World of Darkness Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 from Hardsuit Labs

[Burning Bridges]

"Most devs directly working on project are great" followed by "devs making an RPG with little experience," "growing nepotism," and "system design skills weak." What makes them great then? I suppose maybe the artists have it together.

When this person says they're great, he probably means he likes them as people, not as professionals. If you're wanting to gain some experience, collect your paycheck and don't really care where the project is going, this sounds like a good place to work. But it's funny that most people leaving sound exasperated with the leadership.

I don't know exactly how it relates to English but here "he tried to give his best" or "he is a nice guy" are about the worst things you can write in an appraisal. It basically means, he started working for us and would never leave on his own accord.

 

[Infinitron]

I think it's probably due to this person having Stockholm Syndrome if Hardsuit Labs hired them in the middle of the current """pandemic""". They probably couldn't land a job for months due to how hard the gaming industry has been hit by this shit

?? Opposite of reality.

 

[Eli_Havelock]

Just a reminder for what now passes as a Narrative Lead for this game.

Fiction: Equity for everyone!
Reality: Maybe diversity hires should have more qualifications than their skin color/gender/what they fuck, and if they want the qualifications for the good jobs they need to work up from the bottom and do good work like everyone else had to in order to advance. Expecting to fail to success through nepotism and filling diversity quotas is only going to shortcut millions of dollars down the drain, and stockholders hate that even more.

 

[Dycedarg]

Just a reminder for what now passes as a Narrative Lead for this game.

Fiction: Equity for everyone!
Reality: Maybe diversity hires should have more qualifications than their skin color/gender/what they fuck, and if they want the qualifications for the good jobs they need to work up from the bottom and do good work like everyone else had to in order to advance. Expecting to fail to success through nepotism and filling diversity quotas is only going to shortcut millions of dollars down the drain, and stockholders hate that even more.

Did she work for Hardsuit Labs before becoming Narrative Lead? If the answer is no, then she probably knows almost nothing about the game she will now coordinate.

 

[Eli_Havelock]

Did she work for Hardsuit Labs before becoming Narrative Lead? If the answer is no, then she probably knows almost nothing about the game she will now coordinate.

Nope. And that segues right into: why was Eric Waananen hired as Sr. Designer in her world? According to her standards, as a white male he must have been hired because he likes dick, thus elevating him to a special protected class. I'm not going to judge him on that if it's his thing, don't even know it is, but being hired obviously wasn't for his "Lead Designer" work on ATLAS (the pirate-themed ARK reskin) or his intern work before then. HSL are still listing that Lead Designer position, which he probably would have snagged if he was a bit more... Rudi, so they could wave him around like how STUNNING and BRAVE they all were and how much diversitalent they collectively have on their team for Twitterati/Polygon photo ops.

Also telling is how Lead and Sr. Producer positions are still open. I mean, who the fuck needs to actually make anything when you can sit around in a virtue circlejerk and milk Paradox moneys like the Romeros? Empire of Daikatana was such a mail-in of a reskinned XCOM.

 

[Dycedarg]

Nope. And that segues right into: why was Eric Waananen hired as Sr. Designer in her world? According to her standards, as a white male he must have been hired because he likes dick, thus elevating him to a special protected class. I'm not going to judge him on that if it's his thing, don't even know it is, but being hired obviously wasn't for his "Lead Designer" work on ATLAS (the pirate-themed ARK reskin) or his intern work before then. HSL are still listing that Lead Designer position, which he probably would have snagged if he was a bit more... Rudi, so they could wave him around like how STUNNING and BRAVE they all were and how much diversitalent they collectively have on their team for Twitterati/Polygon photo ops.

Also telling is how Lead and Sr. Producer positions are still open. I mean, who the fuck needs to actually make anything when you can sit around in a virtue circlejerk and milk Paradox moneys like the Romeros? Empire of Daikatana was such a mail-in of a reskinned XCOM.

At this point I don't know if this game will even come out. Sure, the company seems like an SJW hugbox, but even the likes of Bioware are able to eventually release their (broken) games. It honestly seems like a scam, as if HSL are trying to bleed Paradox of all the money they can. How long did it take for this person to understand what the previous team had done with the main story, worldbuilding or sidequests? The game was supposed to be released last year, and even now HSL has less than 1 year to complete the project.

 

[Harry Easter]

I don't think we need to be afraid of the innocent (*snicker*) Paradoxguys getting sucked dry. If it turns out a wreck, they can cut it for taxes or something.

And there were projects that looked more catastrophic and then turned out good. In the end we have to wait. It will probably turn out just alright. A bit buggy here, not special there. Just alright. And if sales are stable there will be at least more Bloodlines - porn on Rule34.

 

[Roguey]

And there were projects that looked more catastrophic and then turned out good. In the end we have to wait. It will probably turn out just alright. A bit buggy here, not special there. Just alright.

They fired their celebrity writers and replaced them with cheap never-beens, haven't had a lead designer in months, and a bunch of people are posting on glassdoor talking about how upper management has no idea what they're doing and turn-over is sky high and you think there are more catastrophic projects? Are you a Hardsuit employee?

 

[Harry Easter]

They fired their celebrity writers and replaced them with cheap never-beens, haven't had a lead designer in months, and a bunch of people are posting on glassdoor talking about how upper management has no idea what they're doing and turn-over is sky high and you think there are more catastrophic projects? Are you a Hardsuit employee?

Let's see just the ones from my memory:

Either Dark Souls 1 or Demon Souls had to be rescued by Myazaki, who hadn't any experience as a director back then. And he came in late too, if I remember correctly.

Gothic 1 and 2 were also totally chaotic and it bite them in the ass when 3 came along.

Diablo 1 was a shitshow too, that turned into one big crunchfest. Half of the time it was programmed to be turnbased.

Starcraft 1 first preview got smashed too.

Game development most of the time is a big shitshow, but you don't see any of it. You only see the product and it's either good or bad, but you don't know how fucked up the devs were in the end from the stess and lack of sleep. And if there was any drama before, you forget it after two years.

As for Avellone and Mitsoda: Let's be honest, he just wrote a concept or one or two quests and peaced out. He hasn't done anything else for years now, so there probably wasn't a big cut, when they fired him. And Mitsoda has a record for being a mess to work with, that's why they fired him from Alpha Protocol, so they should have probably done it earlier. It's speaks even against the guy that he got fired for the successor to the one project he got some acclaim.

I don't have any more insights than you, but really, we can just wait ... or panicwank about the future of a game most people have barely on their radar*shrug.*

 

[Storyfag]

I don't have any more insights than you, but really, we can just wait ... or panicwank about the future of a game most people have barely on their radar*shrug.*

The second option is obviously the more entertaining one.

 

[Dycedarg]

Either Dark Souls 1 or Demon Souls had to be rescued by Myazaki, who hadn't any experience as a director back then. And he came in late too, if I remember correctly.

I'm sure this Samantha is the new Miyazaki, with the best qualities of both Hayao and Hidetaka put together in the same bald head womyn.

I don't have any more insights than you, but really, we can just wait ... or panicwank about the future of a game most people have barely on their radar*shrug.*

This thread is gonna be the best thing related to this game by a very wide margin.

 

[Harry Easter]

The second option is obviously the more entertaining one.

No wonder this forum smells worse like a lockerroom sometimes almost all the time.

I'm sure this Samantha is the new Miyazaki, with the best qualities of both Hayao and Hidetaka put together in the same bald head womyn.

Who hurt you?


But to be honest, it would make more fun to speculate how they could've improved the game. Despite the shitty combat and a more versatile use of the disciplines.

 

[Nano]

No wonder this forum smells worse like a lockerroom sometimes almost all the time.

Look at this loser. Locker rooms have the smell of *men*, boyo.

 

[Ismaul]

And Mitsoda has a record for being a mess to work with, that's why they fired him from Alpha Protocol, so they should have probably done it earlier. It's speaks even against the guy that he got fired for the successor to the one project he got some acclaim.

Wow nigga. The project exists solely because of the quality of Mitsoda's pitch. That the project was even greenlighted speaks a lot for the guy. That he got fired, not him alone but the whole lot of competent staff, speaks not against him, but against management. That they're hiring randos to replace them is only more evidence for this.

Also the best character in Alpha Protocol, Steven Heck, is quite definitely in Mitsoda's style, and was kept like this by those who took over. Seems to me Mitsoda got fucked over on AP because of a conflict of vision between SEGA, Obsidian management, and what he was doing. With a new IP everyone wants to dictate direction, and Mitsoda is obviously quite bad at defending his own. Shit happened, don't know what exactly, but I'm not sure the blame lies entirely at Mitsoda's feet, if at all. It's likely we'll never hear his side of the story, 'cause he's a class act and quite shy. Didn't even talk shit about Paradox or Hardsuit Labs.


Mitsoda's a bro

 

[Storyfag]

The second option is obviously the more entertaining one.

No wonder this forum smells worse like a lockerroom sometimes almost all the time.

And that's bad because...?

Spoiler

 

[Harry Easter]

And that's bad because...?

Spoiler

Woah, okay. No kinkshaming, bud.

Look at this loser. Locker rooms have the smell of *men*, boyo.

Okay. Still no kinkshaming.

But locker rooms smell of sweat and piss, stagnation and tired and broken people.

Wow nigga. The project exists solely because of the quality of Mitsoda's pitch. [...]

Did you read the pitch? Seriously, I would like to read that. And I'm not saying that he didn't gave his all, but if he didn't had anything to show the investors, he should have known that he would set off one day, especially with a project this niché. I don't say he's bad as a lead, I mean I liked Dead State, but he's now a veteran of the industry, so he should at least know that the publishers have nothings again working their people to dead or violating every right imageniable, but you don't waste their money. So I'm not sure, if being a lead in a bigger project is really for him.

 

[Xelocix]

?? Opposite of reality.

Like a third of developers had to delay their games when Covid first hit due to social distancing restrictions which led to financial strain. Things have changed since the first wave, but at the start it was just as hard to find new work in the gaming industry as any other.

 

[Storyfag]

But locker rooms smell of sweat and piss, stagnation and tired and broken people.

Seriously, the RPG Codex
Does. Not. Scale. To. Your. Level.

 

[Harry Easter]

Seriously, the RPG Codex
Does. Not. Scale. To. Your. Level.

Okay, this made seriously laugh in a good way. Brofist^^?

 

[Eli_Havelock]

Let's see just the ones from my memory:

Either Dark Souls 1 or Demon Souls had to be rescued by Myazaki, who hadn't any experience as a director back then. And he came in late too, if I remember correctly.

Gothic 1 and 2 were also totally chaotic and it bite them in the ass when 3 came along.

Diablo 1 was a shitshow too, that turned into one big crunchfest. Half of the time it was programmed to be turnbased.

Starcraft 1 first preview got smashed too.

Game development most of the time is a big shitshow, but you don't see any of it. You only see the product and it's either good or bad, but you don't know how fucked up the devs were in the end from the stess and lack of sleep. And if there was any drama before, you forget it after two years.

As for Avellone and Mitsoda: Let's be honest, he just wrote a concept or one or two quests and peaced out. He hasn't done anything else for years now, so there probably wasn't a big cut, when they fired him. And Mitsoda has a record for being a mess to work with, that's why they fired him from Alpha Protocol, so they should have probably done it earlier. It's speaks even against the guy that he got fired for the successor to the one project he got some acclaim.

I don't have any more insights than you, but really, we can just wait ... or panicwank about the future of a game most people have barely on their radar*shrug.*

You're missing the point here. ALL of the titles you listed had talented people.

Aside from the talent who were fired and canceled, BL2 has nothing for talent but leftovers of other studios' failure, entire sections missing from their dev team, and hugbox clowns. The latter aren't known for their ability to make video games without routine self-victimization that they're so oppressed. They love it, too, since without that they'd have absolutely nothing that's marketable to anyone at all.

 

[Harry Easter]

You're missing the point here. ALL of the titles you listed had talented people.

We don't know that. And all the talent in the world doesn't make a good game. Look at Numenera. That game had very talented people working on it and then it went all down the shitter and it came out as a half-finished mess.

Aside from the talent who were fired and canceled, BL2 has nothing for talent but leftovers of other studios' failure, entire sections missing from their dev team, and hugbox clowns. The latter aren't known for their ability to make video games without routine self-victimization that they're so oppressed. They love it, too, since without that they'd have absolutely nothing that's marketable to anyone at all.

Who hurt you?

 

[Eli_Havelock]

You're missing the point here. ALL of the titles you listed had talented people.

We don't know that. And all the talent in the world doesn't make a good game. Look at Numenera. That game had very talented people working on it and then it went all down the shitter and it came out as a half-finished mess.

We do. There is a thing called Credits that lists the people who worked on a game. The titles you listed had talented people, who got to those positions because of their previous work success. You even cited one having to come to the rescue.

Aside from the talent who were fired and canceled, BL2 has nothing for talent but leftovers of other studios' failure, entire sections missing from their dev team, and hugbox clowns. The latter aren't known for their ability to make video games without routine self-victimization that they're so oppressed. They love it, too, since without that they'd have absolutely nothing that's marketable to anyone at all.

Who hurt you?

Your attempts to spin how untalented people can somehow make anything is certainly giving a try.

 

[Fenix]

Just a reminder for what now passes as a Narrative Lead for this game.

I have read the original article about some Rooney Rule abd someorganization that want something from AB, but don't understand exactly who want what?
Can someone explain, please? In simple English.

 

[Ismaul]

[Mitsoda]'s now a veteran of the industry, so he should at least know that the publishers have nothings again working their people to dead or violating every right imageniable, but you don't waste their money. So I'm not sure, if being a lead in a bigger project is really for him.

He wasn't management or project lead. He was narrative lead. This shit is not on him.

 

[deuxhero]

They fired their celebrity writers and replaced them with cheap never-beens, haven't had a lead designer in months, and a bunch of people are posting on glassdoor talking about how upper management has no idea what they're doing and turn-over is sky high and you think there are more catastrophic projects? Are you a Hardsuit employee?

Let's see just the ones from my memory:

Either Dark Souls 1 or Demon Souls had to be rescued by Myazaki, who hadn't any experience as a director back then. And he came in late too, if I remember correctly.

Miyazaki was director on Armored Core 4 (meh) and Armored Core For Answer (Awesome) before Demon's Souls came out.