Sports Game Patching: Day One Patch - JkA3's Blog

JkA3's Blog

Sports Game Patching: Day One Patch

Posted on October 2, 2009 at 12:23 PM.

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We are currently in an error of gaming where most glitches and other issues can be fixes via game patches. This particular write up is focusing on the importance of the day one patch and its date of availability.

I'd like to first speak about how "I THINK" most game one patching points comes into play:

THE DEMO

Many have complaints about Demos; they are not a true representation of the game, it's a beta, it's scaled down, etc. I also believe in those points of view. However, I do feel like the Demo gives us a feel for the game, a way to identify "some" game flaws and issues that weren't caught by the dev team, and a vital discussion/hype point. In many cases, the dev team is aware of issues found by the gamers, and they make the comment, "this will be fixed with the day one patch". Or, we may hear, "this issue has been addressed and was corrected in the final version already".

BACK TO THE POINT: Day One Patch

Lately, I'm starting to find that some disconnects are happening. See, there are corporate stores: Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, Game Stop, etc. These stores never release the game early, at least with intention. But, there are mom and pop stores: Buy Back Games, Game Force, etc. These stores are in fact franchises, but they differ because don't carry the technology to scan (at least many don't), and aren't MAJOR contributors to sales like the corporate stores. With this said, and their smaller stature, they release the game as soon as they receive it (which I love). But this is where the disconnect starts...

EARLY GAME RELEASES

I admit that I typically get all of my sports titles early�sometimes a week early, but most of the time a weekend plus a couple days early. As soon as we get a game early, we start up Q&A threads and lend our impressions that may not be true of the game, if we waited one week later when the "not so lucky" majority receives the game.

My SUGGESTION

I'm not knocking the gamer for getting the game early and releasing their own reviews on it...I'm trying to point out that it would behoove the developer to release a patch as soon as the game is shipped. That way, we, the gamers are able to provide an accurate depiction of the game as it will be displayed on the true release date. Because what is happening, and I see it currently with NBA 2K10, is that we are expressing our dislikes and issues of aspects that MAY NOT even be a problem on the actual release date.

WHAT THIS WOULD DO

This would ease people's minds, generate more sales (because some will be on the fence), and it will provide a much more proactive approach, which is always better for both the manufacturer and consumer.

To me, this seems like a simple approach: releasing the patch the day the game is shipped. However, I admit that I'm not sure what happens behind the scenes, and the challenges behind that.

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That's the end of my shpill...I'm curious on your thoughts as well?

Comments

# 1 Mayo32 @ Oct 2

great blog i agree all i hear bout 2k10 is frame rate im pretty sure tht would be somethingt they will fix

# 2 JkA3 @ Oct 2

Mayo32- my exact thoughts. That's what actually led me to creating this blog.

# 3 JkA3 @ Oct 12

Well, it's now 10/12, almost 1 complete week after the reslease of NBA 210, and the first patch has not been released. I honestly expected at minimal a quick patch to fix the framerate issue on the 360. I guess the patch items needed is larger that initially expected, so more time is needed to complete.