Can't play the game anymore

[charlieboy]

Man, I can live with bugs and even incomplete features which prevent this game from becoming Game of the Year, but I can't stand games released with bugs that don't let you finish the game.

I sent an email to Dreamcatcher and their response was to download the patch to 1.3. What the heck is that? Mine was already at 1.3.

I have the bug I've seen repeatedly where you can't leave Fargrove and get thrown back into the sewer. They don't even acknowledge that it is a problem.

I was having fun up to that point, but I will not find workarounds for every show stopping bug in the game. THAT isn't fun at all. These kinds of bugs just shouldn't exist...at least in Might and Magic IX and Ultima IX you could finish the game.

As it stands, Dreamcatcher will not get another penny from me.

[GeorgeKeith]

You're just one of a very few that seem not to get anything about DL working correctly. As far as you not spending anything more on Dreamcatcher, your few dollars won't hurt them one bit. Now I don't want to seem smart alecky to you or anything, that's just the way the law of averages work out.

Maybe there's something I could look into for you. You can either zip your latest fargrove save and attach it in a post, or I could furish an email for you to send it to me. I'd rather you attach it to a post in this thread though. I'll gladly play the save for you and see about getting outside of fargrove. That way I may be able to shed some light on what's happening on your end.

[POQWAD]

GK...maybe ******* not purchasing any other DC games won't hurt them...

...but add me and LOTS of others to the mix and they have lost, over time, significant sales.

It's called Customer Relations. And, unfortunately for DC...and US...that really doesn't seem to be their long suit...

[Hacknshoot]

Well, put it this way. Say they had 3 million dollars. They are currently working on a 2.0 patch that costs 4 million dollars, but will fund it through purchases of DL. This is going to be a fix-all patch, including furniture and customization and spells and bugs and stuff, and they get to $3,999,999. Say that no one else buys it. What, then? You don't get 2.0. You don't get any fixes, no added things, no implementations, no good surprises. Wouldn't you be mad that you decide to buy the game, and they have already thrown the patch down the drain. Now, none of us have the patch, and we all get mad. Guess who is the target: the one person who didn't buy it. Seems to me that your conscience would be more at ease, buying something from them and helping fund the fix-all which will make everyone happy when it's released, wouldn't it?

[phalzyr]

LOL I don't know where GK keeps coming up with that VERY FEW people are having trouble with DL. I'd say VERY FEW aren't having trouble with it. Are you a fanboy or just not paying attention? UNLESS you know about several bugs in the game before hand anyone can hit a game stopping bug. I have many times even though I read these forums a lot...

[charlieboy]

This is their second response to me...

"The problem that you are experiencing can be resolved by either
beginning a new game with update version 1.3 installed or by exiting the
South Gate. By exiting the South Gate, you will be teleported to the
sewers. However, upon going back to Fargrove and leaving through the
West Gate, you should not experience a problem with the gate being half
open.

Sincerely,


Technical Support Supervisor
DreamCatcher Interactive Inc."

What kind of lousy response is this? First off, I started a new game with the patch to begin with. Second, I'm not beta testing this piece of crap by running through sewers and doing something in a particular order to hope it works. Give me a friggin' break. I'm just very bitter right now about this. They've known about this for obviously a while, but have done nothing.

Dreamcatcher should be ashamed of themselves. I never seen such an inadequate display of business as I've seen in this case with this company. Be it as it may, I will never by a Dreamcatcher game as long as I live. It's one thing to care about money...it's another thing to place such a crappy product on the market and rip off customers. Bugs and missing content (which I've never seen before btw) is one thing, but having bugs like this with a lack of solution is unacceptable.

This game was delayed for almost a year...it probably wouldn't be ready for another 3 or 4. I can't believe this thing was being developed for 7 years (I think that's right, but I could be wrong)...it sure doesn't play or feel like it. They should have cancelled this game a long time ago...at least I'd be left with a pleasant memory of what might have been...instead of bitter ones of what could have been...but then again, they couldn't rip us off if they did that.

I refuse to play it until it gets fixed...if it doesn't then it shall meet the inside of my garbage pail.

[phalzyr]

Breath deeply count to ten.... Ok now what were you saying :)

Yes the quality of patches coming out seems to be wane like they only have one person working on it. At the pace they are TRYING to fix things it will be a long time before we see any real fixes. Hopefully they prove me wrong and get their butts in gear and put their noses to the grind stone and try to fix the major bugs... But at this point I don't see that happening :(

Flame me if you want fan boys :p

[Hacknshoot]

LOL I don't know where GK keeps coming up with that VERY FEW people are having trouble with DL. I'd say VERY FEW aren't having trouble with it. Are you a fanboy or just not paying attention? UNLESS you know about several bugs in the game before hand anyone can hit a game stopping bug. I have many times even though I read these forums a lot...
He said one of the few that CAN GET NOTHING ABOUT THE GAME to work. That's more trouble than having to reload a savegame to get back to what you are doing. At the start of the game, youusually only keep one savegame because you don't have that many problems. It's usually only when you get to Arindale that you start to make multiple saves, because you want to have the ability to come back and decide what classes you want to upgrade to. So you usually have 2 in the Trial of Elders, and can reload from the other one when you die in the 4th Trial. I'd say that GK isn't a fanboy, but he likes the game and actually has a well-suited computer that plays his game well, and might not realize exactly why everyone has so many problems.(oh, and I'm not a fanboy either, but I like the game) :)

[POQWAD]

Seems to me that your conscience would be more at ease, buying something from them and helping fund the fix-all which will make everyone happy when it's released, wouldn't it?

Hack...I purchased DL. I'm a consumer....a DC customer.

I'm NOT their financial backer. It's not up to me to continue to purchase other DC products in order to fund a Dungeon Lords patch. Even assuming they'd use the money for that purpose, which at this point is very doubtful.

If DC had been interested in me purchasing other products they have produced I would suggest that they should have done a better job:

A: With the initial release of DL 1.0.
B: With the patches that have followed.
C: With tech/customer support.

But buying MORE DC products?

Not in THIS lifetime.

[phalzyr]

POQWAD - It is HP that you should boycott mostly though DC are a little to blame for pushing so heavily but they just want their money. HP is the ones that made to buggy/incomplete game. I'll not buy another HP product and be vary weary of anything DC says is ok to be released in future..

[charlieboy]

POQWAD - It is HP that you should boycott mostly though DC are a little to blame for pushing so heavily but they just want their money. HP is the ones that made to buggy/incomplete game. I'll not buy another HP product and be vary weary of anything DC says is ok to be released in future..

The publishers are the ones that push to release games so early. This is the most assine example of this I've ever seen. This is DC fault, because, given the choice, HP wouldn't have released it yet. DC was announcing the game last fall for goodness sake. This game could have used another 6 months.

Exactly, DC cares about getting their money back at the EXPENSE of the consumer. They don't care about releasing a quality product and ripping the consumer off. It is obvious that they want me to work around bugs and keep playing, but that's not going to happen. Either it gets fixed or I don't play it.

I also will never purchase another game from DC. Instead of DC getting slammed, D.W. Bradley does (the same thing happened with Ultima IX...Richard Garriot instead of EA took the heat).

[POQWAD]

Actually, phalz, BOTH are responsible. But DC published it...and DC bears most of the onus for that, in my opinion.

Tho, with already YEARS of (so-called) development, I dunno if another six months of "work" would have helped that much.

Besides, DC faced a marketing dilemma. They could:

A: Hold off publishing DL until HP had it completed--and frankly who knows how much longer that would have taken.

B: Release the game unfinished and make what money they can BEFORE Gothic 3 releases...because once JoWood releases that game, DL is dead in the water anyway.

[Joelatinous Cube]

I am also very displeased with the lack of quality this game possesses. I looked at this game, and thought "Hm, this looks like an awesome game." so I buy it, install it. I start it and then what the **** is this crap? At first, I thought I must of bought a preorder and this was just some sort of demo. then I realize, this IS the game. Why would anyone in their right mind think to release a game in this condition, do they even care about their reputation? Well, okay, so maybe they will come out with a patch or something to fix this. and nope. not very likely we'll see anymore than what we have. They are probably just laughing at us, and this stuff saying they are still working on Dungeon Lords, is code for "laughing at you" I have not seen anywhere that 1.4 or any other patch is being worked on. If they are making anything, it is probably an expansion. Which I for one, will not buy. nor will I buy any other product. unless I was being PAID to take it. Sure, its a fun game. its really not that bad. but it IS NOT the game I bought.

[phalzyr]

Tho, with already YEARS of (so-called) development, I dunno if another six months of "work" would have helped that much.


EXACTLY that is why I blame HP more than DC it is a business afterall, they probably feared if they didn't release now then they lose all their investment. HP made a contract with DC to get it out by a certain date and DC let them push back that date quite a bit and still in this state... HP is the one that was suppossed to make the game work not DC. Though I do blame DC soemwaht fro not just dropping it and taking their loses(lettign HP push back date indefinately)...This is just My opinnion I'm not trying to change anyone elses just stating mine :)

[evangelic]

You're just one of a very few that seem not to get anything about DL working correctly.

do you work for DC? because you must be ******* blind not to have noticed how MASSIVELY negative the response to this game is, and how many bugs/missing pieces have been discovered.

"one of a very few"? are you joking? have you ever been to another game's forum with this kind of intense and gargantuan displeasure slathered all over it?

i hope they aren't paying you much for this disinformation, because the "very few" of us (aka the vast majority of posters here) aren't buying your bs.

[POQWAD]

Your opinion is noted, phalz...and it has much merit.

Let's just string 'em BOTH up and let the vultures sort out the carcasses...

[BallsOfSteel]

GK...maybe ******* not purchasing any other DC games won't hurt them...

...but add me and LOTS of others to the mix and they have lost, over time, significant sales.

It's called Customer Relations. And, unfortunately for DC...and US...that really doesn't seem to be their long suit...

BINGO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!