What's going on with the next game update? I'm aware that Smed recently announced a shift in development focus to optimization, but that came pretty much at the tail end of an update cycle (assuming Higgles' arbitrary 2-week release "cadence"). Did they simply stop production on GU15 mid-project? Are they still planning on releasing it? Will it only come after said optimizations? If so, how far are THOSE out? It's not as if optimization is unimportant, but it seems like there are plenty of more pressing, more easily solved issues with the game at present (namely balance). It just doesn't make sense to me to stop an update mid-production after teasing it for so long, just to start on optimization wholesale. At least finish up with what you've started, THEN start on the next big project. The game will keep an extra week.
I think they will still release GU15 this week even though they shifted priorities. I also think it was almost done already before they shifted priorities.
It would be so funny if they pushed back the nearly finished ESF update until the optimization is finished (which I think will take months).
At the least, I think they should hold back on releasing any truely brand-new content until after the optimization efforts, so they might be able to snare more people. That said, I hope the optimization efforts are also giving them a chance to work on more "quality of life" issues like balance and bug fixes, especially that one bug which lets Harassers repair on the move, as that is part of what makes them such tough "transport" vehicles.
That is horrible. I'd say the Harasser is the one thing in this game that I wish didn't exist. Not rebalancing or nerfing, but simply didn't exist.
Lets see...Playstation 4 (with PS2) is set to release on November 15th. That means the next PS2 game update for PC will probably release like a hotfix, so...the week after. That means I'd expect an overall optimization game update (GU15), with ESF updates, on or around the week of November 22.
It is doubtful. I mean even with the delayed GU...12, I think, there was, at least, word from Twitter that it was going to be delayed thanks to technical difficulties. So far, I haven't heard or seen a word, so it may not be coming. Personally, I'm hoping that's because a new GU 15 is being made that's focused on optimization.
While I do think balance has tipped rather to far in favour of TR with Striker, Maruader, Vulcan-H etc. I would arge that optimisation is massively more important. You can choose not to fight against TR, but if the game is poor performing, you will probably not play at all.
It's the nature of development, I'd imagine. Especially if everything in the development team had to grind to a halt for the sake of helping with the woeful FPS. Though I think it's just a part of the new, hmm, reality, where developers are now in the habit of selling games half-baked and we, the buyers, are surprisingly okay with that. Here's hoping that SOE will keep with this game; I'd hate to see PS2 share the fate of Tribes: Ascend, which was left in a half-done state rather unceremoniously by Hi Rez.
A shame that these devs don't keep us in the know of what's really going on. "Wait for a special announcement on FNO". Yeah, well I watched the prior and the CC and they said we were getting content this week. Where is it? This game taught me that SOE really hasn't changed much over the years, and thus I have no interest in EQ-Next because they'd frustrate me there as well most likely going by their track record. The only way to get these devs attention is to tweet them of all things, or post on reddit, WTF is up with that?
