613 réponses à ce sujet

[OntologicalShock]

It seems like Bioware has lost a great portion of its talent pool in the last couple of years, this fellow included.

[Joykilledme]

Brent... I have a man crush on you now!

[Bloody_Hypocrite]

RenownedRyan wrote...

Unfortunately, he was unable to put out any decent products so he is currently unemployed. His input means as much as mine and yours.  I don't necessarily disagree with his points, but I could easily see some jealousy in response to the amount of success that the Mass Effect team has had when compared to the lowly Dragon Age series.  After playing Mass Effect, Dragon Age Origins felt about ten years behind.

Really?

[Wolven_Soul]

Legend78731 wrote...

Brent Knowles, who was the lead designer on Dragon Age: Origins, and one of the old guard Bioware developers (Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights), and, when he quit Bioware, made the interesting observation that "Bioware is no longer the company I remember". He's talked a little bit about the ME3 situation on his blog, but they're mainly comments to other posts. Check it out at: www.brentknowles.com

One thing he did say, I thought I would share (if it's already been posted, I apologize), as it's a sentiment I happen to agree with:

"I read one recent blog post where the writer basically said "the ending was awesome because it was just like a movie" and I think she was missing the point.

It is a game. Not a movie.

And more specifically, its a role-playing game. The players are *part* of the game. Part of the process of building and experiencing the game, much more so than with most other forms of entertainment.

Entitlement is really a right, for the gamer, because they have participated, actively, in the game itself.

Again, I can't speak to the actual ending myself, because I have not played it but in general I'd say a Role-Playing Video Game Trilogy Ending should (try to) do the following:

1. Reward the player's choices throughout the series. The big stuff they did should be noted. They should *feel* like they had a unique impact on the world.

2. End on a positive note. This is really important for video games...life in general is full of s****y stuff happening all the time. When I invest a hundred hours into a game I need to walk away feeling like a hero.

When you waste a couple hours of a person's life with an artsy/depressing movie or short story or even a novel, it is more forgivable because the time spent is less. And presumably the consumer knew what they were going into when they started. Certain directors create certain styles of movie. Certain writers write specific types of fiction.

On the other hand somebody playing an epic role-playing video-game trilogy is going to *expect* to be the hero and save the universe. That's why they are playing the game. When expectations don't match reality, disappointment is created.

It might be an artistic/creative move to go with a different style of ending but I feel its the wrong choice, especially for a videogame *trilogy*. Make your middle game bleak if you want to, but end the series on a high note."

EDIT: Fixed the formatting of the quote, and for those looking for the original comment, it's in the following link. Scroll down a few comments to find it.

http://blog.brentkno.../#disqus_thread

Bless this man, for he is a saint.

[RagingCeltik]

bump

[Koobarex]

Bump for justice and badassery.

[Whybother]

RenownedRyan wrote...

Unfortunately, he was unable to put out any decent products so he is currently unemployed. His input means as much as mine and yours.  I don't necessarily disagree with his points, but I could easily see some jealousy in response to the amount of success that the Mass Effect team has had when compared to the lowly Dragon Age series.  After playing Mass Effect, Dragon Age Origins felt about ten years behind.

Er, Dragon Age:Origins topped three million copies over two years ago.  It's still selling well.

[Wattoes]

It doesn't have to be "positive" exactly. But I do need to feel like a hero and feel like im awesome. Not a "well.... that was all for nothing".

I love that guy though.

Modifié par Wattoes, 17 mars 2012 - 05:37 .

[Scitenik]

"It is a game. Not a movie."

This. A thousand times this.

It's a game about choices. Bittersweet ending should be ONE of the choices. Not the ONLY choice. A movie doesn't have that luxury. A video game DOES.

They already proved it with DA:O.

[Aleka]

Brent Knowles, you are my hero.

[joopark]

Great read. I agree.

"2. End on a positive note. This is really important for video games...life in general is full of s****y stuff happening all the time. When I invest a hundred hours into a game I need to walk away feeling like a hero."

100% agree,

[Yalision]

The man deserves a medal.

[GiBBsBoT05]

I like him.

[bro_9009]

Great comment from Brent. Totally agree with his view.

"The big stuff they did should be noted". I remember when I played ME1&2 and thought that in ME3 we will see thousands of rachni ships appear out of nowhere to help in the battle with the Reapers. I was kinda surprised that all that decision from ME1 amounted to in the end was a small change to a summary game variable and a few comments from Hacket.

"End on a positive note" - yeah, I can get my daily intake of "bittersweet" from the news. Would have loved it if there was an option for a happy end to the trilogy, so I didn't feel like spending so much time on a game was like landing face down on asphalt at the end of a great ride on a bike.

Modifié par bro_9009, 17 mars 2012 - 06:33 .

[Darth Spike]

You see. If he was still with Bioware and had a hand in ME3 he would have never let this crap happen. He would have done what we are doing. I feel sad that Bioware might not listen to him because hes not with them anymore.

[RogueBot]

Man, it's just depressing that guys like this are leaving, and the reasons he gave as to why he left are even more depressing. Bioware sure ain't the company they used to be, in regards to story, gameplay, and business practices.

[Hashbeth]

That is an eloquent way to describe much of the fan outrage.
He writes with the talent of a real BioWare writer

[Bfler]

Full agreement with the statement

[daisekihan]

And note: DA:O offered you the opportunity to sacrifice yourself, similar to Shepard. But in those games, you felt like your sacrifice ultimately meant something.

[Necrotron]

And yet another great write-up on why customers are reacting this way to the end of Mass Effect.

[Adsinjapan]

Dylionez wrote...

Dragon Age Origins had a FANTASTIC ending (multiple might I add), he knows what he's talking about.

I have to add to this too.

The thing I actually like about DA is the fact that near the end of the game, you know your charcter is going to bite the dust! Due to what he represents, he has to martyr himself for the greater good. But then there's a way out too.
Morrigan, offers you this alternative, providing a proxy where you CAN actually see the end of things, tie everything  together and leave this little tidbit of a "what if..." afterwards.

[Lugaidster]

Yo brent! Go make a trilogy I'll buy!

[Skyblade012]

How exactly did this guy lose his job? He understands the fans, understands the gaming medium, and made one heck of a good game in DA: O.

I think we all know now what happened to DA2, and if BioWare has lost their people with this sound a grip on what they are doing, no wonder the ending sucked so bad.

Modifié par Skyblade012, 17 mars 2012 - 07:32 .