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Pre-Alpha Doesn't Mean What You Think It Means [long]
Schweighsr
Posts: 3,342 Member
I see a lot of Simmers saying "don't worry, it's just Pre-Alpha stage, they will fix it." Um, sorry, no they won't.
Here is how a game is designed [copied from my blog] -
Stage 1 - Planning: This is the stage where they decide what they want the game to do and look like. This stage can take anywhere from 3 months to 3 years. During this phase they decide what the game will be like - what will be included, what will be left to an EP, etc. They also have artists sketch out designs for objects, Sims, the neighborhood and so on.
Stage 2 - Programming: Programming takes 3 months to several years depending on how complex the programming is [TS4 probably took over two years while an EP probably takes 6 to 9 months]. The game is built in Modules, each of which does a different thing. There will be one Module for emotions, another for meals and a even more for each NPC. Each Module is programmed by a separate team of programmers. The game consists of dozens, if not hundreds, or modules.
By this time the way the game is played is set in stone. The decision whether to animate hair is made. The look of the Sims has been chosen. They are not going to change any of those things.
Stage 3 - Pre-Alpha/ Alpha Testing: Pre-alpha is where they start to put the modules together and see if they work. This never works the 1st time, so they have to find out which parts of which Modules conflict, then reprogram the Modules, then try again... and again... and again. There is still a lot of programming to be done in this stage. When they can run some of those Modules together [say a interactions module and an emotions module and some animations modules] they usually start releasing videos and screenshots of the game. The reason we only see a certain amount of game-play over and over is because they are the only parts of the game that work without error.
This is the phase the game is in now. 90% of the programming has been done, it is just a matter of making the separate pieces work together. All they are doing is tweaking the programming. Once they have tested the modules in groups, they will put the whole game together and test it. By the time it enters alpha-testing the game is essentially done - nothing more will be added or changed.
Stage 4 - Beta-Testing: In this phase EA hunts for bugs. They have a group of people try it out on a variety of different computers with different specs and operating systems and see what happens. Each day the testers report the bugs back to The Sims Team, who correct the problems and send the fixes back to the testers to see if the fix causes problems. This takes a MINIMUM of 6 weeks and may take longer. It takes the same amount of time for a game as for an EP. [No, you can't be a Beta-Tester - you need a degree in Computer Science to do it right. It is more than just playing the unfinished game. :P ] EA is notorious for not doing this stage right. They should send it out to a reputable third party who specializes in game testing, instead they do it in-house.
Stage 5 - Manufacturing: At this point the game is completely done. They take a copy of the completed, [mostly] debugged game and send it to be copied, get the boxes and the booklets printed and have everything put together. The day it is sent to the manufacturer the game is said to have 'gone gold' [way back in the old days they used to put the finished game on a gold-colored disk]. Then the disks have to be put in the boxes along with the instructions and everything has to be shipped to the retailers. Manufacturing takes a minimum of 3 to 6 weeks for games & EPs both.
There is one exception to this whole thing - variations of objects can be added even during alpha- and beta-testing. Once they have finished programming a chair [and making it work] they can make as many different chairs as they want. Variations of objects will continue to be added right up until the game 'goes gold'. Yes, this includes hair-styles, too [which is what everyone is complaining about] but the new hairstyles will look and act just like the styles we have already seen. They won't be animated and they won't have much more shape than what we have already seen.
Sorry for the long post.
Here is how a game is designed [copied from my blog] -
Stage 1 - Planning: This is the stage where they decide what they want the game to do and look like. This stage can take anywhere from 3 months to 3 years. During this phase they decide what the game will be like - what will be included, what will be left to an EP, etc. They also have artists sketch out designs for objects, Sims, the neighborhood and so on.
Stage 2 - Programming: Programming takes 3 months to several years depending on how complex the programming is [TS4 probably took over two years while an EP probably takes 6 to 9 months]. The game is built in Modules, each of which does a different thing. There will be one Module for emotions, another for meals and a even more for each NPC. Each Module is programmed by a separate team of programmers. The game consists of dozens, if not hundreds, or modules.
By this time the way the game is played is set in stone. The decision whether to animate hair is made. The look of the Sims has been chosen. They are not going to change any of those things.
Stage 3 - Pre-Alpha/ Alpha Testing: Pre-alpha is where they start to put the modules together and see if they work. This never works the 1st time, so they have to find out which parts of which Modules conflict, then reprogram the Modules, then try again... and again... and again. There is still a lot of programming to be done in this stage. When they can run some of those Modules together [say a interactions module and an emotions module and some animations modules] they usually start releasing videos and screenshots of the game. The reason we only see a certain amount of game-play over and over is because they are the only parts of the game that work without error.
This is the phase the game is in now. 90% of the programming has been done, it is just a matter of making the separate pieces work together. All they are doing is tweaking the programming. Once they have tested the modules in groups, they will put the whole game together and test it. By the time it enters alpha-testing the game is essentially done - nothing more will be added or changed.
Stage 4 - Beta-Testing: In this phase EA hunts for bugs. They have a group of people try it out on a variety of different computers with different specs and operating systems and see what happens. Each day the testers report the bugs back to The Sims Team, who correct the problems and send the fixes back to the testers to see if the fix causes problems. This takes a MINIMUM of 6 weeks and may take longer. It takes the same amount of time for a game as for an EP. [No, you can't be a Beta-Tester - you need a degree in Computer Science to do it right. It is more than just playing the unfinished game. :P ] EA is notorious for not doing this stage right. They should send it out to a reputable third party who specializes in game testing, instead they do it in-house.
Stage 5 - Manufacturing: At this point the game is completely done. They take a copy of the completed, [mostly] debugged game and send it to be copied, get the boxes and the booklets printed and have everything put together. The day it is sent to the manufacturer the game is said to have 'gone gold' [way back in the old days they used to put the finished game on a gold-colored disk]. Then the disks have to be put in the boxes along with the instructions and everything has to be shipped to the retailers. Manufacturing takes a minimum of 3 to 6 weeks for games & EPs both.
There is one exception to this whole thing - variations of objects can be added even during alpha- and beta-testing. Once they have finished programming a chair [and making it work] they can make as many different chairs as they want. Variations of objects will continue to be added right up until the game 'goes gold'. Yes, this includes hair-styles, too [which is what everyone is complaining about] but the new hairstyles will look and act just like the styles we have already seen. They won't be animated and they won't have much more shape than what we have already seen.
Sorry for the long post.
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Comments
I just re-read the post. :oops:
I think this should be seen by everyone that is just wildly posting " PRE-ALPHA)
complete forum tutorial
Thank you @MDianaSanders for halloween-fying Golluma
This is why I believe EA will be able to deliver a tested, deep and detailed base game in the time frame they have suggested 8)
my Sims 4 story blog: http://www.starwingsims.com/
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The amount of people being like "Guys, the game is in pre-alpha." has been overwhelming.
I wish more people would read it but I feel they won't. Should I just copy/paste it everytime someone throws pre-alpha around as their argument? xD
Thank you
So the game is in stage 3.
Does this mean that there is a big chance that The sims 4 can be realesed in early 2014? Like before June?
I don't mind though. I have adjusted to my initial shock over the art style being so different, and now I'm feelin' it! I can't wait to get my hands on that game and dive right in
my Sims 4 story blog: http://www.starwingsims.com/
Join SimsWriters.com to promote or enjoy fan-generated content (stories, videos, music, etc) celebrating The Sims.
:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D
you just made my day with this great post billion thanks
so do you think the game will take a whole year to be release ???????? :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?:
So basically EA are nearly done "making the game" so to say. I'm not shocked, I mean the game demo's definitely showed more than a 20% completed game.
I really hope this isn't full of bugs, they better spend a lot of time on bug testing!
My "pre-alpha" fear is that we will be their beta testers. I'm afraid that they will release a buggy product with the idea that they'll patch and fix as they go. It's likely the same procedure they used with Sims 3 which is why we need Twallan's mods to fix what they should have fixed before the initial release.
They still haven't decided what to do about Create a Style in CAS -- which sounds like it might at least be in the game for build/buy mode. So I guess they can still add some features; the UI for CAS showed very little (only a few hair styles and nothing about the age stages) so that can still be added.
Fun must be always -- Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks hockey player)
Right. I posted from a 4 inch screen...that's annoying. Some features (major features) can be added, but only if they want to. It's time consuming. EP's add major features, but they have more time to add them. I really hope they add Create-A-Style. That's a cool feature 8)
UI is not considered a major feature, and changes frequently. And hairs/clothing/furniture are meshes, and are relatively minor -- they're a mold which requires little tweaking to add to the game (once designed).