38 Studios going down the shitter (Kingdoms of Amalur devs)

[mikaelis]

Banalur franchise can't be sold two years after bombing down? Who would have guessed...

 

[Metro]

People were interested in the Amalur franchise but from the wording of the press release it was clear the state set a minimum bar that none of the bidders met. They probably think it's worth like $25 million or something delusional like that.

 

[Infinitron]

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ri...-lot-of-junk-schilling-responds/1100-6416832/

RI governor says 38 Studios' MMO Copernicus now just "a lot of junk," Schilling responds
Lincoln Chafee says he was not surprised that the game failed to sell at auction last week; Schilling says governor "has no clue what he's talking about."
by Eddie Makuch on December 20, 2013

After failing to sell at auction last week, 38 Studios' Amalur MMO Copernicus is now nothing more than "a lot of junk," Rhode Island governor Lincoln Chafee said Thursday on a public affairs show on WJAR-TV. As reported byThe Associated Press, Chafee explained that he had hoped the game would sell at auction, but wasn't surprised by the fact that no acceptable offers for the property were made.

38 Studios was working on the game, helped in part from a controversial 2010 $75 million loan guarantee, when the company went bankrupt last year. Rhode Island taxpayers are now left with millions in debt, and the state hoped the auction would help recoup some of that debt.

However, only 38 Studios subsidiary Big Huge Games properties like Rise of Nations and Rise of Legends sold during the auction, bringing in just $320,000. The state will continue its efforts to sell Copernicus, but it is not clear how much interest there is for the property.

Governor Chafee has long been an outspoken critic of the loan, which was approved in 2010 when he was running for office. The loan was designed to entice 38 Studios to move from Massachusetts to Rhode Island, with the promise of job creation and various other economic stimulation benefits.

On Thursday, governor Chafee recalled this loan guarantee, calling it "insane" and a "historically bad" decision that may have been driven by panic.

"People just panicked and gave a retired baseball player a huge amount of taxpayer money with no experience in this industry or any other businesses," Chafee said. "There was this whole groupthink across the business communities."

In addition to the auction, Rhode Island is attempting to recover some of its debt by suing Schilling and other architects of the loan. This case is ongoing.

Schilling, a former Boston Red Sox pitcher who is now a commentator at ESPN, responded to Chafee's comments on Twitter.

"Any decision that loses is 'bad' in hindsight. Bet RI would like a 'redo' on Gov election too," he wrote, calling out Chafee's reported 11 percent approval rating. "He has no clue what he's talking about. Never did."

Schilling further explained that he informed state officials that it would be impossible for Rhode Island to recoup its investment if 38 Studios folded. He previously called Chafee a "dunce of epic proportions."

 

[Metro]

These retards need to sell it for w/e they can get so I can have 90% off Steam version. What's the good of holding on to it if no one is going to pay you your overinflated price?

 

[Roguey]

You don't need hindsight or foresight to tell that was a stupid idea.

Tea party idiot remains deeply upset he didn't get another government hand-out.

 

[deuxhero]

Tea party idiot remains deeply upset he didn't get another government hand-out.

What?

 

[tuluse]

What?

Schilling wanted a second loan to finish the game after wasting 75 million making a mediocre Bethesda knockoff.

 

[Infinitron]

What?

Schilling wanted a second loan to finish the game after wasting 75 million making a mediocre Bethesda knockoff.

Most of that 75 million went to his vaporware MMO, not to KoA: Reckoning (which was already half done)

 

[deuxhero]

I meant more about what he meant by "tea party idiot".

 

[Metro]

Well I assume you know what the Tea Party is? Schilling is a conservative republican who has spoken out against government handouts in the past. Meanwhile he took a massive loan from the state and defaulted on it.

 

[DragoFireheart]

A real Tea Partier would not have accepted those handouts.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

A real Tea Partier would not have accepted those handouts.

A real Tea Partier would have, but would have tried to stop them going to poor people.

 

[Spectacle]

A real Tea Partier would not have accepted those handouts.

People tend to lose their convictions right quick whenever millions of dollars are on the table. That goes wherever they are on the political spectrum. True idealists are extremely rare.

 

[Metro]

So I'm like 50 hours into this gem and holy shit is it poorly designed. Spent far too much time making a massive world and seemingly no time making it interesting, or create tepidly decent quests, somewhat unique dungeons, pedestrian character system, or anything even remotely resembling balance. Not only is the game far too easy but you get way too much experience. Keep in mind you get some 'POWAH' bar that fills up probably every fifteen or so minutes that you can use to multiply experience earned for a set of kills. Even when I stopped using that around level 12, skipped both the rogue and mage guild faction quests, skipped another notable faction quest series, and skipped an entire major region (there are five total in the game that go something like 1, 2a/2b, 4, and 5) I'm still nearly level 30 and haven't even started the second to last major region in the game. The level cap is 40. Design like this makes sense for an MMO where you want to funnel groups of players into different areas (assuming non-dead servers) but in a single player game... with a hard level cap? I think they confused this for the MMO.

The shame is it really looks nice. The artists and world designers did an amazing job... it's just that everyone else was asleep at the wheel.

 

[RK47]

50 hours into this gem

no time making it interesting

 

[Commissar Draco]

So I'm like 50 hours into this gem and holy shit is it poorly designed. Spent far too much time making a massive world and seemingly no time making it interesting, or create tepidly decent quests, somewhat unique dungeons, pedestrian character system, or anything even remotely resembling balance. Not only is the game far too easy but you get way too much experience. Keep in mind you get some 'POWAH' bar that fills up probably every fifteen or so minutes that you can use to multiply experience earned for a set of kills. Even when I stopped using that around level 12, skipped both the rogue and mage guild faction quests, skipped another notable faction quest series, and skipped an entire major region (there are five total in the game that go something like 1, 2a/2b, 4, and 5) I'm still nearly level 30 and haven't even started the second to last major region in the game. The level cap is 40. Design like this makes sense for an MMO where you want to funnel groups of players into different areas (assuming non-dead servers) but in a single player game... with a hard level cap? I think they confused this for the MMO.

The shame is it really looks nice. The artists and world designers did an amazing job... it's just that everyone else was asleep at the wheel.

How it is different from Skyrim Codex faps to? and frack the in single player game. What was inducing were unique loot sets which leveled to the level and no way to reforge them like in DAO/Skyrim once you collected them all. For Warrior his gear is his Mother, Father and Wife so such mechanics were big letdown. Nevertheless KoA was huge cause you expected Oblivion grade and ended up with fun if shallow ARPG.

Agree on world building and setting it was at first but then not playing in browns and hipster immature grim darkness was . Beats unmodded Skyrim and won't be franchise raped to death by sequels and MMOs. Amalur has died and rest in some shreds of dignity .

 

[RK47]

 

[Metro]

50 hours into this gem

no time making it interesting

Don't use that as a litmus. Game started to become more of a chore after 15 hours but I paid $5 in rubles for it and the DLC and I'm finishing, bitch.

 

[Commissar Draco]

which DLC? This one with RPGing Robinson Crusoe was fun this second with Titans was letdown... You didn't even get Titan pussy unique armor set for all those fedex quests Heroic and Glorious slaughter.

 

[Data4]

Wasn't the game world just a bunch of exterior hallways, a la Fable? I only played the demo. If it's got a fairly open world that doesn't force you to go from hub to hub just because you can't go in any other direction, I may check it out just to kill some time.

 

[IDtenT]

It has much bigger hubs than fable.

 

[mikaelis]

The shame is it really looks nice. The artists and world designers did an amazing job...

What?

WoW, that is all to be said. Also

 

[Metro]

The game looks fine and the environments are quite detailed -- don't be a faggot. Commissar Draco I got the Dead Kel DLC and skipped on the Naros one.

General thoughts. Finally progressed to the swamp region after the city siege (derpy Helm's Deep rip off). Honestly I think the game plays fine if you just ignore everything but the main quest. The side stuff is worse than even the worst MMO drek.

 

[Bubbles]

Curt Shilling just announced that he has cancer. That's how bad this game is. Close thread.

 

[Roguey]

As edgy as it sounds, I truly believe that's an example of poetic justice. What he did to his employees and the tax payers of Rhode Island was awful.