A studio needs to understand the demands of its fans

Sep 20, 2014 16:31 GMT  ·  By

I remember a time when patches for video games were, if not a rarity, something that usually filled fans with a sense of dread because they tended to take time to download, could break some core mechanics and almost always had an impact on saves.

They were intended as last-ditch measures for titles that had at least one major problem that gamers would notice and could not be explained away.

At the moment, patching, probably because of the ubiquitous Internet and the fast speeds of most connections as well as the complexity of modern releases, is normal, with some companies clearly choosing to stick to launch date and deal with any issues later via updates.

The case of Total War: Rome II

The newest strategy experience from The Creative Assembly was heavily critiqued on launch by some long-term fans because it simplified the core mechanics in some ways and focused more on impressive graphics than on historical realism.

The title also has some performance issues, mostly on middle-of-the-road systems, and the studio needed to work hard to quickly deliver fixes and updates that were designed to make the community a bit happier.

In the old days, a lot of gamers would have abandoned Total War II because it would have simply been too complicated to wait for it to become the product that was originally promised and there would be other titles to explore.

One year later we get an Emperor Edition

On September 19, all those who bought the original Total War: Rome II package were automatically updated to the new Emperor Edition, which includes all the updates that have been delivered so far as well as all free downloadable content.

The Creative Assembly has also included a new Imperator Augustus campaign, focused on the civil wars that broke out after the assassination of Julius Caesar.

I played the title for about 10 hours since then and the experience is both balanced and more interesting that it was on launch.

Sure, some might argue that the game was supposed to deliver it as soon as it was out in 2013, but I am very pleased that the modern age of gaming, with its constant updates and contact with fans, can allow a team to improve on a solid foundation and deliver a title that can please as many of its fans as possible, even if time is required to do so.