Time is crucial for the mod

[LegVIIGemina-Tarraconense]

I would just make a few considerations that may not please everybody, but I think they have to be said. The fact is the later the open beta comes up, the lesser the potential players will still remain, waiting for it. As time goes by most RTW players will begin to move to other RTS games, like Imperial Glory or the forthcoming RTW-Barbarian Invasion. EB-Mod is, therefore, risking to die of success. You are pretending to mod the "definitive" roman game, but, meanwhile, people is already enjoying either the IG Napoleonic campaigns or RTR 5.4.1 version (and waiting for the release of 6.0 in a few days!!!). Maybe it is too late, but you would better have a "commercial" strategy, not in terms of getting money, but in terms of retaining most of the potential players. Your product may be the best in the market, but when you make it available for the customer it is too late and you fail. Briefly, I do believe extremely urgent to finish the mod within the next 2 months, before September/October. Otherwise, players will prefer to face the new challenges of the barbarian invasions of 4th and 5th Century AD rather than keep on waiting and waiting the open beta......

PS- I do not pretend to offend anybody . I have a great respect for the whole mod team and I believe they are making a great job. But, without this "commercial" strategy only a handful of players -those devoted to the mod cause, those enthusiastics to roman times (like me) and a few others, will still be there and enjoy the mod.

[LorDBulA]

I think you are wrong. EB is mode for people that like realism non of the games you mantion will have it. So they will not take away realism fans from EB. Unmoded BI will be unplayable just like vanilla RTW is. The same is for IG. It just sucks.
As it is today i dont know any Mod or Comercial game that can challenge EB.

[eadingas]

It's a good thing we're not putting any money in it, then.

[Divinus Arma]

While his comments have some truth, I think they are trumped by a gretaer truth: The quality of the product will speak for itself.

Time may indeed be a factor, but only because of BI. However, I do not believe the EB team really cares about 'retaining customers' so to speak. As one who has been following EB for awhile (and joined the Org because of EB), I can say that I will play the best MOD available.

Did the Sega Dreamcast gain or retain customers because it was first in the console wars a couple years back? No. It was DOA because it sucked.

If the EB takes their time and makes a quality MOD, then the product will speak for itself. And consequently, everyone will want EB because EB is the best mod.

And on a final point, I do not think they really care.
For them,
There was a dream that was EB. You could only whisper it. Anything more and it would blow away, it was so fragile.

[Greek_fire19]

Hmm....you see I understand the point you're making, that over time the numbers interested and playing a game dwindle and therefore interest in various modifications drops.

Logically, that makes sense.

HOWEVER, if you look here, or at the TWC, or anywhere really, you'll see that interest in the many many mods out there hasn't dropped at all, and in some cases seems to have actually increased.

Another example of a game where support seems to live on far beyond what anyone would have expected is Operation Flashpoint. It just celebrated the 4th year since release and mods and units for it continue to be created on a regular basis. Just a couple of weeks ago a major mod, Liberation 1941, was released.

I'm not suggesting that Rome will still be as vibrant in 4 years as it is now (though nothings impossible) but it seems to me like they've got a bit of time yet. In addition, I would expect another wave of interest and enthusiasm in august as BI is released and people who had stopped playing rome or taking an interest in the community buy BI and rediscover their interest.

[khelvan]

We can't change the fact that we don't have enough active people to make the work go faster. If you want to see it released quicker, send me a PM with how you think you can help us. In the meantime we'll all just have to wait for it.

[caesar44]

For a perfect mod , I will wait...
I prefer a complete version on an unfinished one that would make us feal bad , let the holly work to continue

[pezhetairoi]

EB isn't for the mainstream... it's for those who want the realism, and for those, of whom I am proud to count myself a part, any amount of time waiting is worth it. For me, I would only play BI as a way to kill time till EB comes out.

[ScionTheWorm]

commercial strategies are no good for gamers... bad decisions are made

[Spitful]

I am hoping ot use it for my A-Level hisotry course when we do a project on an Ancient culture of our choice and do lots of detaield analyses of them, well it will be done it two years wont it? It must be! The 1.2 Recorder function ois really really useful for taht.

[Narog]

Briefly, I do believe extremely urgent to finish the mod within the next 2 months, before September/October. Otherwise, players will prefer to face the new challenges of the barbarian invasions of 4th and 5th Century AD rather than keep on waiting and waiting the open beta......

RTR might be a 'threat' in the sense that people might play it instead of EB, but the expansion..? I doubt CA is planning on making it more realistic than the original so all EB/RTR/realism in general-fans won't play it until it's been modded.

[King of Atlantis]

Is EB going to make a version for BI, cause i willl probably want to buy it for the new features?


Anyways to the originial question.

Why should Eb care if they lose fans due to time. Sure their trying to keep us happy, but im sure their primary focus is to make this mod as good as possible no matter how long it takes. Im sure they want to finish sooner than later, but they are trying the best the can. To rush things to get a finished product would be completly against what EB is about.

[pezhetairoi]

absolutely. There's so much potential in EB for that time period. Who needs BI?

[Freeze]

I couldn't agree more, I'm willing to wait a long time for EB and that's because it is going to be the best realism mod imo, the ones that will give up on this mod are the crowd that isn't really into this realism stuff.

[Mongoose]

The crucial time for the mod to be released is....


when it's done

[Mikeus Caesar]

Could i just say, but if Activision had allowed CA to take its time like the EB team rather than rush out RTW for its release date to make more money, there wouldn't be much need for EB to be such a big mod. Instead, it would just be a small blot on the horizon, and rather than having to rework the entire game to make it more accurate, we could be working on full conversions, such as 'Bartix: Total War' and 'Donkey Kong: Total War' and other such pointless things to keep us amused.

[Reverend Joe]

"We are winning the war in Vietnam. Just give us more time, and we will accomplish our objectives."

Actually, the EB members, as much as they are reminding me of Kissinger, do have a point. It may be true that, for the time being, a delay in the Beta release may cause a drop in a mod's popularity; however, the release of something as big as EB is going to make some waves. After all, nothing on the market or coming to the market can or will equal the excellence of EB. I, myself, can testify that Imperial Glory SUCKS. It is an atrocious, RTS'ed, bastardization of the TW series, so avoid it at all costs. So stick around, and have faith, because I am sure that EB will survive.

By the way, the Kissinger reference wasn't meant to be an insult (or a compliment). I just find it funny, as a history fanatic, that the only way the EB team can defend their actions is with the same excuses used to prolong the war in Vietnam.

[Revelation]

Yawn.....EB reminds me of Half life 2 in the sense that both have gone/went way over their release dates. 1 things for sure, the EB mod team would make a great Dev company. They've mastered the first art, keep the public hanging and break all release dates.
Im sure every "countdown to open beta" thread reply is a cut n' paste job.
"great work", "looks great" etc etc.....
Best not to expect anything then be pleasantly suprised if it actually gets released!
That said, if it ever does go to open beta, it surely looks like being a winner!

[Geoffrey S]

But hey, look how Half-Life 2 turned out.

[Steppe Merc]

If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.
Unlike real companies, we don't have a proffesional staff always working, we have all volenteers that work when they can.

[Mongoose]

Yawn.....EB reminds me of Half life 2 in the sense that both have gone/went way over their release dates. 1 things for sure, the EB mod team would make a great Dev company. They've mastered the first art, keep the public hanging and break all release dates.
Im sure every "countdown to open beta" thread reply is a cut n' paste job.
"great work", "looks great" etc etc.....
Best not to expect anything then be pleasantly suprised if it actually gets released!
That said, if it ever does go to open beta, it surely looks like being a winner!

WARNING-any further attacks on the EB team will result in severe injuries including(But not limited to)

-severe mongoose bite wounds on ankle
-severe mongoose bite wounds on leg
-severe mongoose bite wounds on arms.


Troll at your own risk

[Steppe Merc]

Thanks for the support, dude.

[Ranika]

That was rather unnecessary. What 'release dates' have we broken except for previews? We've never said when it'll be done, because it's all volunteer, so there's no real way of knowing. Steppe said it fine. The condescention is unnecessary and immature. We're doing the best we can with what we have, and we don't want to rush, lest it come out bad.

[Mongoose]

Indeed. the last thing a rushed game needs is a rushed mod...

Modding RTW is a difficult and slow process, try to be patient.

Anyway, wile you are waiting, there are many good RTW mods out there right now

[SpawnOfEbil]

WARNING-any further attacks on the EB team will result in severe injuries including(But not limited to)

-severe mongoose bite wounds on ankle
-severe mongoose bite wounds on leg
-severe mongoose bite wounds on arms.


Troll at your own risk

A moose once bit my sister.

Anyone who gets the Python reference deserves a cookie :)

[Colovion]

EB won't lose fans. They're still there, just waiting. There isn't going to be another, better and bigger, mod coming out in the future. This is it. Don't rush perfection or you'll get a whore with makeup on; Vanilla RTW.

[Revelation]

Oooh, touchy touchy. Take a freakin chill pill! I was expressing my views in regards to the "LONGEST" wait for a mod in the history of mankind. I know your volunteers, as the fact has been mentioned a few thousand times in as many threads.
As for the release dates, you are correct, you have never given a "DEFINATE" on release, only little hints and suggestions here and there.
"looks like it will be"
"We're aiming for"
etc
e t c
e t c
So rather than putting all that into my reply I said release date.Because i'm a lazy bastard!
Obviously hit a nerve.
The mod looks great! Your all legends! Where can I send my money?
How's that?

Look, don't get pissed because some back alley yobbo has a friendly jibe at your expense. Take it on the chin, take a pmt pill, drink a few beers, whatever works for you.
Everyone does, or at least will appreciate all the work thats gone into EB when (if) it's released. You have got to expect the Yawn comment every now and again, at least from me.
No offence intended.

The condescention is unnecessary and immature.

No it's not and yes I am!
Peace out!

[Steppe Merc]

Would you honestly like a slap dash job, in order to just please people? Get it out ASAP, like CA and other groups, just so we can score popularity points, without insuring that it is the best that it can be?

Would you like us to release it never? Just make it, and play it ourseves, without ever releasing it? Or only release it when it's totally done, and never do an open beta?
Because that would be a hell of a lot easier, you know.

[King of Atlantis]

Or only release it when it's totally done, and never do an open beta?

nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

[Reverend Joe]

A moose once bit my sister.

Anyone who gets the Python reference deserves a cookie :)

I got it- the subtitles from Holy Grail. Good one.

NOW WHERE'S MY [...] COOKIE?!

(edited for mild profanity... in my moment of fury, I forgot the language rules.)