Sony's Testing Process Holding Up Trine

Tom Goldman

Crying on the inside.
Aug 17, 2009
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Sony's Testing Process Holding Up Trine



Trine's PlayStation Network release is apparently being held up by Sony's quality testing process

In an interview with GameSetWatch [http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/09/gamesetinterview_talking_trine.php], Frozenbyte CEO Lauri Hyvärinen revealed that Trine's delayed release on the PlayStation Network is currently due to Sony's quality testing process. While quality testing holdups for releases on both Sony and Microsoft's digital platforms are anything but new, Hyvärinen almost makes it seem like Trine is in limbo.

Hyvärinen states: "On consoles it takes weeks, even months if the game gets stuck in the technical quality testing stuff," and that the wait is "killing [him] too!" He also suggested that this time could be exaggerated in Trine's case due to the nature of the game. Trine is a physics based platformer where players switch between three distinct characters, and is billed as having "unlimited gameplay possibilities."

I have spent a sizable chunk of time with Trine, and while I wouldn't say the possibilities are unlimited (unlimited is a lot), you definitely can forge your own paths through most of the game's puzzles. For example, you may be able to swing across a spike-filled ravine with the game's thief, or conjure a few boxes to use as traversable platforms with the wizard. These interactions get much deeper as the game moves along and as each character acquires more abilities.

Hyvärinen further revealed that Frozenbyte is looking at releasing Trine's level editor, which would be a boon to Rube Goldberg machine creators for sure. Frozenbyte is happy with the game's current sales on Steam and Direct2Drive, as Trine has sold better than the company's previous game, Shadowgrounds. I'm a little miffed that I purchased the game on Steam for $29.99 while it is being released for $19.99 on the PSN and at GameStop [http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=75578], but hey, what better use is there for my money than to support independent developers with creative ideas?

Via: 1up [http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3175872]

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Proteus214

Game Developer
Jul 31, 2009
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Trine is not without it's bugs, especially with the physics, I have seen some slight frame rate drops when certain objects get stuck in certain positions.
 

Headwuend

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Oct 27, 2008
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Bugs limiting the usability or playability in general don't necessarily have to be the problem when games are delayed because of Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo.

All of them have detailed lists of what they want and what they do not want in games on their console. Some of those points are just there to fuck with developers imho.
 

Proteus214

Game Developer
Jul 31, 2009
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Headwouend said:
Bugs limiting the usability or playability in general don't necessarily have to be the problem when games are delayed because of Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo.

All of them have detailed lists of what they want and what they do not want in games on their console. Some of those points are just there to fuck with developers imho.
Actually, it's probably the fact that Sony's consoles are insanely difficult to program for. I have on more than one occasion heard developers refer to the PS2 or 3 as "The Black Box of Hate."
 

Headwuend

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Oct 27, 2008
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Proteus214 said:
Actually, it's probably the fact that Sony's consoles are insanely difficult to program for. I have on more than one occasion heard developers refer to the PS2 or 3 as "The Black Box of Hate."
True, that's why they're actually more tolerant if their specifications aren't met to the slightest, most ludicrous detail (other than Nintendo...).

But it could be either or even both reasons why Trine's a bit stuck, because "Sony quality testing process" unfortunately doesn't specify much.