Bah, most of you are failing hard, you try to sound smart, but as soon as i see you are defending notch i really couldn´t take you serious.
You are lacking of the most basic trait needed to argue, critical sense. and i can see that is the vast majority which lack of it, now i can see why notch is so lazy, your conformism its certainly intriguing
I will keep it short and leave it to your little brains to figure this out on your own, you said mojang is working REALLY hard, they are spending millions of dollars in developing and as they lack of funds they just can´t proceed(note the huge sarcasm here)
Well, explain me, how is that the modding community has actually achieved more than the owners of the source code themselves? How come they have added most of the elements present in the future 1.8 update already? How? Do these guys have a bank account with more than $10,000,000 and are able to invest in a dev team? Do they actually get paid? Do they have a moral responsability with a huge fanbase? NO, but still, they have achieved more as developers than notch itself.
1) You obviously have read NONE of my posts if you think im just crying because I don't have 1.8 on my computer right now.
2) YOU don't personally think the cash shop is an issue (please refrain from insults, we can have a discussion and disagree without resorting to acting like children).
3) Your assumption that 1.8 will be a huge patch is just that, an assumption. I never said "it's going to be a small patch". If you had taken the time to read (sorry, seems i'm typing that in EVERY SINGLE REPLY) you would realize that I normally try to be pretty delicate with what words I use. I may have talked about the small amount of "confirmed" content in 1.8, but claiming that 1.8 is going to be ANYTHING is foolish right now, because we have absolutely zero details other than a few confirmed features. And it wouldn't be the first time if a feature confirmed by Notch as being in a patch didn't make it, so we really just won't know until we get it.
You saw right through me man, I'm just a an idiot without a brain who somehow managed to cobble together all these different posts from copy/pasting sentences from a google search.....
*cry*
Correct! You're actually speaking some sense! (Well, the part where you realized you don't have a working brain.)
I don't need to read your post. Define summary Alec, for $500. (Your post also isn't a ToS agreement. THEN i'd read it.)
It doesn't matter what you think you know, you're Mojangs *****. You paid for their product, and now it's all yours. Go get mods, get a life, cry some more. Because you don't have even a BASIC understanding of the dictionary. So i'm afraid to read your entire... Thing.
But i'll say it again - You're one of a VERY SMALL MINORITY. You don't like how Mojang does their business, and you feel you should get more for the $10 you spent A YEAR AGO.
"Oh but I was promised this and that!" No, you were promised updates. Period.
"That's not what I said!" You said it loud and clear. You want Mojang to bend to your whims of entitlement.
And finally "HIS CUSTOMERS ARE STILL UNHAPPY, TROLL!" No, we're not. 90% or more of us are very happy with what we've gotten.
Being unable to avoid sounding like a white knight, I still have one valid point for you, but i'll list a few.
-They could easily stop the production of Minecraft altogether. Don't argue with that, they could. And they'd be within legal bounds to do so. All that they need is an argument between employees...
-Notch can delay whatever work he wants and tell someone else to do it while he's, oh I don't know, being a family man. He's got a wife and kids to feed.
-Surprisingly, if you could code in java, you could produce 1.8 FOR him. If it meets his expectations, you could have 1.8 in its entirety out in less than a day. It's actually not hard!
Your post is full of unproven assumptions and wild accusations.
I'm not telling Notch how to run his business. I don't think I've come across at all as, "Notch and Mojang will failzor if they don't take my epic advice". I'm merely trying to voice the issues I have with his company in as civil a manner as possible. Sure, I've said what I think could be done differently, but I'm making no demands of anyone here (Other than the one that is being completely ignored. You know, the one about being polite to other people while in this thread.... Oh well, can't win them all).
Your instant-defense-mode retaliatory post simply shows you for what you are.
If you'd like to have an actual conversation about this topic I'd be happy to.
It has nothing to do with an "instant defense mode" retaliation. I am stating my opinion as well. I feel that you have no place whatsoever to say if Mojang is being inefficient or unprofessional. it is Notch's company, and he will run it as he sees fit.
A beautifully written and thoughtful post. I applaud you on you're disclaimers and worry towards not offending or lashing out at anyone. Only your opinion. Bravo.
On topic, I would have to wholeheartedly agree. It would probably do Notch some good to read this post.
Oh, and the results of the Poll is no doubt the result of posting in the dangerous territory that is the Minecraft forums. Where constructive criticism is shunned.
To further illustrate why I think it absurd to expect Notch to feel obligated to labor on your schedule...
I'm a private tutor. I tutor college students in technical subjects. My fee is currently $20 for a 50 minute session, though I'm thinking of raising it. (I'm arguably worth much more than that, but I have to charge what the market will bear. You don't see me crying about it.)
How much did you pay for Minecraft? $12 or so? That would earn you about half an hour of my time. Yet you apparently expect Notch for that same fee to engage in highly skilled labor for hours upon hours, weeks upon weeks, to the point where you get angry when he doesn't meet your expectations.
Your fee did not earn that much work from him. Not even close. You've long ago gotten value for your money - you have no grounds for complaint. The fact that many other people have paid the same fee is irrelevant. Notch's current bank balance - undoubtedly VERY healthy - is beyond irrelevant.
If you and I have already gotten our money's worth, why does Notch continue to labor? Simple. Because by doing so he hopes to attract more customers and make more money. If people stop buying the game, he will stop working on it except as a labor of love, for the artistry of the thing. Which would be a fine thing to do, but hardly the basis for us to insist that he do it faster.
Notch owes you and me exactly NOTHING, Zwan. Not 1.8, not the full release, not even another minute's work. Do you really feel like your posts reflect this insight?
But, you say, it would be good business for Notch to work faster! Maybe it would - though I'd say Notch has been doing pretty good for himself in that department, better than either of us. Unsolicited advice is usually ignored, and rightly so.
But ask yourself: Are you even taking the tone of someone offering good advice? How many times have you used the word 'rage' again? Didn't you say in the OP that you felt you had been 'suckered' by Mojang? Hm. That doesn't sound like dispassionate advice-giving to me. In fact, it sounds to me like someone who thinks he's entitled to something that he's not getting. What do you think?
You know, Zwan, the fact you say you don't take certain positions isn't very convincing when you are in fact taking them.
Here's a quote from your OP:
How does not strongly imply that Notch doesn't have a conscience, and that he owes you something for your money beyond the game you already have?
Not to mention the absurd and insulting 1984 comparison, which makes Notch out to be a manipulative tyrant, and his fans as cowed drones who don't dare to speak out. I guess in that narrative you're the brave revolutionary? Pity it doesn't correspond to fact.
You can say all you like that you don't have a sense of entitlement, but I'll believe it when your posts don't, in fact, express a sense of entitlement. (Your OP *reeks* of it.)
You can say all you like that you don't think Notch should be your slave, but that is pretty much what your position boils down to. To say it in plain English, you think he owes you his continued labor on the game you bought, on the schedule you think appropriate, without further input of money on your part. That isn't all that far removed from slavery, is it? People will keep pointing it out until you change your tune.
Good grief, the man just got MARRIED, and you complain he isn't spending enough time on Minecraft to suit you? He would be totally justified to take a month off and go on a honeymoon, as far as I'm concerned. Instead, you feel he should spend enough time on programming - and on the game you want him to, instead of the one his company has assigned him to - to suit you.
It just isn't convincing when you try to take the high ground now and complain about people misunderstanding you. Seems like they understand you just fine. It appears that you are the one who doesn't understand you. No, I'm not accusing you of lying. I'm telling you that you don't seem to have much self-knowledge in this area. And that you aren't thinking through the implications of what you are saying.
I maintain this position: If Notch decided to declare Minecraft fully released as of now, leaving the 1.8 stuff by the wayside, and abandoned the game to go do something else, or even retire, we would have *no basis whatever* for complaint. None. His conscience would, in my view, be completely clear. Would I be disappointed? Of course. But I would not complain - I got what I paid for, and many, many hours of enjoyment besides.
You do not hold that position. So please, either explain to me where I'm wrong; or else, if you do not choose to dispute it, explain how your position does not express entitlement and a desire that Notch labor to suit your whims?
Hey Shadow,
Thanks for taking the time to respectfully write out a reply expressing why you think my opinions aren't as airtight as I may think they are.
In regards to the quote you have from my original post, yes, it is a rather aggressive statement. I may or may not have mentioned it but the OP went through a number of revisions as I tried to carve away all that rage and turn it into competent discussion points. I stand by that particular sentence, even though it is admittedly somewhat condemning.
That's just the impression I get from pretty much every single indie game developer that I've dealt with. Incomplete games marketed as a "as is" product, with a kind of unwritten promise of future updates. Notch KNOWS he doesn't "legally" owe us a thing, and that's part of what concerns me. While he doesn't have any sort of legal obligation to provide updates, if he wants his company to develop a good name for itself (which don't get me wrong, making minecraft was a step in the right direction to begin with) I feel he would get away from most of the things I've complained about in this thread. I worry that this sort of business practice will invade the video game market because small developers will see a chance to make it big (so to speak, like Notch) on a work-in-progress and jump on it. It could be a gaming revolution to change life forever, or it could just be a bunch of mediocre 25% complete games for sale...
I strongly feel that the whole DLC, games are never complete on release day, is truly damaging the video game marketplace and by extension damaging us gamers. But that's sort of another opinion for another discussion.
On to the 1984 reference. That's another one that you're not going to get me to budge on. To quickly clarify one of your questions though, I don't see myself as anyone in that analogy. It was basically my way of describing the more rabid portion of the Minecraft fanbase. Like I said in the OP, I would really like you to tell me with a straight face that there isn't a single portion of the people on these forums who blindly praise Notch and every single thing he does, who don't ravenously attack anyone who speaks ill of him (just scroll back and read some of the replies i've gotten in here so far). I made sure not to make any mention of Notch as an active participant in that analogy, because I honestly don't think that he created the people I'm talking about.
I could probably make some sort of connection between poor parenting and this kind of "unconditional Notch love" (which is strangely similar to the way a child will defend his father when the father is insulted, unconditional) but that would only start more problems and isn't really the focus of this thread.
I can't tell you how wrong I truly think you are about this whole "Notch should be my slave" thing. I *really* would like to reinforce the fact that I'm honestly not too concerned with when 1.8 comes out. Me and the friends I play SMP with got kind of burned out on 1.7.3 a month or so ago, so we're just waiting until the update comes out before we get back to playing.
The issue I have with Notch doing these other "non-Minecraft" things isn't all about them not being Minecraft. It's more about the current state of Minecraft and Notchs belief that he doesn't need to be concerned with it. I think I've also said this though, it's his company, he can do with it what he wants. I'm not here with an ultimatum, telling Notch that he will do as I say or he will fail. I'm just here to explain why I'm a bit peeved at the recent turn of events. I didn't post this because I wanted something out of it (well, if MC development got back on the quick train because of it that'd be sweet, but i'm not naive enough to think that's going to happen), I posted it because I know for a fact that when you have a business, customer feedback is important, especially well thought out constructive criticism. (i know, you could probably argue that my OP isn't all that well thought out, and you'd probably be right, pretty much all my posts here have been on no sleep for the past 36 hours, but I'm trying). You might also notice that I haven't demanded quicker updates or anything of the like... I'm a longtime Blizzard fan, and as anyone else who plays Blizzard games knows... they can take AEONS to crank out a game (ZOMG D3 *Drool*). What I have asked for is more straightforward communication from Mojang about what their plans are. And you know that might be asking too much, who knows.
Check out the poll I have with this thread. That's a pretty large percentage of people who are less than satisfied with the way things are going. I would almost venture to say that if things continue in the way they are, a certain percentage (obviously I'm not going to make up a %, we'd just argue about that) of those people might eventually write off Mojang like I have.
You are 100% correct in saying that we would have no basis to complain if development were stopped right now. In fact, I myself have said the same thing in this thread (somewhere...). I do, however, disagree about the clear conscious thing. It might be different if Mojang/Notch hadn't been trying build up excitement for every new update and they just released them quietly when they had them complete. But the regular (semi) updates and developer involvement are a big part of the draw for the game too nowadays. Do you think it would have sold as well without it? This is part of the problem with the Mojang business model. There's no "actual" agreement concerning future development, but there is an unspoken/unwritten understanding that development will continue until the final version is released. Don't forget that there are still a MASSIVE amount of features that Notch has said are coming our way that aren't here yet. So to some degree, Notch himself has committed Mojang to development, even though not in a legal fashion. I still don't see this as me feeling entitled to something. I see it more as a business has promised certain goods, and now, even though they're under no legal obligation to provide said goods, they're going back on their word.
No it's not going to stand up in a court if someone were to be crazy enough to try and sue, but I value honesty, and if Notch doesn't plan to add things that he tells us he is, I think the best way for him to handle it would be to come out and level with us. It's not about "i want". It *really* isn't. I'm a customer, and they are a service provider. All I'm doing is giving them feedback on the services they provide.
But yes, from a legal standpoint, he'd be totally justified in ending development of Minecraft this afternoon.
Try to keep in mind that I'm making no demands of Notch or Mojang (or at least I don't mean to, I suppose It's entirely possible I've said something that comes across as a demand). I'm merely expressing my opinion.
I think I've addressed most all of your reply. Thanks again for the smart write-up, I really appreciate that you took the time to express your different opinion in a civil manner.
Notch owes you and me exactly NOTHING, Zwan. Not 1.8, not the full release, not even another minute's work.
I beg you pardon, but I pre-purchased a game that is still not released and in the meantime I get to play its beta. I expect to get the finished game when it's finished and it would be nice if it included what Notch more or less promised when I gave him my money but at least I have the right to get a game in its final release. 1.7.3 is not even remotely finished.
I don't care if his lawyer wrote him a disclaimer preventing customers from assraping him if he doesn't update the game forever for free. It can be legal but it would be immoral not to give me what I paid for. Immoral, and awful publicity for the company.
Luckily enough, Notch seems much more a nice guy than your "gimme your money and STFU" guy your scenario depicts.
To the "1.8 has't an official release date": that's not an excuse, it's actually the problem. He promised (as in "I promise", verbatim) to let us know the release date as soon as possible but after 2 months 1.8 is almost there and we still don't have a release date more precise than "a few weeks". Actually what was promised for 1.8 will not be in 1.8, so to get everything we were promised we have to wait much longer than that. So the official release date is 2 or 3 weeks plus God knows when the rest is coming.
Notch's promises FTW.
Correct! You're actually speaking some sense! (Well, the part where you realized you don't have a working brain.)
I don't need to read your post. Define summary Alec, for $500. (Your post also isn't a ToS agreement. THEN i'd read it.)
It doesn't matter what you think you know, you're Mojangs *****. You paid for their product, and now it's all yours. Go get mods, get a life, cry some more. Because you don't have even a BASIC understanding of the dictionary. So i'm afraid to read your entire... Thing.
But i'll say it again - You're one of a VERY SMALL MINORITY. You don't like how Mojang does their business, and you feel you should get more for the $10 you spent A YEAR AGO.
"Oh but I was promised this and that!" No, you were promised updates. Period.
"That's not what I said!" You said it loud and clear. You want Mojang to bend to your whims of entitlement.
And finally "HIS CUSTOMERS ARE STILL UNHAPPY, TROLL!" No, we're not. 90% or more of us are very happy with what we've gotten.
Being unable to avoid sounding like a white knight, I still have one valid point for you, but i'll list a few.
-They could easily stop the production of Minecraft altogether. Don't argue with that, they could. And they'd be within legal bounds to do so. All that they need is an argument between employees...
-Notch can delay whatever work he wants and tell someone else to do it while he's, oh I don't know, being a family man. He's got a wife and kids to feed.
-Surprisingly, if you could code in java, you could produce 1.8 FOR him. If it meets his expectations, you could have 1.8 in its entirety out in less than a day. It's actually not hard!
~Sincerely,
Officer Hotpants
To start off, according to the poll here, only ~67% of those who answered are satisfied or extremely satisfied with the current state of things. ~23% who answered are disappointed or worse with the way things are going, while another 9% are somewhere in between, feeling strongly neither way.
So to clarify, based on what we've seen of forum viewers in this thread and this thread alone, 90% is a bit high. But anyway.
I guess I shouldn't have even bothered writing anything but the summary huh? I'd really appreciate it if you tried to keep the personal insults to a minimum. I realize that i'm putting my opinions out here for people to scrutinize, and i'm fine with you telling me that you disagree, but I'm really not too keen on all the insults being passed around.
I address two of your three final points in a post just a few back, so if you want to see my take on them, please dig back a little bit. As for the third point you're trying to make, I just don't understand what you're saying, sorry.
It is *CLEARLY* obvious that the eFame and millions of dollars Minecraft has made for Mojang has gotten to Notchs head, and by extension, the companies.
I really don't see it. You never directly say how this is clear unless you were trying to say that because Notch&Co. do other things and take breaks they have an inflated sense of self-worth. I hope not because that'd be retarded.
He catches the most flak (and also, not to be forgotten or taken lightly, the most praise and worship) because he has set himself up as the face of Mojang/Minecraft. He is, to the average Minecrafter, the dude who made/developed/invented the game (regardless of whether it's true). This is in part due to the mindless zealotry with which some of the community speak of him on the forums here and all over the internet, and also due to Notchs own inability to put his ego aside and set people straight about the true nature of the games development.
********, half-baked rage threads, like this are a dime-a-dozen on any Minecraft forum. For every person that blindly worhips Notch there's another person that blindly critiques him. Also,
due to Notchs own inability to put his ego aside and set people straight about the true nature of the games development
Saying baseless crap like this is what gets trolling started. Mojang isn't saying much about about updates, specifically 1.8, because it's supposed to be a surprise. What other game dev/company updates their twitter page about their game more than Mojang? Not many.
Yes, you read that correct. Notch is "taking a break" (as if he hasn't had enough) from Minecraft to work on an entirely different project... I'd imagine Notch is wealthy enough from Minecraft sales alone that he doesn't *need* to produce a new game right away from any sort of financial point of view. Let's not forget he's involved in the development of the more recently announced Mojang title "Scrolls" as well.
This is the most frequent plight in threads like these. Everyone takes breaks. Can you say that you have perfect attendance at work? Probably not. Also, he's not taking a break from working, he's taking a break from Minecraft. If anything, this should be an indication that minecraft's sucess HASN'T gone to his head if he's willing to put it aside during a large update to work on something else.
So to clarify: Even though Minecraft development seems slow and unsatisfying these days, Notch is of the opinion that he has no real obligation to help speed the progress along. Instead he chooses to enter weekend long game contests and work on his other (non-minecraft) game projects.
God forbid Notch even takes a bathroom break without updating ME on his game's status.
To any person with a conscious, that mountain of wealth (earned from Minecraft sales) would be an incredible motivator to complete the project that so many millions have paid him in good faith to complete. Unfortunately we were never given any sort of development schedule and the guys at Mojang seem to be cool with a decidedly lazy approach to pretty much everything concerning Minecraft.
Lazy? You just got a load of demo videos. They worked around the clock for a large update and their lazy, why, because they didn't give you a work schedule? What sense does that make?
(Customer appreciation) doesn't exist, and I'll tell you why.
The mindless fanbase of Minecraft seems to see no evil in their dear old leader. It is, I'm sure to some degree, this very idol-worship behavior which has gotten to the mans head and made him think he can behave however he wants without consequence.
Notch dishes out free updates (and free DLC to some), has a forum setup for troubleshooting, no DRM, responds to twitter posts with questions or concerns, and tries his damndest to immediatley fix game-breaking bugs. but you have a point: HE ISN'T DOING IT FAST ENOUGH AND TAKES BREAKS! I DEMAND A WORK SCHEDULE AND DAILY UPDATES ON PRODUCTION *cracks whip* But, seriously, if a large part of the minecraft fanbase were drooling fanboys, we wouldn't see these threads every other day.
Wait, 1.8 is delayed, is probably going to come to us in incomplete chunks, and there's no mention of resolving any of the longstanding bugs/issues that we've been dealing with?
1.8 was never delayed because arelease date was never promised, and it's coming to us in two parts. Do you seriously want everything at once in an unstable cluster? plus, pistons not pushing other istons is an intended feature.
If the thought of Notch considering a minecraft cash shop while the game itself is still incomplete doesn't get your blood boiling... Then his pathetic excuse about why he can't bring himself (We should be thankful he's so diligently trying to protect his cash shop for us, right?) to let the community be torn asunder because some people might not have access to virtual items for cash... This man has gotten *RICH* off of an incomplete game and is not only content to just let it putter along while the money keeps pouring in, he's trying to figure out ways to make MORE money from it.
So because notch is thinking for the community (not wanting it split) and not the cashola (what you keep bagging him for) he's a greedy asshole? Plus, Mojang is a business, of course they're going to charge for whatever's going in their store, IT'S EXTRA. But I like how you attack him for making profit off an unfinished product then attack his unfinished features that would bring HIS COMPANY (not mojang) more money. Where does the crassness end?
My disgust is pointed directly at Mojang, and not at any individual of the community, so please refrain from making personal attacks towards me or anyone else who posts in this thread and the favor will be returned.
After you just got done saying Notch has a huge ego and that his sucess is going to his head and after wanting to see a work schedule and more 1.8 spoilers, I can honestly say that I didn't see this coming.
A beautifully written and thoughtful post. I applaud you on you're disclaimers and worry towards not offending or lashing out at anyone. Only your opinion. Bravo.
On topic, I would have to wholeheartedly agree. It would probably do Notch some good to read this post.
Oh, and the results of the Poll is no doubt the result of posting in the dangerous territory that is the Minecraft forums. Where constructive criticism is shunned.
Thanks for the kind words.
I know my brain just doesn't work sometimes and I can say things that don't quite line up with what I mean, but I've tried pretty hard to keep all my posts to the point and out of the murky "I want 1.8 now, Notch should be my slave" water that everyone seems so intent on dragging me into.
Mountains out of molehills, he isn't some Villain, blah, blah, blah.
You know, there has been about a billion of these threads. I can't say something that hasn't been said already. What I will say is that, if you feel you need to write this much about a video game and it's developers, maybe you need to refocus your priorities.
And, honestly, Notch is just some guy. You are making this to be more than it is. He's not sitting on some gold cackling maniacally as he schemes to take more money, nor is he some guy that just prances around never working on the game. He's just a guy making a game. Use this righteous energy you have to debate politics or world energy sources or something.
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I really don't see it. You never directly say how this is clear unless you were trying to say that because Notch&Co. do other things and take breaks they have an inflated sense of self-worth. I hope not because that'd be retarded.
********, half-baked rage threads, like this are a dime-a-dozen on any Minecraft forum. For every person that blindly worhips Notch there's another person that blindly critiques him. Also,
Saying baseless crap like this is what gets trolling started. Mojang isn't saying much about about updates, specifically 1.8, because it's supposed to be a surprise. What other game dev/company updates their twitter page about their game more than Mojang? Not many.
This is the most frequent plight in threads like these. Everyone takes breaks. Can you say that you have perfect attendance at work? Probably not. Also, he's not taking a break from working, he's taking a break from Minecraft. If anything, this should be an indication that minecraft's sucess HASN'T gone to his head if he's willing to put it aside during a large update to work on something else.
God forbid Notch even takes a bathroom break without updating ME on his game's status.
Lazy? You just got a load of demo videos. They worked around the clock for a large update and their lazy, why, because they didn't give you a work schedule? What sense does that make?
Notch dishes out free updates (and free DLC to some), has a forum setup for troubleshooting, no DRM, responds to twitter posts with questions or concerns, and tries his damndest to immediatley fix game-breaking bugs. but you have a point: HE ISN'T DOING IT FAST ENOUGH AND TAKES BREAKS! I DEMAND A WORK SCHEDULE AND DAILY UPDATES ON PRODUCTION *cracks whip* But, seriously, if a large part of the minecraft fanbase were drooling fanboys, we wouldn't see these threads every other day.
1.8 was never delayed because arelease date was never promised, and it's coming to us in two parts. Do you seriously want everything at once in an unstable cluster? plus, pistons not pushing other istons is an intended feature.
So because notch is thinking for the community (not wanting it split) and not the cashola (what you keep bagging him for) he's a greedy asshole? Plus, Mojang is a business, of course they're going to charge for whatever's going in their store, IT'S EXTRA. But I like how you attack him for making profit off an unfinished product then attack his unfinished features that would bring HIS COMPANY (not mojang) more money. Where des the crassness end?
After you just got done saying Notch has a huge ego and that his sucess is going to his head and after wanting to see a work schedule and more 1.8 spoilers, I can honestly say that I didn't see this coming.
First off, I'm not very proficient at doing the whole "multiple quotes in the same post" thing... so I apologize for that.
It seems obvious to me (opinion, and I guess I could have worded that first part a bit more delicately) because of the timing of these things that I've mentioned. If Notch had decided to work on his side-project immediately following the 1.8.1 (or whatever) release it would have come across completely different than it did (to me). As it happens though, just like I stated in the OP, it's crunch time for 1.8. It's been demo'd at PAX, Notch himself is talking about how it'll be on the way here in the very near future. 1.8.1 (or whatever) is coming to us in peices because apparently they're having more issues with bugs than originally planned.
The delay isn't the issue. The issue is, in my view, that Notch seems to have left Minecraft kind of sputtering around these past few updates. It's not that the updates aren't coming quick enough, it's that the quality and quantity of content in the updates seems to be sorely lacking (granted, none of us have played 1.8.1 (or whatever) so it's all conjecture based on the PAX demo and what Notch has told us).
Now, with that in mind, Notch has left development of Minecraft in the hands of the rest of the team (not saying they're incompetent at all, just stating facts), in the middle of all this coding and bug fixing for 1.8.1, to pursue other (potentially) profitable endeavors. Yes, Mojang is a gaming company, it's what they do. BUT, Minecraft is what made Mojang and Notch who they are today, and I find it strange that he seems so ready to not be involved in what is one of the biggest updates in Minecraft history (at least in theory...).
So, with that in mind, we can draw whatever conclusions our brains come up with. I came up with two:
1) Notch really did just basically "finish his portion" and is content to let the rest of the team do their thing and confident that they'll resolve all of the issues which have creeped up over the past week or so in a timely manner.
2) Notch just doesn't really care about Minecraft anymore, and will take any opportunity he can to pursue future means of income. Which from a purely survival point of view, sure, he's got a family to provide for and I'm not going to begrudge him for that. But if 1.8 is any indicator of how the rest of Minecraft development will be handled, I worry that his lack of interest in it will lead to fewer and fewer updates with less and less content.
Obviously, you read my post so you know that I came to the conclusion that #2 was more than likely what happened.
Flawed logic or not, it is what it is. Feel free to tell me why I'm wrong though =P
I'm not going to touch on a few of your comments because they're all about the whole "You don't think notch should ever have a break or a vacation" thing. I think I've explained that it's not the break itself so much as the timing and the attitude that seems to allow it to happen. Hopefully that made sense.
I'd like to reiterate a point I've already made, seeing as it's a theme in many of your comments. I don't mind Notch taking vacations, taking honeymoons, working on other projects or any of that stuff. But he has put himself and his company in the limelight to be observed and what I observe is a severe lack of "awareness" to how his decisions might impact the company and the community that has allowed the company to come into existence.
I've said it in a previous post here, a lot of this could just be growing pains as these guys, who (as far as I know) started out as a homebrew kind of operation and are now dealing with providing a game to millions and millions of people. Again though, some communication on the part of Mojang would be nice.
I'm not asking for a release date for 1.8. I'm suggesting that Mojang be a little more open with the reasoning behind some of their decisions. And before I get jumped for it... yes I know that they don't HAVE to give us any information whatsoever, and you'll probably say, "you should just be happy you get anything".
And to that, all I have to say is that we're all humans and we're all capable of making mistakes. Sometimes when we make a mistake it's hard to see unless someone points it out to us.
Concerning the cash shop. I know a lot of people don't mind the DLC/micro-transaction business model. I do though. I guess I come from a different time period in gaming though and am resistant to change. It wasn't too many years ago that the whole DLC fad wasn't even around. Nowadays it's almost uncommon for a game to NOT have DLC on release day. Which to me is just... infuriating. If there's DLC that's polished and ready enough to be used on Day 1, why is it not on the disk that I just paid 60 dollars for? *rage*
But anyway, my disposition towards cash shops and DLC certainly leaves me a little biased on this one. I just see it as a desperate cash grab (no matter WHO is doing it). And as far as Notchs comment about the community... It *really* comes across to me as a lame PR excuse to explain what I see as the real reason why the Steam thing isn't working out, it would mean lower cash shop sales. (this is an opinion if I didn't do a good enough job making that clear)
About your last comment. I'll repeat that it wasn't my intention to demand anything of Mojang. My goal was to tell them and the community why I feel their recent business decisions are potentially bad ones (in my opinion). I might have suggested that more communication could help remedy some of these issues, but I don't believe I've actually demanded anything thus far.
To say that I as a customer am being egotistical for paying attention to and criticizing the business practices of those companies that I deal with is a bit wild don't you think? Should I just take my money elsewhere and never say anything when I'm unhappy with the service I receive (That's what I eventually do when I don't get any sort of feedback from a company)? It's not an egotistical act to take a burger back to a fast food place if it isn't what you ordered is it?
So why is it egotistical for me to criticize Mojang and Notch (who have chosen to conduct themselves and their business in a very public manner) when I feel that I'm not receiving the services/content that they have promised me? Try to keep in mind that I'm making no demands here. I know some of you say I've got a bad entitlement attitude here, but I really challenge you to explain to me why its a problem for me to criticize Mojang/Notch when I feel they're misrepresenting their intentions.
Criticize isn't the same as "demanding an explanation for their actions". Criticism is meant to shed light on an aspect of their business that could potentially use some work.
Now, had I ended my post with some sort of direct question for Mojang or Notch, yeah, you could argue that I've got a bit of a big head thinking that my complaints deserve the highest level feedback possible. But that's not what I did. As far as I know I just stated why I think what they're doing is bad and left it at that.
The reason Dragon's aren't implemented are because of disagreements between Notch and Jeb about that. Can't blame people for having an opinion.
And as a fellow writer, I can whole-heartedly understand your opinion. We should support Notch for the work he has done, and help him improve. This is a huge game. Community based. It takes all our feedback to tweak it just right. I don't think Notch is getting that.
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Firstly, I'd like to point out that I haven't made a forum account until today. I've found that there isn't much use in replying to the majority of this forums community. However, this thread has driven me to finally click "Register Now".
I apologize for the blocky appearance of my response. I'm not quite used to posting or proper formatting.
Anyways, on topic.
I must say that I completely agree with just about everything the OP has said. I read the entire wall of writing that was the original post because my thoughts just seemed to overlap with all of his opinions. I do believe that Notch and the Mojang team have slowed development due to the fame and money that has gone to their heads. Have they worked hard to provide an excellent game, sure. But now that they've made their millions of Euro's (minus whatever European taxes they have to pay), I believe they've lost most of their interest in developing Minecraft. For the past several months, we've seen insignificant updates that don't add much to the game. I find it appalling that Mojang can operate at such an unprofessional manner, no matter how "Indie" or small their company is.
Further more, for the past several months, Minecraft has received insignificant updates. These updates haven't added anything better than Powered rails and Pistons. When I heard "1.8" was coming out, I thought sweet. When I heard there was new world generation and you had to make a new world, I thought, sure that's acceptable. Since then, (I don't even know how long it's been) I've quit playing Minecraft in anticipation. As more information about the update flooded in, the release date just kept getting pushed back. Now I've learnt that 1.8 will come out in "incomplete chunks" and then the rest in 1.9. I just find it mind boggling that development at Mojang is this slow. And for the record, "1.8" was promised as the Adventure update back in 1.7. But Notch gave us Pistons and pushed it back, say, 3 months.
Shame on Mojang, and anyone that will defend their recent behavior as a game developing company.
Dude if you dont like what they are doing go do something else besides waiting for 1.8 or complaining about Mojang its the internet theres tons of things to do
It took six DR Pepper cans, 2 Turkey themed crisps and a Lee evens show in the background to read this entire post.
I think Mojang are a pretty solid company. Don't forget they're new to the industry. One thing you said was "1.8 was delayed" and that is really a stupid thing to say. Notch set no date, he is working on the kinks to make it a better game for us. That's why he showed it at PAX; so we could feedback and opiniate and he could work on the patch accordingly. Your argument was invalid
No his argument is infact perfectly valid, because the moderators, and I think even Notch himself at one point said it would be very shortly after the event that it would be released, yet it has been delayed.
Ontopic, I agree. Notch and Mojang have let me down. This doesn't mean that I will stop playing, but I won't expect anything they say anymore. Getting anything thats promised would be a surprise.
Might I point out that notch is a newly wed? Aren't most newly weds entitled to a honeymoon? Also, they're an indie developer, they're allowed to be casual and lulzy if they want, right?
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GENERATION 30: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social experiment.
You are lacking of the most basic trait needed to argue, critical sense. and i can see that is the vast majority which lack of it, now i can see why notch is so lazy, your conformism its certainly intriguing
I will keep it short and leave it to your little brains to figure this out on your own, you said mojang is working REALLY hard, they are spending millions of dollars in developing and as they lack of funds they just can´t proceed(note the huge sarcasm here)
Well, explain me, how is that the modding community has actually achieved more than the owners of the source code themselves? How come they have added most of the elements present in the future 1.8 update already? How? Do these guys have a bank account with more than $10,000,000 and are able to invest in a dev team? Do they actually get paid? Do they have a moral responsability with a huge fanbase? NO, but still, they have achieved more as developers than notch itself.
Nuff said
Correct! You're actually speaking some sense! (Well, the part where you realized you don't have a working brain.)
I don't need to read your post. Define summary Alec, for $500. (Your post also isn't a ToS agreement. THEN i'd read it.)
It doesn't matter what you think you know, you're Mojangs *****. You paid for their product, and now it's all yours. Go get mods, get a life, cry some more. Because you don't have even a BASIC understanding of the dictionary. So i'm afraid to read your entire... Thing.
But i'll say it again - You're one of a VERY SMALL MINORITY. You don't like how Mojang does their business, and you feel you should get more for the $10 you spent A YEAR AGO.
"Oh but I was promised this and that!" No, you were promised updates. Period.
"That's not what I said!" You said it loud and clear. You want Mojang to bend to your whims of entitlement.
And finally "HIS CUSTOMERS ARE STILL UNHAPPY, TROLL!" No, we're not. 90% or more of us are very happy with what we've gotten.
Being unable to avoid sounding like a white knight, I still have one valid point for you, but i'll list a few.
-They could easily stop the production of Minecraft altogether. Don't argue with that, they could. And they'd be within legal bounds to do so. All that they need is an argument between employees...
-Notch can delay whatever work he wants and tell someone else to do it while he's, oh I don't know, being a family man. He's got a wife and kids to feed.
-Surprisingly, if you could code in java, you could produce 1.8 FOR him. If it meets his expectations, you could have 1.8 in its entirety out in less than a day. It's actually not hard!
~Sincerely,
Officer Hotpants
It has nothing to do with an "instant defense mode" retaliation. I am stating my opinion as well. I feel that you have no place whatsoever to say if Mojang is being inefficient or unprofessional. it is Notch's company, and he will run it as he sees fit.
On topic, I would have to wholeheartedly agree. It would probably do Notch some good to read this post.
Oh, and the results of the Poll is no doubt the result of posting in the dangerous territory that is the Minecraft forums. Where constructive criticism is shunned.
I'm a private tutor. I tutor college students in technical subjects. My fee is currently $20 for a 50 minute session, though I'm thinking of raising it. (I'm arguably worth much more than that, but I have to charge what the market will bear. You don't see me crying about it.)
How much did you pay for Minecraft? $12 or so? That would earn you about half an hour of my time. Yet you apparently expect Notch for that same fee to engage in highly skilled labor for hours upon hours, weeks upon weeks, to the point where you get angry when he doesn't meet your expectations.
Your fee did not earn that much work from him. Not even close. You've long ago gotten value for your money - you have no grounds for complaint. The fact that many other people have paid the same fee is irrelevant. Notch's current bank balance - undoubtedly VERY healthy - is beyond irrelevant.
If you and I have already gotten our money's worth, why does Notch continue to labor? Simple. Because by doing so he hopes to attract more customers and make more money. If people stop buying the game, he will stop working on it except as a labor of love, for the artistry of the thing. Which would be a fine thing to do, but hardly the basis for us to insist that he do it faster.
Notch owes you and me exactly NOTHING, Zwan. Not 1.8, not the full release, not even another minute's work. Do you really feel like your posts reflect this insight?
But, you say, it would be good business for Notch to work faster! Maybe it would - though I'd say Notch has been doing pretty good for himself in that department, better than either of us. Unsolicited advice is usually ignored, and rightly so.
But ask yourself: Are you even taking the tone of someone offering good advice? How many times have you used the word 'rage' again? Didn't you say in the OP that you felt you had been 'suckered' by Mojang? Hm. That doesn't sound like dispassionate advice-giving to me. In fact, it sounds to me like someone who thinks he's entitled to something that he's not getting. What do you think?
Hey Shadow,
Thanks for taking the time to respectfully write out a reply expressing why you think my opinions aren't as airtight as I may think they are.
In regards to the quote you have from my original post, yes, it is a rather aggressive statement. I may or may not have mentioned it but the OP went through a number of revisions as I tried to carve away all that rage and turn it into competent discussion points. I stand by that particular sentence, even though it is admittedly somewhat condemning.
That's just the impression I get from pretty much every single indie game developer that I've dealt with. Incomplete games marketed as a "as is" product, with a kind of unwritten promise of future updates. Notch KNOWS he doesn't "legally" owe us a thing, and that's part of what concerns me. While he doesn't have any sort of legal obligation to provide updates, if he wants his company to develop a good name for itself (which don't get me wrong, making minecraft was a step in the right direction to begin with) I feel he would get away from most of the things I've complained about in this thread. I worry that this sort of business practice will invade the video game market because small developers will see a chance to make it big (so to speak, like Notch) on a work-in-progress and jump on it. It could be a gaming revolution to change life forever, or it could just be a bunch of mediocre 25% complete games for sale...
I strongly feel that the whole DLC, games are never complete on release day, is truly damaging the video game marketplace and by extension damaging us gamers. But that's sort of another opinion for another discussion.
On to the 1984 reference. That's another one that you're not going to get me to budge on. To quickly clarify one of your questions though, I don't see myself as anyone in that analogy. It was basically my way of describing the more rabid portion of the Minecraft fanbase. Like I said in the OP, I would really like you to tell me with a straight face that there isn't a single portion of the people on these forums who blindly praise Notch and every single thing he does, who don't ravenously attack anyone who speaks ill of him (just scroll back and read some of the replies i've gotten in here so far). I made sure not to make any mention of Notch as an active participant in that analogy, because I honestly don't think that he created the people I'm talking about.
I could probably make some sort of connection between poor parenting and this kind of "unconditional Notch love" (which is strangely similar to the way a child will defend his father when the father is insulted, unconditional) but that would only start more problems and isn't really the focus of this thread.
I can't tell you how wrong I truly think you are about this whole "Notch should be my slave" thing. I *really* would like to reinforce the fact that I'm honestly not too concerned with when 1.8 comes out. Me and the friends I play SMP with got kind of burned out on 1.7.3 a month or so ago, so we're just waiting until the update comes out before we get back to playing.
The issue I have with Notch doing these other "non-Minecraft" things isn't all about them not being Minecraft. It's more about the current state of Minecraft and Notchs belief that he doesn't need to be concerned with it. I think I've also said this though, it's his company, he can do with it what he wants. I'm not here with an ultimatum, telling Notch that he will do as I say or he will fail. I'm just here to explain why I'm a bit peeved at the recent turn of events. I didn't post this because I wanted something out of it (well, if MC development got back on the quick train because of it that'd be sweet, but i'm not naive enough to think that's going to happen), I posted it because I know for a fact that when you have a business, customer feedback is important, especially well thought out constructive criticism. (i know, you could probably argue that my OP isn't all that well thought out, and you'd probably be right, pretty much all my posts here have been on no sleep for the past 36 hours, but I'm trying). You might also notice that I haven't demanded quicker updates or anything of the like... I'm a longtime Blizzard fan, and as anyone else who plays Blizzard games knows... they can take AEONS to crank out a game (ZOMG D3 *Drool*). What I have asked for is more straightforward communication from Mojang about what their plans are. And you know that might be asking too much, who knows.
Check out the poll I have with this thread. That's a pretty large percentage of people who are less than satisfied with the way things are going. I would almost venture to say that if things continue in the way they are, a certain percentage (obviously I'm not going to make up a %, we'd just argue about that) of those people might eventually write off Mojang like I have.
You are 100% correct in saying that we would have no basis to complain if development were stopped right now. In fact, I myself have said the same thing in this thread (somewhere...). I do, however, disagree about the clear conscious thing. It might be different if Mojang/Notch hadn't been trying build up excitement for every new update and they just released them quietly when they had them complete. But the regular (semi) updates and developer involvement are a big part of the draw for the game too nowadays. Do you think it would have sold as well without it? This is part of the problem with the Mojang business model. There's no "actual" agreement concerning future development, but there is an unspoken/unwritten understanding that development will continue until the final version is released. Don't forget that there are still a MASSIVE amount of features that Notch has said are coming our way that aren't here yet. So to some degree, Notch himself has committed Mojang to development, even though not in a legal fashion. I still don't see this as me feeling entitled to something. I see it more as a business has promised certain goods, and now, even though they're under no legal obligation to provide said goods, they're going back on their word.
No it's not going to stand up in a court if someone were to be crazy enough to try and sue, but I value honesty, and if Notch doesn't plan to add things that he tells us he is, I think the best way for him to handle it would be to come out and level with us. It's not about "i want". It *really* isn't. I'm a customer, and they are a service provider. All I'm doing is giving them feedback on the services they provide.
But yes, from a legal standpoint, he'd be totally justified in ending development of Minecraft this afternoon.
Try to keep in mind that I'm making no demands of Notch or Mojang (or at least I don't mean to, I suppose It's entirely possible I've said something that comes across as a demand). I'm merely expressing my opinion.
I think I've addressed most all of your reply. Thanks again for the smart write-up, I really appreciate that you took the time to express your different opinion in a civil manner.
I don't care if his lawyer wrote him a disclaimer preventing customers from assraping him if he doesn't update the game forever for free. It can be legal but it would be immoral not to give me what I paid for. Immoral, and awful publicity for the company.
Luckily enough, Notch seems much more a nice guy than your "gimme your money and STFU" guy your scenario depicts.
To the "1.8 has't an official release date": that's not an excuse, it's actually the problem. He promised (as in "I promise", verbatim) to let us know the release date as soon as possible but after 2 months 1.8 is almost there and we still don't have a release date more precise than "a few weeks". Actually what was promised for 1.8 will not be in 1.8, so to get everything we were promised we have to wait much longer than that. So the official release date is 2 or 3 weeks plus God knows when the rest is coming.
Notch's promises FTW.
To start off, according to the poll here, only ~67% of those who answered are satisfied or extremely satisfied with the current state of things. ~23% who answered are disappointed or worse with the way things are going, while another 9% are somewhere in between, feeling strongly neither way.
So to clarify, based on what we've seen of forum viewers in this thread and this thread alone, 90% is a bit high. But anyway.
I guess I shouldn't have even bothered writing anything but the summary huh? I'd really appreciate it if you tried to keep the personal insults to a minimum. I realize that i'm putting my opinions out here for people to scrutinize, and i'm fine with you telling me that you disagree, but I'm really not too keen on all the insults being passed around.
I address two of your three final points in a post just a few back, so if you want to see my take on them, please dig back a little bit. As for the third point you're trying to make, I just don't understand what you're saying, sorry.
I really don't see it. You never directly say how this is clear unless you were trying to say that because Notch&Co. do other things and take breaks they have an inflated sense of self-worth. I hope not because that'd be retarded.
********, half-baked rage threads, like this are a dime-a-dozen on any Minecraft forum. For every person that blindly worhips Notch there's another person that blindly critiques him. Also,
Saying baseless crap like this is what gets trolling started. Mojang isn't saying much about about updates, specifically 1.8, because it's supposed to be a surprise. What other game dev/company updates their twitter page about their game more than Mojang? Not many.
This is the most frequent plight in threads like these. Everyone takes breaks. Can you say that you have perfect attendance at work? Probably not. Also, he's not taking a break from working, he's taking a break from Minecraft. If anything, this should be an indication that minecraft's sucess HASN'T gone to his head if he's willing to put it aside during a large update to work on something else.
God forbid Notch even takes a bathroom break without updating ME on his game's status.
Lazy? You just got a load of demo videos. They worked around the clock for a large update and their lazy, why, because they didn't give you a work schedule? What sense does that make?
Notch dishes out free updates (and free DLC to some), has a forum setup for troubleshooting, no DRM, responds to twitter posts with questions or concerns, and tries his damndest to immediatley fix game-breaking bugs. but you have a point: HE ISN'T DOING IT FAST ENOUGH AND TAKES BREAKS! I DEMAND A WORK SCHEDULE AND DAILY UPDATES ON PRODUCTION *cracks whip* But, seriously, if a large part of the minecraft fanbase were drooling fanboys, we wouldn't see these threads every other day.
1.8 was never delayed because arelease date was never promised, and it's coming to us in two parts. Do you seriously want everything at once in an unstable cluster? plus, pistons not pushing other istons is an intended feature.
So because notch is thinking for the community (not wanting it split) and not the cashola (what you keep bagging him for) he's a greedy asshole? Plus, Mojang is a business, of course they're going to charge for whatever's going in their store, IT'S EXTRA. But I like how you attack him for making profit off an unfinished product then attack his unfinished features that would bring HIS COMPANY (not mojang) more money. Where does the crassness end?
After you just got done saying Notch has a huge ego and that his sucess is going to his head and after wanting to see a work schedule and more 1.8 spoilers, I can honestly say that I didn't see this coming.
Thanks for the kind words.
I know my brain just doesn't work sometimes and I can say things that don't quite line up with what I mean, but I've tried pretty hard to keep all my posts to the point and out of the murky "I want 1.8 now, Notch should be my slave" water that everyone seems so intent on dragging me into.
You know, there has been about a billion of these threads. I can't say something that hasn't been said already. What I will say is that, if you feel you need to write this much about a video game and it's developers, maybe you need to refocus your priorities.
And, honestly, Notch is just some guy. You are making this to be more than it is. He's not sitting on some gold cackling maniacally as he schemes to take more money, nor is he some guy that just prances around never working on the game. He's just a guy making a game. Use this righteous energy you have to debate politics or world energy sources or something.
First off, I'm not very proficient at doing the whole "multiple quotes in the same post" thing... so I apologize for that.
It seems obvious to me (opinion, and I guess I could have worded that first part a bit more delicately) because of the timing of these things that I've mentioned. If Notch had decided to work on his side-project immediately following the 1.8.1 (or whatever) release it would have come across completely different than it did (to me). As it happens though, just like I stated in the OP, it's crunch time for 1.8. It's been demo'd at PAX, Notch himself is talking about how it'll be on the way here in the very near future. 1.8.1 (or whatever) is coming to us in peices because apparently they're having more issues with bugs than originally planned.
The delay isn't the issue. The issue is, in my view, that Notch seems to have left Minecraft kind of sputtering around these past few updates. It's not that the updates aren't coming quick enough, it's that the quality and quantity of content in the updates seems to be sorely lacking (granted, none of us have played 1.8.1 (or whatever) so it's all conjecture based on the PAX demo and what Notch has told us).
Now, with that in mind, Notch has left development of Minecraft in the hands of the rest of the team (not saying they're incompetent at all, just stating facts), in the middle of all this coding and bug fixing for 1.8.1, to pursue other (potentially) profitable endeavors. Yes, Mojang is a gaming company, it's what they do. BUT, Minecraft is what made Mojang and Notch who they are today, and I find it strange that he seems so ready to not be involved in what is one of the biggest updates in Minecraft history (at least in theory...).
So, with that in mind, we can draw whatever conclusions our brains come up with. I came up with two:
1) Notch really did just basically "finish his portion" and is content to let the rest of the team do their thing and confident that they'll resolve all of the issues which have creeped up over the past week or so in a timely manner.
2) Notch just doesn't really care about Minecraft anymore, and will take any opportunity he can to pursue future means of income. Which from a purely survival point of view, sure, he's got a family to provide for and I'm not going to begrudge him for that. But if 1.8 is any indicator of how the rest of Minecraft development will be handled, I worry that his lack of interest in it will lead to fewer and fewer updates with less and less content.
Obviously, you read my post so you know that I came to the conclusion that #2 was more than likely what happened.
Flawed logic or not, it is what it is. Feel free to tell me why I'm wrong though =P
I'm not going to touch on a few of your comments because they're all about the whole "You don't think notch should ever have a break or a vacation" thing. I think I've explained that it's not the break itself so much as the timing and the attitude that seems to allow it to happen. Hopefully that made sense.
I'd like to reiterate a point I've already made, seeing as it's a theme in many of your comments. I don't mind Notch taking vacations, taking honeymoons, working on other projects or any of that stuff. But he has put himself and his company in the limelight to be observed and what I observe is a severe lack of "awareness" to how his decisions might impact the company and the community that has allowed the company to come into existence.
I've said it in a previous post here, a lot of this could just be growing pains as these guys, who (as far as I know) started out as a homebrew kind of operation and are now dealing with providing a game to millions and millions of people. Again though, some communication on the part of Mojang would be nice.
I'm not asking for a release date for 1.8. I'm suggesting that Mojang be a little more open with the reasoning behind some of their decisions. And before I get jumped for it... yes I know that they don't HAVE to give us any information whatsoever, and you'll probably say, "you should just be happy you get anything".
And to that, all I have to say is that we're all humans and we're all capable of making mistakes. Sometimes when we make a mistake it's hard to see unless someone points it out to us.
Concerning the cash shop. I know a lot of people don't mind the DLC/micro-transaction business model. I do though. I guess I come from a different time period in gaming though and am resistant to change. It wasn't too many years ago that the whole DLC fad wasn't even around. Nowadays it's almost uncommon for a game to NOT have DLC on release day. Which to me is just... infuriating. If there's DLC that's polished and ready enough to be used on Day 1, why is it not on the disk that I just paid 60 dollars for? *rage*
But anyway, my disposition towards cash shops and DLC certainly leaves me a little biased on this one. I just see it as a desperate cash grab (no matter WHO is doing it). And as far as Notchs comment about the community... It *really* comes across to me as a lame PR excuse to explain what I see as the real reason why the Steam thing isn't working out, it would mean lower cash shop sales. (this is an opinion if I didn't do a good enough job making that clear)
About your last comment. I'll repeat that it wasn't my intention to demand anything of Mojang. My goal was to tell them and the community why I feel their recent business decisions are potentially bad ones (in my opinion). I might have suggested that more communication could help remedy some of these issues, but I don't believe I've actually demanded anything thus far.
To say that I as a customer am being egotistical for paying attention to and criticizing the business practices of those companies that I deal with is a bit wild don't you think? Should I just take my money elsewhere and never say anything when I'm unhappy with the service I receive (That's what I eventually do when I don't get any sort of feedback from a company)? It's not an egotistical act to take a burger back to a fast food place if it isn't what you ordered is it?
So why is it egotistical for me to criticize Mojang and Notch (who have chosen to conduct themselves and their business in a very public manner) when I feel that I'm not receiving the services/content that they have promised me? Try to keep in mind that I'm making no demands here. I know some of you say I've got a bad entitlement attitude here, but I really challenge you to explain to me why its a problem for me to criticize Mojang/Notch when I feel they're misrepresenting their intentions.
Criticize isn't the same as "demanding an explanation for their actions". Criticism is meant to shed light on an aspect of their business that could potentially use some work.
Now, had I ended my post with some sort of direct question for Mojang or Notch, yeah, you could argue that I've got a bit of a big head thinking that my complaints deserve the highest level feedback possible. But that's not what I did. As far as I know I just stated why I think what they're doing is bad and left it at that.
What do you mean by the last paragraph?
I apologize for the blocky appearance of my response. I'm not quite used to posting or proper formatting.
Anyways, on topic.
I must say that I completely agree with just about everything the OP has said. I read the entire wall of writing that was the original post because my thoughts just seemed to overlap with all of his opinions. I do believe that Notch and the Mojang team have slowed development due to the fame and money that has gone to their heads. Have they worked hard to provide an excellent game, sure. But now that they've made their millions of Euro's (minus whatever European taxes they have to pay), I believe they've lost most of their interest in developing Minecraft. For the past several months, we've seen insignificant updates that don't add much to the game. I find it appalling that Mojang can operate at such an unprofessional manner, no matter how "Indie" or small their company is.
Further more, for the past several months, Minecraft has received insignificant updates. These updates haven't added anything better than Powered rails and Pistons. When I heard "1.8" was coming out, I thought sweet. When I heard there was new world generation and you had to make a new world, I thought, sure that's acceptable. Since then, (I don't even know how long it's been) I've quit playing Minecraft in anticipation. As more information about the update flooded in, the release date just kept getting pushed back. Now I've learnt that 1.8 will come out in "incomplete chunks" and then the rest in 1.9. I just find it mind boggling that development at Mojang is this slow. And for the record, "1.8" was promised as the Adventure update back in 1.7. But Notch gave us Pistons and pushed it back, say, 3 months.
Shame on Mojang, and anyone that will defend their recent behavior as a game developing company.
yay Notch -clap clap-
-My Names Lecia, And Im A Graphic Artist. ライカ
No his argument is infact perfectly valid, because the moderators, and I think even Notch himself at one point said it would be very shortly after the event that it would be released, yet it has been delayed.
Ontopic, I agree. Notch and Mojang have let me down. This doesn't mean that I will stop playing, but I won't expect anything they say anymore. Getting anything thats promised would be a surprise.
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