Creative Assembly NTW: Special Forces Edition. Why?!? CA, why... :( [Archive]

gollum

11-25-2009, 00:24

Originally posted by Fisherking
It is just business.

When you are designing and creating a game - that is, something that by definition has the purpose to entertain, challenge and educate (through the process of learning it if not through nothing else) and you treat it first and foremost as a product and apply in its design and development process marketing principles something is really wrong, if you ask me.

It is "just business" for those who are getting a cut in the profits, so unless you happen to be one of them i can't see how can you take it that way.

pevergreen

11-25-2009, 00:32

They are there to make money. This is a product. If a person is willing to spend a little bit more to get a little bit more...

Are you going to start protesting against collectors editions for every game released? If not, then what is the difference.

gollum

11-25-2009, 00:46

I'm sorry Pevergreen.

antisocialmunky

11-25-2009, 01:16

:-\

Don't know why people are complaining. You don't have to buy it. The last special edition game I bought was in 2000 and gave me a OST. The last special addition I even remotely considered buying in a long time had some crappy but functional Light Amplification Goggles.

Maybe if it came with a hat like Napoleon wears on the box that you could actually wear I'd buy it.*hint*hint* :)

gollum

11-25-2009, 01:19

I'm sorry antisocialmunky.

KLAssurbanipal

11-25-2009, 01:43

All types of units should be in the original game. They should not ask for additional money from us for other soldiers....

gollum

11-25-2009, 01:49

Its just business King Louise Assurbanipal, since you're not going to protest for every game that has a special edition, let it go. They just want to make money, a little more and a little more and a little more. It doesnt matter, since other industries are doing the same greedy practices so it happens in this one. Give it a rest. And in the end of the day you can just not buy it. Dont protest.

KLAssurbanipal

11-25-2009, 01:54

I would like to buy all units but... standard price (as Rome TW or Medieval 2 TW).
I don't like CA's policy after EMpire TW....:smash:

antisocialmunky

11-25-2009, 01:57

Yeah its lame, but oyu cna mod units in eventually.

Evil_Maniac From Mars

11-25-2009, 05:09

More DLC, meaning that they won't release modding tools because (in my overly cynical mind) they don't want us to recreate the units that they should have given us for free in the first place. I never buy DLC, and I probably won't buy Napoleon at all because of this, unless it gets very good reviews - from players.

pevergreen

11-25-2009, 05:10

Yeah its lame, but oyu cna mod units in eventually.

Unsure of legal standing, but one can presume its forbidden.

As sent 09/03/09 (third month of the year, this is a proper date format. :tongue:)

Hi pevergreen,

Could you and the rest of The Guild moderators please remove any links to Special Edition/Pre-Order unit unlocking mods.

Thank you.

I had asked CA's official standing on the issue, since this was at the time of people talking and freely giving out the method to unlock the units. Presumably it has since been patched out.

However, since we are a fan site, we live by their leave.

As I understand it, the .Org's position is to not allow discussion on how to unlock them.

Please understand, I'm not attacking anyone, I'm saying this all in a neutral voice.

gollum: Come on. Apologising? :no:

Think about how much you buy a game for.

Here? $100.

Retail stores buy it for say, 40-60. Maybe less

So, SEGA sell it for that much.

CA get, lets say, half. $20

So for each copy sold, the get (maybe) $20 AUD. A game that takes multiple years to build. Many people, computer upgrades, software etc etc etc

DLC skips a stage and brings money to them. CA are a good developer, they actually talk to their fans. Can you see EA listnening and posting in a fan forum?

Krusader

11-25-2009, 05:53

DLC skips a stage and brings money to them. CA are a good developer, they actually talk to their fans. Can you see EA listnening and posting in a fan forum?

Why would EA care? They aren't developers, they are publishers. Plus its EA again with its reputation. CA might talk to fans, but compared to Bioware as an example I wouldn't say too much.

Regarding Special Forces Edition, I'm not surprised and neither will I scream bloody murder as CA sees a way to earn more bucks. In their defense it seems there are 15 extra units instead of 6 in NTW Special Forces.
Anyhow, I will not buy NTW until it hits bargain bin and that is if other players say its worth it. Only reviewers I barely trust these days is Rockpapershotgun.

antisocialmunky

11-25-2009, 06:05

Unsure of legal standing, but one can presume its forbidden.

As sent 09/03/09 (third month of the year, this is a proper date format. :tongue:)

I had asked CA's official standing on the issue, since this was at the time of people talking and freely giving out the method to unlock the units. Presumably it has since been patched out.

However, since we are a fan site, we live by their leave.

As I understand it, the .Org's position is to not allow discussion on how to unlock them.

Please understand, I'm not attacking anyone, I'm saying this all in a neutral voice.

gollum: Come on. Apologising? :no:

Think about how much you buy a game for.

Here? $100.

Retail stores buy it for say, 40-60. Maybe less

So, SEGA sell it for that much.

CA get, lets say, half. $20

So for each copy sold, the get (maybe) $20 AUD. A game that takes multiple years to build. Many people, computer upgrades, software etc etc etc

DLC skips a stage and brings money to them. CA are a good developer, they actually talk to their fans. Can you see EA listnening and posting in a fan forum?

Its not illegal if you recreate each unit from scratch. Heck, just create everything form scratch and make it look better.

Its rather pathetic that they had to do it this way really. Do you see anyone else who is successful and doing this with the modding assets? No. They try to release quality DLC instead to compete with fan ones or other things that are very hard to mod in.

Nebuchadnezzar

11-25-2009, 06:39

Exclusive unis and DLC does not necessarily mean extra units. It can just as easily mean the core game has been deliberately denied sufficient unit diversity just as it had been with ETW. Maximizing profits is not the same as double dipping.

Braden

11-25-2009, 10:09

Ok, I fully understand the business model that’s kicked this out but…

1) Announcing it BEFORE the release of the normal game is perhaps a good thing. We’ll all know what we’re missing out on before we purchase the standard game and can make the informed choice.
2) However, it does sound like taking the phish. I’m not a fan by any means of uber elite units that only help to unbalance an already unbalanced game. If they’re normal units but LOOK different then, being 100% honest, as having been a collector of military figures in the past I can see the appeal.

Yes, I would like to see historical regiments (well, companies of…) in the game. Maybe, just maybe, some might be famous elite units that might have a marginal advantage in the game…but that’s it! From enjoyment of one aspect of the game its appealing but it doesn’t warrant as an excuse for adding Graphics to a game in-place-of better game play.

Come on now. Lots of us have cable or satellite TV…and conventional (Terrestrial) TV. Its up to us which we watch. We in the UK will gripe at the fact that we still pay a fee to the BBC for television that perhaps we don’t actually watch….ever…but its there if we want it.

This is how I see this pack. There if we want it…nothing else.

Captain Fishpants

11-25-2009, 10:19

Maybe if it came with a hat like Napoleon wears on the box that you could actually wear I'd buy it.*hint*hint* :)

I wanted the hat edition too, complete with a big hat box as the packaging. And given that I'm taller than our marketing people, I thought I'd win the argument.

Unfortunately, it would have cost far, far, far, FAR too much to manufacture, let alone store, ship and retail. Nice hats are not cheap.

Another idea shot down over the coast of conceptuality by the flak of reality.

econ21

11-25-2009, 12:19

I’m not a fan by any means of uber elite units that only help to unbalance an already unbalanced game. If they’re normal units but LOOK different then, being 100% honest, as having been a collector of military figures in the past I can see the appeal.

Yes, I would like to see historical regiments (well, companies of…) in the game.

My impression of the elite units in the ETW Special Edition and DLC is that they more or less fit the bill in terms of your criteria. They are historical and while they have nice stats, are limited in number and cost a lot, so they don't unbalance the game. People who just buy the basic game still get Guards and other elites; the add-ons just provide specific named variants which mainly add colour and flavour.

I bought the Special Edition, as it seemed to be priced similar to a regular game (indeed, my local Game store only sold the SE). I would have bought the Elite regiments DLC as again the price was very modest, but sadly I am finding ETW unplayable on my computer - after about 20 turns, it starts freezing during the AI turns.

Braden

11-25-2009, 13:15

My impression of the elite units in the ETW Special Edition and DLC is that they more or less fit the bill in terms of your criteria. They are historical and while they have nice stats, are limited in number and cost a lot, so they don't unbalance the game. People who just buy the basic game still get Guards and other elites; the add-ons just provide specific named variants which mainly add colour and flavour.

I bought the Special Edition, as it seemed to be priced similar to a regular game (indeed, my local Game store only sold the SE). I would have bought the Elite regiments DLC as again the price was very modest, but sadly I am finding ETW unplayable on my computer - after about 20 turns, it starts freezing during the AI turns.

I don't have the Elite regiments for ETW to be honest but my comments are mainly aimed at NTW as I'm hoping they've kept the same reasoning as they have in ETW as you advise. With even better graphics (*sigh*) prettier looking and more accurate depictions of historical regiments is possible and my fingers are crossed that this "Enhanced" version of NTW provides that...from a collectors viewpoint.

Me purchasing it largely depends on funds available at the time I feel the urge over takes me to buy ETW! :laugh4:

antisocialmunky

11-25-2009, 14:41

I wanted the hat edition too, complete with a big hat box as the packaging. And given that I'm taller than our marketing people, I thought I'd win the argument.

Unfortunately, it would have cost far, far, far, FAR too much to manufacture, let alone store, ship and retail. Nice hats are not cheap.

Another idea shot down over the coast of conceptuality by the flak of reality.

I don't know. Depending on how much other cheap stuff you stuff it with like a Napoleonic map, a fold-out unit reference sheet, posters, the extra units, special menu design, OST - you could mark it up enough to include a hat. I'd pay extra for the hat if I were buying the game.

Its a HAT for crying out loud. The reviewers love that sort of functional extra thing when they review special editions. :) Usef

KLAssurbanipal

11-25-2009, 15:54

Napoleon: Total War™- Imperial Edition Revealed
LONDON (24 November, 2009) – SEGA Europe Ltd. today announced that the next iteration of the critically acclaimed Total War™ series, Napoleon: Total War™ will be available in four different versions.

• Napoleon: Total War - Standard Edition. Includes the “Elite Regiment” Special Unit Pack.

• Napoleon: Total War - Imperial Edition. Includes Premium Packaging, A3 Poster “The Life and Battles of General Napoleon Bonaparte”, the “Elite Regiment” Special Unit Pack and the “Heroes of the Napoleonic Wars” Special Unit Pack.

• Napoleon: Total War - Digital Download (Steam Only)

• Napoleon: Total War - Imperial Edition (Steam Only), includes the “Heroes of the Napoleonic Wars” Special Unit Pack

UK consumers who visit GAME, Amazon or PLAY to preorder either the Standard Edition or the Imperial Edition of Napoleon: Total War will receive an exclusive elite unit, delivering a new and powerful strategic option to deploy in the name of your faction. Once the game is installed and verified by Steam, you can enter a unique code and unlock your elite unit, which will then appear in single player and multiplayer games.

In order to play Napoleon: Total War and unlock your exclusive unit you must connect to the internet to verify your game and code once during installation.

Details of the exclusive elite units are as follows:

HMS Elephant (available from GAME) is a ship of the line with an impressive broadside at close range. Good sailing qualities are secondary to the weight of broadside that she can both deliver and withstand.

Standard Edition - www.game.co.uk

Imperial Edition - www.game.co.uk

With twice as many guns as an ordinary artillery unit, the Grand Battery of the Convention (available from AMAZON) is an exceptionally strong unit. Its cannons have both a long range and tremendous killing power.

Standard edition - www.amazon.co.uk

Imperial Edition - www.amazon.co.uk

The Towarczys Lancers (available from PLAY) are a unique force in Prussian service: fast moving, and with high morale thanks to their self-belief. Trained to attack at the full gallop, their lances give them an advantage in the first few moments of hand-to-hand combat.

Standard edition - www.play.com

Imperial Edition - www.play.com

Napoleon: Total War builds on the successful Total War series by taking all the features from previous games such as full 3D land and naval battles, detailed campaign map, and an in depth diplomacy system but taking them a step further.

Napoleon: Total War releases in February 2010.

Durallan

11-25-2009, 17:26

CA, I'm not going to buy the imperial edition for an A4 poster. Or an A3 poster. Or more units, I bought the Special forces edition of ETW out of faith after enjoying M2TW so much, enjoyed ETW but not as much, Please give us something kewls like tshirts or something besides just a poster! if all we get is a poster, what is the point? I even got a cloth map with my dragon age collectors edition.

Beskar

11-25-2009, 17:29

T-shirts have to be one-size fit all. Also the quality is very cheap (Cue: Half-life 2 Limited Edition)

gollum

11-25-2009, 17:43

I'd rather have some washing machine powder, or dish-wash liquid or a toothbrush/toothpaste set than t-shirts if its a choice. Or perhaps some pet-food. But i guess it wouldnt fit the target audience, so then maybe action figures would fit the bill better. Napoleon deafeats H-Man in Castle Greyskull, Napoleon crushes the fifth coalition of Thundercats, X-men and GIJoe etc...

Fisherking

11-25-2009, 18:11

Joking aside, if you want the extra units and what ever else, it was cheaper last time to order a hard copy and get the goodies than it was to download it from steam.

In fact, I got the game with the SF units for less than the steam download for the standard game...

But avoid the Royal Mail! My game was tied up there for 3 long weeks so you may want to look at Amazon...just my thoughts.

antisocialmunky

11-25-2009, 18:25

Just goto whatever equivalent of Bestbuy exists in your country. I don't think they'll be much of a run on these things...

econ21

11-25-2009, 18:48

• Napoleon: Total War - Standard Edition. Includes the “Elite Regiment” Special Unit Pack.

• Napoleon: Total War - Imperial Edition. Includes Premium Packaging, A3 Poster “The Life and Battles of General Napoleon Bonaparte”, the “Elite Regiment” Special Unit Pack and the “Heroes of the Napoleonic Wars” Special Unit Pack.

From the Amazon UK website, it seems the elite regiment pack has 5 units and the heroes pack has 10 with the Imperial edition costing £5 more than the standard. I wonder what the 10 will be? King Louise has posted a link to what the units are:

http://www.totalwar.com/napoleon/add-ons/?u=1
http://www.totalwar.com/napoleon/add-ons/?u=2

Interestingly, they seem to be mainly "line" regiments with distinguished histories, rather than named "elite" regiments like Coldstream Guards etc.

The grand battery sounds the most attractive special offer unit, IMO. "Of the convention" does that mean French? The idea of a grand battery as a "unit" is a little odd though, as a grand battery was just an battlefield formation rather than a distinct unit like a regiment of Hussars or a named ship. Maybe it is just one way of getting more cannon into your stack of 20 units, which I guess is reasonable given the constraints imposed by that cap.

Braden

11-25-2009, 22:37

Honestly from that list, I ain't bothering. Nothing "historic" for me to latch onto certainly.

If I can find a copy for the same price as standard, yup. If not, CA can keep it.

Durallan

11-26-2009, 03:57

same as braden, and not buyin NTW day one, sorry CA! I felt burned after pre ordering empire. Still having too much darn fun playing dragon age lol, I might get it so the SF copy of empire on my shelf doesn't look lonely but its still disappointing, Even Red Alert 2 gave me a poster, soundtrack cd, nice big box, Pewter model! Hell my 1990 (92? don't remember) Edition of Ultima 7 comes with a REALLY nice cloth map and a small medallion thing, My Ultima 9 Collectors edition (which unfortunately got damaged in a fire sigh) came with a poster, a signed certificate by Lord British AKA Richard Garriott, a small Ankh Medallion, a soundtrack CD, Ultima Cards of the 7 virtues, and it came with a cd of all the old previous Ultima's!

Beat that CA and I'll Pre Order your collectors edition of NTW, but note, there has to be a good game inside aswell!

Evil_Maniac From Mars

11-26-2009, 05:46

The grand battery sounds the most attractive special offer unit, IMO. "Of the convention" does that mean French? The idea of a grand battery as a "unit" is a little odd though, as a grand battery was just an battlefield formation rather than a distinct unit like a regiment of Hussars or a named ship.

Perhaps they mean the battery that Napoleon used to "disperse" the crowds in his rise to power.

caravel

11-26-2009, 16:12

I remember the days when you got the whole game, in a decent box, with a manual, a map etc and you didn't have to pay any extra for it as there was only one edition of the game anyway.

:bow:

antisocialmunky

11-26-2009, 18:00

"Boy, the way that Starcraft played. Games that really made the grade.
Guys like us, we had it made. Those were the days.
Didn't need no steam update. Every game pulled its weight.
Gee, our DOS games ran so great. Those were the days.
And you knew what they were then, games were good and hard to win.
Mister, we could use a man like John Romero again.
People seemed to be content. No Safedisk to circumvent.
Those games wouldn't make a cent. Those were the days.
Heal up at the local inn, explore where you haven't been.
Crawl through the dungeons fight the boss and save the world to win.
Now reviewers play along. On shelves so few games belong.
I don't know just what went wrong. Those Were The Days."
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=282&stc=1&d=1259254976

Beskar

11-26-2009, 18:48

Is anyone able to clarify this? You cannot get the “Elite Regiment” Special Unit Pack if you buy the game on Steam?

Peasant Phill

11-26-2009, 20:17

There was an interesting (although hardly original) discussion on DLC and mod tools just prior to ...

I wanted the hat edition too, complete with a big hat box as the packaging. And given that I'm taller than our marketing people, I thought I'd win the argument.

Unfortunately, it would have cost far, far, far, FAR too much to manufacture, let alone store, ship and retail. Nice hats are not cheap.

Another idea shot down over the coast of conceptuality by the flak of reality.

I'm not one to verbally attack CA/SEGA but seriously. This thread gets 'graced' with a reply from a CA member and all he can comment on is about someones joke. Common you're chance was right there. Sell your product, or try at least. Any info/opinion is better than nonsense.

I'm actually hoping this may catch Captain Fishpants' attaention so that we can actually start some discussion on NTW/ETW and any related corperate strategies.

pevergreen

11-27-2009, 01:02

Looks at Fishpants' signature

:laugh4:

Sheogorath

11-27-2009, 04:27

I remember the days when you got the whole game, in a decent box, with a manual, a map etc and you didn't have to pay any extra for it as there was only one edition of the game anyway.

:bow:

Personally, I don't mind 'special editions', provided they don't have exclusive GAME content in them.

Look at Oblivion's special edition. It came with a DVD with dev information, production info, and so on, an AWESOME 'Guide to the Empire' and a septim coin. That was a good collectors edition. Plus, with mods, I still play Oblivion :P

The concept of holding bits of the game 'hostage' annoys me endlessly, especially since, I'm willing to bet, all of those units are already on the game discs and only need to be 'unlocked'.

The units themselves are, as was mentioned, rather meh. I guess they're saving the 1st Rifles, Pavlovsk Grenadiers, and Red Lancers for future DLC.

Without in any way implying that anybody here would do so, I ask, do you think this sort of thing only encourages people to pirate the game? To me, it seems like it does. When you charge 1/2 again as much for bits of things that you can get online for free, well...

If you want to get people to buy a collectors edition, give them physical objects. Not a crappy 'timeline of Napoleon's life'. A little cannon would be nice, or maybe a map of Europe at the time, or as mentioned, a hat.

Forward Observer

11-27-2009, 06:50

I don't know. Depending on how much other cheap stuff you stuff it with like a Napoleonic map, a fold-out unit reference sheet, posters, the extra units, special menu design, OST - you could mark it up enough to include a hat. I'd pay extra for the hat if I were buying the game.

Its a HAT for crying out loud. The reviewers love that sort of functional extra thing when they review special editions. :) Usef

Just as a point of reference--quality reproduction military headgear--especially for this period is quite cost prohibitive. There is not a huge demand, so most of these items are custom built by small shop milliners and hat makers. Decent Napoleonic bi-corns made of basic quality felt start in the $250 range and go up based on the quality of materials and construction.

Anything less going to be some crappy Halloween costume piece that will fall apart shortly after it is removed from the box.

Would you pay $300-$350 for the game just to get a hat? BTW, reproduction dragoon and cuirassier type helmets can run well over $1000 US.

However a small statue or bust of Napoleon done in pewter, resin, or some plastic that simulates stone or marble might work.

Cheers

econ21

11-27-2009, 10:23

Regarding the grand battery of the convention pre-order unit from Amazon:

Perhaps they mean the battery that Napoleon used to "disperse" the crowds in his rise to power.

Good thinking about "of the convention" bit. Apparently it has double the guns of a normal artillery unit so the "grand battery" part is the important one for gameplay.

According to a CA e-mail, the Steam pre-order unit is the Scots Greys. That makes it a hard choice between the Amazon and Steam pre-order for me. Ironically, the two units faced off against each other at Waterloo, resulting in something approaching mutual destruction. I guess they will make all the pre-orders available in a DLC at some time in the future, as they have done with the ETW ones. I'd like a disc, so I guess the Scots Greys will have to wait.

al Roumi

11-27-2009, 16:29

It's the purpose or business case for DLC which is interesting for me. For example, CA have given their marketing strategy full license to sqeeze as much extra revenue out of their game releases. Compare that to Bioware's DLC policy with DA:O and (as far we know at the moment) ME:2 which focuses on driving revenue from 'new' purchases of the game and mitigating losses through piracy or "lost" revenue in used-game resale.

Personaly, as a consumer I much prefer Bioware's strategy. Although I have paid extra for the "Warden's keep" dlc and also bought the ETW special forces edition, i'd rather not feel so openly exploited as the poor quality of the original product I purchased from CA made me feel.

I am not buying NTW in any form untill I hear good things about it from players, especially relating to program stability and AI.

Durallan

11-27-2009, 18:13

and yet people on the DAO forums are screaming blue bloody murder about the DLC's in dragon age in general and also about releasing them for sale on day 1 because the game was delayed. I have to say so far the only DLC's worth purchasing so far in the games i've been playing have been the ones from fallout 3. Theyve added quite a bit of extra content to the game, didn't really give you anything game breaking, and just great value all round. Empire Total war, its really hard for me to see how they can justify selling extra units in a game, that feels like blizzard trying to sell extra units for starcraft 2. In Dragon age they also have decided to continue this stupid bleeding ingame item DLC stuff.

I don't understand what they don't get,

We don't want exclusive units/objects/items to be the main focus of a DLC, I must say though that the armor in anchorage was nice, but you had to reallly earn it, and go through alot of stuff. I haven't played the Dragon age wardens keep, but from what people have been saying, it doesn't sound overly impressive exceptfor some nice looking armor I've seen some people wearing, so maybe I'll have to give in and get it.

CA, please please please, I don't want anyone to go bankrupt or lose their jobs but please really put the game throughits paces and get that AI shinin, if your going to release DLC, I dunno besides units and factions what else could they release as DLC? I really think the best way for CA would be to do maybe smaller expansion packs that add entire regions to the game, I would seriously have paid some money if CA had bothered expanding say america to the whole thing in the grand campaign and adding in africa (not interested in short campaigns in games like these), if people tell me NTW is amazing and fun, I'll get it. Goodluck Captain Fishpants and CA, I would like you to be a success this time round.

Beskar

11-27-2009, 21:53

Only problem with the DA:O DLC is that you have to be logged in and connected just to use the DLC. It is great as long as the faulty connection software they use actually allows you to download and use the DLC. (which it doesn't for me)

NimitsTexan

11-28-2009, 05:47

My real question is, how do I get the Imperial Edition (boxed) in the US. Everything I've seen so far just talks about UK retailers.

Fisherking

11-28-2009, 14:01

My real question is, how do I get the Imperial Edition (boxed) in the US. Everything I've seen so far just talks about UK retailers.

Amazon.com is much slower to make the offers available for some reason than Amozon.uk.

Don't sweat it too much. They did the same thing last time. They will offer it.

Last time I think it was only like two weeks prior to the original release date, but by then it had been delayed for a month.

antisocialmunky

11-28-2009, 15:49

I think the only arcing thing for DLC is that the base game need to be good enough already and the DLC must be of high quality such they compete with the high end mods. Like DLC would have to be of EBII quality or TA:TW. Otherwise its going to suck. Its not just easy money. The units packs would be something that was released for free by Valve.

Really the only thing that CA could do and still sell as DLC would be scripted campaigns like RTI. That way you are paying for a specific experience rather than something that could be modded in IF THE COMMUNITY ACTUALLY HAD MODDING TOOLS.

I wonder how well ETW would have been recieved if modders could have tweaked the AIs.

A1_Unit

11-28-2009, 18:25

I wonder how well ETW would have been recieved if modders could have tweaked the AIs.

Very well.:yes:

I think Darthmod Empire has edited the AI as much as it can be edited at the moment...:shrug:

Wausser

11-28-2009, 20:40

Very well.:yes:

I think Darthmod Empire has edited the AI as much as it can be edited at the moment...:shrug:

And it's good, have been enjoying the game last few days..

Go Darthmod :jumping:

antisocialmunky

11-28-2009, 22:20

Seriously, he really should get some official recognition for what he's done with CA's limited AI modding.

It would be quite nice if there was a scripting for TW like AoE2 had. Though Mr. Mike Simpson seems to have some sort of strange dislike of script bots. Actually I would be in favor for a C++ API instead. If you want something revolutionary, do that so people who want to can make whatever crazy AI they want.

KLAssurbanipal

11-29-2009, 15:45

I am very sorry for it with all of Thursday did not answer private messages and your posts. I am in the French capital, Paris. I'm going to a lot of sightseeing. On Tuesday, I plan to see the tomb of Napoleon. I will try to do a lot of pictures and show you. After returning to home I will add replies to all your posts and private messages. Please be patient and understanding.
Best wishes,
KLA

Alexander the Pretty Good

11-30-2009, 03:38

Seriously, he really should get some official recognition for what he's done with CA's limited AI modding.

I think they gave him a job, actually.

A1_Unit

11-30-2009, 05:03

I think they gave him a job, actually.

Really? Is he on the employee page?:2thumbsup:

pevergreen

11-30-2009, 05:24

I think they gave him a job, actually.

You might be thinking of Lusted? (Now Jack Lusted) Creator of TE for R:TW? Him and Darth were two of the biggest modders around.

:shrug:

Alexander the Pretty Good

11-30-2009, 06:42

I tried DarthMod for M2 and the page for it said CA gave him a job, unless I misread it.

pevergreen

11-30-2009, 06:44

Cool.

Wonder how long ago it was, and if he was the AI guy that walked off. :laugh4:

Captain Fishpants

11-30-2009, 12:27

I tried DarthMod for M2 and the page for it said CA gave him a job, unless I misread it.

Darth came to CA for an interview a long time ago. He was not offered a position after the interview. It would be highly unprofessional for me to comment in any way on why that might have been. So: don't even think about asking. If you want to, you can read his version of events here: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=113546.

Jack Lusted is currently beavering away on Napoleon. Nice man, appalling taste in hats. :laugh4:

ps: Jack has just beaten me with the hat.

pevergreen

11-30-2009, 12:44

Jack Lusted is currently beavering away on Napoleon. Nice man, appalling taste in hats. :laugh4:

:laugh4:

I see that there is always one person in every office with that vice.

antisocialmunky

11-30-2009, 15:12

It would be fun to see a CA random employee picture post or something. :-p

Captain Fishpants

11-30-2009, 15:53

There was an interesting (although hardly original) discussion on DLC and mod tools just prior to ...

I'm not one to verbally attack CA/SEGA but seriously. This thread gets 'graced' with a reply from a CA member and all he can comment on is about someones joke. Common you're chance was right there. Sell your product, or try at least. Any info/opinion is better than nonsense.

I'm actually hoping this may catch Captain Fishpants' attaention so that we can actually start some discussion on NTW/ETW and any related corperate strategies.

Oh, nonsense has its place in the great scheme of things, you know. The "hat edition" was a serious discussion in the office: there was a case to be made for doing a pack priced in the hundreds rather than tens of pounds, providing the right extras could be included. However, this is all moot now.

As to saying much else, I don't think that would be a very good idea. Apart from anything else, I don't feel particularly qualified to talk about ETW and I tend to stick to subjects that I know about. This does make my posting style and frequency look a little whimsical, I know, but better that than I create any misleading impressions.

NTW is currently playable, is moving towards completion, and will either be to your taste or not. If you choose to buy it, then you'll have fun with it: there's plenty to keep everyone occupied.

As to corporate strategy, that's definitely not my area of expertise any more. And such things would not be discussed in a public forum anyway.

Braden

11-30-2009, 16:28

Oh, nonsense has its place in the great scheme of things, you know. The "hat edition" was a serious discussion in the office: there was a case to be made for doing a pack priced in the hundreds rather than tens of pounds, providing the right extras could be included. However, this is all moot now.

As to saying much else, I don't think that would be a very good idea. Apart from anything else, I don't feel particularly qualified to talk about ETW and I tend to stick to subjects that I know about. This does make my posting style and frequency look a little whimsical, I know, but better that than I create any misleading impressions.

NTW is currently playable, is moving towards completion, and will either be to your taste or not. If you choose to buy it, then you'll have fun with it: there's plenty to keep everyone occupied.

As to corporate strategy, that's definitely not my area of expertise any more. And such things would not be discussed in a public forum anyway.

More than fair enough...pity you can't ask someone more "in the know" the reasoning behind these extra units (why pick/make up these ones?) rather than the stratergy behind them as we all know that's about the Bengi's.

I'm upset not to have historically accurate elite regiments to enjoy and hence won't bother with a purchase as it's not going to add enjoyment to my N:TW game.

Alexander the Pretty Good

11-30-2009, 17:13

Darth came to CA for an interview a long time ago. He was not offered a position after the interview. It would be highly unprofessional for me to comment in any way on why that might have been. So: don't even think about asking. If you want to, you can read his version of events here: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=113546.

Jack Lusted is currently beavering away on Napoleon. Nice man, appalling taste in hats. :laugh4:

ps: Jack has just beaten me with the hat.

Well that's what you get for skimming the first couple sentences and leaping to conclusions. :oops:

Jack Lusted

11-30-2009, 17:24

ps: Jack has just beaten me with the hat.

Mwuhahaha!

Peasant Phill

11-30-2009, 19:25

Oh, nonsense has its place in the great scheme of things, you know. The "hat edition" was a serious discussion in the office: there was a case to be made for doing a pack priced in the hundreds rather than tens of pounds, providing the right extras could be included. However, this is all moot now.

As to saying much else, I don't think that would be a very good idea. Apart from anything else, I don't feel particularly qualified to talk about ETW and I tend to stick to subjects that I know about. This does make my posting style and frequency look a little whimsical, I know, but better that than I create any misleading impressions.

NTW is currently playable, is moving towards completion, and will either be to your taste or not. If you choose to buy it, then you'll have fun with it: there's plenty to keep everyone occupied.

As to corporate strategy, that's definitely not my area of expertise any more. And such things would not be discussed in a public forum anyway.

Firstly, thanks for answering. I know it's not your fault you can only post witty comments.

I made that comment because of the fact that the 'CA employee'-pressence on the .Org is for a big part just a marketing tool mostly used just before an upcoming release. Adding to that, that pressence is nothing more than nonsensical replies when it should inform.
You get what I'm trying say. Something stops being a productive tool when it only appears to do what it's for.

Sure, nonsense has it place. But information has a bigger one.

Fisherking

11-30-2009, 20:19

Firstly, thanks for answering. I know it's not your fault you can only post witty comments.

I made that comment because of the fact that the 'CA employee'-pressence on the .Org is for a big part just a marketing tool mostly used just before an upcoming release. Adding to that, that pressence is nothing more than nonsensical replies when it should inform.
You get what I'm trying say. Something stops being a productive tool when it only appears to do what it's for.

Sure, nonsense has it place. But information has a bigger one.

I don't think that is what it is about at all.

If you look back over the last year or so you will find that there have been any number of informative posts by members of the CA staff.

It has mostly been Jack Lusted but he is a much more frequent visitor than most of the others.

Usually when the information starts to dry up it has been at times when had I been a CA employee, I wouldn't have wasted much time trying to inform or talk to anyone because at times the forums have been in a state of hyper-complaint.

If I guess correctly Captain Fishpants was not on the credits of ETW.

I didn't know if he was still there in other than name but it is good to see him around.

He has always been a bit more comic than informative, but that just may be his personality.

It will be interesting to see if he shows up on the NTW credits.

One think I am not going to do is complain about the presence of any CA personnel on the boards, informative or joking.

Most of the time the information comes form asking the right questions or making incorrect assumption.

Most of their presence is passive, just reading what we have said and not a matter of any sales effort.

antisocialmunky

12-01-2009, 02:26

Belgolas

12-01-2009, 04:55

I would like a hat edition but I think the musket edition would be better muhahahahaha!!! Or better yet the 24lber edition :p. I wish we got something more than paper IMO.

gardibolt

12-01-2009, 21:43

Durallan

12-01-2009, 23:10

maybe they can have an ultra limited edition which actually does have this hat, has a signed copy of the box or something and they make about 100 of them too see how many people are actually crazy enough to buy one. That way it actually gives those hard core collectors something to collect, or make 20 or 10 and give them away in some big competition.

ICantSpellDawg

12-03-2009, 02:37

Let it go, guys. I think it's rather clever that, through easy to use DLC, we can contribute to additional unit production which perpetuates official work on the game beyond the previous shelf life. Most likely in a couple months these special forces will be available for 3 or 4 bucks anyway. If you have poor impulse control, you will pay for it (not just here, but in every area of your life). If you do not, you can;
-wait for the fire sale DLC
-wait for a modder to create them for free with even more detail
-create interesting units yourself

Just because a company creates a product for a fee and you want it doesn't mean you are entitled to it by default. That is crazy

I love STEAM because it has opened up so many neat opportunities for both PC gamers as well as their developers. Steam will revolutionize PC gaming because it is revolutionizing PC game revenue potential.

Alexander the Pretty Good

12-03-2009, 03:36

-wait for a modder to create them for free with even more detail
A cruel jest, surely.

Durallan

12-03-2009, 06:31

I don't know if anyones complaining about dlc, I'm not complaing, they are more than entitled to release stuff to purchase, what most people have a problem with is the content of the DLC's, I'd would much rather buy something that expands the grand campaign map, adds more factions or does something more interesting than more units.

Owen Glyndwr

12-03-2009, 20:19

Adding to that, that pressence is nothing more than nonsensical replies when it should inform.
Sure, nonsense has it place. But information has a bigger one.

Personally I really like when the CA folks show their face. I know this isn't a good time for CA folks to show their faces around here, and seeing guys like fishpants and lusted really tells me how much CA (or at least some of their employees) care about their fanbase. I mean nobody's making them come out and respond to your whimsical fancies about a bicorn-laden special edition (which would be pretty cool, admittedly), and, in my opinion, any response from the CA employees is better than no response.

A cruel jest, surely.

I don't think it would be a cruel jest. Modders add content to games and extend the game's interest to gamers. I'm not saying a modder should take every unit CA releases as DLC and steal them and offer them as pirated units (certainly not). However, if a modder sat down, did his own personal research, and painstakingly created the unit of his own accord from scratch (well, sorta), I think that would be fine.

Personally, however, I would pick French or Spanish or Austrian units over piddly American (elite units?!?) any day.

Alexander the Pretty Good

12-03-2009, 21:38

I don't think it would be a cruel jest. Modders add content to games and extend the game's interest to gamers. I'm not saying a modder should take every unit CA releases as DLC and steal them and offer them as pirated units (certainly not). However, if a modder sat down, did his own personal research, and painstakingly created the unit of his own accord from scratch (well, sorta), I think that would be fine.

The cruel jest is how CA has been ignoring the modding community (while promising the most moddable TW game ever).