Perception of the internet toward DirtyBomb

(Seiniyta) #1

This has been bothering me for a while now and since I don’t seem to have seen it mentioned on the forums yet I’ll bring it up now (I’ll look really silly if it had been brought up before :P). From what I gathered from websites like PCgamer, gamespot and even friends I noticed from the basis of the trailers they’ve seen they think the game looks generic. Nothing that really stands out. Looking at that trailer myself I have to agree, if you’re not listening closely you would think it was just a Call of Duty like free to play game. I and everyone on this forums knows that’s not the case but the perception outside of this community seems to be that way.

And that is a problem if you want to market your game to people who like first person shooters but also don’t want to play the exact same game. Brink got a lot of attention because of the artstyle which set it apart and the idea of having singleplayer and multiplayer merged somehow. Even though it was kinda confusing people it still was like “oh yeah, that game with the weird singleplayer multiplayer mashup” For DirtyBomb so far there’s nothing looking at the outside that really stands out which is a shame since the game even in the state is now is a lot of fun and something different then most shooters on the market.

(stealth6) #2

Judging by the majority of posts people compare DB to ETQW and W:ET and thus wouldn’t mind seeing old “generic” stuff make a comeback. I think this is the biggest challenge for the SD devs, implementing old stuff, but at the same time trying to make DB stand out and not just be a remake. (Much to the annoyance of many people that just want it to be as close as possible to previous titles - “Where’s my strafe jumping!”)

Imo all review sites are biased in one way or another so I don’t really care about their opinion. They’ve also only seen alpha footage so nothing to go on yet. The only opinions I’d value is that of my friends or reddit since that’s a large community.

Anyway we’re too far off from the launch date anyway so… I’m at least waiting till open beta to get some real feedback from review sites etc.

(.Chris.) #3

I think this partially down to have two identical teams and no real sense of conflict in the game world, the reason it appears generic because it is. You have two nameless teams that look the same fighting for faceless clients for no apparent reason in an empty city.

(MrFunkyFunk) #4

SD fans knew and know what to expect from the game, but indeed for outsiders it does look like a generic f2p (a look at comments on reviews/youtube/etc).
It irks me when I read “another insert_gamename_here copy” there but it’s still early and the marketing machine hasn’t really started, I’ll see later if I need to worry.

(Donnovan) #5

On main post:

I agree! Lets get all supporters money and make propaganda so people says goods about the game and try it before to release its a completely fail couse of Seiniyta post on SD closed Alpha foruns!

I feel ofended!!!

Glu glu glu! Weeeeeeeeds!!!

(SockDog) #6

This is true here. The back story and even art style doesn’t seem to fit with the scenario being presented. Not that you really need a backstory or clutter for a MP game but if you’re trying to sell the look and feel it is pretty much a requirement.

What to do?

Let me just say a lot of people are dumb arse idiots. They complain how the game looks just like CoD or BF, games they probably buy on a yearly basis based solely on how they look. Perhaps the issue here is that they have little of anything else to discuss so just fall back on a retarded observation about how it looks. Herp-de-derp.

So. While I think these highly produced videos are great there also needs to be some very rough, unrehearsed, dev diaries. These need to cut back on the catchphrases, prepared lines and marketing BS and just have someone spend 20minutes in game explaining how DB is unique. When you get things in there like the competitive tools, spectator tools etc you can really go to town. Right now I’d focus on making it clear this isn’t a CoD clone, you’re going to need to track and shoot people etc. Not sure if this will work? Why not do one rough take and post it here for your lovely testers to give feedback on. :slight_smile:

(Donnovan) #7

When 90% of the effort is focused to please idiots, something is really wrong.

I believe they should do like RAD SOLDIERS, a game that had comes without lobby presentation and won its place couse of its MERIT, not because of a complex method to please idiots!

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeds!

(Dormamu) #8

We need Rahdo in disguise to just talk, god salesman Rahdo, now he just plays pen and paper games :(, we should abduct his Beagles and force him to do it :smiley:
+1 for different teams;
+1 for the return of “Freedom of Movement Campaign” without the bad parts of SMART and with trickjumping, or a combination of both :open_mouth:
+1 for Niki voice comeback.
Another +1 for something that is related to the game and is not found in any other games like “Freedom of Movement - do not be confused with SMART” :smiley:
+1 For Exedore to say again at the end of a dev diary: “Taste the Magic!”
+1 For “Taste the Magic!” to be available as a v-say.

PS not joking

(acQu) #9

Glad this topic has been brought up :wink: I agree and just sit back to watch, because i do not want to be overly negative.

Just one thing i’d like to say though: shooting and running around and have a little bit of class-based teamplay, e.g. heal your teammate, or give him ammo, is somehow not doing it for me anymore, although i am an old hardcore W:ET fan.

And no, i am not at the wrong place. I love SD and just want them to do great with this game :slight_smile: I made a thread some time ago describing most of my problems (e.g. concept, background-story, convincing atmosphere etc.) with it in addition to this. Maybe i am getting too old for this … (damn i’m not that old …)

(Loffy) #10

Maybe the European/London/English-theme is then the best thing to explore/exploit and to build on in the marketing. It sets DB apart from other games. No concrete idea on how it can be done though just thinking out loud.

(SockDog) #11

I get this too. I’m hoping a future art pass will add in some grim and destruction. I’ve also said numerous times that they need to license some classic British music at least for the promotional videos. Sorry SD music guys but it really doesn’t engage me and if anything makes me think of Brink.

Watch this muted

//youtu.be/Xd4Hjoi2FQ0

Then play this at the same time

//youtu.be/EfK-WX2pa8c

  • Clash - London Calling

[video=youtube_share;SSbBvKaM6sk]http://youtu.be/SSbBvKaM6sk[/video] - Blur - Song 2

http://youtu.be/v--IqqusnNQ - Bowie - Life on Mars
This one I think would be good for a GoW slow death montage. (Limited to 3 videos)

I’d add more but now I’m stuck in a Bowie listening session. :smiley:

(tokamak) #12

I do agree that development team itself could have a lot more prominent personality presence in the marketing. You got Echo now, be like Blizzard and constantly in dialogue with what the community wants rather than a nameless institute high up in the ether that occasionally makes it’s presence known through a small patch (not saying you’re doing that, just saying that people are tired of it).

Make it philosophical! Constantly ask yourself ‘what makes a fun shooter?’ You could make an entire series based on all the wonderful conundrums raised on these forums and then show how you use Echo to solve them. In the same vein you could do an entire series on ‘mythbusters’ where you bust or confirm ‘myths’ like “The medic is better at sniping than the covert” and then invent all kinds of ridiculous yet scientifically correct tests to work it out.

And yes, I do believe that SD needs to shell out on some serious britpop rights.

This one makes a great trailer song (if you cut out the new orleans bit)

//youtu.be/PD_0fqvT32g

(SockDog) #13

It was brought up in IRC that and deserves to be repeated here that under produced, rough videos can come across as much more honest. Developers talking about a feature, having things not work right, joking around etc. It feeds into the credibility of the studio and to be honest there is a lot of negativity out there about SD and how Brink was presented compared to how it turned out.

This leaves 3 ways to present video footage IMO

  1. High production, topic specific videos such as we’ve had so far.
  2. Low production, dev vlog style videos focusing on specific features or challenges but also showing other things in the game.
  3. Artistic marketing videos using recognisable music to breed familiarity and engage people.

The final way at some point will be to allow people to stream matches and such, you could however squirrel this into number two along with invites to prominent social media people such as TotalBiscuit (TGS), Warwitch etc.

(tokamak) #14

Yeah SD really needs to be careful at not coming across too slick. People have grown wary of it and love nothing more than to bash overproduced trailers. The production values of what you’re doing in the office doesn’t need to be high as long as the gameplay footage is top notch and relevant to what you’re saying.

Small, personal and edgy producers are loved, just look at Notch or any small indie developer.

(Donnovan) #15

I’m sure if you ask SD about already released movie, they will say those movies was what they intended it to be. Was not “lack of funds due to money directioned to production more than directioned to footage”.

I really believe they are happy with the videos. I liked it very much.

Purpose of a game video is not to show a micro story of angry (like the 1 millions other ones) or show gameplay with erratic/ilusionatic skills & situations that will never happens (just to you feel less **** and with power you DONT have. LAMERS powa!). Those things are REAL insults for me.

Videos are awesome if you is not thinking too much in the “averagers” that pay your bills and let you live and breath!

(tokamak) #16

They are beautiful videos. But sometimes that can be a problem.

(acutepuppy) #17

A generic game can be boring, but with the right approach it can be genre-defining instead. Quake Wars on the surface was “BATTLEFIELD CLONE LOL”, but it was an amazingly complex game with asymmetric teams, very strong sense of class with tons of niche roles. Honestly if it wasn’t for idTech 4 (performance issues) and Activision (patching issues) I believe the game could have been much more successful.

A “generic” game can be outstanding with exemplary mechanics of moving and shooting, intelligent and easy to follow map design, a polished experience to keep the user engaged, efficient interface and hud to keep the user informed, and strong execution of a flagship feature.

The flagship feature in Dirty Bomb is teamwork. So far it’s one-dimensional, there is a huge lack of need or desire for cohesion. It feels like each class is the legs, arms, heart, bones, and head of something that doesn’t know it can be something greater. Like Voltron.

DB being “generic” isn’t the issue. It needs to be equal to more than the sum of its parts. Right now it’s just a pile of body parts.

(Maca) #18

Vloggy things can be good, but as said, the gameplay isn’t entirely unique at the moment, visually at least. My hope is that they will somehow make the teams visually different and the classes more unique with their weaponry and features in the future. And although it might be that this game is going more towards the grim/serious side of the spectrum, humor and… oddness would be very good ways to actually catch the attention of viewers and inform about the universe the game is set in. Connecting that to some fast paced gameplay with more unique classes and teamplay and people could find themselves being very interested.

(rookie1) #19

[QUOTE=SockDog;426424]I get this too. I’m hoping a future art pass will add in some grim and destruction. I’ve also said numerous times that they need to license some classic British music at least for the promotional videos. Sorry SD music guys but it really doesn’t engage me and if anything makes me think of Brink.

Watch this muted…[/QUOTE]
Nice ! this to do muted and listen to the other …no exactly what i would like but a nice way to see what its can look like with something else

(rookie1) #20

[QUOTE=tokamak;426425]…
And yes, I do believe that SD needs to shell out on some serious britpop rights.

This one makes a great trailer song (if you cut out the new orleans bit)

//youtu.be/PD_0fqvT32g
[/QUOTE]

Like this^^ with the Sockdog muted system :slight_smile: