Hi guys,
Well, today has been an. . . interesting one. A lot of transatlantic and transasian phone calls, a flurry of emails, and me driving across the country to meet various gamers and distributors, BF Evo models in hand. Before making any firm decisions, we decided to talk to some of the people with a vested interest in the games (the distributors who have a wide breadth of experience with games, and of course gamers, who know _exactly_ what they want). A consensus was formed on the following;
1. No, the models are not to the same standard as we had all been led to believe they would be.
2. No, the recent photos do not do them any justice at all.
3. Yes, when viewed in the flesh (so to speak) they match or exceed other pre-painted models on the market at this time.
4. Yes, the complete package (miniatures and game) is a good one, and well worth pursuing.
To emphasise the point, of all the people I have shown the models to today, only one expressed any real reservation, and that was due to a real desire to have the best looking models possible. However, even he conceded that, when viewed up close, the work was good. The problem is that it was not excellent
For these reasons, we have decided to proceed as planned with Battlefield Evolution. However, there are some things I would like to make clear, so please bear with me.
First off, we are getting some decent photos sorted out - the last set were completely my fault, as I uploaded them without double checking anything more than file names. Mea culpa. You will have these hopefully by the end of Friday and you will get a good look at what these models are about. As I say, it has been generally agreed (and by people with no connection to Mongoose, I hasten to add) that the paintwork is at least as good as those in the current market and, by and large, better. They _are_ a step forward.
Now, being candid for a moment, we have realised for quite a while that we made a rod for our own backs by doing BF Evo first, and not SST. SST would have been simplicity itself in comparison, due to larger models, no real world counterparts to compare to, simpler paint schemes, and no damnable camouflage! The paint work on the latter, incidentally, is not bad at all when you see the models close up.
Overall, I would say that we have hit the target but missed the bullseye. To stretch the archery analogy further, I believe we also moved the target a few dozen yards down range and shot in high wind. A bridge too far, to mix metaphors. However, we have still achieved something worthwhile.
I mentioned the package as a whole being a good one - this is something I truly believe to be correct. I said in another post that we have worked extremely hard on this project. The game is a real cracker, quite possibly the best we have done thus far. If you have liked any of our other games, I would ask you to trust us on this at least.
I also have to hold my hand up and say that, after having spent an entire day with the models. . . they are growing on me. I am beginning to like 'em! There is room for improvement, of course, but this is something we have never been afraid of. The first thing to change in wave 2 will be the faces - more definition and we'll lose the googly eyes. The vehicles will lose the few visible mould lines but, to be honest, there are very few issues with the tanks and other vehicles in the range.
Needless to say, we are having some serious talks with our factory to improve a) quality and b) quality control. This is not something that is being taken lightly by either party.
Now, there will be those of you who will still disagree with what I have said here - we understand completely. A few have raised the possibility of refunds on pre-orders on these forums (though, funnily enough, we have only had one direct request). Of course you can have a refund. You can have a refund on any pre-order on any product from us, there doesn't have to be a reason! However, I have an offer for you. . .
We believe that, when you see the models up close for yourself, you will agree that they are of good quality. Therefore, we would like to send you the models you have ordered. If you still do not like them (and provided they have not been opened of course - the boxes have clear packaging, so you can see what you are buying), we would be more than happy to refund you, no quibbles.
The other thing that may raise a few questions is the deletion of certain threads in this forum. I hope you can understand why we did this. If you wish to continue those discussions, believe me, there are plenty of other places on the internet where you can go
As always, we'll try to be as open as we possibly can with you, our customers, potential and otherwise. Yes, we were caught wrong footed here by a supplier and some serious words are being exchanged in that area. However, many people have convinced me today that Battlefield Evolution is not just acceptable, but a good product that is worth giving a try. Over the next few months, we'll continue working with our factory to elevate the level of quality of each subsequent release to first match, then exceed your expectations. That has always been our aim, and we are not going to give up because of a stumble at the first hurdle.
Oh, and one last thing. Whatever you personally decide about the models, give the game a try. It is a good 'un!
Well, today has been an. . . interesting one. A lot of transatlantic and transasian phone calls, a flurry of emails, and me driving across the country to meet various gamers and distributors, BF Evo models in hand. Before making any firm decisions, we decided to talk to some of the people with a vested interest in the games (the distributors who have a wide breadth of experience with games, and of course gamers, who know _exactly_ what they want). A consensus was formed on the following;
1. No, the models are not to the same standard as we had all been led to believe they would be.
2. No, the recent photos do not do them any justice at all.
3. Yes, when viewed in the flesh (so to speak) they match or exceed other pre-painted models on the market at this time.
4. Yes, the complete package (miniatures and game) is a good one, and well worth pursuing.
To emphasise the point, of all the people I have shown the models to today, only one expressed any real reservation, and that was due to a real desire to have the best looking models possible. However, even he conceded that, when viewed up close, the work was good. The problem is that it was not excellent
For these reasons, we have decided to proceed as planned with Battlefield Evolution. However, there are some things I would like to make clear, so please bear with me.
First off, we are getting some decent photos sorted out - the last set were completely my fault, as I uploaded them without double checking anything more than file names. Mea culpa. You will have these hopefully by the end of Friday and you will get a good look at what these models are about. As I say, it has been generally agreed (and by people with no connection to Mongoose, I hasten to add) that the paintwork is at least as good as those in the current market and, by and large, better. They _are_ a step forward.
Now, being candid for a moment, we have realised for quite a while that we made a rod for our own backs by doing BF Evo first, and not SST. SST would have been simplicity itself in comparison, due to larger models, no real world counterparts to compare to, simpler paint schemes, and no damnable camouflage! The paint work on the latter, incidentally, is not bad at all when you see the models close up.
Overall, I would say that we have hit the target but missed the bullseye. To stretch the archery analogy further, I believe we also moved the target a few dozen yards down range and shot in high wind. A bridge too far, to mix metaphors. However, we have still achieved something worthwhile.
I mentioned the package as a whole being a good one - this is something I truly believe to be correct. I said in another post that we have worked extremely hard on this project. The game is a real cracker, quite possibly the best we have done thus far. If you have liked any of our other games, I would ask you to trust us on this at least.
I also have to hold my hand up and say that, after having spent an entire day with the models. . . they are growing on me. I am beginning to like 'em! There is room for improvement, of course, but this is something we have never been afraid of. The first thing to change in wave 2 will be the faces - more definition and we'll lose the googly eyes. The vehicles will lose the few visible mould lines but, to be honest, there are very few issues with the tanks and other vehicles in the range.
Needless to say, we are having some serious talks with our factory to improve a) quality and b) quality control. This is not something that is being taken lightly by either party.
Now, there will be those of you who will still disagree with what I have said here - we understand completely. A few have raised the possibility of refunds on pre-orders on these forums (though, funnily enough, we have only had one direct request). Of course you can have a refund. You can have a refund on any pre-order on any product from us, there doesn't have to be a reason! However, I have an offer for you. . .
We believe that, when you see the models up close for yourself, you will agree that they are of good quality. Therefore, we would like to send you the models you have ordered. If you still do not like them (and provided they have not been opened of course - the boxes have clear packaging, so you can see what you are buying), we would be more than happy to refund you, no quibbles.
The other thing that may raise a few questions is the deletion of certain threads in this forum. I hope you can understand why we did this. If you wish to continue those discussions, believe me, there are plenty of other places on the internet where you can go
As always, we'll try to be as open as we possibly can with you, our customers, potential and otherwise. Yes, we were caught wrong footed here by a supplier and some serious words are being exchanged in that area. However, many people have convinced me today that Battlefield Evolution is not just acceptable, but a good product that is worth giving a try. Over the next few months, we'll continue working with our factory to elevate the level of quality of each subsequent release to first match, then exceed your expectations. That has always been our aim, and we are not going to give up because of a stumble at the first hurdle.
Oh, and one last thing. Whatever you personally decide about the models, give the game a try. It is a good 'un!
:roll:
