I was examining the Twitter feed last night and came across one that explained that a producer, Mike Gamble would be there. I was not aware that Mr. Gamble was a producer and have already administered the appropriate amount of personal backlash for not realizing this. His participation at PAX could be very,very bad.
I've been a part of the film community long enough to know how it works, and I assume that the gaming one is no different. The producer is in charge of the money from the studio and how it is distributed. He decides how the budget is spent and passes that onto the director. With Mr. Gamble's participation I get the sinking feeling that someone is going to try and pull and fastball on us. Here are several things you need to be aware of:
1. They do not have a limited budget that EA will slash. Bioware is not a small independant production company. Any assessment about lack of funding should be taken with a grain of salt. If the potential to make money is there, EA will jump at the chance.
2. We need you to buy our DLC so we can continue. This is patently untrue. For all the effort that went into The Lair of the Shadow Broker, I know that higher ups will only invest in things that will make money. EA will not take massive lossess if you decide not to buy the Retake Omega DLC but they will get the message. Less purchasing of DLC means less profit, which is all that EA cares about.
New Outlined Sections Below
3. People must be aware that the panelists here are essentialy going to be taking all the hits. The people who are going are going to catch a lot of flak. But you must be aware that what they ultimatley do not make the descision to make changes. Mr. Gamble is in a precarious situation here. He answers to the EA offices above him. If he is convinced that there is money to be made in post ending DLC he can certainly relate that to the EA offices.
4. Stalling tactics may be enforced. There is nothing more frustrating to someone on the bench than someone who does not appear argumentative and speaks in a calm clear manner. If something they say offends you, just smile. There are few things more alarming than an audience you cannot faze.
Things you need to make clear.
1. A vast majority will not be satisfied with a so called "Producers Cut". Any attempt to clarify the absolute schizophrenic mess at the end is unsalvagable. Please make it patently clear that people will not settle for deleted scenes and text epilouges.
2. We aren't going away. It should be made clear that fifty five thousand people will not simply get up and leave the line. This is a massive chunk of Bioware's fan base and they need to be reminded of that. We rage because we love. None of us want Mass Effect to go down as a painful break-up, forever cemented in our minds.
New Section Oulined Below.
You need to stress how unforgivably depressing the ending is. I would personally stress it to be the worst ending I've ever seen. (I've seen things that would make members here question their sanity. Ask me if you want recommendations.)
Please stress:
There are not sixteen different endings, there are at most six, albeit with major similarities. We aren't stupid. We know simple alterations when we see them.
There is no possibility of a happy ending per se. Yes, I believe Shepard should survive in one scenario and retire with his love interest, but I also believe it is important for Shepard to reflect on what he has lost. This is a bittersweet ending, not a Disney one.
I think a majority of us would like to see a "Reaper's Win" scenario with a low enough EMS, simply for posterity.
I personally believe that the alerations should go between these two scenarios with varying degrees of depression.
Yehla Moya (Come Spirit) (New Section) (Also stolen from Peter Gabriel)
This phrase in Xhosa means "Come Spirit". It's a particularly powerful phrase which I believe best summarizes our collective conciousness. The spirit of the Mass Effect universe is what has brought us together. Many of us are here not because we are raving lunatics, but because we truly want to see an ending fitting the Mass Effect universe. This spirit of comradere is what has brought us together and which will not break us apart. Remember: Passion and Spirit will always outlast money and politics.
New Section Oulined Below: 3/30/12
In response to Mr. Gamble's post: Why we need to be cautious and not uproarious.
The nagging suspicious **** part of my brain tells me that Mr. Gamble's post was a PR statement, but I have a hard time believing it. An entirely innoucuous post intended to inform people of the current situation attracted a major player in the game, who came and addressed us personally. I still have the nagging suspicion that "We're working on it" means something, and since Ray's statement earlier about "clarification" did not sit well with us I believe Bioware has gotten the message. We need to remain vigilant but civil. In essence we need to stand outside the Bioware building in spirit but not with raised voices and screaming chants. They know we're here and that we aren't going away. PAX will be a deciding factor in this debacle and everyone knows it.
Please remember: Crap flows downhill and you must wade through it to get to the top.
Addendum: 3/31/12
Why we need to chill the hell out until PAX.
I've been seeing a lot of threads expresing concern about what Bioware is going to do concerning the endings at PAX. I would like to cite some examples as to why I don't believe they will stonewall us.
1. The Producer himself posted in this thread. You do not, under and circustances send a producer to post in a thread about the problems with producers. This is nonsensical and would be an absolute disaster. You would send someone like Mr. Priestly to do this. If the attempt was a PR statement, Bioware has made a terrible mistake.
2. [/b][/u]Mr. Hudson's and Dr. Muzyka's comments have done nothing to dissuade the masses. If anything all these comments have done is enraged people more. Any further supposed wrong doing will cause massive backlash.
3. Bioware knows a large hardcore fan base is waiting for news. Some of us have been with Bioware since Baldur's Gate, and are guaranteed buyers. Bioware knows this and also knows that you do not make a loyal customer with one game you do it with a slew of great ones and that can easily take a decade.
4. The event hasn't even happened yet. Perhaps the most important issue here is that the event in question hasn't happened yet. If you think about the problem rationally, Bioware has one chance to salvage both their IP and their fanbase. Would it be smart to sabotage it by pulling some crap at PAX?
Addendum: 4/2/12
Contingency plans for a dissappointing PAX conference.
Should the PAX conference go less than satisfactory for the majority of the community I will personally write a manifesto to summarize a peaceful rallying cry to gather as many of us as possible. I fully intend to fight to the bitter end peacefully however, and cannot stress that enough. I'll be ready, will you?
[u]Be polite, Be clear, and Be reasonable.
[b]You blow out a candle
But you can't blow out a fire
Once the flames begin to catch
The wind will blow it higher
Modifié par Taboo-XX, 02 avril 2012 - 03:28 .
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