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Anthem Hands On Preview & Interview with Mark Darrah - MMORPG.com

SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
edited January 2019 in News & Features Discussion

imageAnthem Hands On Preview & Interview with Mark Darrah - MMORPG.com

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to play the first few hours of Anthem, the demo content (which is available for Origin or EA Access members on Friday), and to talk to the Executive Director for Anthem Mark Darrah. There’s been an absolute glut of information from BioWare over the last few months, so this was a great chance to clear up some of the remaining questions and get a solid impression of what the core gameplay is like.

Read the full story here



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Comments

  • ScottJeslisScottJeslis Member UncommonPosts: 355
    Thanks Robin! I learned a few things.
    GameolioDan
  • Mr.GutsyMr.Gutsy Member UncommonPosts: 93
    They're gonna have things in the store that you can't earn sooner or later. Which is fine. Look at Warcraft and all their pets and mounts.
  • LustsLusts Member RarePosts: 205

    Mr.Gutsy said:

    They're gonna have things in the store that you can't earn sooner or later. Which is fine. Look at Warcraft and all their pets and mounts.



    You can still essentially earn those just playing the game. Their battle tokens or whatever they are called can be bought with in-game gold and spent on game time or store stuff. So in the end, you will eventually be able to buy those things in World of Warcraft through game play. So that was a pretty poor example.
    FolmenHatefull
  • jgDuffayjgDuffay Member UncommonPosts: 237
    This looks like it can be a fun game, but i really don't like the in-game currency for buying cosmetics. but as noted "there will be cosmetics which can only be earned through accomplishing certain things in game." is really important in my opinion, But i do hope that this comes along with some great challenges that feels rewarding to achieve and work towards. I think the reason for not doing the expansion solution could have allot to do with the trap bungie/act went into with D2. They tried to bump some of the current content up to the expansion, leaving it unavailable to those with the core game (this is sort of a middle finger to those who don't buy the expansion of course) but this lead to Playstation and Microsoft taking action against them because of achievements that is available in the core game has to be available in the core game forever. This lead to a major off time of D2 and I think it was around this time it lost most of it's players rendering the "expansion" nearly useless and not fun to play. This was their first expansion i believe. But then again, it's very weird that such a large development team can walk into such a trap. anyways, anthem is looking more fun with everyday that goes by. Next weekend is going to be interesting!
  • ArleeArlee Member UncommonPosts: 166

    jgDuffay said:

    This looks like it can be a fun game, but i really don't like the in-game currency for buying cosmetics. but as noted "there will be cosmetics which can only be earned through accomplishing certain things in game." is really important in my opinion, But i do hope that this comes along with some great challenges that feels rewarding to achieve and work towards.



    Yea, one of the reasons Mark Darrah said they want there to be cosmetic rewards earnable through gameplay is because they want people to be able to show off their accomplishments in game. So while I wouldn't expect every gameplay cosmetic reward will be difficult to earn, it's likely there will be some which take some real effort to accomplish.
    jgDuffayShadowStyleB
  • Mr.GutsyMr.Gutsy Member UncommonPosts: 93

    Lusts said:



    Mr.Gutsy said:


    They're gonna have things in the store that you can't earn sooner or later. Which is fine. Look at Warcraft and all their pets and mounts.






    You can still essentially earn those just playing the game. Their battle tokens or whatever they are called can be bought with in-game gold and spent on game time or store stuff. So in the end, you will eventually be able to buy those things in World of Warcraft through game play. So that was a pretty poor example.



    First of all, that token thing in Warcraft is a joke. It's one of the top reasons why Warcraft is now garbage. Second, that wasn't always there. I am referring to the Warcraft shop when it first surfaced, selling pets and mounts for cash. Third, anything that Activision does to Warcraft is not worth mentioning, referencing, or acknowledging. That is just insulting.
    Psym0n[Deleted User]Pher0cious
  • 3dom3dom Member RarePosts: 889
    edited January 2019
    > cosmetics will be sold on the store, I was sort of curious how all of this will work out for them

    It'll work very well if they'll release mankini armor for Colossus.

    Jokes aside, everything sounds really good - especially when compared to Warframe where some of the options weren't implemented during six years (like reconnection or player hubs instead of solo orbiter). Just 20 hours left to wait till vip demo \o/
    Arlee

    Thank you for your time!

  • rojoArcueidrojoArcueid Member EpicPosts: 10,722
    They must have a good plan to support the game long term. Right now it sounds exactly what EA did with Titanfall 2 and look where it is today, basically empty with no support.
    psychosiz1




  • XiaokiXiaoki Member EpicPosts: 4,045

    rojoArcueid said:

    They must have a good plan to support the game long term. Right now it sounds exactly what EA did with Titanfall 2 and look where it is today, basically empty with no support.



    Titanfall 2 was also released 3 weeks after Battlefield 1 and 1 week before CoD Infinite Warfare, which were the 2 best selling games that year.

    Anthem's big competition will be The Division 2.
    MrMelGibson
  • AlbatroesAlbatroes Member LegendaryPosts: 7,671
    I'll be honest....I saved a lot of popcorn up incase this flops.
    SolancerMrMelGibson
  • XAleX360XAleX360 Member UncommonPosts: 516
    It was disappointing to learn they will only have three Strongholds, aka dungeons, at launch.

    Executive Editor (Games) http://www.wccftech.com

  • hallucigenocidehallucigenocide Member RarePosts: 1,015
    the desperation from the haters is kinda amusing. which title will they bandwagon against next?

    I had fun once, it was terrible.

  • Octagon7711Octagon7711 Member LegendaryPosts: 9,004
    XAleX360 said:
    It was disappointing to learn they will only have three Strongholds, aka dungeons, at launch.
    An NDA and no real talk about problems experienced during influencer gameplay usually mean a lot of disappointments in the foreseeable future.  Either that or a brand new type of game runs perfectly, right out of the box, which I find rather hard to believe.
    [Deleted User]

    "We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa      "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."  SR Covey

  • 3dom3dom Member RarePosts: 889
    $20 skins. 1/3 of the game's price. I smell yet another BF2-style scandal is coming.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/AnthemTheGame/comments/ajg581/image_featured_store_items_cost/

    Thank you for your time!

  • jmcdermottukjmcdermottuk Member RarePosts: 1,571
    edited January 2019
    So I'm looking forward to Anthem but I have to comment on the monetisation subject. I remember a time in the not too distant past when games where developed and sold to the public. The devs made their money from the box sales. Then there were the F2P games that monetised items and gave the game away for free. Fair enough.

    Now there seems to be this trend - and EA are at the forefront - of charging a AAA price for a game and adding F2P monetisation on top. Anthem will cost £55 at release in the UK, and they think they are doing us a favour by promising no loot boxes or only cosmetic items? Fuck that shit!

    I am sick and fucking tired of companies like EA squeezing blood from a stone when it comes to monetisation practices. I hope they finally learned their lesson after SW BF2 and the backlash they richly deserved for that particular fiasco.

    This is why I haven't pre-ordered Anthem and why I won't buy it when it releases. I'm going to wait a couple of months. I'm going to wait and see what EA does, if loot boxes appear, if the grind is so bad you can't progress without buying xp boosters, or if any of their other despicable money grabs suddenly appear after everyone has handed over their money and the reviewers have blown enough smoke up EA's arse.

    Sorry for the rant but Anthem looks like a really good game and it's just a shame that we have to deal with EA and their predatory cash grabs in order to play. I really hope we get to enjoy the game without suffering from another EA rip off.
    Psym0n[Deleted User]TorreyHAndonSage
  • BruceYeeBruceYee Member EpicPosts: 2,556
    $20 for a cosmetic you can buy outright and not rely on RNG/boxes for is not a bad deal in today's world.

    Just look at those seasonal Overwatch crate packs that cost the same but you don't get what you want.
    MrMelGibsonTsiya
  • WizardryWizardry Member LegendaryPosts: 19,332
    To poster above ^^^

    Yes naturally games are more costly.They have been working on gimmicks for a whiel now started with the f2p/cash shop games.

    Afraid to charge 120?Trion was selling $100 loot boxes,SOT sold for $80 bucks and it wasn't even close to being a game,merely a Pirate ship and some water.Oh they will charge WAY more than their game's are worth.
    We see cash shops because it appears to be standard and known to be a higher profit idea so both devs and investors see it as a must.This is also why we see so many single player games claiming to be MMO"s,so they can sell seasons passes or utilize login screens to support a cash shop design.

    I am quite certain that now a days when devs top execs get together for a new game,they are trying their best to find a market niche with an idea that is cheap/cost effective and can be put on market very quickly.

    jmcdermottuk

    Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.

  • CazrielCazriel Member RarePosts: 419
    edited January 2019
    Worried about the XP gain. Rift had contribution XP when it first launched, which was based on DPS. As a result, much needed healers and buffers were stiffed even if they did most of the work keeping the rifters together and able to DPS. Basing XP gain on DPS sounds like a solid reward design, but it will quickly prove to be just as riddled with issues as Rift's was. I believe Rift's resolution was to base XP and rewards on skills used rather than a DPS meter. That way a healer or buffer who was busting her butt got rewarded equal to her efforts.
    psychosiz1Tsiya
  • XAleX360XAleX360 Member UncommonPosts: 516
    3dom said:
    $20 skins. 1/3 of the game's price. I smell yet another BF2-style scandal is coming.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/AnthemTheGame/comments/ajg581/image_featured_store_items_cost/
    How do you know those skins will cost 20 bucks?
    [Deleted User]

    Executive Editor (Games) http://www.wccftech.com

  • KajidourdenKajidourden Member EpicPosts: 3,030

    Cazriel said:

    Worried about the XP gain. Rift had contribution XP when it first launched, which was based on DPS. As a result, much needed healers and buffers were stiffed even if they did most of the work keeping the rifters together and able to DPS. Basing XP gain on DPS sounds like a solid reward design, but it will quickly prove to be just as riddled with issues as Rift's was. I believe Rift's resolution was to base XP and rewards on skills used rather than a DPS meter. That way a healer or buffer who was busting her butt got rewarded equal to her efforts.



    There are no healers though, so no worries.
    psychosiz1
  • ScotScot Member LegendaryPosts: 24,427
    Just pointing out that because you can play it with friends does not make it a MMO unless you have a Massive amount of friends online at once of course. :)
  • WBadgerWBadger Member RarePosts: 381
    edited January 2019

    3dom said:

    $20 skins. 1/3 of the game's price. I smell yet another BF2-style scandal is coming.



    https://www.reddit.com/r/AnthemTheGame/comments/ajg581/image_featured_store_items_cost/



    Can't have a scandal if it's not released with that price. Bioware's senior systems designer chimed in on that reddit thread saying that those prices aren't final. So until they are, any ranting about the cost of skins in their cash shop is premature.
  • KajidourdenKajidourden Member EpicPosts: 3,030
    WBadger said:

    3dom said:

    $20 skins. 1/3 of the game's price. I smell yet another BF2-style scandal is coming.



    https://www.reddit.com/r/AnthemTheGame/comments/ajg581/image_featured_store_items_cost/



    Can't have a scandal if it's not released with that price. Bioware's senior systems designer chimed in on that reddit thread saying that those prices aren't final. So until they are, any ranting about the cost of skins in their cash shop is premature.
    And even then, don't buy them....duh.
  • AeanderAeander Member LegendaryPosts: 8,060
    edited January 2019
    Crowd control isn't support. It's a completely different part of the role dynamic and developers need to stop treating it like support.


    Support mechanics interact with allies. That means heals, shields, buffs, revives, and cover deployment.

    Crowd control and debuffs interact with enemies. They are closer to "tanking" than they are to support.


    Am I saying the game needs a support-oriented Javelin? Maybe. It clearly isn't balanced with one in mind, so there's a very real chance that one could be useless or break the game entirely. It's going to be difficult, and they are going to have to decide whether that playstyle is worth the effort to accomodate.
    psychosiz1ArleeFlyByKnightalkarionlog
  • LustsLusts Member RarePosts: 205

    Mr.Gutsy said:



    Lusts said:





    Mr.Gutsy said:



    They're gonna have things in the store that you can't earn sooner or later. Which is fine. Look at Warcraft and all their pets and mounts.









    You can still essentially earn those just playing the game. Their battle tokens or whatever they are called can be bought with in-game gold and spent on game time or store stuff. So in the end, you will eventually be able to buy those things in World of Warcraft through game play. So that was a pretty poor example.






    First of all, that token thing in Warcraft is a joke. It's one of the top reasons why Warcraft is now garbage. Second, that wasn't always there. I am referring to the Warcraft shop when it first surfaced, selling pets and mounts for cash. Third, anything that Activision does to Warcraft is not worth mentioning, referencing, or acknowledging. That is just insulting.



    Oh boo hoo. You dislike Activision. So do I, but that doesn't give you an excuse to write off my argument to your incorrect statement. It doesn't matter if the store didn't have WoW Tokens before. It has it now, thus you can earn them via game play. Doesn't matter how crappy they made the game. My point still stands. You can still earn the mounts and pets through game play.

    I laugh at the fact that you're offended or insulted by Activision. Dude, if you can't have a proper or logical argument without letting your feelings get in the way, then don't try to argue facts with someone.
    Gobstopper3Dalkarionlog
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