Concerned about AP sales

[Mirage]

I think AP has a lot of potential. An actual modern day, espionage RPG, a unique combination. I'm just not sure it will sell well. I just don't see it being featured on too many gaming sites prominently (if I've missed certain sites, forgive me), or advertised elsewhere, maybe I am just missing those commercials. Also, while I don't think this, I have heard from others that AP looks and sounds generic. I honestly cannot wait for this game, but I wonder if it will do well sales wise for a sequel. I hope I am completely wrong for having these concerns, so what does everyone else think?

[WorstUsernameEver]

Actually there's been a good deal of PR in these weeks, character vignettes, lots of previews, even a spot aired during 24 IIRC.

As for the reception, the pre-order charts last time I looked were moderately positive, the comments on the gaming sites were basically concerned about graphics and AI, not to mention the usual 'it looks too much like Mass Effect', but it's not the first time I see stupid comment like that, they were always there even for Dragon Age and it turned out a success. Mind you, it was backed up by EA and I doubt AP will have the same success, but I also doubt it will fail.

[Mirage]

Actually there's been a good deal of PR in these weeks, character vignettes, lots of previews, even a spot aired during 24 IIRC.

As for the reception, the pre-order charts last time I looked were moderately positive, the comments on the gaming sites were basically concerned about graphics and AI, not to mention the usual 'it looks too much like Mass Effect', but it's not the first time I see stupid comment like that, they were always there even for Dragon Age and it turned out a success. Mind you, it was backed up by EA and I doubt AP will have the same success, but I also doubt it will fail.

 

Oh good, glad I am wrong for the most part. I knew about the vignettes, just the actual ads weren't comparably "sprawled out" across the websites as a background like the ads for DA did. And hopefully, the 24 fans will pick this up as well. I just want AP to do well enough for a sequel. I've already done my part, and pre-ordered it, heh.

[Tigranes]

Depends on what you are comparing it to, there are distinctly two tiers of high-profile games in the industry at the moment. There's the season-defining blockbuster release, which is at its core defined by making sure pretty much every gamer out there knows about the game. Obvious examples are Modern Warfare, Halo, Starcraft 2 and GTA. There are and can be only a handful of releases that fall under this bracket. In terms of RPGs, Bethesda's great success with Oblivion was that they were able to position this game as such a blockbuster. This was made possible through the establishment of a console fanbase with Morrowind, some clever marketing and a big budget - and it is a big part of what makes the company successful today, as it can continue to give its future games the same kind of marketing oomph. Bioware is trying to do similar with the Mass Effect franchise, and seems to be doing quite well at it.

 

But the point remains that many top releases aren't in this bracket - even games that people in the genre might know well and did well commercially. I think games like Assassin's Creed 2 might just fall in this category, and then you have stuff like Rise of Nations and sequels, the Age of games, perhaps even Civilisation. These are big names and they get a bright spotlight just before and after their release, both in websites and in shop shelves, but that's all that can be afforded. With the marketing push going on right now, it looks like Alpha Protocol will comfortably sit in this bracket, but has really zero chance of getting in the first bracket - it never did, coming from a young studio (6 years old, but only 2 sequels + 2 expansions) with a new IP and not the top priority for the publisher (SEGA's biggest priorities and cash cows are the Total War and Football Manager series, which top sales lists.)

 

There are preorder numbers somewhere in this forum which show it's doing pretty well, just not breaking any records. I think it should do fine, especially if it's a great game.

[bjork]

I saw a commercial during WWE RAW the other night, and that gets a lot of viewers. It hyped the pre-order bonus at GS, too. Looked pretty good.

[kreese12]

Ya I'm a bit bummed out that AP is just about the top of my list of games to get over the next 6 months, yet it seems many people who don't follow the game aren't impressed by it. I really just think that many gamers just don't realize how favorably a game with a lot of depth and choice (like i think AP will be ) compares to say a typical gears of war clone shooter, or some other straight forward game with great graphics but uninspired gameplay that you can zip through in 4 or 5 hours and never think about again.

 

Lot of comments on gaming sites for AP seem to be somewhat tepid...meanwhile I'm like scratching my head saying to myself 'What the hell you talking about this game looks awesome!'

 

I'm hoping that AP will have as much depth and good design choices as I think it does coming from Obsidian, and that this will resonate with game reviewers, which will in turn be surprised and impressed by the game, giving it a good rating, generating word of mouth of sales etce etc with the end result of Obsidian making money to the benefit of gamers.

 

Really though, AP would have been in much better shape sales-wise if it came out like 6 months ago though (unless it was delayed on account of bugs I guess)

[Ausir]

Yeah, I'm also concerned that Sega is not giving AP enough hype. I'm pretty sure that FNV will be a hit, though. Most of the comments about AP I've seen unfortunately focus only on the graphics, which do look a bit dated, and ignore all the actually interesting parts.

Edited April 28, 2010 by Ausir

[Fallen Ghost]

I have enjoyed KotOR II and I hear that NWN II was also pretty good. I am very curious to see if this IP will take off on its own well enough to rise Obsidian from BioWare's shadow. I absolutely love BioWare RPGs and Obsidian so far has done the sequels justice as far as I am concerned. I am very excited about AP and look forward to playing it but I am very iffy about the extremely short response time periods because as a RPG gamer I like to be immersed in the stories and give a lot of thought to my choices so it may become game breaking if I just end up missing out on a bunch of responses and the get screwed by this feature. I really hope there is an off switch to that response timer somewhere in the options menu.

[Raithe]

I have enjoyed KotOR II and I hear that NWN II was also pretty good. I am very curious to see if this IP will take off on its own well enough to rise Obsidian from BioWare's shadow. I absolutely love BioWare RPGs and Obsidian so far has done the sequels justice as far as I am concerned. I am very excited about AP and look forward to playing it but I am very iffy about the extremely short response time periods because as a RPG gamer I like to be immersed in the stories and give a lot of thought to my choices so it may become game breaking if I just end up missing out on a bunch of responses and the get screwed by this feature. I really hope there is an off switch to that response timer somewhere in the options menu.

 

 

The timer aspect of the dialogue stances is meant to be a big part of the immersion in the game.... It's the whole "you're a spy involved and you have to make snap decisions based on what you know". The gameplay is styled on making you feel that sort of tension and involvement... which might not happen if with every conversation you can spend 10 minutes considering it, walking off to make a cup of tea and various other activities.... Also note, while the stances will let you choose the style in which Mike talks, you have no clue as to what he's actually going to be saying.

 

Several of the interviews have mentioned they did some testing with it (the whole eleoctode sensor doohickies on people and such) and were getting similar adrenaline / brain rush activity from the conversations as most twitch based shooters get from running & gunning...

[Fallen Ghost]

The timer aspect of the dialogue stances is meant to be a big part of the immersion in the game.... It's the whole "you're a spy involved and you have to make snap decisions based on what you know". The gameplay is styled on making you feel that sort of tension and involvement... which might not happen if with every conversation you can spend 10 minutes considering it, walking off to make a cup of tea and various other activities.... Also note, while the stances will let you choose the style in which Mike talks, you have no clue as to what he's actually going to be saying.

 

Several of the interviews have mentioned they did some testing with it (the whole eleoctode sensor doohickies on people and such) and were getting similar adrenaline / brain rush activity from the conversations as most twitch based shooters get from running & gunning...

 

I get the intent of tension but I don't care for it and I still think the timer is too short to be realistic. As for the difference between the chosen reply direction and what is actually said I am well aware of what to expect.....I've played bot Mass Effect games out so far and though they give you a better idea of what will be said than AP it works in a very similar manner.

[smokey]

The timer aspect of the dialogue stances is meant to be a big part of the immersion in the game.... It's the whole "you're a spy involved and you have to make snap decisions based on what you know". The gameplay is styled on making you feel that sort of tension and involvement... which might not happen if with every conversation you can spend 10 minutes considering it, walking off to make a cup of tea and various other activities.... Also note, while the stances will let you choose the style in which Mike talks, you have no clue as to what he's actually going to be saying.

 

Several of the interviews have mentioned they did some testing with it (the whole eleoctode sensor doohickies on people and such) and were getting similar adrenaline / brain rush activity from the conversations as most twitch based shooters get from running & gunning...

 

I get the intent of tension but I don't care for it and I still think the timer is too short to be realistic. As for the difference between the chosen reply direction and what is actually said I am well aware of what to expect.....I've played bot Mass Effect games out so far and though they give you a better idea of what will be said than AP it works in a very similar manner.

 

I share your concern, like most things in AP it seems like a decent enough idea but if it isn't executed right it will be a disaster and quite possibly a game breaking one and if this feature turns out to be anything close to the way Heavy Rain worked I'll be returning it the day after I buy it (my characters NEVER did want I wanted them to later in the game and it completely ruined the game for me), and I totally agree with you about the timer irl there's no need to answer someone right away hell if I want to stare at you for 5 minutes before I answer your question, I'm going to do it, if I want to go into the next room and make some tea before I respond to you, I'm going to and when I'm selecting what my character says or does I would like to actually know what I'm making him say or do, but as long as it's relatively close almost all of the time and gives me enough time to analyze the situation and everything I'll be happy

[Baeus]

I have a sneaking suspicion that the timer is simply linked to the npc's dialogue length. That is, as soon as they're done speaking their line, your choice is locked in and triggers.

 

Just a theory anyway.

[Tigranes]

It looks that way for some of the lines, but that would be limiting in that NPCs couldn't have one-line quips. I assume it's a bit more flexible than that, but generally not giving you much time after they're done.

[Calax]

I listen to Fergie talk about it and say "I'm pleased to say that we're offering the assault weapons pack including..." Every day at work.

[Cl_Flushentityhero]

On another "holy **** AP is getting publicity" note I noticed an AP site skin ad on gamefaqs. Not bad.

[Oner]

On another "holy **** AP is getting publicity" note I noticed an AP site skin ad on gamefaqs. Not bad.

I don't see it.

[Cl_Flushentityhero]

On another "holy **** AP is getting publicity" note I noticed an AP site skin ad on gamefaqs. Not bad.

I don't see it.

 

No idea how gfaqs rotates them.

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

I saw some ads on gametrailers too.

[Lord2]

I saw some ads on gametrailers too.

 

Same!

 

I looked around on some other sites too - found three main categorizes of user comments:

* Looks like (add another game here)

* AI/Graphic is bad

* Interesting... I'll keep an eye on this.

 

I, personally, find this interesting, and good for AP - a well developed story/characters/gameplay will get you further than look in the long run. Not to slash Bioware, but I didn't find it (ME) interesting at all - it was basically the KotOR story in another universe - however, it had the look (and a decent story) so people got it.

 

Anyway, my point is that if the story is good enough (no negative comments about it so far) then it will break anyway! A good twist will get your game far!

 

Um... Does AP have a twist?

Edited May 7, 2010 by Lord2

[Oner]

Several, if Joseph Bullock isn't pulling our collective forumite leg.