I'm not sure about having dates, but maybe a list of reported bugs and which ones are being worked on would be enough.

A suggestion . Do not buy the game until the code quality suits your individual required level of perfection . Removes stress related to a feeling of not receiving value for your money . Enjoy your day . Shane

I think Stern could get rid of many PR issues by simply editing each pin's feature matrix until the code is at least 95% complete.

Currently you see this listed as a feature, including on WWE.
"Easy-to-Follow game rules for casual players, with depth for experts"
To me that sounds like it's implied that it ships with complete code, not buggy half-assed code, not Beta code.

Is there one person who knows the full rules for WWE? If a game has bugs, is the game easy to follow?

I think most of the code gripes can be tied to Sterns quote above which sounds like it lies somewhere between misleading and false advertisement. My $0.02.

+1

true genius

I think Stern is doing just fine and should just keep doing what the are doing. If they "fixed" this issue we'd just find something else to bitch about.

I wouldn't say Stern has as much a PR problem as much as the customers have an impulse control problem.

How generous of you

Does any other similar manufacture do this? It seems like this would be a headache for Stern. Fans will only get more demanding because they see other games in develop and not theirs. If something happens and the schedule changes (delays), fans will be even more upset. We have seen the negative side effect of other pinball manufactures releasing early information and setting dates long before a game is developed. Fans like getting the info but then nitpick every detail and complain endlessly over delays. I see no reason why Stern would volunteer that kind of pressure on themselves. I agree that Stern should do something to demonstrate they are improving code development. Doesn't really matter if games keep getting sold, though.

There are many project management products out there that are used in the software industry to do exactly what you're proposing. The one I particularly like is JIRA (https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira). In all likelihood, Stern uses a similar product, it's just not set to public. The product I cited is intended for agile development shops.

The big issue with bug reporting is that the layman does not know how to properly report or describe a software bug. I imagine that with pinball, that issue would be even worse because there is also the possibility of mechanical or electronics failure that might be misidentified as a bug.

I don't blame them for not making that information publicly accessible. 95% of the bug reports I get at work are either identified as human error or intentional design points. It takes a lot of effort to interact with the public when it comes to software development.

I think Stern could get rid of many PR issues by simply removing their FB page/account altogether!

Wait until the game is out 12 months if you want to know if the core of the code in a pin creates an enjoyable, balanced game. If it isn't up to your liking after a year, it probably ain't happening.

If you can't wait, you don't deserve the right to complain. You spent your $ and that's a risk. You should be happy at that point, no matter what. You knew the risk. There are no guarantees regarding an epic playing pin.

You knew the risk when you bought a game the day it's out and THEN you complain, no one is listening to that noise.

If someone is butt-hurt because their "dream theme" pinball is not polished to their liking after they bought it, that's tough cookies. I like Kiss but the game is lacking an epic feel. Stern gets no money from me. Moving on to the next game...

Your assumption is they feel highly pressured; I believe you might be mistaken there.

Bug lists and enhancement requests are freely available for most open source projects. This isn't open source. Yet.

Exactly. What pressure? People are buying games anyways and regardless of code quality.

That's exactly how this product works. The challenges facing Stern are not unique in the software industry. There are all sorts of solutions out there for this exact problem.