[bf1942] Hotfix release time upgraded from 'soon' to 'not far off'

[steve at sendithere.com]

I think gaming companies have the following problem...  I do
software/hardware testing for a major company that makes network equipment
(probably not who you think).  They pay me and my teammates to Test the
crap out of stuff.  We test, and work through issues with developer,
suggest UI tweaks, check protocol enforcement, etc...  Doesn't sound
really fun does it?  Thats what they pay me for...

Now, consider a gaming company...  What skill level, and how many people
(other then the developers themselves) do you think they have dedicated to
TESTING...  I can imagine it would go something like this...  "You want to
hire a guy, who knows something about coding, but isn't necessarily a
coder, and knows something about Hardware, but isn't a HW engineer, but
you want me to PAY this guy to PLAY OUR VIDEOGAME 40 Hours a WEEK????" 
Probably a harder sell...  I'm sure the developers test thier code, but
typically when a developer is testing, he is looking at and testing
something specific.  You need dedicated test teams to do regression and
holistic testing...

Thats my guess anyway...

On Friday, July 15, 2005 7:44 am, |TF20|Shockwave said:
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Lee Latham" <leeprivate at cgmlarson.com>
> To: <bf1942 at icculus.org>
> Sent: Friday, July 15, 2005 10:32 AM
> Subject: Re: [bf1942] Hotfix release time upgraded from 'soon' to 'not far
> off'
>
>
> > In their defense, as a software professional myself, I can tell you that
> > they are just trying to not lie about it.   If you ever give a customer
>> an
> > estimated date, they always treat it as a promised delivery date, so
>> it's
> > better, when possible, to be vague.
> >
>
> I am a software developer as well and we always give customers a firm
> date.
> Being vague may give you wiggle room but it also sends the message that
> you
> don't have a firm grasp on either the situation or your ability to deal
> with
> it effectively.  The potential problem is not missing a deadline as much
> as
> it is not communicating effectively with the client.  If a deadline is not
> going to be met, the trick is to contact the client ahead of time to let
> them know.  Too often people wait until the deadline is past before
> commenting on the status of a given job.  That's what makes people upset.
> There is simply no substitute for clear and precise communication between
> involved parties.  It's too bad that those in charge of BF2 have yet to
> learn this lesson.
>
>
> Shockwave
>
>