Fat Princess was released for the PlayStation Network last week, and was met with mixed reviews. While almost all critics agreed that the gameplay is fun and entertaining, the server and connection issues plagued the experience. Recently it was announced that a patch to fix the current issues is on its way. And on top of that the developers posted a detailed FAQ that addresses many of the questions that the community has asked.
The Titan Studios Dev Blog FAQ states the following:
- Squire – 500-599
- Private – 600-699
- Corporal – 700-799
- Sargeant – 800-899
- Ensign – 900-999
- Lieutenant – 1000-1249
- Captain – 1250-1499
- General – 1500-1749
- Warlord – 1750-1999
- Sir (Dame) – 2000-2249
- Baron (Baroness) – 2250-2499
- Earl (Countess) -2500-2999
- Duke (Duchess) – 3000-3499
- Lord (Lady) – 3500-3999
- Prince (Princess) – 4000-4499
- King (Queen) – 4500+
I’m having trouble connecting to games, what can I do?
There are a couple of minor bugs and some issues that we have identified with the server selection logic and the data it uses to make decisions. Alone, they’d be relatively harmless. Combined, these problems conspire to make connecting to games sometimes difficult. We have fixed the bugs and adjusted the logic, and are in the process of testing. These changes will be rolled out as soon as possible in an upcoming patch. No ETA just yet.
I can’t believe you guys didn’t test the game. Why are you such idiots?
The game was tested thoroughly internally and by Sony in both the US and Europe, and between the US and Europe. Testing was accompanied by a small closed beta, and larger open beta. Unfortunately, the connection and lag issues did not manifest until the game was in the wild at a very large scale. If we would have know about them, we would have fixed them. We understand your frustration, and are working hard on fixes.
That’s not all! When in a game, it can be laggy, and some strange things are happening…
Related to the server selection problem, you may experience lag, which is caused by a bad choice of servers. The poor choice of servers is caused by some bad ping data and by flaws in the server selection logic. In addition to causing the lag you experience, it can also mess with all sorts of games states. We believe these issues will be substantially addressed by the upcoming patch.
Ah hah! So there is a patch coming? What does it include? When will it be released?
Yes, a patch is in testing even now. To be clear – this patch only addresses critical connection and lag issues. Contrary to some misconceptions multiplying on the web, it does not address any other aspect of the game, as our priority has been to get it out as soon as possible. We are aware of other bugs/issues/feature requests, and are considering how to address them at a later date. Yes! We plan to keep working. As for the release date – not ETA yet, but it should be soon.
Okay but you still didn’t explain why you’re such idiots.
That’s a longer story for another time… Stick with us.
Help! Ice Mages and Dark Priests are exploiting the point system and not playing fair!
We are aware of this issue, and will be modifying the scoring for this in an upcoming patch.
Will you please add split-screen play? How about online co-op?
We do not have this feature planned, but we have seen a massive amount of forum discussion about it, as well as receiving many emails about it. We hear you, and will consider these suggestions, but there is nothing solid in the plans. We politely request that you don’t send any more emails about this subject, as we are well aware of everyone’s desire for it.
When will you add [Feature X]?
We are working very hard right now on the most critical issues that are preventing players from getting into and having solid games. After that, we will work on balancing areas that are causing exploits, or create problems in gameplay. When things are good in these areas, we will consider additional feature requests. We have heard you loud and clear about what you want, we just have to see which things may be possible for us to do, but we can’t promise anything or think about timing at this point.
How does the ranking system work?
First, we should note that we have received a lot of feedback about what people expect from a ranking system, and will likely introduce changes in a future patch. That said, here is an explanation of how the system currently works from our lead designer:
A player’s rank is calculated based on their average score over their last 10 games. As each match is completed the player’s score is automatically updated and their new rank is calculated. At preset ranking scores player’s acquire ranked titles, this starts at “Squire” for a ranking score of 500 points. Players ranking titles can go up or down, but as they are calculated over a 10 game average they should not rapidly fluctuate. Players are also protected by multiple systems, that will not save their score if they have not played for a preset % of the match, if their score is too low or if they are kicked or banned from the game. The top 7 rankings can also have a female form if the female voice is chosen from the Get Fabulous menu.
Rankings are awarded as follows:
Why can’t I see past rank 1000 in the leaderboards?
We are aware of this issue, and looking into it with Sony.
Why are all the trophies Bronze?
Each level of trophy costs a different amount of points, and as a PSN game (compared to retail store games on disc) we had less points to work with. This is a Sony policy. We made the design decision to offer more trophies, even if they had to be at the Bronze level. We feel this was the best compromise at the time, and while we appreciate feedback there is nothing we can change about the system now that the game is released.
How do we avoid stalemates?
There are a number of strategies we are compiling into a guide, check back later for that. The forums are also a good source of tactics to help push your team to victory. Additionally, there are some adjustments to gameplay that could help combat these situations which we will test in the coming weeks. If we are confident that we can make safe changes to improve the game we will consider them, but we would also like to get the game working well first before considering many game balance changes. In the mean time, we strongly encourage players to use voice chat! Communicate and destroy.
Okay. What kind of headsets work?
Many Bluetooth and USB headsets work with Fat Princess – even if they are not specifically marked as compatible with the PS3. This icludes many Bluetooth headsets that work with mobile phones. If you don’t have one, you can get one fairly cheaply. Search the official Playstation forums for ideas.
Why does the [Class A] suck compared to [Class B]?
Excellent question. We have been reading the forums very closely, taking notes from emails sent, and at this point it seems like there are not any major problems between the classes. The number of different arguments we see leads us to believe that when you really dig down into the tricks of each class that there is a way to play each one to it’s full potential. This would probably be easier to explain if we posted a detailed strategy guide (check back later!), but in the mean time there are lots of great discussions going on in the official forums and elsewhere. Continue discussing them there, we are reading them and taking notes where appropriate.
If I quit in the middle of a match, does my score count? What about if the host quits?
We have an intended behavior for this, but are checking to see if it is working correctly or not. Check back later.
What do the flashing icons next to player names in the scoreboard mean?
This indicates that the server is confused about something regarding this player, and they might be having problems communicating with the server. It can be a number of different things, the summary is that something is wrong, and they may get disconnected. If you see a lot of flashing icons, this is not a good sign, and the server might not be working properly. If you are also seeing problems in the game, it might be a good time to quit and find a new one.
What does the yellow snail icon mean?
A yellow snail means you have a moderately laggy connection. If it persists and your game play experience has degraded, you might want to look for a different game to join. Yes, we know that can be painful. A fix is in the works.
What does the red snail icon mean?
A red snail means you have a very laggy connection. If it persists, we suggest you join a different game. You will have more fun. Again, yes, we know that can be painful. A fix is in the works.
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