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"We can't talk about this... We can't talk about that..."
storyless
Member Posts: 158
One of the things that has frustrated me about this game is Bioware's information policy regarding its features. Every interview, it seems, is being interrupted by statements running along the lines of: 'I can't talk about that...', 'This is under discussion...', 'We're not ready to make an announcement'.
It's my personal belief that often these statements are being parroted out when the speaker actually means: 'I don't know' or 'It's not in the game'. There is, after all, no reason not to give out feature information at this stage. It's not commercially sensitive and it's not about keeping up interest in the game (interest has been high all along). As it stands, Bioware's policy of essentially saying: 'We're not telling you because we don't trust you' is kind of insulting. Certainly it's not the way forthcoming products are launched in sectors like automotive, fmcg and consumer electronics.
For myself, I would like Bioware to come out with regular statements - say, every quarter - that outline: 'This is what is in the game', 'This is what we want to put in the game', 'This is what we are working on in the game right now', 'This is what we have had to change/remove/add in', 'This is the current date we are hoping to launch'.
This means they could still have their regular Friday updates as well as their big tradeshow reveals as they show us work in progress and reveal details of the game coming to fruition.
It also means, the key stakeholders in the game - us, the potential customers - can 'buy in' to the game's ongoing progress
I'd like to know, who in Bioware, EA or LA is responsible for the current communications policy? Who is telling them what they can and can't say? What principles those intructions are based on? It's my belief commuinications decisions are not being made by a marketing professional but by a senior producer or developer who, poor chump, doesn't have a clue what he's doing.
Do you think Bioware is doing a good job with the management of its feature information?
Comments
The master plan behind this is to get hughe BOX sales. They are to stupid to understand what kind of game the gaming comunity wants that they are trying to get as high a box sale as possible. If they sell a million boxes the first week they would have gotten alot of thier revenue back. They know by now that this is going to be epic fail but they are to late into production to stop now. So they blow smoke screens in our face to make us pick up the BOX.
In the End its not about making a good game but to cash in on the only viable market left on the PC that is the MMO market. all other games get Pirated, so most developers for single player games have gone over to consols. But the MMO is still a market they can Tap and getting hughe sales the first week will help them get the money they spent on development back fast. Also a few dumb F...ks will stay past the first month making a net profit for EA and Bioware..... who cares what happens after that Bioware sure dont... trust me
Set for release next year, plenty of things to do in the meantime. It only stands to reason that there are going to be things that can't be talked about in full detail or even some detail in some aspects. I think they have their feet planted pretty firm in that they're releasing information that they know for sure as opposed to making promises they can't keep. I think it's a smart way of going about things. Wouldn't want them to say something and be unsure that it will come to fruition.
All it will take is patience, they'll let us know what is done and ready to go into each build. They'll keep us updated automatically, we don't have to ask, they'll be excited to let us know, I would imagine. So just take it easy (or as easy as you can take it, my heart races when I think of being able to play) and watch.
as previously stated, its still a year away from release. i'd love to know the entire plot of the captain america and thor movies and see actual footage right now, but those are still a year away and i won't get that info. i'd expect that the events that take place in the fall (PAX, GDC Online) will be much more fruitful when it comes to info.
Bust through the heavens with your drill!
You realize that it's Bioware right? They've still retained their independence for the most part. EA is obviously not rushing or pressuring them into the releasing the game, so I fail to understand your logic. They've created some of the most celebrated RPGs of all time.
What have the track records of other companys that have made "good" MMOs? Oh that's right, most companys making them these days have no experience.
Yes, I think that's a very astute, very cold-blooded assessment - it's all abouit box sales.
Ultimately, this is not like a car launch in which the car will keep on being sold after the roll-out date; with games like SWTOR it's all about fuill-price pre-orders before launch and for a week or so afterwards. Any sales after that are just gravy.
I have a feeling that they are trying to do the opposite of what WoW did. " You get guild talents, path of titans and archeology." then scrap all of it and piss the fans off. It makes sense the game is not really close to coming out yet.
Them not telling us about features in the game has NOTHING to do with trusting us and has EVERYTHING to do with trying to make sure they DON'T dissapoint us. Yet as we see from threads such as these, no matter what Bioware does, they will dissapoint individuals set on seeing the game fail.
Can't you guys just wait for the game to be released already to know about the features? Don't you guys have things to do while waiting for this game to come out?
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"Your pride, good sir, far exceeds your worth." -x3r0h
Oldest mmorpg.com member with the least amount of post counts. That counts for something, right?
Hi, I highlighted your key line in yellow. In truth, in pure marketing terms, that's simply not true. There is no reason not to discuss all features - so long as they are presented properly. 'This is stuff that will be in...', 'This is stuff we want to be in...', 'This is stuff that will change as we go...' Releasing this kind of information isn't commercially sensitive or patent protected - this is an industry where technology and features are common.
And the point is, again in pure marketing terms, telling potential consumers about the product in full even as it is under development is actually a strong positive since it builds loyalty and buy-in and it removes confusion and suspicion. Following this policy has made Apple, for example, have super-smash successes with its iPods and iPads. And the reveals are still as powerful as ever because when the product is actually uinveiled, consumers get to see 'in the flesh' what has onloy been talked about 'in abstract'.
Sure, you wouldn't want to know the plot of Captain America before it's launched but you'd be pretty pissded off if they didn't tell you who was going to play Cappy or the Red Skull ahead of time, right? Or whether it was going to be a high-octane thrill-ride with explosions aplenty or a gentle rom-com with many delicioys misunderstandings aplenty? Or whether it was going to be the full 120 minute experience or just five minutes long?
Path of the Titans is a giood example.
WoW announced that it was exploring possibility. It asked for reactions and comments. It got them and discussed those in turn. It announced it was having difficulties incorporating players' 'wants' into the system and so it was going to drop - for now - the Path of Titans feature. From what I have read on the official WoW forums and other game sites, it seems people were pretty cool with that. I'd say that Blizzard handled the whole thing quite well.
...that's his whole point, when release is closer you will know more.
how does bioware have experience in the MMO field? this is their first....
If they make promises today that they can't keep then do you know how bad they will look tomorrow ? Be patient. We'll get all the info soon enough. This is not Funcom or Mythic we are dealing with here.
WhaT/ I think you are contradicting yourself. Of course it's a question of trust. They dont' trust us to be disppointed. They think if we are disappointed by this or that feature, we're going to go off our rockers and turn against the product. That's a bad attitude to have and it underestimates the consumer.
And no, we should not be 'patient' or 'just wait'. We're consumers interested in a product and considering putting money into buying it and subscribing to it. So, obviously, we have a natural and healthy interest in its development.
People forget that we're up to a year away from release... a lot can change between now and then, a lot of new things can be implemented.
True. It's not Funcom or Mythic. But it is LA and EA. You know what that might mean...
Worst suggestion ever!
"this is what is in the game"
So if you do a beta test, and decide to change something so you can make the game better, every fanboi will scream bloody murder how you are selling out, and dropping features that you promised would be in the game!
"This is what we want to put in the game"
So that if you don't put that in the game, every fanboi will scream bloody murder that you promised it would be in the game! and now you are breaking your promise!
You get the idea.
I usually do not post much, but since E3 started there has been a string of threads wherein an individual or individuals seem to be teeming with negativity against this game. which makes me wonder as to wth is going on inside these peoples head.
If you want to play then wait to play it, if you hate it or it makes you inseure your friends will leave you all alone in your current mmo for TOR then suck it up and grow a pair. If you have something definate to niggle about the GAMEPLAY post it with a link. If you want to bitch and whine about PR policies and AI's of a game which is still a YEAR away from release (like Teala in another thread) GTFO mmorpg forums and post of the DEV forums or better yet email them. Be constructuctive not destructive as I like to say.
I have read and heard that red lined statment before. You know what game forum it was on pree release. THE WAR FORUMS. NO EA IS LETTING US HAVE MORE TIME THEY ARNT STRESSING US AT ALL!! says Marc Jacobs CEO of mythic entertainment. What happend? if you dont remember I will fill you in. The game launched with missing content a subpar PvP system and crapy game design.
ho so you know Marc Jacobs also got fired.... that is what happens when you mess things up
EA can't be trusted they are a bunch of suits who know nothing about games.....
Yes, I think that's a very astute, very cold-blooded assessment - it's all abouit box sales.
Ultimately, this is not like a car launch in which the car will keep on being sold after the roll-out date; with games like SWTOR it's all about fuill-price pre-orders before launch and for a week or so afterwards. Any sales after that are just gravy.
Um, no.
OK, guys, use your head. And do the freaking math. A major software gaming company will NOT make back the huge investment required to create a game like this (especially with the price / royalties they probably have to pay for star wars IP) on box sales alone. No way, no how.
Their profit, by a LONG shot, comes from securing and KEEPING subscription-based revenue flowing....for as long as possible. Even then, they probably only start to pay for the cost after about 6 months. They only way they secure and then KEEP subcribing customers is to MANAGE EXPECTATIONS correctly. Hype stuff too much and people that join up will be dissapointed and quit right away. In fact, it is to their economic advantage to UNDERSELL the game and let lots of people be astounded by it, tell thier friends, and stay customers for a long time. Barring that, the next best course of action is to say little, and be somewhat cryptic.....which is what they are doing. That way, they aren't over-promising but are created enough mystique around the product that people will be begging for it.
All this "conspiring to rip us off" shit is just ridiculous. Especially for a major firm like Bioware / EA. Not because they are good guys...but because they are smart guys and this is how the economics of the industry work.
I honestly can't remember any MMORPG this far from release that had told us every facet of the game at this stage .It's also so far from when i'm going to be asked to buy it that I really don't care what they have and haven't told us.If when it comes close to decide if I'm going to part with my money or not and the NDA is sitll in effect and we are still in the dark then I will probably agree with you.
But at this stage all they could do is tell us stuff they hope to be in at launch then have to pull it last minute ala AoC,Warhammer etc and thne take almost 2 years with a smaller team to implement it after launch and an expansion 8P
No, you're missing the point.
In marketing terms, it is in Bioware's commercial interest to tell us about the features now - it ensures buy-in and loyalty.
A few consumers like being treated like sheep for the shearing but clever, experienced companies - like Apple - know that most of their customers want to go along with the company as iot brings its new products to them.
probably hear the same garbage that's going on right now
But in real terms, that's not how consumers behave. So long as you are honest and say: 'We cannot make this work' or ' we cannot make this work yet' or 'it does not fit into the game' then consumers don't have a fit. It's when you pretend to listen and then ignore consumers' views and reactions - or when you give them information you think they need not the information they have actually asked for that you lose their support.
"...do the freaking math..."?
Three million box sales at launch for @$60 bucks each = $180,000,000.
That's the complete development cost paid off in two weeks plus thirty million left over to spend on hats.
Any more maths lessons for us?