Gamespot: release date 12/17

[Master Marcus]

...just before Christmas. Hmmm...what a timing, and may be just enough to fix the latest major bugs. Good job.

[pmaura]

We assume its coming this year, I still find it hard to believe that they have given us 2 release dates and then all of a sudden found this multiplayer crash bug. They might find even more. I just hope its not as delayed as free lancer

[Gooberman32]

Well none of this has been officailly announced by the devs...

[Main_Brain]

Well I have some serious Work to do till 19 December anyway so I guess its better than now

[MasterDave]

If they slip beyond 12/17 their X-mas sales are toast. I think that the bugs they are dealing with must be pretty catastrophic for them to be delaying at all during December (prime shopping time).

[Tuberski]

I dont' see why they can't release it and patch the MP part, most people will play SP to figure out the game, won't they?

ACK!

[Mellian]

yes, but after seeing the kind of Backlash Civ3: PTW got for faulty Multiplayer, don't think they are interested in making the same mistake.

they are delaying to solve MAJOR DEADLY bugs... i won't be suprised if there is still a unfound bug or two when they ship... which players who likes to do crazy things in their games will find :P

-Mellian

[playshogi]

Yes, but people are paying extra for Civ3's multiplayer.
The "backlash" would be muted, indeed, if Moo3 multiplayer is fixed in a patch.

[Xentax]

Originally posted by Mellian
yes, but after seeing the kind of Backlash Civ3: PTW got for faulty Multiplayer, don't think they are interested in making the same mistake.

they are delaying to solve MAJOR DEADLY bugs... i won't be suprised if there is still a unfound bug or two when they ship... which players who likes to do crazy things in their games will find :P

-Mellian

That's really not how bug-hunting works. Once a bug is identified, particularly if it has a workaround, it's unlikely to stand in the way of other bughunting.

I mean, it *can* -- for example, if there was a bug that prevented all ground combat, you wouldn't be able to find bugs in the ground combat itself until it was fixed.

The only thing the MP bugs are likely to mask are late-game bugs, and there's been plenty of single-player late-game testing -- hence that save game corruption bug being found and squashed. From what I've seen, there's really little difference between SP and MP in terms of game mechanics -- space combat being the main exception that comes to mind (if it's player vs. player).