So, the first 38 reviews are in (according to metacritic), and most seem promising - hence the overall rating of 89 out of 100.

Yet, there seem to be a few recurring gripes in most of those, namely certain weak points in the story, an unsatisfying ending, control issues concerning contextual actions, the question of "when-are-you-hidden-or-visible", and the locally-limited enemy AI.

While at this point in development (that's a joke) only DLC might do something about the story or ending (and I would dearly love me some DLC "Mission 6.5" - that's after mission 6 and before mission 7 - that would include a possible new ending), some of the other reported issues may be patch-able - should they be deemed patch-worthy.

To elaborate a little on these issues - and bear in mind, I do not have the game yet, I only looked at the reviews; and before people start complaining about me complaining about something I know nothing about, the gist, the main question of this here thread is to inquire about the developer's willingness to "improve" the game, to work on it via patches and updates, and how much you, the community, and the opinions of reviewers around the world may be taken into account when deciding on what to patch and how.
Now, where was I? Right, elaborate on these commonly noted "issues":

Well, apparently the controls can be a little fuzzy at times when it comes to contextual actions and different uses for the same button - it's an issue that's almost unavoidable in the age of game-pads and controllers, but it's still something of an annoyance if you do the "other thing" and die because of it. It has also been remarked that "Blink"-targeting can be picky, which does not sound like a good thing to me when things have gone messy.

Another recurring theme was the question of "Am I hidden?" (which is losely connected to the enemy AI-issues) and the game not being able to provide a definite answer. Sometimes (or so they say) you get detected from far off while standing in the purest shadow of deepest darkness - in the night. Other times, you can crouch in a light shade while guards would surely have you in their peripheral vision. And again, other times you find yourself loading and reloading a save to determine when and how exactly you are hidden behind cover.

Lastly, and this is something that I have also read of in the forums, while the enemy AI seems to do a good job in a fight, their "search&destroy" algorithms seem to be very localized.
As in "He vanished! Out of a room with only one door! Could it be that he vanished behind that conveniently located door, the one that was open just a moment ago and now is closed? Obviously, no. I will continue to only look for him in this small, unfurnished room. There are pebbles on the ground. He could be hiding underneath."
Yes, allegedly the enemy AI takes the whole "Behind Closed Doors"-thing quite literal.

Again, these are only collected and compiled impressions from reading the reviews, distilled to something that even people with the attention span of today might read and reflect upon. This is not hands-on experience. There will always be criticism, suggestions for improvement (which is naturally always very subjective) and complaints about issues perceived and imagined.

What I am wondering is how Arkane Studios and the game's developers will react? Will we see an early patch/Title Update? Will they take feedback on the forums and reviews on the rack into account? Will they even feel the need to address some of these issues? Will they show strong and committed support for the game in the long run, or will that commitment become quickly apparent? And does anyone really care?

What do you think?

I think it would be best for them to wait and see the audience reaction, particularly for people who appreciate these kind of games.

I firmly believe Arkane will stand by their product. We've seen them to be nothing but open and forthcoming, as
well as responsive to fan questions/concerns. As you pointed out, obviously no group of fans can ever be 100% satisfied,
but if there are recurrent issues and concerns that seem to be brought up frequently, it shouldn't be out of the question
that such functions may, in fact, at some point be tweaked and/or adjusted to improve enjoyability of the game.

I believe we will have to wait a bit as the common denominators in reviews are tallied up and anolyzed, though.

And endings.... Ehehe. WELL. After Mass Effect 3, I have new standards for bad endings.

Given the replayable nature of the game this is a very good idea indeed. Thief Gold did the same to great success by adding new missions throughout the game that helped flesh out the story.

As for "fixing" the game, Im not sure that is needed. No game is perfect and time is better spendt on DLC or a new game. Dishonored is what it is. And I`m not convinced that the story is so bad yet. Sure the actual drama may be so so, but the real story here seems to lie in the world and its inhabitants. Both Arx Fatalis and Dark Messiah had a "bad" story by this drama measure too, but somehow it still worked and the stories ended up great in its own way

Hehe you should see the endings to Dark Messiah... Arkane is porbably my favourite studio that is still in buissness but, believe me, THAT was bad

I do hope for a dedicated and attentive support. I would almost say I expect nothing less after Arkane's presentation not only of their product, but of themselves as well. And yet, the world seems to constantly find new ways to disappoint me.

I am really looking forward to play Dishonored, the sandbox levels, the challenging missions and the myriad of options have me tingling in very private places. So when I read about some of these issues I was naturally... well, less tingle-y. Now, I don't expect a perfect product (perfect by my very own definition), but I do always hope for developers to listen to a common consensus and be willing to compromise and adjust - even if it goes slightly against their own vision.
And in my mind I of course extrapolated the enemy AI restraining itself to very localized searches that do not extend to neighboring rooms, to mean that enemies cannot open doors and thus closed doors become "easy-outs". Yes, I do that to torture myself.

I'm just hoping that there are no such fundamental issues (enemies not able to open doors), and that if there are things that can be improved without compromising the developers' vision they will make an effort to patch those things (in).

Oh God I forgot about that one. Must have repressed it in my mind

As to "fixing":

I was more speaking in terms of tweaking or fine-tuning, like when it comes to controls and such. Unresponsive or inaccurate controls was one recurring gripe in the reviews I read.

Things like the enemy AI, well, some of that might be dependent on the difficulty, but adjustments or patches to the AI could include a wider search range including adjacent rooms or checking the locks of doors - if, that is, those actions are already present in the existing AI routines. If they can't open a door or check a lock or look in a closet I could obviously not expect them to patch that in, since it would require extensive programming and integrating the new actions into the overall game world, and bug-testing and... But if the routines already exist, a patch could probably do something like extend the search area, the alert-time or include opening doors into the search-routine.

It all depends on what there is to work with and build upon.

I felt the worst thing about the Dark Messiah ending was the complete lack of subtitle support.

The worst thing for was that the endigs were actually a very good idea. But it was so underwhelming. They properly turned me into a bad guy through some great character bondings (my actual intent was to be a good guy ) and then nothing... I wanted to rule the world with my sixy demon lover damitt!

Dude, she just wants you for your body. Let it go.

I would never trust general reviews for a Bethesda game. I am absolutely sure that Bethesda pay for good reviews, as reviews for their games tend to ignore many key issues, failings, and are habitually full of truth devoid hyperbole. Skyrim and Fallout 3 had painfully obviously incentivized reviews, and I'm sure Dishonoured will too since Bethesda is the publisher. I don't consider Bethesda to be a company with much integrity, which mirrors their personality trait of being a company with low production values who then charge premium price for their games that have lacking gameplay and graphics. Including Skyrim, there is no top-tier company that makes games with lower production values than Bethesda.

just another rage game

great game play crap story and all around not worth the 60bucks

kinda the reason why i wont buy it till price drops

From what reviewers have been saying, the story itself is pretty good. The ending on the other hand, not so much. The initial play time with the amount of replayability the game has I think warrants $60; especially compared to most other games.

I am certain that the developers will add fixes for hitherto unseen bugs and problems. As for the endings, I, being perfectly alright with the mass effect 3 endings and therefore a stange entity from another galaxy, am certain that the endings will be entirely satisfactory.

Bethesda hasn't touched this game, and Arkane was given free hands on this, there was no strong time pressure, I believe the game was even postponed once If I am correct.
Also, believing in a conspiracy, that Bethesda is paying people to give good grades for a game that isn't even theirs but Arkane's, is just plain absurd.

So you're accusing a whole profession of flagrant corruption because you think Bethesda games are overrated? And you stick around to post over 900 times on a messageboard owned by this magical evil company that can bribe with impunity without any journalists our outlets reporting such shenanigans?

Yeah, hokay.

I think they're going to get hammered and throw a party like literally every single development house ever has always done when they ship a product. They might even do it again in celebration of the positive reviews.

Regarding the reviews that have been confused about being hidden, I'm chalking that up to some of them not knowing the full parameters of the stealth awareness protocols in place. Light and shadow work contingent on distance and the view cone narrows when the guard stares up (assuming you're hiding in the rafters or something). They worked a long time on this and you can turn indicators off so that you only use visual cues based off the guard's facial expression or body language. That indicates to me a clear ability to know once you're familiar with it. I have faith in the integrity of the systems but I won't know until another five or six hours at the earliest assuming PSN lets me begin download at midnight. I'm expecting with my connection for it to take three or four hours to download. And I'll figure out for myself whether those problems are that prevalent.

They won't leave a dangling string on their meticulous creation, but if there's a problem that needs a patch and it goes untended for a little while I won't begrudge them their need for a break. If something like a game erasing bug occurs such as I've heard for Borderlands 2...that would be something I'd be more concerned about but I'm sure they would too. It's so close now!

They sound like nit-picks to me. However I think if these "issues" become a problem we can expect a patch.

With all honesty, I'm tired of people who think that critics must be bribed if they don't agree with their own opinion.

I enjoyed the whole game but was a little let down by the ending. I was so amazed when I discovered that when you "choose" Leanna and fight the spider in the pit, you can do all that and then kill her yourself. Sareth says something like "You'll command me no more wench!"

On the lift back up from the pit Xanna tells you there was a prophecy about her family that stated the world would never fall into darkness so long as one member of her family survives. She was the last one.

My jaw just hit the floor, I've never felt so involved and enthralled in a "evil" playthrough.