The Road to v1.3 (BG:EE), Phase III
Dee
Member Posts: 10,447
We're pushing an update to the Windows beta build now. The full list of changes are in the next post.
We've created a form here*, which we will be using to track our progress. Once we have confirmed that every quest works, we will release the patch on all platforms.
If you'd like to participate, open up the link and mark any test you've completed successfully as "Works"; any test that you were unable to complete, mark as "Does Not Work".
If you have anything to add, use the Comments field.
Phase III: Content Testing
Today we are directing our focus to testing quests. In this phase, we will be testing each and every quest in the entire game to make sure that it works.We've created a form here*, which we will be using to track our progress. Once we have confirmed that every quest works, we will release the patch on all platforms.
If you'd like to participate, open up the link and mark any test you've completed successfully as "Works"; any test that you were unable to complete, mark as "Does Not Work".
If you have anything to add, use the Comments field.
Successful Tests: 0 / 721
*Special thanks to the folks over at Dudleyville for creating a handy printable checklist to start from.Post edited by Dee on
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Comments
Change Log (4/1/2014):
New Feature for Tablets: Trigger Icons Through the Magnifying Glass Tool (2499)
General Bug Fixes:
I do wish we had time to bring back the Ask Us Anything threads, though; they were a great resource to have. Maybe once this cycle of patches is complete I'll see about coming on a weekend to do something like it again.
At least progress is being made. I hope you guys aren't on like the verge of imploding due to taking on more work then you're team is capable of, essentially I hope you haven't fallen in to a similar situation as Exploding Rabbit.
http://www.explodingrabbit.com/
http://www.explodingrabbit.com/news/super-action-squad-is-being-put-on-hold
http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/comment/479271/#Comment_479271
Last update for BG2EE was 5 months ago... last update for BGEE around 6...
The team is small and this game isn't mainstream.
So better releasing well done patches over a longer period than none at all or some rush work.
"Make money, money, make money, money..." blah.
BG should be PC ONLY. It's not f***** Angry Birds ;/ I don't need it on my phone.
Another route the secs can take is by using the green light feature in steam, that way people like me can donate, instead of working on multiple platforms that slow production among them.
At the end of the day, I will buy w/e has D&Din the name. I'm a sucker like that lol
I rather prefer this sentiment to the decidedly selfish one above. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go play a bit of Angry Birds on my MacBook.
That's not to say there aren't good additions in the EE's - hell, I love the EE's, they're full of great new features and I enjoy most of the new content as well. But to say BG hadn't been available for modern PCs is to disregard the contributions of an amazing modding community that has kept these games current throughout more than a decade and continues to do so today.
Note that this is a response to no-one in particular. Just wanted to air my thoughts on the topic.
I just updated the beta to the new version v1.3.2042. I did a quick diff of the game texts and noticed -- the descriptions of the cursed weapons now display the "enchanted" speed factors again. Checked NearInfinity to confirm that the changes to the speed factors in v2032 have been reverted.
Thank you, everyone involved, for listening to us. I'm really happy to find that you guys take notice and care about the feedback to the beta, even when you are clearly very busy and have a lot more on your plate than just this particular beta. Thank you so much.
And that's the thing about modding: modding does not necessarily equate to access to the game. My saying that isn't by way of disregarding the contributions that mods have made to the game; it's acknowledging the fact that not everyone has the savvy to use mods, and there's a natural drop-off point where members of the audience for a game aren't going to be able to follow when the ability to use a game becomes so dependent on knowing how to keep up with homemade mods and fixes. It's worth noting that the GOG version of the game comes with a page of links and instructions just to get it running on newer Windows platforms; it's not necessarily playable out-of-the-box on purchase. That necessarily puts it out of the reach of some gamers, who may lack either the skill or the patience to do as instructed to get the game working on a newer box.
About the delays in patching: I, too, have silently questioned in my mind the wisdom of leaving BG2:EE unpatched for so long, with the thrust of human resources effort being used for Android and yet *another* BG1:EE patch. I see that "the natives are getting restless" from some of the posts being made, and I notice a drop-off in activity and interest in the forums (which may be purely subjective and inaccurately concluded on my part).
I would guess that the prioritization schedule has to do with needing to bring in more revenue to keep the doors open. Releasing the Android version of the game would bring more sales. As for prioritizing BG1:EE over BG2:EE, it may be that the first game has been selling better. Like most businesses, Beamdog considers their exact financials to be confidential information that will not be released to the public, but they make their business decisions based on those accounting spreadsheets and reports just like any other business.
I haven't really "lost trust" or "lost my faith" in them, and I don't regret purchasing my BG:EE and BG2:EE products from them. I'm sad that it looks like there will be more waiting to get BG2:EE fully polished, and that there have been more "bumps in the road" with product quality than anyone anticipated, but I'm very happy to see the massive renewed interest in the franchise, which I think Beamdog has played a huge part in stimulating. I'm also basically happy with the products I bought, for many reasons which have been discussed back and forth at huge length over the past year in various forum threads.
Disclaimer: All of the above is pure speculation on my part, based on conclusions reached by reading forum posts and various internet articles.
On the other hand, I have never owned an Apple computer so I trust your assessment that the original BG was unavailable on newer Mac versions.
Re: Patching... you know, I still remember a time when you could buy a game, open the box, install it off a CD and get to playing right away. And rare was the need for a game to be patched the way we seem to expect it nowadays; now, it seems a lot of gamers expect a game that is "current" to get a patch or update every few months or so. Myself personally? I'm fine with BG as is, and if BG1/BG2 aren't given any more patches at all I'll still be fine with them. Just give me a ring when they're prepping the reveal for IWD:EE/PS:T:EE/BG3.