Hello Friends.
I have a few updates to share with everyone. First up our Castle Crashers figurines are now back in stock, yes ! We spent most of last week inside of a warehouse folding boxes and getting everything ready for shipment.
In addition to the figurines now back in stock we’ve added some new products as well!
Behold the Ninja Pirate Tee, and the long awaited Behemoth shirt.
That’s pretty much it for now. More updates to come as we receive them. Thanks!
-Emil-
just to correct myself, SF2HD was sent for verification to both Sony and M$ AFTER the TU was sent by behemoth, and like I said, SF2 has already been approved on both platforms.
Stop lying to your fans and fix your damn game.
Man, we\’re getting burned hard here. I\’ve been unable to play your damned game for at least two months now because it won\’t save, it\’s a \"known issue\" according to Microsoft tech, and I\’m getting more and more pissed off with every update I see up here. \"Buy our stuff!\" \"New Store update!\" \"Free ponies to those who can actually play the game they paid for and it\’s our fault they can\’t!\" Thanks guys, for making me incredibly skeptical about any product you ever produce. I will now see your brand name as a warning.
man this looks sweat 🙂
Can’t wait until the title update is out.
So, where the hell’s my update for the game I haven’t been able to play online since the DAY IT WAS RELEASED? I’m never every buying another Behemoth product again if this is the speed at which you update your games to be playable.
Dear Behemoth,
I like your game. I wish I could play it with my friends but I cannot, as they live far away.
Once you release the patch, are you considering the matter closed or are you planning on doing something as a goodwill gesture to players for the time lost while unable to play?
I can’t wait until the patch comes out. Castle Crashers is FUNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!
according to their blog they are working on the patch. it must be frustrating to be a developer and not have people understand this. behemoth. please take your time with this patch. looking forward to playing it when it comes out. also when is your next game coming out !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
is the next game castle crashers 2 !!!!!!!! best xbox live game i have ever played.
@ Colino
I can’t speak for other developers and their turn around times for their games versus that of a “tiny tu””. As for Castle Crashers I can tell you the same thing I have been saying since day one, we’re working on it. Look, we’re not just a bunch of guys selling games out of a back of a van or something. Any information we receive that we are allowed to share with you, we jump on here and do so. We’re working with Microsoft to get all of the issues resolved and as soon as they give us the go ahead to share more information, tell everyone a release time frame, or anything specific to their certification process we will do so.
We’re not going to stop you from logging on here and speculating on where exactly we are throughout this process and will continue to correct you when you make assumptions and they are wrong.
In the meantime we’ll continue posting updates on other items we do for our company like store updates, contests, interesting things we see, etc, etc, etc. In the event we have an upadte to throw in about the title update we’ll do so as well. If anyone has any questions as to how development of a game works and how the process of delivering a title update is, we’ll try to educate everyone as much as we possibly can.
-Emil-
Please forgive the formatting. I’ll be creative and use dashes for separation.
—Look, we’re not just a bunch of guys selling games out of a back of a van or something.—
Nobody said you were, or even vaguely implied such. Surely we’re above silly strawman arguments.
—Any information we receive that we are allowed to share with you, we jump on here and do so.—
And Microsoft tells us the same thing in reverse. It doesn’t seem unreasonable that customers are a bit peeved. It’s the old “go ask your mother”/”go ask your father” argument. Nobody wants the onus of actually answering the damn question. I’m sure this is stuck in a legal nightmare, but surely you can appreciate that “MS won’t let us talk about it” is a frustratingly useless answer for those of us that paid for the game.
— If anyone has any questions as to how development of a game works and how the process of delivering a title update is—
I’m familiar enough with software development. I do have a question: Honestly, was the first submission of the TU rejected by MS?
@Emil
While I really appreciate you by getting down here and responding to our comments, you need to understand (and here is where I think Behemoth is failing) how frustrated we are.
We want some honest answers, you keep saying YOU are working on the update. Be honest with us if MS refused the first TU you sent in, it’s the least you can do!
I understand you guys are frustrated, but so are your customers, and ultimately that is far more important than your own troubles because, in all honesty, it’s your own fault if the game was sent out broken in the first place. It seems that you guys just forget about that, it’s almost as if we’re back to the times when dan and tom would refuse to believe any kind of problem at all, and matchmaking issues were due to “very particular connections”.
So please, I can only immagine how hard it is to admit in a situation like this, but like I said, please be straight up and honest with us. Because it’s obvious that if the first TU was not accepted by MS, the waiting time will be much longer. And if that’s true, you need to tell us, no matter what MS’s policies are.
@Colino
I’m in the middle on this one. Yes, we all want an update and no, we don’t have it yet. But seriously kids do you really think that incessant whining on this blog is going to make them go any faster? Doubtful, in my opinion. No, Colino, I am not attacking you at all. But just reread what you posted and ask yourself…why in the blue hell would any developer go against the people that are putting money in that very developer’s bank account? We all want a TU, we do. I played the game like crazy until roughly three weeks ago I got hit with the data wipe. I was frustrated and didn’t feel like going back through so you know what I did? Come on now say it with me: I purchased some more games and have been playing them instead. Simple, right? The update will come when it comes but why waste your time on here beating a horse that’s been dead for two+ months? Go grab a copy of Left4Dead and hop online and go nuts. Let’s be reasonable here people.
@Emil el Gran
I have to conclude this novel with the same question that Colino had, though. Did the first TU get rejected or is that one of the things that you cats can’t tell us at the moment? Either way is cool because I’m not going to stop playing my 360 for an XBLA game. I’m sorry, not going to happen. When the update comes out then I will begin playing again. But until then…
@FooPuppy
Thanks for your reply. I completely understand how the lack of constant information about the entire process can be very frustrating to say the least. However, the information that I have been providing to this point is all that can be shared at this time. If I could jump on here and give everyone a detailed account of what exactly has been going on with this title update process since it first began, I would. This is why the dev blog was started, so we could share information about the development of our products with our customers. As vaugue as a statement of “we’re working on it” might be that is the extent of what can be said at this point. In the event this changes, I’ll be the first one on here elaborating as much as I can.
As you stated that you are familiar enough with software development I’ll make an assumption and hope you understand that the certification process from Microsoft is a little more involved than here’s a submission, your submission has passed, here’s the title update. John had confirmed on our development blog that “we sent the title update to Microsoft for testing and certification” this was the last information that we had shared. I personally made a comment after that post stating that we are still working on the title update. This may be viewed as a vaugue statement but that’s exactly what’s going on at the moment. Obviously one could elaborate more than just saying we’re working on it, but as I’ve previously mentioned and will continue to do so until the end of time, we can’t specifically comment on Microsoft’s certification process.
Hope this helps a little, and thank you for your comment.
-Emil-
@Lycaon & Emil
I’m with you on this one. And please understand that I’m not here whining because I have nothing else to do.
I just feel that there are different ways of debating and complaining, and many people around here are being immature about the situation, so I feel the need to walk in and add a “mature” voice to represent them.
I appreciate Emil’s answering here on the blog, especially since he’s being consistent with the responses now.
To reply to your (sort of retoric) question, no, I cannot imagine why a developer would, I’ll quote you, “go against the people that are putting money in that very developer’s bank account”.
That’s why it’s frustrating, it just makes no sense. I’ve loved Behemoth for years now, my house of their and Dan’s personal merchandise. Yet these few months have frustrated me to no end, I’m sad and undramatically abandoned, because I had so much faith and hope in this game, that every little bug felt like a stab in the back, considering how blatant and easy they were to find.
I just found it sad that they never found any of this during testing, and they denied every bug for weeks. That’s what truly put me against Behemoth and the way they were acting.
I feel like they are being much more mature about the situation now, but it’s still not enough.
On another note, I DID pick up left 4 dead, and I LOVE the online. Playing as zombies is amazing!
@Colino
The assumption that I am “now being consistent with my responses” is to be blunt simply not a accurate statement. For the record I have been consistent with my posts, comments since the opening of this development blog back in the beginning of 2008. In addition the statement about how we are being more “mature about the situation now” again is simply not true. We run this blog, our forums, and anything we do with maturity and respect to the visitors of the site. This isn’t a recent development, and to reiterate my previous statement I will make sure I come on here to correct these assumptions.
To dive in a little deeper to your statements. The bugs that were found in Castle Crashers were definitely unfortunate, but to say they were blatant and easy to find is a little presumptuous. Both our internal test team and Microsoft rigorously tested Castle Crashers for months before the release of the title. The issues were present when CC launched and here we are 2+ months into it working to fix the issues. The situation is unfortunate but we’re not abondoning the game or those who have supported us, that’s just not who we are.
If there are specific statements made by me, or anyone from The Behemoth about “denying every bug” please direct those to me and I will discuss them with you further. In the meantime we’re still working on getting the title update out, and will continue to work hard on supporting all of our customers.
Also, Left 4 Dead is awesome! I can’t believe I’ve gone this long without being able to vomit on people as a zombie.
Thanks for your constructive comments, I look forward to more of them.
-Emil-
@Emil
I’ sorry for the small misunderstanding, but what I meant by mature reaction to our comments is the simple fact that you’re on here talking with me, which I find incredibly mature and reactive.
I think this should have been your guys’ aproach from the start.
In reagards of denying bugs, in an interview with Joystiq at PAX, Dan mentioned XBox live matchup problems happened only in “very specific environments”, when it was clear that almost everyone was having trouble with the online modes.
I’m waiting patiently, I just believe that you committed the same error twice: giving unneeded hype.
We waited a LONG time for castle crashers (and it was, in my opinion, mostly worth the wait), because it was being hyped all over the place. You guys clearly stated that wouldn’t happen again, and you would only announce future titles when there is enough ready, so that there’s no more exagerated hype before the game even has a release.
Unfortunately, the same thing happened with the TU. Dan saying SOON WONDER WILL BE ACHIEVED, and you and other devs posting such amazing and optimistic updates kept everyone’s hopes high. They were ultimately deluded though, since the entire process took much, much longer than expected.
Tom can’t say “we’re fixing everything soon” (from same joystiq interview) a week after the game is released. If you don’t have a clear idea of how many problems you need to solve, you can’t say you’ll solve them all soon.
It sounds like controversy, but I believe that it was Behemoth’s optimistic and happy-go-lucky approach to the problem that got people angry in the end. “We are aware that many of you are unhappy about the wait” was a HUGE understatement.
Again, I’m very happy (and somewhat surprised) that we can have this conversation, and I’d be more than glad to continue.
@Colino
“In reagards of denying bugs, in an interview with Joystiq at PAX, Dan mentioned XBox live matchup problems happened only in “very specific environments”, when it was clear that almost everyone was having trouble with the online modes.”
That quote was said within 24 hours of release, I believe. The game released the same day PAX opened. I was out of town and that was my knowledge of the problem at the time. I’d still say that quote is pretty close to home, even with that in consideration.
I would not agree that what I said is a denial of bugs. The bugs exist.. However, they do not exist for everyone. I have had friends on XBL I can connect with 100% of the time all the way through the game, and friends that I cannot get a game working with. So there’s no way I’m going to go saying everyone will have problems. They won’t! I’ve heard more people tell me they loved the game than people tell me they had problems. I’ve met with thousands of people since the game has released at tradeshows.
As far as “almost everyone” having problems; Unless you have some kind of way of polling everyone that plays our game that I don’t know about I’d argue the validity of that assumption.
sidenotes;
We are not 1st party – meaning we aren’t in control of content approval/pricing/release dates/timing. I know how it must seem from the outside perspective as I was once there myself. I questioned the same things about developers. Now that I am one I finally understand. It seems like it should be a very basic walk in the park from start to finish…. but it is the absolute opposite of that. Making games is extremely complex. There’s a great writeup about this from the Penny Arcade guys about crossing over/criticism of devs/etc.
Emil really is spilling the beans as much as possible. There are things called NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) which bind us from speaking about certain topics.
At the end of the day; we work on stuff for years to make you guys happy. So, it truly is excruciating for us to see some people upset and we didn’t mean for any of it to happen. We’re probably just as disappointed as any of you out there having problems and are hauling butt to make sure this TU is in your hands ASAP.
Thanks for sticking by us.
Here is a simple and logical conclusion.
If the behemoth made a game that did not work they way you wanted it to, don’t support them by buying their merchandise. There is no need for all the histrionics and melodrama.
I will not buy Behemoth products again until I am informed that they are actually satisfying their customers again. I encourage you all to do the same.
@danp
I’m well aware of NDA’s and how important they are (I work in for an accessory company in the gaming biz, I have to sign NDA’s myself).
Just beware that, whenever you need to present a new product, don’t be so overly positive about it in public unless you are 100% certain, without a doubt, that you’ll be able to do things on time.
“Soon” is arguably not a 3 month span, and while I know you have no (or not enough) control over it, there was no need to create such a hype for the TU in the first place. I know it’s hard to not go out there and tell your fans that it’s coming, but in the long run it turns out worse, and you end up having fans that leave or believe you to be liars because they don’t understand how difficult the process is, and thus take your word as a grain of salt from then on.
And ultimately, it’s a terrible experience to loose respect like that. As immature as many comments have been, I can only immagine how painful it is to read them (some of the prdocuts my company makes didn’t do so well, and I have to read negative comments about them everyday).
Ackk. After Emil’s direct and honest post, I was going to just be quiet and wait for the patch. Then I see this condescending junk:
“As far as “almost everyone” having problems; Unless you have some kind of way of polling everyone that plays our game that I don’t know about I’d argue the validity of that assumption.”
I don’t know if it is a true majority. I certainly don’t have a way of polling everybody that makes an aborted attempt to play online. Statistics aside, I know online does not work for me, nor anyone I know. I’ve looked for solutions in counless forums only to find that many others are also having online problems. Pretending this is a problem only a minority of us have is absurd.
@FooPuppy: i was questioning the validity. as you’ve admitted that you don’t know the validity of that statement either i can’t find anything to respond to that isn’t namecalling. really, there’s no need to get personal.
I’m not looking to heap on and I know that no comment I make here will have any effect on the release of this patch. However, after waiting patiently to this point I just want to let my frustration be heard. If Microsoft’s certification process is as draconian as you imply then why are we not routinely waiting 3 months for crucial patches to fundamentally broken games? I can appreciate the small size of your team but there reaches a point where no excuse is acceptable. Arguing whether or not the portion of customers suffering from these issues is a true majority or just a signification chunk seems really pointless to me.
Hey its mid november……………….*cough*trophys*cough*