Pre-2000 Proofs of Decline?

[taxalot]

I do remember a huge debate when we switched from text parsers to mouse interfaces in adventure games. Already those were perceived as a sign of decline

 

[The Brazilian Slaughter]

There are no pre-2000 reports of decline for the Codex wasn't patrolling the interwebs then.

A sound phrase.

That said, Codexers did exist before 2000 (unless we're really all Chefe alts, then we're just illusions), so we can examine the archeological records of the Golden Age of gaming. I still own a few of those myself.

 

[felipepepe]

Actually, I've found old records way harder to search for than I expected... I've seen numerous references & descriptions to old pc magazines ads and interviews, but you rarelly get to see the source. THis one in particular I reall wanted to see:

Second, consider a current advertisement for the decidedly D00dish game expansion Rome: Total War: Barbarian Invasion. (The ad can be found in the December 2005 issue of PC Gamer.) This ad directly – with irony, yes, but directly – ridicules old-school gamers into getting with the new times, the new image. A 20ish young man, clearly unaware of the hapless impression his brown velour leisure suit and extra-wide Barney Miller tie are making, leers through monstrous 70s-style eyeglasses and shaggy hair at a shapely young woman already in the act of huffing away from him. "Hey, baby. You into turn-based gameplay?" he grins cluelessly. "Don't let this happen to you," warns the ad. "CivAnon can help. . . . The end of Civilization begins here."9 Then on the next page we find the welcome alternative to embarrassingly old-school games such as Civilization – namely, Rome: Total War: Barbarian Invasion.10 The associated ideas, then, lie thus: on the pathetic side, Geek --> sexual loser --> old-school gamer; on the cool side, X-treme D00d --> successful ladies' man --> new-school gamer. Turn off your Civ, fire up the Xbox, and grab a Dew, man!

Source.

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

Actually, I've found old records way harder to search for than I expected... I've seen numerous references & descriptions to old pc magazines ads and interviews, but you rarelly get to see the source. THis one in particular I reall wanted to see:


Source.

It's funny how it's acceptable for advertisement companies to degrade whole groups of people for profit.

 

[Humanity has risen!]

Remember the 3DFX ad, there are two types of gamers, those still playing with consoles, and those who have seen breasts?

The advent of 3D was a huge part of it all.

 

[PetrusOctavianus]

Resuscitation.

I did remember a lot of reviews from the time, one with my favorite line of "not your dad's rpg", but couldn't remember where I saw them. But I stumbled across this one the other day:

By
Johnny_B
02/01/99
The combat system in the game is truly admirable. Unlike past AD&D games that were turn-based, Baldur's Gate features a real-time engine that uses an ingenious system of pauses. You can pause the game at any time using the space bar and set up several auto-pause options. From here you can give orders and have the sort of precise tactical control that a turn-based system allows, but with the more realistic combat feel of real-time strategy. You can even select group formations in order to tactically position your party. If you are not an RPG regular just think of it as a 2D Myth with much more specialized characters.

Possibly the biggest triumph of Baldur's Gate is its broad appeal. It is the most accessible true RPG I've ever seen. Although it possesses the depth of a true game of AD&D, a novice gamer can play it. You can practically ignore the finer rules of the gaming system, barely glance at the excellent 150 page manual, and still do admirably well. Of course, Baldur's Gate also offers almost unprecedented depth of gameplay and game mechanics for the true AD&D fanatic. Baldur's Gate serves up the best of both worlds.

http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/baldurs-gate

Accessibility and broad appeal are already buzzwords. Immersion was around too. Not to mention Diablo's "Mom test". It's all just a bit further down the line these days, so now it's the Gramma who has to be able to play the game instead of the mom.

If Badur's Gate with its RTwP was a decline, then what was Eye of the Beholder, which was totally real time?

 

[DraQ]

If you are not an RPG regular just think of it as a 2D Myth with much more specialized characters.

Except without all the stuff that made Myth good.

 

[felipepepe]

It's funny how it's acceptable for advertisement companies to degrade whole groups of people for profit.

Only those no one care about... try pulling this on woman and a holy crusade of white knights shall ride into battle.

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

Only those no one care about... try pulling this on woman and a holy crusade of white knights shall ride into battle.

We need a holy crusade against this kind of advertisement in general.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

It's funny how it's acceptable for advertisement companies to degrade whole groups of people for profit.

Only those no one care about... try pulling this on woman and a holy crusade of white knights shall ride into battle.

I remember one magazine ad for a Gauntlet game had something like "Awesome 4-player action! (one of you will have to play as the chick, though)".

 

[Telengard]

Actually, I've found old records way harder to search for than I expected... I've seen numerous references & descriptions to old pc magazines ads and interviews, but you rarelly get to see the source. THis one in particular I reall wanted to see:

Part of the ad campaign - including videos
http://www.civanon.com
it's also on Fa(datamine)cebook, probably with more recent stuff

CGW scanned issues
http://www.cgwmuseum.org/

A few old magazine links
http://wosblog.podgamer.com/2010/03/17/the-entire-history-of-videogames-magazines/
http://www.retromags.com/

PC Gamer issues itself is bit tougher, since it's still around.

 

[felipepepe]

Part of the ad campaign - including videos
http://www.civanon.com

Nope, that is a pro-Civilization campaign, for Civ IV IIRC, and a very good one IMHO.

The one I posted is for Rome:Total War, bashing Civ's turn based gameplay & audience.

 

[Telengard]

This ad directly – with irony, yes, but directly – ridicules old-school gamers into getting with the new times, the new image. A 20ish young man, clearly unaware of the hapless impression his brown velour leisure suit and extra-wide Barney Miller tie are making, leers through monstrous 70s-style eyeglasses and shaggy hair at a shapely young woman already in the act of huffing away from him. "Hey, baby. You into turn-based gameplay?" he grins cluelessly. "Don't let this happen to you," warns the ad. "CivAnon can help. . . . The end of Civilization begins here."

It looks like the ad was part of the same campaign. That is, after all, CivAnon's whole tag line. Makes me wonder if Firaxis didn't pay to be next to Total War.

 

[felipepepe]

Nope, the marketing guys just took the "CivAnon" idea that Total War threw at them and used it ironically, saying "yes, we are a great, addictive game".



Smooth marketing moves.

 

[Telengard]

Nope, the marketing guys just took the "CivAnon" idea that Total War threw at them and used it ironically, saying "yes, we are a great, addictive game".

Potentially so. But CivAnon was founded in April of 2005, and its ads were already being discussed on the Civ boards by June of that year. It was part of the run-up to the release of Civ IV in November of that year. So any ad in a December 05 issue should be from the CivAnon people. Unless Total War was counter counter advertising.

 

[Jick Magger]

Don't know if this counts since it was released at the dawn of the new millennium, but this was the real day the music died.

The only modern equivalent that I can think of which was released in such a broken and unfinished state, raped the lore of a pre-established and promising fantasy series, fucked over the fans so badly by complete disregard to lore or pre-established characters is Dragon Age 2, and Ultima XI is still worse than that because it happened to a series spanning years as opposed to the immediate sequel to one game in the series.

Read the blurbs on the back, too. It has some of the first recorded cases of GAMING JOURNALISM! at its finest.

 

[Infinitron]

Jick_Magger_101 Nah. The modern analogy to Ultima IX is Oblivion.

 

[sser]

I have lots of old PC Gamer magazines, including the two "Gamer Gods" editions; one with the old-school designers, and the other one with the new kids on the block. If you want, I can go digging into them to see what was said by one crowd and what was said by the other.

(But can't right now; need sleep. Badly.)

 

[Clockwork Knight]

http://archive.foolz.us/v/thread/150014485/

And nothing of value was lost.
Baldur's Gate was great thanks to Black Isle. In BG II you could feel the faggotry of Bioware creeping in with shitty romances.
Best parts of NWN, KOTOR series were made by Obsidian.
Jade Empire, ME 1 were mediocre 6/10 games, people attached to them mainly cause there wasn't much competition for them.

>>150015535
>Baldur's Gate was great thanks to Black Isle. In BG II you could feel the faggotry of Bioware creeping in with shitty romances.

Well... fuck.

Someone else noticed.

I always laugh when people fall over themselves hyping BG2 and skipping right past the superior first one.

That is the point casualism truly started taking off.

Right.

Fucking.

There.

hmm