Multiplayer issues

[JCrowe]

Very true. They pulled way too early on the trigger, probably because they hoped to book additional sales before their year-end close. Which, naturally, will annoy many and dissuade others from buying - sacrificing total sales for a quick advance number. Or not. Their management team could have had something else in mind. In either case, it really is something they ought to have communicated more directly.

I say directly, because management would probably retort that we have the demo, so it's not like we "didn't know" what we were getting into in the first place. We had the opportunity to "try before you buy", and if we chose not to, then we can hardly fuss about the product in hand. That's a position I've seen other indies take in recent years. In fact, I'd swear I've seen it brought up somewhere in Shrap's forum.

Of course, it's a position that totally overlooks the fact that they often nerf the demo, and it can't be relied upon to represent the game's true playing experience. And it would be hard for any reasonable person to believe that the "full game", bought-and-paid-for, would sport such a mentally-challenged AI as the one offered in the demo.

Whatever the arguments, there's still hope that they will hammer this game into a winner. It's got a lot of potential, and I'm willing to give them the time. But once bit, twice shy; I think a lot of us will pause before we drop a thirty on their next title.