Release Date Discussion

You probably came in ready to set the thread on fire because of the title.
It was a clever ploy to snatch your attention to a discussion ABOUT the release date not WHEN is the release date. This is really just to expand on some of the points, and add a few new ones. Please read this ENTIRE post before you reply. Some of this information is based solely on trying to see through the development team's eyes. Since this is a pretty long post, I inserted some rudimentary navigation.
+---Point Expansion
+------Consequences
+---------Backlash
+---------Disappointment
+---------Reluctancy
+------Thinking in new shoes
+---Final Thoughts

Point Expansion

As a game developer, you really love your game. It is a product of hours upon hours of your life. Game developers want to make sure they release a complete game. If they don't, there is very VERY harsh backlash. Most games aren't in touch with the community heavily during development. This allows the games to develop in peace without expectations for a release date as much, which means they can finish a game and announce a release date for lets say 2 weeks after they finish (It's probably not going to be 2 weeks. Just an example here). Starbound clearly doesn't do this. The Starbound team has decided to be active in the community while the game is still in development. This is great for us because we can voice our opinions over the game, however they can't work on it and announce a release date without consequences.

Consequences

There are quite a few consequences for releasing a bad release date. Sadly most of them really originate from the community. It's something we all really need to fix.

Backlash

This one is pretty obvious. Most of us would be upset at the developers for releasing a bad date. "They set our expectations here, and they disappointed us." Really it's something that happens to anything. If you have expectations and fail, people are going to be upset at you. Most likely you'll expect more from them to make up failing your expectations which makes it even worse if they release another bad date (Which probably won't happen with starbound).

Disappointment

This one happens to the developers. Since the development team has been so in touch with us, they probably like us. If they release a bad release date, they have just failed the community they're invested in. Disappointing your community is quite bad, for both you and your community. You feel this guilt from failing them, and you know inside you have to work just a bit harder to make it up to them.

Reluctancy

This one is fairly simple, and it happens to the developers. It goes hand in hand with disapointment. When you give out a bad release date, you'll be more reluctant to release a new date, in the chance of disappointing your community again. Now this one isn't necessarily bad. It could lead to a much more accurate release date. It's just learning from your mistakes.

Thinking in new shoes

Here's a little thing for you to do. Imagine you are a game developer. You are constantly involved with your community. You're probably not going want to leave them in the dark. You'll probably feed them any form of information you can when you can. You're not going to hold back anything you feel the community would like to know (Unless you're doing it to enrich the experience of the game, or just to taunt them a bit.) The point I'm trying to get across is that the development team probably isn't holding back a release date, or they probably won't either. If they had it they would either shout it from the rooftops or hide it in a little easter egg to make the players feel more accomplished for finding it. So until you find a cryptic encoded message, you're just going have to wait a while for something good. The developers want to deliver a complete experience for us to enjoy. It's going take time to craft it. We're just going have to understand this and wait patiently.

Final Thoughts

All this really just leads up to a final point. The release date will come, and when it comes be understanding of what it means. It means they feel the game will be done by then and ready for you. So before you pick up your pitch forks over a bad release date, stop and think. Don't yell at the developers over it. Be just a bit more understanding.

 

I wish there were more people like you.

 

You probably meant "2 weeks before they finish"?

Other than that, you're right here. Though I believe people should realise something like this themselves. Unfortunately they don't, which results in death-threats towards game-devs, good and promising sequels quenched just because they weren't like the previous game and were good in a different way, a company that makes good games discouraged from experimenting with new gameplay mechanics (maybe that's why indie games are the ones that bring in something fresh and not the large game companies?) and so forth.

 

I mean after they finish. Games with a publisher have some things they have to take care of before they release. In the case of a game without a publisher, there will still be things you have to do to get your game out there even when you finish the game.

 

Spoilers are your friends, friend. But really, great job here. This is one of the places I will refer people from now on when they ask about release dates.

 

Finally a thread about the release date that isn't someone demanding it. All of what you said is pretty much exactly what I always bring up when people start crying about the release date. The main thing that I keep bringing up, is that after two faulty release dates, they aren't going to give us another one until the are at least 90% sure it's going to happen. So yeah, I keep trying to tell people to be patient but you know how fans are.

One major thing that annoys the heck outta me, is the people that keep demanding they release an unfinished game, just cause Minecraft did it. The funny thing is, Minecraft was a horrendous buggy wreck when it first released, and heck, it still is in some parts. Not quite as bad but still. Just, Starbound is going to be so much more, it has a story and lots of features, I think the dev team, along with a good chunk of the fanbase, would rather a finished game that works, rather then an unfinished one that is full of bugs.

Erm, you do know that Chucklefish IS the publisher right? They are self published more or less, they won't have much to do after they finish the game since they probably are going to be getting the stuff together to sell it on the site, as well as on steam and whatever other places they plan on. They aren't that small that they're going to have to go and find others to publish the game for them. They also have 3 other games they're publishing as well. Really, any game, has stuff they have to do a week or so after the game is finished, mainly polish and media stuff.

 

You clever bastard.
They should have your thread be one of those announcement things at the top of the general discussion forums.

 

Good post. It covers most of what I think whenever I see the thread you are masquerading as .
Thinking as if you are in the shoes of the devs is always something fun to do. If I was Tiy, I would think x or if I was Tiy then maybe xyz would be something I want to do. Or my personal favorite, if I was Tiy I would totally wear two scarves.

Even though I am chomping at the bit to get at the game (not frothing quite yet), I would be really sad to see the devs get disappointed over their baby not being recieved properly by the community. So, I wait patiently for them.

If I was a real game dev, I would always bait you guys with leading information.

 

Great post, but I don't think there is an "bad" release date. Unless it went something along the lines of "Developers: 'March 43rd, 2013' Community: 'That day doesn't exist!' RAGE RAGE RAGE". Seeing as that isn't going to happen I guess I just don't understand the concept of a "bad" release date. Unless you are referring to one that isn't met. Then I'd say I've never seen an estimated release date being an accurate one.

 

It's a valid message you pass across here. Good one.


I would just like to clarify something in regards to this:

I'm afraid that the underline bit is false. It's been stated by mollygos several times that once they are aware of the release date, they'll just tell us. ^^ Here's one of her posts about that --> Clicky

 

Dammit, I had my torch and pitchfork ready for some serious raging, and they you ruined it with your thoughtful analysis and explanation.

In all seriousness though, good post with many good points that everyone could do well to consider.

 

Still we're a stupid, impatient hivemind who has to be entertained by the devs by wiggling a clown in our face once in a while. Reason for the most part doesn't work.

They've done it so far so we've developed a hunger for it. Cutting it down may give freedom and ease of mind to the devs but it pains us.

It's a fair tradeoff as long as they ensure that our hype engines will be reved up at the right moment and we'll throw our time and cash money at the product en masse.

 

It's fantastic to see a thread like this that isn't 'ogm chuclefis relese strbouund pls'.

 

The wording I chose probably should have changed to an off release date.