Why the constant dishonesty?

[Rat Catcher]

But you don't pay advance for half a year, no? Just for next month?

I've paid for content that will be delivered, if I get bored waiting I can have a refund, at least I feel reasonably assured that the outlay will not be buying something quite so dreadful as CP2077's release day, even on my (reasonable) PC it wasn't brilliant until patch 1.06...

We differ in the 'value' of money, that is fine, I happily ordered my new car knowing it would be a few months to be delivered following the factory customising options... A lot more than just £70 was paid into a multi-billion corporation then!

I'm happy, that, to me, is all that really matters.

 

[ObiW]

As for the OP, I don't see any dishonesty here - coyness, sure.

But the fact that we neither had a specific release date for the finished product, nor for the Alpha (which is being sold as part of the pre-order already) should've been clear indicators that Frontier wasn't confident enough to meet the original timelines, and here we are now.

It's disappointing, but this stuff happens all the time and is not something a company decides for the fun of it (source: working on large scale global projects for the past decade or so, half that time while WFH).

You get over a delay after a short while, but a completely unfinished and broken product could really sour the experience for much longer, if you think about it. I prefer the former if push comes to shove (as if I had a choice, lol).

 

[StuartGT]

As to alleged "dishonesty" (hahahaha!) regarding development and release windows this is the timeframe as i recall:

• 10th Dec 2020 = London and surrounding areas including Cambridge are in Tier2 lockdown
• 11th Dec 2020 = The Game Awards, during which new Odyssey trailer is released and PC pre-orders begin, including an Alpha option. Early 2021 launch window is given
• 14th Dec 2020 = new more infectious variant of COVID19 is detected in UK which is spreading faster
• 17th Dec 2020 = London and surrounding areas moved to Tier3 lockdown. Most FDev staff probably begin xmas & NY break?
• 23rd Dec 2020 = most of the country moved to a new heavily restrictive Tier4 lockdown, effectively cancelling xmas for almost all families in an effort to safeguard lives
• 3rd Jan 2021 = Most FDev staff return to dev work? Families make appropriate arrangements for Tier4 of work, education, care, etc
• 4th Jan 2021 = a new new mega restrictive Tier 5 lockdown is being considered to safeguard human lives
• 11th Jan 2021 = UK now has the highest number of infected per capita in the world, deaths continue rising
• 13th Jan 2021 = Odyssey delayed, PC to May, consoles to Autumn, probably as a result of many meetings among devteams about their livelihoods, health, family arrangements etc, and what may happen under Tier5

The only dishonesty i see is from people apparently putting a game expansion's prompt release at higher value/importance than human life and health. Astonishing.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

I've paid for content that will be delivered, if I get bored waiting I can have a refund, at least I feel reasonably assured that the outlay will not be buying something quite so dreadful as CP2077's release day, even on my (reasonable) PC it wasn't brilliant until patch 1.06...

We differ in the 'value' of money, that is fine, I happily ordered my new car knowing it would be a few months to be delivered following the factory customising options... A lot more than just £70 was paid into a multi-billion corporation then!

I'm happy, that, to me, is all that really matters.

No, you pay for nothing. Payment is due when the content is delivered. You are getting goofed over giving your money away for nothing in return. Everything has a price. You just told FD that your money is the cheapest hooker they can have.

When you ordered your car, did you upfront pay the whole price? I don't believe that.

 

[Rat Catcher]

No, you pay for nothing. Payment is due when the content is delivered. You are getting goofed over giving your money away for nothing in return. Everything has a price. You just told FD that your money is the cheapest hooker they can have.

When you ordered your car, did you upfront pay the whole price? I don't believe that.

No, I didn't pay for the whole car in advance (but did for the non-standard components) but it was a couple of magnitudes over the £70 I gave Frontier... And around the same wait..

No, I'm not getting 'goofed' - you may consider I am, that is your problem, not mine!

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

No, I didn't pay for the whole car in advance (but did for the non-standard components) but it was a couple of magnitudes over the £70 I gave Frontier... And around the same wait..

No, I'm not getting 'goofed' - you may consider I am, that is your problem, not mine!

You'll eventually get crapped on with that attitude. Maybe not by FD, maybe not by the next corp you preorder, but they notice. You know how it goes, next time your car sale might entail upfront payment with finance contract for your ultimate fleecing. Member - the frog gets cooked slowly.

Don't undersell yourselves, guys - you (i.e. your money) is worth more than you think.

 

[Ozric]

It isn't? Well, you can deceive me without me handing you money over, but it won't hurt me and there is no material gain for you. But if I give you money with little accountability what I get for it - guess what happens.
Give your money for free and get treated like a cheap piece of crap. Don't do it and you'll maybe see an increase in your (aka customer) net worth.

You say this as someone who purchased the LEP yes?

I'm a little confused by this. I don't really understand what you're trying to say I'm afraid. All I meant was that the pre order was available before people chose to pre order it or not, so it's irrelevant if they did because the move by Frontier to make it available had already been made.

Odyssey is still scheduled to release on PC in FY2021 which ends 31st May, therefore it has been delayed an extra month not two (seeing as May is the month immediately after April).

You of all people I would have thought would know.

From the statement to the markets
" albeit slightly later than our initial target for Q1 2021 (January to March)."

 

[Rat Catcher]

You'll eventually get crapped on with that attitude. Maybe not by FD, maybe not by the next corp you preorder, but they notice. You know how it goes, next time your car sale might entail upfront payment with finance contract for your ultimate fleecing. Member - the frog gets cooked slowly.

Don't undersell yourselves, guys - you (i.e. your money) is worth more than you think.

Well, I'm already retired and have never been fleeced... My next car will, as with the current one, be paid cash - no finance, although the next will probably be a Tesla, so a bit cheaper to buy than my current one

 

[StuartGT]

You of all people I would have thought would know.

From the statement to the markets
" albeit slightly later than our initial target for Q1 2021 (January to March)."

I literally quoted you saying this:

Early to me was up to April. Early/Middle/Late splits the year into three equal parts of four months each.

May is one month after April.

 

[Ozric]

I literally quoted you saying this:

Yes because I was responding to AA and we were discussing what people's expectations were. I thought I would say what mine was. But the actual delay was what I put.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

You say this as someone who purchased the LEP yes?

I'm a little confused by this. I don't really understand what you're trying to say I'm afraid. All I meant was that the pre order was available before people chose to pre order it or not, so it's irrelevant if they did because the move by Frontier to make it available had already been made.


You of all people I would have thought would know.

From the statement to the markets
" albeit slightly later than our initial target for Q1 2021 (January to March)."

I dont LEP. Is just a preorder for stuff that hasnt even defined what it will be. Is actually worse than preorder. Season pass worse. Member that SW game where EA cheaped out on because the baseline sales werent what they thought they would be?
Anyway, preorder is rarely worth it. The value of the bonus is debatable, usually it's something cheap.
And puts the money at risk. You dont just do that unless you lile gambling.

 

[Arindor]

Aren't ED updates and releases ALWAYS postponed? I'll cut FD some slack over covid restrictions and the fact that Odyssey is a major update.

 

[StuartGT]

Yes because I was responding to AA and we were discussing what people's expectations were. I thought I would say what mine was. But the actual delay was what I put.

This latest delay is from "Early 2021" (which includes April as per your own commentary) to May ("late Spring 2021" and the last month of FY2021). That's a one month delay.

 

[Vincent Serra]

Let me be clear - I am not mad that ODY got delayed.
...
However, last year David B gave an interview to BBC or some other British morning show where he said ODY is ready and they could have released it at the end of 2020 but chose not to due to the holidays. If that's even remotely true, then why ODY alpha was delayed? If the game is "ready" then at least we should have gotten an Alpha to start testing...
Clearly there is no way David didn't know the game wasn't ready for another 6 months when he gave that interview, but chose to ignore that fact
...

I dunno. From what you wrote it seems you are mad that ODY got delayed.

Today 1500 people in the UK died of Covid. Let's keep some perspective here.

 

[StuartGT]

Aren't ED updates and releases ALWAYS postponed? I'll cut FD some slack over covid restrictions and the fact that Odyssey is a major update.

Nope to your question. Definitely agree with your second point
https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/kwbc2b/_/gj3buiz Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/kwbc2b/announcement_odyssey_update_2021_alpha_in/gj3buiz/

 

[Kamiyoda]

Probably they cannot manage to get Odessey to run acceptably on current underpowered (when compared to decent gaming pc) console hardware.

Compared to the even more underpowered minum PC specs they locked themselves into, Hah, good joke.

Not to mention that the DLC isnt updating the graphical fidelity any more than it already is.

Hit me up when they address that and I might take this seriously.

 

[Rat Catcher]

...
Today 1500 people in the UK died of Covid. Let's keep some perspective here.

Yebbut, Odyssey isn't out now! /s

It is very odd that with 'the plague' sweeping the globe, and the UK now suffering a massive spread of the new variant, that there are folk claiming this is being used as an 'excuse' because... whatever... I wonder if they have families or relatives who may be at risk?

I'd love to come here and stamp my feet and throw a tantrum because of a game's DLC is a little later than I wished it to be... Then I listen to my local news, folowed by the national, and suddenly it doesn't feel important when I might get 'space legs' any more.

 

[Ozric]

This latest delay is from "Early 2021" (which includes April as per your own commentary) to May ("late Spring 2021" and the last month of FY2021). That's a one month delay.

Not according to Frontier's Trading Statement.

 

[StuartGT]

Not according to Frontier's Trading Statement.

The trading statement literally says that Odyssey will release on PC before the end of FY2021, therefore in May.

 

[Agony_Aunt]

It is a tough decision, for sure.
I pre-ordered as I had disposable funds over the two months that I could 'afford to waste' on 'cake tomorrow'.

There is no guarantee that when Odyssey releases that I'd be sure of having sufficient excess to buy, (after all things can, and do, go awry in life!) so paying 'up front' with money that would otherwise likely just be used for take-aways or Christmas excesses made some sense.

Spend the money on a ship in Star Citizen! The value can only go up and up! And when the time is right, sell the ship for megabucks and buy Odyssey!