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What a bad game does for a developers reputation!
Strezz
Member Posts: 45
Ok, so im sitting here, thinking of what will become of Richard Garriott's reputation if/when Tabula Rasa flop's... Allthough he did have part en creating the whole RPG Genre in the west, and is behind such solid succes as Ultima, could this make or brake he's reputation? And would you trust he's hype again and again?
Personally i see him a bit like Peter Molyneux from Lionhead studios... All talk, no action.... Well... Not enough to keep the promises made anyway!
And was it the same that happend for SOE, after they vandalized StarWars Galaxies? And why? Since EQ and EQ II apparantly are (or have been) doing very well...
hmm... maybe i just should go to bed.... it's allmost 7 in the morning here.... Sleep well, or good morning to you all! 
CHeers
Comments
The funniest thing about Tabula Rasa is what that name literally means in English - clean slate.
So, the title can read like "Richard Garriot's Clean Slate".
Strangely enough, after this game, he can only hope for a truly clean slate, because he is desecrating this one.
More to the point of the thread, I think it really depends. Some companies/developers can recover from a major bomb, while others cannot. Typically, if you have put out a bunch of quality games and make one error, it is not the end. With Tabula Rasa as a specific example, however, it is going to be tough because MMORPGs are a lot more than games and the stakes are much higher.
A normal game cannot die, since it has no lifespan, really. You buy it, play it, the end. An MMORPG can bomb like no other because they are expected to run for years, and thus can wither and die. This is the process that tarnishes the name of a developer the most. It is just so easy to see when an MMORPG fails.
I cannot really blame Richard Garriot for TR, though, as I really doubt he had a huge hand in it. They seem to be pasting his name on the box for marketing, but I have not seen him really discuss how much he contributed to the project.
I guess it all depends. I mean look at codemasters; two horrible MMO ports (RF Online and Archlord), but they came back with that racing game and Overlord. I mean, I doubt anyone will trust their ability to create/port an MMO again, but they will definitely have a following for their single player games.
I dont know Tabula Rasa, but with everyone saying it is epic fail, i think i might check it out for some days. What i read in wikipedia sounds nice
Sornin:
i for one, can easily blame Richard Garriott for TR... He have been hyping the game beyond belief (in my humble opinion), and i will have a hard time, trusting he's next game (If there's gonna be one!)
n00bit :
Codemasters have a long and strong library of games, and especially the Toca series have been very nice... i dont know if i cant trust another MMO from them again... That would be the same as saying, that NC Soft is in trouble beacuse of the incredible bad Dungeon Runners... Or Exteel for that matter (But that's just my taste that might be screwed!).. but i did like Guild Wars, and im still playing City of Heroes/Villains!
batolemaeus :
I followed TR for years, and read and watched all i could get my hands on.... but the Next-Gen MMO it'ss made out to be, is nothing but hot air... i personally think that City of Heroes/Villains have better animations, textures and a MUCH better feel...
Well... Thanks for your replies!
CHeers
I just want to see with my own eyes before i start smacking about an mmo. So ill definitly try it out. Even if only to tell myself: you still play the best mmo out there for you..
And you should... And i hope you find it better than i!
CHeers
It might be a good idea to, you know, wait till the game is actually RELEASED before making too many judgements about it. Yeah, I've played in Beta and know some of its shortcomings, but I'm still reserving judgement until it is ready for release.
As to the general question posed by the OP: I would say it depends on how and why a game fails. It also depends on the sort of hype that was put out about it. In general, the more people feel they have been tricked/deceived by the Devs/Publishers, the more angry they will be with those people and the more it will affect the reputation of those entities.
I think the comparison of Garriot to Molyneux is dead on. These are both guys that gaming companies want to brag about having on their games but when you look for any actual gamers who are excited to have them involved...you can't seem to find any.
Actually this game is rated quite well on Fileplanet.. i am thinking many not so hardcore types or knowledgeable types will be sucking this game up once it hits the stores.
I could see my casual wow playing space loving friends liking this game.
I love the Tabula Rasa beta so far. I seriously want to buy it after I upgrade my graphics card. The main reason is the slightly twitch controls. The other reason is Overkilling the monsters with a kick that splits them in half. The last reason is they give you a machine gun at level 5, I sometimes go at enemy Starship troopers style. Whats more amazing is he managed to keep it somewhat stable with twitch controls with thousands of people on a zone.