Released this Month?

[ivot]

So on the main website is says the this will be released 'Summer 08'. Could one of the developers let us know if that means this month or September?

[tyjenks]

They have been keeping pretty quiet on the exact date although it has been asked. Summer ends on September 21st. I figure we can give them until a couple weeks before then to reveal an exact date and if they do not, we can commence with the throwing of virtual rotten fruit. :D

Seriously, I bet they throw up an approximate date as soon as they figure the thing will be ready.

[CZ-GameBlogger]

I believe they need to release till end of this month. Because of lot of very well hyped games is comming at the end of the summer. I know, they want to be independent. But they are still doing it for money. And it is small, not so well know game.
At the end of the Augst there will be Too Human, Spore, Fable 2, Force Unleashed.. then Fallout 3, Starcraft 2 and PC version of GTA4. There will be lot of people who will overlook hinteland among these games.

So I suppose, they should relese in the next week. Now almost no games are comming out. Gamers are almost desperate without no good quality game to play. Best time for hinterland.

[sakasiru]

Well, I like them to release it when it´s done. I´m tired of buying a game and then waiting for a patch until I can play it without frustration. So TM, take all your time you need.

I also understand the demand for a release date, but seriously: Why? If they announce a date, and are ready two days earlier, we get it two days later than we could. If they get ready two days later, half of the community will storm the forums. It´s for the best they don´t give out a certain date.

[Sleet]

I agree with sakasiru, release when ready. If they release too early then it may get bad reviews which would impact sales, new prospective buyers and interest.
Also those who do buy it may be disappointed and not then get to enjoy the great game we see developing.
TM, indeed take the time, give us a new screen or tidbits of info. Let us know when it goes GOLD! :)

[JuliaSet]

I think now that they are independent, they dont HAVE to release something at a specified time. I'm sure they want to get things polished, cause you can feel it in just using the slick interface in CotN. When I play CotN, the feeling I get is like pulling an expensive Swiss watch out of my pocket. I can sense the degree of thought, the detailed interaction of this basic part of the game. It feels elegantly crafted.

Maybe there is a clue here in the Gameshark interview:
Jeff: We haven’t fully play tested this, but the model now is you get severely wounded and transported back to town and then you recover
http://www.gameshark.com/features/500/Tilted-Mill-Interview-Part-II.htm (http://www.gameshark.com/features/500/Tilted-Mill-Interview-Part-II.htm)

[getter77]

I should also think it would be best to be released when the game is in very good shape as opposed to earlier. Granted, there will surely be some fixes to do post-release....but I want to think that moreso updates will be in terms of content and balancing as opposed to an endless stream of bugfixing.

[alh_p]

Gamespy is saying Q4, so that could be christmas...
http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/pc/hinterland/897378p1.html

[Aushun]

Gamespy is saying Q4, so that could be christmas...
http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/pc/hinterland/897378p1.html

Christmas isn't summer :eek:

[Kiya]

Christmas isn't summer :eek:

Somewhere around the world it can be. ;)

[soldyne]

For most businesses, Q4 ends in September. the business year is not the same as the calendar year. October is most likely the start of TM's Fiscal Year 2009. and as it has been said before, Summer continues on through mid September, so I think we have at least another month to wait for any information.

[alh_p]

What? er, no.

End of September is the end of Q3. Q4 runs from October to the end of December.

[EmperorJay]

alh_p, of course you are right that for laymen September is the end of Q3. For many companies, however, September is the end of Q4. Don't ask me why, that's just how it works apparently. I dislike linking to Wikipedia, bit it's easy for quick references: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiscal_Year

I don't understand why GameSport may display release dates based on the fiscal year, as it only adds to the confusion for less hardcore gamers.

Also, we don't know if TM's fiscal year ends in September or not, the important thing is that Reed has stated that their target release date is still Summer, which leaves little to the imagination. Link: http://www.tiltedmill.com/forums/showpost.php?p=195964&postcount=6

[alh_p]

Well the company I work for and indeed the entire industry works around January to December. I suspect the financial year (ending in April -here in the UK) to be of more relevance to financial sector industries.

How off topic? :D

[ps0705]

Maybe there is a clue here in the Gameshark interview:

Jeff: We haven’t fully play tested this, but the model now is you get severely wounded and transported back to town and then you recover

Hopefully the interview was conducted a long time before it was published @_@

Anyway, with distributors out of the way, TM should be able to release the game as soon as its ready, meaning no shipping delays and what-not. Yay :D

[walkstheplanes]

What? er, no.

End of September is the end of Q3. Q4 runs from October to the end of December.

Tilted Mill Employee:

I don't know...maybe they are using fiscal quarters?

Anyway, if the date was changed, we would reflect that on the site.

Regardless, I want to play this game right now ;).

[ivot]

So who thinks this game will be released before August is over? My guess is that since they said summer, Hinterland will be out before we hit September on the calendar. Should be interesting to see if I'm right or not :)

[walkstheplanes]

Considering the slew of games that are coming out (as a previous poster noted), I'd hope this game comes out this month...

I just wish Tilted Mill would feed us more information -- that would sate me somewhat.

I haven't been this interested in a game in a long while.

[JuliaSet]

Fall begins September 23. As per their announcement, they have a while yet till they get to the edge of summer.

JS

[Sleet]

Fall starts March 21 in the Southern Hemisphere.
:p
(Don't get me wrong, I hope it will be out FALL for us - 23rd)

[JuliaSet]

LOL, you could be right.. am in a blur right now getting ready to return to school. Fall semester in August.. geeeez.

Just was a note that we have more than a month more of summer.

[Kiya]

Well, perhaps we shouldn't discuss any more when does summer end. On IGN site it says "Release Date: December 31, 2008" :eek:
http://pc.ign.com/objects/142/14265968.html

[Nyarlahotep]

anymore

*edit*

well not at the top release date anyway

(i feel sheepish)

[bitobah]

IGN makes stuff up when they don't know the real dates. I wouldn't trust them. I'm not saying that they will/will not make the "Summer" date, I'm just saying IGN probably doesn't know anything more than we do.

[King Faticus]

but Gamespy also said that it as to be released in Q4 :confused:

ofcourse that was mentioned already lol

[Azeem]

Didn't Reed say that any change in release date would be reflected on the company website?

[King Faticus]

/me sighs


yes and it still says

Coming Summer '08



I was actually hoping it would be pushed back because then they might be adding some of our suggestions. :o

[Aushun]

Keep in mind that with an online release and a $20 price tag, Hinterland isn't your regular PC game, so the usual worries about competition with other titles etc may not necessarily apply. I think is the important thing at the moment is to make the game as great as possible and get some good reviews since they're about the only way to generate sales; there's no existing brand name like Caesar or SimCity to rely on, and the online game community (which is virtually Hinterland's only audience atm) relies on reviews a fair bit more than the average consumer. So good reviews+low price point is pretty much the sales model for Hinterland. To that end TM should take as long as they need, but maybe tell us/confirm the release date if they're not too busy. :)

[ivot]

It's good to hear that beta is getting ready to get underway but I think that it also means that Hinterland is definitely NOT coming out this month. I'm starting to wonder if perhaps we are looking at late September for a release.

[Psalm51]

I am all for giving Tilted Mill lots of time with their new venture. Having acquired the IP to Children of the Nile, released an updated version of the game on Steam and made the Steam release upgrades patch available to existing owners of CotN, committed to release an campaign/scenario pack for CotN, released the most recent Sim City Societies expansion and got Hinterland in the late stage of development, well, I'm impressed (smily face.) The words to use here might be "cut them some slack"...

[fleshtonegolem]

As far as release dates go, I've never had a game I was waiting for come out at the original posted date.

I think Oblivion was over a year late and Mount and Blade is still Shooting for Sept, all though it was supposed to be finished up in April.


Release dates are always best case scenario guesses.

I'd rather wait a little longer for any game to come out if it's less buggy.

I can't stand installing a game and then finding out you need a huge download patch just to play it on Vista.

That's happen to me twice already. It's gotten a bit better since Vista has been out for a few years though.

I agree with Ivot on what the beta means. Typically they would have beta tested it at least a month or two prior to intended release.

Unless they are damn sure it's nearly bug free.

[Yonder]

I believe that the EULA thing that you had to agree to when you apply to Beta test said that the Beta test would end in November, so that December estimate may not be that far off.

It's worthless to speculate though, just gets us all riled up and excited. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing I suppose.

[angelisis]

yeah bit of a wait yet.....but then that whats the forumn is for keep us occupied till then