DLC Release Date

[Brian Clark]

At least 360 is getting multiple tables at once and the table packs were approved. Still very annoying. I also heard Oddworld Stranger's Wrath wasn't released on 360 at all becuase of some inconsistent crap. Any way to do a petition? There is no way this is helpful for them and I think their reasons for not approving things are lame.

 

[Jeff Strong]

Unreal. I never realized MS was so insanely picky.

 

[Mike Reitmeyer]

I'm not sure a petition would help if there was a way to do one. If anything it might anger someone at Microsoft and make it worse for us.

 

[Frostyglitch]

I don't think I've ever been so frustrated in over 12 years of game development.

I know it's frustrating Mike, but we're behind you guys though 100%. FarSight sets the standard by which other developers hope to achieve in gaming.

 

[Richard B]

So, we're looking at September then? (unless, of course, they deny it again)

 

[Richard B]

At least 360 is getting multiple tables at once and the table packs were approved. Still very annoying. I also heard Oddworld Stranger's Wrath wasn't released on 360 at all becuase of some inconsistent crap. Any way to do a petition? There is no way this is helpful for them and I think their reasons for not approving things are lame.

They wouldn't let Stranger's Wrath on because it didn't sell enough copies.

 

[Brian Clark]

They wouldn't let Stranger's Wrath on because it didn't sell enough copies.

That's not what I read, or at least not the only reason. They gave a bunch of different reasons, according to an article at IGN.

Link to article

 

[Crush3d_Turtle]

Hopefully they will be able to convince Microsoft to allow the release to go through and have it fixed in a future update. I am looking forward to purchasing and playing the game on the Xbox 360 mainly for the better controller and for the separated high-scores list.

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

Just so you know, Microsoft would never find the issue in your link. They are only looking at issues with pulling out memory cards and messing with guitar controllers. They don't actually look at gameplay, visuals or to make sure the tables play properly.

I see. They wouldn't have have cared about something like the Frankenstein Multiball camera issue that broke the table 80% of the time through no fault of the player, but a recoverable bug that only occurs if an exceptionally stupid user takes an exceptionally stupid action at an exceptionally stupid time, affecting maybe one in 10,000 customers at most, is reason to axe the whole submission.

Seriously, what the @#$%! is wrong with these people?!

I just wanted to verify this is the case. Sorry for all your disappointment, trust me that I share it with you. I don't think I've ever been so frustrated in over 12 years of game development.

As a former software developer myself, I can only imagine. I'm surprised I didn't hear your screams all the way over here in St. Louis when you found out. Maybe someday when FarSight is celebrating the release of its 50th table on TPA and looking back on it all, this brouhaha with the first 360 update will be funny...but somehow I don't think so even then.

I guess we all just keep soldiering on. Thanks again for taking the time to share news with us, even when it isn't good. Hopefully this gets resolved soon and you can get back to working on actual pinball instead of dealing with such bull.

 

[Nik Barbour]

Gutted - just woke up to this news.

I hope Farsight fight this, there has to be a way to get round another rejection.
Also keep us informed - most frustration comes from being kept in the dark.

No other words than...... Gutted!

 

[Franky]

These are the rules of microsoft so there is no need for snivel around. Fact is, if there were no bug microsoft wouldn't have denied it. And since farsight is the developer - farsight is the one to blame. it's quite a simple thing. Also the 4mb rejection - farsights fault - these are existing rules and farsight have to adapt to them.

Frankenstein Multiball camera issue that broke the table 80% of the time

This is something totally different - two pair of shoes. It seems you guys don't understand - you need to get something right - such things have nothing to do with microsoft, this are game bugs - microsoft is not "testing" the game for game bugs - otherwise farsight and other companies could never ever release on xbox360 - for their sloppy developing.

What do you think - the guys from microsoft are sitting there an playing through all the games and xbla titles writing down game bugs and sending them to the developers - some kind of free beta-testers for the different companies??? This is NOT their job - Microsoft is just testing if the game works flawlessly with their system, dashboard, .... and this is TOTALLY understandable every serious company would behave like that. If i had such company i would do the same. I wouldn't want someone coming up messing up my work. There have to be rules. Again - Microsoft doesn't care of game bugs - since a badly developed game or game bugs are always falling back to the developer, so Microsoft don't need to care anyway. The Bugs in TPA are falling back on farsight not on microsoft - but windows or other stuff not poping up are falling back on Microsoft not on farsight. So i hope you guys understand. Yes, Microsoft have strict rules - and i don't want it any other way - that's why they are the best. Instead Farsight and other companies should learn a lesson from them.

All of you know, if the battery on your controller is out of power - a window pops up saying "please connect a controller" or whatever - right? This is ONE of many quality features of microsoft - so when you put out your memory card during play - (an it has nothing to do with stupidity, it can happen - your kids can pull it out, or you can unintentionally touch it when you walk by, ...) then again a window pops up telling you that something is wrong. and as i said - this is a quality feature, all this things (and even more) are responsible for why the xbox360 (and all the future generations) beats the sh.t out of ps3 and sony.

Imagine you sitting at home playing tpa - and your girlfriend, your kids, your dog ... unintentionally touches the memory card and you don't notice it - all of a sudden nothing is working except exit and whatever. You would have NO idea what is going on and after trying a few things you will recognize the loose memory card. Same with the mentioned controller and other stuff.

So again, unfortunately the only one to blame is farsight for a sloppy release. There are 1000s of games, dlcs and updates realeased so far with no problems - so it can't be microsofts fault.

My friends and i still support farsight after all and we still believe they can do it - but there are rules you have to adapt - otherwise you need to do it again - like in school and life in general.

All we can hope for is, that farsight learns something out of this and starts working more carefully.

Franky


and one more thing: why always picking on microsoft? they did their job already and a pretty good one - they don't need to prove anything - they brought us the xbox and countless of great games and hours of fun - farsight instead brought you nothing else than 4 buggy tables so far and lots of frustration and let downs - so THEY are in fact the ones who needs to show some results finally.

 

[xNiCeGuYx]

Sorry to say, but
+1 Franky

FS knew MS is testing such stupid things, so it's FS's fault!
Glady some other developers mangaged to release their new pinball tables last month, so I can play them.

 

[DJ Clae]

Why the big lecture about memory cards? As if we all can't conceive what this issue is without you bending over backwards to defend Microsoft. We don't even know much about what Microsoft has actually done in terms of quality control in this issue. We only have some tiny bits of information to go on, and Franky seems to be filling in the blanks with his own assumptions.

Yes, Microsoft is a big successful company, but to treat them as if faultless is a joke, considering their own track record with the 360. Go ahead and release this patch as is. If the memory card gets pulled, the game won't even completely crash. You can still exit the game and restart it. There are bigger issues left in most commercial releases.

 

[Emmanuel Papillon]

Wow.

Sorry, but at this point I'm considering uninstalling TBA and forgetting about it. It basically takes space on my 360 hard drive for nothing. This pushes things to September, at the very best, right? And we all know something else would have been missed by Farsight then since they're, well, Farsight?

I'm not that mad actually, and I don't want to rub it in for Farsight employees whom I sympathize with, but this is pretty bad and pretty sad. You're six months late, Farsight.

 

[PiN WiZ]

Let me get this straight, FarSight's a fail because they haven't gotten any DLC on the Xbox 360 in just a little over three months after release, yet when Zen released Pinball FX, I didn't get my fourth CORE table until six months after release and ONE single DLC table eight months after release...How soon we all forget. Just remember, Zen was dealing with the same company at the time of their super slow, almost non-existent, table releases when they first got into the digital gaming market as FarSight currently is. The only reason why you never knew how much trouble Zen had with Microsoft in the beginning is because they never shared any of that information with the public like FarSight does.

The only mistake I can see that FarSight made was promising two tables a month on consoles without proper research on Sony and Microsoft's approval processes. Everyone now knows that two tables a month are just not possible on consoles, yet people are still complaining about DLC.

 

[xNiCeGuYx]

And that is FS's next problem, they are talking to much!
1.) They promise things
2.) People buy their products because of their great promises
3.) Promises get broken multiple times
4.) People are disappointed

 

[PiN WiZ]

And that is FS's next problem, they are talking to much!
1.) They promise things
2.) People buy their products because of their great promises
3.) Promises get broken multiple times
4.) People are disappointed

I agree with all except #2 and the majority of me and my friends bought The Pinball Arcade for the licensed tables that are coming to the platform. The two tables a month was just an added bonus, but non of us are so crushed by the lack of DLC that we're willing to abandon The Pinball Arcade on the Xbox 360. That's just silly.

 

[Nik Barbour]

I agree with all except #2 and the majority of me and my friends bought The Pinball Arcade for the licensed tables that are coming to the platform. The two tables a month was just an added bonus, but non of us are so crushed by the lack of DLC that we're willing to abandon The Pinball Arcade on the Xbox 360. That's just silly.

I agree with your statement - but I bought a console purely to play TPA on. I wouldn't have done that if I'd known we will only have 4 tables.
I was promised regular DLC.

 

[PiN WiZ]

I agree with your statement - but I bought a console purely to play TPA on. I wouldn't have done that if I'd known we will only have 4 tables.
I was promised regular DLC.

I understand that FarSight's promise of two DLC tables a month (which has yet to happen) aided in your decision to get an Xbox 360 which is why in one of my previous posts I stated, "The only mistake I can see that FarSight made was promising two tables a month on consoles without proper research on Sony and Microsoft's approval processes."

I think it would be in FarSight's best interest to just come clean and announce that, due to lengthy approval process times, two tables a month are just not possible on consoles and that they'll do their best to get DLC released as soon as possible on those platforms.

 

[Franky]

Why the big lecture about memory cards? As if we all can't conceive what this issue is without you bending over backwards to defend Microsoft.

first - because my english is not that good, i would like to make it a little shorter but it's not that easy. second, because some people on the board really think that microsoft demands that the game should still be playable without the card in it - which is WRONG - they aren't stupid, they know that the game won't work without the content present. So it must be something else, right?
AND, another reason for the big lecture, people think that microsoft ignores bugs from other companies and their only goal is to DESTROY farsight because microsoft is soooo jealous - and that is just a big joke. AGAIN - microsoft is just testing for bugs related to THEIR OWN product - and that IS more than understandable for me.

bending over backwards to defend Microsoft

i don't defend microsoft but i'm getting really pissed in the meantime when people ALWAYS try to blame others.

It's a very simple thing - it's rejected because of a bug and since farsight is responsible for the bug they are the one to blame and NOT MICROSOFT.

due to lengthy approval process times

the delay comes from all the rejections.


But anyway, farsight unnecessary harmed themselves and they lost quite a bit credibility. The name "Farsight" is not connected with quality and that's really bad for a company - that's someting you can't get off very easily.