Fed Up

[ScottWAR]

Ok, After waiting way too long for this game to get fixed so that it is at least playable enough for a released game,...I have given up.

The game is STILL not ready for release. The AI cant put up a fight against a chimp making random moves,..much less a human.

I have waited and waited patiently. During that time we have received almost exclusively silence, except for a brief period of a whole week where we were assured the game would get fixed,......so what happened? It most assuredly isnt fixed. Putting a hubcap on a car that has one wheel on it doesnt fix the problem,...we still need the other three wells.

So I decided to try Shrapnels customer support to demand a refund for a defective product that DOES NOT work as advertised. What I found is that shrapnel has some roundabout process of support, that is without a doubt designed to keep people from contacting support. They say that you dont need an account to get support,...but I find no way whatsoever to contcact support without making one of their accounts.

So I am going to give Shrapnel one week to respond to this post telling me either how to go about getting a refund for this unfinished prduct or by telling me how to navigate the support process without having to create yet another account.

If I am not given this info,...or once I manage to contact support if I am not given a refund,....I will be filing a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Anyone else who is fed up with the lack of progress and communcation about this unfinished piece of software that is being marketed as finished,....I would encourage you to do the same.

Here is the website to make the complaint at..........
http://ftc.gov/

Just click on 'consumer complaint' in the menu on the right and tell them the truth about this game, and the comlplete lack of concern about stealing our money that Shrapnel has shown.

[spillblood]

Hey, ScottWAR, have you bought the game in physical form or as a download. Because I tried to get a refund on another game by Shrapnel once. They don't give any refunds for downloaded games. That's their official policy. You can ask customer support to confirm that. I think you'd really need to sue them to get a refund, which would be pretty expensive, I guess.

[spillblood]

To give you more info on my try to get a refund: I requested a refund for BCT Commander, because that game simply isn't optimized for Windows XP (and Vista) at all, and you can't form task forces without setting the keyboard to US-settings, which is pretty annoying. For example, the game always maximizes to full screen size without regarding the taskbar, so you have to unlock the taskbar, shift it down and shrink the window each time you open the game (which is ****ing annoying). It also is sold for a price that is much too high for such an old game, I think. I didn't manage to get a refund on that.

[ScottWAR]

The game is available as a download only,....and I dont care about their policy.....U.S. law supercedes it.
We have been more than patient and at some point we have to say enough is enough. We were promised the AI would be fixed,...it was improved,...but is still FAR from being anywhere near acceptable.
We ask for more information,...if their are going to be furher improvements to the AI,...and are met with silence yet again.
Since they have decided not to tell us anything,......yet again,...I feel we have no choice but to do something to get their attention. I have found in the past when a department of the U.S Government informs someone they have recieved a complaint and would like some information from them, that it is amazing how quickly they get off their arse and do something.
Maybe we will get some info before I have to file a complaint. If I see something being done to fix the game I wouldnt want a refund,...but at this point the patches are coming WAY too slow and doing FAR too little.

[spillblood]

I absolutely agree with you. Compared to other Indie strategy games I own it is too unfinished and not really fun to play, because there's no challenge involved (in single player). Compare it to Armada 2526 (a 4X space strategy game by Ntronium games I own) for example, that's a really fine game far more polished than World Supremacy, and it had a better AI even in the first released version, and they released patches regularly and ironed out all the bugs it had. Additionally, there was far more info by the Developers on the forums. World Supremacy has been an absolute disappointment so far.
Shrapnel absolutely shouldn't advertise single player. It simply has one of the worst AIs I've ever seen, and the last patch didn't really fix that, it just turned it from absolutely abysmal to bad. They should absolutely change the game page. The good reviews they show there are obviously from people who didn't play the game for a longer time (I've also seen bad reviews, by the way).

[ScottWAR]

Yeah,.....its a shame too, as there is a really good game screaming to get out.

The silence is the real problem. Since the release of the game we havent heard one single word from the developer himself,........not that we ever heard from him before,........and aside from the 'cha-ching' when we handed over our money, the ony thing we have heard period from Shrapnel is the promise that there was a patch being worked on that would fix the problems. One patch later,...there is some improvement,...but nowhere near enough to consider the game even ready for release much less 'finished',.....and once again we ask if this is going to be fixed,......and once again there is silence.
If this were EA,...I would just chalk it up to me taking a known risk and it panning out as expected,........... I thought Shrapnel was better than this,.....but I guess I was wrong.

[spillblood]

I still hope there'll be another patch. Malfador can't leave the game in this state, and it definitely was fun in the first games I played and in the games I played when the beta patches and V 1.09 came out. But just look at the last comments in the bug report thread. Seems people have already written off this game (which is also shown in the lack of posts here in the forum). Hehe, advertising moddability on a game that no one finds enjoyable enough (and which isn't fully finished) is pretty funny, I think.
Maybe I should write another E-Mail to Malf, like I've done many times before.

Ok, just wrote another mail. Let's see what Aaron has to say. I've pointed out that many people here are pretty annoyed and have written off the game.

[spillblood]

Hey, just wanna cite his answer E-Mail here: "As time permits, we may do another patch for World Supremacy. Honestly,
there hasn't been a lot of demand for it.
Aaron"
I think that's a sign that most people have written off this game and no one plays it anymore.

[Skirmisher]

Hey, just wanna cite his answer E-Mail here: "As time permits, we may do another patch for World Supremacy. Honestly,
there hasn't been a lot of demand for it.
Aaron"
I think that's a sign that most people have written off this game and no one plays it anymore.

That doesn't sound like a guy that really cares. lol

[ScottWAR]

Are you kidding me?

I guess he doesnt understand that IF the game wasnt so unfinished there might actually be more demand?

I guess those of us who wasted our money on this game just dont matter?

Fine.

I will make sure I emphasize his response when I file my complaint monday.

Hopefully someone at Shrapnel will give hima call and let him know that his lack of concern for fixing his game is going to hurt Shrapnels reputation and he needs to fix it or face some kind of concequences.

If SOMETHING doesnt happen this will be the third and last game I buy from shrapnel.

[JCrowe]

Wow. So many ways to comment, so little breath to spare.

Sad to say, Aaron's assessment is probably accurate - for all the wrong reasons. Put a turd sandwich on your menu, and call me Captain Crazy, but I'll go out on a limb here and guess that demand for a change in the recipe will be low. Because no one will be buying one in the first place. Adding cilantro and a dash of salt just won't cut it. But replace "turd" with "pulled-pork barbeque and bacon-cheese" and you might have yourself a white-hot best seller.

Instead, we've got crash - burn - suck.

That and a bag of grievances. And more than a little wonderment. Questions I would ask, and expect we'll never know:

1.) Why would you launch a new product for the holiday season that was so woefully incomplete, thus maximizing the exposure of your flaws to the very public you hope to court?

2.) Why (HOW?) could you consider it a 'finished' work, unworthy of updating and correction, and due for general abandonment, after having made such a huge (? - I would presume...) investment in its initial creation? You mix the batter but don't bake the cake?

3.) What other project over there so consumes the balance of their time, that no attention can be paid to a flagship (?) product? What is this 'next great thing' that now so occupies their minds? What incredibly cool piece of candy is the ol' Wonka factory over there tweaking for release?

4.) And lastly, why do they think their customer base is going to throw down dollars on New Thing!! (With Sparkles!) when their last big showhorse was allowed to suck air and die as they stood by and watched? Really. This isn't the kind of confidence-building precedent a business wants to set. GM & Chrysler tried it for 40 years and it's still not working.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - it's a shame. This game had real potential. And unfortunately, it appears that potential is all that it will ever have.

[Mike_T]

Fantastic summing up, JCrowe. You're absolutely spot on.

Is anyone else underwhelmed by the deafening silence from Shrapnel on this thread?

[spillblood]

Yeah, the silence of Shrapnel is pretty suspicious. But I think they'd rather close this thread than discuss with us. Just look at their last response to a thread about customer relations. I'm getting pretty angry at them.
Hehe, but when you think about it, Aaron is pretty right with his mail, making a patch for only two or three people who are still interested in the game (like me and JCrowe) really doesn't mean a lot of demand. Man, I'm thinking about taking that Federal Complaint action ScottWar suggested, but I'm not sure if this is of any use (and I'm not a US citizen, so complaining to a US federal institution might not be right for me).

[spillblood]

As far as I'm concerned: This game is a failure, and I'm not sure if it can still be saved, because it doesn't get much support from the community any more, cause there is no real community. Most people aren't interested in this game anymore, and I think new customers will turn to other games pretty fast as soon as they realize how bad WS is. I think most of them won't discuss this game in the forum.

[spillblood]

I think a good cause of action would be that all people who still have interest in the game and want it to be finished should contact Aaron directly via ws@malfador.com. Using Shrapnel customer support is absolutely useless in this case. Maybe he'll realize that there's still a demand for a new patch if enough people email him. Another way would be to make a petition to Malfador or Shrapnel for another patch. We must take action if we want this game to be fixed, I think.

[Mike_T]

Dear Shrapnel

Will you please respond constructively to the issues raised in this thread. If you continue to remain silent, people will assume that you don't care about your customers. If the game should be sidelined, why not just say so? All game publishers have the occasional failure - it's not the end of the world.

[spillblood]

Maybe we should try to pm S.R. Krol or another guy from the Shrapnel team. I'll try.
Just sent him a personal message. Please enable personal messages in your forum options. They are disabled by default. Had to enable them. Would be good if you also try to contact those guys. We really need to do something.

[ScottWAR]

All game publishers have the occasional failure - it's not the end of the world.

I shouldnt be expected to foot the bill for someones elses failure. In fact,...when a product is a failure (doesnt work as advertised) you are legally entitled to a refund.

spilblood...........As for not living in the U.S.A.,...Shrapnel is an american company,and must abide by U.S. law. The F.T.C. is the department of the U.S Government whose responsibility it is to ensure they are abiding by those laws,...no matter where they sell their product. So , a complaint to he FTC from you will be taken seriously even though you dont live in the U.S.A. . in fact,....since you dont live in the U.S.A it may well be taken MORE seriously.


Edit- just saw your edit above spillblood....Trust me,...There is no way Shrapnel doesnt know how badly unfinished this game is. At this point I think they are just hoping we go away.

[spillblood]

Yeah, I think I'll try this, but I've to formulate my complaint carefully. Maybe tomorrow, don't know yet. Do you know if any of the other guys has tried yet?

[spillblood]

All game publishers have the occasional failure - it's not the end of the world.Edit- just saw your edit above spillblood....Trust me,...There is no way Shrapnel doesnt know how badly unfinished this game is. At this point I think they are just hoping we go away.
Yeah, I'm sure they know. And they advertise this game as if it's finished and completely OK. That's the biggest problem, I think.
By the way, I also bought three Shrapnel games so far. WS is the second one. BCT Commander was even more disappointing so far 'cause you can't really get into it without military training (total nerd game), and it's old and not optimized for XP. WS at least is playable (but sucks gameplay-wise). The game i was most satisfied with so far is Remote Assault, which I've ordered in physical form (very cool RTS with kick-*** AI, bad graphics though).

[Skirmisher]

I think the most amazing thing is this.

Everybody basically agree's the game isn't finished and is a failure.

Yet it's still being sold.

[ScottWAR]

I think the most amazing thing is this.

Everybody basically agree's the game isn't finished and is a failure.

Yet it's still being sold.

Yep. And dont forget the developer has basically said he isnt going to do any more patches....... because "there is no demand for it",....well duh,..... is it surprising there is no demand for a game thats so unfinished?
And what about the suckers,...er um customers, that have already paid for the game? I guess the money we spent just isnt as important now that he and Shrapnel has it.....

[ScottWAR]

Ok,... 24 hours until I file a complaint.

Shrapnel has had 7 days to respond to this and hasnt. I think thats more than enough proof that shrapnel just doesnt care about their customers or the quality of their games. I will make sure I put it the complaint about the repeated,..prolonged silence from them regarding the sad shape this game is in, even while every single person on the forums is upset.

Has anyone noticed there isnt even one single deluded fanboy defending this game. I think THAT says more than anything. I have never saw a game that didnt have at least one fanboy claiming it was great no mattter what. When 100 % of the people talking about your game are saying its horribly unfinished,...you should listen.

I think I am also going to pass this info, and a link to the forums on to a few gaming media/news sites so they can see for themselves just how bad the game is and how silent shrapnel and Malfador have been. Hopefully they will put out an article to let everyone know just how badly Aaron, Malfador Machinations, and Shrapnel have decided to ignore their customers and their responsibilities. Maybe when they see enough sales being lost across the board becasue they loise the trust of the community they will wake up and relize its not wise to screw over your customers.

[spillblood]

Wanna notify you, I've written another mail to Aaron today, and I've notified S.R. Krol and Tim Brooks, to get them to give a statement here. If they don't that's simply another sign that they don't care, and that we should do something against them.
To the idea of posting info about the game: Do that, I've already done that in some forums of other Indie strategy games I own (warned them of the bad quality of the game), because I've accidentally praised the game when I first got it (but it was good at first, until I noticed the flaws and AI bugs). That was last year, in October or November, I think. Please tell them of the lack of support etc, I've not done that yet (only about the bad AI etc., and that was before the 1.09 patch, when it was absolutely ****ty, but it's still very bad).
I've just replied to my old posts in other forums from last year praising the game and changed them into warnings.

[Mike_T]

Ok,... 24 hours until I file a complaint.

Shrapnel has had 7 days to respond to this and hasnt. I think thats more than enough proof that shrapnel just doesnt care about their customers or the quality of their games. I will make sure I put it the complaint about the repeated,..prolonged silence from them regarding the sad shape this game is in, even while every single person on the forums is upset.

Has anyone noticed there isnt even one single deluded fanboy defending this game. I think THAT says more than anything. I have never saw a game that didnt have at least one fanboy claiming it was great no mattter what. When 100 % of the people talking about your game are saying its horribly unfinished,...you should listen.

I think I am also going to pass this info, and a link to the forums on to a few gaming media/news sites so they can see for themselves just how bad the game is and how silent shrapnel and Malfador have been. Hopefully they will put out an article to let everyone know just how badly Aaron, Malfador Machinations, and Shrapnel have decided to ignore their customers and their responsibilities. Maybe when they see enough sales being lost across the board becasue they loise the trust of the community they will wake up and relize its not wise to screw over your customers.

Best of luck with your complaints. In my experience in business (more years than I care to admit to!) a company that refuses to deal with customers' complaints is a company with problems. :down:

[ScottWAR]

Maybe we will get some responce. Even if its an acknowledgment that the game is dead development wise.

I would like to get a refund if thats the case, becasue the game still is not even close to being considered a finished,..or even finished enough product.

But at this point just some kind of response period would be nice.

I'm not really surprised though. I have filed two complaints with the FTC,...and when I threatened that action I was met with the exact same response......silence. After I filed the complaints though the silence ended in both cases. Its just a shame thats the length you have to go to in order to get a company to not ignore their customers. I really thought Shrapnel and Malfador was better than this.

[ScottWAR]

Ok,... 24 hours until I file a complaint.

Shrapnel has had 7 days to respond to this and hasnt. I think thats more than enough proof that shrapnel just doesnt care about their customers or the quality of their games. I will make sure I put it the complaint about the repeated,..prolonged silence from them regarding the sad shape this game is in, even while every single person on the forums is upset.

Has anyone noticed there isnt even one single deluded fanboy defending this game. I think THAT says more than anything. I have never saw a game that didnt have at least one fanboy claiming it was great no mattter what. When 100 % of the people talking about your game are saying its horribly unfinished,...you should listen.

I think I am also going to pass this info, and a link to the forums on to a few gaming media/news sites so they can see for themselves just how bad the game is and how silent shrapnel and Malfador have been. Hopefully they will put out an article to let everyone know just how badly Aaron, Malfador Machinations, and Shrapnel have decided to ignore their customers and their responsibilities. Maybe when they see enough sales being lost across the board becasue they loise the trust of the community they will wake up and relize its not wise to screw over your customers.

Best of luck with your complaints. In my experience in business (more years than I care to admit to!) a company that refuses to deal with customers' complaints is a company with problems. :down:

Yeah,....I am going to try and get a refund. I know the reasoning Shrapnel is going to use to deny that,...and sadly the FTC will most likley let them get away with it,....but as I said in my post above,...it will get them to at least say something about the future of the game.

[ScottWAR]

Here is another method of contact for those who would prefer it.

The FTC:Consumer Response Center- 1-877-382-4357

Just in case you would rather call than e-mail.

[S.R. Krol]

Just wanted to chime in here and state that we have not heard of any concrete dates for another patch, or if another patch is even coming, so there has been nothing to really say.

[ScottWAR]

Thank you for responding. I will make sure that I add in my complaint that Shrapnel responded. If the game is abandoned by Malfador in this condition I would suggest that Shrapnel decline publishing any further games from them,...since it will only hurt the reputation of Shrapnel even further.

I understand that 'low demand' means low sales, and that Malfador doesnt want to invest any more time in this game,....but since this game isnt finished by any stretch of the imagination, consider finishing it first. If you are going to be so quick to abandon a game,...at least get it somewhat finished before releasing it as a finished product.

[Mike_T]

Just wanted to chime in here and state that we have not heard of any concrete dates for another patch, or if another patch is even coming, so there has been nothing to really say.

That is absolutely breathtaking!! :mad: You're actually saying that nothing seems to be happening and therefore there's nothing to say! The fact that nothing's happening is the root of the problem - surely you understand that - :mad:

Contrary to what you say, there is plenty that Shrapnel should be saying - why don't you (or your boss) answer the claims of those that have legitimate complaints about this half baked game? For goodness sake, do you still not understand that this is all about how Shrapnel deals with a failed game? - a game which is still being advertised for sale!

[spillblood]

Thanks for posting, S.R. Man, this is getting worse and worse. Seems Shrapnel don't have real contact to Malfador. They must do something and stop advertising and selling the game, or at least reduce the price, change the sales page etc. I think they ought to take some action against Malfador. But as long as Malf don't do anything and Shrapnel still sell this game and don't have contact to Malfador, there's gonna be no progress on this game.

[Tim Brooks]

Greetings:

If anyone here needs customer support please use our support center. It is the only way we can help you. We have policies in place and we do not do customer support on the forums - ever. The forums are for the gamers to talk to each other. We rarely monitor the forums so thinking you are getting our ear here is just not the case.

The Support center can be found here (https://www.gamersfront.com/store/support.php). And you do have to register an account, if you do not already have one.

Thanks guys.

[spillblood]

Seems they don't understand! These are no requests suitable for customer support! And Customer support can't help us anyway. Man, this ****ing sucks! Would you please take the time and READ the preceding posts?

[Malfador Machinations]

Hi All,

Just wanted to put in my 2 cents. I have received only 1 email regarding problems with the game. We addressed those issues in the 1.09 patch. I waited 2 weeks on the release of the last patch version for bug reports and got none.

If you'd like another patch, here's what you need to do. Create a list of specific references to bugs, or detailed descriptions of poor AI performance. Back these reports up with savegames. Just saying the AI is "bad" is not enough. Send these to ws@malfador.com.

We will do another patch if there is demand for it. Quietly posting in a forum is not enough. We require your participation in this process. Only you know the problems.

Aaron

[ScottWAR]

Hi All,

Just wanted to put in my 2 cents. I have received only 1 email regarding problems with the game. We addressed those issues in the 1.09 patch. I waited 2 weeks on the release of the last patch version for bug reports and got none.

If you'd like another patch, here's what you need to do. Create a list of specific references to bugs, or detailed descriptions of poor AI performance. Back these reports up with savegames. Just saying the AI is "bad" is not enough. Send these to ws@malfador.com.

We will do another patch if there is demand for it. Quietly posting in a forum is not enough. We require your participation in this process. Only you know the problems.

Aaron

Are you serious? You realize THIS is the games official forum,...where the people who play the game come to talk about it,......and shockingly,...where we have been for MONTHS,..talking about exclusively whats wrong with the game.

Youre really going to sit there with a straight face and tell us you dont read these forums? If thats true,..then maybe,....just maybe,...you should check in on your games OFFICIAL forums occasionally, instead of ignoring it and then saying I didnt realize anything was wrong and that people were upset.

The truth is WE require YOUR participation. You know like reading the forums,..listening to the problems we have,...actually FIXING the game in a patch instead of just getting started and releasing hoping thats good enough.

We are NOT going to send in bug reports......We are NOT beta testers. We bought the game and should not have to help you finish it outside of posting the problems here.


Here is an idea....PLAY YOUR OWN GAME!!!!!!! Then it will be obvious what needs fixing,...just as it obvious to everyone else that plays it. If you need beta testers,...well then you should have kept the game in beta.

[Tim Brooks]

ScottWAR:

You need to tone it down or you will be gone from these forums. Aaron Hall has told you what he needs from you. Not everyone is the same and see things the same, and you need to give input if you want the AI to improve for you. If you aren't willing to do that, then don't complain here.

And we have told you that these are not support forums more than once. They are the official forums for the gamers to talk to each other. Both Shrapnel and Malfador have told you what you need to do for support. We will not change our policies for you.

So either help us help you or stop complaining here.

[ScottWAR]

Sorry,...Aaron wants us to be beta testrs and we are not. We paid for the game, we shouldnt have to do anything else......period. I should not have to send in bug reports for a supposedly finished product.

You have also been told repeatedly,..by more than me that your 'support ticket' system doesnt work.

I will be filing that report with the FTC and we will see who is responsible for fixing this game......us, the customers,..or you the publisher/developer.

[ScottWAR]

Ok, my complaint has been filed, and is on record. The rep I spoke with informed me that as of now there are not enough complaints for anything to be done. (Kudos for that Shrapnel, the other two I have filed against in the past, Atari and Activision, werent so lucky, too bad it has come to this) If there are more complaints filed and a pattern is seen, an investigation will result. So send in those complants. You dont have to do it over the net,..you can just call the number
FTC: Consumer Response Center: 1-877-382-4357

Tell the truth, no exaggerating. None is needed.

[ScottWAR]

The Support center can be found here (https://www.gamersfront.com/store/support.php). And you do have to register an account, if you do not already have one.

Thanks guys.

Just wanted to add,....to be fair, I was incorrect,...what I read said you dont need an account to purchase a game. My mistake.

But, just so you understand Tim,.....there is nothing support can do to help us. This isnt a technical issue,..this is a developer issue. He has beeen told what is wrong,....a few times via e-mail from others, here on the forums, and throguh your support system.,..yet he still acts as if he doesnt know anything is wrong.

Thats why we are fed up. Its no secret what is wrong with this game,...but the developer is playing see no evil, hear no evil spak no eveil. For those too young to know that reference,...he is acting as if nothing is wrong, even though its obvious.

[spillblood]

Hi All,

Just wanted to put in my 2 cents. I have received only 1 email regarding problems with the game. We addressed those issues in the 1.09 patch. I waited 2 weeks on the release of the last patch version for bug reports and got none.

If you'd like another patch, here's what you need to do. Create a list of specific references to bugs, or detailed descriptions of poor AI performance. Back these reports up with savegames. Just saying the AI is "bad" is not enough. Send these to ws@malfador.com.

We will do another patch if there is demand for it. Quietly posting in a forum is not enough. We require your participation in this process. Only you know the problems.

Aaron

OK, seems Aaron doesn't read the forums. I think we need to send bug reports via E-Mail directly to Malfador.
Don't use customer support, don't use the forum bug report threads anymore.
I think this is pretty bad because Shrapnel set up these threads in order to let people post bug reports and suggestions there. But I think he's expected us to send bug reports directly to him and he obviously didn't read the forum threads.

There seems to be no other way of making sure Aaron is informed. I've gone forward, compiled all bug reports of the beta patches and 1.09 in the forum, and our suggestions, and emailed it to him as a rtf-file, if he doesn't wanna spend time reading the forums. Please mail him some more manifestos, JCrowe, if you read this. By the way, me, JCrowe and maybe one or two other guys were the only people who actually posted bug reports and suggestions during the beta patches and after V 1.09 was released, didn't read any bug reports from you, ScottWAR. Did you test the 1.09 patch?

To ScottWAR: I think you're going a bit too far, after they've finally broken the silence and suggesting us to post more bug reports. Try to be constructive and just send Aaron all your bug reports and suggestions in E-Mails, directly to ws@malfador.com.

[ScottWAR]

Yes I tested the patch. Basically almost all the problems that existed before still exist as far as the AI goes. The AI still makes stupid moves. Not as many as before the patch,...but still far more than is acceptable from an AI. Why should I repost the same problems?

You bring up a good point. So far we have been told 3 different ways to get support,....of which none have worked. Posting the bugs in forum post we were asked to post in didnt get them fixed. Using the support ticket system of Shrapnels didnt work. E-mailing aaron didnt work. What else is there?

Again,...I am not a beta tester. I should not have to test this game. But I have already done that. I have already posted the problems. Those problems have already been mailed to Aaaron. But those problems still havent been fixed.

There is absolutely no way Aaron could think this game is finished. There is absolutely no way he doesnt know of the problems. So him not fixing it is his choice. He doesnt want to fix it otherwise he would without us having to beg and post about it for months on end.

I've done all I can to help get this game fixed. If you wish to sit back and wait another 6 months for nothing to be fixed,...go ahead. I'm tired of waiting on empty promises to not be kept.

[JCrowe]

The sad irony here (I think), is that the anger steaming off this forum is coming (in part) from the fact that the product could be such a great game - one this genre hasn't seen live up to full potential in a very, very long time. And here it is, yet another strategy game of global domination, riding on the edge of glory but never quite making it over to the promised land. So close, so far. Combine this frustration with what appears to be a wall of uncomprehending silence, and the fur begins to fly.

I gotta say, though, that I find the response from Aaron / Malf difficult to believe. After the last blow-up, we were instructed to post bug issues / AI problems / etc. to this thread. Copy-paste-done. To ad infinitum, no less. Since that post, there are at least a dozen following that discuss very specific failings in the AI's approach - many of which, I'll add, remained 100% unchanged since v1.01.

I'd also add that I - ALONE - have submitted a small book of specific suggestions and problem notes, direct to Aaron, before and after Blow Up #1, and only a fraction of those seem to have caught notice. And when you consider how much material others have contributed ... we're not talkin' "book", we're talking "epic novel" on the order of "War & Peace - The Extended Director's Cut".

So, where are we supposed to be now? Ditch the thread and submit direct to Malf and hope they don't switch the policy again? Wait six months and see what one or two suggestions / fixes out of 4,000 submitted "make the cut"?

Look - full admission. I don't know how to write software code. I don't have the skills to read the lines and offer suggestions for rewrites to transform this AI from a dead frog in a barrel to Erwin Rommel. Guess you could call it a personal failing of mine. I expect I'm not alone in that. So, I followed the guidance, and in concert with all the other fine, devoted folks on here, offered the best theoretical guidance and real-life examples I had for support. Theory, practice, and documented "real life" events, filed and submitted in no less than three different formats.

What else can we do?

Open question to the peeps from Shrappie - the Admins, Prelates, Overlords, etc. of this board - am I being unfair?

I know you guys are kinda stuck in the middle of this, but if you tone-out the vitriol and just stick to the bare facts, what conclusions do you draw?

I'm feeling generous, so I'll admit to something else - I won't ask for a refund. It was $30, not my life savings, and yeah, I could have played the demo and ducked the bullet on day one. So shame on me, and a plague of fleas upon my house if I'm less than overwhelmed. But in business, it's not the dollar spent yesterday that matters quite so much as the dollars yet to come - or not, as the case may be. I've bought stuff off Shrapnel before and liked what I got. (SpaceHorse - too awesome.) Keeps me coming back. It was the confidence I built up from those past buys that had me skip the demo and go direct to 'sale'.

What lesson am I to have learned?

?

Avoid Malf, and give any new offering on Shrapnel a wide berth until others have vetted it in depth with their dollars, first?

Fair? Unfair?

[spillblood]

Yeah, I think we've already detailed the post patch 1.09 AI flaws in enough detail in the threads that were made for this purpose by Shrapnel. It sucks that we have to repeat all stuff several times before Malf notices it. Makes things a lot harder. I hope he reads the compilation of threads I sent him.

[Skirmisher]

Just wanted to put in my 2 cents.

Only you know the problems.

Aaron


What is your opinion of this game?

If you bothered to read what's going on here, you would see your WS fanbase isn't particularly impressed with your product.

I'm having difficulty with your distant,developer in hiding approach. But I would like to understand where you think your coming from.

[spillblood]

Wanna give additional details of how this compilation of bug reports/ feature requests from the forum by E-Mail directly to Aaron turned out. I've collected all important posts that were made during the beta phase and edited them a bit to make the messages clearer. His answer was: "Please post these and all future correspondences to the forum.
Aaron"
I don't know yet what to make of this, and what he wanted to say. Does he want me to post all E-Mail correspondence in the forum, or did he mean that he doesn't need those texts and wants me to post this only here and not E-Mail it to him? I'm not sure.

[Malfador Machinations]

Hi All,

Yes, I have received the manifestos, and yes I have read the forums. 75% of the manifestos are change and addition suggestions. The remaining 25% are general descriptions of why the AI is not strong enough. General descriptions are very difficult to reproduce. I need specifics.

The following information should be in bug reports:
1. Version of the Game
2. Type of game you're playing - Single Player, Multi Player, Hotseat, TCP/IP.
3. Section of the game - Movement, Combat, Install, Purchasing, AI, etc.
4. Detailed Description
5. Why you feel this is incorrect behavior.
6. Steps to reproduce
7. Savegame
8. Screenshots
9. Debug Log

Obviously, you can't provide all of the preceeding information in every case. But savegames and screenshots are very important. AI actions often develop over several turns. I need to be able to see what the player is doing, and how the AI is reacting to it. AI behavior is strongly dictated by the player's actions. A different player will get a different reaction.

Aaron

[ScottWAR]

Hi All,

Yes, I have received the manifestos, and yes I have read the forums. 75% of the manifestos are change and addition suggestions. The remaining 25% are general descriptions of why the AI is not strong enough. General descriptions are very difficult to reproduce. I need specifics.

The following information should be in bug reports:
1. Version of the Game
2. Type of game you're playing - Single Player, Multi Player, Hotseat, TCP/IP.
3. Section of the game - Movement, Combat, Install, Purchasing, AI, etc.
4. Detailed Description
5. Why you feel this is incorrect behavior.
6. Steps to reproduce
7. Savegame
8. Screenshots
9. Debug Log

Obviously, you can't provide all of the preceeding information in every case. But savegames and screenshots are very important. AI actions often develop over several turns. I need to be able to see what the player is doing, and how the AI is reacting to it. AI behavior is strongly dictated by the player's actions. A different player will get a different reaction.

Aaron

And exactly what salary does this position pay?

Come on man,...we already paid for the game,...now you are asking us to do detailed work if we want you to finish what we paid for?

Just fix the game.

[Mike_T]

Hi All,

Yes, I have received the manifestos, and yes I have read the forums. 75% of the manifestos are change and addition suggestions. The remaining 25% are general descriptions of why the AI is not strong enough. General descriptions are very difficult to reproduce. I need specifics.

The following information should be in bug reports:
1. Version of the Game
2. Type of game you're playing - Single Player, Multi Player, Hotseat, TCP/IP.
3. Section of the game - Movement, Combat, Install, Purchasing, AI, etc.
4. Detailed Description
5. Why you feel this is incorrect behavior.
6. Steps to reproduce
7. Savegame
8. Screenshots
9. Debug Log

Obviously, you can't provide all of the preceeding information in every case. But savegames and screenshots are very important. AI actions often develop over several turns. I need to be able to see what the player is doing, and how the AI is reacting to it. AI behavior is strongly dictated by the player's actions. A different player will get a different reaction.

Aaron

Aaron

There seems to be a misunderstanding between you and the buyers of this game. Buyers expect a game to be a finished product that has been tested and which works properly. You seem to think that buyers should do the testing for you. I would be interested in what Shrapnel's expectations were.

Did you carry out proper testing before releasing the game to Shrapnel? Did you implement the testers' findings? Did you believe that the game as released was a properly finished product? Shouldn't you be apologising for the game's shortcomings, rather than asking buyers to suggest "improvements"?

And, Shrapnel - did you expect Aaron to deliver you a fully tested and completed game? Do you think that is what he gave you? Are you happy with the sales pitch for WS as it appears on your website?

Why is it so difficult for a supplier to accept responsibility for what they are selling? This isn't just a legal requirement - it helps to keep your customers happy - if that's important to you!

[spillblood]

Yeah, the things he wants us to do are professional betatesting, not the actions normal customers are encouraged to do. Start a new official betatesting phase and stop selling this game, I don't want to do this work, I'm a customer, not a betatester!

[ScottWAR]

Seems Shrapnel doesnt have anything else to say on the subject. I guess once they realized everyone here is just as fed up as I am they decided to go back to hoping silence works.

Seriously guys,......call the FTC and make a complaint. Enough complaints and the FTC will contact them and they will actually do something,...even if its refunding our money.

Its time to quit complaining, and just taking it,...its time to do something.

[Mike_T]

Hi All,

Yes, I have received the manifestos, and yes I have read the forums. 75% of the manifestos are change and addition suggestions. The remaining 25% are general descriptions of why the AI is not strong enough. General descriptions are very difficult to reproduce. I need specifics.

The following information should be in bug reports:
1. Version of the Game
2. Type of game you're playing - Single Player, Multi Player, Hotseat, TCP/IP.
3. Section of the game - Movement, Combat, Install, Purchasing, AI, etc.
4. Detailed Description
5. Why you feel this is incorrect behavior.
6. Steps to reproduce
7. Savegame
8. Screenshots
9. Debug Log

Obviously, you can't provide all of the preceeding information in every case. But savegames and screenshots are very important. AI actions often develop over several turns. I need to be able to see what the player is doing, and how the AI is reacting to it. AI behavior is strongly dictated by the player's actions. A different player will get a different reaction.

Aaron

Aaron

There seems to be a misunderstanding between you and the buyers of this game. Buyers expect a game to be a finished product that has been tested and which works properly. You seem to think that buyers should do the testing for you. I would be interested in what Shrapnel's expectations were.

Did you carry out proper testing before releasing the game to Shrapnel? Did you implement the testers' findings? Did you believe that the game as released was a properly finished product? Shouldn't you be apologising for the game's shortcomings, rather than asking buyers to suggest "improvements"?

And, Shrapnel - did you expect Aaron to deliver you a fully tested and completed game? Do you think that is what he gave you? Are you happy with the sales pitch for WS as it appears on your website?

Why is it so difficult for a supplier to accept responsibility for what they are selling? This isn't just a legal requirement - it helps to keep your customers happy - if that's important to you!

Aaron and Shrapnel - these are simple relevant questions. Please give us some answers - don't ignore reasonable questions from your customers. This is not a hostile post - just an honest attempt to understand what's going on.

[ScottWAR]

Hi All,

Yes, I have received the manifestos, and yes I have read the forums. 75% of the manifestos are change and addition suggestions. The remaining 25% are general descriptions of why the AI is not strong enough. General descriptions are very difficult to reproduce. I need specifics.

The following information should be in bug reports:
1. Version of the Game
2. Type of game you're playing - Single Player, Multi Player, Hotseat, TCP/IP.
3. Section of the game - Movement, Combat, Install, Purchasing, AI, etc.
4. Detailed Description
5. Why you feel this is incorrect behavior.
6. Steps to reproduce
7. Savegame
8. Screenshots
9. Debug Log

Obviously, you can't provide all of the preceeding information in every case. But savegames and screenshots are very important. AI actions often develop over several turns. I need to be able to see what the player is doing, and how the AI is reacting to it. AI behavior is strongly dictated by the player's actions. A different player will get a different reaction.

Aaron

Aaron

There seems to be a misunderstanding between you and the buyers of this game. Buyers expect a game to be a finished product that has been tested and which works properly. You seem to think that buyers should do the testing for you. I would be interested in what Shrapnel's expectations were.

Did you carry out proper testing before releasing the game to Shrapnel? Did you implement the testers' findings? Did you believe that the game as released was a properly finished product? Shouldn't you be apologising for the game's shortcomings, rather than asking buyers to suggest "improvements"?

And, Shrapnel - did you expect Aaron to deliver you a fully tested and completed game? Do you think that is what he gave you? Are you happy with the sales pitch for WS as it appears on your website?

Why is it so difficult for a supplier to accept responsibility for what they are selling? This isn't just a legal requirement - it helps to keep your customers happy - if that's important to you!

Aaron and Shrapnel - these are simple relevant questions. Please give us some answers - don't ignore reasonable questions from your customers. This is not a hostile post - just an honest attempt to understand what's going on.

Mike, at some point it becomes obvious what the truth is. That time has came and gone with this game. Aaaron does not intend to fix it,......because he hasnt made anything from it. Of course its completely his fault that the game failed miserably,...you cant release a product that is not worth playing at all and exepect it to sell well.
But now he wants to just walk away leaving us with a game that is a complete waste of money. It doesnt matter if you are reasonable......as you see you arent going to get an answer.

File a complaint with the FTC......its the only option they have left us with.

[ScottWAR]

ScottWAR:

and you need to give input if you want the AI to improve for you. If you aren't willing to do that, then don't complain here.




I think this really says it all. If we arent willing to do the work for them,...they arent willing to fix the game WE PAID FOR.



ScottWAR:

You need to tone it down or you will be gone from these forums. Aaron Hall has told you what he needs from you.



So either help us help you or stop complaining here.

And if you complain too loudly without doing their work for them,.......well they have a muzzle they want to place on you.

Of course the big kicker here is.....we HAVE ALREADY done the work they are asking for.

And you are welcome jaywalker. Since I havent saw you in these forums before, I hope you are a potential sale they lost due to how they are dealing with this.

[spillblood]

OK, I've filed a complaint at FTC. I've had enough. Please, all people who are also fed up, file complaints! Either they stop selling this unfinished and bad game, or get on with fixing it. When there's no new patch coming out, I want my money back!
Man, this forum really is the game forum I've been most active in of all forums of games I bought, because I hoped it will live up to its potential if I do something to support it. But this way (no info, no real support, lack of patches, no support from the community anymore) I think I've done enough.
The last thing I did was to send Aaron some savegames and gamelogs (before the complaint) last Friday. Haven't received any answer yet. I think further supporting this game is useless. We have to take other measures if there's no further support by Malfador.

[spillblood]

Either declare this game a failure and stop selling it, or hire betatesters and fix it, Malfador and Shrapnel. I don't want to do betatesting on this game. Some bug reports are OK, but the things Aaron wants from us have to be considered as professional betatesting.

[spillblood]

Hey people, if you know of some bugs that happened in your last games, and still have the savegames (I had some of the games I described in forum posts here), just send them to Aaron, and if you have logs enabled, you can simply send him the game logs, I think they are located in World Supremacy\backup. You can change the settings (which stuff to log) in debugsettings.txt located in the folder: "World Supremacy/userdata directory" You don't have to play more games if you still have savegames left.
JCrowe: Just send him savegames of the games you described in the forum, and logs if you have them. You only have to tell him which savegames are referred to in which posts (I have sent him collections of all post 1.09 forum posts).
He's answered my E-Mail with savegames, logs etc., and wants me to specify which games they are from, what happened in the respective games etc.

[spillblood]

But he hasn't told me specifically which settings to enable so that he can see AI-errors.
Hehe, I wanna quote a post from another forum (the forums of Armada 2526 by Ntronium Games:
"Thanks for the feedback, spillblood.
Well I wouldn't be too hard on Shrapnel Games for the quality of the game itself, although I concur it sucks that they don't do refunds. It's Aaron Hall of Malfador Machinations who actually made World Supremacy, and his PC titles have always been known for their weak AI (his Space Empires series is notorious for it). The actual gameplay and mechanics are generally pretty solid, but he can't code computer opponents worth a damn.

I did play the WS demo a little, but not enough to really get a good impression of it. Sorry to hear you had to buy the game before realizing (too late) that it wasn't your cup of tea, but I appreciate you sharing your take on it! It'll at least save the rest of us money and time better spent on good games (like Armada 2526 Supernova)."

I had put a warning not to buy the game there. Man, if I had known the Space Empires series already had poor AI, I wouldn't have bought World Supremacy.

[spillblood]

Any news? Starting to get silent again. No response from Shrapnel and Malfador, and I've not received an answer to my response-E Mail of the bug report (savegames, game logs) yet.

[LarryP]

I played the demo of this game, and was thinking of buying it. Not after reading the forum posts. Thanks! :)

[ScottWAR]

Any news? Starting to get silent again. No response from Shrapnel and Malfador, and I've not received an answer to my response-E Mail of the bug report (savegames, game logs) yet.

Shocking!

[Mike_T]

I have been shocked at Shrapnel's behaviour. However, news of this saga is gradually spreading across the gaming world, as we speak.....

It's a great pity and such an avoidable tragedy - companies that treat customers badly always suffer as a result.

[spillblood]

Hehe, try this one out if you want a better working simple world conquest game:
http://triplea.sourceforge.net/mywiki
It's an open source clone of Axis & Allies, and the AI works better than the one in World Supremacy, and it's got a lot of maps. Try the latest unstable version (release candidate), because it's better than the last unstable, and the AI works better (and it's faster). But don't use the Dynamix AI (in Version 1.3.1.1) for England, USA or Japan in WW2-scenarios, because it can't move sea zones yet (but it's better in land battles than the two other AIs). Just use Moore N. Able or E.Z. Fodder for them. Try it out, it's free!

[spillblood]

Hey, who of you has already filed a FTC complaint? I get no answer on my last bug report mail, and it seems Shrapnel just want to sit out our complaints, judging by their complete silence.

[spillblood]

One thing I'm thinking: Maybe this is the first time they get really serious complaints about a game they released, and don't know how to handle it. But a company should be able to deal satisfactory with their customers, otherwise they'll go out of business. Man, they can't ignore us forever!
The current situation is a deadlock, I think, no real action from Shrapnel and Malf, and little action from the customers (aside of the FTC complaints made by me and ScottWAR).

[spillblood]

I played the demo of this game, and was thinking of buying it. Not after reading the forum posts. Thanks! :)

Good that our posting here serves a purpose. If you want to play hotseat or TCP/IP you should consider buying it though (especially hotseat), because the overall mechanics are good. What completely ruins the game (for single player) is the bad AI. But don't expect much support after buying it. I think it's simply not worth it's price. There are better free games than this (for example TripleA and People's General, or Battle for Wesnoth if you like Fantasy games).

[LarryP]

I'm certainly not hard pressed for games. I have lots. However, I like this demo but I would only play it against the AI. Since the support is the way it is here, not now.

I have over 40 Matrix games and plenty of Steam, Gamersgate, Paradox, Battlefront (although they have DRM), boxed games,and others. Tons. My favorite ones however are like World Supremacy.

Thanks for your honest posts! The one main thing besides easy download and install without DRM, is the support that Matrix gives. Can't beat that. I wish others were as good. :mad:

[spillblood]

I'm certainly not hard pressed for games. I have lots. However, I like this demo but I would only play it against the AI. Since the support is the way it is here, not now.

I have over 40 Matrix games and plenty of Steam, Gamersgate, Paradox, Battlefront (although they have DRM), boxed games,and others. Tons. My favorite ones however are like World Supremacy.

Thanks for your honest posts! The one main thing besides easy download and install without DRM, is the support that Matrix gives. Can't beat that. I wish others were as good. :mad:

Yeah, Matrix Games is pretty good. I own Armada 2526 (Matrix Games Version), which is a pretty awesome 4X game. Try Triple A (see post above), if you want a game similar to World Supremacy (it's a free open-source game, gets regular updates, and has a good community). And you can play it against the AI (which works better than the one in WS, but also isn't perfect, but they are working on a new AI, which isn't fully finished in the newest release).
By the way, DRM is also an important thing for me. I normally don't buy games that require an Internet connection to activate, because I have no permanent internet connection at home. I always go for Indie games without DRM or protected by serial numbers that can be entered offline.

[spillblood]

ANYONE still here? Seems this game is dead (again). Last patch didn't really reanimate it.

[Gandalf Parker]

Im still reading the thread. I think its really funny.
It is so much like threads in other forums here, and even on other games sites. Most of it just minor opinions of course. Obviously no one is ignoring you.

[Skirmisher]

Im still reading the thread. I think its really funny.
It is so much like threads in other forums here, and even on other games sites. Most of it just minor opinions of course. Obviously no one is ignoring you.


Did you buy the game?

I did and I can tell you it's a flat out waste of money.

Glad you find humor in trash software being sold. lol.

[spillblood]

Im still reading the thread. I think its really funny.
It is so much like threads in other forums here, and even on other games sites. Most of it just minor opinions of course. Obviously no one is ignoring you.

Yeah, I agree to Skirmisher. Do you own this game? Have you tested the demo? If not, you don't know what you're talking about. This game is a waste of money and I'm still upset about it. And Shrapnel don't care and don't refund us.
And you have to acknowledge that all people who bought this game and voiced their opinion here think the same.

[Mike_T]

Shrapnel - I think you're running scared of your customers. Are you hoping this is going to go away. When are you going to do something to salvage your reputation?

Honestly, when you eventually look back on this fiasco, you're sure going to wish you'd done something positive instead of hiding away like cowards. It's utterly pitiful - and you're going to be the losers, unless you do something very soon.

[spillblood]

Man, we have a total deadlock here. Either we cooperate with Aaron, which requires a lot of effort, since he obviously has difficulties programming a decent AI, or Shrapnel finally dismisses this game, which I think is not gonna happen. Hopefully there'll be some progress here. It really depends on what you want, and I'm not sure if I should support this game anymore. By the way, have you noticed that Shrapnel wrote in their last Frag!- Newsletter that Aaron is evaluating a new patch, and wants opinions about that in the forum? But he sure doesn't communicate much with us here, neither does Shrapnel. I wonder what to do next.
OK, filed another support request in the Shrapnel store. I hope I can bring them to recognize our complaints again. There really has been no progress since my last demand to give a statement here.

[spillblood]

I think the FTC Complaints also will not achieve anything because there are not enough people complaining, which is caused by the little community this game has left. I'm asking again, are ScottWAR and I the only ones who have filed a complaint there?

[spillblood]

Any news? There's zero activity here.

[Wolfe1759]

Just wanted to say thanks for the heads up on this game from all the posters above.

Already owning Weird Worlds, War Plan Pacific and most recently Dominions 3 I had quiet a favourable opinion of the titles offered by Shrapnel and was just about to purchase WS.

Thankfully having read this thread I have been saved both money and disappointment.

[spillblood]

Man, they ignored my last support ticket and I've still received no answer to my last two E-Mails to Aaron Hall. Seems their new tactic is to just completely ignore all stuff we send to them.

[usmcrave99]

I think it's time everyone just gave up on the game and Malfador in general. Aaron didn't, wouldn't or couldn't fix the AI during Beta testing, despite being told a full month before release, see my email to him below.

Note on the subject, v.18 was followed by .19, .20, .21 & .22 prior to the release version.

From: usmcrave99
Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2010 7:22 PM
To: 'Malfador Machinations'
Subject: WF V.18 AI

Aaron,

I've noticed this in all my v.18 games, single player only: The AI does not build cities. At all. Ever. Game is attached, just load it up and view the Nation Statistics. Two of the AI Players have Territory Values better than mine, but they have no credits and no units to speak of. They did manage to put me on the defensive for a while, as I'd over-extended, but they didn't build any cities and therefore couldn't match production long-term. I think someone else has mentioned this before, but they may not have emailed about it, just posted in the forum.


<< File: Game14.zip >>

Another thing: An option to Decommission or Upgrade facilities, and the ability to Upgrade units, to newer versions, after you research new levels, would be a good change. Since stacking Fabrication Complexes doesn't seem to give a bonus, you shouldn't have to keep the Level 1's around as all they do is take up space and supply, ableit not very much. Might also be helpful to create a separate Purchases menu for buildings, or just add a Setting where only the latest items are available for purchase, since after finishing all research items the window still gets cluttered, even with only Ground selected.

I think that's all for now...

[spillblood]

Thanks for posting, usmcrave99. Here's the answer I received to my last support request, I wanna share it with you:

">Would you please answer to that ticket? I'm waiting for at least two weeks for an answer and there's zero activity in the forums, plus, Aaron just doesn't answer E-Mails to him anymore.

Hi Lars:

> I've compiled all our observations of the AI issues from the forum and sent them to Aaron about four weeks ago, and I've supplied savegames >and logs of these games to him, but I'm waiting for a response to this for two weeks now.

Please send to us through this support center the information you sent to Aaron. We have asked over and over that you contact Shrapnel Games support here for bugs or problems with the games. We DO NOT use the forums for customer support. While contacting Aaron may make you feel good, we have no way to document what you are finding as the problems.

Please help us to help you."

My comment to that: What use is it to send this stuff to the support center? Aaron has already received it, I've got confirmation from him via E-Mail.

[LarryP]

Well since they don't use the support forums for customer support, maybe they should change their ways?! I'm going back to the Matrix site where all my posts are honored by the staff. :p

[spillblood]

Yeah, just relying on the support system for customer support is simply ineffective. If they'd use the forum for that, too (like every other Indie game company I know does!), they could respond faster to support requests, and could lead real discussions with the customers, which we simply don't have here.
It's **** that you post bug reports here, and Malfador just don't notice them, and say they don't read the forums, just to correct themselves when you complain about that in E-Mails. In addition to this: Why have Shrapnel set up bug report and suggestions threads here when this forum is not intended for customer support and isn't read by the developers of the game?

[Mike_T]

Dear Shrapnel and Malfador - You must have hoped that this thread had run its course. Aren't customers a pain in the @rse? Your credibility and goodwill are gradually shrinking, but you're too big and important to worry about that, I guess.

Remember the old customer relations maxim - a dissatisfied customer will, on average, pass the message on to seven other people - and that was before the days when reputations could be created or destroyed over the internet!

In a funny sort of way, you remind me of a certain media mogul who, until a few days ago, thought he could bluster his way out of his problems. Now he's being advised by a leading PR company, he's decided to issue public apologies. And you know what - no-one ever suffered from making an apology - think about it.

[spillblood]

I get the feeling they aren't paying attention at all to this forum. In all my last support tickets I hinted at this thread here. They don't answer (I've been waiting for at least two weeks for an answer to my last ticket), Malfador don't answer my E-Mails either, they just ignore us. This pisses me off pretty badly!

[spillblood]

I think I'll never buy another game by Shrapnel. They have lost me as a future customer. The behavior they are displaying here is the worst of any publisher/game company I've ever encountered.
In every post they've told us to use the support system, but now they even ignore tickets posted there. SHRAPNEL, MALFADOR ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?

[LarryP]

They are definitely off my list of game companies to buy from. Forever.

[Skirmisher]

I don't think we're going to get a rep weiner style press conference where Mal and Shrap get up in front of the press and express thier shortcomings to the world.
Though it would be nice to see them nervously twitching about in front of the glaring lights. lol

We tried the game and lost ,it's as simple as that.

No different than if you put thirty dollars worth of chips on a craps table and lost it.

[LarryP]

I live in Nevada and I can relate to that analogy. :D

[spillblood]

Hey, got a new mail from Aaron today, just wanna share it with you (although it seems he wasn't too happy I shared previous E-Mails here:
The office was closed last week so we're just responding to emails now. Yes
we still support this game. We can't beta test a game with only one player.
Sorry.

Its quite possible the fans in the forum we're scared off by our emails
posted in the forum without our permission.

Aaron

Seems he'd need more support from players willing to take part in possible beta patch phases, and it seems there aren't many people left who would still be interested in taking part.
But he has to give us some info that he wants to start a new patch phase himself here in this forum or in other ways. I replied that to him, and pointed out that I'd be willing to take part in future patch phases.

[spillblood]

But anyway, I think customers didn't get scared away because of Aaron's E-Mails I posted here, but because of Shrapnel's and Malfador's overall behavior, unresponsiveness against customer requests, lack of information etc.

[spillblood]

Hey, without pressing them via E-Mails, support tickets etc. they wouldn't give any statements here anyway.
It could be a good way if you would simply all write support tickets or E-Mails to Aaron demanding further support on the game, so that he sees that there are still some people who are interested in this game. I think without that he simply won't care, and neither will Shrapnel.

[Mike_T]

Just thought you'd all like to see an extract from an email I (and presumably hundreds of others) received from Shrapnel today:

"World Supremacy on sale for $24.95. From the developer behind the best selling Space Empires series comes World Supremacy, the game of modern world domination. Part Axis and Allies, part Superpowers, and all amazing, World Supremacy allows up to eight players to battle for control of a randomly created world using contemporary weapons of war. Take the fight to your opponents using armor, helicopters, attack submarines, nuclear bombs, and more. A simple research tree and basic economic model add to your strategies. With player controlled starting variables, map randomization, and full modding capabilities, World Supremacy offers quite a bang for the buck."

This is the game that wasn't even properly beta tested, and they're still trying to pretend it's a finished product!

[Mike_T]

I know ScottWar has contributed quite a lot to this (and earlier) threads. Did he know that his name is still being used by Shrapnel on the WS product page on this site?

"The Balance Mod
This mod was created by ScottWAR and it rocks! He is continually making improvements and as of January 02, 2011 is up to version 1.4."

Are you still 'continually making improvements', ScottWar? ;)

[LarryP]

If I hadn't browsed these forums, I would have bought this game. I sure am thankful for honest posts. Unfinished games really tick me off. Incomplete tested games tick me off even more. :down:

[spillblood]

I know ScottWar has contributed quite a lot to this (and earlier) threads. Did he know that his name is still being used by Shrapnel on the WS product page on this site?

"The Balance Mod
This mod was created by ScottWAR and it rocks! He is continually making improvements and as of January 02, 2011 is up to version 1.4."

Are you still 'continually making improvements', ScottWar? ;)

Hehe, he isn't, because he has done all he can with this mod. The main defective component of the game, the AI, is unmoddable though. So we can't fix the game ourselves. It's Malfador's job.

[ScottWAR]

Hey, got a new mail from Aaron today, just wanna share it with you (although it seems he wasn't too happy I shared previous E-Mails here:
The office was closed last week so we're just responding to emails now. Yes
we still support this game. We can't beta test a game with only one player.
Sorry.

Its quite possible the fans in the forum we're scared off by our emails
posted in the forum without our permission.

Aaron



Ok Aaron.....
IF you had actually released an even HALFWAY finished product you would have more than one or two people playing this game.
IF you had listened early on when we first detailed the problems and fixed them you might have more still playing this game.
If you had not lied in those e-mails and proven to not want to support the broken game YOU released,....then those e-mails being made public wouldnt make you mad.
Aaron,..you have nobody to blame but yourself for the complete failure of this gmae,...its becasue you completely failed as a developer. You released a broken game and refuse to fix it. Simple as that.
You can e-mail that to him.


As for my mod,....I tried to remove them, but the 'you cant edit after 30 minutes feature' prevents me.
I guess its time to add another post to that thread.
I am also going to add a reply to the forum post about the sale, letting potential customers know they should check this forum and especially this post before the actualy consider buying anything from Aaaron or Shrapnel.

[Tim Brooks]

Okay guys this thread has gone on long enough. We have explained our position a number of times here. I am closing this thread and will remove any threads opened to replace this.

Contact customer support if you want assistance with this game.

Thanks,