Thanks Nathan for the update. I was hoping the patch would come out sooner, but I believe you when you say that the patch that is coming will have been worth the wait. Don't let us down now
Trent on Twitter just yesterday: "We found a few more issues we wanted to fix in the iOS 5.1 version, so yes, it is not currently in review. We're hoping to resubmit soon."
Well, iOS 5.1 Version = iPad 2/3/4/Mini running on iOS 5 jailbroken.
It'll be GREAT if this is iPad 1 users able to get this working, but there's been no definitive announcement that this is the "iPad 1 Supported Now" patch.
I REALLY hope it is for the sake of all of those out there using iPad 1's however. My fingers are crossed for you guys.
Thank you so much, @Nathan , for taking the time to post! It feels great to have fresh information again, and I look forward to picking up my iPad when the patch is out.
Also, as someone who is looking forward to cross-platform multiplayer, I really appreciate that you do what is necessary to get that up and running
Looking forward to the cross platform multi player, I have not picked my laptop up since getting an Ipad. Will we ever get cloud saves, just in case I start using my laptop again?
Well, iOS 5.1 Version = iPad 2/3/4/Mini running on iOS 5 jailbroken.
It'll be GREAT if this is iPad 1 users able to get this working, but there's been no definitive announcement that this is the "iPad 1 Supported Now" patch.
I REALLY hope it is for the sake of all of those out there using iPad 1's however. My fingers are crossed for you guys.
Im just wondering, what % of tablet users have the original ipad?
Well, iOS 5.1 Version = iPad 2/3/4/Mini running on iOS 5 jailbroken.
It'll be GREAT if this is iPad 1 users able to get this working, but there's been no definitive announcement that this is the "iPad 1 Supported Now" patch.
I REALLY hope it is for the sake of all of those out there using iPad 1's however. My fingers are crossed for you guys.
To clarify my point...
Information from iOS developers on this forum indicates that there is no way for them to say "works with iOS 5.1, but not the iPad 1". That seems to be why the iOS 6 restriction was put in place - to keep that build off the iPad 1. So, if the next version is compatible with iOS 5.1, then the next version will run on the iPad 1. Trent's tweet yesterday seems to indicate that they are planning to make the next update compatible with 5.1.
Yeah I agree with a lot of you. I'm OK (more or less) with the game as-is, but with Trent (and the other guys) being somewhat open social about the process I find the fact I truly have no idea what's happening kind of strange. If this was EA or something, where our posts seem totally ignored, sure I get it. It doesn't seem to hard to say "hey we're hoping to submit next week" or "we submitted over the holiday, now we're on the App Submission roller coaster". Not that I feel entitled to know, but you gotta be curious since the Devs talk to us.
I'm gonna play the game through again after this run through (I'm near the end, IIRC) just because I was planning on dual classing and it never seemed to work despite what I read. (Beastmaster -> Cleric). Just as an archer I'm kicking some ass, but I don't want to take a leather-clad dink with pet rats into BG2, I want him to be better. Maybe I'll just beat it and start over post-patch since I want to anyways. And because I truly enjoyed playing it again on iPad (despite my intended-to-be-mild complaints).
You may not have been around for the launch of this game, or active or whatever.
At launch, Trent and others from the dev team were very open about their process, what was happening, what was going on, and what they were doing. In Trent's words "probably too open", because they were catching A LOT of shit over late releases and failed App Store pushes. Trent would tweet that they'd pushed a build to the App Store process, it would get people excited, and then it would be rejected (due to the iPad 1 crash bugs talked about in other places) and he'd get a new round of shit storm thrown at him on twitter and here on the forums about how horrible and aweful Beamdog was as a development company because they couldn't get it right the first time.
At one point in the process Trent posted a comment that amounted to (paraphrased) "The one thing we've learned here is we're being too open about our processes" and it was right about that time that the front web pages denoting "Coming In " were all changed to "Coming Soon" and the vast majority of the daily / even hourly updates that were being posted clammed up and stopped.
Dig into the forums for posts dated around the 28th of November and read how the folks here treated their release.
You'll quickly realize that the lack of information we're getting in the community at this point is the result of the way this community treated the information we were getting back at release. Instead of "Thanks for keeping us updated! Good luck to you in getting the next attempt at the patch through!" it was "You stupid @(&^)(&)*(( couldn't code your way out of a barn! Look at all the failures you keep posting about...you're all @(()&$(*tards!"
WE, the community, asked for this, WE took a company that was interested and willing to communicate and turned them into another EA hybrid.
Please don't blame Beamdog. You can only smack someone across the face so many times for opening their mouth before they realize they should just keep quiet.
@Illydth I suspect you're attributing other people's attitudes as my own. I am quite forgiving, and pretty laid back about all this. It's a game I happen to love, but it is just a game. As a Mac/iPad user, I've kept out of the PC launch if that's the launch you're speaking of. If anything, my other posts have defended the iPad version as very playable and I've been appreciative to even have it.
When it comes to any product release, the secret is to under-promise and over-deliver, not over-promise and under-deliver. One results in adoration, while the other results in scorn.
Yes... Under-promising is definitely the key to releasing a successful product. That's why so little money is spent on advertising in today's marketplace.
Well, iOS 5.1 Version = iPad 2/3/4/Mini running on iOS 5 jailbroken.
It'll be GREAT if this is iPad 1 users able to get this working, but there's been no definitive announcement that this is the "iPad 1 Supported Now" patch.
I REALLY hope it is for the sake of all of those out there using iPad 1's however. My fingers are crossed for you guys.
To clarify my point...
Information from iOS developers on this forum indicates that there is no way for them to say "works with iOS 5.1, but not the iPad 1". That seems to be why the iOS 6 restriction was put in place - to keep that build off the iPad 1. So, if the next version is compatible with iOS 5.1, then the next version will run on the iPad 1. Trent's tweet yesterday seems to indicate that they are planning to make the next update compatible with 5.1.
Oh I absolutely agree with you on this, the question will be whether the product actually WORKS WELL on the iPad 1. There's a possibility that a 5.1 release will still work on the iPad 2/3/4/Mini but still crash regularly on the iPad 1 due to memory issues...the same problem they had at release.
Of course, I would expect that the patch wouldn't get through the app store at that point (again, same problem as at release) so I suspect you're absolutely right on this being the release that works for the iPad 1...again, I certainly hope so for those of you with the device.
Space, I disagree, the secret is expectation management, NOT under-promising. There were definitely mistakes made in the release of this software, both for the iPad and for the PC. The biggest thing I think that's got people up in arms is the expectation of how difficult it was to produce this software.
The general community feeling seems to be that "Well, this is old software that already had all of these mods created for it, how hard can it be to make BG:EE? It's little more than BG + Mods anyway." THAT is the expectation that they failed to manage.
Bringing any game that's 15 years old up to spec is pretty difficult. There were GOING to be bugs, there were GOING to be problems. Translating this game from where it was to where it is now is NOT a trivial manor, but that's not visible unless you have the code in front of you and have the task at hand.
A large segment of the people here seem to have felt this should have come off without a hitch or close to without a hitch.
Had they managed this expectation better, I don't think we'd have had this kind of problem...that and better testing.
Well guys, I know it's frustrating, believe me I know your feel bro, but ultimately what else can we do but wait? I will admit that I'm frustrated by the lack of port customization and having to play find the door, but I will also add that Trent actually took the time to personally respond to a message I posted on the Facebook page so that gives me the peace of mind knowing that hey, the devs are listening, they are here.
Just that personal touch is what gives me confidence. Ad if anything else it inspires me to repair my PC so I can mod the crap out of BgEE . In the mean time, and I hope I'm not out of line by giving a shout out to other options, but cheçk out Avadon and the Avernum games by Spiderweb Software. Similar price and gameplay, they've just had more polish time.
In your next communication to the iPad crowd could you address the strategy on multi-player? When the new patch is released all platforms will be synchronized and multiplayer possible. From that point forward, it seems there are three possible outcomes:
(1) The game continues to require the same version number on all devices and updates are synchronized moving forward to keep multi-platform multiplayer viable at all times.
(2) The game continues to require the same version number and updates will come out at different times on different devices which will create gaps in the multiplayer availability for people keeping current on updates and running a game across platforms.
(3) The game is redesigned so that multiplayer is generally accessible even with different update versions (at least for anyone staying close to up to date on their platform).
There are a number of us who own the iPad versions almost exclusively for multiplayer and we are anxious to find out how this will work going forward.
Thanks for all the hard work on an absolute classic of a game!
I wouldn't think that they will have a definite answer on the patch release strategy any time soon, given that half of the platforms didn't even see the initial release yet.
@AHF the plan is to keep things synchronized going forward from here on out (option 1), on all platforms as well as the ones to be released.
Option 2 is where we're at right now, which is not ideal (basically, it's currently horrible and not where we want to be). Option 3 isn't possible for technical reasons - having different versions of resources or code will result in a variety of game-breaking glitches for anyone playing multiplayer on two different versions.
So going forward, for every avenue of release that we're responsible for maintaining we want to keep all the versions in-step.
@Nathan - is there a way to set a release date for the Apple platforms so that you can have a truly synchronized release, or will the timing of the releases be limited by the timing of Apple's approval process?
@Nathan - is there a way to set a release date for the Apple platforms so that you can have a truly synchronized release, or will the timing of the releases be limited by the timing of Apple's approval process?
Developers have the option to hold apps/updates for developer release post review. Once approved they simply specify the date to release and then it'll start appearing in the stores on midnight that date.
@Cerevant@Zandri that is likely what we'll be doing going forward, after this next big release - for the next big patch, I'm not positive yet but we may just push it out on every platform as soon as it is available/passes approval due to demand.
@AHF the plan is to keep things synchronized going forward from here on out (option 1), on all platforms as well as the ones to be released.
Option 2 is where we're at right now, which is not ideal (basically, it's currently horrible and not where we want to be). Option 3 isn't possible for technical reasons - having different versions of resources or code will result in a variety of game-breaking glitches for anyone playing multiplayer on two different versions.
So going forward, for every avenue of release that we're responsible for maintaining we want to keep all the versions in-step.
Thanks so much for the update, @Nathan! This will enable me to start getting some use out of the iPad version.
@Nathan: You are awesome! Thanks for the continued work and the ongoing information. I really do hope you guys got some good time off at XMas and are able to keep the burnout factor down a bit.
I think I can speak for the rest of the community here when I say: "We're eagerly awaiting the first patch for the iPad!"
FWIW it does not work much better on Windows. Tried Moving my saved game over from my IPAD to my PC and within 30 minutes of playing a quest bugged out and now I cannot loot a corpse, enter a building or change zones no matter what save game I load. Pretty wierd that it can corrupt previous saved games. Maybe this will be ready for prime time by Sept 2013?
Hopefully they have learned their lesson for BG2. Develop, FINISH and get the game stable on 1 (one) platform before trying another. They dug themselves a deep hole with this one in trying to get 2 versions working, in sync for multiplayer, and both are now dependent upon the Apple approval process. Not a good place to be in.
Hey folks, so the latest patch is now live on the PC version so you can get an idea of the changelist (which is considerable). This IS the patch that will be heading to iPad pronto, and will be the version we'll be aiming for Mac OSX release, just so you're all aware - barring, of course, any major crash issues.
As I mentioned before, we will be going with all releases in step after this next patch - currently, since everything is already de-synchonized we're pushing it all out as it becomes available due to demand.
Comments
Thanks Nathan for the update. I was hoping the patch would come out sooner, but I believe you when you say that the patch that is coming will have been worth the wait. Don't let us down now
iOS 5.1 version = iPad 1 version
It'll be GREAT if this is iPad 1 users able to get this working, but there's been no definitive announcement that this is the "iPad 1 Supported Now" patch.
I REALLY hope it is for the sake of all of those out there using iPad 1's however. My fingers are crossed for you guys.
Also, as someone who is looking forward to cross-platform multiplayer, I really appreciate that you do what is necessary to get that up and running
Information from iOS developers on this forum indicates that there is no way for them to say "works with iOS 5.1, but not the iPad 1". That seems to be why the iOS 6 restriction was put in place - to keep that build off the iPad 1. So, if the next version is compatible with iOS 5.1, then the next version will run on the iPad 1. Trent's tweet yesterday seems to indicate that they are planning to make the next update compatible with 5.1.
I suspect you're attributing other people's attitudes as my own. I am quite forgiving, and pretty laid back about all this. It's a game I happen to love, but it is just a game. As a Mac/iPad user, I've kept out of the PC launch if that's the launch you're speaking of. If anything, my other posts have defended the iPad version as very playable and I've been appreciative to even have it.
Of course, I would expect that the patch wouldn't get through the app store at that point (again, same problem as at release) so I suspect you're absolutely right on this being the release that works for the iPad 1...again, I certainly hope so for those of you with the device.
My apologies if you thought that post directed at an attitude you were showing or otherwise directed "at" you.
That was more a general bit of information answering your question of "why all of a sudden aren't we getting communication like we used to?"
That was in no way meant to suggest you were a complainer, only my best answer to your query.
@space_hamster / @elvis_minor
Space, I disagree, the secret is expectation management, NOT under-promising. There were definitely mistakes made in the release of this software, both for the iPad and for the PC. The biggest thing I think that's got people up in arms is the expectation of how difficult it was to produce this software.
The general community feeling seems to be that "Well, this is old software that already had all of these mods created for it, how hard can it be to make BG:EE? It's little more than BG + Mods anyway." THAT is the expectation that they failed to manage.
Bringing any game that's 15 years old up to spec is pretty difficult. There were GOING to be bugs, there were GOING to be problems. Translating this game from where it was to where it is now is NOT a trivial manor, but that's not visible unless you have the code in front of you and have the task at hand.
A large segment of the people here seem to have felt this should have come off without a hitch or close to without a hitch.
Had they managed this expectation better, I don't think we'd have had this kind of problem...that and better testing.
Just that personal touch is what gives me confidence. Ad if anything else it inspires me to repair my PC so I can mod the crap out of BgEE
In your next communication to the iPad crowd could you address the strategy on multi-player? When the new patch is released all platforms will be synchronized and multiplayer possible. From that point forward, it seems there are three possible outcomes:
(1) The game continues to require the same version number on all devices and updates are synchronized moving forward to keep multi-platform multiplayer viable at all times.
(2) The game continues to require the same version number and updates will come out at different times on different devices which will create gaps in the multiplayer availability for people keeping current on updates and running a game across platforms.
(3) The game is redesigned so that multiplayer is generally accessible even with different update versions (at least for anyone staying close to up to date on their platform).
There are a number of us who own the iPad versions almost exclusively for multiplayer and we are anxious to find out how this will work going forward.
Thanks for all the hard work on an absolute classic of a game!
Option 2 is where we're at right now, which is not ideal (basically, it's currently horrible and not where we want to be). Option 3 isn't possible for technical reasons - having different versions of resources or code will result in a variety of game-breaking glitches for anyone playing multiplayer on two different versions.
So going forward, for every avenue of release that we're responsible for maintaining we want to keep all the versions in-step.
I think I can speak for the rest of the community here when I say: "We're eagerly awaiting the first patch for the iPad!"
--Illydth
@TrentOster
"So we found a crash bug which we're going to have to fix. We'll hold the new build until it is resolved and tested."
Take your time guys. No rush. I'll be playing this game 10 years from now I can wait another month.
sl
As I mentioned before, we will be going with all releases in step after this next patch - currently, since everything is already de-synchonized we're pushing it all out as it becomes available due to demand.