Version 0.17.21

[FactorioBot]

Bugfixes

• Fixed gates sometimes not closing when next to cliffs. (68365)
• Fixed crashes related to GUI tables. (68526)

Use the automatic updater if you can (check experimental updates in other settings) or download full installation at http://www.factorio.com/download/experimental.

[liquidBacon]

I was just reading the notes for .20 dammit.

Oh well, good on you devs. It's appreciated <3

[Raphaello]

Thanks for same day fix to the crashes!

[luc]

Would be interesting to see the crash spikes that caused the rapid release, might be nice to include it again in the FFF

[the_ave]

Dear Factorio team,

Please take care of your well-being. We are and will be forever grateful to you for what you are bringing us, but amazing as it is this game is no good reason for you nice folks to end up in burnouts.

Signed,
A guy who's been there a while ago and who's not sure he is through yet...

[proclion]

As someone who's experienced the pain of too frequent client releases, please look after yourselves. Drop release schedule down if you want and don't be afraid to tell users to fuck off and go do something else while you work through the bug list and release when you want user testing.
If you break the game and broke a few saves? Meh, it's explicitly experimental, they were warned there would be game-breaking and save-breaking bugs.
<3 to you guys

[kuhave]

Please update IME Input method ASAP...

[kovarex]

Well, at this state, when major releases are so big and stabilisation is a long process, it would almost make sense to have another category:

• Stable: 0.16.51
• Semi-stable: 0.17 mostly during weekends
• Experimental: other.

[dee-]

Well, at this state, when major releases are so big and stabilisation is a long process, it would almost make sense to have another category:

• Stable: 0.16.51
• Semi-stable: 0.17 mostly during weekends
• Experimental: other.

Sounds like Debian

stable - no known bugs in the packages and therefore stable.
testing - known bugs in the packages being resolved.
unstable - unknown bugs in packages being tested.

[darkfrei]

Would be interesting to see the crash spikes that caused the rapid release, might be nice to include it again in the FFF

It's nice to see this graph in real time, with statistic window from the game. (Elements 4, 5 and 7)

[Hiladdar]

Everything is going as expected from my perspective.

Regarding number of releases post release of .17.0.0. The client needs to be released at some point. Alpha (usually internal tests), and beta (usually a subset of your user base) are normal. The decrease in number of bugs decreases over time easy to see. I see all of .17 right now as in beta, fairly quickly approaching stability, which I define as a level of quality matching both player and developer expectations.

Will there be more bugs ferreted out, and more bugs wacked in the "wack-a-bug" developers reveal in playing. Yes! As the number of players smashing their keys and wearing out there mice approached increases, more and more obscure bugs will be uncovered. Likewise, some older bugs which were not as high priority will be addressed post stable release.

To the players, this like the every other release .17 is still tagged as experimental, i.e. beta. Bugs, tweaks, daily or weekly updates are expected. For me, if I want to play in a stable version I would boot up 16.51, the latest stable version.

To the developers, THANKS! Keep doing what you are doing, and the first stable .17 release is approaching like the light at the end of the tunnel. The only question, is how many bugs will be squelched, as your ride your armor plated nuclear powered train.

Hiladdar

[badtouchatr]

... To the players, this like the every other release .17 is still tagged as experimental, i.e. beta....

Hiladdar

If I may present the semantical argument, even the factorio devs consider both the "stable" and the "experimental" releases as "alpha".

https://factorio.com/download

https://factorio.com/download/experimental

[Koub]

Factorio is developped more in an agile manner. Not with a continuous developpement going through an alpha, a beta, and a release , but with iterations of smaller sprints with alpha/beta/release cycles (the major updates).
Technically, as long as you add features, you're supposed to be in alpha (with traditional development cycle terminology). So as long as the devs are adding features, it's supposed to be called alpha. And it will go beta => release on the lase major before 1.0.

[thecatlover1996]

I do hope that the devs won't stop adding features after the release of 1.0, though (much like Minecraft, which is already at its fourteenth minor update after their initial release)

[nljr]

Beta means feature complete and 1.0 means an acceptably debugged beta. But the definition of feature complete depends on which features are deemed necessary. Traditionally, it would be all the features originally slated for the app, but with a game, it's easy to "discover" new features that are absolutely necessary along the way.

Having said that, 1.0 is not an end to features, so much as a beginning of more freedom in what features get added. At that point, there's nothing you *have* to do, but just what you want to do that will make the users smile.

[BlueTemplar]

Games often will have an Expansion Pack with its own set of major features, that will have to go too on its own through the alpha and beta phases...