Second statement from CA on Rome II's release (11 Sep 2013)

[Quemical]

Haven't seen it here. From the Total War forums

"Hi everyone,

We’ve just put up a hotfix that significantly improves campaign map frame-rate on a variety of hardware combinations that were getting frame rates less than 15 fps. It took us until Monday to get a case of this happening in the studio, but it was a very simple fix, so we’ve decided to put it out as a single issue patch. This bug was introduced very late in the process, but we absolutely should have found and fixed it before release.

This release has obviously not gone as planned for some people, and I want to apologise to everyone out there who had issues with the game, whether they were hardware issues or disappointment in the performance of game features. We obviously don’t plan to release a game with any bugs, performance and AI issues. How this has happened is something we’re beginning to post mortem in detail now.

Fortunately, the same tech that gave us the rope to work on the game right up to release lets us keep working on it after it’s out, and the flaws in the game are mostly just bugs, not structural defects. We can and will get the game to where we wanted it to be for everyone.

The top priority is stability and performance – both frame rates in battle and campaign, and end of turn times and loading times. Then gameplay spoilers – AI flaws and exploits, balancing tweaks and the level of challenge on higher difficulties. Then minor bugs, lesser features that really didn’t pan out, UI improvements, and longer term adjustments to features and systems that could be better. Because there are a lot of us working in parallel there will be a mixture of different priority fixes in each patch. Much of this work would be part of the usual planned improvements we would make to our games post-launch anyway, but we are aware that they have now taken on extra significance and importance.

We have a major improvement to end of turn times in the pipeline, along with around 100 fixes in the next patch. We have another 100 or so fixes already being tested for the patch after that. At this point the limiting factor on getting issues fixed in patches is not our ability to fix issues, it’s our ability to test them and guarantee that we don’t repeat past mistakes by putting a patch out that breaks something new. We’ll also be putting each patch up as a beta you can opt in to before releasing it. It’s our aim to continue patching more or less weekly until all the bugs are dealt with.

Then we can start the kind of dialogue we always want to be having with the community – which new features you like, which you don’t like, which deleted features from previous games you really miss and so on. That’s a good conversation to be having, and since it’s our intention not to fall in to the trap of just re-skinning the previous game each time, it’s one that hopefully you’ll be having for years to come.

Lastly, I’m hoping we can fundamentally treat our releases differently in the future. Long open betas are the way things are going, and while that model hasn’t been compatible with the way Total War has been built to date, that could be the way forward.

Mike Simpson
Creative Director
Creative Assembly "

http://forums.totalwar.com/showthread.php/89314-Second-statement-from-CA-on-Rome-II-s-release-%2811-Sep-2013%29

[Rond]

oh god did they say "We have a major improvement to end of turn times in the pipeline..." :D

[Jacques]

Good news !

[PurSpyk!!]

There also needs to me communciation between CA and the Nvidia and AMD. This game is a real mess. I have a i7 x990, 18GB ram GTX680 in sli, and the game barely runs. Flashing textures, odd character renders etc. How this ever got through QA one will never know.

[JoeShmoe]

So they want to listen to the community to see what we like and dont like now? Thats funny, they've just been ignoring us for the most part of the series till now.

[Chaunsey]

i think it sounds like they're really listening should hopefully make some major fixes.

the "long open betas" comment tells me they've finally learned their lesson in terms of fixing their games post release.

perhaps, the poor release has convinced sega to get off their backs somewhat.

[Nero]

lol not gone as planned for some people? How about your AI being so abysimal that its unplayable? how about completely utterly broken naval warfare?

[✠☠ Tormentor ☠✠]

"Long open betas are the way things are going, and while that model hasn’t been compatible with the way Total War has been built to date, that could be the way forward."

THAT IS EXACTLY THE WAY IS WORKING RIGHT NOW....♥♥♥♥♥♥ CA & Sega STILL MAD!!! YOU LIED!!!

[Ravtec]

While i love/hate rome2 in its current state. I can't help to be a sucker for those posts. I think the game is broken atm, but i always thought they could fix it. I hope they don't go down Empires road that release a new stand alone.That will shatter everything this post tries to correct. I love Empire after they fixed it, but it sure could use some more fine touch.

If they fix this game and let longterm TW fans beta test next one i can forgive em.(i can't beta test as i don't like broken games, but i know others will.)

[P.J. Gelderman]

Początkowo opublikowane przez caanguloc:

oh god did they say "We have a major improvement to end of turn times in the pipeline..." :D

when is this patch going to be released?

[gerzald]

Why is the fleeing routed foe able to run right thru my troops, with out any one bothering to stick a sword in them? Seems that at least a few guys might be angry and take a quick swipe. Just saying...

[Nero]

WATCH ANGRY JOE HE SHOWS LOTS OF ISSUES!

[billy]

That's much better than the last statement with it's 2% disguised lie. This actually sounds sensible.

Have CA finally released some long term testing via a beta should be standard? or is it the type of thing they like to say that sounds good but is in reality just being said because thats what we want to hear?.

When the patch downloads i will be happier if the campaign performance is a lot better , made no sense battles are a lot smoother than the campaign map. That campaign map when i loaded the game the first time just told me there was trouble ahead and CA hadnt polished or tested anything.

Hopefully things looking up with patches.

[Sil.^Fisk]

Then minor bugs, lesser features that really didn’t pan out, UI improvements, and longer term adjustments to features and systems that could be better. Because there are a lot of us working in parallel there will be a mixture of different priority fixes in each patch. Much of this work would be part of the usual planned improvements we would make to our games post-launch anyway, but we are aware that they have now taken on extra significance and importance.

I hope they mean they are going to implement skill and familytrees, and a better political system!!!

[La Comte de Frou Frou]

Początkowo opublikowane przez PurSpyk!!:

There also needs to me communciation between CA and the Nvidia and AMD. This game is a real mess. I have a i7 x990, 18GB ram GTX680 in sli, and the game barely runs. Flashing textures, odd character renders etc. How this ever got through QA one will never know.

Switch off SLI.

[galactafunk]

I appreciate this. I've been very much the pissed off gamer, and neither CA nor Sega will get anymore money from me for at least several years. I hope that this is genuine, however.

If they work very hard to improve confidence in their product I may buy the next game from the bargain bin. May.