Ben-DutkaOkay, what hasn't been delayed until 2015? Maybe we should start there.
Sure, games like Destiny , Assassin's Creed: Unity , Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare , Dragon Age: Inquisition , Far Cry 4 , Driveclub , and The Evil Within will make for a solid holiday season.
However, with such high-profile delays, it's hard not to imagine what could've been. Batman: Arkham Knight , The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt , and now Battlefield: Hardline has been added to the list. There are others, too. This is one of those years where you start to seriously wonder if way too many games were shown off way too early. Watch Dogs is yet another good example and in fact, the examples are many.
I'm not one of those people who bothers with delays. I'm really not. I have so little time these days that I actually welcome most delays. Great, gives me more time to work through my backlog, you know? And while I'm positive I'll still have plenty to play during the latter half of 2014, all these delays are a tad unsettling. It almost feels as if the majority of projects we get all excited about require more time in development, which also makes me wonder if teams have had enough time to familiarize themselves with the new hardware.
I don't really know what's going on, but I do know that I can't recall such a crazy rash of delays in such a short span of time. Can you?
BF Hardline makes sense – COD, Halo and the magnificence that is Destiny will own the holiday FPS market and EA knows it.
Like The Order 1886 I believe they made the right choice and not risk getting ignored for superior games.
I just hope FarCry4 doesnt suffer from the holiday season FPS AAA glut.
Hardline should just be cancelled.
Looks shit.
I am guessing that this means there will be no Battlefield 4 releasing next year. Which is pretty sad. Really looking forward to the next main title.
Release dates are just marketing drivel until they're ready to actually press disks (or push to PSN). I know reviewers/reporters/bloggers need them as talking points, but they don't mean much. I'm jaded a bit, though, as budget forces me to watt for the bargain bin, so release dates mean even less to me.
I'll take the obligatory "I'd rather wait so they can squash the bus and add polish" answer.
This isn't about the delays. It's about trying to push games out to quickly. That's the problem. Developers and publishers are literally relying on patches so they can get games out quicker. This continues until the development cycle is just too short and the game gets delayed. Problem is the delay still doesn't typically warrant enough time.
Evidence that even after helping PS3 make an easy to program for console are still actually just terrible developers.
All I know is Raven's Cry better not get another delay this season.
ps4
Its the next generation, which is trying to compete with more than a few factors. Give'em a break.
The COD dude up top, see? He loves Destiny. The next CoD. Called it! He;s high too if he thinks The Order would suffer aside the likes of the list he mentioned.
And bigrailer said it too, its them trying to shove these games out the door too quickly hence them getting more and more issues.
Last edited by Corvo on 7/22/2014 11:52:18 PM
Although i don't agree with him calling the games superior seeing as though neither game is out just yet, I don't think it's too far fetch to think that the order would do better during the spring of 2015 over the winter of 2014.
Hey I didn't mean to say the Order 1886 is in any way inferior to Destiny or even COD – it looks incredible and it is an TPS (I freakin love Gears) but launching a new IP would not be wise at the same time as the heavy hitters. Having played the beta – BF Hardline just wouldn't count if released in the holiday season. My guess is the preoders (or lack thereof)told EA that.
Dragon Age: Inquisition was delayed……..to November 2014.:D
I guess I'm glad in a certain way because it also gives me time to play my ridiculously large backlog and this supposedly allows for more polish, but damn are they getting frequent!
Good maybe they can make hardline seem like something more than a DLC pack
If delaying a game like the PC version of Splinter Cell "SHUT THE FRONT DOOR BUGFEST OF PATCHES!" Blacklist keeps it from being broken then the delays are all worth it.
yah, so i finally got it working by uninstalling it, finding motherboard drivers, re-installing those, then reinstalling Blacklist… yah, 19GB of download later. But right now all patches work and things seem A-OK.
…but it's still Splinter Cell: Buglist as far I'm concerned =p
..and no really, the lists of bug fixes that are associated with each patch are like a mile long. Like how the heck did they ever approve it's initial release?
Last edited by Temjin001 on 7/23/2014 1:12:08 PM
I apologize for posting this but just in case people don't believe me.
and Ben, feel free to delete this if it's too intrusive and unsightly =)
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Blacklist Patch Notes v1.03
September 2013
ADV IMPROVEMENTS
– Money and experience are now automatically saved when the game ends due to host migration
– The host's team is no longer guaranteed to play as Mercs first. The team will be randomly chosen to start as either Spies or Mercs.
– Removed Exit Match option during mid-match menus and halftime report.
– Made maps-specific changes to prevent spawn-killing in general and spawn-killing by drones specifically.
CONTROLS
– Split of "Use" and "Attack" actions
– Allow controller to work even when window is not in focus
– Fix crash on loading screen when disconnecting controller
– Fix active sprint toggle
GRAPHICS
– 16:10 aspect ratio support (option in video settings for non-letterboxed mode)
– Support for 3+ GPUs
– Fix for flicking lights on certain multiple GPU setups
GAMEPLAY
– Fix bug with mines not always working with NPCs
– Fix issue with assault mastery on ghost maps
– Fix freezes in certain levels
– Fix invisible collision area in certain co-op level
– Fix bug where players can get stuck at the end of a certain co-op level
– Fix crash when walking on the big pipes
– Fix issue where final cutscene may not be correctly visible
UI
– Fix black screen when accessing after action report from lobby at certain times
– Show hack reset camera in killcam of players
– Fix mouse scroll usage on missions settings menu
– Fix some instance of incorrect button prompts
– Fix for disappearing mouse cursor on changing language settings
– Fix issue with cell feed menus
– Fix issue where player can get stuck in video settings menu
– Fix issue where restart story menu can't be accessed
– Fix problem with selecting challenges and scrolling through list
AUDIO
– Fix audio volume in videos
ONLINE
– Improved spawn algorithm
– Extended drone exclusion radius
– Fix issue with drones not getting properly destroyed
– Prevent drones getting into spy spawning volume
– Anti-RFD helmet no longer blocks torso abilities
– Stun duration balancing
– Ensure profile and earned money is saved if host quits
– Spy loadout gadget quantity balancing
– Team assignment balancing
– Modified motion tracking
– Fix merc invulnerability exploit in certain spot
– Fix issue with sticky cam damage
– Ensure blocked players can't join games
ENGINE
– Addition of optional automatic HTTP proxy detection
– Use minimal system validation on launch
– Fix Processor affinity
– Fix alt-tab crash in loading screen
– General optimisations
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Blacklist Patch Notes v1.02
August 2013
crash fixes:
– fix for crash on startup on DX11 with certain monitors
– fix memory leak in DX11 constant buffer system
– fix for hang on controller disconnect in loading screens
– fix for hang in customize gear screen
– fix rare crash with host disconnect
– fix crash in loading screen after getting killed in the tunnel
– fix hang in coop after checking computers and disconnecting
– fix crash when equipping tri-rotor in customize gear menu
– fix coop crash in loading screen
– fix popup crash in lobbies
– fix potential audio crash in preload
– fix crash with exclusive skins in co-op
– fix for potential hang after pausing cutscene
– fix frag grenade crash
gameplay:
– fix issues with rogue agent scoring
– fix input for interrogation scenes
– fix co-op interactions with missing prompts
– fix for players reaching out of world location in certain missions
– fix for player getting stuck in kobin back alley
– fix capture the intel objectives when maximum intel is acquired by one team
– fix bad spawns during transitions
– fix getting stuck in door on a specific point on a map
– fix for exploits in SvsM
– fix for spy getting out of map
– fix for merc getting stuck
– fix for intel getting stuck on gun
– fix door replication on a specific map in co-op
– fix some invisible collisions
– fix some crate collisions
– fix for objects falling out of world
– fix getting stuck in corner with crossbow
– fix for spy weapon abuse
– fix for getting stuck in transition area in co-op
– fix for getting stuck in co-op on disconnect
– balance tweaks for frontal attacks
online:
– reduce host migration failures
– fix clients getting stuck in sessions with multiple simultaneous host migrations
– improvements to game migration
– improve speed of getting into game
controls:
– fix controller detection when multiple input devices are connected
– allow gamepad input even if window has no focus
– debounce use key so holding it down doesn't trigger sequence of actions
– fix issue where player can get stuck in sprint mode
graphics:
– fix trirotor explosion
– fix visible scope during cinematics
– support for super widescreen aspect ratios
– fix character rendering on customization screens on high resolution displays
– optimise flash depth stencil buffer allocations
– fix broken tv state
– fix for targets appearing in bind pose
– fix merc animation
– fix issue with unknown resolutions
UI:
– remove duplicated back button in dead drops sub menu
– fix erroneous Joy1/Joy2 button prompts when using keyboard
– fix incorrect message displayed after deploying tri rotor
– fix mouse auto centering when buying items
– fix for hud sometimes missing during mark & execute
– fix with UI getting stuck in customize gear screen whilst upgrading a weapon
– fix controller selection wheel flicker when you don't have focus
– fix mouse clipping issue when lowering resolution below monitor's native resolution
– fix loadout screen missing locks
– fix weapon placement in customize gear screen
– fix preview in coop lobby
– fix view match settings during countdown
– fix gone dark hint display
– fix for leaderboard display corruption
sound:
– fix sound loop for mouse over animations in the SMI
– fix for trirotor sounds in co-op
– fix lost sound on pause menu in coop
– fix for audio during controller reconnection
engine:
– make file save system more robust
– gracefully handle corrupted save game files
– optimise engine to improve performance on older AMD cpus
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Blacklist Patch Notes v1.01
August 2013
————————————————————–
crash fixes
– AAR screen
– Loading into CO-OP match
– fix alt-tab crashes
– fix alt-tab on windows 8
– fix alt-tab issues on machines with multiple GPUs
– fix window minimization issues
– fix texture crash on incorrect texture info
– fix crash on thread storage release
– fix active sound crash
– fixed crash when resolution is less than 2×2
– fixed device lost crash
– fix crash in paladin
– fix asset load crash
– fix crash when running and defending the teammate who had the intel
– fix deadlock between ui and loading
– fix loading hang
– fix crash opening doorway to hallway leading to tunnel
– fix host crash in hadron collider
– fix crash in voron station
– fix hang in AAR screen in multiplayer
– fix getting stuck in shadownet interface
– fix crash after falling under elevator
– fix crash sliding down ladder
– fix crash on quit to desktop
– fix crash with multithreaded physics
– fix crash on checkpoint reload
– fix crash in silo
controls
– fix hold not activating vision modes
– don't allow WASD/mouse when controller is on
– mercenaries no longer prioritize capturing over killing when using mouse & keyboard
– allow back button when input is blocked for MP scoreboard
– fix reset to default for gamepad
– allow controller connection on SMI screen
– mouse position no longer reset every tick
– scrollbars can now be dragged by mouse
– set correct scrollbar positions in friends party list and key bindings
– fix for not being able to melee in certain locations
– fix intel grab priority
– fix for losing control of input when disconnecting controller during loading
– fix for not being able to switch weapons during countdown
– fix windows key usage
ui
– hide mouse cursor between transitions
– select button removed when mouse and keyboard are default controllers
– hook up mouse clicks correctly in co-op lobby
– mouse movement no longer triggers skip prompt
– quit to desktop option added for ADV/COOP modes
– fixed flicker on selection wheel when using mouse/keyboard
– prevent overlap in chat text
– fix gadget ui
– show clan tags in text chat
– fix mouse interaction with gamma slider
– fix missing button prompt
– fix rogue agent messaging
– fix back button alignment
– fix loadout display visibility on controller disconnection
– fix missing skip prompts
– fix tutorial buttons
– fix text in progress menu
– fix disappearing ui when resetting to defaults
– correctly localise video settings
– update mode option on mission preview when cycling through modes
– fix loadout menu
– fix geotips getting clamped
– fix pulsing icons
graphics
– fix erroneous camera movement when moving mouse and exiting SMI
– fix slowdown when SSAO and MSAA is on
– fix object flickering
– fix white outlines on particles in MSAA mode
– fix vision mode with occlusion system
– fix MSAA causing some objects to have black squares in DX11
– fix field AO flickering in DX11
– fix bullet casing flickering in DX11
– fix SSAO glow on characters in DX11
– fix black textures in DX9
– fix occlusion flickers
– fix laser dot sight
– fix refresh rate issues
– fix character rendering on customization screen in MSAA modes
– fix streamable texture issues
– fix incorrect viewport sizing on first launch
Optimisations
– low spec CPU optimisation
– multi-GPU optimisations
– fix framerate drop issues
configuration
– detect outdated drivers
– correctly set resolution based on system validation
misc
– fix music sequencing in ADV modes
– fix erroneous audio restart when alt-tabbing during video playback
– fix achievement unlocks
– fix assist scoring
– fix ladder playlists
– network replication fixes
Last edited by Temjin001 on 7/23/2014 1:19:06 PM
woh
yah, I know seriously. like how the heck did this product ever get approved for release before these patches? and who knows how many other problems are still residing within the game?
Last edited by Temjin001 on 7/23/2014 1:26:05 PM
The number of bugs in modern games is too damn high!
Alien: Isolation is still on schedule!
Though I agree the sheer volume of delays are surprising, I can believe their are reasons well beyond development needs. The fall is always brutal from a business standpoint. Games like Madden, Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed usurp huge piles of gamer's dollars. Those release other games — even high profile ones like Dragon Age — need to be very, very careful with when and how they are released.
And speaking of Dragon Age, six more weeks of polish and, I assume, a less difficult launch window sounds like a great reason for a minor delay.
We really are becoming like PC games!
I just got accepted to the CREW beta….. on PC! so yes. yes we are!
been wanting to try this out because it's the closest thing to Motorstorm this gen I can think of
I have it pre-ordered and fully paid for. Hopefully it's better than Motorstorm, a series I have tried over and over to like but never could despite owning every home console iteration.
I am not surprised by the delays. Most of the delayed games will come out on current and last gen hardware. I give the Developers and Publishes credit for not pushing an unfinished project out the door.
I think it's because companies have finally figured out that we will buy the game whenever it comes out. Let's face it, if Uncharted, for example, gets delayed 6 months or a year the same people are going to buy it anyway. Now you don't want to say "We're releasing in two years" but you want to stay in the public eye so you say "it's coming this year" then change it.
I've been very vocal concerning Drive Club's delays and all i get is flamed left and right. I don't care how much has changed (while we never know what has actually changed because we never saw a game anyway), a year's delay is not an accident. I don't believe Drive Club was ever realistically going to be a launch game. BUT if a game gets delayed the company says "we want to give you the best product possible" and idiots all over start chanting in unison "Take your time" without ever once questioning it at all. I'm sorry but I was raised to question authority. Not doubt it, but ask questions. If you can't answer the questions logically, I'm not buying it…figuratively AND literally.
I think the game will be great, but I have to agree. When they say they want to "give the best product possible" and have to delay the game for it then they did not plan correctly. Considering it is a next gen game I want to say I can give them a break, but they should have known better.
I like it better when they release it early like RE 6 that was out about a month before the initial release date .
i really think they need more realistic release dates and then not have to bother with delays. i mean we want games just ones that work so i'm all for getting them finished 1st.
happy gaming