has been canceled. As part of that, there's some opportunity, or invitiation, for fans to
get in their say about what should come up next. While I have a
bunch of ideas, none of them are as meaningful as some suggestions I think
would universally help ANY new BioWare game.
I perceive that recent BioWare games have been stunted. They're just not
as good as they could be. In my opinion, with the exception of The Old
Republic, recent titles have just been... not great. I find a lot of
illogical decisions and bizarre behavior seemed to go into the making of these
games.
For example, during the development of Dragon Age II, did anyone stop and
wonder why a person called the "Champion of Kirkwall" was picking up
trash to be returned to random NPCs? How does a trash quest fit into
the life of a champion? Sure, I get the myth and legend part of the
story, but how does picking up trash in a cave make me feel heroic when I've
just taken down a fire breathing dragon? "Hey, let's take the
dragon's head as a trophy. Oh, damn, here’s a teddy bear I can return
too! I love taking time to do the little things..." The game lost focus.
Or another example: during the development of Mass Effect II, did anyone stop
and wonder if it made THE MOST sense to have the final fight against
a giant terminator? Personally, I spent that whole game thinking
that the Collectors were feeding Sovereign so it could start up its dormant
systems and lead the other Reapers into the Milky Way. If Shepard
somehow accidently brought Sovereign online and (s)he, by association, allowed
the Reapers to invade.... THAT would have been a hell of an ending. The
event Shepard fought hardest to prevent, (s)he enabled. The next game
could have been all about Shepard fixing that mistake and taking one for
humanity. A noble sacrifice that would be really emotionally felt.
The player made this mess, now they can fix it!
I suppose this didn't occur to anyone.
That aside, I have two main tips for BioWare in the future that would help them
get on track.
1 - Advertise Smaller, Deliver Bigger: It feels like some games are being built
for advertising, not for gaming's sake. A HUGE turning point in
Dragon Age II is summarized in one cinematic released before the game
got on the shelves.
Putting chunks of exciting moments and cinematics into commercials and trailers
takes the excitement out of seeing them in-game for the first time.
Recently, in Mass Effect 3, I had one such moment of "Oh, yeah,
I saw this in a commercial... oh and this too..." This goes for the
lengthy interviews about plot and the game's direction as well. Mass
Effect II wasn't as inspiring as it could have been because I knew, before
starting, that my Shepard was going to die in the beginning and then go on a
suicide mission. These facts should have been kept secret to give surprise
to the story. Video games are like movies: show, don't tell. Even
when movies put too much into their previews, the story is ruined.
On that topic, Hype is not your friend, BioWare. It is no friend to
anyone. Professional athletes, movie stars, authors, teenagers, TV shows,
and video games. Hype hurts.
When a hyped athlete doesn't perform, that athlete gets massive discredit. - ie
A Rod
When a hyped movie star takes a bad role, that movie star is shunned. - ie
Brendan Fraser
When Steven King writes ridiculous books, he is ridiculed. - ie... Steven King
When hyped popular teenagers stop being popular, no none likes them. - ie 37%
of the people reading this
When TV shows go on for too many seasons, they stop being
interesting. - ie BattleStar Galactica (Hello Trolls!)
When video games hype, they tend to only deliver disappointment. - (Fill
in the blank here yourself.)
2 - The Fans: Yes, there is such a thing as listening too much.
Take your inspiration from a great leader in storytelling, JRR Tolkien.
You never saw Tolkien go back into the Hobbit and edit out a part, add more
battles, or change a chapter for fan opinion. Nope! And he didn't
defend the ending of The Lord of the Rings against fans who didn't agree with
it. That was his story, his creation, his work. There's a
beginning, a middle, and an end. People like it, or people don't.
The man is immortal for the effort he put into his work, not for his fan
placations. It's a work of art.
I’ll even scale down to a more practical example: Half
Life. It’s epic. It’s defining. Of course there are fans who disagree, but it
doesn’t matter. That’s because the story
and the gameplay carry it on strongly from start to finish. No amount of fan input will make Gordon
Freeman talk or switch the game from a first person shooter to a third person
shooter. It’s going to be the way it is,
whenever it is, however it is, and people WILL LOVE IT.
You can make that kind of a game too, BioWare. Do what’s right for the game, and the fans
fall in line.
Of course the fear is the overriding factor of the game industry.
Millions of dollars are put into a game, and millions of dollars need to be
made back.
Well, I say if you're putting out the quality that the fans deserve and will
respect, then there's no need for fear. No need for doubt. No need
for second guesses or outside opinion. Make a game that's going to
deliver because eyou design it to, not because you heard a some mumbling on a
forum. Was Mario originally produced from fan opinion? Sonic? Gordon Freeman?
The examples are out there to follow.
Like this article, and its public exposure, your game is subject to ridicule as soon as it hits the internet. This post is mine, my words, my ideas, and my expression. MANY MANY MANY people won't like it, but it's still mine. I'm proud of it. I'm putting it out on this site because this is what I feel. It is not intended to make everyone happy, it is intended to tell my side of the story. Like-minded people will agree, others will not. It's here foor everyone, but appreciated by only some. Going into game production should be the same way.
This article can't make everyone happy. You can't make everyone happy either, BioWare, but you can win people over with delivering cohesive vision that's full or new things and surprises. Put a game out there, and people will play it. Give them the opportunity to tear it apart before it gets into the stores, it will be torn.
So, BioWare, for your next title, start with fixing the
above before you even put down the groundwork for a new game. Hire me, if you have to. I’ll do you right.
Otherwise, good luck.
Modifié par AtomicWarden7, 20 mars 2012 - 11:31 .
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