posted 11-06-98 06:02 PM ET        

Sorry to tell you that we decided to move back the demo (as you can see from the countdown). We haven't changed our master date, but we want more of the game finished before the demo goes out. The current demo date is Dec 20th, and the current date for the release of the game is January 1999.

Of course we don't want to deprive you of Alpha-related fun, but we want the best game at the best time for everyone.

posted 11-06-98 06:06 PM ET            

But let me aslso say that I understand your reasons. If the demo sucks, then people will be less likely to buy the finished product.

Anyway, I can't wait to play it...

posted 11-06-98 08:11 PM ET            

Buy SimCity 2000 in august, SMAC in October.

posted 11-06-98 09:10 PM ET            

I would whine some more, but fortunatly it was about a 2 sentence post I lost. So no biggie...

I agree with Maya, better to release a good demo that would attract more people to glorify the church of Sid&Brian with $$. By the way, is Electronic Arts your publiser again? Or are you going with someone different? Though it's probably too late now, I'd like to suggest in house publishing- I know Bungie did that with Myth: The Fallen Lords, and while fewer copies may have been sold due to the superior distribution of a publisher, they got to keep 100% of the profits instead of 30%. And no arguing about how much the game actually sold.

posted 11-06-98 09:25 PM ET            

OK OK ... now you're all going to think I'm nuts, but did you read Mike's post properly??

The date for the release of the game is 1999Jan !!!

Yiiiiiiiiiiipppy !!!

That'll also give me an extra month to finish my current game of Civ2 !!!

OK ... now Mike ... thanks for being up front with us, but next time please pass this info on to us a little earlier, in fact a weekly update on the progress of the game would be great fun for all of us I think plus it would make many more people less frustrated if they understood why these delay's were neccisary !!!

posted 11-07-98 07:19 PM ET            

And here it is.....

I am now going to tell you all the meaning of life. Since you will have this wisdom to hold to your chest, you shall not wont. You shall not need for anything.

So here goes......

Because you can't imagine the joy you will know. You will not Crave SMAC.

And now the moment you have been waiting for.

AH hemmm,...

Are you ready?

Good here goes...

Always....

Hmmm no. Never......

I've got it written down somewhere.....

I once knew the meaning of life but forgot to write it down.

Oh well.

posted 11-07-98 10:04 PM ET            

-then put a gun at his forehead and starts playing russian roulette- one shot a month SMAC is delayed-

posted 11-09-98 03:02 AM ET            

All I'm asking for is something like this:

Week 135 >>>
- Touched up artwork on secret projects.
- Still have to tweek out mutli player lag ... ETA of lag fix 2 weeks
- Haven't asked that hot waitress at the restaurant yet .. ETA on that 5 years
- In the final fazes of working out an efficient >saved game< format ... ETA 1 week theory, + 2 weeks to implement !!!

It doesn't have to be detailed, just enough to give us an idea .. I don't know about you, but I feel like a blind person not knowing what's happening !!!

posted 11-09-98 03:53 AM ET            

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
YIPPPPPPPPPPPPA ZAPPY DOODLE DING DONG HELL CRAP

Geez!!!! i knew it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

posted 11-09-98 04:15 AM ET            

GEEZ!! MAKE UP YOUR MIND FIRST YOU SAY NOV. 16 I WAS SOOOOO EXCITED!!!

NOW YOU SAY DEC. 20! IT IS ANOTHER STARCRAFT
AND I WANNA PUKE!!!!

posted 11-09-98 10:49 AM ET            

Vadommt, kruzitirkn, vafluacht, mist elendiga,
so a schmarrn, teifi eini a, des deaf jo net woa sei,
wia homma's denn...

Ehm..
sorry for the outbreak.

posted 11-09-98 01:16 PM ET            

Or you could have been the twinkle in your fathers eye in the 60s but if he was in the 60s and didn't remember he would have been there but wouldn't remember the twinkle.

posted 11-16-98 02:48 PM ET            

Sorry if you thought that !!!

This is an old thread brought up again !!!

Sorry once again !!!

posted 11-16-98 02:52 PM ET            

I've bought far to many "Betas in a box" that
are being sold as final products. In fact,
I can't remember the last time I bought a
game and DIDN'T have to get a patch.

No...wait, I think it was Civilization. (Actually, The Neverhood also didn't have a patch and was kind of cute. )

posted 11-16-98 02:59 PM ET            

I'm still finishing off a project that was supposed to be finished in September

I won't mind too much if the Jan99 deadline will slip. An alternative is releasing game with some rough edges, which would be for me much more disappointing. I think programmers work a lot harder if they haven't released a game yet - patches are produced in a much more leasurly pace.

So I say, they seem to be doing a damn fine job. Let them do it.

However, more updates and some more screenshots would be very appreciated. A couple of lines a week would make many, many people extatic and I don't think 10 minutes a week will in any way slow down the progress.