Did none of the beta testers 2k7

[vancutan]

Ever encounter one of those accursed Direct X Surface Unavailable errors?

I will agree that the Beta testers aren't responsible for the cruddy interface and the screwed up AI (I won't agree they weren't responsible for 150 Transports or not noticing the PD bug). But, did any of them ever encounter the Direct X errors?

How could they have tested this ... thing without encountering one of those errors?

What did they do when they were testing this piece of crap? Was their charge to make it past 100 turns?

Hell the slightest little hiccup in the OS will cause a Direct X error when you get past 400 turns.

I'm about sick of this game and I'm certainly sick of the incompenents at QS.

And still no GD patch!!!

[EmmaRobert]

You sound frustrated—and properly so. A nice play session may be ruined by DirectX Surface Unavailable errors, especially in games that rely on real-time visuals and large-scale unit management like yours (Galactic Civilizations? Orion Master, possibly Supreme Commander).

Your diatribe sounds like someone who's gone long into the game, past 400 turns, where things start to break apart if the engine or memory management is lax. Sloppy testing or no long-term playtesting after the honeymoon phase explains the game blowing up after hours of play.


A few ideas:

• DirectX Surface issues occur when Windows says "nope," since the graphical context was lost. Driver issues, memory leaks, or engine mishandling of complicated late-game situations might cause that.
• If beta testers didn't find bugs, they:
• They didn't test late-stage games
• Used different hardware or OS, survival race

Logged bugs but QA and dev disregarded them.

And yes, the PD issue (Point Defense?) and AI derping out—like someone decided “eh, ship it” instead of optimizing the gameplay. 150 shipments? Seriously? That suggests an AI without logistics skills.

No update? Last insult. While launch may have been hurried, if patch support stops before the community gets problem fixes, everyone is bitter.

Drop the game name so I can find solutions, fan patches, or modifications that stabilize it. Usually, a forum hero keeps the game playable after the designers quit.