Scott and his lack of presence

[Wodin]

I mentioned to Scott about the comments on how he doesn't frequent a forum. Again he says as he doesn't want to go that way because 1. he hasn't the time and 2. doesn't want to get involved in flame wars etc etc.

He did say though he will answer any email sent to him and always has done.

So here is his email if anyone wants to email him to ask questions and what not. He may not be able to respond straight away but he will at some point.

scott[at]hpssims.com

 

[void]

I wouldn't expect big flamewars at the forum with an average of one post per month.

 

[thewood]

I have been around this issue many times since I first bought POA2 many moons ago. That product would have gotten fixed a lot faster if Scott had come in once a week and looked at the issues and gone back and fixed them. That includes interaction with people having the problem. Part of running a business is interacting with real customers. HPS has very little of that. Email is a poor substitute for live interaction with customers on serious issues.

It is also a disservice to customers. No one sees who else has a problem and how it got resolved. What if 50 people all send the same issue to HPS by email. Scott has to respond to 50 emails and not a one of the customers knows that others have the issue. And this is exactly what happened with POA over the years. Multiple people have tried to step in as surrogates for Scott, including Wodin now. I am absolutely baffled that someone so anti-social can run a business.

The launch of the new game and the cock up of POA2 with 2.5 has convinced me that since Tiller has left, HPS might just be lacking in creative abilities. I am bummed out because I have always liked them.

 

[navman74]

Thanks Wodin. I second the comments above.. I do not really see the prospect of a flame war here, there would only be a couple of flames, then it would burn out lol.
As far as the comment by thewood, I feel a bit the same... I do not really harbor any bad feelings toward Scott, who afterall did make a great game. I do think though, as thewood said, that he (Scott) COULD probably accomplish a lot more by at least READING the issues on here, rather than wait to see who emails him. Most of the critiques on here have been aimed at improving the product. I think it safe to say that everyone who has stuck around now, is interested in making the game work, not in flame wars, and not really in attacking Scott, either.

 

[Dr Zaius]

Argued that with Scott numerous times back when I used to talk with him once in a while on the phone. He just doesn't see a value in it.

I don't know, perhaps it's just as well. We've seen other developers whose public relations interactions have been so catastrophic they've actually done more harm than good.

 

[Wodin]

He told me today he works 70 hours a week with no holidays or sick days on TU and then general HPS stuff..

I've probably played the game more than anyone ..so I'm sure allt he feature requests you've wnated I've also stated..he has a lsit as big as his arm.

Now the latest beta I got today was stable and quite good. The main issue is when we reduced the max range of weapons it also reduced the accuracy..this needs fixing..I said to Scott I think once the accuracy is done it's good enough for a public release..still lots of work going on and lots of things to do..but it has new features and seem pretty damn stable.

Enough for you to have some fun anyway.

The big things I feel are scarp the stock scenarios and make some lovely new ones, the POA2 maps are so much better than TU's geomaps. Also POA2 has a far bigger symbol set..and I've asked Scott if he can get it working in TU..I will then do abit of magic on it myself..and hopefully redo all the stock scenario maps..making sure we have walls and fences..and crops that look like crops..and city hex to actual scale etc etc. I was gobsmacked when i was looking at POA2.5 the other day at how much better tha maps are and features etc..the only issue though is it isn't really played with a hex grid which is no biggy..but also there are no elevation shading..only in the two zoom out levels do you choose elevation then the topo map becomes an elevation map. I'm not sure if I want this. I like the fact you can see rises in elevation from the zoomed in map..so I'm going to have to re4ally think about how to do it and look good and also not following hex as such so without the hex grid it still looks good.

I also know RockinHarry fancies doing Topo maps only!! A huge task but fingers crossed. I'd like to follow POA way..topo on the two zoomed out and symbol set zoomed in, however this maybe to much work for me..so it will probably be symbol set only for all zoom levels.

 

[navman74]

Wodin,
Have you worked with the other sets such as the one by Don here in the downloads?
I mostly have played POA2.5 a lot more than TU. POA2.5 we have used some professionally, so I am more familiar with it. TU, on the other hand, matches my interest away from my professional life, but still has a lot of work ahead in it. I would like if they could share more, so look forward eagerly to see if that will be the case.

 

[Wodin]

No mate haven't tried them thanks for pointing them out..will take a look. I've just started taking alook at POA2.5 again..you can tell alot more work went into the scenarios..sadly the team doesn't have those people anymore.

Went to the downloads and couldn't find the new symbol set..or is it included in the scenario thats up for download.

 

[navman74]

I do not see it up anymore either.. let me see if I can round up a copy of it.

 

[Wodin]

Thanks mate....

 

[thewood]

Anyone know why those tile sets and scenarios were removed? Are they still compatible with POA 2.5.

I used to check that site almost daily for 3-4 years waiting for POA2 updates. It has probably been at least a year since I went to the POA2 site. That is the saddest part.

 

[turbidite]

You can still get the files here:

http://web.archive.org/web/20090313164719/http://www.hpssims.com/Pages/updates/up_POA2/Updates_POA2.html

and if they are not cached by archive.org, it seems the files are still there on the HPS server and it's just the links page that has disappeared - probably an oversight when changing the name to TSS.

 

[Wodin]

The symbol sets are already in POA2.5.

 

[76mm]

Thanks Wodin. Each to his own, and Scott can do what he wants, but frankly I expect a small game developer to be more involved with the players, especially if there are lengthy delays/problems as with this game. But I guess I'll just chalk it up to experience and bear it in mind next time I consider buying a game from Scott and/or HPS. In any event I can't access this site from my home computer any more for some reason, so probably won't be around here much...

 

[navman74]

The symbol sets are already in POA2.5.

Ah Wodin..so they are.. that would explain them being taken down.

76mm.. I came to the same conclusion before. POA2, initially was a great design, but full of so many bugs that it was good when used as a test for hypothesis, but really poor as a game. But it was a very advanced design, and ambitious in what it tried to do, which is something that has always drawn my support. After a very long time, it worked out the kinks, and was quite a good game. I decided that I would wait a few years after his next release was patched multiple times, before buying it...yet TU appealed so much to me, that I got it almost immediately...again, a great design idea, but it is also going to need work. So apparently I did not learn my own lesson, but I am actually still glad I got it, I still poke at it a few times a week, and cannot wait for it to grow into what I think it will.

 

[thewood]

Are the custom scenarios now included in POA2.5? I uninstalled it after the upgrade so I can't look.

Also, are the range changes being ported to POA2.5? Is it going to screw that database up?

 

[Wodin]

Yeah the scenarios are included. Also the range issue in U is a data base issue so nothing has been changed in POA2.5...

 

[Wodin]

I got a scenario up and running using one of POA2.5's map and summer tile set. 6 turns in and no crashes. Using th Hotet-en-Auge map.

 

[Rosseau]

I just deleted the two TSS series games off my hard drive. And I have 90% of every other HPS game sold. This TSS stuff is not a game, it's a simulation that's been poorly executed and programmed. I can barely create a simple scenario and then it takes forever to play out. That's $100, so I did not give up that easily. In fact, I would not play them if they were free. My time is valuable. The old Tigers on the Prowl stuff was much better. Anyone want my CDs?
I'll ship them fedex cheap.