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Thread: AI marketability
The reviews are mixed, and its easy to guess which reviewers were grognards and which weren't
The fanboy reviewers point to the lack of 3D sprites first and mark it down. The grognards look at gameplay and attention to deatil and mark it up.
When the 3D sprite issue is brought up in the forums it is met with the overwhelming desire to trade better gameplay for the visual aspect which is already pretty good considering there are resolution selections and unit specific graphics (flags and uniform variety mix increases) that can chosen to push the game RAM up quite a bit for bells and whistles. I personally bought 2GB to have some of those bells and whistles. I think the 2D sprites do a hell of a job considering I think the game is much more immersive than TW. It's all about the movement rates and AI choices where the realism pulls you in. The filed of play is also much larger, and realistic, and road movement matters. Lots of little things all add up to a better gaming experience for me.
I don't get that with other games.
I must say that when STW first came out it was a great mix of strategic and tactical play that was quite enjoyable. I hope they can regain what's been lost. However, at the moment other games are doing better in each section individually. When they bring the pieces togethor they will have a winner, and trust me they are working hard on that.
Cheers,
The fanboy reviewers point to the lack of 3D sprites first and mark it down. The grognards look at gameplay and attention to deatil and mark it up.
When the 3D sprite issue is brought up in the forums it is met with the overwhelming desire to trade better gameplay for the visual aspect which is already pretty good considering there are resolution selections and unit specific graphics (flags and uniform variety mix increases) that can chosen to push the game RAM up quite a bit for bells and whistles. I personally bought 2GB to have some of those bells and whistles. I think the 2D sprites do a hell of a job considering I think the game is much more immersive than TW. It's all about the movement rates and AI choices where the realism pulls you in. The filed of play is also much larger, and realistic, and road movement matters. Lots of little things all add up to a better gaming experience for me.
I don't get that with other games.
I must say that when STW first came out it was a great mix of strategic and tactical play that was quite enjoyable. I hope they can regain what's been lost. However, at the moment other games are doing better in each section individually. When they bring the pieces togethor they will have a winner, and trust me they are working hard on that.
Cheers,
Originally Posted by :
I know a thing or two about marketing in the gaming industry and I am baffled by Sega's apparent fixation with graphics as the one and only selling point. If this were true, why would other platforms even exist next to the PC?
Though I'm sure you think you know a thing or two, EA/Activision, and in this case, SEGA, have paid professionals who I would trust as a company a deal more in the area of marketing.I know a thing or two about marketing in the gaming industry and I am baffled by Sega's apparent fixation with graphics as the one and only selling point. If this were true, why would other platforms even exist next to the PC?
The real question is, why does everything have to be marketable?
Main point of these threads is that they at least alert CA to what their fanbase is really concerned about, namely AI. (and infantry running speeds)
Originally Posted by sunsmountain:
Main point of these threads is that they at least alert CA to what their fanbase is really concerned about, namely AI. (and infantry running speeds)
The Org does not even represent 1% of the people who bought RTW, we're not that important to them Main point of these threads is that they at least alert CA to what their fanbase is really concerned about, namely AI. (and infantry running speeds)
Originally Posted by doc_bean:
The Org does not even represent 1% of the people who bought RTW, we're not that important to them
What a despairing - and quite frankly wrong - statement. Of course the long-term and expert players are important. The Org does not even represent 1% of the people who bought RTW, we're not that important to them
Before anyone jumps on me for not talking about M2TW, I must point out that I'm not part of the team working on that title. My involvement has been limited to one job in one very specific section of the game and I'm not in a position to comment in an informed way.
Captain Fishpants, thanks again for joining in our discussions.
Of course we (I pretend I speak for every .Orger here) know that CA considers long-term and expert players important. Proof for this is CA hirering a long-term/expert player to help in the development or fine-tuning of M2TW and you and other CA employees visiting us here at the .Org.
However, doc-bean has a point that marketingwise we the so called hardcore gamers are unimportant. We are small in numbers, compared to the mass of gamers that buy the game, so we only represent a small portion of the turnover and profit. And profit is still the reason why CA makes computer games.
Of course we (I pretend I speak for every .Orger here) know that CA considers long-term and expert players important. Proof for this is CA hirering a long-term/expert player to help in the development or fine-tuning of M2TW and you and other CA employees visiting us here at the .Org.
However, doc-bean has a point that marketingwise we the so called hardcore gamers are unimportant. We are small in numbers, compared to the mass of gamers that buy the game, so we only represent a small portion of the turnover and profit. And profit is still the reason why CA makes computer games.
Would be nice if somebody who was working on MTW2 popped on over here once or twice.
Originally Posted by Peasant Phill:
Captain Fishpants, thanks again for joining in our discussions.
Of course we (I pretend I speak for every .Orger here) know that CA considers long-term and expert players important. Proof for this is CA hirering a long-term/expert player to help in the development or fine-tuning of M2TW and you and other CA employees visiting us here at the .Org.
However, doc-bean has a point that marketingwise we the so called hardcore gamers are unimportant. We are small in numbers, compared to the mass of gamers that buy the game, so we only represent a small portion of the turnover and profit. And profit is still the reason why CA makes computer games.
I think CA developers are strategy game enthusiast like ourselves and make games that they themselves like to play. My hats are off for CA in coming up with a genre that combines the eye catching graphics with depth of real liife battle conditions. Need i mention their huge past success in keeping to this? And what they have done with RTW is revolutionary raising the bar of this form of strategy games out there from 2d to 3d, hence requiring highly sophisticated AI. It's only a matter of time after so many testing, trials and errors, with constructive criticisms and feed back from fans like us before they fine tune the AI that will give us some serious challenge, depending on the difficulty level of course. Regardless, for now, they have come a long way from STW and have me sold in anticipation for MTW2, while still playing RTW--thanks to their openness for allowing mods. I hate to say this but, you grossly underestimate the masses by saying that they are more interested in eye candies. I was an uneducated mass oblivious to tactics, the reason for flanking and so on till I came across STW. Their games although historically not 100% accurate has made many like me dig into history books.Captain Fishpants, thanks again for joining in our discussions.
Of course we (I pretend I speak for every .Orger here) know that CA considers long-term and expert players important. Proof for this is CA hirering a long-term/expert player to help in the development or fine-tuning of M2TW and you and other CA employees visiting us here at the .Org.
However, doc-bean has a point that marketingwise we the so called hardcore gamers are unimportant. We are small in numbers, compared to the mass of gamers that buy the game, so we only represent a small portion of the turnover and profit. And profit is still the reason why CA makes computer games.
Originally Posted by BeeSting:
Regardless, for now, they have come a long way from STW and have me sold in anticipation for MTW2, while still playing RTW--thanks to their openness for allowing mods.
They have lost the handle on MP which is markedly inferior to STW MP. BTW, suicide generals were fixed in MTW/VI, but they are back in RTW/BI. Also, the RTW/BI battle engine is missing important features that were in the MTW/VI battle engine.Regardless, for now, they have come a long way from STW and have me sold in anticipation for MTW2, while still playing RTW--thanks to their openness for allowing mods.
I wonder how much money I'm going to have to spend on total war games before the suicide generals are fixed? So far, I've spent $40 + $25 = $65 usd, and two years have gone by without it being fixed. I also don't get any use out of the MP part of RTW/BI because of the direction they have taken MP, and it doesn't look like this will change with M2TW.
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