Question for Splash Damage team members

(KnollDark) #1

I know you didn’t want to get bad feedback from the game you worked hard on it I’m sure. Do you feel that you deserve the negative things people say or do people just have to high of standards (or just really want more CoD) of games these days. Has this damaged your reputation alot or is this a minor setback. I guess what I’m asking is how do you think you did on the game.

(its al bout security) #2

i think they did a damn good job

(bastuden) #3

Largooooooooooooooo!

(its al bout security) #4

aiiiiiiiiiimbooooooooooooots

(funsize) #5

http://www.splashdamage.com/forums/showthread.php?p=330187

(V1cK_dB) #6

R u lonely?

I think they could have done MUUUUUUCH better. Too many mistakes.

(SinDonor) #7

I agree. While there’s definitely stuff that could be improved, I still can’t go back to other FPS games now. Black Ops and BFBC2 now just feel weird without SMART. TF2 on 360 isn’t good and it runs like crap on my MacBook.

I look forward to the DLC and weapon tweaks.

(DarkangelUK) #8

Unfortunately not enough people agree with you, and it’s with regards to that large section of purchasers the thread is clearly aimed at.

(its al bout security) #9

[QUOTE=V1cK_dB;347918]R u lonely?

I think they could have done MUUUUUUCH better. Too many mistakes.[/QUOTE]

i think it needs some polish, not as much people like to rant about.

clearly a troll thread nice job bro.

and last but not least he wrote a series of questions not pointed in any directions, SD wont comment on this, and DAUK i do believe it was an open ended question (don’t patronize me sonny)

(DarkangelUK) #10

[QUOTE=its al bout security;347934]
and last but not least he wrote a series of questions not pointed in any directions, SD wont comment on this, and DAUK i do believe it was an open ended question (don’t patronize me sonny)[/QUOTE]

If you couldn’t find direction within those questions, then patronization is the least of your worries.

(zenstar) #11

I think SD did a pretty good job with Brink. Sure there are a couple of things they maybe could have done differently but I think most of the issues with the game stem from the publisher rather than the developers.

People complain about it being released too early. I bet that was a publisher decision. SD have stated that there were things that had to be cut due to time. If they had their way they probably would have delayed more to get those in.

People complain about the bugs and lack of QA. Publisher generally pays for that and assigns budget for it. Again: I bet if it was in SD’s hands they would have taken a bit more time over it.

UK page missing from steam: again - probably got to do with the publisher.

Brink is awesome fun (well: IMO it is) and the bugs haven’t really affected me at all (I had the sound bug on resort but it got patched early. PC player here). I think that the game was pushed to come out before LA Noire could steal it’s thunder and that’s probably where the issues snuck in.

All these issues obviously add up to a dwindling player base which introduces another issue: empty games and that’s not really SD’s fault either.

(Nexusdog) #12

I feel it’s hurting SD, especially the negative feedback. Reviews are certainly going to hurt since that will influence future sales; people see reviews, make a judgement call, vote with their wallets.

Being realistic about the situation, there has to be a lot of factors to consider

[ul]
[li]Development investment returns[/li][li]Development creep/unforeseen problems[/li][li]Contractual obligations 1; Developer - Publisher[/li][li]Contractual obligations 2; Publisher - Retailer[/li][li]Monetary returns - publisher takes cut of sales, retailers buy in bulk, guaranteeing an income[/li][/ul]

Somewhere among that SD has to balance artistic integrity and real world needs; wages, running costs and ****knows what else. If they get a million units shifted, and after everyone else takes their cut, they need to be able to pay for the title development plus have profit to plough into future titles & keep the bills paid while doing so. A million units sounds a lot but you’re paying for the work done and being able to fund the next project, so the margins are likely to be pretty slim.

So, regarding negative feedback, if 1 million units have been sold, for example, and there are maybe a couple of hundred, maybe even a thousand registered members here on the forums, what percentage of customers does that represent? Then subtract those who rage or are unswervingly loyal to SD and take those left who are both supportive and critical of the situation and you are left with a tiny minority who can be afforded to ignore. So, in reality, our opinions here make no difference, simply don’t matter at all.

Brutal, but there’s a grain of truth in there somewhere.

(DarkangelUK) #13

I can see the PC crowd giving some leeway, especially considering it’s their 1st title that needed to cater towards the console crowd, and also given that their past games were enjoyable, so we know what they’re capable of. The console side how ever will be slightly less forgiving, Brink is their 1st proper taste of SD development and will make them a lot more dubious towards future console titles from them.

(tokamak) #14

I think they prefer negativity over people who don’t say anything and just stop stop playing any day.

(Kurushi) #15

I think it’s a great game with a lot of loose ends. The important stuff is solid, which is what counts.

I still think it should have stayed a PC only title for launch… I’m not sure mainstream console crowds are ready for multiplayer only titles just yet.

I think SD’s rep is in-tact, they made a good game, forced out by a bad publisher

(zenstar) #16

True. People can whine and complain, as long as they still play SD have something to work with. If people just walk away they don’t know what’s wrong or how to fix it.

I’d still prefer it if the whining got focused into constructive criticism though and not flamebaiting and rageing, but that’s what internet forums seem to be for nowadays.

(Qbix) #17

funny thing is, with some additional maps, spectator options, replay function and probably some promod-like stuff this could easily be the best competetive team shooter nowadays, since even decent coverage is available. Unfortunately it looks like at that point not many people will remain :confused: I can just encourage SD to continue their efforts to improve Brink and say that I will continue playing :slight_smile:

(zenstar) #18

I picked up a copy of PC Gamer and Game at the begining of the month and both gave decent reviews of the game. One was 76% (which isn’t fantastic but still in the “good” category) and the other gave it 8/10 (which is quite a decent score).

Both reviews mentioned that it really shines in multiplayer and the single player can be ignored, but even the 76% said that he enjoyed the game, it just may not be for everyone.

I think the massive negativity and rage around release really did most of the damage. The game is good and fun but a lot of rats have already jumped ship. Maybe some advertising around the DLC and recent balancing (maybe a free steam weekend) will draw in some fresh blood.

(tangoliber) #19

I think that in every multiplayer fps ever created, the forums are filled with negative feedback… at least until the developers release their next product, and then you mostly have nostalgic posts.

I’ve seen much worse starts in terms of lag and connection issues (the connection issues part, Brink doesn’t seem to have on consoles)…and many of those games fixed there issues within a few months.

So far, the game is getting plenty of support (though some people have unrealistic expectations on how fast patches are supposed to come out), and as long as the patches are still coming, then I’m optimistic.

(Smoochy) #20

love this game. cant see me playing much else until bf3. bf3 is going rapidly down in my estimations as they dumb it down like bc2 for the console crowd :frowning: little squads, no commander, easy sniping etc