So last night was the launch of Sword of the Stars 2: Lords of Winter but in all the excitement I seemed to forget that Steam is a lazy, buggy, money grabbing heap of bollocks. Ok that’s not really fair, I mean it is, but on this particular occasion it is probably more the fault of developers at Kerboros or more likely a rushed release by Paradox Interactive. Honestly folks, I’m as information starved as everyone else so it’s hard to point fingers.
“But why all the hostility CrossCrash?” I hear you ask, and let me tell you.
The version of SotS2 released last night is reported to be incomplete by hundreds of gamers who ordered it pre-release. Sword of the Stars 2 is said to have been missing a lot of the key features at the point of initial release including the options menu and in fact a lot of the actual game itself. Reports of extreme lag and frequent crashing are all over the forums. This follows the the European hard copy release being pushed back to November 18th according to sources.
My steam Client is currently downloading the latest game update (a whopping 3.8gb worth of data) and hopefully this will remedy most of the problems. I am worried however that this mad dash by Kerboros to get this thing fixed will lead to an extremely glitchy game in the long run.
For official information from Kerboros about the current problems with the Sword of the Stars 2 release check out this thread on The Official Paradox Interactive Forum
And as of this morning (Saturday 29th) This is latest update on the problem
Last night the following was said by the official spokeswoman from Paradox interactive
We’re uploading the launch build now. Steam is being super awesome about getting it set up, then live. We are hurrying, but we don’t want to rush it – rushing got us here and rushing will keep us here, so again, we appreciate the patience.
Since the update this morning the forums have been full of angry gamers letting the company know exactly what they think of this incredibly disappointing release. Many are demanding their money back, rightfully so, but are getting nowhere with Steam, Gameforge or, as far as I know, anyone else. By all reports there is likely to be frequent patching for some time in the future and it could be a long while before gamers get the Sword of the Stars they thought they were buying. That said there are others saying that the latest update has made it far more playable so it’s a mixed bag. I’m wondering How many of the downloads simply don’t have the correct hardware requirements.
So there it folks. I’m personally not even going to run the Sword of the Stars 2 until the whole thing’s been remedied. Many people also might want to wait for the games first official patch or the European hard copy release on November 18th. All in all I still want this game. I’m sure the finished product will be a blast and I’m willing to wait. I just wish the parties involved had done the job properly first time.
In the mean time don’t forget to check out our Sword of the Stars: complete collection Competition and my very own Sword of the Stars 1 review. I’ve also posted a few screenshots to keep you going. Why not also like us on facebook, twitter or subscribe for regular gaming news, reviews and updates.
[Update Sunday 30th October]
Well they’ve had more than a full day to sort out some of the glitches and I Still Can’t go full screen or access the options menu. On the bright side it no longer crashes and the game looks like it’s going to be ace once they completed. By way of an explanation it seems that steam was given a months old beta version of the game which was nowhere near complete at the point of launch.
On the bright side once the fill all the holes this looks like it’s going to be great. the graphics look brilliant (although the art on the avatars is still pretty lame). I also dipped into the research menus and ship design. Both look detailed and complex I expect Lords of winter will have a lot to sink you’re teeth into once they’ve patched it up. So don’t regret getting the game, just wait it out and I’m sure you’ll be pleased when it’s finished. I’ll post a detailed review once the major problems have been put right.
[Update Monday 31st October]
Another day gone by and we finally get the answers we’ve deserved. Martin Cirulis, CEO and creative director of Kerboros Productions has posted this letter on the Paradox official forum. I urge all of you to read it cause he sums it up in far greater detail than I can publish here. The jist of it is that he’s taking the entirety of the blame for letting shit hit the fan the way it did and good on him for standing up to it. The game will be completely fixed eventually but not for a while because he’s having his team take the time to get it done right. This hopefully negates my previous fears that rushing to fix everything at once would lead to a buggy unplayable mess.
As a sort of compensation He did say this:
…by the end of this period you WILL have more additional content than you would have under more ideal circumstances. Every update will go out with some thank you for your patience…some badges, extra maps, new nose art, more background entries. Basically whatever can be done alongside the priority path will be put in as well.
That’s a pretty decent apology if you ask me.
So anyway; the games looking great and going by the manual I think this is going to be the deep, complex, grown up game I’ve been dying for. finally something that isn’t a mindless, noob friendly, superficial shooter. I hope they really try and make it the best it can be and I wish them the best of luck with the mammoth task they’ve got in front of them even if it is totally self inflicted.
So on behalf of MM Gaming: Kerboros, we accept your apology but don’t bloody do it again ok?
CrossCrash Out!
MMGaming.net 