EA and its bugs

[PodgePapin]

I can't recall a single EA game that Doesn't have bugs in it somewhere... everything they do has them. Don't they believe in bug testing. Someone has just posted all the problems with fifa 10, i think there was at least 35 bugs, why does a company such as EA insist on releasing a game that is f laud im such a major way. Crysis was the same, I love that game but when i last started to play it a few months ago i installed the latest patch and that made all the cars i drove have no back wheels.

I would rather wait and get as close to a bug free game as possible, even if with the like of Fifa they release it every 2 years so they have time to get it right first time.. but there would still be bugs in it.

[kalniel]

I can't recall a single game that Doesn't have bugs in it somewhere... everything they do has them. Don't they believe in bug testing. Someone has just posted all the problems with <insert game>, i think there was at least 35 bugs, why does a company insist on releasing a game that is f laud im such a major way. <insert game 2> was the same, I love that game but when i last started to play it a few months ago i installed the latest patch and that made all the cars i drove have no back wheels.

I would rather wait and get as close to a bug free game as possible, even if with the like of <insert game> they release it every 2 years so they have time to get it right first time.. but there would still be bugs in it.

[cleaverlch]

My guess is that the developers are too often in an unrealistic(money!) schedule to develop a game. Having a publisher wants games to be released at certain times of the year (like Summer or Christmas), doesn't help much either as they are unwilling to wait for the bugs to be squashed/or the game to be properly developed as they make more money during these periods.

I personally think that the real problem is that too many developers and publishers expect that people will buy games regardless of whether they are finished and not and tell people who complain to wait for the patches that they can download via the internet...

The most annoying bug that I've ever had in an EA published game was in BF2. If you using a tank, driving over a stone would cause more damage than being hit by low calibre bullets.

[kalniel]

My guess is that the developers are too often in an unrealistic(money!) schedule to develop a game.

True enough, but nothing's stopping them from saying that they'll have to only have bland graphics or cut x feature for the price when they agree the contract.

Having a publisher wants games to be released at certain times of the year (like Summer or Christmas), doesn't help much either as they are unwilling to wait for the bugs to be squashed/or the game to be properly developed as they make more money during these periods.

Publishers need to eat too, and they're only going off what the developers told them. If they enter an agreement for x product at y price by z date then they expect it to be fulfilled. You'd have thought that developers would learn not to oversell themselves or publishers would learn to allow for the gap between actual skill and claimed skill.. but maybe there's a shortage of people and they have to make do.

I personally think that the real problem is that too many developers and publishers expect that people will buy games regardless of whether they are finished and not and tell people who complain to wait for the patches that they can download via the internet...

I don't agree with that to be honest. Developers and publishers alike hate buggy games. Fact is games these days are no more buggy than they were 15 years ago, despite the several orders of magnitude increase in complexity, and despite the falling price at retail! That's an incredible achievement.

[finlay666]

I can't recall a single EA game that Doesn't have bugs in it somewhere... everything they do has them. Don't they believe in bug testing. Someone has just posted all the problems with fifa 10, i think there was at least 35 bugs, why does a company such as EA insist on releasing a game that is f laud im such a major way. Crysis was the same, I love that game but when i last started to play it a few months ago i installed the latest patch and that made all the cars i drove have no back wheels.

I would rather wait and get as close to a bug free game as possible, even if with the like of Fifa they release it every 2 years so they have time to get it right first time.. but there would still be bugs in it.

Wow someone is incredibly naive about the complexity of the software.

There will always be bugs, if they ship a bug free game, they haven't tested it enough, that is why patches come in. The openness of games now means that the amount of time needed to test every possible situation would mean a game would be in testing for 5-6 times as long as the development, at best.

They have milestones to hit or else they don't usually get paid, I have friends in the industry who have gone 3 months without getting paid because of games missing milestones and deadlines being missed or QA not reached. It's incredibly demanding and it's usually down to publishers not providing enough time for testing that they dont get tested and get patched afterwards.

Other advantage of post event patching is that if the product isn't popular... well they have less work to do which they get paid less for.

[PodgePapin]

Wow someone is incredibly naive about the complexity of the software.

Far from it, i know people who make games for a living and have been told what goes into a game as they made batman begins and Warner Bros games. my point was out of all the games i've played it normally seems to be an EA game where the most bugs are found