Terrible performance and empty servers....
McPoo
Join Date: 2011-04-24 Member: 95421Members
Join Date: 2011-04-24 Member: 95421Members
I know NS2 is still in beta stages, but most games in beta have a close resemblance to the final release product. My impression of the NS2 beta is extremely poor, so far I have had terrible frame rate issues as well as buggy map/user interface problems that usually disconnects me from a server "this is when I can actually find a sparsely populated server to play on!". Not to mention the seemingly over powered alien race compare to the marines. At one point when i did find a stable server, one of those cloaking aliens with double blades for hands came into our base and slaughtered everyone and ran off again without taking much damage even though our entire team was shooting at him... I mean for 34 bucks and a uncertain release date this sure is a let down. I know unknown worlds is a small dev team but this is just bad! Had I known there would literally be nothing but empty servers to play on I would have never ordered this game. Oh and the whole "press F1 to submit feedback" in game does nothing, think the hotkey might be broken?
v/r
unhappy beta customer :(
Wow, um yeah I guess I just jumped the gun because I saw "pre-order" and "play beta with pre-order!"..... the last time I pre-ordered to play the beta was BFBC2 and that was an absolute blast. Guess people are just spoiled from all these big companies like EA. I did really enjoy NS1 and I want to see this game finish....I just thought the game was going to be a little bit more polished :( Yeah, keep up the good work though, i belong to a pretty big lan that meets once a month I could spread the word for this game, not to mention I'm in the military and most of my buddies do nothing but game during their off duty hours and this game would be a smash hit!
v/r
unhappy beta customer :(
Wow, um yeah I guess I just jumped the gun because I saw "pre-order" and "play beta with pre-order!"..... the last time I pre-ordered to play the beta was BFBC2 and that was an absolute blast. Guess people are just spoiled from all these big companies like EA. I did really enjoy NS1 and I want to see this game finish....I just thought the game was going to be a little bit more polished :( Yeah, keep up the good work though, i belong to a pretty big lan that meets once a month I could spread the word for this game, not to mention I'm in the military and most of my buddies do nothing but game during their off duty hours and this game would be a smash hit!
Comments
I agree with you on the term beta, it's misleading to people that aren't following the status of the game, and no explanation is going to prove otherwise. However be patient, the servers usually all populate whenever the next patch drops. It's just the performance issues that you are experiencing that are preventing any real games to take place.
what part of (being developed) ≠(fully working finished product) is unclear to people?
Those aren't really beta's, the are probably only "beta's" to allow the company to stress test their network, other than that everything is completed and not in beta stages.
my hardware could be considered high end, but it wasn't when I first started playing ns2(I started about 5 builds ago), the game was really annoying with constant lag spikes, and general jerkiness.
Now that has been largely fixed, If you are getting "terrible performance", I don't want to be mean, but you must have a really bad cpu. I was getting the same fps and jerkiness on my old e5300(that's a pentium duel core for those who don't know) as I did on my i5 2500(yeah it's fast, want to fight about it?)... it wasn't until the update in build 171 I think that the game was classified playable by me.
So if you are still having framerate issues, go and buy some low cost hardware upgrades (like a $100/$150 graphics card), that is a fair amount of money to some people for a computer upgrade, but if you are still experiencing bad fps(anything below 30) then your computer isn't powerful enough to run the game.
What I would recommend is a cpu upgrade, then play the game on ridiculously awful or higher if your graphics card can handle it , and if you don't know about upgrading computer equipment, I can link you to a good website with lots of people waiting to help you (whirlpool.net.au).
If in the event you are running on a laptop, then buy a new laptop.
Hmmm.... Sounds like there still working out issues to me, fix problems > balance game. IMO there on the right track and its a fast-track. I say GJ keep at it, report bugs in the appropriate location.
Compared to the engine test it is very much improved. Compared to any standard fps game out there, its fairly terrible. Its a beta, so that's to be expected, but to say that the current build is playable is setting the standard very, very low.
If you're an old timer like myself, play NS1. It might not have fancy graphics, but it actually has more enjoyable and challenging gameplay.
This is not a demo. This is what happens in a true beta test. The game is messed up. The company making the game doesn't have the equipment nor the manpower to test on the wide range of hardware that's out in the wild. So, they turn to us to help them find bugs on all of our hardware. Everytime you find a bug, you should go to the feedback link at the top of the forums and put it there along with your system specs. . . NOT come on the forums and ###### about the performance. ###### helps no one. Reporting bugs helps everyone.
I beg to differ. I've been having 12 player games recently on decent servers that was fully playable. Even playing on USA servers from Europe. And yes, of course they need money, they're a small indie developer. Wouldn't you rather money go to them, than a behemoth like EA? And there is no façade. All beta testers are very much valued - al crash reports go to UWE. All these threads get read by UWE. They try and work out what's wrong and fix them so things get better, but there is only so much a couple of guys can do.
The truth is, people expecting a public beta compare it to other public betas like Team Fortress 2 and StarCraft 2. These games were actually past beta and virtually complete. The word 'beta' is now used because it sounds cooler, and more secretive and important than 'Demo'. With NS2's CLOSED beta, you actually get to help develop the game, either with LUA code which can be submitted like Matso's turret code, which is actually now in the game, or you can post ideas on the forums to help improve it. I dont really know another company that actually listens to it's community and is as active in the community than UWE.
If you just want a frag-fest, go play any generic Battlefield game. They're much more expensive. If you want to feel part of the community in helping to finish a great-looking game that's cheaper than most, help UWE out. Post up your actual problems, with log files. Be patient. Good things will come to those who wait.
Obraxis, that was particularly well said.
Just a minor input here, have you noticed how it is nowadays "cool" to protect an indy dev and bash on the big boys no matter what? Hell, you are doing it yourself just now!
Don't get me wrong here, I bloody hate EA, everything they tuch turns into pure dirt. But consider this for a second: Imagine that NS2 was a product of EA machine, and they handled it the way UW did/does. Unplayable. Delayed. Missleading. Blah, blah blah.
Oh boy... Massive ######storm imminent anyone? But nah, since it's Indy, it's all good! Right? Riiiight?
This way also means we're more personally connected to the individual devs, whereas for big companies (say, Valve) you only know a few at the top, if that. I don't know <i>any</i> names of workers at EA.
You, my good sir, have completely missed the point.
This way also means we're more personally connected to the individual devs, whereas for big companies (say, Valve) you only know a few at the top, if that. I don't know <i>any</i> names of workers at EA.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Of course, but that doenst mean that they must be treated with silk gloves just because of that. From my point of view, UW bit off more than they could chew and now they have to deal with the (very much justified) critisism. Just because they are indy, does not (should not) make every single mistake automatically forgiven.
I think if someone made a calm and rational list of problems and flaws, you wouldn't see people being as defensive as they get in topics like this where it's mostly anger speaking on both sides.
I don't think the problem is UWE taking their time to polish their gem before revealing it to the world, but that nobody is used to this type of development cycle. When they needed money cinematics were released and the game was declared to be in a different stage of development. They definitely bit off more than they could chew in any real, acceptable time window.
Part of me gets upset, but mainly because I hear about it from my friends from time to time. Maybe I should have never mentioned it to them, and I could then rest easier.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->*
NS2 Special Edition Pre-orderâ€
27/05/2009
To xxx
From: NS2 Store (store@unknownworlds.com)
Sent: 27 May 2009 18:23:19
Thanks for pre-ordering the Special Edition of NS2!
Listed below is your game key(s), which you will need to play.
NS2 pre-order Special Edition Key - xxx
You will be e-mailed at xxx when the game is ready for you to download and play. In the meantime, learn more about NS2 and our development process at <a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2" target="_blank">http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2</a> .
Thanks for your support!<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
27/05/2009
<b>27/05/2009</b>
<!--sizeo:6--><span style="font-size:24pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo-->27/05/2009<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
If I get to the 2 year anniversary of buying a game not yet released in a playable state, I'll be asking for a refund. UWE: you've got 32 days to re-write your engine and netcode. And I have been patient- if I treated you like a AAA developer I'd have complained long ago.
For those of you who think I'm being overly-critical: if I get a refund don't look at it as me throwing my toys out of the pram, think of it as me giving UWE a $30 (or however much I payed for NS2) interest-free loan for 2 years.
Those release candidates masquerading as open betas are far closer to an actual beta than NS2 is.
However many bugs need to be squashed and however much you need to tweak the balance of a game; once a game gets to the closed beta stage it's nearly always feature complete and the addition of new features is locked to prevent feature creep.
The only exception I know to this is products in "perpetual beta"; these products are quite usable and polished yet keep adding features for years and years with no deadline or completion-date intended. Perpetual beta is most common with open source or ad-revenue based products(think google).
The above just needed to be quoted by itself for sheer effect.
<!--quoteo(post=1842294:date=Apr 25 2011, 09:58 AM:name=sherpa)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (sherpa @ Apr 25 2011, 09:58 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1842294"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->UWE: you've got 32 days to re-write your engine and netcode.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
There's a big banner on the NS2 Site... FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON...
<a href="http://www.unknownworlds.com/jobs/" target="_blank">http://www.unknownworlds.com/jobs/</a>
<b><u>You</u> </b>can start here.
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%2B%2B" target="_blank">C++ Programming Wiki</a>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/C-Dummies-Stephen-Randy-Davis/dp/0764568523" target="_blank">Purchase this from amazon</a>
<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51sB6s9H6bL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<!--sizeo:5--><span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo-->Sherpa you have 32 days.<!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
Then come to Flayra's GDC talk in which he says when pre-orders started there wasn't actually a game to sell. Read from that what you will, although I can see his point, UWE has lived from money given to them by the public in terms of which looks like a 'cheap' way round a share issue, without actually being a share issue.
I'm all in support for the game although 2 years on, the consumer is still at the first hurdle, you can't play the game smoothly and it doesn't fully function
So telling Sherpa he has 32 days is nonsense. If he learned C++ in 32 days it would be of no use, as these guys have been going at it for 2 or 3 years now.
More time isn't the issue. The issue is that clearly, "profit is oxygen" has taken over and the development of an in-house engine has taken it's toll on the development time. Without the pre-order money, the game wouldn't still be in development.
I entirely agree there isn't too much new content, but 2 years on from this original content we've got, performance isn't good enough to allow further content? It's not human conditioning, it's consumer satisfaction and it seems a lot more people are continually unsatisfied.
If you bought a game from say, EA or Blizzard, and for 2 years you couldn't play it properly, would you still be so forgiving?
More time isn't the issue. The issue is that clearly, "profit is oxygen" has taken over and the development of an in-house engine has taken it's toll on the development time. Without the pre-order money, the game wouldn't still be in development.
I entirely agree there isn't too much new content, but 2 years on from this original content we've got, performance isn't good enough to allow further content? It's not human conditioning, it's consumer satisfaction and it seems a lot more people are continually unsatisfied.
<b>
If you bought a game from say, EA or Blizzard, and for 2 years you couldn't play it properly, would you still be so forgiving?</b><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Finally, someone who understands exactly what it is I was talking about. Plus one Internets for you.
More time isn't the issue. The issue is that clearly, "profit is oxygen" has taken over and the development of an in-house engine has taken it's toll on the development time. Without the pre-order money, the game wouldn't still be in development.
I entirely agree there isn't too much new content, but 2 years on from this original content we've got, performance isn't good enough to allow further content? It's not human conditioning, it's consumer satisfaction and it seems a lot more people are continually unsatisfied.
If you bought a game from say, EA or Blizzard, and for 2 years you couldn't play it properly, would you still be so forgiving?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Your point is fair but just remember having companies like Unknown Worlds around is a very good thing for us as players...
Giving up hope now is the absolutely worst thing anyone could do NS2 is on the verge of becoming fully playable game just look at the recent performance improvements in the last few patches...
Given nothing goes drastically wrong I think we will be pleasantly surprised with the next few releases...
It also sounds like they have enough content done that we could have a reasonably full featured product but I imagine they want to hold onto this content till the engine is 100% so when the launch NS2 fully it gets good reviews.
We have supported them for this long what's another few months...
You are implying that the game will be ready by then, do you know something that we don't? Because the history speaks against it...
With UWE, you get:
*An emailed reciept redeemable on Steam
*Access to the game as it develops
*Ability to steer the game and effect it's gameplay mechanics
*Feature requests
*Get to play the game EARLY before it's final shipping
*And much more through being open with the community
If it were EA, or Valve, everything would be behind closed doors. They'd announce a game is coming, and that's it. You pretty much have no chance in playing it during the development stages, or affecting the game in any way. The Devs have final say, and that's final. Unlike UWE.
If there was no game forthcoming, and we couldn't actually play the thing, I would understand. But, the game is in fact playable. Yes you need a beast of a PC for high frame rates, but that's the nature of the game-dev beast. Performance will come in time.