Discussion Why is the game so unpolished?

Sam Lockgrim

Sam Lockgrim

Pirate Apprentice
I stopped playing this game a few months ago, just as a break, I didn't get bored at all, it's one of my favorite games of all time. The reason I took the break was because there were so many weird problems. I tried making lists of bugs on the forums, and sending each individually on the send feedback, but I return to find that most of these bugs still remain. The French Undead and Spanish Undead skeletons still don't move when attacked, and can hit you with infinite range just sitting there. I still regenerate health during combat, so I'm essentially invincible unless I'm fighting something that can one-shot me. There are still quests where you have to search/dig that don't give you the item.

I haven't even been on long enough to find out if some of the old glitches from my 4 lists were still around, but based on the fact these pretty bad glitches still haven't even been dealt with, I can assume some of those haven't either. I love the new content, it's totally sick, but why are they working on new stuff when there are still these weird bugs?
 
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Beta means they're supposed to focus on fixing stuff and not adding new content right? Yeah that's what I thought.
-Also to add on after playing a mere hour and a half more, some enemies will just stop attacking me and let me kill them, and I figured out an exploit against sword-using enemies where I can slowly back up and none of their attacks will reach me so I can beat any enemy using a sword without taking damage.
 
Sam Lockgrim said:
Beta means they're supposed to focus on fixing stuff and not adding new content right? Yeah that's what I thought.
-Also to add on after playing a mere hour and a half more, some enemies will just stop attacking me and let me kill them, and I figured out an exploit against sword-using enemies where I can slowly back up and none of their attacks will reach me so I can beat any enemy using a sword without taking damage.
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The " Sword backing up " method was also happening In POTCO days ! Less damage if much by taking a few steps back , hitting and backing up when the foe moved to you , been that way since day one I started playing Potco many moons ago . Disney had the thought of adding new content and leaving bugs they created along the way left untouched also .
 
Sam Lockgrim said:
Beta means they're supposed to focus on fixing stuff and not adding new content right? Yeah that's what I thought.
-Also to add on after playing a mere hour and a half more, some enemies will just stop attacking me and let me kill them, and I figured out an exploit against sword-using enemies where I can slowly back up and none of their attacks will reach me so I can beat any enemy using a sword without taking damage.
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They're two teams. People who repair and fix bugs with the original game, and one who introduce new content.
 
Sam Lockgrim said:
Beta means they're supposed to focus on fixing stuff and not adding new content right? Yeah that's what I thought.
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I understand your fustrations with some of the bugs. I am currently wrapped up in a bug where dig spots aren't working on my story quests, but what thats part of Beta. Bugs happen. Now I understand your frustration with this bug, and others, but these are complex problems. The bugs that interfere with digging I bet are interwoven in the code, so it confuses the game as to which quest you are trying to complete. Because of this, it makes the problem a little more difficult because if the codes for several quests get 'tangled up,' then one mistake on one, could take down the others (I am by no means a computer wizard, so I could be 100% wrong. If so, please correct me. This is just what it appears to be to me.) The developers are currently working as hard as they can with this bug and others, but as we all know, this is beta, so these bugs are persistent. Just gotta hunker down and keep reporting the bug so that the devs have a fuller idea of what is going on.

internetpirate said:
They're two teams. People who repair and fix bugs with the original game, and one who introduce new content.
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This is true. Like internetpirate said, and to expand on what he said, there are two separate teams that work on content for the game. One team works with original (TLOPO) content. The second team works with introducing former (POTCO) content and fix bugs. These two teams don't interact on a regular basis to fix the entire game as a whole. Only the second team does that. Now that doesn't mean that they never do, but I'm just saying that they don't work fully 'hand in hand' if that makes sense. (Again, this information is what I have gathered from reading, watching, and talking with people on the forums. If I have any information wrong, please let me know, so I can learn more! :happy:)

In summary, this is beta. Bugs can be quite complex, while others aren't. I believe that the developers try to put most of their effort to the stronger, more complex bugs, and the ones that effect the most people. We just have to give them time to work their magic. Keep sending them bug reports (even if it's several lists long) so that each day they get a better idea of what is going on and can get closer to a complete fix!
 
I love how the OP presented a genuine concern and vented frustration and all he gets in return is blatant attacks stating a fact we all know. Let's not try to help our fellow players or anything, no that would be too easy. Instead, let's just bash them until they get tired of this community and lack of attention towards the game by the devs and leaves. I understand it's a volunteer project, but that doesn't mean the devs are gods and shouldn't be held to standards. If a church volunteers to build homes for the needy, they must still meet the building codes of the area, correct? So why is this any different? Just because it's volunteer, does not mean we should have no standards. We should expect them to fix the bugs we bring to their attention, because that's what they've agreed to do by taking on this project.
 
Sam Lockgrim said:
I stopped playing this game a few months ago, just as a break, I didn't get bored at all, it's one of my favorite games of all time. The reason I took the break was because there were so many weird problems. I tried making lists of bugs on the forums, and sending each individually on the send feedback, but I return to find that most of these bugs still remain. The French Undead and Spanish Undead skeletons still don't move when attacked, and can hit you with infinite range just sitting there. I still regenerate health during combat, so I'm essentially invincible unless I'm fighting something that can one-shot me. There are still quests where you have to search/dig that don't give you the item.

I haven't even been on long enough to find out if some of the old glitches from my 4 lists were still around, but based on the fact these pretty bad glitches still haven't even been dealt with, I can assume some of those haven't either. I love the new content, it's totally sick, but why are they working on new stuff when there are still these weird bugs?
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I think you are forgetting a few things. Ignoring the fact that this is a beta, did you ever play the original game? I did for several years and I can assure it had glitches. It also had would randomly crash or lock up and all that was for a game that cost money. This version is free, you aren't paying anything so why complain? You can easily stop playing, and do something else if you don't like it in the current state. So be honest with yourself are you really getting ripped off so much that you think you need to vent? I'm just glad its back. Do I remember a time when the AI of the ships you were fighting was a little smarter? Sure, but I also remember having to cough up 10 dollars a month to play that version and I still had to put up with glitches.
 
In my opinion, it's important for both players -and- TLOPO devs to keep perspective. Below remain a few thoughts:
  1. @Sam Lockgrim expresses a legitimate concern. As such, so does @Jim Hexskull. Patience itself is a difficult thing and the only thing else I can add to this is just a silly reminder that really, "ye should be VERY glad you are even playing." This is not to minimize, at all, the concerns being expressed. Just myself simply stating that at least you have opportunity to enjoy the game again because truly...I haven't even played again since 2013! Count your blessings as they come, friends.
  2. TLOPO is doing the best they can! Perhaps more steam will pick up towards improvement relative to these "known" bugs/glitches since Summer '18 is at our doorstep. With summer coming equates to greater attention shown towards such things (relative to everyone's schedule during 'this' time of the year). *Where I see the challenge for TLOPO is solving such things to where COMMUNICATION is successfully achieved. The fact that there remain two (2) separate teams to which this thread has pointed out could possibly put a strain on adequate communication being achieved between achieving the needed balance between bugs being resolved and new content being implemented.
  3. Communication dispersed under more than one hub can sometimes have a negative impact. All it takes is someone dropping the ball on a concern or a request and before you know, communication is lost. I am not saying this is what might have happened but, all it takes is for someone to have experience/insight into the way a "corporate" business is conducted for such knowledge of how communication (or lack of) to be understood. In general, the grapevine has it's hits and misses like everything else and it is not 100% without it's own faults.
 
Everyone just needs to be open minded and listen to other opinions. OP is right, stuff needs fixing. But we also have to consider that the devs have lives outside of TLOPO and don't do this as a job. Not to mention some bugs are more complex and harder to fix than others. They don't get fixed overnight. That being said, do I expect said bugs to get fixed eventually? Of course, I play this game daily! But we have to learn patience and trust that the devs will get around to it.
 
This has been brought up so many times by so many people... You are a Beta tester and are supposed to help flush out all the bugs. If what has happened is not to your liking it is because either the people who are developing the game in their spare time for free have progressed too slowly for you or you have failed to report the bugs quickly and accurately enough. In the end this issue is impatient players complaining about something that they have no right or reason to complain about. The fact that the game is as good as it is is already so unbelievable that I doubt the originators even bothered to have a plan for dealing with it, if you know what I mean. As always, I will reiterate that the plan is to evolve the game and there are two separate groups one working on bringing the game up to 2013 standards and the other working on new content. It is not our place as testers to second guess the development strategy or the development at all really, we are here to help work out the bugs.
 
Many threads about this topic alone. But I've observed something with forum boards just like this one. Someone, that doesn't appear to be directly involved with the development or subject of the thread makes a comment that reads like it's from the dev's themselves early on the thread and two pages later it's taken as gospel. Now, I'm not saying anything negative about contributors or anyone. This phenomenon has an example on this thread. A comment made by a long time member was " They're two teams. People who repair and fix bugs with the original game, and one who introduce new content." Now, I'm fairly new here, don't know many at all, I don't know this member or his/her history and they could know this for a fact. But, I don't know the history, the commentator didn't back up the veracity of the info.

I realize I've been wrong before and said so, I have no malice with this post, it's just comments like that about the game make me curious about it's underworkings. <-is that a word? Anyways, is it true tlopo has this work structure? We beta testers are on the outside looking in and the glass is pretty much opaque. Even people with 'founder', 'staff' have been wrong. So how does one get actual game info from the horses feed bag?

Is there a thread for that?
 
I never meant to undermine the work they are doing, and I wasn't aware there were two different teams, one for bugs and one for content (if that is in fact true, which is weird but okay). I do appreciate the game, and even in its deteriorated state it remains one of my favorites. The work they have done is AMAZING so far, and I should have commended them in my original post instead of only complaining.
HOWEVER, this doesn't mean there isn't something to complain about people. For those saying that it's my job as a beta tester to help them out, I've submitted all of these many months ago, and I'm not even sure if the Send Feedback option works right now, as I don't receive any information of my feedback going through at all. Also whoever said that POTCO had glitches, too. Listen, if POTCO had the glitches, that doesn't make it okay that TLOPO does, too.
 
Sam Lockgrim said:
I never meant to undermine the work they are doing, and I wasn't aware there were two different teams, one for bugs and one for content (if that is in fact true, which is weird but okay). I do appreciate the game, and even in its deteriorated state it remains one of my favorites. The work they have done is AMAZING so far, and I should have commended them in my original post instead of only complaining.
HOWEVER, this doesn't mean there isn't something to complain about people. For those saying that it's my job as a beta tester to help them out, I've submitted all of these many months ago, and I'm not even sure if the Send Feedback option works right now, as I don't receive any information of my feedback going through at all. Also whoever said that POTCO had glitches, too. Listen, if POTCO had the glitches, that doesn't make it okay that TLOPO does, too.
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I am certain the feedback button works at the moment.

The point many are trying to make is that things are going to take time (be patient) and that complaining will not change that. Although, feedback such as yours is necessary sometimes to get the team to realize they may be overlooking issues that the community would prefer to have fixed sooner rather than later. I am sure the team is working towards fixing all of the bugs and glitches in the game, the majority of the smaller ones just are not a priority right now, but this can change.
When people complain in a manner such as you did, others overlook the constructive criticism that is at the heart of the message since most of what they see is senseless criticism. I understand your frustration with the games' issues, but it is generally more effective to give constructive criticism. In some cases, it is not a bad thing to show your frustration to give your argument some pathos. ;)
 
From what I've read and understand for almost a year, the original disney game was not really complete nor polished itself. From my other readings and experience in advertising, I'm fairly sure the game was not developed to be an actual game to be marketed onto itself, but as a supplement and attempted creative way to advertise the pirates of Caribbean franchise to younger children. Hence the almost over protective chats and play world.
That said and if true, then tlopo is only as polished as disney allowed anyone who picked up their free code and abides by disney's agreements and rules of copyrights.

We, beta testers, have no idea how handcuffed or not this group of people are as they try to duplicate disneys creation.
So, what exactly are the dev's trying to polish? How much are they allowed to polish. I think people forget there's more than just whipping up code to make things work. I have no idea what tlopo is up against, how much freedom they have to expand. And the 'new' content they have brought to the beta testers may be nothing new at all to the game code. It all may have been there all along.

Whether tlopo is allowed to use it or not should be taken into consideration when people complain in a non beta tester way.
I see more complaints from the newer members mostly because they haven't taken the time to use this forum first before they comment.

Off my horse.

gl
 
Sorry if I came on a bit strong there. It's just that I've seen this exact complaint in tons of threads when everyone agrees that the bugs should go and the developers have even published a list of bugs they have made a priority. I believe that anyone pointing out how buggy potco was are doing so not as an affirmation that tlopo is ok but as an illustration that even a large corporation with tons of resources and years to work on it using true professionals did not do a whole lot better and that we should keep in mind that tlopo has and continues to do well in comparison to how Disney did and is doing it for free. We all want the game to improve and I have seen it do so rapidly, just not fast enough for some.
 
squintz said:
From what I've read and understand for almost a year, the original disney game was not really complete nor polished itself. From my other readings and experience in advertising, I'm fairly sure the game was not developed to be an actual game to be marketed onto itself, but as a supplement and attempted creative way to advertise the pirates of Caribbean franchise to younger children. Hence the almost over protective chats and play world...
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Disney actually marketed POTCO to be played/aligned itself with the onslaught of the initial Pirates films but yes, you are right in saying too that their hope (too) was to play off of the POTC "franchise," more or less, to gain greater attention/enthusiasm towards Disney's themed-park ride.
As such, those whom understand a great deal of detail into the game itself understand that Disney really did not know what they HAD (in so far as player-base ['loyalty'] following), and so TLOPO remains a prime example of what happens when a corporate entity cannot/will not snuff out the public's own loyalty and interest. So in hindsight, ye mates are lucky for what ye got; there should be no real angst of (current) game play given the fact that TLOPO has experienced incredible leniency from said corporate entity (aka Disney) thus far.

Anyway, just wanted to share and to reiterate here.
 
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