Sarah

[scorpio389]

First: What two endings can be reached?
Second: How can do you reach those endings?

[Werehunter]

What really seems to be wrong with this game isn't that it's full of bugs but rather that an incomplete version got uploaded. There are just a great many pages completely missing from the download. I'm wondering if Chaotic might have uploaded the wrong file by mistake in his rush to get out the door.

[kessie8yl]

ExLibris wrote : If you read Chaotic's blog posts he doesn't say that Sarah was unfinished or untested, but he implies it pretty strongly.

On the 23rd:
"I am currently finishing the Sarah date. It is possible that she will be finished by the time I go to bed, but everything may just be uploaded in the morning."

On the 24th:
"Sarah has now been added to the site. I need to leave in 20 minutes to spend christmas with my family, but I will address any issues on Sunday when i get back.
"Hopefully enough of it works for people to have fun."

I agree that it was probably a mistake to release the game in its current state, but I don't think that Chaotic is guilty of misleading anyone.

However, in general I don't think that the fact "it's free" is a valid argument that users should happily accept poor quality games without complaint. Firstly, although no money changes hands for the non-Offsite games there is an opportunity cost involved in playing them (ie. you could be spending your time in another way). Secondly, Chaotic receives praise when his games are good. The corollary of that is that he should also expect to receive criticism when his games are not good.

http://www.sharks-lagoon.fr/avatars/3.gif

No I didn't read Chaotic's blog - Why should I? There is nothing on the VDG site which suggests to potential customers that they should read the blog to check if the games advertised have actually been finished or not.

Had there been any such clear notice nobody would have any cause to complain - Hiding it away in a blog doesn't cut the mustard.

Sorry to say this about someone with such obvious talent, but if Chaotic wants to be paid then he believes himself to be a professdional - and as such he needs to act in a more professional manner - and that includes how he goes about releasing freebies...

Now that you mention blogs - What I am seeing is a lot of complaints of people paying a monthly fee when games aren't released anything like as often - and if I hadn't had the problems with this game I probably wouldn't have found those comments.

Is my point finally getting across now?

As a PR exercise to attract new customers it's a bit of a disaster.

[kessie8yl]

scorpio389 wrote : First: What two endings can be reached?
Second: How can do you reach those endings?

Without the mods you can't reach any endings - What Chaotic says on the site is a mistake...

[kessie8yl]

Arnulf wrote : I'm really angry! How could someone publish a game, which is full of bugs?! The problem is, you as player never can know, if you stuck, is it on part of the player or is it a bug. It should be clear, that the publisher should play his game by his own, before he let it be played by the public. With the Ariane B updates I always did so and I published the game, when it was playable. This is a principle of courteousy!

Amen...

[blaman]

I don't write here too often, but as a game developer I think I have something to say

I believe that publishing games that just don't work is a terrible mistake. It does not matter if it's free or paid, that's really not the point here. If you make a game that no player can finish - it will make them biased towards your next games.

I tried to play the game once, didn't do any crazy things even. I ended in deadlocks, empty pages, one time I got back from day 4 to day 1, missed clothing articles... In a single playthrough. This is really just too much to be acceptable

Chaotic doesn't operate under some publisher, he doesn't need to keep deadlines. So releasing an unfinished and extremely buggy game just makes no sense. Most people will not enjoy it as most people can't even play it. What's the point of releasing it at such state ?

Things are even worse when you look at them from the Offsite side of things. If Offsite is to bring money, then it needs customers. How do you find a customer if they can't play through your games ? Well, you don't...

It's a bit of a relationship dilemma - building trust in a relationship takes years, but ruining it takes just a moment. Wether someone thinks that people have a reason to bea angry or not doesn't matter - they are angry and they will be biased towards next Chaotic's games. Damage has been done. Wether you like it or not

As a side note - unfortunately Chaotic's games are deteriorating in quality in general. First there were excellent games like Crystal, Erica, Leilani and Kelly, Alex & Sophie were also great, and so was offsite only Katie. But the later games just don't seem to offer as much. They have less pictures, less endings (earlier games had 4-5, now 2-3 is standard), less surprises and come out a LOT more buggy. I really think Chaotic should rethink his strategy at this point. Personally I would like to wait longer but receive much more satisfying product than play games that feel like demos in a beta stage

Don't get me wrong - I don't want to criticize Chaotic here, I want to provide a constructive feedback. I'm a game developer myself, I do it for living and I find it absolutely crucial to listen to your users. After all - you make games for them, not for yourself

[Crazyness]

Werehunter has a good point Chaotic may have uploaded the wrong file in his haste. Everybody makes mistakes, now if that's not the case, I'd have to agree with all the criticisms having been placed however I haven't seen it said yet but I know for a fact that one ending is possible however getting to that ending is probably bugged.

[Arnulf]

To all, whom my critics are too strong: I also admire Chaotic and his endeavours. But bugs are not always equal to bugs. I can NOT understand, why a game-designer doesn't test his game before he set it free for the public. If there are bugs, which makes impossible to proceed in the game, then the game is of bad quality. And it is also free for me, even as moderator, to express my critic to such bugs. I think of the Ariane-games and the various updates, and I remember, that I tried to fix every bug, I was aware of. You can eartainly be sure, I know something about such problems........

[LRM]

Arnulf wrote : To all, whom my critics are too strong: I also admire Chaotic and his endeavours. But bugs are not always equal to bugs. I can NOT understand, why a game-designer doesn't test his game before he set it free for the public. If there are bugs, which makes impossible to proceed in the game, then the game is of bad quality. And it is also free for me, even as moderator, to express my critic to such bugs. I think of the Ariane-games and the various updates, and I remember, that I tried to fix every bug, I was aware of. You can eartainly be sure, I know something about such problems........

You my friend are entitled to an opinion as is everyone else! If my game and I am aware of your status I will give it additional emphasis.
L

[kessie8yl]

I fully concur with everything blaman and arnulf have said... It wasn't my intention to sound too critical of Chaotic either, most of what I said was aimed at responses to my original posts, which seemed to miss the points I was trying to make - and Arnulf and blaman have put them much better than I did.

My background is in customer services and it seems obvious Chaotic wants to use his talents to make a little cash for himself - and why not? He's damn good at what he does.

But it isn't really acceptable even for an amateur to post unfinished or over-buggy games.

Asking for voluntary donations is not the same as requiring people to party with good hard-earned to access your games. In taking this approach Chaotic has set himself above the amateur status, but in doing so he doesn't seem to appreciate that customers will expect far more from him.

It is apparent that he is already struggling to deliver quality products (per blaman and others) - so the last thing he needs is to be raising those expectations even higher by setting himself unrealistic deadlines.

I think the consensus is that Chaotic's audience would be happier if he produced three or four really good quality games a year - Less is more.

How he goes about making a buck out of that is another matter entirely... Short term he can probably get away with pushing out a dozen buggy and/or incomplete games - but people won't tolerate that for long. There are already rumbles on the blogs.

I cannot guess what Chaotic's ultimate goal is, but I hope we have given him some food for thought about how he proceeds from here on...

The last thing we want is for the creator of classics like Crystla, Erica & co to get fed up with being panned and drop out of the scene.

[Rocca83]

C'est moi ou le jeu est plein de bugs ?

[Graen]

Wow... glad I was on vacation when this shit hit.

[neodiavolo]

OK, well now since a new version has been released we can forgive Choatic and maybe someone can tell me how I get her boss in bed?

[nvtsbamf]

bugs aside, this was a lot better than the first female one

[lacoche]

what are the 4 different different endings and can sould someone pm me how to get them. I only got the simple version when u get the guy back at home.