A simple thank you

[Richard]

NTJedi said:

This game could easily blow the Civilization game series out of the water upon the arrival of Dominions_3... especially if diplomacy features for the AI are added. I wonder if the developers will find a major publisher for Dominions_3 which will save us the hassle of buying Online.

A retail publisher? Yeah that would be great...

Here's what we can expect.

A rushed product to meet retail deadlines (ie full of bugs and dumbed down).
No royalties to the developers so the suits in marketing can buy new cars and take "clients" on marketing trips.
Crappy customer service, and almost no patch support.

Seriously I know if I were a fan of this game I wouldn't want a retail publisher for it. Illwinter would be out of business in no time at all.

Instead you get great customer service, direct interaction with the programming team AND the exectuvies from Shrapnel, monthly royalty checks to keep Johan and the guys in business (and we have never missed a check), and support of the community.

This might sound sarcastic, but seriously look at how many developers that are similiar to Illwinter have been ripped off this year by retail publishers...

[NTJedi]

Richard said:
A retail publisher? Yeah that would be great...

Here's what we can expect.

A rushed product to meet retail deadlines (ie full of bugs and dumbed down).

Develop and finish the game... then find a publisher. During the time before release provides more Q&A testing.

Many gamers don't trust buying anything Online and will never get the game if the game can only be purchased Online. I'm only suggesting the developers should find a way to get their game into the local stores otherwise there are thousands and thousands of gamers they will never reach.

[Gandalf Parker]

NTJedi said:
Many gamers don't trust buying anything Online and will never get the game if the game can only be purchased Online. I'm only suggesting the developers should find a way to get their game into the local stores otherwise there are thousands and thousands of gamers they will never reach.

Actually I think there are local retailers who carry it. And if you know of one you want to carry it then have them contact Annette.

[Arryn]

NTJedi said:

Develop and finish the game... then find a publisher. During the time before release provides more Q&A testing.

Fine and dandy if the developers can afford to up-front all the development costs, including the market research to properly design the game to begin with so it's something Users will actually want to play, and for internal testers so that Users can actually play the silly thing.