18 réponses à ce sujet

[KLUME777]

Keep in mind that this is just a theory of mine, and not neccassarilly true

When Mass Effect was released, there were many complaints with the game, that it was hard for a casual audience to acces and get into. Bioware decided to strip down the sequel and make it a lot more action orientated and "epic" in order to gain a larger audience, and get rid of the RPG elements. Biowares other game-in-developement, dragon Age: origins was already far to down in the developement process to change anything around and make it more accesible to casual audiences.

 So they decided to change things around for the sequel, like Mass Effect 2, and catar more to the casual, non-RPG audience. When Mass Effect 2 was released, its sales were Far less than Bioware expected, generating only around 1.8 million, whereas origins and Mass Effect 1 had over 3 million. Since they were already a fair way into the developement process, as well as  finishing up writing the story and characters when Mass Effect 2 was released, it was too late to change things back to more like the original when bioware realised that people want both series to stay the same(because Mass Effect 2 did not get to many sales).

Thats my Theory.

Modifié par KLUME777, 13 juillet 2010 - 07:06 .

[Onyx Jaguar]

Sales figures or it didn't happen

[wwwwowwww]

Pretty sure that theory has been squashed by the dev team

[Kalfear]

KLUME777 wrote...

Keep in mind that this is just a theory of mine, and not neccassarilly true

When Mass Effect was released, there were many complaints with the game, that it was hard for a casual audience to acces and get into. Bioware decided to strip down the sequel and make it a lot more action orientated and "epic" in order to gain a larger audience, and get rid of the RPG elements. Biowares other game-in-developement, dragon Age: origins was already far to down in the developement process to change anything around and make it more accesible to casual audiences.

 So they decided to change things around for the sequel, like Mass Effect 2, and catar more to the casual, non-RPG audience. When Mass Effect 2 was released, its sales were Far less than Bioware expected, generating only around 1.8 million, whereas origins and Mass Effect 1 had over 3 million. Since they were already a fair way into the developement process, as well as  finishing up writing the story and characters when Mass Effect 2 was released, it was too late to change things back to more like the original when bioware realised that people want both series to stay the same(because Mass Effect 2 did not get to many sales).

Thats my Theory.

DA:O outsold ME2 by a fairly large margin

My personal take is a few things

1) Its true they are trying to make games more cinematic. Im actually not against this, I loved the cut screens in DA:O and Awakening and the opening movie in ME2 was nothing short of epic. But this needs to be tempered with balance. They did it well in DA:O, not so much in ME2. Time will tell how they go here.

2) They were sold a bill of goods that this was the better way and like you said, they had already started when things didnt pan out numbers wise.

3) I dont think they expected the reaction they got. Im always amazed when creaters dont understand or fully comprehend how beloved something they created might be! Players loved the warden storyline. I think that was not fully realized.

I look at this whole RPG going into ME2 thing like OLD COKE (RPGers) spanning NEW COKE (ME2ers). Both successful but you will never get the old coke drinkers to even give new coke a 2nd look and new coke desperately wants to be the big shot it probably never will be.

Modifié par Kalfear, 13 juillet 2010 - 07:16 .

[KLUME777]

Kalfear wrote...

DA:O outsold ME2 by a fairly large margin

My personal take is a few things

1) Its true they are trying to make games more cinematic. Im actually not against this, I loved the cut screens in DA:O and Awakening and the opening movie in ME2 was nothing short of epic. But this needs to be tempered with balance. They did it well in DA:O, not so much in ME2. Time will tell how they go here.

2) They were sold a bill of goods that this was the better way and like you said, they had already started when things didnt pan out numbers wise.

3) I dont think they expected the reaction they got. Im always amazed when creaters dont understand or fully comprehend how beloved something they created might be! Players loved the warden storyline. I think that was not fully realized.

I look at this whole RPG going into ME2 thing like OLD COKE (RPGers) spanning NEW COKE (ME2ers). Both successful but you will never get the old coke drinkers to even give new coke a 2nd look and new coke desperately wants to be the big shot it probably never will be.

Thank You, i agree.

[elfdwarf]

mountain dew and red mountain dew

[TheMadCat]

I really, really want to know where you people get these numbers from. The only reliable information of Mass Effect 2 sales is that it shipped 2m retail copies in North America in it's first week where as Dragon Age shipped 3.2m copies worldwide four months after release. Where the hell is all this evidence that Origins outsold Mass Effect 2 to any degree when there is no conclusive evidence that even hints at such a notion, and actually supports the opposite.

Modifié par TheMadCat, 13 juillet 2010 - 07:30 .

[Onyx Jaguar]

The onl y thing I know of is NPD and VGcharts. Neither take in PC data, and the more reliable NPD doesn't take in all retailers data.

[TheMadCat]

Onyx Jaguar wrote...

The onl y thing I know of is NPD and VGcharts. Neither take in PC data, and the more reliable NPD doesn't take in all retailers data.

Bah, I've got about just as good a chance getting the correct number by randomly typing something into a calulator. Both those sites estimate about 60% of their figures and completely discount everything digital and outside of North America.

[Onyx Jaguar]

TheMadCat wrote...

Onyx Jaguar wrote...

The onl y thing I know of is NPD and VGcharts. Neither take in PC data, and the more reliable NPD doesn't take in all retailers data.

Bah, I've got about just as good a chance getting the correct number by randomly typing something into a calulator. Both those sites estimate about 60% of their figures and completely discount everything digital and outside of North America.

I was checking on VGcharts and they did have data for Japan and Europe, though how they got that info is suspect.  And yes neither do digital as almost none of those distributers release info.

[FedericoV]

For the little facts that we have come to know DA2 has changed because a voice overed human characther is better to tell the story that the author of the game want to tell.



Is that so strange? Or should we indulge in conspiracy theories?

[FedericoV]

werwulf222 wrote...

I'm a firm believer in a lot of so called "conspiracy theories".

The internet gives access to mountains of documents and information that were never really freely available before, from all over the world, if one is willing to spend the time and effort to do the digging.

As you like, but we're talking about a video game named DA2, not about Jimmy Hoffa or JFK...

[KLUME777]

FedericoV wrote...

For the little facts that we have come to know DA2 has changed because a voice overed human characther is better to tell the story that the author of the game want to tell.

Is that so strange? Or should we indulge in conspiracy theories?

Its more than the voice and dialogue wheel, its that your Commander Hawke, your human, in a different country (possibly the Citadel) andyour not the Grey Warden. And theres a few "tweaks" to the gameplay. Apperently where fighting like Spartans.

[Onyx Jaguar]

We weren't going to be the Grey Warden in the sequel, confirmed by Devs mulitple times in months past. You know there are a lot of us whose Warden's died at the end of Origins

[Massadonious1]

nm

Modifié par Massadonious1, 13 juillet 2010 - 08:22 .

[FedericoV]

KLUME777 wrote...

Its more than the voice and dialogue wheel 

But it's still a storytelling choice. Like it or not.

its that your Commander Hawke

Hawke is not a Commander as far as we know. As I understand, in term of background Hawke is developed as one of the origin in the game and he's role is not as fixed as Sheppard in ME (since you talk about  commander) or Geralt in The Witcher. Generally speaking, it seems to me that we lose some choices in the beginning but we gain a lot of choices during the game. Honestly, I prefer that direction for a change even if I did not dislike old BG's dialog system.

your human

Setting/Lore wise, they can't tell one story that's good for each race if the charachter is not a member of the Grey Wardens (or similar organization). Dwarf lives in the undergound. Elves are slave or travelling tribes. And if there is not "yet another blight" I don't see the point in playing a warden. It's not so hard to understand.

in a different country (possibly the Citadel)

You want to play in Ferelden again? Boring. Thedas is so big. Btw, they have allways stated that DA 2 was not about another blight and that they were going to explore another region of Thedas (I hoped for Orlais but the Free Marches seems attractive too). The Citadel has nothing to do with the Free Marches, c'mon.

and your not the Grey Warden.

They never promised that they would continue the story of the Warden. In my opinion, that story is mostly over, especially if the do not have the guts to estabilish a canon about th dark ritual thing.

Having said that, what's the point in playing a warden if there's not another blight?

I know that there is a lot of people who want to play again and again the same game with few twists. You remember me the people who bought Shannara only because they want to read another LoTR . I respect your view but I prefer changes.

And theres a few "tweaks" to the gameplay. Apperently where fighting
like Spartans.

Not confirmed for PC and the Spartans thing is only marketing as far as we know.

Btw, I woul be more than happy if they fix the combat system. For me the only important thing is that it's party based and tactical. I found DA:O's fighting system fun but really inferior to the BG's turn system. If they fix Stamina/Mana and decide if they want a real tactical p'n'p system or a RTS system, instead of a mediocre hibryd of the two, I would be more than happy.

Having said all of that, they changed things because they felt it was better to tell the story they wanted to tell (or because there were feature that needed some fix like combat). And you haven't got anything to prove me wrong or to gave a solid basis for your conspiracy theory about the shifting in marketing paradigms. Sorry, but that's it.

Modifié par FedericoV, 13 juillet 2010 - 09:01 .