This is allegedly due this summer, I thought–was there any sign of this at E3? Anyone heard anything?
The project is in deep shit. The developer, Ultimation, was kicked off the project while it was still in alpha/beta stage. Ubi says it will finish the project itself now, but now you’ve got new programmers who aren’t familiar with the code, and seriously, how much resources do you expect Ubi to sink into it?
If it does come out, I’m dreading a buggy piece of shlock that Ubi will abandon at the first opportunity, meaning no patches whatsoever.
The damn sad thing is, I really, really, really want this game.
Yeah, thats what I heard too. Though I have yet to find out why Ultimation was kicked off the project. But then again, H4 has been in development for, like forever?
From Carl “Stormin” Norman - ex-UBI/SSI employee …
quote:
Originally posted by Slick:
[quote]Hey Carl,
In your nonaffiliated opinion , what does this really mean for Harpoon4? Where do you suppose it is in the development stages? Is Ubi really going to complete it as they say, or do you guess it is at another point of assessing to see if the game is worth salvaging. What is your gut feeling at this point?
I hope all is going well in your post-Ubi endeavors!
Hi Slick,
It’s not an opinion. Ultimation is no more. They shut their doors forever.
As for the status and future of Harpoon 4 - it has been in limbo for about a month and a half while Ubi Soft decides what to do with it. It appears that they will be using their Romanian studio to complete Harpoon 4. This seems to be a trend as Silent Hunter 3 is suppose to be developed by this studio and they have also transferred all of the Chessmaster development there as well.
I don’t have any details regarding the capabilities of their internal studio in Romania, I’m sure they are a capable lot, but the task of finishing Harpoon 4 using code from another team is a daunting task that is full of risks. Add to that the complex and specialized nature of a naval warfare game, and I believe that they have a difficult task in front of them. I am just glad that I am not responsible for bringing this beast to market anymore.
Already people are asking online for enhanced features and modifications. In my opinion that will never happen. Ubi Soft just wants to finish the game and finally get it out. They most likely will never agree to adding to the game. Their goal, I suspect, is to get it out.
I wish them well as I would really like to see this product completed. I just don’t have a high degree of confidence that they, or anybody for that matter, will be able to pull it off.
Cheers,
Carl[/quote]
It appears that they will be using their Romanian studio to complete Harpoon 4. This seems to be a trend as Silent Hunter 3 is suppose to be developed by this studio and they have also transferred all of the Chessmaster development there as well.
Whoa! Both of UbiSoft’s naval sims and even the mighty Chessmaster series were farmed out to Romania? :shock:
Yeah well its cheaper and those Eastern Europeans actually work harder for the money they earn. Haven’t you noticed just how many games are farmed outside of the US? Can’t say I blame the publshers actually. For e.g. it would cost about $2m to develop a game of BCG calibre here in the US. You can do it for a little over $500K if you farmed it out - or if you’re Derek Smart.
Heh, funny :)
Anyway, that’s a damn shame. I don’t bemoan Eastern European games, but most times they seem a little unpolished. On the other hand, if Ubi just wants to kick it out of the door screaming and drive away, I can see where that would be most economically feasible.
Crap.
— Alan