[Feedback] Changelog 04.08.2021

[Larili]

Because apparently when they did the swap, they did it one way only, that means if they go unity they cant go back to client

Still begs the questions why did they switch to unity when they did with such a broken version of game? ( There is no way on earth that this level of bugs and issues came as a `surprise'.)
Why they did not have a back up solution to reverse the game back to client as a safety net? Basic computer skills always tells us to `back up data' before making changes so if all goes bad we can roll back... Does that mean BB does not even have `basic' computing skills?
As others have said other game companies managed to port their games from flash with barely a hiccup. BB has delayed, delayed and delayed then messed up with first a `interim' client, to give them more time to make the port to `their chosen way forward, to ensure the game into the future'. Fixed the client for some at the exclusion of others. Then switch from the working client ( for those still left ) to this pile of `rubbish', oh and they are working `hard' to fix it, as if we should be grateful for something that should have been done months ago. And working hard means we fixed a few issues and broke some more, like they always do.
Just a suggestion, but before you use the term `improved' you may want to keep in mind a base line of performance based on the last version of the client game that was playable. Perhaps less broken is more appropriate till you reach that level or maybe that does not fit the spin?
Performance: Performance of the UI is less broken ( I shouldn't tempt fate, but you couldn't make it any worse Although some would argue not being able to log in maybe worse )
Performance: Fixed a lockzone issue when accepting books ( Not really got the bookbinder working properly though have you? )
Quest: Fixed the level requirement for the quest “Gold Deposits” ( Really you fixed a quest ... one quest? Working hard, yeah right )
UI: UI scaling settings will no longer reset after restarting the game ( I'm thinking if basic game setting parameters were not tested and stable, what hope for the rest of the game )
UI: Fixed the tooltip of Marshalls while traveling ( OMG There are no words ! )
Yeah your working hard, my dog's fast asleep on the couch and is burning more calories than BB devs are putting into saving what's left of TSO by the look of it. Can't wait for the next update, what will they deem important next time ... we stopped the deer walking on water ... we corrected the quest one last time to Cousin `Theador is scrounging again' You will of course need to allocate an extra five seconds between clicks to accommodate these updates plus reload seven times and clear cache 132 times or in the latter case you won't be able to use the tick box as it will be greyed out.

[Norton_C]

Because apparently when they did the swap, they did it one way only, that means if they go unity they cant go back to client

I said it before. Game like this can run simultaneously on Flash and Unity. Have seen it with another game.

[robblack1]

finally logged in using VPN thru USA

[PharTing]

Still begs the questions why did they switch to unity when they did with such a broken version of game? ( There is no way on earth that this level of bugs and issues came as a `surprise'.)....

I wonder if you have ever worked for a boss or management that is unreasonable?

Consider if you will -

• TSO is a free to play game
• It pays it's way ONLY when players buy gems
• When Adobe announced the end of life of Flash 3.5 years ago, Ubisoft/BlueByte seemed to give their focus to replacing TSO with the next generation called Settlers Alliance instead of commencing a migration when all the resources and talent to do so was available.
• Ubisoft/BlueByte were caught with their pants down when it seems Settlers Alliance failed dramatically in the first user testing and ultimately went belly up. They then had to draw up a last moment plan for what to do with TSO.
• The marketing spin presented to us late last year was how much Ubisoft/BlueByte was investing in us by giving us not just one, but two solutions to continue playing! (a.k.a. "We left the migration way too late, so we need an interim bridging means to limp along while the migration progresses).
• All of the bright sparks who did the Flash migrations for everyone else had long since moved on to the latest technologies and were not interested in base-rate contracts working in ancient technologies (not a selling point on any CV!), so Ubisoft/BlueByte had only the dregs and cheap, "still wet behind the ears" coders to work with. (This is rather evident in what we see in the poorly considered functionality of the ported game. It would seem that even the project management and in-house testing had NO idea of the playability criteria for the game).
• The client solution needed licensing and who knows how much money paid to Samsung, etc for the enabler to to play a Flash game via the client. It would seem that 3 months was agreed as we were supposed to be on Unity by Easter. This would have been a tough fight to have with upper management, and whoever was managing the migration project was probably backed into a corner and forced to agree to an absurd timeframe to "control costs".
• Easter came and went and more licensing and money was required to be directed to Samsung to keep Flash going for another few months. This would have required a screaming match at board level about the poor return of the money spent so far. Whoever was running the migration probably had to sign in blood that they would get the game playable with just the one more extension of licensing to Samsung.
• As the end of the further extension to the client licencing approached the question from senior management was probably as simple as, "Is it coded sufficiently so that it is playable?".... The operative word there being "playable", but neither management, nor the poor sods doing the coding could actually quantify what exactly "playable" meant.
• The coders who have obviously never played the game were probably quite proud of all the code they had written and how close things looked (not played) to the original game. They would surely answer, "Yes, it's playable!"
• The team in charge of managing the migration had already signed in blood that no more extensions of licensing for the Flash client would be required/allowed. They could only respond, "Yes, it's playable!" (With their fingers crossed behind their backs!)
• Senior management would then have directed, "Well put it in and make it start paying for all this expense then!"
• So in it went and within days we had a 100% bonus gem sale!

[Silverfox_1975]

is maintenance still on as i cannot connect at all since yesterday .........tells me server connection lost

[PharTing]

is maintenance still on as i cannot connect at all since yesterday .........tells me server connection lost

No, the connection failure that you and many others now experience is part of what was implemented.

[robblack1]

managed once to logg in with VPN via USA server but not again been trying for hours no luck, and no news from management.

[Qualan]

they hate bringing bad news so usually silence is the preferred option

[Qualan]

I wonder if you have ever worked for a boss or management that is unreasonable?

Consider if you will -

• TSO is a free to play game
• It pays it's way ONLY when players buy gems
• When Adobe announced the end of life of Flash 3.5 years ago, Ubisoft/BlueByte seemed to give their focus to replacing TSO with the next generation called Settlers Alliance instead of commencing a migration when all the resources and talent to do so was available.
• Ubisoft/BlueByte were caught with their pants down when it seems Settlers Alliance failed dramatically in the first user testing and ultimately went belly up. They then had to draw up a last moment plan for what to do with TSO.
• The marketing spin presented to us late last year was how much Ubisoft/BlueByte was investing in us by giving us not just one, but two solutions to continue playing! (a.k.a. "We left the migration way too late, so we need an interim bridging means to limp along while the migration progresses).
• All of the bright sparks who did the Flash migrations for everyone else had long since moved on to the latest technologies and were not interested in base-rate contracts working in ancient technologies (not a selling point on any CV!), so Ubisoft/BlueByte had only the dregs and cheap, "still wet behind the ears" coders to work with. (This is rather evident in what we see in the poorly considered functionality of the ported game. It would seem that even the project management and in-house testing had NO idea of the playability criteria for the game).
• The client solution needed licensing and who knows how much money paid to Samsung, etc for the enabler to to play a Flash game via the client. It would seem that 3 months was agreed as we were supposed to be on Unity by Easter. This would have been a tough fight to have with upper management, and whoever was managing the migration project was probably backed into a corner and forced to agree to an absurd timeframe to "control costs".
• Easter came and went and more licensing and money was required to be directed to Samsung to keep Flash going for another few months. This would have required a screaming match at board level about the poor return of the money spent so far. Whoever was running the migration probably had to sign in blood that they would get the game playable with just the one more extension of licensing to Samsung.
• As the end of the further extension to the client licencing approached the question from senior management was probably as simple as, "Is it coded sufficiently so that it is playable?".... The operative word there being "playable", but neither management, nor the poor sods doing the coding could actually quantify what exactly "playable" meant.
• The coders who have obviously never played the game were probably quite proud of all the code they had written and how close things looked (not played) to the original game. They would surely answer, "Yes, it's playable!"
• The team in charge of managing the migration had already signed in blood that no more extensions of licensing for the Flash client would be required/allowed. They could only respond, "Yes, it's playable!" (With their fingers crossed behind their backs!)
• Senior management would then have directed, "Well put it in and make it start paying for all this expense then!"
• So in it went and within days we had a 100% bonus gem sale!

Most likely close to the truth. Probably augmented to the: It either moves to unity or we pull the plug on the whole thing now which gets us to this piece of [censored manure] which they hope to emergency fix to a playable POS before the next management evaluation which might still see the plug pulled and all of us circling the drain

In BB land thats know as the anno -scenario :P

[Narianna]

I cannot believe that we still have not had a response on those not being able to log in! This is ridiculous.