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Denver, 7:40 AM
Wed Nov 25
53 posts in the last 24 hours
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11/15/09
11/15/09
11/16/09
Might. #electronicarts
11/16/09
the most easily arguable point is "well don't play the MP part" but any time/money/effort going to MP is detracting from making the SP as good as it can be. #electronicarts
11/15/09
Now let there be news that Mirror's Edge 2 is still alive and I'll be more than happy. #electronicarts
11/15/09
11/15/09
Whether it was developed after or before doesn't make it any less shitty and/or unecessary.
Are you implying that if it had been developed alongside the single-player it would've been better?
Good luck proving that.
Some kind of Co-op mode could work but anything remotely like a deathmatch would be out of place in a survival-horror game.
11/15/09
11/15/09
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11/15/09
Shiren the Wanderer and Fable 2 have an online implementation in the realm of what Demon's Souls has, and those sorts of advancements are exciting and unique.
(A shame that WiiConnect24 goes criminally underused beyond a dozen or so titles.) #electronicarts
11/15/09
..."no multiplayer!!" #electronicarts
11/15/09
11/15/09
Dead Space cannot escape the vaccuum that is game industry peer pressure.. #electronicarts
11/15/09
11/15/09
*smacks HELLSRIDER over the head with the sarcasm mallet* #electronicarts
11/15/09
Anyway, I just hope that it does something interesting and doesn't just resort to the typical back of the box bullet-point team deathmatch mode. #electronicarts
11/15/09
There are several others, trust me #electronicarts
11/15/09
11/15/09
Although co-op free running and plotting assassinations might be distilled awesome, any competitive multiplayer in SP games is usually counter-productive.
Tha fact that it's "merely an addition" doesn't mean that it doesn't detract from the overall appeal of the game. #electronicarts
11/15/09
11/15/09
It adds an extra feature, no more, no less.
Having said that, when mp is executed well it could prolong the enjoyment of the respected game. #electronicarts
11/16/09
11/15/09
Online multiplayer is just so overdone these days that it's generic, and the fact that every single sequel just HAS to have online competitive multi showcases this.
I really wish developers would, for once, focus in making a sequel with really great single-player game with an intricate story, long length (~30 hours), deeper mechanics, and more varied and intricate level design. But nope, with every sequel the developers go "OMG MULTIPLAYER MULTIPLAYER MULTIPLAYER PUT IT IN PUT IT IN PUT IT IN" like little children in a candy store. #electronicarts
11/15/09
If there's competitive MP, they can release a few maps on release and modify rest of the game's maps as dlc for later. This way they'd keep earning on products released over a year ago. #electronicarts
11/15/09
11/15/09
I buy single player games to play by myself, and I buy multiplayer games to do multiplayer, very rarely do I play both on the same game. I've logged probably about 30 hours of Call of Duty 6: Call of Duty 4 2: Modern Warfare 2 since it's been out, and I haven't even touched the single player yet.
At no point during the time I was playing Dead Space or Bioshock or Mass Effect (3 of my favorite games this generation, with Mass Effect being my ALL TIME favorite) did I think "Know what would make this game a lot better? A 12 year old calling me a fag!" #electronicarts
11/15/09
@D-K, stubbed his toe..*swears*: I believe so. #electronicarts
11/15/09
I'm a firm believer of "If no one comes, they'll eventually tear it down again" #electronicarts
11/15/09
I doubt dlc will go away at all. In fact I bet they'll go where the money is - if there's one successful precedent where an idea makes money then you can bet that everyone and their mother in that field/industry will be trying to use that idea.
But yeah the reason why MP is so tagged on is just plainly monetization more than all other reasons (including people asking for it), there's only so much people will spend for costumes and items (with the exception of some games) but a lot of people will buy map-packs. it is however better than the days of expansion packs in the 90s where some of them weren't really expansion packs even just 1 tiny campaign added extra and you've got an extra box, manual and other junk wasting space and your original multiple discs in most cases no longer useful.
edit: just wanted to add, when the next big cashmaking strategy comes to play that's better, dlc will perhaps die, but that'll take sometime.
11/15/09
I'm with you in believing there is yet a more lucrative business model out there, just waiting to be discovered.. It'll be a while though..
Until then, i'll dispose my income elsewhere, I don't do multiplayer anyway.
Edit: also maybe to clarify, i'm a total gameplay-man.. costumes, weapons, map packs or skins are of little interest to me.
11/15/09
I just hope no one decides that the best way to support a game is through some sort of extended subscription model or a renewable license.
Yeah there has to be a better business model, just nothing the guys can think of yet or nothing they're willing to risk money on atm.
I'm not totally sold on all dlc, especially if it's map packs or skins - but some games have it pretty decent. Skins, costumes I do end up getting if my wife insists though. However if the Borderlands one is about 6-10 hours of content as they say then yeah I'll definitely get it. I waited for GOTY to get the fallout 3 packs for the PC after disposing off the disc from the collector's edition and haven't really bothered with the dlc for the ps3 version as yet. #electronicarts
11/15/09
Army of Two, Brutal Legend and Dynasty Warriors all had free dlc, days after release. Army of Two's was 2 months after release but it added 2 full campaign levels and an alternate ending, for free.
Great for the consumer but hardly compelling from a designer point of view, except maybe to bind fans to the brand.
The Naruto UNS dlc i did not get at all though, Extra support characters scattered out over several months, as 100kb unlocks. Granted they were free but who is gonna be brought back to playing a game that's months old. And even then, they don't make money out of it, they lose money on it.
Especially since they had to place those things on ps store.. And i know they're only 100kb, but still..
Weird... #electronicarts
11/15/09
*facepalm* #electronicarts
11/15/09
I can't be the only one aching to hammer my opponent with a flashlight? #electronicarts
11/15/09
Get you oldtimers back in the game
*hints at Outkastprince* #electronicarts
11/15/09
I'm having Prison flashbacks. No, Bubbles, I'm a boy. A boy!! #electronicarts
11/15/09
(yes, you have awoken the beast) #electronicarts
11/15/09
I just have to realize these old jokes can't last long, it's impossible.
Yeah, I just have to believe that. D-K will move on to something else, maybe Arch got on his nerves or someone shot down 2d games. Something else is bound to get his attention. Yes, that has to be it. #electronicarts
11/15/09
@Outkastprince: XD #electronicarts
11/15/09
11/15/09
11/15/09
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11/15/09
And now you know why Dead Space should never try it. #electronicarts
11/15/09
11/15/09
Why? Did you want it in Dead Space? Or do you just like competitive multiplayer? If so....there are tons of multiplayer games out there. #electronicarts
11/15/09
@n00b_pwner: Let me continue. #electronicarts
11/15/09
11/15/09
11/15/09
11/15/09
Sounds...like the gist of the SP experience to me. #electronicarts
08/27/09
Most of the information in these posts are true. It really isn't as glamorous as it sounds, it only works that way if you refer to it in comparison to other jobs.
Yes, it is tough. Yes, it is competitive. Yes, we are all expendable.
But you know what? A lot of us don't care. I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that I never would have thought I'd be doing this for a living. My occupation is also my hobby, and I'm pretty much the only person in my social circle who can say that.
Bring on the challenges I say. I love my job. :)
08/27/09
08/26/09
I could go on and on about how crazy it gets.
What I will tell all of you thinking of getting into testing is this, MOVE TO WESTERN WASHINGTON!!
There are literally thousands of testing jobs in the greater Seattle area. Anytime of the year you can find a testing job within a few weeks with no past experience. Almost all of them pay more than $9 an hour. And if you are smart you will get into one of the companies that make games that you like.
08/27/09
08/26/09
Here's the problem with testing:
1) Testers get paid badly, and are often forced to work in awful conditions (packed rooms, overtime, no days off, etc.)
2) Badly treated testers do not work very efficiently and/or quit--especially the smart ones who would be able to do some good for the game
3) A test team that does not do a very good job creates issues with the quality of the game.
4) Bad game quality causes developers to get resentful and they begin to blame many of the game's issues on the test team.
5) Resentful developers and management do not like QA and create awful work conditions for testers.
Full circle.
Solution: Hire smart QA managers who know all sides of game development--and who have a genuine interest in spotting 'diamonds in the rough' who stand out and want to move up.
Pay testers standard Software QA wages, such that the positions are more attractive to smarter and less greasy people.
Oh yea, and are royalties too much to ask for a position that is so important?
08/27/09
Hence, no union (please keep it that way; unions have currently ruined the movie/TV industry - everyone should be salaried and just get nice bonuses depending on their contributions).
08/26/09
Company A:
Cons: Pay started at $7.50/hour. Normal hours most of the time, but crunch saw 10-14 hour days for 6 days a week. They hire all QA as "Contractors", but the only thing I saw resembling a contract was the NDA. They had no vacation, no benefits, and an extremely demoralizing way of treating their employees. Random layoffs, sometimes during a project.
Pros: Extremely good training on bug writing format, and regression. Everyone was on the same page (unlike EA, Activision, and Disney).
Company B:
Cons: I didn't get to work there longer. Health and Dental was subpar, but was offered.
Pros: Breakfast brought in from whole foods in the morning. Pay was $12.00/hour, and a tiered system in place for experience (not a usual thing). Almost always 40 hour work weeks, and overtime was requested, not demanded. Very cool employee lounge. Free ice cream and assorted other food. Awesome people to work with. The company was completely open (meaning a QA person could walk into Art, Writer's Pit, Programmers room, Marketing, etc and be welcomed and talked to like an equal). The game that was being worked on is the only game that I would play again after having done QA on it.
The best way I have of putting it is... the game industry is presently like the movie industry was in the late 30's through the 50's. There are no unions, and the contracts are heavily favored to the company over the employee. Benefits are very iffy, if given at all, and the hours can be mind-numbing.
There is little to no respect of QA across most of the industry, but they are an integral part in getting a game made/shipped. I enjoyed my latter part doing QA and made some friends that I will always be in contact with, but it is a harsh and highly competitive industry. It will chew you up and spit you out if you can't hold onto your dreams while the whip is cracking.
08/27/09
08/26/09
08/26/09