When!!!!!!!!

[Hancock the Superb]

Norb - I would like to be the first to tell you:

To the heck with the demo! As soon as I download it, I'm buying the key (if not beforehand) and I'll start playing!

No need for a demo when a good man like Norb is on the project.

[norb]

You better play the demo, cause if the game don't work on your PC... Our refund department is run by Helen Waite, so if you want a refund go to Helen Waite.

[Hancock the Superb]

I don't believe it will be a problem.

[UglyElmo]

The people I know who are interested in this game always purchase them. You are right though, you will not be able to stop the pirates, but as mentioned earlier, if there is a way to have the server validate, legit cd keys, for Multi-player that would cut out a lot of the pirating and also future hacking of the game. I have found that most hackers are pirates and vice-versa.

I hope the MP hosting options include a way of kicking players both before and during the game. Also a banned list would be wonderful, but not as vital. This way, once you ban someone you won't see their chat in the lobby and they won't be able to play in your game with that particular username. These things help keep griefing to a minimum and you will see more open and less passworded games, which keeps the community "new-player friendly".

I am not sure if the MP interface is in lock-down mode, as is the game, but if you would like Norb, I have a bit of time available finally and could put together a wishlist of sorts describing MP options and interface features which myself and others here have found to help in building a great MP game and active community. PS: Nevermind, I just noticed the "Ideas for 1st patch" thread further down. I will contribute in that thread if I think of any ideas.


PS: I too am very patient. I have wished for games to be release early before, then regretted it when the game contained numerous fun-killing bugs. I loved your Take Command games and I am very confident you will continue to do the things necessary to make this game as bug-free as possible before you release it.

[norb]

It is pretty bug free. It's crash free right now as far as we know. We are working on testing the scenarios and some AI bugs. I am building the first installer tonight. I should get the code for the copy protection this week. MP will be simple out the door, but we will add features as we go along. I did this on purpose because MP can cause the most issues of anything else. So we kept it simple and just focused on making sure it's solid. Features will come.

[UglyElmo]

I am all for simple to start. I'm an industrial electrician and in my experience it is easier to begin simple, testing each addition to the project until you finish. It simplifies troubleshooting as well, since you know exactly when the problem occurred and which part of the project is the likely suspect.

PS: Plus, by adding features using a frequent patching schedule, you might discourage the casual pirate since a patch changes the .exe and to play online everyone will have to have the latest patch. The hackers would have to keep re-creating the .exe for each time you patched the game. Only the most determined individuals would go through the trouble. Since this type of act is more of an ego boosting thing, I am sure the hackers would move on to the big-name releases from publishers like EA, Valve, SEGA etc . . . since they can gain more bragging rights and street cred. and will not bother to keep up with little ole Scourge of War's latest update.

Plus, with each patch, it's like playing a brand new game! I love testing out changes in stats, features etc . .. and adding them to my playing style . . . which is basically engaging the enemy, quickly routing, and searching for the nearest exit!