NEWS ITEM: October 13, 2008 - New Monster Profile Posted

[CrazyBernie]

You obviously misunderstood my comparison.... so let me rephrase...

Trolls are so stinky that they make marshlands seem to smell like fresh flowers in comparison

[realmzmaster]

To which flowers are you comparing them? I know a great many flowers scents that will make Trolls smell like roses! And who says they are dumb, last time I checked it usually the adventurer walking into their territory! But then you don't have to be intelligent to be an ambush predator!

[El'Lorien]

Trolls = horrid smell
It is given.

I know a great many flowers scents that will make Trolls smell like roses!

The only flower scent worse than Troll stench is a liberally applied cheap perfume.

[The Noid]

I know a great many flowers scents that will make Trolls smell like roses!

The only flower scent worse than Troll stench is a liberally applied cheap perfume.

Not quite: http://radio.weblogs.com/0105910/2004/01/14.html

[AK_Marty]

Long time pub visitors have heard my rant before: I think most developers expose waaaaay too much information about their games before they are released and so by the time you get their latest game you've seen 100 screenshots, a dozen video clips, read a multitude of detailed previews, and feel like you've been walked through it already. This is especially bad for an RPG where discovery and story plays a huge role in the game's enjoyment.

You should have a talk with the developers of Age of Decadence sometime.

I hope they finish that game and start selling it before I start drawing Social Security and no longer can afford it.

[BasiliskWrangler]

I wasn't specifically speaking of AoD, because I view that as a "community project". Vince obviously wants people actively involved in every aspect of the game's design, so by default that means there won't be very many surprises left for gamers who have participated in the process. No big deal- chess isn't surprising but it can still be fun. I'm just glad I haven't followed the "Let's Play" threads, so for me AoD will be a fresh experience!

I think Diablo 3 is reaching this point of over-saturation. I've seen so many screenshots and videos at this point, I feel like I've already played the game for a few hours. The "wow" factor is not going to be there anymore for me. Doesn't mean I won't play it, but it does mean there will be far fewer moments of "holy sh*t that was cool!!!".

Movie trailers can suffer from the same effect. Some of the best trailers were made pre-90's; modern trailers often reveal most of the good scenes (and in several examples I can think of, the surprise ending is actually shown in the trailer!). This is just bad marketing.

[El'Lorien]

I wasn't specifically speaking of AoD, because I view that as a "community project". Vince obviously wants people actively involved in every aspect of the game's design, so by default that means there won't be very many surprises left for gamers who have participated in the process.

A community project?

That's what Vince says:

Exposing your game's features and elements to people is always a good thing. The feedback exposes your mistakes and assumptions (and you can't design a game without making those) and generates good suggestions. No matter how good you are as a designer, there is something you didn't think of, but someone else did and offered to you. Why pass on this opportunity? I said it before and I'll say it again, I can't count how many times I felt "wow, what an absolutely brilliant idea! Why, WHY!!! didn't I think of it?"

So, basically, I'd say that exposure is quality. More exposure - better quality. Less exposure - ...

[BasiliskWrangler]

That's what Vince says:

Exposing your game's features and elements to people is always a good thing. The feedback exposes your mistakes and assumptions (and you can't design a game without making those) and generates good suggestions. No matter how good you are as a designer, there is something you didn't think of, but someone else did and offered to you. Why pass on this opportunity? I said it before and I'll say it again, I can't count how many times I felt "wow, what an absolutely brilliant idea! Why, WHY!!! didn't I think of it?"

So, basically, I'd say that exposure is quality. More exposure - better quality. Less exposure - ...

Oh, I totally agree! The difference between Vince with AoD, and let's say Blizzard with Diablo 3, is that Vince exposes his game and listens to the feedback. So, yes, that makes a better game. Blizzard shows off all it's goodies, and then tells fans to stop giving suggestions because the game is too far along to make changes.

[edit] I should note that there are quite a number of times we've requested fan feedback for Book I & II features; I think you have to do that to make a game your audience will appreciate. Basilisk Games just limits media exposure compared to most mainstream developers.

[realmzmaster]

The only problem with the community project aspect of AoD is that it never gets finished! You can always say Wow! what a great idea! Let's put that in! Eventually you have to draw the line or the project will never get out the door!

[CrazyBernie]

I think Diablo 3 is reaching this point of over-saturation. I've seen so many screenshots and videos at this point, I feel like I've already played the game for a few hours. The "wow" factor is not going to be there anymore for me. Doesn't mean I won't play it, but it does mean there will be far fewer moments of "holy sh*t that was cool!!!".

That's why I've only looked at two Diablo 3 screenshots, and just a handful of those from Starcraft 2. Same with Fallout 3, although I did watch a few gameplay videos to see how the VATS worked out. I did however just ruin Dead Space for myself by watching a whole special about it on the Sci-Fi Channel.... >.<

[Nevermore]

Really cool!
At Basilisk Games you are doing a very good job!
Eschalon Book II will rocks!