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Ah, the much hated topic, the one that makes people frown and wave their fists at the games industry. The one that causes more people to fail a part of a game, need to start again or destroy their computer/console in anger. Yes, I speak of bugs. The arch-nemesis of both developer and gamer these little creepy crawly programming faults are everywhere and could easily be said to be the biggest problem in the gaming industry today, including piracy. It is rare that you buy a game and find it to be 100% pope like infallible, problem free and perfect. So much is done to combat the bug, playtests all the way through the making, beta testing by the public and oh so many other tests but nothing seems to work, a bug always seems to dodge the system.
Have you ever played a game all the way to the big boss and suddenly you realise that a bug in the game means that he/she can't be defeated? Have you ever been happily playing away to find that your character dies for no reason and you have to begin again? Have you ever been merrily walking along when your character suddenly falls through the ground into an eerie abyss of oblivion? It is things like this that make people want to tear their controller, console, computer or friend apart in a fit of rage and is infact one of the largest causes of game system abuse. The mere mention of a bug makes people quiver in fear, as a dragon would have in their time. The only known solution to a bug is the mighty Patch Heroes that are occasionally dispatched by the order of developers to slay the bug. Or worse, should a bug appear in the world of consoles the only solution is to replace the game completely or suffer the presence of the bug for all time. Worse even than this bugs seem to have a tendency to breed and just when you think you have defeated the last one another Patch Knight is needed and all this serves to do is lower the morale of the games players. Bugs may well be an eternal problem that can never be solved.
So who do we blame for this sudden infestation? Hives of bugs spread into every new game their claims of being the best game ever shattered by even a single bug that slipped by unnoticed. Do we blame the developers for not being vigilant, should they have payed more attention when they were programming perhaps? Can we truly blame them, they could not be expected to anticipate every possibility. They recieve demands for more freedom in a game and yet are expected to be able to try every single possibility. This testing would take too long and they would be put down for taking more time than they could have but if they release a game that is found to have a bug in it then they will be damned for not finding it. If we blame the developers (and we so often do) then we are obviously being unfair and expecting too much from them, they suffer for failing something that no human being could be expected to do. So who else do we blame? The beta-testers? Members of the public like you and I who play the game and try as many things as possible in order to discover hidden bugs they also could not be blamed for missing some. Is there truly anyone we can blame for bugs and if not then what can be done to stop them?
No one can say that bugs do not bother them, they disrupt the flow of any game and it is hard not to be a little annoyed when you lose without doing anything wrong. So what can be done to stop this menace? More tests that lead to delays? More co-operation and co-ordination by the testing teams? Is there anything that can be done? Well that remains to be seen. What we do know is that bugs will annoy us for some time to come but we must remember not to be angry or complain too much at developers when a bug is found. For it is not always entirely their fault and many a time they have done all that could be reasonably expected from them. Let us look forward to a time when there are no bugs and be happy in the knowledge that steps are being taken to try to give us the most bug free gameplay we can get.
Have you ever played a game all the way to the big boss and suddenly you realise that a bug in the game means that he/she can't be defeated? Have you ever been happily playing away to find that your character dies for no reason and you have to begin again? Have you ever been merrily walking along when your character suddenly falls through the ground into an eerie abyss of oblivion? It is things like this that make people want to tear their controller, console, computer or friend apart in a fit of rage and is infact one of the largest causes of game system abuse. The mere mention of a bug makes people quiver in fear, as a dragon would have in their time. The only known solution to a bug is the mighty Patch Heroes that are occasionally dispatched by the order of developers to slay the bug. Or worse, should a bug appear in the world of consoles the only solution is to replace the game completely or suffer the presence of the bug for all time. Worse even than this bugs seem to have a tendency to breed and just when you think you have defeated the last one another Patch Knight is needed and all this serves to do is lower the morale of the games players. Bugs may well be an eternal problem that can never be solved.
So who do we blame for this sudden infestation? Hives of bugs spread into every new game their claims of being the best game ever shattered by even a single bug that slipped by unnoticed. Do we blame the developers for not being vigilant, should they have payed more attention when they were programming perhaps? Can we truly blame them, they could not be expected to anticipate every possibility. They recieve demands for more freedom in a game and yet are expected to be able to try every single possibility. This testing would take too long and they would be put down for taking more time than they could have but if they release a game that is found to have a bug in it then they will be damned for not finding it. If we blame the developers (and we so often do) then we are obviously being unfair and expecting too much from them, they suffer for failing something that no human being could be expected to do. So who else do we blame? The beta-testers? Members of the public like you and I who play the game and try as many things as possible in order to discover hidden bugs they also could not be blamed for missing some. Is there truly anyone we can blame for bugs and if not then what can be done to stop them?
No one can say that bugs do not bother them, they disrupt the flow of any game and it is hard not to be a little annoyed when you lose without doing anything wrong. So what can be done to stop this menace? More tests that lead to delays? More co-operation and co-ordination by the testing teams? Is there anything that can be done? Well that remains to be seen. What we do know is that bugs will annoy us for some time to come but we must remember not to be angry or complain too much at developers when a bug is found. For it is not always entirely their fault and many a time they have done all that could be reasonably expected from them. Let us look forward to a time when there are no bugs and be happy in the knowledge that steps are being taken to try to give us the most bug free gameplay we can get.
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WWF: No Mercy is one game that comes to mind when speaking about bugs. More recently there was the bug at the end of Black & White, which was very bad but I didn't think it spoiled the game and it has now been fixed. There was also Ultima 9 a while back which was horifically bugged in both US and UK versions (all versions really), there wasn't enough support in my opinion and I've never played very far into the game because of all the bugs. I wonder if they didn't program a giant bug which had a bit of game creep in, just to be different. That's major bugs, but most games have minor ones. Some minor bugs can be exploited to add a new dimension to gameplay and may allow you to do things you really shouldn't be able to. I often find a bug or mapping error that allows for an easier game, though it sometimes is like a challenge to find it or use it.
Aw... trade for a boring, orthodox sad git of a programmer?
:)
:)
I'd say what would really take the fun away is if you had no one to play against.
It's actually quite good having 2 gaming brothers.
It's actually quite good having 2 gaming brothers.
Strafex wrote:
> Well guessed.
I still have the bugged version (complete with
> blood!) which isn't so bad for me because I've only lost everything
> once.
Besides, apart from a few secret items/moves and your
> custom characters (which could be saved to a gamepak anyway) the
> memory wasn't THAT important.
It still took away all the fun for me though.
> Well guessed.
I still have the bugged version (complete with
> blood!) which isn't so bad for me because I've only lost everything
> once.
Besides, apart from a few secret items/moves and your
> custom characters (which could be saved to a gamepak anyway) the
> memory wasn't THAT important.
It still took away all the fun for me though.
Well guessed.
I still have the bugged version (complete with blood!) which isn't so bad for me because I've only lost everything once.
Besides, apart from a few secret items/moves and your custom characters (which could be saved to a gamepak anyway) the memory wasn't THAT important.
I still have the bugged version (complete with blood!) which isn't so bad for me because I've only lost everything once.
Besides, apart from a few secret items/moves and your custom characters (which could be saved to a gamepak anyway) the memory wasn't THAT important.
Hey, wait a sec... you're talking about WWF No Mercy!!!
Yep, that did bug me (ha!), and once I had the glitch free version, the novelty of the game had perished like all the WWF games before them.
Yep, that did bug me (ha!), and once I had the glitch free version, the novelty of the game had perished like all the WWF games before them.
Some bugs are seriously unforgivable though.
Especially when they were detected in a US version of a game 6 months ago but left uncured for the British release!
Especially when they were detected in a US version of a game 6 months ago but left uncured for the British release!
Ah, the much hated topic, the one that makes people frown and wave their fists at the games industry. The one that causes more people to fail a part of a game, need to start again or destroy their computer/console in anger. Yes, I speak of bugs. The arch-nemesis of both developer and gamer these little creepy crawly programming faults are everywhere and could easily be said to be the biggest problem in the gaming industry today, including piracy. It is rare that you buy a game and find it to be 100% pope like infallible, problem free and perfect. So much is done to combat the bug, playtests all the way through the making, beta testing by the public and oh so many other tests but nothing seems to work, a bug always seems to dodge the system.
Have you ever played a game all the way to the big boss and suddenly you realise that a bug in the game means that he/she can't be defeated? Have you ever been happily playing away to find that your character dies for no reason and you have to begin again? Have you ever been merrily walking along when your character suddenly falls through the ground into an eerie abyss of oblivion? It is things like this that make people want to tear their controller, console, computer or friend apart in a fit of rage and is infact one of the largest causes of game system abuse. The mere mention of a bug makes people quiver in fear, as a dragon would have in their time. The only known solution to a bug is the mighty Patch Heroes that are occasionally dispatched by the order of developers to slay the bug. Or worse, should a bug appear in the world of consoles the only solution is to replace the game completely or suffer the presence of the bug for all time. Worse even than this bugs seem to have a tendency to breed and just when you think you have defeated the last one another Patch Knight is needed and all this serves to do is lower the morale of the games players. Bugs may well be an eternal problem that can never be solved.
So who do we blame for this sudden infestation? Hives of bugs spread into every new game their claims of being the best game ever shattered by even a single bug that slipped by unnoticed. Do we blame the developers for not being vigilant, should they have payed more attention when they were programming perhaps? Can we truly blame them, they could not be expected to anticipate every possibility. They recieve demands for more freedom in a game and yet are expected to be able to try every single possibility. This testing would take too long and they would be put down for taking more time than they could have but if they release a game that is found to have a bug in it then they will be damned for not finding it. If we blame the developers (and we so often do) then we are obviously being unfair and expecting too much from them, they suffer for failing something that no human being could be expected to do. So who else do we blame? The beta-testers? Members of the public like you and I who play the game and try as many things as possible in order to discover hidden bugs they also could not be blamed for missing some. Is there truly anyone we can blame for bugs and if not then what can be done to stop them?
No one can say that bugs do not bother them, they disrupt the flow of any game and it is hard not to be a little annoyed when you lose without doing anything wrong. So what can be done to stop this menace? More tests that lead to delays? More co-operation and co-ordination by the testing teams? Is there anything that can be done? Well that remains to be seen. What we do know is that bugs will annoy us for some time to come but we must remember not to be angry or complain too much at developers when a bug is found. For it is not always entirely their fault and many a time they have done all that could be reasonably expected from them. Let us look forward to a time when there are no bugs and be happy in the knowledge that steps are being taken to try to give us the most bug free gameplay we can get.
Have you ever played a game all the way to the big boss and suddenly you realise that a bug in the game means that he/she can't be defeated? Have you ever been happily playing away to find that your character dies for no reason and you have to begin again? Have you ever been merrily walking along when your character suddenly falls through the ground into an eerie abyss of oblivion? It is things like this that make people want to tear their controller, console, computer or friend apart in a fit of rage and is infact one of the largest causes of game system abuse. The mere mention of a bug makes people quiver in fear, as a dragon would have in their time. The only known solution to a bug is the mighty Patch Heroes that are occasionally dispatched by the order of developers to slay the bug. Or worse, should a bug appear in the world of consoles the only solution is to replace the game completely or suffer the presence of the bug for all time. Worse even than this bugs seem to have a tendency to breed and just when you think you have defeated the last one another Patch Knight is needed and all this serves to do is lower the morale of the games players. Bugs may well be an eternal problem that can never be solved.
So who do we blame for this sudden infestation? Hives of bugs spread into every new game their claims of being the best game ever shattered by even a single bug that slipped by unnoticed. Do we blame the developers for not being vigilant, should they have payed more attention when they were programming perhaps? Can we truly blame them, they could not be expected to anticipate every possibility. They recieve demands for more freedom in a game and yet are expected to be able to try every single possibility. This testing would take too long and they would be put down for taking more time than they could have but if they release a game that is found to have a bug in it then they will be damned for not finding it. If we blame the developers (and we so often do) then we are obviously being unfair and expecting too much from them, they suffer for failing something that no human being could be expected to do. So who else do we blame? The beta-testers? Members of the public like you and I who play the game and try as many things as possible in order to discover hidden bugs they also could not be blamed for missing some. Is there truly anyone we can blame for bugs and if not then what can be done to stop them?
No one can say that bugs do not bother them, they disrupt the flow of any game and it is hard not to be a little annoyed when you lose without doing anything wrong. So what can be done to stop this menace? More tests that lead to delays? More co-operation and co-ordination by the testing teams? Is there anything that can be done? Well that remains to be seen. What we do know is that bugs will annoy us for some time to come but we must remember not to be angry or complain too much at developers when a bug is found. For it is not always entirely their fault and many a time they have done all that could be reasonably expected from them. Let us look forward to a time when there are no bugs and be happy in the knowledge that steps are being taken to try to give us the most bug free gameplay we can get.
Page: