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Post by Mr. Welldone on Mar 12, 2019 13:10:04 GMT -6
What would you wager the amount 505 spent getting Nintendo to advertise their game for them was, relative to the amount it would have cost to refund Mac and Linux backers? 20 times? 50 maybe? 200 times? More? The cost of having Bloodstained appear in the recent Nintendo Direct was $0. See, I knew Nintendo started trading in souls. Cryptocurrency? Bah. Try Necrocurrency.
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Post by purifyweirdshard on Mar 12, 2019 13:25:07 GMT -6
Well, here are my thoughts on this. As for the Direct and things related to it being on topic, this is the beginning of the update this thread is about: In browren's case, perhaps it wasn't well received and he's stating that. That's fine. Users on the other side of this debate are being more combative than he is, from how I'm seeing this, and I don't think that's helpful or necessary. I don't recall browren ever being disrespectful to me or any of the mods (I think things started out shaky with him and Mike, but were fine after that), though some others have been rude to us, yes. Nezuto , I can't imagine browren is the same person you believe you've been arguing with over the last year, I don't recall you two having interactions before? He only just registered close to New Years in the wake of the Linux/Mac cancellation. ...potentially at the cost of dragging the whole game down to the Switch's 2014-level hardware requirements. Did it occur to you that the "middleware" issue they encountered might actually be some proprietary software Nintendo's online play requires? I suspect you don't care though. You probably couldn't care less if the PC version is no better than a Switch port now, thanks to the publisher - not the devs. If we're going with this logic towards things, with ports being considered lowest common denominators for a game and thus dragging it down, then are/were you fine with or perhaps for the cancellation of the Wii U and PS Vita versions of the game, as those certainly perform well under even the Switch's mentioned low capabilities - and/or that the two of them definitely were going to require extra work and even a separate team to finish on time (Armature Studio)? Whether you were or were not, it's a possible point (though I do not believe the main one or actually much involved at all) that the developers could have considered for the quality of the game and being able to finish it on time. This is something palatable to even fans of those consoles because they want the game to be good/better with a finish in a reasonable timeframe, and I believe in this case it does apply to Mac and Linux. They were not able to - resource, time, or technical roadblock wise - able to deliver those versions of the game, and the average backer/fan, again like with the Wii U/Vita cases - are allowing and defending that for the greater feasibility and timeliness of the product. Knowing precisely what the middleware issue was would change nothing of the outcome, and if there were an effect at all, would more throw one involved party under the bus and likely even prevent further work with them. Curiosity would be sated, sure, but even in the most likely pedestrian case of whatever it was, would only give ammo to use against them and again hinder a meaningful move forward. 505 through Angel has expressed that they would have interest in bringing the game to the Mac and Linux platforms in the future to reach those markets because it makes sense, but for right now they can't make it work.
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Post by browren on Mar 12, 2019 13:29:15 GMT -6
You claim there might be some "proprietary software Nintendo's online play requires." Well then, since you're a software developer, can you give any examples of such proprietary software? This is a genuine quiestion--I'm not a computer science guy, but I have literally never heard of any game developed for the Switch rendered unable to play on mac or linux (or any other system, for that matter) due to any such proprietary software. In the absence of any proof of something like that actually taking place, such a baseless accusation is something I very much ought to challenge.
Nintendo's "Nintendo Switch Online" paid service launched in September, and controls all of their online service features. All console online services include proprietary code that works with the company's servers, not only to let the game communicate with other players, but to validate accounts, and to lock people who have not paid for the service out of online play. It makes sense to keep this code proprietary to make it harder for people to cheat the system and not pay.
The plug-in to enable online play in RotN would need to be compatible with Unreal Engine 4, so it would need to conform to the Online Subsystem spec:
Epic says "When working on a game that ships on multiple platforms, or with support for multiple online services, the Online Subsystem ensures that the only changes developers need to make are configuration adjustments for each supported service." This is supposed to allow the developer to work in a platform-agnostic manner and not have to worry about what's in the module, and the publisher will just use the right module for the platform, so everyone's supposed to be happy. Such a module is middleware - an interface between your app and some service that varies depending on what the app runs on.
Of course, if you code badly and do things that are platform-specific, you end up with some uncomfortable choices - either you copy the code in whole and use it everwhere, and work around any platform-specific issues (like FFXIV on PC/Xbox/PS4 did), or you end up with incompatible games that can't play together (like Minecraft).
Given the timing of the announcement, the wording - "challenges of supporting middleware and online feature support" - followed up with this big pro-Nintendo push, and the complete lack of any evidence that a Linux or Mac version of the game ever existed in the first place, I think the most likely situation is the first option - they wrote bad code, tied themselves to Nintendo's service somehow, and can't publish on Mac or Linux because of it.
Ultimately - and I am tired of harping on this point - since 505 has been intentionally opaque about the actual problem, nobody really knows what they did wrong.
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Post by browren on Mar 12, 2019 13:32:30 GMT -6
What would you wager the amount 505 spent getting Nintendo to advertise their game for them was, relative to the amount it would have cost to refund Mac and Linux backers? 20 times? 50 maybe? 200 times? More? The cost of having Bloodstained appear in the recent Nintendo Direct was $0. The cost to who? 505 paid nothing? Or Nintendo paid nothing?
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Post by Nezuto on Mar 12, 2019 13:44:26 GMT -6
purifyweirdshard I will apologize on the accusation of this browren being the same user I've argued with in the past, but it still doesn't excuse anything. I was one of the Wii U backers and wasn't even offered a refund, just a default 'upgraded to the Switch version' even though I don't even have the console. Am I happy with that, hell no, but neither will I toss baseless accusations about a publisher or company without evidence. Especially when they seemingly ignore the fact that, in both of my prior posts, I agreed with their sentiments, but what would I know, I'm just a disillusioned fanboy that finds nothing wrong with 505 or Nintendo, even though I clearly stated I wasn't happy with the company. But, I digress, my apology for the accusation stands, regardless if it's accepted or not.
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Post by browren on Mar 12, 2019 13:45:47 GMT -6
If we're going with this logic towards things, with ports being considered lowest common denominators for a game and thus dragging it down, then are/were you fine with or perhaps for the cancellation of the Wii U and PS Vita versions of the game, as those certainly perform well under even the Switch's mentioned low capabilities - and/or that the two of them definitely were going to require extra work and even a separate team to finish on time (Armature Studio)? If it came at the cost of PC quality? Absolutely not - the entire purpose of using a game engine like UE4 is so each platform gets the best they can manage, with no negative effect on the others. You will note that the Wii U and Vita cancellations were not done for technical reasons, but because the vendors of those consoles had ended support. It is not the same situation as Mac and Linux, and I find it really questionable because the Switch has a kernel based on FreeBSD like the Mac, but the same graphics stack that runs on Linux-based Android devices, so it seems unlikely that something that runs on the Switch wouldn't work on either of the platforms it's most similar to. That doesn't justify throwing backers under the bus. I have not seen any indication of that at all anywhere - where was this said?
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Post by Question on Mar 12, 2019 13:54:51 GMT -6
The cost of having Bloodstained appear in the recent Nintendo Direct was $0. The cost to who? 505 paid nothing? Or Nintendo paid nothing?
505 paid nothing. Nintendo paid nothing. No one pays to be included in Nintendo Direct. As a publisher you hope your game is included, but you don't pay for the privilege.
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Post by purifyweirdshard on Mar 12, 2019 14:02:20 GMT -6
browren you should check out the Kickstarter comments section (yeah I know) from February 15. Angel had several great posts there in that time toward Linux backers and their questions. The one I'm referring to specifically is: Part of my post was sourced/informed from other comments from him like this: Re: throwing backers under the bus, I think a far worse negative for backers is a discontinuation or suffering of the project, which would be a possible result if that sensitive information was divulged. In another comment, he mentions that they were initially talking about putting together a video to show the technical issues, but that would have resulted in this problem and they'd face cancellation. Nezuto you weren't offered a refund for Wii U? Everyone affected was offered that opportunity, unless you missed the (I believe 30 day) window?
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Post by gunlord500 on Mar 12, 2019 14:34:20 GMT -6
Nintendo's "Nintendo Switch Online" paid service launched in September, and controls all of their online service features. All console online services include proprietary code that works with the company's servers, not only to let the game communicate with other players, but to validate accounts, and to lock people who have not paid for the service out of online play. It makes sense to keep this code proprietary to make it harder for people to cheat the system and not pay.
The plug-in to enable online play in RotN would need to be compatible with Unreal Engine 4, so it would need to conform to the Online Subsystem spec:
Hmm, thank you very much for the explanation. I appreciate it, and I say that sincerely. Cheers to you!
However, I'm still not convinced that the "Nintendo Switch Online" software, combined with Unreal Engine 4, is what's causing the problem. Remember, a while back on Twitter they showed Bloodstained playing on a Switch, and this was a whiiiiiiile ago (like, over a year I think). Wouldn't they have run into problems with the Switch's online software back then? But they only cancelled Mac and Linux some time later. Additionally, I assume other companies like Sony also have their own proprietary software to make things work with the PS store and so on. I'd be surprised if any "middleware" issues with Nintendo's software didn't show up on those as well, so again, I think it may be unfair to single Nintendo out for this.
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Post by Nezuto on Mar 12, 2019 14:41:40 GMT -6
purifyweirdshard I believe I had checked within the first 5 days the news broke, leaning on it being 5 days exact. I had seen that the Wii U version was cancelled for the obvious reason of the system being discontinued and checked my backer account via the Fangamer link in my email. When I checked, it had stated I had been upgraded to the Switch version due to the Wii U version cancellation. It could be that I simply didn't see the refund option/offer, but I accepted it, thought of it as a reason to get a Switch and moved on, after being a bit upset at first. I, honestly, just figured that hey, they at least thought ahead and just opted to give me the next best thing to make up for the cancellation. I had brought it up, primarily to show that others may not be happy with things or even the company currently being blamed for a lot, 505 Games, but tossing serious accusations just from being angry isn't helping anyone and should be approached better. My delivery, however, never works the way I intend because I keep forgetting text doesn't read off the same for everyone. But, I digress once again. Short answer, no, I didn't get a refund option. Yes I was a little upset, but then I got over it and became upset more with the things I've stated in prior posts. Current hype levels are about 40/100 for me, but I will see this through, I still trust in Iga, since this is his vision and not 505's, until anything shows I should feel otherwise.
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Post by purifyweirdshard on Mar 12, 2019 14:49:07 GMT -6
Nezuto Well, that upgrade was a default action applied to all backers (as opposed to defaulting to PC or PS4 as with other cases, which wouldn't make as much sense), but didn't supplant the opportunity to apply for a refund. I think that was a misunderstanding more than a lack of something being extended to you. The text of the update was: If you selected the Wii U version in your backer survey and you want the Switch version, you’re all set! The Switch version has replaced the Wii U version in the survey, so no further action is necessary on your part. (this is your case, as well as anyone who took no action)If you selected the Wii U version and you want to move to a PC, PS4, Xbox One, or Vita version, you can go to your backer survey and make the change now. (Click the "Change Your Survey Answers" link.) If you selected the Wii U version and don't want any of the Switch, PC, PS4, Xbox One, or Vita versions, you're eligible for a cancellation and refund... (following this are instructions and criteria)
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Post by Nezuto on Mar 12, 2019 15:27:05 GMT -6
Yeah, I think it was error on my part with that one, then. Also good to know I can switch (kerpun) it to another version, as I haven't been back on my Fangamer page in since.
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Post by browren on Mar 12, 2019 15:33:03 GMT -6
The cost to who? 505 paid nothing? Or Nintendo paid nothing?
505 paid nothing. Nintendo paid nothing. No one pays to be included in Nintendo Direct. As a publisher you hope your game is included, but you don't pay for the privilege. It's too bad that middleware doesn't come from this imaginary land where bandwidth costs are zero, presentations are done by unpaid interns, and servers run themselves.
Congrats on getting picked.
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Post by purifyweirdshard on Mar 12, 2019 15:41:00 GMT -6
Yeah, I think it was error on my part with that one, then. Also good to know I can switch (kerpun) it to another version, as I haven't been back on my Fangamer page in since. Oh that bit is from the update I was quoting - platform change is over now. Sorry, probably confusing since the other stuff in parentheses was myself. Otherwise, glad that was cleared up, I had been curious what your problems were from last year and it sucks that we're only just now ironing out that some of that misunderstanding. I'm certain Question isn't lying about this, if that's what you mean to insinuate, browren. "Nothing is free" is true, to your point, of course, but he is coming out to say that terms weren't quite what were in mind. Your post here isn't "you're a liar" directly per se, but it carries that tone. I just remembered something else to mention - it has been confirmed and stated that the problem is not Denuvo either, as that will not be a part of any version of the game.
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Post by browren on Mar 12, 2019 15:52:19 GMT -6
However, I'm still not convinced that the "Nintendo Switch Online" software, combined with Unreal Engine 4, is what's causing the problem. Remember, a while back on Twitter they showed Bloodstained playing on a Switch, and this was a whiiiiiiile ago (like, over a year I think). Wouldn't they have run into problems with the Switch's online software back then? Indeed, that is true, and that largely is the main issue. Middleware problems should be caught in testing very very early on, and would have shown up in a demo if there were any, but you only will catch those problems if you're actually testing every platform. Meaning, they either changed something VERY late in development and broke both platforms so horribly they couldn't fix it, or they never bothered to test Mac or Linux until the end. We've seen Switch demos, we've seen Windows demos. Anyone seen a Linux or Mac demo? Combining the (apparently free) Nintendo advertising with a sudden, showstopping problem two months earlier, and Nintendo Switch Online's release date, I don't think it's unreasonable to think that "late-breaking change" might have been Nintendo's online gaming plugin. You are completely right, and if MS or Sony had featured Bloodstained in their advertising instead, I would have assumed it was something they had done.
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Post by browren on Mar 12, 2019 16:17:20 GMT -6
I'm certain Question isn't lying about this, if that's what you mean to insinuate, browren. "Nothing is free" is true, to your point, of course, but he is coming out to say that terms weren't quite what were in mind. Your post here isn't "you're a liar" directly per se, but it carries that tone. I just remembered something else to mention - it has been confirmed and stated that the problem is not Denuvo either, as that will not be a part of any version of the game. Yes, Denuvo was asked about on Steam (in a thread that got deleted...), and they said it wasn't a part of the game. It's unfortunate that 505 won't give us a straight answer and we have to sit here and play guess-the-bug. As for my tone towards 505, they are playing word games and being disingenuous, just like with the whole "middleware" nonsense that started this mess. Nintendo paid the bill for the advertising. 505 got a nice big bump, and didn't have to pay anything this time. I'm sure 505 won't forget Nintendo's kindness.
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Post by hyugakojiro on Mar 12, 2019 16:30:27 GMT -6
Speaking of 's new look, I wonder if the form she takes during her desperation move [from CotM] will show up. Makes me think there just might be a 2nd fight. I could be wrong. Sign me up. Would love to see more of Bloodless than just the one boss fight. I think it would be a nice twist if she ended up being a demon of equal statue to Gremory and was just testing Miriam in the original boss fight. Wouldn't mind her sticking around and maybe being the main villain or a playable character in a sequel.
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Post by Aztec on Mar 12, 2019 16:48:33 GMT -6
"Nintendo-centric advertising push?" Well, I'll ping Angel-Corlux and he can tell us how much the Direct might have "cost." I am very certain it was either minimal or nothing, but Angel can confirm for sure. Why do we have a Direct rather than a PS4 presentation or something? Maybe we might in the future, but off the top of my head the only thing these presentations (Nintendo Direct, PS4 presentations, XBOX shows, etc.) general ask for is "exclusivity." So while Bloodstained would get free publicity for its trailer, it had to choose which platform it wanted to be shown on. Since Curse of the Moon was successful on the Switch by the largest margin, the team made an agreement with Nintendo. That's all--no nefarious buyout schemes at all. What exclusivity? The second the Direct ended the Bloodstained trailer went up simultaneously on 4 (FOUR!) Youtube channels: the official Bloodstained channel, Nintendo's, Playstation's, and Xbox'. Sure it was shown first on the Direct but a few minutes later it was up on all 4 channels too. So Nintendo didn't ask for any exclusivity even then other than hold off the distribution of the trailer until after the Direct aired. And just as a fun fact these are the views of the BS trailer on all 4 channels that went up right after the Direct finished: Nintendo: 200k Playstation: 115k Official BS: 88k Xbox: 15k
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Post by Pure Miriam on Mar 12, 2019 16:53:20 GMT -6
browren i'm not going to argue with you. You have your reasons to be upset, you presented them. I'm moving from that. GalamothI remember, on the 2017 DEMO that, when you defeat Bloodless, she crystalizes and drops a Conjur Shard that we can't see what it is, because the demo ends before the Shard name message is shown. I honestly believe they didn't had her Shard and that was just a placeholder. Considering the curious popularity Bloodless achieved, i believe her fight will be a tad different. Her second form on Curse of the Moon may be some kind of move she will have. I always thought Bloodless was created to be one of the bosses you will be able to control in Boss Revenge Mode, and for some reason, i had it in me that her Shard could either be the Blood Rain (Could be Conjur, that one), to mimic Richter's Hydro Storm or her Blood attack where she shoots Blood with her umbrella. Since she can control it up and down, i thought that could be a Directional Shard. I'm actually curious to see what her Shard will be, more than how her fight will work out.
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Post by Aztec on Mar 12, 2019 16:53:25 GMT -6
505 paid nothing. Nintendo paid nothing. No one pays to be included in Nintendo Direct. As a publisher you hope your game is included, but you don't pay for the privilege. It's too bad that middleware doesn't come from this imaginary land where bandwidth costs are zero, presentations are done by unpaid interns, and servers run themselves.
Congrats on getting picked.
If the angry words of one ticked-off Linux backer are enough to keep you off the board, I think maybe you're more disillusioned with the game than you realize, and if "how fast many forgot all that happened all due to a damned trailer" makes you mad, we're more alike than you realize. Fine, though, I'll shut up so you can all go on forgetting about all that publisher nonsense and go back to discussing the totally relevant topic of which version of Spanish the game supports. For pete's sakes, stop it! I was tired of your whining days ago and now that finally your biggest reason to complain has been debunked you keep moving the goalposts so you can keep trying to rip them a new one because nothing will ever satisfy you. And no the cost of putting up a trailer made of edited footage of gameplay is not even close to what it'd take to produce two ports regarding the time, manpower, and budget. You have every right to be dissapointed at the Linux cancellation but they way you've chosen to do this is irritaing and annoying. Opt for the option of a physical copy so you can resell it, make a nice profit, move on, and let us be! Christ!
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