warm blanket, not really. In my work it is just another hurdle to get over. You may think I am defending bioware, I am not. It is their code and their plan along with their staff, so that makes it their problem. I am only saying if you think coding is a static I did this today, so this times number of days in a sprint = all the work that that will get done in a sprint (ie laying bricks) you do not understand how this works at all. I got a piece of code that is 4 weeks late to me, because it fails to work in our pre-production environment while working in all previous environments. That has caused me to reshuffle all sorts of work. And if you think I suck (or my team) at our jobs you would be very wrong. My employer say so.

 

Knowledge is power. Have a great day.

It' doesn't matter if you want to defend bioware or not. I don't care for them one way or another at this point beyond what entertainment I can squeeze out of their product.

I do think you suck if you are 4 weeks late and still using the same weak excuse of oh the code doesn't work. I'd have fired you and looked for someone more competent in the field. In my experience there is always someone better. A month late and sorry but there are few excuses I'd take. You'd reshuffle and it would get done in a timely manner or I would find someone that could.

Knowledge is power but the ability to actually succeed on schedule with that knowledge is greater still.

 

I do think you suck if you are 4 weeks late and still using the same weak excuse of oh the code doesn't work. I'd have fired you and looked for someone more competent in the field. In my experience there is always someone better. A month late and sorry but there are few excuses I'd take. You'd reshuffle and it would get done in a timely manner or I would find someone that could.

Without a trace of snark....you prolly wouldn't last long in the business, then.

One more anecdote, then I need to drop it.

Several years back, the company I was with at the time landed a massive client conversion. The way we did those was to programmatically pull all of their existingn records onto our system in one day, to minimize partial processing. This project was easily 10 times larger than any we'd ever done...millions of records, instead of hundreds of thousands. It'd require custom code for the actual conversion, and a hundred moving parts.

Problem was, they wanted it done faster than we were really ready for. We were going to lose the contract, though, so we went ahead anyway.

The conversion itself went off without a hitch. Code performed beautifully, application and database server kept up, everybody was thrilled. Then, that overnight, a regularly scheduled database optimization ran long...of course it did; those tables were now massive. That ran into a scheduled delta pull (basically a pull from the database of everything that changed), which was also way more intensive than normal. Because we'd never configured the DBMS to prioritize one over the other, it tried to run both, choked, then put itself out of its misery to avoid data corruption, as configured.

Our new client's billing didn't run. They lost millions, that we had to cover.

It wasn't a code issue. It wasn't a server issue or a DBMS issue. All of those things did exactly what we'd designed or configured them to do. We just didn't have enough time to see that coming. I can't guarantee we'd have thought to make a change to account for it if we'd had another week of planning, but it's awfully likely.

Management threw the best DBA manager we'd ever had under the bus, and fired him, when the problem really was that we should have stood our ground on timeframe. Turns out we couldn't replace him with anybody near as talented, and it cost us clients and real money over time. That company's out of business now.

But technically, it WAS a database issue, at first glance...

Without a trace of snark....you prolly wouldn't last long in the business, then.

19 years so far employing teams of coders and we're doing quite well. Our teams get it done and in a timely manner because in my area of business. That kind of failure is simply not acceptable given what we manage.

It' doesn't matter if you want to defend bioware or not. I don't care for them one way or another at this point beyond what entertainment I can squeeze out of their product.

 

I do think you suck if you are 4 weeks late and still using the same weak excuse of oh the code doesn't work. I'd have fired you and looked for someone more competent in the field. In my experience there is always someone better. A month late and sorry but there are few excuses I'd take. You'd reshuffle and it would get done in a timely manner or I would find someone that could.

 

Knowledge is power but the ability to actually succeed on schedule with that knowledge is greater still.

LOL, Enterprise environment with a large financial company. Assumptions that the delay is "my fault". Another assumption is it is I could fix this. What is the problem, who can fix it, what is the effort vs an alternate approach. What other effort slides based on which team I use to fix it. What is sales higher priority. All these are questions we have to answer in the real world you would never see asked. See what I mean about things not quite so cut and dry. Assumptions....

LOL, Enterprise environment with a large financial company. Assumptions that the delay is "my fault". Another assumption is it is I could fix this. What is the problem, who can fix it, what is the effort vs an alternate approach. What other effort slides based on which team I use to fix it. What is sales higher priority. All these are questions we have to answer in the real world you would never see asked. See what I mean about things not quite so cut and dry. Assumptions....

When it hits the fan, you'd either get it done or not be employed and 4 months would never be acceptable.

Your assumption is thinking you couldn't be replaced for your failure no matter what your excuse is and the one of oh it's just code we can't get right as if that would continue to be some excuse anyone in my field would take would really send out clients over the edge not to mention the owners. You simply wouldn't be needed any near a 4 month late no working project. It's never cut and dry but we expect our people to work through it till it is and 4 months late would never fly.

That excuse used to work more back in the 90's but we are way past letting that be an excuse these days.

When it hits the fan, you'd either get it done or not be employed and 4 months would never be acceptable.

 

Your assumption is thinking you couldn't be replaced for your failure no matter what your excuse is and the one of oh it's just code we can't get right as if that would continue to be some excuse anyone in my field would take would really send out clients over the edge not to mention the owners. You simply wouldn't be needed any near a 4 month late no working project. It's never cut and dry but we expect our people to work through it till it is and 4 months late would never fly.

While your at it go back and re-read my post. 4 weeks not months. Your pretty mouthy for a guy/girl that has been wrong all the way through this. You also may be or may not be great at your work but I can tell you would struggle working for us. But that is probably our gain. Feel free to gripe about the game all you want friend. But your need to personally attack others is really a bad look and really causes me to doubt much of what you say. But hey, you don't need my belief so rock on.

SNIP... Feel free to gripe about the game all you want friend.

I very much intend to when I think it's deserved.

don't need my belief so rock on.

No I do not.

19 years so far employing teams of coders and we're doing quite well.

"Employing teams of coders" isn't a horribly meaningful term. It's not unusual for developers to report to business-side managers, or for consultants to bring them in on a project basis.

I'll say this much: in all my years, I've never once heard a developer refer to themselves as "coders". Project managers call them that, as do business managers. Different critter all together, but it explains an awful lot.

At any rate, congratulations on your (suddenly claimed) industry success. May you continue to hire competent people.

Interesting how the discussion has been distracted from the actual topic at hand. Well played.

I repeat my question: Is Izax really the only reason why you delay not only one, but two updates? Everything else is ready and on schedule?

Is the conquest update ready?

Are the companion returns ready?

Is the romance ready?

Despite what certain people in this thread claim, everyone showed understanding for a delay of Izax and appreciated a fix of any issues. In fact, most players couldn't care less for him/her/it.

OPs bosses have been delayed throughout the last year. It didn't lead to delayed updates. They just pushed the OPs boss back an update or two. Why not this time, if everything else is ready? That is, unless it's not just Izax... but then why blame it on Izax, resp. the players' feedback? Makes it sound like the players are to blame for the delay of two updates, because they are not satisfied with what they got. I don't like this innuendo.

"Its kind of sad the defense of pushing back the release. Some people think that as long as they mention quality then its great news and others are so grateful for any information that it doesn't matter what is said they will thank Keith for it.

At which point, it seems all Keith really has to do is keep pushing back 5.8 till next year and as long as he keeps saying quality and giving 2 weeks notice everything will be great. At what point will people stop defending the state of the game. Its been months since the last update, what is being released is very very little and even with months between updates its still so bad it can't be released on time."

-Valerien

Hey Tux, that's actually how I took it and was poking fun at myself, too. I do plan to tell everyone about what we are planning, how we want to deliver updates, and also discuss our expansion plans for SWTOR. I'll post up some insight when I'm ready to start those discussions (but, it's definitely not for at least another month).

--Keith-

Thanks for telling us, and take your time! Have a good weekend!

Hey Tux, that's actually how I took it and was poking fun at myself, too. I do plan to tell everyone about what we are planning, how we want to deliver updates, and also discuss our expansion plans for SWTOR. I'll post up some insight when I'm ready to start those discussions (but, it's definitely not for at least another month).

 

--Keith-

I'm looking very forward to it Keith! No matter what your future plans are, we'll want more...and that's a good thing...

Hey everyone,

 

I wanted to give you an update on the status of Game Updates 5.8 and 5.9. After reviewing our internal test results along with the feedback we’ve received from the players on our Public Test Server (PTS), we decided release 5.8 is not ready and needs a bit more time to make the necessary adjustments. The new targeted release date for 5.8 is now a week later on Tuesday, March 20, 2018. This additional time will help ensure we deliver a quality experience with Izax, the final Boss encounter for Gods from the Machine.

 

Also, while I have your attention, this means we will also move the release of Game Update 5.9 one additional week, too. We were planning to release 5.9 on April 24th, but the new date will be Tuesday, May 1, 2018.

 

Thanks all,

 

--Keith-

Nice - on one side is it better to deliver quality than bugs, on the other side we have a full month without new content.

One Little update each month, now you spare one or app. 1/12 of the budget.

BtW releae Day: May 1 - it's Labor Day - in most countries a holiday, a perfect day to shut down the servers für maintenance - great job.

"Its kind of sad the defense of pushing back the release. Some people think that as long as they mention quality then its great news and others are so grateful for any information that it doesn't matter what is said they will thank Keith for it.

 

At which point, it seems all Keith really has to do is keep pushing back 5.8 till next year and as long as he keeps saying quality and giving 2 weeks notice everything will be great. At what point will people stop defending the state of the game. Its been months since the last update, what is being released is very very little and even with months between updates its still so bad it can't be released on time."

 

-Valerien

Right. That's not hyperbolic at all.

Did you know that you can be generally critical of the state of the game, and still say "hey, this one thing this one time was a good move?"

It doesn't make you a white knight. It doesn't make you a mindless defender drone, or cause you to immediately change forum faction, or anything like that. Your online persona stays secure.

Hey Tux, that's actually how I took it and was poking fun at myself, too. I do plan to tell everyone about what we are planning, how we want to deliver updates, and also discuss our expansion plans for SWTOR. I'll post up some insight when I'm ready to start those discussions (but, it's definitely not for at least another month).

 

--Keith-

Thanks for popping in here and addressing things, Keith. I'd very much like to hear some word from the team as to whether there is anything they can do to make sure the returned companions interact the way they used to. As Vector is my favorite companion in the game I don't want to run my agent past Shadow of Reven if it means trading original Vector for one that doesn't make crazy little comments as I run around various planet, or who's mouth doesn't move when I click him.

I mean, it's not something I'd drop a sub over, it just means keeping my favorite toons in a holding pattern so they don't lose companions who work properly. So, that does diminish my enjoyment of the game a little.

Right. That's not hyperbolic at all.

 

Did you know that you can be generally critical of the state of the game, and still say "hey, this one thing this one time was a good move?"

But we can't possibly know if that is or is not the case until after the delayed content is released.

If when released it is generally well received, is well balanced, and has no bugs then it may well have been a good move to delay it.

If it releases with bugs, is still not properly balanced, and is not at all well received it will not have been a good move to delay it.

Based on my past experience with Bioware content patches I'll err on the side of caution and suggest that the delay will not have improved the release sufficiently to warrant said delay.

All The Best

but, it's definitely not for at least another month

In last weeks i have nothing to do in this game. Monday - walking on Odessen without sense, Tuesday - same on Ilum what i spent less than 20 min recognized "what i want to do here ...?", Wednesday - planned sitting on fleet what i will do in next 2 months without content (again Kotfe vet mode, again (third time) Inquisitor and Ziost story with alts, heroics, achivs and other little boring things, nothing new because as a veteran i done everything 2 years ago), Thursday - single gsf, Today - single 20 sec cutscene Handler Banshee and that all. Boring week ever. Now only i wait when i will start cutscene with Andronikos (3 minutes playing ...?), and operation Gods what i can't done with pug because they never don't know what to do and how avoid circles.

When you released Kotfe and Kotet i was busy in game for entire year because i played one chapter whole week and start another 3 weeks later what mean i have something for what i can wait very SOON. Now only sad remains. I was so disappointed when 6.0 in last year didn't released.

- stop lie to us like with "early 2018 new content" thing? Enough lies. Ppl paid for subs waited for new content and still nothing. It's pathetic. Now we will got next single flashpoint after almost half year waiting and 6.0 when? December?

 

Why would they lie? Sometimes, things get delayed, perhaps a bit more often than we'd all like. But they have nothing to gain by lying and shooting themselves in the foot.

Calm down, having a tantrum isn't going to do anyone any good and it certainly won't make things go faster.

How does the old saying go? "Fast, cheap, good - pick two" or something like that.

Better to take the time to fix it first rather than release a broken product.

But we can't possibly know if that is or is not the case until after the delayed content is released.

I was reacting to the quoted poster's implication that the people who're applauding this delay would continue to defend further delays ad nauseum. That's extremely hyperbolic to the point of entirely nonsensical...and I suspect it comes from playing a forum persona, more than from a real rational process.

I wasn't measuring the probability that there will be further delays. I agree, it could happen. If it did, the devs would have to provide some awfully compelling reasoning to get me to support it.

Hey Tux, that's actually how I took it and was poking fun at myself, too. I do plan to tell everyone about what we are planning, how we want to deliver updates, and also discuss our expansion plans for SWTOR. I'll post up some insight when I'm ready to start those discussions (but, it's definitely not for at least another month).

 

--Keith-

E3 is coming. Great way to announce and get some publicity. You guys have any plans for E3 this year?

(great time to manage expectations if not)

E3 is coming. Great way to announce and get some publicity. You guys have any plans for E3 this year?

(great time to manage expectations if not)

If they do, they wont tell us.

Hey Tux, that's actually how I took it and was poking fun at myself, too. I do plan to tell everyone about what we are planning, how we want to deliver updates, and also discuss our expansion plans for SWTOR. I'll post up some insight when I'm ready to start those discussions (but, it's definitely not for at least another month).

 

--Keith-

Did yall just miss this^^^ he said expansion plans 6.0 Confirmed XPAC?

Did yall just miss this^^^ he said expansion plans

Nope, very excited!

I think people are just skeptical! Not saying that's weird.