Retail, pre-order, download and launch
I see some questions about these topics, and would like to give you some feedback on them.
Retail and pre-order
Many retail stores, especially in Europe, do not have the Notum Wars on the shelves yet. This is very unfortunate, but nothing we can do anything about. We have shipped the boxes off to our distributors (both retail and pre-order), and have no control of international distribution, customs, transport routes, or local distribution.
Download
Quote:
From an
interview at AO Basher:
We will probably add a download option later on, but the retail chains are very important to the overall life span of the product. That means that we just have to wait a little while for a downloadable version.
Basically, a download offer would undermine our retail partners' sales, and we're not going to do that.
Launch day
Today we launched. We postponed it one day, due to Thanksgivings, and the fact that close to nobody would have the product yet. Today, a lot of players have recieved their box, or can obtain the box from a retail store, and we see people registering and using the new features.
Some have suggested that we remove the ability to place towers until more players have the box. This is basically telling the customers who have bought the product that they can't use it (or at least the main feature in it), and not something we see as a valid option.
{Added:
We will of course make sure to take this whole situation into account in future releases, and plan for avoiding such difficulties.}
Cz: how can this be fair?
You said in top post that you can't delay opening because people can't use their product. Now those who were so lucky to get it can start building towers and take all the land control spots (which are very hard to fight) and get a big advantage over the other people who want to buy it but can't. Please explain how this is fair and why you had to rush the opening like this.
Should have shipped it last month
Why was it not shipped while the beta was running?
Then patch it (which we know would happen anyway) when the registration became available.
= Everyone gets it in plenty of time, and all is fair.
Or is this just too bloody obvious?
And do not deal with Digital River ever again -- they were FC's choice = FC's fault.
Are Digitial River refunding everyone that paid extra for "Next Day" shipping?
Are you planning to do a tower-reset once everyone gets the CD?
Re: Retail, pre-order, download and launch
Quote:
Originally posted by Cz
Download
Basically, a download offer would undermine our retail partners' sales, and we're not going to do that.
To be honest, I don't think they deserve a single penny -- if they're the ones responsible.