ideas for better sales of obsidian

[Verde]

I hear you. I typically only play custom MC RPGs, but I had to give W3 a try. Lots of impressive things going on there, esp the main story and a few side quests, but the controls are janky. And there is almost too much to do.

[Guest Blutwurstritter]

The Witcher 3 has some of the best story telling of any RPG up to date. It is one of the few games where good graphics are combined with great story telling. I never understood why the romances, even if they are cheesy, are brought as an argument against the game. They make a minor part and can be skipped. 

And even if you are playing a fixed character, you still have meaningful decisions to make. The choice and consequences that The Witcher 3 offers overall are excellent. 

 

 

 

Next you're gonna tell me you loved Witcher 1 & 2 but not 3.

I read the books long time ago, they were okish afair. The games I don't like too much. I usually don't like RPGs where your role is fixed and you don't have a real character creation. After all I come from Pen & Paper Roleplaying.

I remember that I couldn't finish Witcher and finished Witcher 2 once. I didn't even try Witcher 3. What I disliked most about the Witcher 1 was the "collectible romances" that seem to have been scripted by a 15-year old whose puperty hormons came out of his ears. That - or it was a forty-year-old repressed virgin with no access to proper porn. Iirc that was not the tone of Sapkowski's books(?).

 

[Boeroer]

I was speaking about Witcher 1 (one). I didn't play Witcher 3 so I can say nothing about it. That's why I didn't.

 

"I never understood why the naval combat in Deadfire, even if it is annoying, is brought up as an argument against the game. It makes a minor part and can be skipped."

 

I marked the important part with bold letters.

 

Another answer could be: "Because I don't want to play a game that's developed by guys who see women as collectibles." Could be. Will not be the case for most players, but I'm sure it's not hard to understand.

Edited March 8, 2019 by Boeroer

[Verde]

Ohhh you reminded me...W3 has the hottest video game babes ever! And I'm not even into that sort of thing

[Boeroer]

You mean women?

[bugarup]

Disclaimer: not to tell professionals of their field how to do marketing here, just an observation (with a dash of "O, tempora! O, mores!")

 

Indie title from two-dev team "Dawn of Man" hit #1 on Steam and they attribute their success largely to influence of Youtubers. There is also Frictional Games of "Soma" and "Amnesia" fame. Soma, while being arguably a better game -- smarter, more polished -- did not sell as well as "Amnesia", which again was very popular among youtubers.

 

...I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I loathe the fact that something as obnoxious as Pewdiepie can influence what sells and what not. On the other hand, the horde of insipid lemmings that worship these harbingers of Idiocracy do not deserve to have money and making them part with it benefits whole civilization so they can -- and must be exploited without remorse. 

[Boeroer]

They are called "influencers" for a reason

 

Obsidian did some special "pre-release" collaborations with rel. popular Twitch Streamers though.

[Jayd]

Another answer could be: "Because I don't want to play a game that's developed by guys who see women as collectibles." Could be. Will not be the case for most players, but I'm sure it's not hard to understand.

I haven't played Witcher 1, but I love Witcher 3. I can tell you that the romances are far more fleshed out and mature than Xoti staring at you, blushing, and blowing "wet" kisses after barely meeting you, while doing nothing else a functioning adult does to establish mutual affection. God, I can't stand her character. And I usually love religious people.

 

(Minor romance spoilers for Witcher 3 below; don't read on if you don't want to get the romance subplots spoiled but it's important in addressing what you mentioned.)

 

 

In fact, Witcher 3 is the only game I know that actually punishes the player for treating romances as collectibles. If you pursue both Trish and Yennefer, they figure it out and both of them deny you as a direct result. The main romance options actually act like people with their own standards instead of passive options.

 

Unlike Xoti, who literally tells you she likes Eder but will take you if you want her because we can't deny the player their fantasy/she just wants a man I guess. Ugh.

Edited March 10, 2019 by Jayd

[Verde]

It's generous to call Xoti's a "romance". You do a bit of wooing and...that's it. Not a single other dialogue option besides let's break up. It's a bit silly really.

Edited March 9, 2019 by Verde

[MaxQuest]

"I never understood why the naval combat in Deadfire, even if it is annoying, is brought up as an argument against the game. It makes a minor part and can be skipped."

Great point. Personally I see [Deadfire with current naval combat] as superior to [Deadfire without naval combat].

Yes, naval combat is half-baked, and (in my case) doesn't match the expectations at all (for unknown reason I didn't even think that it gonna be a scripted/textual interaction). But still I largely prefer that it at least is in the game.

 

I remember that I couldn't finish Witcher and finished Witcher 2 once. I didn't even try Witcher 3. What I disliked most about the Witcher 1 was the "collectible romances" that seem to have been scripted by a 15-year old whose puperty hormons came out of his ears. That - or it was a forty-year-old repressed virgin with no access to proper porn. Iirc that was not the tone of Sapkowski's books(?).

Oh that's sad\

 

I mean that you didn't finish the witcher games) I liked them to the point that I have read the books thrice, played through W1 and W2 thrice, and through W3 twice - and that's only because Witcher 3 is so huge (my 3rd run is currently on hold in Novigrad, waiting till I forget more about the plot).

 

You have a point about "romance" cards from Witcher 1 though. They have a quite juvenile vibe. But that kinda can be worked-around by imagining that it is not a collection of romances, but rather a collection of moments spent together. I mean it would be a pity if that stopped from experiencing an otherwise pretty good game.

 

P.S. My biggest gripe with Witcher series are occasional talent/decoction bugs, sometimes vague descriptions, relative unbalance between talent trees, and that crits are treated in additive manner (even through I am not going for Cat techniques, it's not nice that they are relatively gimped in the late game).

Edited March 10, 2019 by MaxQuest

[Manveru123]

 

In fact, Witcher 3 is the only game I know that actually punishes the player for treating romances as collectibles. If you pursue both Trish and Yennefer, they figure it out and both of them deny you as a direct result. The main romance options actually act like people with their own standards instead of passive options.

 

 

 

Yet you can still bang pretty much anyone else (who is bang-able) and they don't care.

[Jayd]

 

 

In fact, Witcher 3 is the only game I know that actually punishes the player for treating romances as collectibles. If you pursue both Trish and Yennefer, they figure it out and both of them deny you as a direct result. The main romance options actually act like people with their own standards instead of passive options.

 

 

 

Yet you can still bang pretty much anyone else (who is bang-able) and they don't care.

 

More like "don't know" - but that suits the established relationships of the characters. In the stories and books, Geralt and Yennefer constantly cheat on each other. They seemed bound to each other despite each other, rather than via a solemn commitment.

[bringingyouthefuture]

So the idea for better sales is to add sex?  that's not gonna work ....

[nouser]

classic rpg games like POE cant allow themselves to be inferior in any way in relation to baldurs  gate 2.  apart from the technical aspects, poe has better world setting and story in my opopinion , but a thing that baldurs gate , even though is a very old game has that it is superior is the reactivity.  in  poe a character like pallegina should leave the party if you start mass killing valian trading company people, perhaps even getting hostile.  maia should leave the party if you say you killed kana.  in baldurs gate durance and eder would probably get hostile to each other at some point.  a thing that could be done using the poe2 system, is that if a character get at -4 relationship with another, they should either argue verbally with one of them threatening to leave the party , or even fight to the death.  perhaps  diplomacy checks could reduce the hostility.

[Verde]

So the idea for better sales is to add sex? that's not gonna work ....

Why not? Sex sells.

 

But it's more about romance. It takes a major emotional element out of the game.

[bringingyouthefuture]

 

So the idea for better sales is to add sex? that's not gonna work ....

Why not? Sex sells.

 

But it's more about romance. It takes a major emotional element out of the game.

 

I could go for Romance maybe ... I think the best romances in video games I have played have been set encounters - I enjoy a good romantic story for sure!!  I like when it is embedded in the narrative though as part of the main plot.  Open ended Romances options seem always so superficial.