Before you pre-order...

[eskrow]

Can a rep from Frictional Games explain how the launch of SOMA will be different from the disastrous launch of A Machine For Pigs? The game wouldn't start on most people's machines forcing them to navigate dozens of random forum threads downloading random patches and deleting random files. There are still stickied threads about how to deal with the major software failures.

Frictional Games totally dropped the ball but hasn't explained what they're doing better this time. Did you do any sort of QA this time? Did you change the install process? Update the engine? Are you offering actual technical support this time, instead of making users figure out they have to go to a forum, blind leading the blind style?

I don't think that a pre-order discount of $3 is worth the uncertainty of receiving a broken product again!

[Slanderous]

How was MFP launch disasterous? I didn't really notice that many people having issues with this game. Sure, some people had problems but that's just a small group compared to the rest that had no huge issues, and all the stuff that didn't work was constantly being fixed and patches were released. The problem with issues on launches are usually related to developers that cannot predict if their game will work on every single GPU, or CPU, or perhaps someone's OS will bite with the game.

Love it how developers create technical help section to offer a hand for their games owners, yet people still complain that they have to go on a forum and post a thread that their game doesn't work.

In case you didn't notice: yes, SOMA has brave new engine.

I strongly disagree with your post. Machine for Pigs had some problems, but certainly was not a broken product. Also, notice that it is not a game made by Frictional Games. They just published it. I gotta admit the last line of your post sounded extremely angry and churlish.

[GhylTarvoke]

I think it's clear that Frictional cares about SOMA a lot more than they cared about AMFP (or any of their previous games, for that matter). This is their baby. They're being extra careful.

Also, as Slanderous mentioned, AMFP was a collaboration, and hence unique.

[PathOS]

Yeah, I don't think there was any widespread issues of Machine for Pigs having crippling game-crashing issues that I recall.

Obviously it ran slower than The Dark Descent, although I cannot be sure if it was a technical framerate issue or TheChineseRoom's preference for slow walking/running speeds (which they've continued to employ in Everybody's Gone to the Rapture to many headaches). But I replayed the game recently and aside from the slowness it technically was quite sound.

But since that game was mostly developed by TheChineseRoom to begin with then of course Frictional would defer to them for technical quality assurance since they are the ones who took the HPL2 engine and updated/modified it for their own uses. I mean that's the reason why there was no modding or custom story support in that game as well.

Obviously SOMA has been built using the new HPL3 engine by Frictional and will contain all the files for modding and such. So it's not going to be a remotely comparable situation to AMFP to begin with.

[7heDubz]

The only time I remember helping people out with AMFP was when their card was intel Integrated Graphics (which doesn't support the game. and people have been warned of this).

As for this
" Are you offering actual technical support this time, instead of making users figure out they have to go to a forum, "

The forum IS actual technical support. Making users figure out that they have to go? A quick google search of "Technical help for amnesia" or even the much more googled (i assume) "amnesia crashed" bring you right to this forum.

90% of the time the issue is user created (gpu, OS, messing with files, ect.)

[Romulator]

The only information the developer must provide as a necessity is the minimum system requirements. If a user does not meet them, and the game does not run correctly, it's a problem on the user's end. Hence, for example, people buying the game while having an Intel HD card - it will simply render games in the past practically unplayable.

The entire forum is a Technical Support area. Hardware is not my speciality (despite me just relaying information from the Troubleshooting Guide every now and then), but missing file errors, development support and full conversion edits are - which is, in simple, errors at the user's scope. The user causes these errors some how.

But that last point Dubz above me pointed out is the epitomal troubleshooting error: user error.

[GhylTarvoke]

On a separate note: naming the thread "Before you pre-order...", rather than "Before I pre-order...", was either a bit tactless or a bit mean-spirited. I'm not surprised it ruffled some feathers.

[Macgyverthehero]

The only issue I had with AMFP was with a missing file problem related to how AMFP has controller support. Other than that I enjoyed myself through AMFP, even though it was not as great as ATDD.

I'm sure Frictional Games is smart enough not to have launch issues, but then if it does then they probably aren't anything major that would prevent you from playing the game.

[Kein]

Can a rep from Frictional Games explain how the launch of SOMA will be different from the disastrous launch of A Machine For Pigs?

Stop projecting and making things up. Machine of the Pigs had a good launch and most of the rare issues were resolved in few days.

And no, just because you didn't like the game does not make it a bad.

Pretty shallow bait attempt.

On a separate note: naming the thread "Before you pre-order...", rather than "Before I pre-order...", was either a bit tactless or a bit mean-spirited. I'm not surprised it ruffled some feathers.

I personally just got tried of all this sh*tposting about how "bad" AMFP was just because it didn't meet the expectations of the cattle.
Oh woes.

[MrSteve]

Should I get the popcorn now?

You get the popcorn, I'll get the drinks....

Seriously though, how could the OP think they could put something like this and not expect to be burnt alive?