Hurlshort

You guys are throwing out a lot of numbers, but 5 years is not actually a long time when it comes to an investment. Bioware was a major investment for EA, and I doubt they expected to make everything back within 5 years. The main goal is to extend market share, which they've done. If it takes 10 years to recoup the costs of the merger, that is totally reasonable for a business like this. This is all pretty baseless speculation. edit: Until you actually see a CEO or someone stepping down in disgrace, there is very little to all these claims. The doctors are simply retiring. They are filthy rich.

I noticed my performance, particularly in bad spots like on my ships, seemed to be a lot better when I logged in last night. They did something right.

Wow. That ate up like 30 minutes.

There are conservative columnists railing against Mitt Romney right now after his 47% comments. http://www.businessinsider.com/mitt-romney-gets-blasted-by-conservatives-in-two-must-read-columns-2012-9 It doesn't look good. Romney really just seems to have no idea what his voter base is. I was concerned about him as a candidate all along, and he just continues to make baffling statements. Basically Obama just needs to avoid a major controversy to win. It's sad, really. This is why I wish Newt Gingrich would have got the candidacy. I know he never would have been able to win, but he is a very smart politician and he would have challenged the Obama administration with tough questions and introduced new ideas. Gingrich is an SOB, but he is an SOB with a track record of getting the job done.

Given that they don't release any of the financials, it's very hard for any of us to say that. We don't really know what they sunk into the project, we don't know what the current operating costs are, and we don't know what they are making every month. If they have half a million subscribers, which has been rumored, that is still a pretty solid amount of income coming in. We know that they cut back on staff, but the game is still being worked on heavily, so it isn't dead yet. The big test will be if they can generate income off their free to play model. It clearly hasn't met expectations, that much was evidenced by the layoffs. But it also didn't bomb, which is evidenced by the huge initial sales. Right now they need to do whatever they can to maintain subs, but until it is clear they have failed to do that, we don't have a clear picture here.

I decided to re-sub, to see the server changes and everything. I will see about possibly finding some of you folks online too.

I'm not quite sure what you are getting at here. While both the Bioware purchase and TOR were very expensive for EA, both have also generated a lot of money. It is less clear how profitable they are compared to the investment, but there haven't been any big bombs. The Mass Effect and Dragon Age games have sold well, and TOR sold like hotcakes out of the gate. TOR has struggled since, but it is still a very active property for EA and Bioware, and isn't exactly closing down yet.

They are in an advisory role, but that project seems pretty stalled, so I doubt that helps.

I'm not hung up on hours, I want a great game that keeps me engaged from start to finish. It is also crazy to expect a full on epic like BG2 for $2 million. If this game comes out and is successful, then we might see enough DLC over time to make it a full on epic, but they are still operating on a small budget here. Also, taking funds from other areas is a terrible idea, they aren't going to sacrifice the company safety net (if they even have one) for this project, they shouldn't have to. I'd say 20 hours is a reasonable guess for a first play through. That is fairly standard. Merin is on the money when he says you are pledging Kickstarter for more than simply getting a return on an investment. We'd all be better off pledging the minimum if that were the case. We are pledging to support a vision.

A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of culture. A film, book, musical artist, television series, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base. It's a ridiculous and useless term because anything that has a handful of fans applies, but it's used correctly. Even if misused in the way you intend, it would still be accurate - this forum alone displays enormous cultlike dedication to the game and it has displayed incredible longevity for a game - more successful games have been wiped off the map but this is still being played regularely by many people. EDIT: Nevermind, I just realized who I'm talking to. Bye, this thread. Sorry for contributing to your eventual Volourn Derailment. You just have to read a couple of the love letter threads about Steven Heck and SIE in Alpha Protocol to know it is totally a cult classic. The game definitely has a following. Dungeon Siege 3 managed about the same sales, I believe, but it didn't really create the same type of fanbase. But yeah, it's Volo. Welcome back Volo, we missed you.

Double Fine did a good job of getting a big push at the end, so hopefully Obsidian can do the same. I've been spreading the word as much as possible, even sent in the story to our local news tech reporter.

They really need to get the server tech. that Guild Wars 2 is using. I keep think about resubbing, but then I remember how lonely I was.

These guys are also extremely wealthy and close enough to retirement age to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. I don't see any conspiracies here, they gave 20 years to Bioware and are leaving it as a very successful business.

I decided to spring for FTL it looked like a fun little starship game. 4 hours later I realized it was past my bedtime, what foul sorcery is this? This game is addicting and awesome.

I could have sworn I told you to get something with clearance, like a Jeep Cherokee, when you talked abut getting a car back in the day. So I'm not going to help you Actually I have no idea. With registration, I believe you can simply register it in Iowa no matter where you buy it, it is all based on the address you use. That would be my guess, insurance should be the same thing.

Really sorry to hear the WD. Take care.

The OP isn't just saying the intro was a bit slow (although I don't get it in FO:NV, the whole world opens up immediately.) He is saying he rage quit because there is too much dialogue. He compared it to being in a classroom. Considering the writing is one of the biggest selling points in Obsidian's work, I just don't think he is going to be happy.

Realistically, given the resources that go into creating party members, I doubt you will see any permanent deaths. I prefer the idea of crippling injuries myself. When you die, you are crippled until you see a surgeon or something. End game on total party wipe, but as long as one survives, folks can get back up and stumble home.

It sounds like Obsidian games aren't for you.

Hurrah!

I agree that romances are goofy and have become too important in RPG's. So I'm against romances in general. However, Bioware is making a social statement when they include gay romances. It's similar to the whole green movement of many recent movies. Avatar, Wall-e, The Lorax; these are all movies designed around the idea that corporations are bad and the earth needs to be protected. Final Fantasy carries those themes as well. While it can be preachy, it isn't necessarily a bad thing to get people thinking about the environment. I see the same thing with gay romances in these games, the idea is to get people to think about it in a positive light, which given the fairly troublesome homophobia in the gaming community, isn't a bad thing.

I've only put in on a few projects, and Eternity was my first big pledge. Shadowrun Returns looks like a good game, and so I pledged for that. Spaceventure (Guys from Andromeda) is more of a nostalgic pledge. If they run off to live on a beach somewhere with the money, I'll be ok because they gave me some great memories as a kid. I'll pledge Quest for Glory's team as well.

This game is a loooooooong way from release people. Pace out the nerd-rage a bit

Companions, and really all content, cost money. For a million bucks you are only going to get so much content. I expect this game to be awesome, but I don't expect it to be gigantic.

I do hope the developers notice this thread *hint hint*