u r dum

[Arem]

Or so says John Riccitiello

In addition, EA's new internal studio BioWare is prepping a single-player RPG experience in the form of Dragon Age for the PC. Riccitiello attempted to assure investors that this particular new piece of IP isn't that big of a risk to the company.
"[Dragon Age] speaks to a very, very, very important audience," he said. "This is a core RPG created for fans that love [BioWare], and it's about dragons. This is not risky. This is an audience that we know, that we can deliver for and generate very substantial profits by doing so."

Link

 

[Vault Dweller]

They updated the website. Tons of new info.

 

[The Vanished One]

Dragon Age™ is a blockbuster fantasy role-playing game set in a vast new world created by BioWare.

Your adventures will take you across the kingdom of Ferelden. Explore blood-soaked battlefields, ancient forests and intriguing urban settings. Resist the corrupting power of magic as you discover the abandoned wizard's tower; then descend into the halls of a dwarven kingdom. But beware! Dwarven politics may prove as deadly as their blades. This is a world as real as our own, but where the dark allure of magic ultimately shapes every facet of society. It is a world where willpower and cunning can claim a kingdom!

Boring. I hope it'll turn out better than this.

Choose how you interact with the other inhabitants of the world: your interactions will influence how this immersive world changes in reaction to larger-than-life world events. Build a party of unforgettable companions you can befriend, romance, or simply exploit. Engage in tactically challenging, party-based combat against a cast of diverse opponents. In Dragon Age you will uncover hidden magic, battle horrific creatures, and challenge power-hungry nobles.

I'm not going to believe this until the Hivemind says it's true.

Also, "blockbuster"?

 

[deuxhero]

So is combat going to be the horrible idea that is RTWP?

 

[obediah]

So is combat going to be the horrible idea that is RTWP?

Either that, or the orders-of-magnitude worse RT.

 

[Hümmelgümpf]

 

[deuxhero]

I only reconize that from the spoof Robot Chicken did of the seris, what is the name?

 

[Hümmelgümpf]

The Neverending Story.

 

[deuxhero]

Explains the "never ending party" bit


How long were the episodes/seris?

 

[Hümmelgümpf]

One book, three films. Only the first film stays faithful to the book and is actually pretty good. The other two are complete shit.

 

[MetalCraze]

I wonder if people still believe that Dragon Age won't be yet another KotOR (like it was with JE and ME), only with dragons now.

 

[deuxhero]

No, they think it will be Jack Baurer in a fantasy world.

 

[JarlFrank]

So, they have to assure investors that this is not at all risky and will for sure cater to the broad audience of usual [let's avoid the word "stupid" this time] gamers, because a game that is actually innovative and might be a bit more risky than generic fantasy RPG #999485356341 would never find any investors? That's weak.

 

[Vault Dweller]

When games are 20-50 mil investments, who wants to take risks?

 

[Jasede]

I do have a small hope Dragon Age will be a "real" RPG. But the way things are going I think it is wise to burrow that hope before it sprouts buds.

Also, no romancable non-humans in your party is a deal-breaker. :mandatory:

 

[MetalCraze]

When games are 20-50 mil investments, who wants to take risks?

with 2/3 of that being hype-money
also - why games are 20-50 mil investments? what's the point? quite ironically the most complex games in history are much much cheaper than that

 

[Korgan]

Yeah. Every time I read about how today's publishers can't take risks because games are expensive, I go "WTF!?" Where the fuck do all these millions go? Hype? Graphics that make tomorrow's PCs weep? Done-to-death famous licenses? And in the end they have a fucking Crysis on their hands anyway, and blame you-know-what.

 

[Arem]

One of the Bioware (ex)employees said it best

Unfortunately, I get the impression that Bioware is becoming the McDonalds of RPGs. Very safe, bland choices on the menu, justified by management because of their high sales and cost effectiveness.

Unfortunately, I think that's the general direction the industry has been going. Costs are rising and no one wants a risk so great that it could bankrupt them. Even a more aggressive developer is going to sandwich risk within a pile of safety.

It is definitely changing things. It forces more discussion, more surveys, more focus groups, and more emphasis on mass-market appeal. And while I want to believe that consolidation of the market could actually be a good thing because it provides developers more security, I can't believe security will equal greater chances taken - not when that security is being provided by investors who want to make art, only so far as that art pays big.

This leads us back to the ongoing begging for an indy industry, but I don't think that will happen to the degree that it's needed until the cost of development balances out. That is, right now, an "affordable" engine is probably something like the BG2 engine, while a competitive (for sales) engine is something more like Unreal3. Until the difference between affordable and competitive balance out, in regard to price, time requirements, etc. (overall "investment"), I don't think anything is really going to change. But when technology hits that plateau? It will be pretty exciting.

All that said, I am by no means down on the industry as a whole. Game development has evolved so greatly over the years. Games in general, I think, are way better than they've ever been. But... that doesn't change anything I wrote above. It could be so much better, still.

here is the entire thread btw, excellent read

 

[Volourn]

L0L @ VD's first post.

If DA has simialr to ME, and JE at least I know it'll be more of a RPG than BG series, or TOEE.

R00fles!

 

[JarlFrank]

I think most money goes away for stuff like "ZOMG CAPTAIN PICARD IS VOICE ACTING THE EMPERER", ridiculous copy protection systems and hype. More money is flowing into these things than graphics and actual gameplay. Buzz and hype are a lot more important than actually developing a worthwile game nowadays.

 

[Texas Red]

One of the Bioware (ex)employees said it best

Unfortunately, I get the impression that Bioware is becoming the McDonalds of RPGs. Very safe, bland choices on the menu, justified by management because of their high sales and cost effectiveness.

Unfortunately, I think that's the general direction the industry has been going. Costs are rising and no one wants a risk so great that it could bankrupt them. Even a more aggressive developer is going to sandwich risk within a pile of safety.

It is definitely changing things. It forces more discussion, more surveys, more focus groups, and more emphasis on mass-market appeal. And while I want to believe that consolidation of the market could actually be a good thing because it provides developers more security, I can't believe security will equal greater chances taken - not when that security is being provided by investors who want to make art, only so far as that art pays big.

This leads us back to the ongoing begging for an indy industry, but I don't think that will happen to the degree that it's needed until the cost of development balances out. That is, right now, an "affordable" engine is probably something like the BG2 engine, while a competitive (for sales) engine is something more like Unreal3. Until the difference between affordable and competitive balance out, in regard to price, time requirements, etc. (overall "investment"), I don't think anything is really going to change. But when technology hits that plateau? It will be pretty exciting.

All that said, I am by no means down on the industry as a whole. Game development has evolved so greatly over the years. Games in general, I think, are way better than they've ever been. But... that doesn't change anything I wrote above. It could be so much better, still.

here is the entire thread btw, excellent read

He's just another publisher/developer who got in to his head that only top of the line engines can make the sale. Who's fault is it that games require ridiculous investments? Bioware's own game, BG 2, didn't need no new engine and sold perfectly well with dated graphics. People don't care about graphics and that's a fact. BG still has the strongest fanbase because people just want good gameplay and challenging combat, instead of MEs eye candy and retard-friendliness. ME will die just like JE and KotOR did, while BG will live for years more.

I think most money goes away for stuff like "ZOMG CAPTAIN PICARD IS VOICE ACTING THE EMPERER", ridiculous copy protection systems and hype. More money is flowing into these things than graphics and actual gameplay. Buzz and hype are a lot more important than actually developing a worthwile game nowadays.

Don't forget about licensing bullshitty gimmics that were never important.

 

[Vault Dweller]

When games are 20-50 mil investments, who wants to take risks?

with 2/3 of that being hype-money

100 people team (Some EA teams are 150 people). Even at 50k a year avg that's 5 mil a year. 3-4 years - 15-20 mil just salaries. At 70k a year avg that's 21-28k. Add equipment, engine licensing costs (Unreal 3 engine goes for 750k, for example), other software licensing (10k for Speed Tree, etc), voice acting, setting licenses if any, office & administration, and you are looking at quite a number BEFORE we even start talking about marketing.

 

[Volourn]

"BG still has the strongest fanbase because people just want good gameplay and challenging combat"

No, it doesn't. Stop lying. NWN is BIO's most successful game. And, it's fanbase is much shealthier than the 5 people who still play BG regularly. LMAO

BG died a long time ago. ME is still very much alive with 2 near guaranteed sequels, and JE may or may not have one but it just had a PC port last year while with BG with just get empty promises from Atari about a maybe BG3. LMAO

 

[Claw]

They updated the website. Tons of new info.

Oh, you fucking bastard!

 

[thesheeep]

Listen to VD.

Since I've come to the Games Academy, I started gaining "some" insights into development processes, costs, etc.
Let's just say that making games is a much more expensive thing than people outside of the industry (and yes, it is an industry) would think. And I don't blame them. There are quite many costs one simply doesn't consider if he's not "inside".

VD investing over 10k (right?) in an indy title speaks for itself


As a small side question to VD:

Are you able to say how many copies of AoD at what cost will have to be sold until you are actually making some sort of profit?