Just Plain Idiotic

[Evil_Rondy]

I downloaded the game, installed it, and tried to launch it.  It told me that it recommended I update, which I did, to version  0.3.013. I tried to join the server and it tells me I have the wrong version of the game for that server.

What the heck?

[Karyuu]

Please check the \"PlaneShift Rules and Notifications\" section of the forum :) We have just released a new client, version 0.3.014 which right now is only available through BitTorrent. You can wait for the mirrors to be updated so you can simply run your updater again, or you can try downloading the new client entirely right now.

We also have news on the main page about this - so please, look around first before asking questions, because there is a very good chance that they have already been answered.

[Evil_Rondy]

Seems a bit silly to run a server on a version that isn\'t available to download yet.  It\'s going to take me over 17 hours to download the Bit Torrent.

[neko kyouran]

not really, no.  new client = upgraded server.   they go hand in hand with each other. As for your dl times.  ;( I feel for yeah (sarcasm) You could be patient like a good little pawn er player and wait for the mirrors to be updated so you can use the updater.

[Evil_Rondy]

Originally posted by neko kyouran
not really, no.  new client = upgraded server.   they go hand in hand with each other.

Yes, that\'s exactly my point:  They DO go hand-in-hand, but that\'s not being done.  The server has already updated but the cleint update isn\'t being made available.  I\'m a brand-new player.  I arrive at the website that tells me to \"download this latest version\" and it turns out to be old.  It\'s own updater updates the version, which also turns out to be old, yet the updater tells me that the latest version is installed.  This turns out to be a problem when the game tells me that I\'m not running the correct version.

Now I have to download the entire game again (it isn\'t just a patch) and it takes forever because of the slow servers.  There aren\'t many seeders for the Bit Torrent either.  17 hours is a long time when I have broadband cable with over 3-megabit down.

If the file is on Bit Torrent, how did THOSE people get it?

Bottom line:  It should have been the file posted on the website that I spent an hour and a half downloading (because of the slow server), not the old version.

I have created and maintained several website/forums that offered file downloads and it takes no more than two minutes to change a page and put a link to a new file.

[Karyuu]

Believe it or not, it takes a lot of time to update the download mirrors, so BitTorrent is the simplest first step, and it began as all torrents begin, and then spread through seeding.

The main news have been updated further, and I\'m really sorry that you came in that \"split second\" when things were hectic. Yes things can be coordinated better, and that is what we are aiming at. We know that this procedure is far from perfect, but it\'s definitely not a matter of just updating a few links at the moment. Besides, there was definitely a news post when the torrent was released, which you should have read...

[DaveG]

And, believe it or not, we murder mirrors\' bandwidth.  We like to put it on BitTorrent at first to take the initial hit.  We\'ve lost mirrors due to bandwidth issues, so we\'re serious here.

Also, the release was just this morning.  We do this once every month or 2, it\'s not a common event.  This package will be released with a slight couple fixes in a bit, so it\'s not even really ready yet.  You need to learn some patience.

No, I don\'t know when we\'ll get it up everywhere all nice and happy.  Getting a 1/4 GB file fixed up and put up in half a dozen places is not a simple thing.

[Tarel]

17 hours to dowload is a very long time.

I have also a broadband-connection and downloaded
the new version of planeshift in 3,5 hours with using
Bittornado.

I left my uploadspeed fully open for about 5 hours, after i completed the download.
My connection seeded with an average of 700 KB/s.
So there was a fair chance to pickup my uploads.

I read the forums and heared about the new version in
the IRC-part of planeshift.
It was announced very well if you looked in the forums or joinend us in IRC.

[Gris]

Hmmm....I saw that i needed the new client, downloaded it while i was sleeping last night and was playing this morning. No big deal. It seems you\'re doing an awful lot of whining when you could just download the new client and start playing. This is a tech demo, being developed by volunteers in thier spare time. It\'s also free, so you take what you get. You are a tester first and a player second. Remember that before complaining as if you are a paying customer.

Gris

jst a note -- I have a slow DSL connection and it only took about 6 hrs. to download

[DaveG]

Yeah, well we only get posts from the people who can\'t get anything working.  Most of the people who just install and go don\'t bother with all this.  

[Evil_Rondy]

I\'m really not whining and I take exception to the accusation that I am not patient.  I just happen to be speaking about good presentation of a product.

I fully realize the game isn\'t finished and it\'s free.  Why would anyone knowingly pay for an unfinished game?  You need to look at it from the viewpoint of your average (potential?) customer.  I\'d never heard of this game until it came up during a search.  Naturally, the first thing you do is visit the main website and try to download it.  You can\'t really expect anyone to read an entire website and forum before downloading what they already know is an experimental product.  I went straight to the DOWNLOADS section and there is no mention of a new 0.3.014 version there.  It does, however, say this:

You can get latest PlaneShift version following those simple steps

 ^^ typo, by the way [these]

2) Click here to get PlaneShift Crystal Blue 0.3.013

Now, any normal person is going to assume that this is the latest version because your site says so and your updater says so.

We can debate how long it actually takes to post a change to a page and get a file on a Mirror, but I\'ll let you have that one.  Doesn\'t matter.  What I\'m talking about is a matter of professionalism, and this is mainly a perception of a potential customer.

You can flame me if you like, delete my posts, ban me, whatever, but I\'m offering intelligent, constructive criticism here.  The simple solution would be to leave the older version on the server UNTIL the new version was ready and the pages were updated.  At least have it available for the automatic updater.  Who would notice?  At least you wouldn\'t have all the people posting about the problems they\'re having.

But as it stands, you have lost the interest of at least two people (a friend was trying it too) and who knows how many others we could have told?

Good luck on your game endeavor.  Who knows, maybe you\'ll be the next EverQuest.  Just don\'t be so quick to dismiss what I\'m saying.

[DaveG]

Yes, if we were a \"completed game\" these would be valid comments.  But we\'re not, and our users are expected to have some vague technical skills and the ability to follow instructions.  If you can\'t figure it out, we\'ll try to help you, but it\'s not our problem.  In a perfect world, we\'d just smack a button and it\'d upload everywhere, and you\'d just smack another to get it.  It doesn\'t work like that yet, so be patient.

[Karyuu]

\"Potential customers\" aren\'t what we\'re looking for. We are looking for competent (role)players - and if some people leave due to lack of patience when trying to play a game in early alpha development, we can\'t mourn too much. It is not our loss, for the same people who do not have the patience to look around first aren\'t likely to have the patience to give us appropriate bug reports, etc.

Please don\'t throw out that \"you can ban me, delete my posts, yadda yadda\" line. First that\'s really tiring and irritating to hear, and second, we\'re not evil little dictators in our forum fortresses bent on smiting anyone who offers a negative opinion.

Don\'t think so lowly of us.

[Ekusile Feyorel]

But as it stands, you have lost the interest of at least two people (a friend was trying it too) and who knows how many others we could have told?

Evil_Rondy, slow down a little my friend.......set the download going for version 14 before you go to sleep. When you can get on, create your character and spend some time in the town, getting to know your way around and those that live there. (IC : DO NOT venture out of the city gates, the rogue at Oja road corner has gone berzerk and is killing even the strongest players). When you spend some time here, you will begin to realise why the main priority is not presentation, or speed of getting the new updates to the mirrors. Those non-windows players do not even have ver14 available yet !!!

As has already been said, this game is free and developed by individuals as a hobby, in their spare time, and a dam good job they are making of it. When we hear of a new release, it is \"gimme gimme gimme\" so that we can get on and test it (tester first, player second), I\'m sure I speak for most when I say I would prefer the developement team sorting the bugs out, and giving us more content, than spending their time sorting the mirrors.

Wait for the download .... It\'s worth it. If you need a tutor for a while when you get on, send me a /tell (you will know how, because while you are waiting for the download, you can read the player instructions).

EDIT - confusing ooc and ic mixture  ?( Im still learning  

[Skulator]

You know I\'ve been reading this thread and thinking...wow I joined 1 day before the new version was put out.   You know what, I am gratefull to all the dev team and everyone else who volunteers their time for this project.

I thank you and even though the client up-grade was unexpected, the bugs and having one of my characters stuck...I am actually enjoying seeing the process and listening to the responses.

There are still a lot of bugs im finding and will try to list, just some strange behavior of objects, targeting system, very dark areas (almost black) as soon as I figure out where to put it and see what  the patches have to offer.

For now I say \"THANK YOU\" and \"KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!!!!  BRAVO!!!!!!\"


Skulator
- Only the Insane are Truely Happy -