MattW
Administrator
To the vengeful masses, here is some light:
There?s been a lot of speculation and accusation about post-release support for Ashes Cricket 2009.
Codemaster's Community man Helios caught up with wet hand-shaked producer Jamie Firth to ask the questions YOU wanted answering in a frank chat.
QUESTION ONE: So, is there going to be a patch or what?
Yes. Oh yes there is.
Why did you disappear post-release? What are you hiding from?
To clarify the situation, people at Codemasters and Transmission have actually been in plenty of contact with admins of the PlanetCricket forums since release. Throughout this, we have also been monitoring the forums daily (hourly) for feedback.
The admins couldn?t tell you that they were doing this, as they were sworn to secrecy until we were in a position to make an official announcement: there are so many things we need to get in place it was always going to take a while.
So why has it taken so long?
There has been no official announcement of a patch being released due to the complications that a patch presents: as you will appreciate, game engines are very complicated beasts and the slightest changes to "n" here could well cause multiple problems elsewhere in the game, especially something with complicated and numerous simultaneous AI systems that a game like Cricket needs to use. I'm sure you will all appreciate it really isn't as simple as small changes and release! For every change you make, particularly with regards to run-rates, aggression etc, there are lots of other things which need to be rebalanced.
Here's an example of just ONE "small" fix. And these are rough, but nowhere near the micro-detail that WOULD have to happen!
Feedback is that edges were not carrying far enough, and you'd love to see them carry more.
Firstly, altering some variables will make the ball carry: The ball should retain more velocity when coming off the VERY edge of the bat.
This means that there will be a lot more wickets caught behind, but that will see more unrealistic totals (quicker dismissals)?
Now the game is too easy and favours the bowler.
The timing window must therefore be tweaked so that thin edges are maybe more frequent, and thick edges less so.
We need to go through each player level, to make sure that the player's skill has not become an unbalancing factor (assuming that thick edges are more likely from a lower order batsman, you would expect to see the ball clipping over the wicket-keeper, running to third man or fine leg)
Proper balancing must be done to ensure that when re-addressing this, the batsmen are not favoured either.
This now has to be rebalanced for each difficulty level.
I could go on: the above is just an example to try and illustrate how many different factors (and there are lots more that I?m not mentioning) we have to consider even on what seem, on the surface, like small fixes.
But why not just release a patch straight away and then patch it again when needed?
Patches for the PC are simple to distribute: we just upload it to the internet and people download it.
For console it's more complicated. Each platform has its own requirements for "Title Updates" and they have to go through a submissions and testing process, just like a boxed game.
Due to the above, a very carefully structured approach is required: we needed to collate a large amount of feedback and analyse which changes we could make, or not!
Considering that a HUGE percentage of customers are playing on consoles and not PC (and it IS a huge percentage I assure you), it is vital that we get the console version right... For PC you can have lots of iterative versions, but for console you realistically only get one shot, so we want to make sure we're catching everything we can before releasing it.
So, enough banter from you, you foppy-haired charlatan: IS there going to be a patch or what, and WHEN?
A closed beta is actually already running in top-secret locations for the PC version of the patch, where we are experimenting with fixes and getting very valuable feedback whilst rebalancing. Again, these people are sworn to secrecy, but when clever people are being coy about confidence levels in a patch coming, you should probably realise they probably know something. J
Once this process is complete (and this is likely to be in the next couple of weeks), we can release a PUBLIC patch to everyone. And yes, we'll be supporting that too, if further changes are needed!
Once we've done that, and are happy that it is a better game, and properly fixed where needed and rebalanced where required, we will look to do a console patch. This is more complicated, as it needs to go through submissions with platform holders so takes a bit longer.
So why the heck haven't you told us about this?/I want my patch NOW!!!
Because the second sentence addresses the first: The reality is that you can't have it until it is ready, and if I even suggested it was in production you'd want it immediately. Right?
I also don't like it suggested that I'm a liar, so rather than tell you one was coming and then watch a month or so of "is it there yet, is it there yet?" I decided it was better to keep it a secret but bring some key people inside until we?d progressed it and got everything in place.
So what's in this secret patch then? WHAT HAVE YOU CHANGED?
Rest assured we are looking to fix everything that has been fed back through these forums. Key points being:
So, what, you're just going to crawl back under your rock until release I suppose?/ Give me one reason I shouldn?t punch you in the face.
Hey: Don't ever think that we're not listening. And don't think that we're anything other than 100% committed to serve our customers. Whatever you guys think, whatever the speculation about how big cricket fans we are, how much we know about cricket, how much we care about your opinion, how much we?re only about the profit: I don't get involved because I KNOW how much we care, and I KNOW that you'll only believe it when we *prove* it to you.
For commercial reasons, that I know you guys appreciate, we are never likely to make the game EXACTLY the way you want, because we have to think about ALL our fans, and each one has different requirements. PlanetCricket represent the hardcore cricket fan base, and are KEY, but we can?t tailor EVERYTHING to what WE want from the game: we?ve got to keep some things accessible and fun for the non-cricket audience too (although we?re trying to do BOTH, we can?t make two completely different games: that doesn?t make sense.) But you guys get that I?m sure.
However, what you might not yet get, and what keeps me driven and hungry, is *knowing* (and I do) that we will make EVERY effort, EVERY day, to be the game that is far and away closest to "The Holy Bail" that you guys will ever see. And that?s not rhetoric, it?s the reason why I do this job: Because I?m confident we?ll prove that to you.
Give me dates then!
I can?t commit to EXACT dates as we?re still doing the closed beta, but realistically I would hope to have the public PC patch available within the next two weeks.
On my reckoning, that would probably see the console patch available in mid-October, once approval from the platform-holders is granted.
Any last requests?
Once again we thank you for your continued feedback on the game, and for your custom!
There?s been a lot of speculation and accusation about post-release support for Ashes Cricket 2009.
Codemaster's Community man Helios caught up with wet hand-shaked producer Jamie Firth to ask the questions YOU wanted answering in a frank chat.
QUESTION ONE: So, is there going to be a patch or what?
Yes. Oh yes there is.
Why did you disappear post-release? What are you hiding from?
To clarify the situation, people at Codemasters and Transmission have actually been in plenty of contact with admins of the PlanetCricket forums since release. Throughout this, we have also been monitoring the forums daily (hourly) for feedback.
The admins couldn?t tell you that they were doing this, as they were sworn to secrecy until we were in a position to make an official announcement: there are so many things we need to get in place it was always going to take a while.
So why has it taken so long?
There has been no official announcement of a patch being released due to the complications that a patch presents: as you will appreciate, game engines are very complicated beasts and the slightest changes to "n" here could well cause multiple problems elsewhere in the game, especially something with complicated and numerous simultaneous AI systems that a game like Cricket needs to use. I'm sure you will all appreciate it really isn't as simple as small changes and release! For every change you make, particularly with regards to run-rates, aggression etc, there are lots of other things which need to be rebalanced.
Here's an example of just ONE "small" fix. And these are rough, but nowhere near the micro-detail that WOULD have to happen!
Feedback is that edges were not carrying far enough, and you'd love to see them carry more.
Firstly, altering some variables will make the ball carry: The ball should retain more velocity when coming off the VERY edge of the bat.
This means that there will be a lot more wickets caught behind, but that will see more unrealistic totals (quicker dismissals)?
Now the game is too easy and favours the bowler.
The timing window must therefore be tweaked so that thin edges are maybe more frequent, and thick edges less so.
We need to go through each player level, to make sure that the player's skill has not become an unbalancing factor (assuming that thick edges are more likely from a lower order batsman, you would expect to see the ball clipping over the wicket-keeper, running to third man or fine leg)
Proper balancing must be done to ensure that when re-addressing this, the batsmen are not favoured either.
This now has to be rebalanced for each difficulty level.
I could go on: the above is just an example to try and illustrate how many different factors (and there are lots more that I?m not mentioning) we have to consider even on what seem, on the surface, like small fixes.
But why not just release a patch straight away and then patch it again when needed?
Patches for the PC are simple to distribute: we just upload it to the internet and people download it.
For console it's more complicated. Each platform has its own requirements for "Title Updates" and they have to go through a submissions and testing process, just like a boxed game.
Due to the above, a very carefully structured approach is required: we needed to collate a large amount of feedback and analyse which changes we could make, or not!
Considering that a HUGE percentage of customers are playing on consoles and not PC (and it IS a huge percentage I assure you), it is vital that we get the console version right... For PC you can have lots of iterative versions, but for console you realistically only get one shot, so we want to make sure we're catching everything we can before releasing it.
So, enough banter from you, you foppy-haired charlatan: IS there going to be a patch or what, and WHEN?
A closed beta is actually already running in top-secret locations for the PC version of the patch, where we are experimenting with fixes and getting very valuable feedback whilst rebalancing. Again, these people are sworn to secrecy, but when clever people are being coy about confidence levels in a patch coming, you should probably realise they probably know something. J
Once this process is complete (and this is likely to be in the next couple of weeks), we can release a PUBLIC patch to everyone. And yes, we'll be supporting that too, if further changes are needed!
Once we've done that, and are happy that it is a better game, and properly fixed where needed and rebalanced where required, we will look to do a console patch. This is more complicated, as it needs to go through submissions with platform holders so takes a bit longer.
So why the heck haven't you told us about this?/I want my patch NOW!!!
Because the second sentence addresses the first: The reality is that you can't have it until it is ready, and if I even suggested it was in production you'd want it immediately. Right?
I also don't like it suggested that I'm a liar, so rather than tell you one was coming and then watch a month or so of "is it there yet, is it there yet?" I decided it was better to keep it a secret but bring some key people inside until we?d progressed it and got everything in place.
So what's in this secret patch then? WHAT HAVE YOU CHANGED?
Rest assured we are looking to fix everything that has been fed back through these forums. Key points being:
- The run-out bug has been addressed.
- Run-rates have been tweaked (particularly Test matches).
- Edges DO carry more.
- Bowler speeds HAVE been addressed.
So, what, you're just going to crawl back under your rock until release I suppose?/ Give me one reason I shouldn?t punch you in the face.
Hey: Don't ever think that we're not listening. And don't think that we're anything other than 100% committed to serve our customers. Whatever you guys think, whatever the speculation about how big cricket fans we are, how much we know about cricket, how much we care about your opinion, how much we?re only about the profit: I don't get involved because I KNOW how much we care, and I KNOW that you'll only believe it when we *prove* it to you.
For commercial reasons, that I know you guys appreciate, we are never likely to make the game EXACTLY the way you want, because we have to think about ALL our fans, and each one has different requirements. PlanetCricket represent the hardcore cricket fan base, and are KEY, but we can?t tailor EVERYTHING to what WE want from the game: we?ve got to keep some things accessible and fun for the non-cricket audience too (although we?re trying to do BOTH, we can?t make two completely different games: that doesn?t make sense.) But you guys get that I?m sure.
However, what you might not yet get, and what keeps me driven and hungry, is *knowing* (and I do) that we will make EVERY effort, EVERY day, to be the game that is far and away closest to "The Holy Bail" that you guys will ever see. And that?s not rhetoric, it?s the reason why I do this job: Because I?m confident we?ll prove that to you.
Give me dates then!
I can?t commit to EXACT dates as we?re still doing the closed beta, but realistically I would hope to have the public PC patch available within the next two weeks.
On my reckoning, that would probably see the console patch available in mid-October, once approval from the platform-holders is granted.
Any last requests?
Once again we thank you for your continued feedback on the game, and for your custom!
