They “just” developed Brink and had no further control over the franchise itself beyond it’s release, except for the production of potential DLCs. Bethesda on the other hand had(still has?) full control over the game; at least that’s my perception of the situation.
DB/Extraction is a completely different story; here SD has full control over the game(in every respect, not just production wise), even beyond it’s release, but somehow has to work together with 3rd parties in order to set up a proper infrastructure to distribute the game and keep it running.
I mean it’s a huge world, how could one company be able to run everything by itself on a global scale? There’s no company on this planet who has production and distribution completely under its own control, especially if they are operateting on a world-wide scale; not a single one. There are allways sub-contractors. No matter if it’s about physical stuff, or a purely virtual product.
[QUOTE=MrFunkyFunk;465452]Anyone who is a bit informed in the mmos world know about them and their reputation: over-extensive monetization, pay2win, poor support, etc
Luckily you don’t target that audience and the fps players won’t have any idea who Nexon is.[/QUOTE]
To someone who has no experience with Nexon this is kind of worrying, considering you arnt the only person to say this, makes it even more worrying.
Problem is your track record with supporting games after their release has not been even remotely close to ‘ok’.
I mean do we really need to dredge up every interview with SD staff in relation to Brink and what its going to provide, or the interviews with SD staff relating to the support that ETQW was supposedly going to get?
[QUOTE=Anti;465467]This is the case during alpha in every games’ development, as you make the game you answer these questions, not before you start or before you hit the issues and problems that inevitably come up. This only seems wrong to you folks because you’ve never experienced alpha phases like this before, you’re comparing it to Closed Betas and Open Betas, phases we’ve still not hit.
We’re trying very hard to be honest and upfront with you folks about what we’re doing. When we know certain things are happening we try to tell you as soon as reasonably possible. I’m sorry if you feel these are lies and misdirection, but they’re not.
At this stage all I can do is agree with Frost’s comment, that it’s probably best to judge us when we’re ‘done’.[/QUOTE]
The problem is making broad statements and saying things along the line of ‘you dont know what a closed beta is, this is closed alpha’, and you make the comment asif nobody here as ever participated in any form of actual alpha or beta testing, considering recent titles in the CoD/BF series have had ‘Betas’ but they were actually ‘Demos’ and not even close to any sort of Beta, the words are obviously mis-used but it does not mean you should be assuming that your playerbase has no clue.
You are trying to be honest, keyword is ‘You’
Fact is if Nexon has a track record of acting in a certain manner you can damn well expect it to continue the future, whether or not its in the games best interest F2P games and their developers typically dont care about their respective communities as long as they can make their money(im not implying thats what you guys are doing im just saying from the broader perspective of F2P games that this is typically what happens)
I really think SD is doing nearly everything wrong.
Did they plan this game probably?
This step for me should have been the first thing you should have thought about… how to really make this game global and how to sell in game items and stuff.
And developing a game with so many missing core features is also the wrong way…
This hole game developing really sucks. Never heard about such a failor in history. Except Duke Nukem
I see this game never being released or only being half finished…
I think there is no problem with sub-contractors at all. But, and its a big but, SD created 2 Companies (WarChest&Fireteam) which should support SD and run all the other stuff besides developing. Also the statement, SD wants to be independant from other publishers strengthened this view. And now they do a 180° turn. I’m pretty disappointed now. DB is/was my hope for a decent shooter which I can play for the next couple of years. But I’m worried about the Nexon deal. I have no experience with them, also with DD, but what I hear about them doesnt sound promising. I know, Anti, Locki and Smooth say it wont be p2w. Let’s hope they are right and they can force the sub-contractors to follow them.
[QUOTE=pulley;465487]I really think SD is doing nearly everything wrong.
Did they plan this game probably?
This step for me should have been the first thing you should have thought about… how to really make this game global and how to sell in game items and stuff.
And developing a game with so many missing core features is also the wrong way…
This hole game developing really sucks. Never heard about such a failor in history. Except Duke Nukem
I see this game never being released or only being half finished…[/QUOTE]
You’re utterly ridiculous and borderline moronic if you really think that and have little understanding how game developement works at all.
First of all, it’s a ****ing alpha. An Alpha? you understand that? Good, okay. It will have features not in place. Secondly, the mercs were always the way they were going to do the selling bit. Did you miss that? If so, you should have researched better before making that post. Thirdly, SD always would have needed to find partners for servers, even if there are community run servers. Partening with Nexon was a good call (for now at least, we’ll see once XT is released and see how they’re handling it) but for now it’s a good choice.
And please, stop moaning and bitching about the game never going to be released and compare it to the infamous Duke Nukem forever. This game is already very playable, gameplay isn’t quite there yet for sure. Work needs to be done. But it’s an Alpha. I’m in the alpha of Planetary anniliation. You know how that alpha started? With planets with barely any pathfinding, planting metal extractors (resources) anywhere on the map to get resources (hint, it’s not supposed to work). With combat barely functional.
It’s normal for an Alpha to be like this. If the game would go into beta like this, I’d be worried for sure but as long as i’ts beta I wouldn’t worry too much and just really give feedback about every patch, like dislike and don’t spell the doom of the game before it’s even gone to beta. SD already has some important things right compared to Brink. The engine fore sure is better, movement is a lot better (aside jumping, but they, alpha is alpha).
Nexon shouldn’t really influece the actual developement (aside from server structure and stuff) at all. Sure, giving advice might happen. Just like how we give feedback after a patch. And unlike a publisher like Bethesda who owns the name of Brink and all the assets etc Splash Damage keeps Extraction as their own game, it’s still their game, not Nexon’s game. Nexon is just a partner, which will get a cut of the money earned for sure. That’s without a doubt, but the situation is completely different then with Bethesda/Brink.
See it more like Crytek owning the crysis brand even though it’s published by EA and has EA servers in it. EA can’t make a crysis game without Crytek’s permission.
[QUOTE=pulley;465487]I really think SD is doing nearly everything wrong.
Did they plan this game probably?
This step for me should have been the first thing you should have thought about… how to really make this game global and how to sell in game items and stuff.
And developing a game with so many missing core features is also the wrong way…
This hole game developing really sucks. Never heard about such a failor in history. Except Duke Nukem :)[/quote]
This is the first alpha I’ve ever participated in. I’d find it hard to pass judgement that this isn’t typical of stuff we never see during early development. Seems we’re still on this boat of treating the experience like a beta demo. And while it’s a cheap shot I’ll point out Valve has hardly been knocking out Half Life games every year, seems even with their resources simply making an awesome game isn’t a matter of bashing away at a keyboard for x hours. I’d expect a lot of their stuff has been thrown away and changed over the years.
Simple fact: 3rd parties can’t sell something that SD isn’t producing. If SD isn’t producing OP Mercs and weaponary, how could 3rd parties make Extraction P2W then?
[QUOTE=Seiniyta;465491]You’re utterly ridiculous and borderline moronic if you really think that and have little understanding how game developement works at all.
First of all, it’s a ****ing alpha. An Alpha? you understand that? Good, okay. It will have features not in place. Secondly, the mercs were always the way they were going to do the selling bit. Did you miss that? If so, you should have researched better before making that post. Thirdly, SD always would have needed to find partners for servers, even if there are community run servers. Partening with Nexon was a good call (for now at least, we’ll see once XT is released and see how they’re handling it) but for now it’s a good choice.
And please, stop moaning and bitching about the game never going to be released and compare it to the infamous Duke Nukem forever. This game is already very playable, gameplay isn’t quite there yet for sure. Work needs to be done. But it’s an Alpha. I’m in the alpha of Planetary anniliation. You know how that alpha started? With planets with barely any pathfinding, planting metal extractors (resources) anywhere on the map to get resources (hint, it’s not supposed to work). With combat barely functional.
It’s normal for an Alpha to be like this. If the game would go into beta like this, I’d be worried for sure but as long as i’ts beta I wouldn’t worry too much and just really give feedback about every patch, like dislike and don’t spell the doom of the game before it’s even gone to beta. SD already has some important things right compared to Brink. The engine fore sure is better, movement is a lot better (aside jumping, but they, alpha is alpha).
[/QUOTE]
sure its an alpha. But we are moaning about the same things for 6-7 months and nothing is changing… I really dont think this game will stay a alpha for much longer. maybe 2 months? Now with all those name changing things maybe a bit longer.
It is all just very frustrating for me. Can i refund my money somehow?
Sure, but how will you balance them? Give the VIP guys the gun on a private server and tell them, use this gun we want to balance it? Or completly rely on echo? But if I buy a gun which is op and later it gets nerved, I will go mad because I wasted money … I cant imagine how balancing of new stuff will be done. It would be much easier if SD would have everything in their hands. And I would prefer it.
I’m not trying to say it will be p2w (nor Shifty I think).
Almost no one here is actually, we can read english (and quoted words underlined in bold).
Whole point is that I’m pretty sure we weren’t the only ones who were directed to believe that FireTeam & WarChest were there for specific aspects of the game upon release and that there wouldn’t be a partnership of this importance with a 3rd party publisher again.
But since I’m told there was no misleading I guess I’m just an isolated case because of a language misunderstanding.
I have done quite some testing of paid-products before they’re launched in the past. Generally what happens is that people will become part of a trusted test group and will have access to a test realm within the client (or sometimes seperate to the client). Extensive testing gets done (to the point where you’re given the task of writing reports per change). These bits are also usually done pretty quickly if the devs have a proper structure plan in place.
[QUOTE=MrFunkyFunk;465502]I’m not trying to say it will be p2w (nor Shifty I think).
Almost no one here is actually, we can read english (and quoted words underlined in bold).
Whole point is that I’m pretty sure we weren’t the only ones who were directed to believe that FireTeam & WarChest were there for specific aspects of the game upon release and that there wouldn’t be a partnership of this importance with a 3rd party publisher again.[/QUOTE]
This. I do believe SD when they say it wont be p2w.
Ehm i have no idea how will it end… I am not convinced to partnership with Nexon and changing name althought we have to see how game will looks like when it will be done. You guys made ET and ET:QW without any partnership as i remember and those games are being played since now. I am not sure if it is a good decision, hope you didnt make mistake, but in my opinion its your game and as you did with ET and ET:QW you should keep it as yours.
I hope it will work like you said it, that nexon is publishing this game and SD is company who control this game.
[QUOTE=pulley;465497]sure its an alpha. But we are moaning about the same things for 6-7 months and nothing is changing… I really dont think this game will stay a alpha for much longer. maybe 2 months? Now with all those name changing things maybe a bit longer.
It is all just very frustrating for me. Can i refund my money somehow?[/QUOTE]
Maybe those things aren’t going to change or they are reliant on other paths before they can be considered for change. The point is people have been moaning about everything, it’s like a zombie orgy in here, every patch has someone say the last patch was better. This isn’t a factor of each patch being incrementally worse but, IMO, people simply reacting to their expectations not being fully met.
SD clearly read the forums, they hear the feedback and I’m sure it’s discussed with total seriousness. Ultimately however XT is their game and it’s their call as to what makes the grade.
If you buy a gun because it’s OP then you have nothing to be mad about. Hell, you’d be part of the whole P2W problem. Seems plausible to balance internally, then with a wider test base. Should take most of the major edges off stuff and leave minor tweaks after release.
I’d guess they thoroughly test stuff like that inhouse, before they release it. It’s not like they’d be completely clueless when it comes to weapon balancing. I mean they already have a huge amount of weapon-stats and balancing-date due to their former games, Echo and us. But if a certain weapon turns out to be OP after it’s release, it still can legitimately be nerfed. They do stuff like that all the time when they introduce new chars and weapons in any kind of game; even in F2P games(maybe especially in F2P games). It’s not like they’d nerf a weapon from 100% to 20%.
And while it’s a cheap shot I’ll point out Valve has hardly been knocking out Half Life games every year, seems even with their resources simply making an awesome game isn’t a matter of bashing away at a keyboard for x hours. I’d expect a lot of their stuff has been thrown away and changed over the years.