This has gotta be a first.

June 27, 2000 11:04 PM

This has gotta be a first. The first patch for "Diablo II" has been released one day before the product is scheduled to hit the store shelves. A new record!
posted by Steven Den Beste (7 comments total)

I thought that Microsoft had to release a patch to Win2K sometime between going gold, and its retail "launch".
posted by harmful at 7:41 AM on June 28, 2000

He means it's a first for a company NOT owned by Bill Gates. =)
posted by ZachsMind at 8:27 AM on June 28, 2000

I don't recall a patch released between gold and the retail launch, but I could be wrong. The difference would be, though, that a lot of companies and institutions were already using Windows 2000 as soon as it went "gold," and before the retail launch. If you already had a license agreement with MS, you could get the software earlier than MS could get it to stores.

Unless a lot of people had final, official copies of Diablo II before today, I don't think it's the same thing.
posted by daveadams at 8:56 AM on June 28, 2000

A bunch of people have had official copies of Diablo II for a few days now. So I'm guessing it's for them.
posted by riffola at 11:18 AM on June 28, 2000

There was a critical update for Windows 2000 released Feb. 17, 2000, which was the same date that Win2K hit retail shelves. Still, it's just three minor issues.

I don't consider this a bad mark on either Microsoft or Eidos. It's simply something that happens when you have a rapid product development cycle. If anything, it demonstrates that they are continuing to address issues even before most customers are affected.

No, this is one area where Microsoft is actually BETTER than they used to be.
posted by dhartung at 4:38 PM on June 28, 2000

Actually, when I bought Front Page Sports 98 a few years back, Sierra released it without the product even being completed.

This game was SO incomplete that over half the NFL players were nowhere to be found in the game. And we're not talking about no-names here... there was no Barry Sanders.

Of course, it crashed up and down as well. I still hesitate to buy Sierra games even now. As my friend's dad would say... "PATCH THIS!"
posted by fusinski at 12:58 PM on June 29, 2000

Let it be known that on June 29th, I - Fezboy! - hereby predict that George W. Bush will win the presidential election after a series of court ruling culminating in a decision handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court. A court, I might add, that was mainly composed of nominees from the Ronnie/original Bushie era.

That is all . . .
posted by BoyWithFez at 10:05 PM on June 27, 2001