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[Riley Adams]

Woah, 550,000

Note to self: Get a game into one of these sometime...

[slembcke]

Wait wait wait. Let me get this straight. So is the "build 24" of Cortex Command just a DRM free version of build 23? Build 23 is still the current version on the website and is over a year and a half old! What the crap have they done in that time to warrant more sales?

I'm not going to pull the grumpy "I bought this game years ago and it's still not done!" response. I knew that I was buying what amounted to a sandbox game that might never be finished. For the $10-15 or whatever that I paid for it, it was a fun mostly working sandbox game where I could blow lots of stuff up with great explosions. The thing I take issue with is that in the last 2 years they keep posting teasers on their blog every couple of months saying "Oh hey, we are still working on it, really!" with absolutely nothing to show for it other than a small handful of mockup screenshots. It seems really disingenuous, especially given that in a lot of ways the game is still fundamentally broken with characters that can die from jumping or have trouble simply walking.

[Mipe]

Ugh, Revenge of the Titans won't run for me... it just pops up "Failed to find the main class." and there isn't anything about that on the site. 

[Paul Eres]

@mipe: try asking cas about it -- maybe puppygames.com has a forum

[allen]

Ugh, Revenge of the Titans won't run for me... it just pops up "Failed to find the main class." and there isn't anything about that on the site. 

dragonmaw had a problem with his anti-virus blocking the install for some reason.

also doesn't it need java?

[Paul Eres]

yeah i think you do need java installed to run it; i think a lot of people don't have that installed yet.

[C.A. Sinner]

The thing I take issue with is that in the last 2 years they keep posting teasers on their blog every couple of months saying "Oh hey, we are still working on it, really!" with absolutely nothing to show for it other than a small handful of mockup screenshots. It seems really disingenuous, especially given that in a lot of ways the game is still fundamentally broken with characters that can die from jumping or have trouble simply walking.

Thing is, they probably are still working on it, they're just bad at communicating. If you're going to sell unfinished versions of your game, you can't continue developing it in secret, you'll have to have a constant stream of updates on your progress, build a community around your project and actively involve them (via suggestions etc.). Notch, Toady One and Wolfire understand that, Data Realms doesn't. That's how I see it anyway.

[slembcke]

Thing is, they probably are still working on it, they're just bad at communicating. If you're going to sell unfinished versions of your game, you can't continue developing it in secret, you'll have to have a constant stream of updates on your progress, build a community around your project and actively involve them (via suggestions etc.). Notch, Toady One and Wolfire understand that, Data Realms doesn't. That's how I see it anyway.

They used to do fairly regular updates and blog posts that actually made me believe that they were still actively developing it. That was why I bought it in the first place. Though for the longest time now they just post up a half dozen concept sketches (with no actual artwork in sight) or a concept screenshot of some UI stuff that doesn't seem to have anything to do with the actual game. There is also "bad at communicating" and not saying anything of value or releasing any new development builds for nearly 2 years now. If they were making progress in that time, they should have at least something to show for it. Instead it seems like they've gotten burned out on the game and don't really want to work on it anymore, but don't want to admit it. Instead they keep selling it with the promise that it will probably be finished someday.

[MisterX]

...and no matter if that's the case or not, it's unfortunately as believable as any other option. Especially considering that they announced that they're now even working on a second game. Also weird is that they hired someone specifically to improve the communication between the devs and the community.

[Paul Eres]

things like that are part of why i don't want to release my next game SD too early or have early pre-orders, actually. even if you're very very good about community and constant updates, like notch and wolffire are, there will still be people who complain that it's not being updated frequently enough or that the updates and improvements are not on important stuff and on useless stuff. once someone pays for an unfinished they (rightfully) feel that the developer has to finish the game, but that opens the way to it never being fast enough or done in the right way to please everyone, and many being disappointed.

[slembcke]

...and no matter if that's the case or not, it's unfortunately as believable as any other option. Especially considering that they announced that they're now even working on a second game. Also weird is that they hired someone specifically to improve the communication between the devs and the community.

Yeah, I was thinking about mentioning that. They hired a publicist once to make blog posts for them. That lasted only for a few weeks, and really he never said anything that actually mattered.

Another great point was their April Fools day stunt last year: http://devlog.datarealms.com/cortex-command/cc-online-multiplayer-mod/
They hadn't put out an update for almost a year at this point, and teased about a multiplayer mod that was just a prank. "Nice April Fools’ gag.. OR IS IT!" Nice attempt at humor, but I'm sure they were the only ones laughing. Making a joke of the fact that development was effectively stalled was not a great way to win back the trust of the people that preordered.

[Christian Knudsen]

Instead they keep selling it with the promise that it will probably be finished someday.

Although we are very passionate about this project, we cannot guarantee that it will be completed - that's why we offer the discounted price instead of a pre-order deal at full price.

Not that I don't agree with you, though.

And, yeah, like Paul said, pre-selling an indie game can be a double-edged sword. I'd personally only ever do it if the potential income from pre-selling was crucial to the game actually being finished.

[C.A. Sinner]

things like that are part of why i don't want to release my next game SD too early or have early pre-orders, actually. even if you're very very good about community and constant updates, like notch and wolffire are, there will still be people who complain that it's not being updated frequently enough or that the updates and improvements are not on important stuff and on useless stuff

Also, Dwarf Fortress and Minecraft are open-ended sandbox games. From what I know SD is story- and progression-based. With games like that I'm not interested in playing unfinished versions, I'd rather have the full "experience" right away, much like I wouldn't read a half-written novel or watch an unedited movie. Preselling doesn't work for all games IMO.

[TheLastBanana]

Another great point was their April Fools day stunt last year: http://devlog.datarealms.com/cortex-command/cc-online-multiplayer-mod/
They hadn't put out an update for almost a year at this point, and teased about a multiplayer mod that was just a prank. "Nice April Fools’ gag.. OR IS IT!" Nice attempt at humor, but I'm sure they were the only ones laughing. Making a joke of the fact that development was effectively stalled was not a great way to win back the trust of the people that preordered.

Just for the record, I developed the April Fool's joke as a mod, entirely outside of the game. Data just happened to find it funny and post it on the blog - he didn't even know it was being worked on until it was released.

[boxedlunch]

i want to get it, but with no stuff until christmas and being a jobless 14 year old i can't pay. and with the money going to charity i'd feel like a dick for paying nothing for it.