130 réponses à ce sujet

[Washell]

Dragon Age1103 wrote...

That being said I feel this should of been a PC game only, not trying to bash console just some games are not meant for console & I'm getting tired of Blizzard being the only true PC main stream well known developer left. PC gamers loose content & quality for these not ports but cross platform games sucking up resources that should of been invested in a PC game only.

DA:O has been in production for 5 years. That's 5 years of salaries, building cost, electricity bills and such. Had it been PC only, Bioware would now have been declared bankrupt. Assuming smarter management, it would have been released 3 years ago, less visually polished and severely reduced in scope.

Publishing cross platform means there is a bigger market for the finished product and thus allows a larger allocation of funds for the production of the game. PC gamers do not lose content by this. They gain it. The added revenue of the console market more than pays for it UI changes. It more than likely makes up for the bulk of the profit.

[FlintlockJazz]

Bryy_Miller wrote...

EA is the publisher unless I'm mistaken, and so they have a great deal of influence (as in 100%) in what ways the game shall be distributed, EULAs and so on.

BioWare has stated.
They are not the cause of the DLC.

And?  Companies are under contract and PR companies will put out what they believe is best, not what is true.  We'll never know how much many of Bioware's 'statements' were made under the orders of EA and how much Bioware was censured.  Maybe they had very little to do with it, maybe they had everything to do with it, we may never know.

[Varenus Luckmann]

TheRealIncarnal wrote...

Do people really think that EA is the devil still? I was under the impression that EA has made great strides back towards the light recently.

So this game has a few issues, it's nothing compared to the bugs that were in Fallout 3, and they're on the ball fixing them.

One step forward, two steps back.

[amrose2]

Washell wrote...

Dragon Age1103 wrote...

That being said I feel this should of been a PC game only, not trying to bash console just some games are not meant for console & I'm getting tired of Blizzard being the only true PC main stream well known developer left. PC gamers loose content & quality for these not ports but cross platform games sucking up resources that should of been invested in a PC game only.

DA:O has been in production for 5 years. That's 5 years of salaries, building cost, electricity bills and such. Had it been PC only, Bioware would now have been declared bankrupt. Assuming smarter management, it would have been released 3 years ago, less visually polished and severely reduced in scope.

Publishing cross platform means there is a bigger market for the finished product and thus allows a larger allocation of funds for the production of the game. PC gamers do not lose content by this. They gain it. The added revenue of the console market more than pays for it UI changes. It more than likely makes up for the bulk of the profit.

So any game that takes over 3 years to make will bankrupt a company? Uh-oh, better not tell Blizzard.. or Valve.. or any company that has made a big PC game..

[Pennoyer]

I would say that console development rather than EA is the main source of problems in Dragon Age. Still a great game. Consoles just feel so limited in comparison. This is changing with hard drives becoming more common on consoles, however.

[OneBadAssMother]

You can do a lot more with a keyboard and mouse then with a gamepad.

[Deflagratio]

OneBadAssMother wrote...

You can do a lot more with a keyboard and mouse then with a gamepad.

In  my opinion, this is the only thing that matters when choosing platforms. Mouse and Keyboard will always be suprerior in 90% of games. (Action oriented games that make good use of the analog control, like platformers are better on consoles, but that's the exception)

Also, for whatever reason, I always feel more immersed when I use a keyboard and mouse. I have no idea why. maybe it has something to do with the space? I don't know.

[OneBadAssMother]

I always feel more immersed when I use a keyboard and mouse

It's probably because the screen is right in your face =)

[kevinwastaken]

People don't like/trust EA for a reason. Many reasons actually so it's not all some counter culture, anticorporate bandwagon. There is a long trail of ruined game companies and franchises in EA's wake.

There's always a little schadenfreude when a once great game company is folded by EA (looking at you Westwood, Maxis, Pandemic, et al.) but it's still sad to see all that talent scattered to the wind.

[seb__]

kevinwastaken wrote...

People don't like/trust EA for a reason. Many reasons actually so it's not all some counter culture, anticorporate bandwagon. There is a long trail of ruined game companies and franchises in EA's wake.

There's always a little schadenfreude when a once great game company is folded by EA (looking at you Westwood, Maxis, Pandemic, et al.) but it's still sad to see all that talent scattered to the wind.

enderandrew wrote...
[...]These are things he snuck into an EA game while working for them. EA loves to buy out companies, lay people off, ship games early, and refuse to patch.

With Bioware merged with Pandemic, I assumed it would give them capital to continue to stand on their own. I really hoped Bioware would go the Bethesda route and start to self-publish, and then just earn even more revenue on their titles.

Sadly, EA bought them out and laid off the Pandemic employees. I am not surprised in the least. EA has ruined so many great game development shops over the years.

I hate giving money to EA, but I preordered the collector's edition of Dragon Age, and bought Warden's Keep as well, because I don't want to see Bioware on the chopping block.

I agree 100%. I'm really afraid that EA is going to squeeze every single cent out of Bioware and then closes its doors. I don't know how the two companies work "together", but it seems like the Publisher still decides when a game has to be finished, and sells it no matter what the developers say.

Bioware supports the community like no other company does. But i don't expect support like in NWN over many years with tons of free content since they're now slaves of EA.

But i have to admit, i'm always expecting the 'worst case'. Bioware did a damn good job with DA:O, bad influence or not. And i think EA is going to be more gamer-friendly in the future, but there's still a long way to go till their greedy past is forgotten.


Looks like kiddo-stuff, i know. But sadly, its kind of true.

Modifié par seb__, 08 décembre 2009 - 02:52 .

[Matthew Young CT]

seriously guys, activision are like 500x worse than EA these days. direct ire at right targets!

[OneBadAssMother]

Bioware actually had a history of saying "What? We can't do this? Pfft, we're out of here to find another publisher who would let us do it!" you know...



But hmm what? they got BOUGHT OUT this time. Hell looks like instead we have to pray for EA to be merciful then. However, as I mentioned b4, EA's CEO has admitted the flaws of the company and hence the Bioware studio is given a lot of freedom.

[EricHVela]

I feel a few elements were incomplete, something common with EA-owned subsidiaries.

I'll openly admit that the word "Origin" used with "EA" brings back terrible, awful, horrible, excruciating, maddening, depressing, enraging memories (despite having the longest running MMO to date).

[seb__]

Bioware actually had a history of saying "What? We can't do this? Pfft, we're out of here to find another publisher who would let us do it!" you know...

...and that is bad? 

[Matthew Young CT]

ReggarBlane wrote...
I feel a few elements were incomplete, something common with EA-owned subsidiaries.

and previous bioware games this feels very very much like a bioware game, both good and bad.

[Sable Phoenix]

I think the only visible negative impact is in the way DLC was handled. Putting the Warden's Keep guy there when you haven't actually purchased it yet with an immersion-breaking message telling you to buy it... yeah, great.



I can't think that BioWare would've done it that way had they a choice.



Yes, when it comes to games, EA is still the devil, despite the consumer outcry forcing them to back down from their DRM position.

[OneBadAssMother]

...and that is bad?

Read again, it's actually what I once admired about Bioware.

I think the only visible negative impact is in the way DLC was handled. Putting the Warden's Keep guy there when you haven't actually purchased it yet with an immersion-breaking message telling you to buy it... yeah, great.

Agreed, it's an ingame salesman. The type that is outside your office everyday =) Haha

[EricHVela]

Matthew Young CT wrote...

ReggarBlane wrote...
I feel a few elements were incomplete, something common with EA-owned subsidiaries.

and previous bioware games this feels very very much like a bioware game, both good and bad.

If you're referring to Obsidian's KotOR2, yes, but BW is blameless there. I've yet to play a BW game where I felt something was cut short except in a couple of DA:O spots and NWN2 expansions.

I wonder if EA feels that games should have short play-life. I think they want to try to balance development with getting products out the door before they cannot recover their investment as much as they want. Investments are risks. BW has shown it is a good bet. I hope EA will believe in them.

[Matthew Young CT]

i was referring to pretty much all their games actually (ie not kotor2). i think they're just not thorough enough about cutting cut features

[EricHVela]

Matthew Young CT wrote...

i was referring to pretty much all their games actually (ie not kotor2). i think they're just not thorough enough about cutting cut features

Maybe, but then, that means that I missed them then and that they must be more apparent now for me to notice them.

[Insect]

Matthew Young CT wrote...

seriously guys, activision are like 500x worse than EA these days. direct ire at right targets!

I somehow still can't forgive Activision for how they handled the whole Troika/VtM:B fiasco ._.

[Washell]

amrose2 wrote...

So any game that takes over 3 years to make will bankrupt a company? Uh-oh, better not tell Blizzard.. or Valve.. or any company that has made a big PC game..

Name "any" games with the same sales figures and long shelf lives of Blizzard and Valve games. Just because there are exceptions doesn't mean the rule is wrong. Second, name "any big budget triple A" current PC exclusive game where the developer hasn't announced the next title will be console too.

Just turn on your brain for once, google "rising cost of game development" and consider the cost of ignoring the 58 million PS3/360 market vs the PC game market, which consistently shows lower sales for the same titles. Or, look at the credit lists of Tomb Raider 1 vs TR: Underworld, C&C vs Red Alert 3, Prince of Persia '89 vs Prince of Persia '08. Almost everyone on those lists draws a salary. Draw your own conclusions on units sold vs breaking even/profit with game prices staying the same per unit.

Oh and ehm, what happened again to 3D Realms? You know, the company that spend ages on getting the games just right? To the point of industry, press and gamer ridicule?

[Matthew Young CT]

to be fair 3d realms never actually DID anything at least blizzard are actually iterating instead sitting on their arses!



game dev costs are utterly bonkers though. wish more studios would go with simpler graphics (with good art) and whatnot. could make a perfectly grand space game with slightly updated moo2 graphics for example :/

[Bryy_Miller]

FlintlockJazz wrote...

Bryy_Miller wrote...

EA is the publisher unless I'm mistaken, and so they have a great deal of influence (as in 100%) in what ways the game shall be distributed, EULAs and so on.

BioWare has stated.
They are not the cause of the DLC.

And?  Companies are under contract and PR companies will put out what they believe is best, not what is true.  We'll never know how much many of Bioware's 'statements' were made under the orders of EA and how much Bioware was censured.  Maybe they had very little to do with it, maybe they had everything to do with it, we may never know.

Because everyone knows that The Thing We Like can't possibly do something we Don't Like, right?

[TjM78]

Never got the EA hatred. They have released some pretty outstanding games latley and seem to be pretty hands off with the devs