This is the problem on both sides. Gamers were wronged and absolutely should be angry, but it goes too far. You get offered a refund but instead complain?
If anyone thinks NMS is the only game with bullshots on the product page, they are a fool.
What we need is them to make the game better, not focus on the stupid promises of multiplayer. The game doesn't need multiplayer, no matter how many times it was promised. The game needs more features that were strongly hinted at but don't really exist.
Guess what though, that will never happen. The minute that the devs pop up out of hiding the internet is going to pile on. Deserved or not, what purpose does that serve?
Some could but most didn't have the option. Yeah that guy didn't try to but that doesn't mean his complaint isn't valid. Why do some get so offended by people complaining? Seems like a good message to send to those who lie as a way to hype their game.
I hope this will set a precedent and send a message that promising features in the game when you only intend to patch them later is not on.
Because the message has been sent - very clearly. Now people are just beating a dead horse, and the only ones being hurt are those of us who couldn't get refunds and actually would like to see the game improved.
Nobody is buying the game now. The message was sent.
It isn't that people complained, it is that people continue to beat it into the ground. I've got a $60 game I want to see made better, but the moment the devs pop back up on reddit you know what will happen.
They deserved to be punished, but not given the death penalty.
Gamers need to realize how powerful their saltiness can get. MS is still struggling to climb out of all the negativity. Small indie studios will just close their doors, leaving paying customers who actually like the game with a $60 drink coaster.
If internet complaining halted the production of a game or the continued support of a game then no game would ever have been made and no game would ever have been supported.
The devs don't have to stick their head up to support, patch, update the game.
If you ask me, we need more of this sort of stuff from gamers.
Haven't they fixed most of the actual bugs (not features)?
The problem is that the opposite will happen. Think of it from the flip side. They got tons of negative PR. What are they going to get out of releasing feature updates? More sales? If their update is awesome, maybe they win back some and get a few sales out of it. Companies support games post launch because of future sales.
Remember, the masses don't follow these things closely. They hear No Man's Sky and think broken game.
I'm not disagreeing on what should happen, but on what will happen.
As someone who actually liked the game, I'd rather see post launch support as opposed to nothing. The message to future games has been sent loud and clear. Plus I think NMS was kind of an oddball situation. An indie game with massive hype that just got way too big. (not making excuses for it).
This is also why game publishers need to stop hyping games so early. Give us early canned trailers and controlled info until you are in beta and have a good idea what is actually going to be there.
Browse around steam and you'll see tons and tons of games with pre-release bullshots on their product page.
Haven't they fixed most of the actual bugs (not features)?
The problem is that the opposite will happen. Think of it from the flip side. They got tons of negative PR. What are they going to get out of releasing feature updates? More sales? If their update is awesome, maybe they win back some and get a few sales out of it. Companies support games post launch because of future sales.
Remember, the masses don't follow these things closely. They hear No Man's Sky and think broken game.
Also let's not forget that he tried to warm people off (again doesn't make it right but people acting all deceived clearly ignored some facts)
Adding MP to this game is a waste of resources. Yes he said it many times, but no, it isn't what the game needs. The game needs things like the factions to mean something.
And they have done nothing to combat the negative PR. You explain, you apologize, and you talk about the games future. The fact that you are questioning that they will do what they said they will do in terms of support shows how badly they have botched post release messaging.
Why single out MP? Nobody says pure MP was what they lied about. They weren't honest about whether you could see people. That is also only one of many lies.
They lied. They got caught. What "explanation" is going to make gamers happy? This is a common thing... people don't want an apology, they want them to come back so they can dump on them some more. Don't for one second kid yourself about most people's intentions.
MP was by far the biggest lie they told. This wasn't gamers reading into things, there's obviously tons of clips of Sean talking about it. Most of the rest of it was overselling, but not flat out lies. The problem with a procedural generated game is that often it is going to be dull.
They lied about it, but guess what? I've come across one planet ever found by some other gamer. Why add MP to that game? They shouldn't have said it, and we shouldn't be asking for it now.
So forget an apology. How about talk about the games future? You couldn't shut Sean Murray up 2 months ago.
I don't know that anyone is asking for it. Is a person saying they lies have to mean they want them to add it?
Also who knows how many planets you have discovered that other people did. The game was overwriting players discoveries.
It is a lot like the sports coach after a big loss. He's got to come out there and address everyone, but what's he going to say to make you happy? Nothing.
What does it say about the guy who refused a refund but instead is barking to the ASA? Take your refund and go buy another game and move on.
People are asking for MP simply because it was the big lie. That's another issue. It is possible discoveries got missed, but still statistically the chances of meeting up with people on a regular basis is basically zero. This would be a dumb feature that would waste tons of time from an indie developer.
Also, guess what? Now that there's potential legal issues he can't apologize because that could be used against him in the future in court. You don't need a law degree to know that when there's pending legal action against you you STFU.
I said forget the apology and talk about the games upcoming updates.
"I feel most people on the Reddit thread wanted to see Hello Games 'punished' directly though, rather than share my more generalised view that the game's marketing needs to be brought down to earth a bit more," AzzerUK added.
The game sales have tanked, active users on Steam has plummeted and the game is starting to price drop. I would say they've been punished.
I like the game.
So I've thought about it, and I think it's time that the gaming community comes up with "The Golden Molyneux" award, that they can slap on games that overpromise and underdeliver, but that aren't entirely broken.
This is the problem on both sides. Gamers were wronged and absolutely should be angry, but it goes too far. You get offered a refund but instead complain?
If anyone thinks NMS is the only game with bullshots on the product page, they are a fool.
What we need is them to make the game better, not focus on the stupid promises of multiplayer. The game doesn't need multiplayer, no matter how many times it was promised. The game needs more features that were strongly hinted at but don't really exist.
Guess what though, that will never happen. The minute that the devs pop up out of hiding the internet is going to pile on. Deserved or not, what purpose does that serve?
To be fair, it was a lot more than bullshots. People would not have bought the game if they hadn't lied about those features. The actual game they released was not what they were selling. They didn't update people before release about what was in. People would have a lot less to stand on if they had. They bumped to full price but kept it at indie level.
The only choice they have is to dig down and deliver on their promises. Tell people they are sorry and that they will be working like hell to deliver what they promised. They have to earn it back. They have to SHOW and produce. Otherwise their name is completely tainted. You can screw up and make it up- Just look at MS who turned it around and is earning it's way back into good graces.
I did buy it knowing there was no multiplayer. I knew something was up long ago. What they did to mislead people is absolutely wrong, but the big feature isn't needed in the game.
MS was able to crawl back out of the PR mess, but after years. MS is a massive company. There's no way Hello Games survives. That's kind of my point - how much is enough?
Eh. I haven't thought much of it myself. But I didn't get burned. The MP/Co-op was a big lie. A huge one. It would have a massive impact on the game. I think he made those comments because he thought that the theoretical size of the universe would give him excuse to say you could and no one would be able to de-bunk it. It makes it sound more impressive.
That said, there were base things he lied about. Orbits, actual stars (not sky boxes), biomes determined by location within the solar system, Day/Night cycles determined by rotation, etc. If they had to cut those things, they had an obligation to inform potential consumers. Period.
I've never seen anything like it.