Niten_Ryu
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Posts posted by Niten_Ryu
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I really, really don't like where they've taken the plot of the trilogy. It just seems that they never really extensively planned out the story arc beforehand and are scrambling to make something coherent, as the reapers, as they were introduced in the first game, were simply too powerful a foe to be plausibly defeated.
Bioware is true to the PnP RPG roots. They are like DM who'll make up things as adventure progress (because DM was lazy or didn't expect the campaign last)
I'm expecting heavy retcons again. Just finished Infilrator back to back ME and ME2 run and gotta love how in-game heat sink clips are considered absolutely superior to the old system. I sure "loved" new 10 / 10 sniper rifle limitation... seriously, one shot drains whole heat sink clip vs. unlimited ammo from ME. Don't know what were they thinking. For other weapons enemies drop enough ammo (could also be tied to difficulty level, I played insanity).
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Piracy is what killed AAA PC game development, not consoles. In any case, when the last generation of consoles was introduced, there were almost no good games for 3 years or so. Introduction of new consoles is very disruptive, I don't blame them for trying to drag it out for as long as possible. Tablet, phone games are fundamentally different short pick up and play time wasters, not real games.
No, piracy didn't kill AAA PC games, because piracy has always been problem for the PC and consoles too (for example Xbox 360 exclusive game Alan Wake was pirated more then bought and that was data from public torrent trackers - not private nor from free download sites like rapidshare or hotfile). PS3 stayed piracy free untill recently. Didn't help its sales to make a difference.
PS2 and original Xbox caused many developer to move to consoles, so not like this is recent thing. AAA quality PC gaming has died a slow death.
Also I didn't mean exclusve PC games, I meant that AAA games developed for PC first (meaning keyboard + mouse combo from the early design onwards, more advanced graphical options, HUD designed for the PC ect ect) and then ported to consoles, based on what consoles can handle on their 3-4 year old lifecycle. This pushed tech forwards, even for consoles as they needed to upgrade on faster pace.
You said there were no good games in 3 years, I disagree. Maybe for the first year. Anyway, good is relative so let's look some of the biggest new brands in first 3 years - Assassins Creed (2007), Gears of War (2006), Modern Warfare (2007, technically old Call of Duty brand, but in new time era and generation defining game), Bioshock (2007), Mass Effect (2007).
Developers want to launch new IPs relatively early on in console generation. November 2007 clearly show this and it was roughly 2 years after Xbox 360 release. First year is understandably dry and perhaps q1 and q2. If console generation would last 4 years, it would give 'em original game and one well developed sequel in that timeframe. Now they have to pump out several sequels or take huge risks with new brands in late of the console generation.
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2014 is damn late, but not unexpected. Consoles managed to kill AAA PC game development and now they do damage even for themself with too long console ganeration. Epic, Crytek, Ubisoft and other developers are definately not happy for one console generation for going this long. Consumer grade tablets and smart phones already start to pass consoles power and they release new models all the time.
2014 consoles power scale would be roughly same as high end PCs today (mainly limiting factors are the heat generated by gfx card, memory and prosessors). If that generation also last as long as this generation, basically development is locked into stagnation for the whole decade... or even worse. 2007 released game Crysis (best settings) is just barely playable with 60 fps with high end PCs.
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Portal was about 2-3 hour game so at least that's improvement. That said, I'm not going to buy Portal 2 right away as my unplayed games stack is still too high in Steam folder. I got distracted by KotOR, KotOR 2, Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 re-runs. I kinda feel bad about it, since Portal 2 seem to be one of those rare first person games what might even be worth it at full price (singleplayer and co-op ).
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Nindendo will probably go for something like mid range PC powerbase. Something that can do 720p for all games @ 60 fps and 1080 @ 30 fps. Fast paced Mario game will benefit greatly from 60 fps (even if consumers generally can't tell what makes it better in their eyes). Price tag could be something like $350.
For 3rd party this means that they can continue to support Xbox360 and PS3, while giving PC quality textures, higher screen resolution and framerate for the Nindendo's new console. They probably have some weird gimmick again. Maybe VR
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Yeah, seriously great job from Eidos Monteral. Baby steps towards more options for the players
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who wouldn't want to work on a RPG in one of those settings?
I wouldn't. Most creative individuals want to create something new and something own. I'm sure there are some who absolutely enjoy when corporate suits give inane orders and dictate what, when and how something must be done. From financial point of view those orders from above might be solid gold but from creative perspective it's pure poison.
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In my mind, Obsidian is essentially Troika 2.0. Excellent game concepts marred by bugs and an inability to release a game that damaged at launch. Obsidian had a head start though; they were handed the right to make big sequels to already established IPs.
I agree. Obsidian tries to survive by taking jobs that none else will. KotoR 2 with crappy engine for console and PC in hidiously fast schedule - Sure, we'll take it. Dungeon Siege 3, the brand that should have been killed after first game and definately after movie - Yes, we'll waste our top of the class writing talent in game biz for that turd of a brand. It's no wonder that MotB is Obsidians best game, as development tools, rule set and world aspects were already made. This allowed Obsidian to focus in their strongest parts - the writing and characters.
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Real Estate Dude (Jason Anderson?) is back in development anyway. At inExile?
I think he's in Turtle Rock Studios now - Not sure if they have ties to Valve anymore. Is Leo still at Blizzard ? Timmy working some MMOG project in Carbine (NCSoft? ).
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I actually had no problems with the reuse of the maps. Heck I didn't have a problem with it in ME1 either, so maybe I'm totally off the curve.
You are and generally many CRPG players are. But once you move into FPS or third person action adventure customer base, problems become apparent as soon as developers start slacking. From the early Tomb Raider games to Dooms and Quakes, the level design is difficult and nuanced craft with long history. From level design point of view you can easily compare something like Assassins Creed to Dragon Age and notice how far behind the curve Bioware is in this case. Mass Effect (recycled) levels were basically simple boxes, that if you have art assests like textures and object models, you could do the map in a day.
Example:
o-----------------o-----| | stairs up quest item room (up or downstairs, other or both doors might be sealed) |-----------------|-----| | |-----------------| | add random |-----------------| | crap here -----|-----------------| Entrance | -----o-----------------O
Bioware got critique it deserved and corrected the situation for the Mass Effect 2. Maps are still generally not top of the line FPS quality, but easily acceptable (especially since you visit 'em once per run). Bioware teams don't communicate or ignore the advice from other team (not to mention 20+ years 3d level building tradition) since they did the same thing all over again in Dragon Age 2 and incorrecltly recycled the maps.
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JA2 had a cover system... you can hide behind rocks, get up, shoot, and hide again... there's no better cover system than this
There could be. Jagged Alliance 2 was basically the swan song for the tactical turn based games and combat systems, the development is lagging almost 15 years behind more recent (popular) games like FPS.
Modern cover system would take account the material resistance for high impact objects, bullet velocity, fragmentation, ricochet, shockwaves from granades and other expolsives. There's countless ways to take advantage of the power of modern computers and graphics card (for physical calculations). Cover system don't have to be just standing, kneel and prove - it could be seamless and movement speed to match it. You also don't have to stand up and shoot from cover, you could also use suppressive fire while totally in cover, or shoot from sides of the object (rather then always above it). Heck, in some cases you could even move the cover (if not for the complite protection, at least for visibility cover) like boxes, thin sheet metal plates, cars and car doors (not much protection there
). You could do leaps, slides or barrelrolls for quick movement between covers or to escape for the cover. -
It's a common issue with sloppy console ports using UE3. Mass Effect is the same.
Yeah, I just finished another Mass Effect run and texture loading times were definately notable. Just started Mass Effect 2, but don't remember if problem is still there.
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Arcanum is one of those games that have aged really badly. I used to really love this game, even with it flaws and bugs but I just couldn't finish my last run few years ago (or was it last year, can't remember). Now it all comes down to setting and beautiful character portraits... and those things alone can't carry a game.
I do feel a bit shamed for defending this game all those years ago but it was a different era back then. Maybe CRPG development could have taken another direction and instead removing features and streamlining, they would have improved and tweaked the existing rule, game and combat mechanics. Oh well, we never know if that would have worked... but then again all (financial) signs point to no. Ultimately haters back in the day were correct. Troika was one big mess of a company and all those creative people who worked there didn't have anyone who could manage the projects correctly.
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Lotsa info...
Thanks.
I wasn't looking forward of trial, especially since I skipped the DLC but... There are potential for great Renegade racist dialogue choices, maybe even connecting it back to Mass Effect free "DLC". I have to admit I loved NWN2 trial, where you were accused of destruction of that village. Evil dialogue option - "I would have torched the place sooner or later anyway" was my one of the all time fav replies. I also enjoyed Selkar (sp? ) trial(s) in KotOR and how you could manipulate evidence, use force mindtricks to make witness to forget or lie and even frame Sith (on some cases).
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EA financial report will give us the real figure, if Dragon Age 2 has been success in their point of view. If not, we might not get numbers at all (other then that Bioware's 1 million units moved statement). Ea might use something like "haven't performed as well as we expected" for Dragon Age brand if sales are bellow target.
Some non-Dragon Age data from last financial report conference transcript and other investor material (yes, I'm stupid enough to read 'em
).My second point about the industry relates to the reliability of retail tracking services and the near total absence of digital salesrecorded by those databases. This is a point I made on our last call. Today, we estimate that digital sales represent roughly 30%
of revenue in Western markets and roughly 45% worldwide, sales not captured in the retail tracking data. The exclusion of this
data works to the disadvantage of investors and companies that participate in this sector.
Might be helpful if someone want to make predictions how much sales are not counted on NDP
John Riccitiello - Electronic Arts - CEOWe are intending to manage our intellectual properties intelligently, and we've got some of the world's best intellectual properties
with Battlefield and The Sims, with Need for Speed and Madden, with FIFA and Dragon Age and Mass Effect, and so we're getting
behind these core franchises and driving them ever harder.
Not sure that they hit the mark with Dragon Age 2. But sales will tell the whole story.
EA SPORTS Active 2 was well below our expectations for the quarter.Example how bad numbers are not (always) reported
keep an eye out for $100 million-plus campaign for the "Call of Duty" competitor "Battlefield 3.0" this holiday seasonhttp://adage.com/article/special-report-di...s-media/226832/
EA and Bioware said that they want to go after CoD gamers but Dragon Age 2 didn't get this high ad budget
It's gonna be bloody battle between next CoD and Battlefield 3. No matter who win, we'll probably lose.
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Here's a revolutionary new idea that I'm positive hasn't ever been implemented in any shooter or CRPG with firearms... EVAR!
Options > Gameplay > Toggle realistic firearms dynamics ON / OFF
I'm a big fan of toggles for just about everything. For some reason developers nowadays avoid 'em like plague and want all to play 'em same way... the "correct" way
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Truthfully though, the most annoying to me was the sniper rifle shakiness and aiming that didn't correlate with where you shot (which they changed in ME2 thankfully) being connected to skills...
This utterly baffles me. Having shooting being tied to a skill which you must use skill points to increase to make it better, is a bad thing? I have never understood this.
That is actually somewhat researched topic. People (in general) find it really annoying if their individual manual skill is not all that'll matter if they shoot something. No matter if it's Modern Warfare or Quake, all developers eventually reach to same conclusion. I ran into this topic first in early days of Quake 2, back when railgun became popular. Gamers loved the fact that you could kill something from great distances away with pixel perfect precision. Counterstrike allowed all their sniper rifles to be shot unrealistically, even while jumping because people loved that.
I loved DeusEx sniping but over the years I've accepted that it just don't work for the majority. That's just something you can't do in modern game design. Or you can do it but prepare for whining and lost sales. This can be extended to all weapons. For example in Alpha Protocol people hated when they couldn't hit mobs with assault rifle or submachine gun if their skill was too low or they didn't wait long enough for aim to be steady. It all comes down to - "My aim was perfect, why the hell didn't mob die or at least take damage".
Personally I'd argue that first person shooters (and/or third person shooters) are most researched and tested from game and combat mechanics point of view. Developers have the info, they have collection of great games, they can even see the timeline for certain feature rather easily. Thus it's really foolish to go against the trend, especially if you don't test and re-test your own solution again and again. Even after ME2, Bioware still has a lot to learn from this area. Some could be said from Obsidian and Alpha Protocol (if they ever choose to do another game/brand with modern shooting mechanics).
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Someone give spoilers from Arrival DLC because I have no idea what's it about. Too bad that they chose to advance the main storyline with DLCs but I guess that's the sign 'o times.
I like that Ashley is back but her graphical redesign probably also mean that Bioware has done some modding for her personality. I always liked the conservative, "I'm not racist"-racist and theist Ashley. I'm not sure I like Cerberus turning yet again against Shepard, as there were no option in ME2 to stay with the Alliance. I guess I have to wait for the plot twist
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seems like anonymous might be biting off more than they can chew.
Heh, like they care. They attack everyone and everything for any reason or no reason at all. It would be poor judgement to think they do their attacks to help someone or for some cause... or care if their attacks help or hinder some people and their agendas.
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Quantum entanglement don't care if it's beyond event horizon... much less if it's on edge of event horizon. In quantum entanglement any change in quantum state will happen in both places. Thus as long as there's enough entangled objects / particles / bosons with Shepard, communication will be possible anywhere.
There ain't even information paradox (well ok, there is but it's because of Normandy mk 2. faster then light tavel) because when ship was build, enough quantum entangled objects were placed both in the ship and and into any vessel that traveled to Illusive mans HQ (if Normandy mk. 2 wasn't build there in the first place). Thus objects now share same quantum state, even if their physical location is thousands of light years apart.
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Basically, the argument boils down to,
TV shows can have character moments naturally during the course of the situation, while Games have to have the character moments feel forced because of the nature of the game.
I think it's more like this - Games have support quality characters and character development, even thru forced encounters, but writers should always accept the possibility that players don't want that nor care about their precious characters. Let player know that he might be making a mistake or lose content if they skip / kill some party member.
Interestingly enough you can skip both Grunt and Legion in Mass Effect 2. I hope Mass Effect 3 will allow more such choices.
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Joss Whedon shows get cancelled rather quickly, thus it's odd that Mr Gaider want to copy his work. Especially now when Bioware tries to move more mainstream audience. I'd argue that Sarah Michelle Gellar carried Buffy the Vampire Slayer (as well as vampire theme, that is interestingly enough even more popular nowadays) more then actual writing of the show. But then again I'm not a fan and haven't seen all the episodes. Angel and Dollhouse (the few episodes that I saw) were pure garbage, first few Firefly episodes were ok.
Summer Glau (as "actress") might kill more shows then Whedon but I'd rather see Bioware (or any game writers) aim bit higher then this. Btw, those who know more about Joss Whedons work - is Mass Effects writing really similar? To me Drew Karpyshyns work feel different.
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Finished KotOR melee weapon run (no lightsabres or blasters). Was as fun as ever.
Installed KotOR 2 and of course it had to crashed right away. I hate this dejavu because I remember this happening at least few times in the past... but I always forget how I solved the problem. The worst thing is that I uninstalled working KotOr 2 version last year because I was running out of HD room while editing videos.
Argh! 4 CD version is really annoying to install after failed patch.
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Remember that VGChartz are little more then educated guess. Not to say they never got numbers right but there often serious errors. EA will give numbers in their quaterly report later on... hopefully.
). You could do leaps, slides or barrelrolls for quick movement between covers or to escape for the cover.
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I don't get it?
Palpatine didn't own or get owned by any true Sith. He killed his master Darth Plagueis who certainly wasn't true Sith (because he was seeking the lost knowledge of the Sith, no matter if true or not). Then he trained Maul, who got killed by Obi. Skywalker killed Dooku (manipulated by Palpatine). Later Darth Vader killed Palpatine.
Ain't true Sith just some splinter group of extremely powerful half-breed force sensitive beings from the Korriban. Who left before or during the Great Hyperspace War, over millenia before Exar Kun, Revan or Exile.