and their reputation as a developer slids a little.

So go back to your Mother, ask for some milk and cookies and sit down and shut up like a good boy until BIS are done doing what they do best....which is making games, not pandering to pathetic little kids like you.

/rant http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/biggrin_o.gif

[colossus]

To survive a big market as this you have to be seen, and not talking about it is not the way to do that.
Look at the big releases this year, they release plenty of pictures and movies.

If you think of the SWOT analysis the main weakness to BIS is not being noticed by the customers, and by releasing info early in the process will give the customers a head start to spread the info around forums, friends, blogs, etc. etc.






http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/colossus/dancing-lock.gif
*stealing* http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/nener.gif
http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/biggrin_o.gif

[gandalf the white]

So go back to your Mother, ask for some milk and cookies and sit down and shut up like a good boy until BIS are done doing what they do best....which is making games, not pandering to pathetic little kids like you.

/rant http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/biggrin_o.gif
Looks like you need some explanation too, on how to communicate with other people.

I have to agree with you about then "when will it be done?" part, but what I fail to see is why Bis releases NO information at all about what they've done to the engine.

Suma is posting enough in the Xbox section (he has all the right to), but why won't he, Maruk, or Placebo give us information about the thing that made OFP last this long: the engine ? http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/confused_o.gif .

The only engine limitation confirmed broken is the limit to have only one artificial horizon in aircraft, and that information was taken from screens / video's!

[philcommando]

lol!...textures,models, scripts...and now the engine? what next? Will the questions never cease?

The worse part of it all is to TALK about the engine..the heart and soul of the product before it hits the markets!!!...Do u know how many copycats are out in the market hungerier than BIS for a breakthru? Once you reveal yer engine..software engineers will ponder on it, break it, use it on their product and market it themselves. AND claim BIS copy their concepts!!!! http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/crazy_o.gif Some stuff just need a clam over it - loose mouth sinks ships... http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/sad_o.gif

[Marshal]

Well what 'good reason' would you suggest? According to them and if theyre on track, the game should be out within the next month and they refuse to answer the constant and simple question of 'any news?'.

Personally it gives me the impression that there must be some type of problem if they are unwilling to give any news at all.

We are the paying public who pay their wages, dont you think that we deserve a little news once in a while?

It doesnt look good either when you read all the bad comments on their official ArmA website written by disgruntled games players - it seems that they're not even moderating the messages?
You do NOT pay their wages. BIS employees do not get paid via royalites (or if they do it probably isn't much). They get a wage from the publisher. The owners of BIS would receive royalties. Just like a Grip working on a film isn't paid by you buying a ticket to see a movie.

However, just in case you have picked up on this I'll explain it clearly for you. YOU HAVEN'T PAID THEM A CENT FOR AA. Got it? Clear enough? So no, you don't pay their wages.

Obviously you haven't been around any games before they have been released, but here's a tip. 99% of them DO NOT release hour by hour, day by day or month by month updates to the public.

So before this get topic gets locked I'll explain a couple of things to you and all the other stupid idiots that whine.

1. Games are complex. Example: here are some rough plans for a car and 200,000 pieces of metal. Day 1: When are you going to be finished? Day 2: When are you going to be finished? Day 3: When are you going to be finished? Day 4: When are you going to be finished? Day 5: When are you going to be finished?

Gets annoying asked a stupid meaningless question over and over doesn't it?

2. How long is a piece of string? What on earth makes you think they know EXACTLY how far along they are? They could probably spend a whole week analysing exactly where they are up to...time that is better spent building it.

3. They probably (like 99% sure) have a deadline they have to meet. And they probably don't want that known publically until close to the event in case they miss it. Partly this is so whining bitches like you won't be disappointed but mainly because they then probably don't get paid as much and their reputation as a developer slids a little.

So go back to your Mother, ask for some milk and cookies and sit down and shut up like a good boy until BIS are done doing what they do best....which is making games, not pandering to pathetic little kids like you.

/rant http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/biggrin_o.gif

Quote[/b] ]You do NOT pay their wages. BIS employees do not get paid via royalites (or if they do it probably isn't much). They get a wage from the publisher. The owners of BIS would receive royalties. Just like a Grip working on a film isn't paid by you buying a ticket to see a movie.

If the employees of BIS do not earn revenue from their games that we buy, can you please explain where all the money goes? Of course our money pays their wages, otherwise wouldnt they just give their games to us for free? And you start off by trying to dictate that they dont get paid via royalties, but then say that if they do it isnt much. So why did you bother trying to state something that you obviously do not have the answer to? If you know so much about the industry then you can post a reference that they get paid by the publisher or did you just make that up for the sake of argument?

Are you also saying that BIS employees have remained unpaid recently because they have no publisher?


Quote[/b] ]1. Games are complex. Example: here are some rough plans for a car and 200,000 pieces of metal. Day 1: When are you going to be finished? Day 2: When are you going to be finished? Day 3: When are you going to be finished? Day 4: When are you going to be finished? Day 5: When are you going to be finished?

But you have missed out one major piece of information. BIS publicly announced that the game would be out in Q4 2005. So if the games not ready yet whats the harm in releasing a statement that the game will take a little longer because they have hit upon a few problems? That may not be good news, but at least we all know where the game stands.

Why promise an audience that a singer is appearing on stage at 9pm but by 10.30pm theres still no sign of him. You go to the stage door and ask a member of staff 'when will he arrive' to be told 'no comment'. Thats exactly what we have here.


Quote[/b] ]2. How long is a piece of string? What on earth makes you think they know EXACTLY how far along they are? They could probably spend a whole week analysing exactly where they are up to...time that is better spent building it.

Well lets think?http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/huh.gif hmmm, now what possibly would make them know how far they have got with the game, oh yeah, silly me, thier making it themselves of course, so who else would know if they dont? Doh!


Quote[/b] ]3. They probably (like 99% sure) have a deadline they have to meet. And they probably don't want that known publically until close to the event in case they miss it. Partly this is so whining bitches like you won't be disappointed but mainly because they then probably don't get paid as much and their reputation as a developer slids a little.

Yeah and they announced that deadline as Q4 2005 at E3 and still no news. Perhaps you could pick up a dictionary and then you'd realise that the word 'bitch' is related to the female of a species. I am a male and expect to be treated like a human being, just because you dont agree with my views does not mean that you have to insult me or anyone else here.


Quote[/b] ]So go back to your Mother, ask for some milk and cookies and sit down and shut up like a good boy until BIS are done doing what they do best....which is making games, not pandering to pathetic little kids like you.

In all probability I am older than you and the only person who looks like theyve spat their dummy out of their pram is you. So if you cant take part in an adult conversation then I suggest you go back to watching The Simpsons.

[RalphWiggum]

*sigh*

seems like the more info out the more people want this and that.

closing