XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012)

[keith.lamothe]

Yes, I know they can patch a console version.  And I figure the developer/publisher are doing everything they can.  But microsoft (or whoever, depending on policy) just smirks and shakes its head, "oh, look, a patch.  Isn't that cute?"

[madcow]

Console patches cost the company something like $20,000-40,000 per a patch (per a console!). So while yes they can get patched, generally what happens is after a dozen patches on the pc, they'll roll them altogether into one on the console. Or they will do one patch for all the major bugs, then be done with it.

[keith.lamothe]

Console patches cost the company something like $20,000-40,000 per a patch (per a console!).

Wow, that's nasty.  The total cost of making Ancient Shadows for everyone involved was probably no more than $40k; maybe as low as $30k.

It costs them more to patch their game, than for us to do an expansion for ours?

[madcow]

It's a fee that microsoft/console charges for authentication of the patch. I believe the first one is free, and afterwards they have to pay.

Edit: Tim Schafer has said it costs $40,000 to patch. And there was a big stink over the Fez creator not patching his game because of the microsoft fees.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

That's a pretty crooked business practice if it costs you $40,000 to patch a game. Especially when Steam and iOS do it for free.

[orzelek]

I'm not so sure if you should add iOS here. Apparently developing software for it requires a license for just development so it's a cost right there. So patching is not for free.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

I'm not so sure if you should add iOS here. Apparently developing software for it requires a license for just development so it's a cost right there. So patching is not for free.

Last I heard it was a one-time fee for $100 which gave you the development kit for iOS. That is a far cry from $40,000 for a single patch.

[tigersfan]

I'm not so sure if you should add iOS here. Apparently developing software for it requires a license for just development so it's a cost right there. So patching is not for free.

Plus, you have to deal with Apple's approval process for each and every patch, which can be a real hassle.

In a previous job, we had to wait several (something like 6-8) weeks for Apple just to tell us why our app wasn't approved.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

I'm not so sure if you should add iOS here. Apparently developing software for it requires a license for just development so it's a cost right there. So patching is not for free.

Plus, you have to deal with Apple's approval process for each and every patch, which can be a real hassle.

In a previous job, we had to wait several (something like 6-8) weeks for Apple just to tell us why our app wasn't approved.

True point, how about Android's stores instead.

[tigersfan]

I'm not so sure if you should add iOS here. Apparently developing software for it requires a license for just development so it's a cost right there. So patching is not for free.

Plus, you have to deal with Apple's approval process for each and every patch, which can be a real hassle.

In a previous job, we had to wait several (something like 6-8) weeks for Apple just to tell us why our app wasn't approved.

True point, how about Android's stores instead.

Android has it's own set of issues. You don't have to wait for approval there, but, you do have the potential of having to debug for a TON of different devices. Your app could work beautifully on every device you have access to, but then once you release it into the wild, you find that there are three phones and two tablets that your app won't even load on.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

I'm not so sure if you should add iOS here. Apparently developing software for it requires a license for just development so it's a cost right there. So patching is not for free.

Plus, you have to deal with Apple's approval process for each and every patch, which can be a real hassle.

In a previous job, we had to wait several (something like 6-8) weeks for Apple just to tell us why our app wasn't approved.

True point, how about Android's stores instead.

Android has it's own set of issues. You don't have to wait for approval there, but, you do have the potential of having to debug for a TON of different devices. Your app could work beautifully on every device you have access to, but then once you release it into the wild, you find that there are three phones and two tablets that your app won't even load on.

Not really valid to this argument as PC/MAC/Linux/iOS/Xbox/PS3 has this problem as well. Though granted consoles usually don't have this problem as often.

[keith.lamothe]

The android hardware compatibility issues are an order of magnitude (or two or three) worse than what I've seen with our games on the PC and Mac (and even Linux to some degree, despite lack of official engine support for WINE).

[Mánagarmr]

That is very likely due to manufacturers having vastly different ideas on how to make their phones, what shortcuts they make in code to make the hardware work etc. It's not simply as easy as making the app work for a certain Android version and/or screen size.

[Echo35]

Edit: Tim Schafer has said it costs $40,000 to patch. And there was a big stink over the Fez creator not patching his game because of the microsoft fees.

Heh, I remember that. Something about his patch causing saves to be corrupted so he wanted to issue a hotfix but it would have cost him that much, so he said no.

[Mánagarmr]

There's already a healthy amount of mods around. I'm gonna start playing around with them once I finish the game once.