638 réponses à ce sujet

[AlanC9]

So, lets consider the previous versions of dragon age over DA:I
 
PC DA:O
Active skills = 10+
 
PC DA:I 
Active skills = 4.

How come you're comparing SP-only DA:O to DAI MP instead of DAI SP?

[goishen]

how about addressing my argument instead of putting words in my mouth and assuming what my intentions are?  You know, an assumption is quite different from an inference.  Assuming makes an ass out of u and me, while inference is a calculated guess.  But no, clearly I am trying to stir trouble for no reason even though a handful of people have abandoned ship DURING production of Mass Effect Andromeda.

 

 

Right, but your guesses are wrong.  I look at EA/BioWare like any other major corporation.  Always looking out for the bottom line, but unlike other major corporations (except some would say Apple), putting their heart and soul into what they do.  I would say blood, sweat, and tears.  But maybe that too, seeing as how they have a mocap division. 

 

And plus, even if you're correct.  What do you want to win?  A cookie?  Yay, I was right about the game sucking!  WTF?

[In Exile]

That "something" is more than likely the general economic downturn occurring in Canada right now. It's being most heavily felt in Alberta, where huge layoffs have been occurring in the oil industry for months... but Canada's overall economy has been historically very dependent on Alberta's wealth. Alberta sneezes and Canada gets a cold. When the economy in Canada "goes a bit south" a lot of the Americans working in Canada "go south" as well. It's a cycle that has happened many, many times before. To top it all off, gaming programming is a very "mobile" industry with lots of turnovers regularly occurring as projects finish and start up in other companies. That is, they "raid" each other - other companies will offer incentives to the talented people to jump ship. It likely has nothing to do with any personal employee dissatisfaction with Bioware.

That doesn't follow. Even if the Alberta economy die crater, it doesn't affect all sectors equally. Bioware does not profit from the local oil industry. MEA is developed in Quebec. And the historical driver of growth is Ontario (and Quebec). The ascendancy of the West on high resource price is relatively modern. There's also an open question as to how much the booming oil industry translated to growth regionally, since the sectors servicing oil were limited. This really pushes the debate to things like equalization payments and the general effect on booming federal government revenues as a way of benefiting the rest of Canada.

[In Exile]

Triple post.

[In Exile]

Double post

[UpUpAway]

That doesn't follow. Even if the Alberta economy die crater, it doesn't affect all sectors equally. Bioware does not profit from the local oil industry. MEA is developed in Quebec. And the historical driver of growth is Ontario (and Quebec). The ascendancy of the West on high resource price is relatively modern. There's also an open question as to how much the booming oil industry translated to growth regionally, since the sectors servicing oil were limited. This really pushes the debate to things like equalization payments and the general effect on booming federal government revenues as a way of benefiting the rest of Canada.

 

I don't have time to teach economics... all sectors of a nation's economy are interconnected on many levels.  Oil is Canada's largest commodity export.

 

While I'm not "in love" with the Huffington Post, here is one article that might shed some perspective on the matter for you:

 

http://www.huffingto..._b_9211082.html

 

http://globalnews.ca...er-all-experts/

 

Enough of a downturn to perhaps convince 3 Americans working in Canada to return to the US where there are opportunities for them in the US?... I think it's possible... but if people want to believe that it has to mean they have personal grievances with Bioware, that's their choice.

[iM3GTR]

I don't have time to teach economics... all sectors of a nation's economy are interconnected on many levels. Oil is the nation's largest commodity export.

What's this got to do with Mass Effect again?

Edit: Never mind. I don't want to know.

[The Hierophant]

Canadian oil? You mean maple syrup right?

[straykat]

Lots of game companies have set up shop in Canada. You just need to take a look at what's going on in general, to see if there's a pattern. Or if it's  Bioware.

[Killroy]

That doesn't follow. Even if the Alberta economy die crater, it doesn't affect all sectors equally. Bioware does not profit from the local oil industry. MEA is developed in Quebec. And the historical driver of growth is Ontario (and Quebec). The ascendancy of the West on high resource price is relatively modern. There's also an open question as to how much the booming oil industry translated to growth regionally, since the sectors servicing oil were limited. This really pushes the debate to things like equalization payments and the general effect on booming federal government revenues as a way of benefiting the rest of Canada.

 
Industries aren't segregated. They're all part of the larger economy. When one major industry takes a dive every other industry in the economy feels it. When the housing market crashed in 2008 it had profound effects on every industry because the entire economy was hugely impacted. Fast food restaurants were laying off employees because of the housing market, for instance.
Then you have to factor in the weakening of the Canadian dollar. You might have a higher salary in Canada but make more money in the US.

[UpUpAway]

Lots of game companies have set up shop in Canada. You just need to take a look at what's going on in general, to see if there's a pattern. Or if it's  Bioware.

 

Care to name any setting up shop in Canada after, say, June 2015?  Don't think it'll be quite as many overall as before that date when the $CDN was high.  Montreal could be bucking the trend a little since the Quebec government offers some sort of employment subsidy.

 

As I said, I think the downturn is enough to account for 3 or 4 Americans heading south as ME:A nears completion... but this forum does like to bash Bioware... so please, don't let me stop you.

[AlanC9]

With so few data points I dob't see anyone getting anywhere with that argument.

[Andrew Lucas]

I wouldn't be so sure. I wish I had your optimism but the signs which have reared their ugly head are just that. Very very ugly. And scary.

There is only one reason four different big names leave the company (and the industry in one case). And that's disgruntlement with upper management (read: EA). These are very troubling signs. I have seen it happen before. There is a reason Chris Priestly went to CDPR to moderate there. It wasn't because he was trying to make amends that's for damn sure. The mice aren't just fleeing the sinking ship-they're actively trying to find better employment else where to mitigate damage to....whatever it is they are respectively concerned about. Something terrible is going on over there at EA. And I do not like it.

This is what happens when there isn't an online relationship between customer/fan and the developers. The wolves start howling at the door.

Do you realize Chris left CD Projekt as well, right? Very soon after release whereas he still stood at Bioware when they announced they're making a new Mass Effect game. Not a good example.

[straykat]

Care to name any setting up shop in Canada after, say, June 2015?  Don't think it'll be quite as many overall as before that date when the $CDN was high.  Montreal could be bucking the trend a little since the Quebec government offers some sort of employment subsidy.

 

As I said, I think the downturn is enough to account for 3 or 4 Americans heading south as ME:A nears completion... but this forum does like to bash Bioware... so please, don't let me stop you.

 

I don't keep up with it. Especially anything that recent. I just know more gaming companies have studios there now. If there was an industry problem, I'm sure someone knows.

 

You're getting too defensive though. I'm not bashing Bioware for this. I bash Bioware for other things, but not this. I said that maybe there's a way to tell if there's a pattern or not. Nothing more. Nothing less.

[UpUpAway]

I don't keep up with it. Especially anything that recent. I just know more gaming companies have studios there now. If there was an industry problem, I'm sure someone knows.

 

You're getting too defensive though. I'm not bashing Bioware for this. I bash Bioware for other things, but not this. I said that maybe there's a way to tell if there's a pattern or not. Nothing more. Nothing less.

 

I can tell you that Alberta wasn't even really feeling the pinch of this last oil down turn until about April 2015, so any data on anything that opened up in Canada before that time period couldn't reflect the effects of that downturn.  An oil-based recession would certainly affect Alberta first and the most since It does take a bit of time for such things to be felt nationwide; but I'm quite confident that some effects of this are being felt in provinces other than Alberta by now.

 

In this case, we are only dealing with, what, 4 people leaving Bioware over a 6-month period?  Everything else being bantered about on this thread is quite clearly pure speculation being built up way out of proportion (not by you specifically).  As I said in an earlier post, there are many reasons why a few Americans working in Canada may want to return "home"... family commitments, better weather, a job in the US that pays more and, possibly, a down turn in the Canadian economy.  I know of some Canadians who have moved to the US for those same reasons (yes...and even some Canadians do have family commitments in the US).

[Sartoz]

Canadian oil? You mean maple syrup right?

                                                                                       <<<<<<<<<<(0)>>>>>>>>>>

 

Clueless.

[Spectr61]

With the changing of writers, directors, etc, anyone know where or what Chris L'Etoile is working on, if anything?

https://www.linkedin...in/chrisletoile

[Killroy]

With the changing of writers, directors, etc, anyone know where or what Chris L'Etoile is working on, if anything?

https://www.linkedin...in/chrisletoile

There hasn't been a change of writers or director.

[Grieving Natashina]

There hasn't been a change of writers or director.

Not to step too deep into this, but a writer did leave recently.

Chris Schlerf left after only about 5 months back in February. His title Lead Writer apparently:
http://www.polygon.c...-bioware-bungie

Chris Wynn is a developer that left in December:
http://www.polygon.c...-top-developers

Far as I can tell, no directors have left at the moment. So, a few people left in a team of hundreds. Whoopity doo. It still doesn't change my opinon that the sky is still intact. It isn't falling on us yet.

[AresKeith]

With the changing of writers, directors, etc, anyone know where or what Chris L'Etoile is working on, if anything?

https://www.linkedin...in/chrisletoile

 

I miss Chris

[teh DRUMPf!!]

 Does this really surprise you? BioWare is a low-energy organization in even worse disarray than Little Marco's campaign was while it lasted.

[Killroy]

Not to step too deep into this, but a writer did leave recently.

Chris Schlerf left after only about 5 months back in February. His title Lead Writer apparently:
http://www.polygon.c...-bioware-bungie

Chris Wynn is a developer that left in December:
http://www.polygon.c...-top-developers

Far as I can tell, no directors have left at the moment. So, a few people left in a team of hundreds. Whoopity doo. It still doesn't change my opinon that the sky is still intact. It isn't falling on us yet.

Schlerf worked on the game for over a year, not 5 months, and Wynn was middle management, not a developer in the traditional sense. For some reason the horrendous gaming media reported Wynn's departure as the game's director departing.

[ArabianIGoggles]

Schlerf worked on the game for over a year, not 5 months, and Wynn was middle management, not a developer in the traditional sense. For some reason the horrendous gaming media reported Wynn's departure as the game's director departing.

Pretty much sums it up. 

[Addictress]

I don't know guys, Lead Writer is huge. Patrick Weekes on the Biofan interview today explained what Lead Writer does. They write all the key scenes - the main segments that are non-optional and plot-critical. Also they mentor and help glue the various departments together. And as you can see in Weekes' case, he stayed through to release and beyond, even now, coordinating post-main-game DLC's. So yes, I think it's concerning when the Lead Writer does not stick around from beginning to end.

[Spectr61]

There hasn't been a change of writers or director.

Oh yeah?

http://www.idigitalt...ndromeda-472663