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5 months ago ::
Jan 06, 2013 - 1:00PM
#1
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Date Joined:
May 17, 2009
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There are game companies out there who are making such great video games such as Bioware, Blizzard, and bethesda to name just a few. But then comes in Atari with the rights to the D&D name and they put out games that are literally deserve the term "epic failure". Are they just lazy? Do they care? Honestly I believe it is all of the above nor do I care to hear any excuses. They have had several years to make a good game and have yet to do so. It is now the year 2013 and yet I see Atari developers producing games that appear to be early 90's quality at best. Maybe someone could introduce Atari to modern computers and this thing called the internet? I am only venting as i have no faith that Atari will ever make a good game again.
Moderated by
Orc_Barrons
on Jan 08, 2013 - 12:41PM
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5 months ago ::
Jan 06, 2013 - 1:10PM
#2
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Honestly, it's not an easy thing to make a good computer game.
I can count on one hand the games that I'd term "extremely high quality" and only one gets an "awesome" (the original Baldur's Gate series).
Because it's hard to do, those with a serious track record of success (e.g. Blizzard, Bioware) pay top designers very well. Even then, companies like Bioware can end up making something that isn't a huge success. Look at the latest Star Wars MMO. In many ways it was excellent, but they didn't quite get the magic formula just right - and it went from an initially high customer base (paying monthly) to a much lower player base (and free-to-play).
In MMOs alone, I'd call WoW polished and fun, easy and with good replayability, but not awesome. SWtoR was amazing for its detailed storylines, but grouping was somewhat clunky (when you got a group) and replay value wasn't amazing. Aion was beautiful, gorgeous really, but grindy and a huge slog most of the time. LotRO was nostalgic and initially fun, and the quests were pretty interesting, but most of the classes weren't to my taste.
With D&D, they just don't have the funds to throw at top designers. The profit/cost ratio is extremely risky. So they try to get as low of a bid as they can, while still trying to make something that will grab potential consumers.
Consider also that you could potentially throw millions at a design team, have it pull in a large customer base initially, and then have rapid attrition as people either get bored (low replayability) or seek the next big thing.
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5 months ago ::
Jan 06, 2013 - 7:06PM
#3
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Date Joined:
Nov 18, 2004
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There are game companies out there who are making such great video games such as Bioware, Blizzard, and bethesda to name just a few. But then comes in Atari with the rights to the D&D name and they put out games that are literally deserve the term "epic failure".
Are they just lazy? Do they care?
Honestly I believe it is all of the above nor do I care to hear any excuses. They have had several years to make a good game and have yet to do so. It is now the year 2013 and yet I see Atari developers producing games that appear to be early 90's quality at best. Maybe someone could introduce Atari to modern computers and this thing called the internet? I am only venting as i have no faith that Atari will ever make a good game again.
Several points to make, but you're not going to like them.
1. 4th edition split the player base, meaning any D&D game was only going to get a percentage of the sales it would've prior to 4th edition, the percentage being open to debate.
2. Additionally, for a significantly smaller amount of revenue, they were also guaranteed to be stuck in the middle of a massive flame war.
3. Bethesda is one of the worst studios in the industry IMO. All they do is make the exact same game they've been making for the last 15 years with fewer features and more RPG mechanics removed. Nevermind the terrible QA.
4. Bioware isn't much better. They took all of the RPG mechanics out of Mass Effect, and made certain your choices were completely irrelevant. Dragon Age 2 was worse. At this point, a Bioware game is as much a linear walk through cutscenes where you don't make a difference as Final Fantasy 13 was. Heck, their games are now just linear corridors with what pathetically small amount of "Loot" there is sitting in the middle of the floor.
That said, you're right, Atari won't make a good game. They're Infogrammes (Changed their name a few years ago), they spent the last 15 years trying to do the exact same thing EA is known for.
Moderated by
Orc_Barrons
on Jan 08, 2013 - 12:42PM
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5 months ago ::
Jan 08, 2013 - 1:36AM
#4
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Date Joined:
Apr 15, 2001
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Atari hasnt made a good game since the early 1980's. Don't expect much from them and you won't be disappointed. Baldurs Gate/Torment/KoToR were the apex of D&D/d20 based games.
Reducing a character to a list of dice rolls and modifiers is not role playing*
*pg 30, AD&D 2nd Ed DMG, 1989.
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5 months ago ::
Jan 08, 2013 - 4:10AM
#5
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Atari hasnt made a good game since the early 1980's. Don't expect much from them and you won't be disappointed. Baldurs Gate/Torment/KoToR were the apex of D&D/d20 based games.
I'll go out on a limb and assume that in tth 80's you were a teen,young adult no?
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5 months ago ::
Jan 08, 2013 - 11:08AM
#6
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Date Joined:
Nov 30, 2010
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Atari was behind Neverwinter Nights 1 & 2...while i dislike those games for 2 reasons (3rd edition D&D ruleset and pseudo-realtime combat), i can't say they are terrible games at all...they were made by Bioware and Obsidian/Black Isle/Trokia
The reason for no more good D&D games is because the obsidian and bioware decided to part away from D&D, they decided to start making their own systems and settings instead of being attached to one...hell, Project Eternity that is a throw back to the infinity engine era of cRPGs isn't based on any D&D system at all for the same reason... There isn't many studios that can pull good RPGs in the west still, even more having modern sensibilities...
The good D&D games were "good" not because of being D&D (settings, rule system), but because the games were good...hell everything from D&D on those games actually hinder the overall game in my opinion.
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5 months ago ::
Jan 08, 2013 - 12:42PM
#7
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Date Joined:
Sep 20, 2012
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I've removed content from this thread. Hate speech is in violation of the Code of Conduct You can review the Code of Conduct here: company.wizards.com/conduct
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5 months ago ::
Jan 08, 2013 - 9:24PM
#8
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Date Joined:
Apr 15, 2001
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Atari hasnt made a good game since the early 1980's. Don't expect much from them and you won't be disappointed. Baldurs Gate/Torment/KoToR were the apex of D&D/d20 based games.
I'll go out on a limb and assume that in tth 80's you were a teen,young adult no?
Nope child. Born 1978.
Reducing a character to a list of dice rolls and modifiers is not role playing*
*pg 30, AD&D 2nd Ed DMG, 1989.
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5 months ago ::
Jan 09, 2013 - 8:40AM
#9
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Date Joined:
Jan 23, 2003
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Baldur's Gate was released in 1998, and Planescape: Torment in 1999.
If were talking 80's, then were talking Pool of Radiance, Curse of the Azure Bonds, and Eye of the Beholder.
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5 months ago ::
Jan 09, 2013 - 11:01AM
#10
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Date Joined:
Oct 20, 2010
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Let's see... Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and its expansion pack Throne of Bhaal. Icewind Dale and its expansion packs Heart of Winter, and Trials of the Luremaster. Icewind Dale II. Neverwinter Nights and its expansion packs Shadows of Undrentide, and Hordes of the Underdark. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited. All of these games are D&D or D&D-related, and all of them are incredibly good. The only D&D game of the past decade that I can think of that was utterly horrible was Daggerdale.
So, unless you have a VERY weird taste in games, I'd say the 'oughts was a very good decade for D&D video games. Honestly, I think the OP is overreacting a little.
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