Preview Eurogamer previews The White Council

[Vault Dweller]

Tags: Electronic Arts; Lord of the Rings: The White Council

<a href=http://www.eurogamer.net>Eurogamer</a> has visited EA to see what's the <a href=http://www.whitecouncil.ea.com/>White Council</a> fuss <a href=http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=66178>all about</a>:
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<blockquote>"We started off with the idea that we wanted to create what in a sense you might call a sandbox Middle-Earth, which is a version of Middle-Earth in which you will find characters, as Tolkien describes them, going about their business, doing the things they should be doing, having the interactions that they should be having and so on," Gray says.
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"You would come into that environment and have the opportunity to make up your own story; to say, 'I'm the hero of Middle-Earth, and I want to go and do this, and I think this is important and this is how I'm going to spend my time.'"
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But once the project was a bit further down the line, according to Gray, the team decided that a free-roaming Middle-Earth just wouldn't be enough to entertain everyone. "We felt that was great, and we still absolutely have that as a goal, but there are many people who, if we just dropped them off in Middle-Earth and said, 'Go have a good time,' they would feel lost, and they would feel gipped that we hadn't taken the time to at least offer them a storyline," he says. </blockquote>Or a compass.
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Thanks, Markman

 

[hiciacit]

Isn't their a podcast of this interview somewhere? I can't be bothered to read all of it.

 

[LlamaGod]

"We felt that was great, and we still absolutely have that as a goal, but there are many people who, if we just dropped them off in Middle-Earth and said, 'Go have a good time,' they would feel lost

There is maps of the world all over everything LOTR related, many details for many area, shit.

I might actually enjoy it if it were free-roaming, dumb fuckers. I wanna go hang out in the Barrow Downs and the Old Forest and shit.


That whole snippet sounds like 'We suck and are lazy, so we jsut didnt feel like doing it. Also we like to think our fans are totally retarded and cant figure out things on their own.'

 

[franc kaos]

That whole snippet sounds like 'We suck and are lazy, so we jsut didnt feel like doing it. Also we like to think our fans are totally retarded and cant figure out things on their own.'

They mostly come at night - mostly... Any fan of EA is retarded.

They singlehandedly destroyed all free and creative thinking when it came to games developing in pursuit of the mighty dollar.

They ate and spat out Origin and Bullfrog that I can recall. It's what BS aspire to. I'm willing to bet real money this game will make O look like an excercise in creativity and intellectual adventurism.

Mind you, they'll probably have more and better voice actors, breakable glass and staves... and it'll make shitloads of cash, so - welcome to the future of RPG...

[/rant]

 

[NoisyKillerHPB]

So just to make sure, they were going to do free roaming, but instead they're going to put you on rails? Just want to make sure cause it slightly sounds like they were going to do free roaming with no forced objective and then switched to oblivion style??

 

[GhanBuriGhan]

It sounds Oblivion style: A sanbox combined with a linear main quest. At least they used the word branching somewhere in there, I think.
Per se that's not a bad aproach, it depends on the quality of the main quest design. Although I would really like to see someone make a pure sandbox game, actually.

 

[Gwendo]

"We felt that was great, and we still absolutely have that as a goal, but there are many people who, if we just dropped them off in Middle-Earth and said, 'Go have a good time,' they would feel lost

There is maps of the world all over everything LOTR related, many details for many area, shit.

I might actually enjoy it if it were free-roaming, dumb fuckers. I wanna go hang out in the Barrow Downs and the Old Forest and shit.


That whole snippet sounds like 'We suck and are lazy, so we jsut didnt feel like doing it. Also we like to think our fans are totally retarded and cant figure out things on their own.'

They didn't say the game wouldn't be free-roaming. They just said the would add something for those players.

And I think it's a good thing. I need a good story to keep myself entertained. Autists and retards are the ones who like to play alone, no rules, in their own world.


Now, the next announcemente will be: THE WHITE COUNCIL IS A MOD FOR OBLIVION!

 

[VenomByte]

...Available in just 60 separate weekly installments, at the low low price of $2 each.

 

[LlamaGod]

And I think it's a good thing. I need a good story to keep myself entertained. Autists and retards are the ones who like to play alone, no rules, in their own world.

This is Middle-Earth. If you want a good story, theres a few books already made for you.

Me, I want to explore the awesome world in a virtual way. Look at everything from the briefly described areas to the major areas fully, on my own and however I want.

That's the allure of a Lord of the Rings game. It's a shame the movies had to come along and change alot of the allure to 'omfg big cgi battels so seweeet omg'

I don't see how they can really make an original story in the 3rd age without stepping on something's toes, anyways.

I don't really think they care though, with those 'Fighter Hobbits' they were talking about.

 

[Volourn]

"Any fan of EA is retarded."

If liking a company that makes good games then I'll gladly allow yout o call me retarded. EA's sports games, depsite a few bad apples, are second to none.

As for this game, meh, for everything I hear about it that I like, I hear 3 things I dislike. Not good at all.

 

[Data4]

It's just that EA has become a game-mill that seems to focus on quantity rather than quality. There are a few that I like, too, but they're usually sequels of games that were much better when done by the original studio. Westwood spings to mind here.

-D4

 

[Volourn]

Here;s a cocnept - who cares if they make LOTS of games. Just buy the ones you think you'll like. 90% of the EA games are all sports games 'cause I know I'll usually like those (even if they are just 'yearly updates' of an old game).

I cna't even remember the last non sports EA game that I bought.

 

[franc kaos]

"Any fan of EA is retarded."

If liking a company that makes good games then I'll gladly allow yout o call me retarded. EA's sports games, depsite a few bad apples, are second to none.

As for this game, meh, for everything I hear about it that I like, I hear 3 things I dislike. Not good at all.

Heh, I don't like sports... games or in real life, so have no comment - except, didn't they hold exclusive rights to FIFA or football, so no one else could use real players names? The only games of theirs I played was some of 'the need for speed' series back when it was a continuation of 'Car and Road', which, although only offering filled (maybe shaded) polygons somehow felt realer than anything they could produce. Their non sports products all seem to be about lightning 'n thunder, all gloss, no substance...

I would make a joke about blowing their offices up, but I don't want the American Secret Police dragging me out of my house in the UK and sticking me in (deep breath for spelling) Guantanamo Bay for an unspecified length of stay with no trial.

Of course, I'll suck it in if they now go ahead and make the deepest choice 'n consequence laden role playing game of the century - next to VD's. Fuck, I'll even go ahead and buy the damn thing.

I'd never call someone a retard on the street, not gonna start doing it online, but EA (the corporation) is Evil, which, unfortunately is seductive (just watched Xmen3 and was on Magneto's side the whole way).

Damn! this fence is scratching my arse up... :twisted:

 

[Volourn]

Evil? LMAO That line just makes me crack up espicially on the Codex wher epeople constantly brag about how everything isn't so black and white.

This idea that EA, and companies like them being 'evil' is just plain dumb and has no basis in fact, logic, or morals.

 

[sheek]

"We started off with the idea that we wanted to create what in a sense you might call a sandbox Middle-Earth, which is a version of Middle-Earth in which you [snip]

Sandboxes are for babies or retards to play in.

 

[Sol Invictus]

The White Council is free roaming. You don't have to do the 'main quest' if you don't want to do it. The only reason they're adding a main storyline is because a lot of people would ask for it anyway. When the game was known as Project Gray, they had absolutely no plans for a main storyline.

Me, I want to explore the awesome world in a virtual way. Look at everything from the briefly described areas to the major areas fully, on my own and however I want.

That's what the game is all about.

 

[LlamaGod]

If you're behind the game, i'm assured it's horrible now.

EA's sports games, depsite a few bad apples, are second to none.

EA's sports games are dumbed down pieces of shit for retarded people and people who don't ever play videogames. 2K Sports makes much better games.

 

[Sol Invictus]

Hardly. I'm only just looking into the game. I don't know much about it beyond what I wrote. I have no interest in the LOTR setting and I would have preferred if they used their big bank account to finance a Steampunk IP with the stuff this game is going to feature.

 

[franc kaos]

Evil? LMAO That line just makes me crack up espicially on the Codex wher epeople constantly brag about how everything isn't so black and white.

This idea that EA, and companies like them being 'evil' is just plain dumb and has no basis in fact, logic, or morals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Arts#Criticism

Well, that's how evil perpetuates, by logical right thinking people asserting that it doesn't exist... Ok, they may not be evil, but they're hardly employer of the year either...

For example, Origin produced Ultima VIII: Pagan and Ultima IX: Ascension under EA's ownership, and these two are considered among the worst of the series, obviously aimed at lowest common denominator audience. (Richard Garriott, the originator of the Ultima series, wasn't fond of EA at all, and previous Ultima games contained some subtle attacks on EA). Productions as of late have generally not been known for their originality, from EA owned studios...

EA is also criticized for shutting down its acquired studios after a poorly performing game. Many see EA's control and direction as being primarily responsible for the game's failure rather than the studio. Magic Carpet 2 was rushed to completion over the objections of designer Peter Molyneux and it shipped during the holiday season with several major bugs. Studios such as Origin, Westwood Studios, and Bullfrog had previously produced games attracting a significant fanbase, and when they were closed down many top designers and programmers refused to stay with EA and formed rival studios. EA has also received harsh fire from labour groups for their dismissals of large groups of employees during the closure of a studio. Such was the case with the game GoldenEye: Rogue Agent.

EA has also been criticized for other aggressive business methods like the acquisition of 19.9 percent of shares of their competitor Ubisoft in what was called a "hostile act" by Ubisoft...

Electronic Arts has from time to time been criticized for its employment policy of requiring employees to work extraordinarily long hours—up to 80 hours per week—as a general rule and not just at "crunch" times leading up to the scheduled releases of products.

"The current mandatory hours are 9am to 10pm—seven days a week—with the occasional Saturday evening off for good behaviour (at 6:30pm)"[4]. The company has since settled a class action lawsuit brought by game artists to compensate for "unpaid overtime" EA management demanded of its employees[5]. The class was awarded $15.6 million. As a result, many of the lower-level artists are now working at an hourly rate. A similar suit brought by programmers was settled for $14.9 million [6]...

And there's a lot more on there, and across the 'net...including 15 years sports license monopoly, bugged games that are never fixed and one year online support for games ensuring you buy the yearly update (at full price, natch!). If they're not evil (and I'll admit, they probably don't sacrifice babies), then certainly they are morally bankrupt

Starflight (1986), by Binary Systems
Need For Speed series (1994–Current) first one was made by EA, in collaboration with Road & Track to get the game more realistic.

Damn! two of my favourite games were sold by them, but that was back when they were a fledgling ok company.

 

[Twinfalls]

For example, Origin produced Ultima VIII: Pagan and Ultima IX: Ascension under EA's ownership, and these two are considered among the worst of the series, obviously aimed at lowest common denominator audience. (Richard Garriott, the originator of the Ultima series, wasn't fond of EA at all, and previous Ultima games contained some subtle attacks on EA).

That's a load of kaka - Ultima 8 & 9 were bad because of Garriott's own bad design. I don't know what sent his mind down the toilet so suddenly, but it really undermines that critique to have glib little assertions like that.

 

[Volourn]

"...including 15 years sports license monopoly"

Bullshit. They have no monoply on any sports. They have an exclusive contract with the NFL. Big friggin' deal.

", bugged games that are never fixed"

I've NEVER had any major problems with EA games espicially comapred to other comapnies' game.

" and one year online support for games ensuring you buy the yearly update (at full price, natch!)."

Big friggin' deal, again. No one forces you to do that. Dumbass.


" If they're not evil (and I'll admit, they probably don't sacrifice babies), then certainly they are morally bankrupt"

No. Those who make bullshit claims, and innuendo like you just did are the ones morally corrupt.


EA is a games company that is dedicated to make games that are as popualr as they can be amongst as many fans as possible while making a profit. Big friggin' deal.

The only legit claim anyone has is them unfairly demanding their employees to work more than they should. Of course, saiod employees should have the BALLZ to quit. If they did (and, now with the lawsuits at least), EA will eventually realzie that such practices will only hurt them in the long run. Still, that doens't make them evil. Evil is a word that is used way too often.

As for the companies that EA buys, and later on closes; big friggin' deal. It's those other companies' fault for selling out. Blame them.


Anyways, I'll continue buying the EA games I like and be happy while the whiney people cna stick their head in the sand and blame EA for every ill possible.

 

[Drakron]

Heh, I don't like sports... games or in real life, so have no comment - except, didn't they hold exclusive rights to FIFA or football, so no one else could use real players names? ...

Yes and no.

The do have the right to FIFA but since national championships are under each country league they dont have exclusive rights to everything football just because they have the rights to FIFA, they have to get the license for each championship and league with is by far too expensive so they just try to get the "big 3" (Spanish, Italian and English) but I dont think they are exclsuive ... there is simply too much money in football for then to easy get the exclusives.

Its diferent from the rest of their sports titles but the stategy is the same, getting the names and licenses to push out the competition ... it simply does not work because in football case because of the large amount of leagues and with it being a world sport, Konami Pro Evolution Soccer series is a example of EA failing to move out the competition because of the large market.

In other sports titles they do that well because most are not gobal sports events and professionaly are pretty much restricted to the USA.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

They murdered Bullfrog.