I'm hesitant to give an estimate for when the patch may be available because I don't know if it will pass the tests or need a little longer. The "about a month" estimate we gave may very well still be accurate, but I just don't know. What I do know is that it will be out before we go on holiday, so that's what I shared. We try our best to manage expectations, but as I'm already seeing disappointment the patch isn't out, even though it hasn't been a full month since the last patch, our estimate clearly read as "less than a month" to some. Which I get, you're eager for the next patch and next round of fixes. We're itching to get it in your hands too, but we want to make sure it's ready.
My attempt was to give an answer along the lines of "No update to our estimate, but definitely before our holiday starts in July" which I clearly failed to make clear. That's my bad.
Uhm, that's not correct. The smallest issues can be very frustrating. Look at which small mods are extremely popular. Good bug fixing should be a mix of major issues that take long to fix, and small issues to crunch the list. For example 10-15% of every sprint is dedicated to fixing small issues, just to get them fixed. Because otherwise, it's like you say: the minor issues just became an infinite backlog that won't even be fixed in 5 years.
If you have any specific minor issues in mind, please let me know. I'd be happy to take a look if they don't require much work and have the correct priority. We're always looking to include impactful changes whenever we can, however, it's worth keeping in mind that what presents as a small issue in-game may have a complicated solution.
Why can't you disclose the fixes currently in testing? The fact that they're in testing is irrelevant to us. We're eager to understand the actual progress being made. Why has it taken seven months for us to receive any substantial information on this bug's resolution? This is crucial information, fundamental to the game's entire functionality. I would contend that it, along with land value, constitutes the most significant issues plaguing the game at present, aside from design flaws. And the only reason we're aware of an anticipated fix is due to our persistent requests for even the slightest update.
There must be a tracking system like Trello where you document your activities. Could you possibly gather a list of accomplishments and planned significant changes from everyone's emails or by inquiring around the office, and then compile a post about it with a "subject to change" disclaimer?
This comes down to expectation management. We're being careful not to make promises we can't keep, and even if something comes with a disclaimer, we see disappointment when it needs more work or something else causes the plans to change. We also don't share a list of coming fixes ahead of time to avoid confusion about whether a patch is available or what issues are fixed. The best I can do right now is share that the economy rework has been the big focus of the coming patch. We've looked at the economic simulation and systems related to it, overhauled parts that weren't as well as they could, weren't transparent enough, or didn't give you enough control over your city. That of course also means fixing bugs related to these systems (assuming of course the bugs were still there after the overhaul), but we also have a series of general bug fixes, improvements to performance, and fixes for more cases causing crashes. I know that isn't as good as a list of issues we've resolved, but I'm afraid that will have to wait until we share the patch notes.
