Starker on 1/6/2013 at 06:30
I was looking through my bookmarks the other day, and I stumbled upon an old article that talked about Fallout fans, developers and the history (and future) of the franchise, as seen through the eyes of one of the longstanding fans (who, incidentally, works at inXile now). Even though it is about Fallout, I think you will find lots of parallels and similarities to our current situation.
Here it is, in three parts: (
http://www.nma-fallout.com/article.php?id=34542)
Now, EM, how will you handle the soft fluffy thing that is Thief?
jtr7 on 1/6/2013 at 06:43
Yep! Everybody's playing their roles, and nothing good's coming of it on the development end. Any good in EM's game will have nothing to do with fans, but it would automatically please if they didn't topple a few Pillars like they have.
Can't please everyone? No shit. None of the games pleased everyone 100% of the time, not even close for most. But sticking to the formula while building outward and evolving the game in every way possible will mean that fans will still be fans and be pleased in the same ways and more. Using not pleasing everyone as an excuse to displease the ones who bought the other games and made the sequel possible is the same old business model of empowered shiny mediocrity.
Vivian on 1/6/2013 at 09:53
Fallout 3 kicked arse in the end though. Stop saying people trying to look on the bright side scares the hell out of you.
Starker on 1/6/2013 at 11:42
Quote Posted by Vivian
Fallout 3 kicked arse in the end though. Stop saying people trying to look on the bright side scares the hell out of you.
Not everyone agrees with that assessment. It turned up to be mostly what the fans feared it would be. Besides, if you read the article, then you see that it's not the point. You don't need a bad game to kill a franchise or alienate the fans. You just need to stray far enough from the original vision. It's all explained in the chapter "by the way, Carthago must be destroyed".
Vivian on 1/6/2013 at 11:53
My point is that in the end it was a game I really enjoyed playing? And it didn't kill the franchise, probably gained as many new fans as it lost if not more, etc. Despite a bunch of hardliners wailing about it being the end of days.
Chade on 1/6/2013 at 12:28
What are you trying to say Starker? That EM can not please the thief fans and still release a critical and commerical success that reinvigorates the series? I'm sure EM would love to have as much success as Bethdesa did with Fallout 3.
I wouldn't have thought that was the sort of point you wanted to make ...
Starker on 1/6/2013 at 13:55
Quote Posted by Vivian
Despite a bunch of hardliners wailing about it being the end of days.
Yes, it would be easy to think of them this way, wouldn't it?
Quote Posted by Chade
What are you trying to say Starker? That EM can not please the thief fans and still release a critical and commerical success that reinvigorates the series? I'm sure EM would
love to have as much success as Bethdesa did with Fallout 3.
I wouldn't have thought that was the sort of point you wanted to make ...
Um... I'm not making a grand statement about anything. I wish people stopped taking everything as a confrontation. There are many interesting parallels between NMA and Thief fans and their respective franchises that I wanted to highlight with the article.
The article argues, basically, that FO3 is not the same franchise that FO1-2 were but a different one. Yes, it gained a lot of new fans, but disappointed the old fans. It didn't reinvigorate the series, it took it in a different direction. Why do you think Wasteland 2 got so much money and so much support with the hardcore RPG fans?
We are yet to see if the best-laid plans of EM will work out.
Stillwater Giant on 1/6/2013 at 23:46
Quote Posted by Vivian
Fallout 3 kicked arse in the end though. Stop saying people trying to look on the bright side scares the hell out of you.
Just because you liked the game doesn't mean that it wasn't terrible, which it was.
How would you like it if a franchise that you love was changed completely, for the worse, so that it would appeal to a mass audience.It seems like that is what EM is doing so you will soon know how that feels.
SubJeff on 2/6/2013 at 00:35
Quote Posted by jtr7
Can't please everyone? No shit. None of the games pleased everyone 100% of the time, not even close for most. But sticking to the formula while building outward and evolving the game in every way possible will mean that fans will still be fans and be pleased in the same ways
and more. Using not pleasing everyone as an excuse to displease the ones who bought the other games and made the sequel possible is the same old business model of empowered shiny mediocrity.
You sound like my drunk uncle and make as good a point.
zacharias on 2/6/2013 at 01:16
No he doesn't sound drunk. jtr7 nailed it imo, I particularly like the 'empowered shiny mediocrity' turn of phrase.
(For the record though I've never played FO1 or 2, only a bit of Fallout 3. I found it very dull if anyone cares, which I doubt..;))
