Uber: Why must you release before all the base features are in place?

It's been confirmed by the devs that the release date is not being dictated by a 3rd party, and they have also confirmed their regret with having to push the game to release so early. I think it's fair to say an explanation would go a long way to clearing up the gloom and doom we are seeing lately on the forum and restore the good will a lot of community members have lost over the few pieces of info we have been able to get so far. so Uber, can you please explain why you must release before all the base features are in place?

Uhmmmm... Source?

I'd rather a "partial" release and continued development instead of PA being stuck in "Beta" for years and years like Hawken still(!) is. Hawken BTW started development sometime around July 2010.

Mike

As was previously established all the Kickstarter-promised features are present. The only thing lacking in this regard is polish which Uber is going for at the moment.
So the question should rather be why they opt for polish instead of features at this point in time.

I like how people are like "Oh my gosh! Uber is going to release PA v1.0 soon! NOOOO!!!!".

When the only "source" is a "release date" on a distributor who may or may not(probably this) have ever updated the page to reflect Uber's timetable.

Uber will get things done on Ubertime, not their time.

I believe uber will get things done. Unit cannon is something vocal and very much a part of what the community wants.

I'll be patient while they polish up the base features and take care of easy tasks. Hopefully gas giants and metal planet death lasers get done in gamma as well

I think part of the problem is that people are jumping to the idea that Nordic Games are somehow acting like a publisher and are setting goals/milestones that Uber needs to meet.

But they are strictly a publisher, and while I'm sure they do make sure that things work out in such a way that is good for Retail release it's nothing like a "traditional" Publisher/Developer relationship.

In a "Traditional" Pub/Dev Relationship the Pub Execs set dates to conform to market strategies and whatnot(Doing a release during the holiday season for example) and the Devs have to work to meet that.

In Uber's Case I'd imagine it more so Uber going to Nordic and saying "We want the Game to release on X date" and Nordic coming back and saying "Okay, and in order for us to meet the requirements for X Date we need Thing A by Y Date, Thing B by Z Date and so and so forth" Because making an actual Physical item requires lead time to make sure you have enough for release day. Look at Console Releases, they're hard to produce int eh required amounts to meet demand for release and if they have more lead up time they COULD make enough to meet demand. Luckily making a PA Physical Copy is MUCH simpler than a console so they don't need as much lead up time but they still can't start production on all that days before the release date you know?

Mike

Even so who cares when 1.0 is going out?

It's not like it's gonna make a difference what number happens to be on the patch note.

Which quote are you using as evidence that they regret having to release early (not a dig, I just want to make sure we are singing from the same sheet)? All I have seen is Brad stating he is sorry they can't get the unit cannon in sooner. EDIT: I am an idiot, I actually do know which comment you are talking about, where it was stated unit cannon won't be in GAmma or by 1.0 release. This sounds like prioritising, and I don't think they are concerned that this will affect the "base game".

An interesting distinction we need to make, is what constitutes the "base game"? how do we define the Kickstarter bonus rewards? If you think of them as extras that the devs can now make, with no set time limit, then Uber are still on target to meet these goals.

I am waiting until this supposed/rumoured release date hits in mid May before I start truly questioning Uber's intentions.

Okay, this was kind of funny at first, but seriously, when's it gonna stop?
All of this is getting really annoying, can't we wait until the supposed release of the game to decide whether it's finished or not instead of acting like a bunch of insane conspiracy theorists?

The distributor has no dictation on anything but the distribution of the retail version.
Saying otherwise is the same as saying Steam is pressuring them for an early release.

EDIT: Also, who even BUYS retail copies of PC games anyway?!

Games always have release dates posted all the time on web stores and the like. Amazon will frequently have release dates posted for games and movies that are not even close to accurate. I will believe it when Uber tells us the release date themselves, not from a distributer.

I want the Unit Cannon. I am sure there are many people who want the Unit Cannon and have not spoken up. The way the game currently set up for Orbital makes it very unsatisfying to end the game. You build thousands and thousands of units and get to do nothing with them because you have no meaningful way of using them. It becomes a grind at the endgame (usually in a FFA, 1v1 is usually fine and doesn't end in stalemates unless you are letting it get that way).

Right now to end the game when you have a fortified planet to invade/destroy you:

A: get a teleporter down for more than a second on a planet patrolled by thousands of units and hope you get flak out before they bomb you. Not to mention them nuking the site for which there is no reasonable counter in the amount of time needed.

B: Nuke spam the orbiting planet to death (although if it is not orbiting the planet you're on, you are out of luck).

C: Build dozens of orbital lasers and anchors and hope you can snipe the enemy commander before their umbrellas kill your SXX lasers.

D: Annihilate the planet (which assumes you have another planet to destroy it with, many times you don't).

I am disappointed with the direction the game has been going as of late with these end game mechanics. If not the Unit Cannon, lets have transports that allow for invasion (the one way rockets from the Orbital Launcher would be cool).

Is there even any clear definition of the "base features"?
What base features need to be in place to be release worthy?

Uber could release the game right now and restrict play to a single planet and the game would be essentially complete IMHO (minus a few edge cases and balance issues, aka naval wrecks).

Some people seem to have decided that unless every kickstarter stretch goal is in the game right now, it won't be there at release. This seems pretty weird to me since the only two stretch goals not in yet are gas giants and galactic war. We know galactic war has been in development for a while, so I am sure that will be ready for release. That just leaves gas giants. Even the earliest rumors of the release date give uber two months to finish that feature.

I think people need to stop assuming the worst at every opportunity.

Everyone should step back and look at what they have accomplished in the last few months. They should be fine even if the "release date" from Nordic Games is true.

Seriously? Another one of these complaining threads?

Apparently your view of the game is different than Uber's.

Just let them work on the game so they don't have to waste time on crap like this.

Well, there's also water planets.
But really that doesn't seem like it's going to take much longer.

Improve art assets and functionally of UI. hammer down bugs and improve performance. Improve the current interactions of units.

I have to admit that so much trust in Uber by so many, encourages me in being positive.

I asked a similar question few times, and I assume that if Uber doesn't release an explanation, they might have good reasons for not doing so. Of course, as you do, I also would like a neat answer. Or preferably a "can't answer that". Which would be preferable to a silence on the topic.

But I also think that, at this point, personally, I will wait and see (edit: before expressing any further judgement on the topic).

That's not features. That's polish of existing features.

The fundamental argument boils down to this:

Option 1: Uber release soonish, after polishing up the existing features. Remaining features are added after release.

Option 2: Uber delay, add more features, polish those features plus the existing features, then release.

A more rapid release allows more players to join, modders to get their hands on things quicker, Uber to perform their marketing push and getting the whole release process out of the way. We are all going to be getting the same features at more or less the same time. The only difference is how you label them, plus the advantages already described for an earlier release. I fail to see what all the who-har is about.

Isn't that what the current work of getting a polished game is all about?

EDIT:
Oh and btw a release means we finally get our Kickstarter stuff. Seriously isn't that a good reason alone to be happy about release? That white space on my wall still has to be filled by a nice PA poster