The importance of getting it right the first time (Gaming)

by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Monday, August 08, 2016, 13:54 (3029 days ago) @ Cody Miller

I'm sure that many developers actually do TRY to get their games into fully playable states earlier in development, but it rarely happens because of the other problems I mentioned (unrealistic release schedules, poor planning, etc). My point is that the severity of some day-1 patches is a symptom of larger issues with game development. Saying "no day-1 patches" won't make the end-products any better.

Well, in this instance their reliance on a day 1 patch demonstrably hurt the game's reception, and possibly sales figures. That alone should be incentive enough for them to try to get it right next time.

I don't follow your logic there. The developers didn't send out early copies of the game. They've been very upfront about saying "hey, the game won't be finished until launch day so don't don't expect everything to be right until then". Retailers broke street date. Media and random consumers put out pre-release footage. The developers themselves did nothing wrong.

Yes they did.

1. They included a shit version of their game on the retail disc.
2. They allowed said shit version to connect to the server and play.

All they really had to do was not allow players to play until they downloaded the patch on release day.

You lost me at "shit version." I think you have an unrealistic view of game development. Patches became attractive when they became a practical way of making the game better on launch day than it could otherwise be. Yes, this method can be abused, and games that have problems on launch day should be judged accordingly, but the implicit contract between the gamer and the developer is about what the game will be at launch, not before.