Feb 22 - Still release // Unexpected change of plans

JetN

Backers' Beta Tester
Backers' Beta Tester
Feb 3, 2016
17
43
29
North Carolina
i think going early access is definantly the right course of action. I have been pretty worried that you guys wouldnt have time to finish by the 22nd since you announced the release date. Im glad you are taking the extra time to do things right.

not to mention that you have basically 24 hours or so at this point to finish the things that still need to be done. So im impressed you made it as far as you did. HOWEVER might i suggest you remove taunts from the public release until they are all finished. I dont think they are super high priority to finish and its really awkward right now how some characters have them and others dont.

Im certain that you guys are much more aware of what needs to get done before release than i am so i wont list things. but please dont stress yourselves out too much in the time you have left. the games going to be great and we all want a product that you are proud of.
 

WereWeasel42

Member
Feb 17, 2018
16
48
27
Texas
I was honestly really upset when I read this and almost wrote an angry comment but I took a breather and read everyone else’s comments and it helped me calm down and think rationally. I think you have made the right call by being transparent and being determined to follow through on your promises for the full release. I would have been super angry if I bought the “full” game and found no story mode, so I am glad for the transparency.

I’m also sure that something has gone really wrong if you’re delaying the story mode by a month when you originally thought it would be out by the 22nd. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
 
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danmiy12

Backers' Beta Tester
Backers' Beta Tester
Feb 7, 2016
177
63
Hawaii
first impressions might make or break the game...i think bronys wont mind and most of them will play it regardless, but you might lose a lot of your user base (esp casuals) if you release a broken story mode...glad you explained it and i think most people will understand especially since this isnt a AAA company, but i think it will be best to heavy focus on getting the game to 1.0 so you can please the non brony casuals and finish the 1st part of the story to an acceptable level.

edit: esp since a lot of casuals might just buy the game to play story and might not even touch online cause they might be shy or might want to practice offline before jumping online. Target practice and vs ai def helps these sorta people, though some people might hold off completely cause they might be buying only for story mode...

clearly in big text saying you are going early access at least make sure people know what they are paying for and wont get angry and give a bad review when they get it..also it will allow some people to hold off on buying and maybe buy later rather then buy it and get angry and give bad word of mouth to their friends and maybe ruin future purchases of this game.
 
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ty4brawl

Feed b ack
Backers' Beta Tester
Feb 4, 2016
480
1,897
FL
discord.gg
I've seen it tossed around that it'll be finished in a month, but I don't get why. They didn't specify a completion date, which is smart considering if it still wasn't up by said date it'd probably send red flags to some people.
 

gatorafan

HOLAS: (tm)
Backers' Beta Tester
Feb 3, 2016
238
567
Ship02: Ur
nightarks.enjin.com
I've seen it tossed around that it'll be finished in a month, but I don't get why. They didn't specify a completion date, which is smart considering if it still wasn't up by said date it'd probably send red flags to some people.
That doesn't sound right. It's probably a misconception caused by the first post saying:

We have encountered some rather large, unforeseen issues with Story Mode. In addition, key people required to handle these issues haven't been much available in this last month or so, and will continue to be unavailable for the time being due to some rather heavy "Real Life" issues. As much as we absolutely loathe to do this, we're going to have to postpone the release of Story Mode for a bit. Couple weeks?, A month?, bit more?, We do not know, at the moment, as it really depends on said key people being available, and the aforementioned large issues getting dissected and shot down. Probably not in that order.
Stating a month as the longest time (not saying how much "a bit more" is). Steam page is pretty clear that we are talking about months in plural tho.

ManeSix on Steam store page said:
Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?
“We estimate a couple of months will be sufficient to get the Game from its current state to where we feel we'll be ready for a "full" release.”
 

MSTieScott

Backers' Beta Tester
Backers' Beta Tester
May 13, 2016
30
56
It's odd to think that, as far as I know, TFH wasn't really crowdfunded on the back of a story mode.
I can only speak for myself, but the two things that convinced me to join the crowdfund were the story mode and the dynamic music system. I'm a patient guy, so I'd rather wait for a story mode that's been completed to the devs' satisfaction than a half-formed, disappointing story mode (hey, I've already waited this long, right?). And I've really been enjoying the dynamic music system, so I have no worries that everything will work out.


I would point out, though, that Mane6 has said that some of the details from the Book of Lore were changing as they fleshed out the characters' stories. So there might be some small differences once the story mode begins appearing.
 

Erkicman

Backers' Beta Tester
Backers' Beta Tester
Feb 3, 2016
96
261
So judging from BearUNLV's recent steam key giveaway on Twitter, I could say that hype levels are still maximum. Also, judging from some comments I've seen on Reddit (Two Best Friends Play's subreddit mainly), people are willing to take blunt truth and transparency over a rushed story mode any day of the week.

 

Vision Thing

Spellbound
Feb 16, 2018
14
25
Afterimage of a Crimson Eye
While I can understand not being interested in an early access, its worth noting that the story mode was always going to be released in episodes as free DLC. This change really only means that the first episode won't be included for the 22nd, and will thus be DLC also.

In fact, I'd say that this was an early access in name only, if not for the fact that the first episode had been planned and marketed to be part of the initial release. Aside from that, everything else marketed for the full release will be there. I honestly can't say that I'll feel like I'm purchasing an early access game.

I suppose I'm a bit biased however, as the story modes were never a strong selling point for me.
You're right, I'm considering getting it tomorrow anyway. But I hope this doesn't stay on early access for too long.
 

CocoaTea

Pomeranians and Pomegranates
Feb 7, 2018
6
53
Baaahland
steamcommunity.com
First off, let's have a note before the wall of text:

Release not delayed. Still happening February 22. With some minor adjustments. Read below for details.

---


Well guys, we have good news and bad news.

The bad news: We have encountered some rather large, unforeseen issues with Story Mode. In addition, key people required to handle these issues haven't been much available in this last month or so, and will continue to be unavailable for the time being due to some rather heavy "Real Life" issues. As much as we absolutely loathe to do this, we're going to have to postpone the release of Story Mode for a bit. Couple weeks?, A month?, bit more?, We do not know, at the moment, as it really depends on said key people being available, and the aforementioned large issues getting dissected and shot down. Probably not in that order.

While we -could- in theory retask people to handle these issues immediately, we do not think this to be the best option, as we'd be delivering a suddenly rushed, lower quality version of the story which wouldn't live up to our standards and which would also tarnish the experience we want to craft for it... Not to mention take these people away from their current tasks and risk creating issues in other modes and features of the game.

The good news is: Every other feature we intended to come with first public release (Namely, local and online PvP multiplayer, quick matches, the first iterations of pixel lobby, arcade mode, target challenges and combo trials, with fully animated and voiced characters) is on track to release with the Public Build; the only major thing that'd be kaput for now, then, would be the story.

We do not feel that taking back an announced release date two days before its arrival is the way to go, but, at the same time, we also do not feel that we're delivering you guys the promised "1.0" experience we were aiming for with this release having the story missing from it. Combined, those two situations put us in a bit of a conundrum, which is a polite way of saying that we're drifting up in places without a paddle at hand.

We've had emergency meetings, we've looked at the cards, and we think the best solution we can go for at this stage is switching the release of the game from a "1.0" finished build and "regular" release to a slightly rolled back "0.95" Steam Early Access version, which will exist for a short period of time before switching to the full release. This 0.95 version will include all of the aforementioned content and features with the exception of the Story Mode (because of the reasons already explained), and achievements, because part of the implementation of those is/will be tied to Story mode actions. We might also need to rollback/reintroduce a couple minor and middle changes made between the currently existing version of Backers' Beta and the Release build candidate, but if or what's not quite clear yet. Since we’re already there, we'll also be taking the opportunity during Early Access to take feebdack on further improving the pixel lobby + Salt Mine gameplay, as Story Mode and Pixel Lobby are partially intertwined and very important to the unique experience we're aiming to provide.

We have just been in contact with Valve, to let them know we want/need to make the switch to Early Access, so the store page might briefly disappear as those changes happen. It's not a reason to panic, just part of the procedure.

In this Early Access build, you will be able to play against other people in local multiplayer, and online in quick match and the pixel lobbies, which also contain the first iteration of the Salt Mines PvE dungeon, as well as against the AI in arcade mode. You will be able to use all six main characters, complete the first batch of target challenges and test yourself in the combo trials. It is, for most intents and purposes, pretty close to the 1.0 iteration we intended to launch, only missing those features associated with the story mode that we're now planning to rollback in the schedule slightly, and a couple other minor things that were placed in close proximity to the underside of the bus at the moment of impact.

As the (next) first step for this, we're making a patch to Backers' Beta available later today introducing most of the changes to come in the Feb 22 release. Then as the step after that we'll be working our collective behind for the next two days to close the gap between the 0.95 and 1.0 versions as much as we can, to hopefully make it a 0.97 or 0.98 just missing the story mode.

Thank you all for understanding, for supporting our project and for continuing to believe and sticking around despite of our screw-ups. We promise we're not narfing up on purpose.​


We love you.

- M6​
Oh dear, hope things would go well for the story mode. I'm glad that you guys are so transparent with us, a game released without story mode is much better than a broken one
 

SmokeRulz

Where there is smoke, there is fire!
Backers' Beta Tester
Feb 3, 2016
356
525
So judging from BearUNLV's recent steam key giveaway on Twitter, I could say that hype levels are still maximum. Also, judging from some comments I've seen on Reddit (Two Best Friends Play's subreddit mainly), people are willing to take blunt truth and transparency over a rushed story mode any day of the week.
Excellent to hear. On Twitter and Steam as well, people seem to be totally understanding and supportive of the decision. Honesty is the best policy! Never go full TRIPLE AAAAYYYY and just release broken stuff with no explanation.

It helps that the release date didn't get pushed back, too, I suppose
 

LockeRobster

Drawfriend & ALPHA Beta Tester
Backers' Beta Tester
Feb 3, 2016
256
900
42
Sydney, Australia
lokerobster.tumblr.com
"No reason to panic" Do you know where you are @ManeSix ?

At any rate I at least appreciate the honesty and commitment to making the story mode great. As someone who is not competitive enough to get enjoyment out of PvP I'm really hanging out for a great story mode, you know? I can also appreciate that people go through real life stuff. Going through some pretty heavy real life stuff myself, so all the best to you guys!

Also good luck with the launch.
 

ShadowLightMew

Shiny Pokémon hunter and trainer
Backers' Beta Tester
Feb 7, 2016
338
41
35
I don't have a Windows laptop yet for the game so i have to wait anyway. Hope that things work out for your friends since heavy sounds like in life losses or family trouble so i hope they will recover. The best you can do is give lots of moral support and real support if you know them in real time. Take your time Mane 6 :olliebigsmile:
 

Someoneman

Crowdfund Backer
Crowdfund Backer
Feb 3, 2016
77
170
You've been working on this since 2011, and I've been following this for nearly as long, so congratulations on finally being mostly kind of semi-done! I remember that in your really old FAQ you said this game WAS going to be released, no matter what. You weren't kidding.

Also, how many hours are there left until I get my key?
 

Toonwriter

Member
Feb 16, 2016
7
4
I'm an indiegogo backer on it, so I was wondering if I could get Them's Fightin' Herds free without charge.
 

darahalian

Backers' Beta Tester
Backers' Beta Tester
Feb 3, 2016
20
16
Is there an ETA for this? I got the notification from Steam that it's available for purchase but I haven't received any code yet.
The backerkit email may not have come through yet for some reason, but you should have access to the code on your backerkit survey page if you backed at the appropriate level. Try following the instructions here for a step by step process on finding the code and redeeming it on Steam. The instructions are for the beta version, but the process outlined there should be the same as for actual release.
 

Alevgor

Canis Imaginatus
Backers' Beta Tester
Feb 3, 2016
169
299
I think either it's some kind of misunderstanding or of last minute change of the plans because current game version does not correspond to "first public release" mentioned in the TS post - missing character animations, combo trials(?) , unfinished pixel lobby etc
 

Lurk

Well-Known Member
Feb 17, 2018
234
266
I think either it's some kind of misunderstanding or of last minute change of the plans because current game version does not correspond to "first public release" mentioned in the TS post - missing character animations, combo trials(?) , unfinished pixel lobby etc
Re-read. They did mention that it's a slightly rolled back 0.95 version.
 
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