If I Were A Halo 2 Vista Developer

[Nick]

In theory, as nice and dandy as this sounds in writing, and as benevolent as your aspirations are and as much as I admire your sentiments... You're forgetting that they're not a freelance mod team; these are experienced people getting paid to make a decent (modest terminology) port of an existing game [that was a smash hit for years on X-Box and was a good enough, if not better game, mind you] to a brand-new Windoes OS.

Sorry Dole, you are simply wrong. I will explain though, so no worries that you are simply being silenced without logical reasoning.

Who is this freelance mod team you speak of and how is such a comment relevant to treating others with respect? I am not forgetting that the Halo 2 Vista developers are professionals under contract with Microsoft Game Studios to produce a port of a Microsoft property, of which Microsoft retains full control over and makes executive decisions about. Do not assume, thank you.

People who already had the game for X-Box want to know that their fifty bucks spent buying the same game over again for a new console is well worth it: if they were promised special user-editable features, they damn well want them. Hell, some people even moved over to the buggy new Vista OS primarily in anticipation of this game's release. Once again, they want to know their expenses weren't in vain.

You act as if those who purchased the game for the Xbox are somehow special compared to those who did not purchase it for the Xbox; they are not. Such customers should have had the same expectations as every other customer: a port of the Halo 2 game as it was on the Xbox, plus the ability to create custom maps. If they expected more than that, it was their own indiscretion that lead them to make poor assumptions about what they would be receiving for their $50.

The fact that half of the features of the map editor they purchased is unusable is advertising under a false pretense, and so those who produced the port are directly and immediately responsible to accede to the demands of the comsumers and are obligated to make amends ASAP, especially considering how many times this game has been delayed and recalled already.

I would love for you to provide me with an official press release outlining details of features that would be a part of the editing kit that have since been removed without notice prior to the game's release. Just because people assumed it would have the exact same functionality as the Halo 1 editing kit does not mean that was ever promised. A map creation tool was promised and a map creation tool was delivered; I wish it did more but I received what was advertised - something that creates new maps.

Then add to that the fact that they are being employed by a corporate giant whose aim is to build revenue and attract business for Windows Vista, and then this situation is unexcusable and the complaints are justified. Capitalism, my friends: supply and demand. This is bigger than a bunch of college students budgeting time for some video game mods, this is business. The customer is ALWAYS right.

If you think that the Halo 2 developers that browse these forums are some how required to listen to your demands, then you are sorely mistaken. Yes, the customer has a right to demand fixes from the manufacturer for product defects, but that typically must occur through the proper channels (which would be Microsoft's support website), not an unofficial forum. The point of this thread is that if you would like the Halo 2 Vista developers that browse these forums to seriously consider your requests, stop being jerks.

Hmm, you go on to reference college students budgeting to make video game mods? Who is talking about college students selling video game mods? Please keep your posts on topic, thank you.

No, if you were a Halo 2 Vista developer you wouldn't be whining; you'd be glad you had an opportunity to work on this project or that you even had work at all, and you would be striving to get this done to make sure you're signed up for another project in the future. If people are satisfied and the game is successful, likewise your studio will prosper and game companies will recognize you to produce their games and so is your only option to get ahead... otherwise you're dead in the water. The minute you stop caring there's a problem is the minute your ass gets fired.

Who said the Halo 2 Vista developers are whining? If you think I am one, you are mistaken; I am just a logical individual who knows the hardships of software development and the ungratefulness of users, and I am also someone who browses these forums and am tired of reading the same temper tantrums daily.

You make a whole lot of assumptions about the video game business and the studios involved with the Halo 2 port. Hired Gun is an internally formed Microsoft Game Studios team created to port the game. Pi Studios was hired to work on the editing kit and assets (the two new maps). I am pretty sure Hired Gun is not too worried about being hired by someone ... themselves, as they are all Microsoft employees who were shuffled into a new team or newly hired. Pi Studios has worked on four Call of Duty games and Mercenaries 2 for the PS2; I don't think they are too worried about the impact of Halo 2 Vista on their studio. Lastly, Gearbox has gone on to make its own IP after the bumpy ride that was Halo 1 PC.

Really though, it comes down to what I was saying earlier. Microsoft calls the shots on what gets fixed, so nobody is going to get fired unless Microsoft tells them to do something and they do not do it.

Besides, how many individual people are there who would actually be so nasty as to address this problem directly to the studio without taking a formal approach? Anything less than that isn't even considered valid communication; on the intermediary level between supplier and consumer, a professional, humble demeanor is implicit.
However, when the tacit, ubiquitous message of an entire community imposes demands, the studio has no option other than to react accordingly.

I suppose you are missing the entire point, though maybe you have picked up on it over the course of this post. If you want the Halo 2 Vista developers that browse these forums to give your issue more than a glance, be helpful in your description of the issue and avoid being a jerk. Think of them as people with all the right connections and, if they like you, they can maybe help you out; but they are not obligated to like you or to help you out, so treat them with some respect for your benefit and theirs.

Now that we've clarified the difference between official channels to report bugs and unofficial channels the Halo 2 Vista developers browse at their leisure, we can continue on with the thread. Thank you for your participation.

Nick