Early Access: the current state

    • OndrejTT wrote:

      I must say that i am not happy that we do not have new information but i fully understand this. As i say some time ago, maybe we will be surprised with content which we get in EA, maybe is here some new partners which MBM need or want in EA, maybe they want better physic from start and they don't know if they be succesful right now. Maybe some bugs. It's not easy to inform about some topics. Mainly if there is something what they are not sure about. In communication you must be aware to not promise something more, if you fail you will be critised. I thing that in right moment (i hope that will be soon) we get information and not about development but about release ;)
      You can easily make an update without giving any other information away, than what you have already given away. They actually, kinda, did it once with the picture of the Claas Axion 950 on the dock on facebook. It doesn't show us anything we don't know except a place on the map we haven't seen, but most likely won't be changed. Like I say in my post above, it could also be a little picture of a 3D model. They've already done these small things, so why not do it again? :)

      Nevertheless, that's how I would handle it and that's how you keep people interested in your project, unless you Rockstar or CD Project Red who are huge developers and people are already familiar with them and their work. They have paid their dues and their silence is know as a good thing. In the case of MBB I would, if they asked me: I would suggest a strategy of small, but frequent updates (because of the postponed EA) to keep people at ease and also give the society something positive to talk about while we wait. A little distraction to kill the time :)

    • It is not a problem even if the EA goes out in 2 months. We just want to have some info, why not a photo of the BGA, no matter and
      even if it is specified in the photo that the final game may be a little different because it will probably be the case of the final release.

      L EA was planned in March but hey it is not ready and it does not matter. But if the EA had really come out we would already know the game so why try
      to hide what is planned in the EA or make us some surprise.

      If there is no info this weekend then I do not understand anything. Just pictures are enough and with that we imagine the rest, it makes wait.

      Good luck to developers

    • OndrejTT wrote:

      I must say that i am not happy that we do not have new information but i fully understand this. As i say some time ago, maybe we will be surprised with content which we get in EA, maybe is here some new partners which MBM need or want in EA, maybe they want better physic from start and they don't know if they be succesful right now. Maybe some bugs. It's not easy to inform about some topics. Mainly if there is something what they are not sure about. In communication you must be aware to not promise something more, if you fail you will be critised. I thing that in right moment (i hope that will be soon) we get information and not about development but about release ;)
      totally agree even if it was a weekly updates at least people would know what is going on
      gamerbaz

    • I hope we hear something soon. Like many other I'm being patient and waiting but very excited to see the game in Early Access. It's like a new toy your hoping will come for Christmas or your B'day. :D I know, I'm a big kid.

      Also found this on twitter guys. It's a road map for us to see where they are at. Very interesting. CnC Roadmap

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Senior ().

    • Senior wrote:

      I hope we hear something soon. Like many other I'm being patient and waiting but very excited to see the game in Early Access. It's like a new toy your hoping will come for Christmas or your B'day. :D I know, I'm a big kid.

      Also found this on twitter guys. It's a road map for us to see where they are at. Very interesting. CnC Roadmap
      Let me just point you to this thread Roadmap :)

      i5 4690k - 3,5 Ghz, EVGA gtx 1070 ftw hybrid - 8 gb vram, 16 gb 1600 Mhz ddr3 ram

    • Just so you have almost no reason to think we’d spend all our time on the moon…

      We’ve dedicated our in in almost all areas of the game: the AI turn maneuvers are being optimized; at the same time we’ve integrated an info hud system that’ll deliver all kinds of messages and info flashes to the player. Our level designers are concentrating all their brain power on LOD (level of detail) and performance improvements, but also the extension of the road system (texture layers) and the optimization of the village (clustering).

      In addition we’ve updated the roadmap today and have added further progress entries.

      Have a nice weekend!

    • masterbrain wrote:

      Just so you have almost no reason to think we’d spend all our time on the moon…

      We’ve dedicated our in in almost all areas of the game: the AI turn maneuvers are being optimized; at the same time we’ve integrated an info hud system that’ll deliver all kinds of messages and info flashes to the player. Our level designers are concentrating all their brain power on LOD (level of detail) and performance improvements, but also the extension of the road system (texture layers) and the optimization of the village (clustering).

      In addition we’ve updated the roadmap today and have added further progress entries.

      Have a nice weekend!
      Thanks a lot MBB :) This is all we ask, some friendly and well-meaning advice would be that you keep giving these small updates about once a week. Friday seems to be perfect. Just to keep people from feeling uneasy or even start a riot and threaten to leave. As it has been mentioned many times on these pages times, communication is crucial and especially in this time between the delay and the EA release.

      Keep up the good work, you made me feel better with this.

      The post was edited 3 times, last by ChiloopaBatman ().

    • masterbrain wrote:

      Just so you have almost no reason to think we’d spend all our time on the moon…

      We’ve dedicated our in in almost all areas of the game: the AI turn maneuvers are being optimized; at the same time we’ve integrated an info hud system that’ll deliver all kinds of messages and info flashes to the player. Our level designers are concentrating all their brain power on LOD (level of detail) and performance improvements, but also the extension of the road system (texture layers) and the optimization of the village (clustering).

      In addition we’ve updated the roadmap today and have added further progress entries.

      Have a nice weekend!
      Can we get more updates like this, on a weekly basis?

    • brandonb21 wrote:

      Can we get more updates like this, on a weekly basis?
      I think somebody asked the same question on Facebook and MBB replied that they are working on a new video and want to post updates on a "regular basis". That's a pretty imprecise time but it might be meant as saying a few sentences about every week's progress.
      „Hubraum ist durch nichts zu ersetzen, außer durch noch mehr Hubraum.“ :P

    • The update I'm waiting for is an email saying it's been released for early access. Until then? I sit back, relax. It will be done when it's done and I've got plenty of other things to do in the mean time. Complaining that it's not arriving on time etc is not going to make them hurry it up.

      People just need to calm down a little. Everyone is excited but it's well worth the wait. As the saying goes a watched kettle never boils.

      Thanks for the update by the way.

    • masterbrain wrote:

      Just so you have almost no reason to think we’d spend all our time on the moon…

      We’ve dedicated our in in almost all areas of the game: the AI turn maneuvers are being optimized; at the same time we’ve integrated an info hud system that’ll deliver all kinds of messages and info flashes to the player. Our level designers are concentrating all their brain power on LOD (level of detail) and performance improvements, but also the extension of the road system (texture layers) and the optimization of the village (clustering).

      In addition we’ve updated the roadmap today and have added further progress entries.

      Have a nice weekend!
      Weekly updates like this is all we asking for, keep up the great job!

    • BombAway wrote:

      I see that the forum started to flop.Analyzing all the different stages we can come to the conclusion that they are doing their best.
      My guess is that they plan to spend early access, before or after the E3 fair. 13/15 June 2017. Today was an update of what they managed to do for the moment, keep calm. Look on this page : cattleandcrops.com/de/roadmap-milestones
      Why are people talking about E3? Have they mentioned anywhere that they will be there? It's not a free trip to LA, you know :) I could see them going to Gamecom since it pretty close to their homebase and most of the devs, promoters and misc people who are relevant to them will be there too anyway. So why spend the money on going to E3? They don't even have a finished product to promote.

    • ChiloopaBatman wrote:

      BombAway wrote:

      I see that the forum started to flop.Analyzing all the different stages we can come to the conclusion that they are doing their best.
      My guess is that they plan to spend early access, before or after the E3 fair. 13/15 June 2017. Today was an update of what they managed to do for the moment, keep calm. Look on this page : cattleandcrops.com/de/roadmap-milestones
      Why are people talking about E3? Have they mentioned anywhere that they will be there? It's not a free trip to LA, you know :) I could see them going to Gamecom since it pretty close to their homebase and most of the devs, promoters and misc people who are relevant to them will be there too anyway. So why spend the money on going to E3? They don't even have a finished product to promote.
      I meant that many games will be presented.

      Follow the creators to finish the game "early access" in a similar time period. There is a lot to do and it seems to me that there is an optimal time to complete.
      According to my approach we should get information about "early access" recent June 2, 2017.

    • masterbrain wrote:

      Just so you have almost no reason to think we’d spend all our time on the moon…

      We’ve dedicated our in in almost all areas of the game: the AI turn maneuvers are being optimized; at the same time we’ve integrated an info hud system that’ll deliver all kinds of messages and info flashes to the player. Our level designers are concentrating all their brain power on LOD (level of detail) and performance improvements, but also the extension of the road system (texture layers) and the optimization of the village (clustering).

      In addition we’ve updated the roadmap today and have added further progress entries.

      Have a nice weekend!
      Thank you for this short statement telling us what you are up to :D 10/10

      i5 4690k - 3,5 Ghz, EVGA gtx 1070 ftw hybrid - 8 gb vram, 16 gb 1600 Mhz ddr3 ram

    • Great to hear an update. However talk of may/june release has me starting to feel shaky on this. I was amped for the March release. Was a little let down with the delay but hey its only a few weeks. Still excited for April release. Oh might be May or even June?...
      ...
      ..
      Thoughts of Star Citizen creeping in (only 3years behind schedule and still counting)
      Thoughts of Popup Dungeon creeping in (almost 2 years behind schedule and still counting)
      ...
      ...
      I know I'll get pounced on for this. But still. I've been let down so many times before. Just wanted to express that I'm starting to get a little worried about how long the delays will be.

    • DethBringa wrote:

      Great to hear an update. However talk of may/june release has me starting to feel shaky on this. I was amped for the March release. Was a little let down with the delay but hey its only a few weeks. Still excited for April release. Oh might be May or even June?...
      ...
      ..
      Thoughts of Star Citizen creeping in (only 3years behind schedule and still counting)
      Thoughts of Popup Dungeon creeping in (almost 2 years behind schedule and still counting)
      ...
      ...
      I know I'll get pounced on for this. But still. I've been let down so many times before. Just wanted to express that I'm starting to get a little worried about how long the delays will be.
      You're right, that can happen. But right now, there's nothing else to do but waiting. We can't really do anything more than that.

    • DethBringa wrote:

      Great to hear an update. However talk of may/june release has me starting to feel shaky on this. I was amped for the March release. Was a little let down with the delay but hey its only a few weeks. Still excited for April release. Oh might be May or even June?...
      ...
      ..
      Thoughts of Star Citizen creeping in (only 3years behind schedule and still counting)
      Thoughts of Popup Dungeon creeping in (almost 2 years behind schedule and still counting)
      ...
      ...
      I know I'll get pounced on for this. But still. I've been let down so many times before. Just wanted to express that I'm starting to get a little worried about how long the delays will be.
      Isn't there a rule or something with kickstarter, that if they don't fulfill their part of the promise upon purchase, you're entitled a refund ?
      Workstation: i7 5960x | 128GB RAM | GTX 1080
      HP Omen Laptop: i7 6700HQ | 16GB RAM | GTX 1070

    • OlaHaldor wrote:

      DethBringa wrote:

      Great to hear an update. However talk of may/june release has me starting to feel shaky on this. I was amped for the March release. Was a little let down with the delay but hey its only a few weeks. Still excited for April release. Oh might be May or even June?...
      ...
      ..
      Thoughts of Star Citizen creeping in (only 3years behind schedule and still counting)
      Thoughts of Popup Dungeon creeping in (almost 2 years behind schedule and still counting)
      ...
      ...
      I know I'll get pounced on for this. But still. I've been let down so many times before. Just wanted to express that I'm starting to get a little worried about how long the delays will be.
      Isn't there a rule or something with kickstarter, that if they don't fulfill their part of the promise upon purchase, you're entitled a refund ?
      Display Spoiler

      kickstarter.com/section4?ref=faq-basics_creatorproblems
      How Projects Work


      Most of our Terms of Use explain your relationship with Kickstarter. This section is different — it explains the relationship between creators and backers of Kickstarter projects, and who’s responsible for what. This is what you’re agreeing to when you create or back a Kickstarter project.
      Kickstarter provides a funding platform for creative projects. When a creator posts a project on Kickstarter, they’re inviting other people to form a contract with them. Anyone who backs a project is accepting the creator’s offer, and forming that contract.
      Kickstarter is not a part of this contract — the contract is a direct legal agreement between creators and their backers. Here are the terms that govern that agreement:
      When a project is successfully funded, the creator must complete the project and fulfill each reward. Once a creator has done so, they’ve satisfied their obligation to their backers.
      Throughout the process, creators owe their backers a high standard of effort, honest communication, and a dedication to bringing the project to life. At the same time, backers must understand that when they back a project, they’re helping to create something new — not ordering something that already exists. There may be changes or delays, and there’s a chance something could happen that prevents the creator from being able to finish the project as promised.
      If a creator is unable to complete their project and fulfill rewards, they’ve failed to live up to the basic obligations of this agreement. To right this, they must make every reasonable effort to find another way of bringing the project to the best possible conclusion for backers. A creator in this position has only remedied the situation and met their obligations to backers if:
      • they post an update that explains what work has been done, how funds were used, and what prevents them from finishing the project as planned;
      • they work diligently and in good faith to bring the project to the best possible conclusion in a timeframe that’s communicated to backers;
      • they’re able to demonstrate that they’ve used funds appropriately and made every reasonable effort to complete the project as promised;
      • they’ve been honest, and have made no material misrepresentations in their communication to backers; and
      • they offer to return any remaining funds to backers who have not received their reward (in proportion to the amounts pledged), or else explain how those funds will be used to complete the project in some alternate form.
      The creator is solely responsible for fulfilling the promises made in their project. If they’re unable to satisfy the terms of this agreement, they may be subject to legal action by backers.


      so basically under kickstarter rules very loosely you are allowed your money back but i am personally going to wait this out albeit alittle dissapointed we havent been given some actual timeframes but "just a few weeks more".

      The post was edited 1 time, last by leviathonbeast: my comment ().

    • I fully understand that people are feeling a bit uncomfortable and thinking about a refund with the delays atm and it's understandable we have seen time and time again seen EA games getting massive delays in either EA access, game updates and final release schedule not to mention games promising the world and only delivering a few specs of dust and I know I have been after MBB about updates when I feel an update is due.

      However I gotta say that I have faith in MBB and they have added even more features to the MS-1 access giving us even more stuff to enjoy right out of the gate but we also need to remember that MBB bought a license for game engine that they have then heavily improved on to be able to meet their requirements but sometimes when you buy something from a third party to use as the base in your product you can run into problems because that product you bought wasn't specifically designed to do that, so you had to make the proper adjustments to it for it to function properly and that can lead to some painful situations that you did now take into account leading to delays. I'm not saying thats the reason why they are struggling but it's definitely a possibility.

      All I'm saying is they will get the EA released eventually and hopefully sooner rather than later but as long as they keep us in the loop I'm perfectly fine with waiting.

      i5 4690k - 3,5 Ghz, EVGA gtx 1070 ftw hybrid - 8 gb vram, 16 gb 1600 Mhz ddr3 ram

    • It is interested and not at all unique .... a community is very difficult to please and any common satisfaction will only be short lived.
      It's good to read the overall reaction to MBB and the EA here is one of positive patience and support.

      When I first read comments discussing refund, I have to say, my initial reaction was 'REALLY?" before I realised that, well, we all have different expectations and views and what works for one is not guaranteed for the other.


      DethBringa wrote:

      Great to hear an update. However talk of may/june release has me starting to feel shaky on this.......
      ...
      ...
      Thoughts of Star Citizen creeping in (only 3years behind schedule and still counting)


      ...
      ...
      I know I'll get pounced on for this. But still. .............

      No one here is going to pounce on you .... don't fear that ..... lots of folks right with you in the 'wait' ..... oh it sucks ....

      TL:DR version - There is passion in the community and MBB can do a little more on it's comms side (without going full SC eaque on it!). The posts, examplified by DethBringa are important though ... not because they'll ever get a satisfactory answer per say but because they give MBB a clear indication that the community is still passionate and hungry for updates (or indeed the EA access).


      The long version:
      Jack's therapy and I just know some of you will read it .... hope the coffee is good though :P

      Everyone knows that development schedules are guidelines bla bla bla.

      SC - got re-scoped so the "3 years behind schedule" is going to be a tough discussion not to get pounced on in (who is right? .... hell if I know but I'm in too and I'm not even following it too hard atm .... but I still have trust it is going to rock ... just not soon) ....the SC community at large has accepted this reality begrudgingly . Trust is earned and hard to come by ....

      The nature of KS campaigns really calls for folks to fully think through what they are KS enabling .... I reckon, a few get caught up in the hype only later to suffer a little "buyers remorse". Any kink in the chain after that point is a problem. Most of us are just impatient .... (sign me up!) and waiting is hard. For a small few, it's all gravy .... I envy there folks some times.

      We're 24 days into April .... SC is three years behind on a no longer valid expectation .... 'nuff said ..... debate over ... I claim Victory in the name of the Sir Valiance Ignoramus ... LOL! Seriously though, I get the concern about slip and waiting but we're no where near this level and we're not honestly ever going to get there ... are we .... right? I vote no!

      We're left with a choice, each privately ... seek a refund or wait it out. No judgement on either choice there ... but other than that unsatisfactory answer, what else is there to do?

      Well, there is posting on the forum to do ....

      ...... and this is not a waste to my mind.

      All the posts similar DethBringa's, are really important. Bring 'em on. Post and try and not just complain .... who likes complainers ...but bring on the argument and ask the questions ..... react and reply to posts if you don't want to start your own ... ... it'll keep the community going and MBB will surely see it.

      Calling out to MBB ... folks, you do need to get back on comms again soon (my ever-green comment now) .... and no, it won't distract them from the development folks .... I'm not talking about a dedicated youtube weekly video production, I'm talking about a once a week spotlight .. as they've already done .. just get back to that!

      MBB may feel they have done plenty but I don't agree. MBB have never feed to trolls and overall, I understand and support their more sparse communication style. Just, a tweak, that' all.

      There is no drama yet though in any case.
      Perception hasn't yet grown to major concern, an abandon ship reaction level is far away ... but keeping that perception away is always a good idea ... a little more on the active comms MBB achieves that!

      The roadmap is great and/but (substitute 'and' or 'but' as you feel necessary) it underlines and put into focus the anticipation. That anticipation can and will eventually turn cold if not managed.

      End of the day, here we are a again ....MBB will deliever (personal judgement, else I'd be hitting the refund button too) and when it releases (as in the game formally releases fully), all this will be forgotten .... as long as the development was a success and the sim lives up to it's billing.

      View expressed in this post are entirely un-spell checked and may be grammatically inaccurate. Does not contain nuts. Please consult your local politician to learn how to fein interest if you are not interested.
      Go Handy & Give 'er Lolly

    • Yea I forgot how great this community is compared to others.

      The problem about pouncing on the refund too quickly (and I really feel its not even remotely close to consider this yet) is what happens when the game does get finished and its super awesome? You refunded it, you missed the EA benefits and bonuses that EA backers receive. Now you feel like a dick cause you want to play it.

      Like I said with Star Citizen and Popup Dungeon. They will be great. Buuuuut... waiting sucks. Could be another year, could be 2, could be 5.
      I'm sooooo happy I found this and didn't buy into pure farming. I would be feeling pretty bad if I had.

      The other side of the coin is No Mans Sky. Pressured and forced into releasing an unfinished game. TBH I dont know any other games that received death threats over mentioning delays. I still call it a success. Such a small team achieving all that in only 2 years. Look at other games out there (*cough* SC *cough*) that have HUGE teams with millions of dollars backing them and havent achieved a playable game after how many years?

      So yea... MBB, I WANT! ... But I dont want it broken. Do your thang and do it well. I just hope an April release is still possible.

    • As patient as a saint I am I have always wondered (not just devs of C&C) why they feel the need to announce the game so early, surely this (un-rightfully as i think it is) is kind of asking for impatient and any other kind of abuse I dread to think these respected guys receive.
      To me it would seem less hassle for them and more sensible if they were to declare the game once a release date for the game/EA was say within a month or 6, surely that seems a reasonable amount of time as well to get a kickstarter campaign well underway

      Unless there are reasons why they do this which I might of missed, feel free to enlighten me

    • I can only imagine it comes down to cost.

      They are a group of developers. They see a challenge: release fall 2017. The small group can't do it on their own and need to expand, hiring more developers and artists. That takes money.

      Besides them being a small group they should also have their monthly pay, right?

      Early Access/kickstarter is a way to assure there is enough interest for the product, to value their time spent on developing it as an indie developer.

      If they had Ubisoft or any other big studio to back them up, they wouldn't do a kickstarter. They'd already have the money to expand, to get the team starting and at the same time taking pre-orders. It's easy as that. But complicated too.


      What can we do to help? Spread the word on forums, to friends and their friends. Their marketing budget is probably not more than one or maximum two employee fees right now, if any. They rely on social media to spread the word. The more that pre-order, the more resources they can get and spend to make the game awesome.
      Workstation: i7 5960x | 128GB RAM | GTX 1080
      HP Omen Laptop: i7 6700HQ | 16GB RAM | GTX 1070

    • OlaHaldor wrote:

      Their marketing budget is probably not more than one or maximum two employee fees right now, if any.
      There is no need to waste any money for marketing - YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WebSite, Forum etc. - all this platforms are for free, but MBB just dont do any marketing, God knows why? And as a entrepreneur I simply can not understand them. I really wish we could know more about their product and work. They should make a hype for CnC, which in my opinion slowly evaporated during this month. On the other hand maybe this is their "special" strategy? Who knows.

      We are small community, but strong.

    • marketing is needed when the product is almost ready so when the donation/(kickstarter already) are closed

      kickstarter and donations are for people that want to wait not only with cnc but all kickstarter projects kost a lot of time bevore they release but beacuse of that you get it cheaper en most of the time somting extra. so yea there is no need for them to find everyone that is willing to play this game already.

      because in 99% of the cases the final product is costing more (for the buyer) and that means more money for the company.


      so yea i understand they not spending much at this point in promoting.

      but it seems like here are a lot of supporters/people that joined this startup with the intension everything would 100% go acourding to plan and no delays. sadly that is not how it works in alot ofcases with kickstart projects/startups (some getting out of money bevore they even finished a product) i dont got the feeling they will not make it but delays are not strange in devolopment (if no delay 70% of the time its rushed and not the best quality)