Development Update for Consoles!

[LegendaryAce]

Ha! Just noticed the acronym in that! 

[HardTerror]

So I guess we are looking at end of 2018 at the slug rate this port is going. I mean we were told mid 2017 and now we are nearing the end of 2017. With no real realistic release date in site

[PrvDancer85]

I'm Ultra happy about the news, sure they haven't told it is in the certification but it seems to be very close. I really cant wait until some more infos 

[klesh]

Why are you guys still selling a version that you've admitted "doesn't live up to player expectations" on the PS4 store in North America?  Its a very bad look.

Edited October 20, 2017 by klesh
Further digging reveals it is in fact pulled from the store.

[Deddly]

5 hours ago, klesh said:

Why are you guys still selling a version that you've admitted "doesn't live up to player expectations" on the PS4 store in North America?  Its a very bad look.

Are you sure about that? KSP was supposed to be pulled from the console stores months ago.

[DD_bwest]

i just checked with a quick search on ps4 for the word kerbal and found nothing. so im pretty sure it isnt still on the store

[klesh]

9 hours ago, Deddly said:

Are you sure about that? KSP was supposed to be pulled from the console stores months ago.

 

I looked yesterday and found this:  https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/kerbal-space-program-ps4/

However, now I notice if you click the buy/download button (curious they even have one there) if brings you to this:  https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/error/undefined?smcid=pdc:us-en:pdc-games-detail-kerbal-space-program-ps4:leadproductinfo-buy-download:kerbal-space-program:up1126-cusa04780_00-kerbalspaceapp00:emcid_null

Confusing to someone that doesn't operate on the PS4 store.   I of course retract my previous question.

[page3of8]

Where do i find the weekly things that @Ineedaweapon posts?

[Ten Key]

25 minutes ago, page3of8 said:

Where do i find the weekly things that @Ineedaweapon posts?

The KSP Weekly(s) appear as threads in The Daily Kerbal section of the forum. The thread titles always start with "KSP Weekly"

https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/forum/66-the-daily-kerbal/

They normally appear on Fridays, usually later in the day. 

The Weekly(s) are also available on social media, but I'm not exactly sure where or how. I don't imagine they'd be too hard to find. 

[Deddly]

@page3of8, here's the latest one

 

[Ineedaweapon]

Yeah sorry, I was a little slow this week!  I usually get them from http://kerbaldevteam.tumblr.com/

Edited October 21, 2017 by Ineedaweapon

[LegendaryAce]

Judging by the fewer and fewer people that seem to comment on this, it seems that the console fanbase for KSP is soon to be as dead as Venus. A shame really...

[DD_bwest]

it will perk up again when  it comes time to actually launch.  its hard to just keep talking about fixing  bugs when we dont know how big the bug list is.

keep  in mind squad isnt really known for giving release dates ahead of time. 

[LegendaryAce]

5 minutes ago, DD_bwest said:

it will perk up again when  it comes time to actually launch.  its hard to just keep talking about fixing  bugs when we dont know how big the bug list is.

keep  in mind squad isnt really known for giving release dates ahead of time. 

I hope so. Literally EVERY game that has had this long of a wait for a fix to be able to play has died. I'd like to think it won't, but if we don't get something soon, it's gonna be abandoned.

[StrandedonEarth]

10 minutes ago, LegendaryAce said:

I hope so. Literally EVERY game that has had this long of a wait for a fix to be able to play has died. I'd like to think it won't, but if we don't get something soon, it's gonna be abandoned.

I'd like to think there'll be some sort of big ad campaign when it's finally ready for re-release. TakeTwo should have the pockets for it.

[LegendaryAce]

50 minutes ago, StrandedonEarth said:

I'd like to think there'll be some sort of big ad campaign when it's finally ready for re-release. TakeTwo should have the pockets for it.

The keyword here is "like". We'd "like" to get an update, but I doubt we will soon. 

[James M]

If I'm correct, there will be 3 steam sales from now until the end of 2017, so maybe I'll just buy ksp on pc and forget I ever paid for it on console. If we're lucky, we'll get the game update by Christmas, and I can go back to playing on the system I enjoy...

[OrganizedChaos]

11 hours ago, LegendaryAce said:

Judging by the fewer and fewer people that seem to comment on this, it seems that the console fanbase for KSP is soon to be as dead as Venus. A shame really...

I'm still here, though I am losing interest in the game.  Haven't even tried to play in months and the longer it goes the less likely I will even care when the update does come out.  If they intend to wait to fix every bug then they will be waiting forever because no game is ever bug free.  They should have at the very least updated the game for people that have already bought the game months ago.   They could have waited until their hearts content to rerelease the game, but to leave us hanging with a broken game for well over a year is horse............    A playable game with the bugs they have mentioned for the time being would have been far better then where we are now, and they owed us that (a playable game, mind you the game never even received a patch for the PS4 to attempt to fix it).

[linuxgurugamer]

11 hours ago, LegendaryAce said:

I hope so. Literally EVERY game that has had this long of a wait for a fix to be able to play has died. I'd like to think it won't, but if we don't get something soon, it's gonna be abandoned.

The counterbalance is that the game is great on the PC, so when they finally do get to re-release it, I'm sure there will be a lot of people who will hear about it from the PC side, and if it's reasonable and gets good reviews, it should be ok.

18 minutes ago, OrganizedChaos said:

I'm still here, though I am losing interest in the game.  Haven't even tried to play in months and the longer it goes the less likely I will even care when the update does come out.  If they intend to wait to fix every bug then they will be waiting forever because no game is ever bug free.  They should have at the very least updated the game for people that have already bought the game months ago.   They could have waited until their hearts content to rerelease the game, but to leave us hanging with a broken game for well over a year is horse............    A playable game with the bugs they have mentioned for the time being would have been far better then where we are now, and they owed us that (a playable game, mind you the game never even received a patch for the PS4 to attempt to fix it).

I'm very sorry to hear that, but apparently the game was broken at a very fundamental level and essentially required a complete rewrite for the consoles.  

[Mako]

They just recently said they fixed a bug relating to saving the game. Given that one of the biggest failures of the initial console versions was issues with save files, I'm not surprised at all that they're making sure console players can save their games reliably before releasing.

Honestly at this point it sort of feels like KSP is far enough removed from its launch window that interest in the product has dwindled to those already invested in it. I don't really know how big of a splash games make two and a half years after the general fanfare of their "official 1.0 launch," but I kind of suspect that the work being done on consoles is almost solely to the benefit of existing customers.  It's only a guess of course, but I don't think the console relaunch will drive a large amount of new sales after so much time.

I am really glad that they're doing the work to get it right even though that is not a quick process. Unfortunately, in my personal opinion, I think the best thing that can be said about KSP on consoles is it serves as a cautionary tale to developers on how to avoid a bad product launch, to console makers on how to work with indie developers to release a good product, and most importantly to potential customers on the fact that software is sometimes very broken with (sometimes) no method of refunding your purchase and possibly an indefinite/infinite wait for things to be made right. I feel like this scenario occurs less these days so it's important to remember it still can screw over everyone and that software has pretty much always been (until recently with implementation of things like Steam refunds) "Buyer Beware!" I am hopeful that existing and any new customers will feel more positive about the end result when it finally arrives, but I won't be surprised if many have moved on by then. I just hope that everyone who is excited about the idea of KSP can, at some point hopefully sooner rather than later, enjoy KSP as much as I have.

[Jeremiah]

Recently I've been trying to think about things in a third person's prospective regarding KSP on console, rather than thinking like a victim.

Squad is doing everything they can to make sure this re-release won't be a failure like the original release, which is commendable. Though it is Squad's fault that the original release was a huge failure because they didn't properly test it (if at all). However, I am willing to forgive Squad if they do these two things:

1. Give an official public apology for releasing a broken game as a finished product. The apology can simply be on the announcement forums if they so choose, so long as the thread is dedicated to the apology an not just tagging along on some other announcement like "update 5.3 will bring aliens, UFOs, and monster trucks! also, we're sorry we sold a broken game".

2. Give the people who bought the game on console before the re-release some form of compensation, like a huge discount on a future game, or a free DLC or something. A good example would be Bethesda: they gave all players on PlayStation 3 a huge discount on all three DLC for a limited time on Skyrim because the DLC took forever to get to PlayStation 3.

A detailed explanation that explains why the game was allowed to be released in its current state would also be great, but unlikely to happen.

Unfortunately giving everyone a refund is out of the question as they probably spent it all trying to fix the game. All that being said, I would like them release what they have now, because like I said before, it can't be any worse than the current version.

[cfds]

14 minutes ago, Jeremiah said:

1. Give an official public apology for releasing a broken game as a finished product. The apology can simply be on the announcement forums if they so choose, so long as the thread is dedicated to the apology an not just tagging along on some other announcement like "update 5.3 will bring aliens, UFOs, and monster trucks! also, we're sorry we sold a broken game".

This won't ever happen since this will open them to all kinds of problems. They would essentially admit to having acted in bad faith when selling the game after they realized the brokenness, voiding all sales contracts done in this time. It is far saver to live of the ones who have long written of the money they gave to SQUAD and throw some scraps to the few you still have hope to get their money's worth some day.

[Mako]

7 hours ago, Jeremiah said:

2. Give the people who bought the game on console before the re-release some form of compensation, like a huge discount on a future game, or a free DLC or something. A good example would be Bethesda: they gave all players on PlayStation 3 a huge discount on all three DLC for a limited time on Skyrim because the DLC took forever to get to PlayStation 3.

I don't see this happening, certainly not anytime soon if it does. There's no other KSP titles announced and the Making History DLC has not been announced for consoles. In fact, it hasn't even been announced that the consoles will be updated to a version that will support the DLC. So your primary examples are not even things that are coming to consoles at this time.

I guess Take-Two could offer you something for one of their other games. Maybe some free loot boxes for NBA 2K18 or WWE 2K18? I'm guessing that despite now owning the failure, Take-Two is probably the least concerned with how you feel about your purchase. I'd guess that Squad employees care a lot, followed by however much Squad's owners care (certainly enough to drop FTE and get Blitworks making things right, at least). I'm not sure if I think Take-Two would have even bothered trying to fix the console versions.

I don't think you'll see any compensation at all. Refunds would have happened a long time ago if they were happening at all. And to be realistic, this is pretty much how the software industry has always worked. In fact, I would have been dissapointed, but not shocked, if Squad never started this new console work at all. It's unpleasant when you make a purchase and it turns out bad, but it's pretty much always been "Buyer Beware" with very few guarantees and very limited refunds.

[Jeremiah]

12 hours ago, cfds said:

This won't ever happen since this will open them to all kinds of problems. They would essentially admit to having acted in bad faith when selling the game after they realized the brokenness, voiding all sales contracts done in this time. It is far saver to live of the ones who have long written of the money they gave to SQUAD and throw some scraps to the few you still have hope to get their money's worth some day.

 

4 hours ago, Mako said:

I don't see this happening, certainly not anytime soon if it does. There's no other KSP titles announced and the Making History DLC has not been announced for consoles. In fact, it hasn't even been announced that the consoles will be updated to a version that will support the DLC. So your primary examples are not even things that are coming to consoles at this time.

I guess Take-Two could offer you something for one of their other games. Maybe some free loot boxes for NBA 2K18 or WWE 2K18? I'm guessing that despite now owning the failure, Take-Two is probably the least concerned with how you feel about your purchase. I'd guess that Squad employees care a lot, followed by however much Squad's owners care (certainly enough to drop FTE and get Blitworks making things right, at least). I'm not sure if I think Take-Two would have even bothered trying to fix the console versions.

I don't think you'll see any compensation at all. Refunds would have happened a long time ago if they were happening at all. And to be realistic, this is pretty much how the software industry has always worked. In fact, I would have been dissapointed, but not shocked, if Squad never started this new console work at all. It's unpleasant when you make a purchase and it turns out bad, but it's pretty much always been "Buyer Beware" with very few guarantees and very limited refunds.

This is why I hate going on forums, people are so quick to shoot down your ideas without even thinking, even if they don't know what they're talking about. Everyone wants to prove people wrong in forums, and that doesn't help anything. People trust a company more when they apologize for their mistakes and use that mistake to make their company better. Here's a small example of an apology they could make:

"We apologize that the original release of KSP on console was a failure. We failed to properly test it before release, and as a result we had to re-port the game from scratch which took a year and a half, longer than originally expected. We took our time on the re-port because we wanted to give our fans on console the best experience of KSP possible, and we wanted it to be perfect. We hope you enjoy the newly re-ported version of KSP. As a show of good faith, everyone who previously bought KSP on console will get a discount on a future game. We will use this mistake to better our games and oursevles as a company."

Definitely not a perfect apology, but you get the idea. I already knew neither will probably happen, but its the only way I'd forgive Squad.

Maybe it was a cash grab, maybe FTE gave them their build and Squad releaseed it as a finished product after successfully building and launching a rocket or two, maybe they used some kind of inaccurate emulator to test the console version, or maybe due to some impossible miracle they did properly test it and no bugs were found. Whatever the reason, Squad is at fault, and this is why I would like a detailed explanation, however that is very unlikely to happen.

Take Two is the parent company of Rockstar, and Rockstar made Grand Theft Auto V. I have had countless glitches happen in Grand Theft Auto Online and I have always been properly compensated by Rockstar for those glitches, like when my Adder vanished they gave me the money to buy and customize a new one, plus a little extra for the inconvenience. That is why I believe Take Two will allow compensation. I understand Take Two isn't the perfect company, but they did allow compensation. I also understand Rockstar getting greedy with shark cards, so no reason to point that out.

I love companies that take their time to perfect a game, even pushing back the release date to do so, like Rockstar. However, KSP on console was far from perfect. I understand the thousands of lines of code make it difficult to port a game, but still, they should have taken their time and pushed back the release date to begin with. Unfortunately they can not do that now as it's too late, so an apology and compensation will have to suffice, even if that compensation is just as simple as a console exclusive feature. (yes I know mods can allow any feature on PC)

[Galileo]

19 minutes ago, Jeremiah said:

This is why I hate going on forums, people are so quick to shoot down your ideas without even thinking, even if they don't know what they're talking about.

Nothing I read from their responses sounded like they didn’t know what they were talking about. They were just, well, responding. That’s what forums are for, and to expect otherwise is odd. If you don’t want people to respond with comments that aren’t in line with yours, you are probably better off writing it on a piece of notebook paper. This is the internet, and nothing goes unnoticed and not responded to lol. That said, not everyone will agree with everything you say. This is not just true on these forums, but in the real world as well. 

You say “they should do this” others will respond with pretty much what you got above. It wasn’t disrespectful, it wasn’t condescending, it was just reasons why it probably won’t happen. Just like you put your reason up for why it should. Just your typical forum debate. 

Edited October 24, 2017 by Galileo