Well, it seems EA and Maxis haven't quite finished milking Spore just yet. They've just announced DarkSpore. Think Diablo in the Spore Universe, where instead of new swords you get new arms and you'll have the basic understanding of the game. During the course of the game you'll also unlock additional members to add your squad, and this aspect is being compared to Pokemon. The game will ship with DRM that requires a constant internet connection to play, however it does feature some co-op online gameplay.Considering the entirely too simple and childish focus of SPORE and it's single Expansion Pack, it seems attempting to create an Action RPG set in that same world is counter-productive to the series. Action RPGs attempt to appeal to the reward addicts - and most of those gamers wouldn't have interested in SPORE in begin with, and would certainly not be interested in its art design and entirely too simplistic design. Calling the game DarkSpore and lowering the in-game Contrast doesn't really do much to fix this, and adding the usual excesses of blood and gore to a childrens game doesn't really seem like a good idea, meaning DarkSpore, at this stage, kind of looks like 'My First Action RPG'.I won't be buying it - it's from EA, it doesn't fix SPORE and it's DRM requires a constant internet connection - however it's at least something different. Who knows, Maxis might be able to un-screw the franchise.
Sigh. Why oh why can't they just do Simcity 5 instead? The world doesn't deserve this kind of shabby treatment.
This. They just need to release a modern Simcity, with a decent engine.
Spore was one of the biggest game disappointments of all time for me.
I don't have a problem with this myself other than the DRM. Won't buy it for that reason alone. There was this game I loved as a kid where you created a monster and fought with him and could add parts and stuff to make him stronger. Think it may have been called Monster Construction Kit or something? The premise reminds me of this game so it could be fun if they do it right. Doubt they will though. I'll never knock a company for trying something new even though a Sim City 5 would be great.
I had a problem with Spore as a game AND the DRM. It was a major let down. I would adore a new SimCity. I hate that they abandoned that series. I guess it could be worse, they could release SimCity 5 and it turns out to be something like spore, bright and colorful, lacking any kind of depth.
Happened already. It was called Sim City Societies. It was a total bust.
Well no one really counts that as Sim City 5 though. Like Spore, the idea behind the game was fine... just the implementation was lacking. They made it sound like Sim City Societies was going to evolve as you built it, the actual system they used was blah and the game was pretty unstable at end game... as in unbearably bad.
So someone finally crammed Evolva into Diablo. I am quite pleased with the concept. Now if only EA would remember to not remove things for the game and then forget to add them back, like they did with the aquatic evolution stage of Spore.
In the original you could have stayed underwater permamently.
Simcity Societies was made by a different company, and was more like Simcity for five year olds then Simcity 5.
It was Tilted Mill, which is unfortunate because Hinterland and Children of the Nile aren't nearly as simplistic. Hinterland could use a graphical and camera overhaul though and Children of the Nile was lacking the charm of Pharoah/Cleopatra. Never played Caesar IV so I am not sure what was wrong with that.
If they released a game called DarkChina where you play a man (or woman) whos only prospect in life is to farm gold all day and night to make some goverment backed criminals richer I would be slightly more excited.
And if they released a game called "Being Insulted by Attractive Women" I would be more interested still.
Which is not even as fun as all the not fun things that happen in MMOs together. For eternity.
I find Maxis/EA's continuation of the Spore theme personally insulting. I purchased Spore after reading advertising material and seeing demonstrations of the game promising evolution in a box from a science perspective. Instead I got a basic creature editor and a simplistic world to walk around.
EA is on my ban list because of that fraud.
I have a copy of spore for sale, anyone interested? what a disappointment.
This is.... umm...... pretty strange. Were they thinking "Ok, Spore was kind of a bomb, so lets take all the things people didn't like about it and put them together in a different way" or something? Although I can't wait to read the Objective:Ministries review of this thing.....
I still play my old copy of SC2000, though..... the building editor they included has kept me entertained from second grade to my junior year in high school........ why not repeat something that worked????
Hmm....well I hated spore, but I did think the earliest stages where you were an animal or microscopic organism and evolved new parts were fun. Maybe if they manage to bring some of that back it might be cool. Obviously I'll be waiting on reviews though.
Action RPGs attempt to appeal to the reward addicts - and most of those gamers wouldn't have interested in SPORE in begin with,
this line answers your own question. minimal effort to tap into fresh market segment = more money, provided income exceeds costs - and that's best achieved by reducing costs.
You have to understand, the people at the top calling the shots and signing the paychecks aren't gamers and aren't game devs. They are business men, same as those responsible for highly inefficient, blinged out SUVs, enron, fiscal collapses, etc. they operate largely on two tenets:
1) find out what people want
2) get them to spend their money
Try listening in to an investor's conference call for Vivendi, or EA, etc. It may surprise you. I listened in on one for VUG a few years back as research for internship applications. they were discussing a new racing game they were creating, where you could "trade girlfriends like cards" and "soup up your cars with whatever." There is no discussion of game mechanics or realism. No discussion of morals or ethics either. There is only "what is the trend, what is it people will spend money on, and let's give it to them"
It's a rare company that doesn't work this way - and i'm pretty sure stardock, thankfully, isn't one of them.
Hmmmm.... you make a good point there, and now you've got me wondering if at some point in the foreseeable future we might see small, quality-oriented companies like Stardock evolve into a sort of quasi-luxury niche where serious gamers are willing to spend a little extra cash for fine "craftsmanship" while everybody else settle for mediocre mass-produced titles like Spore. (Although as it stands now, Stardock's products don't seem any more expensive than the big-name brands. If anything, they're cheaper.)
When you start designing a game concept you don't think about mechanics you think about 'what would be cool to do in this game'.
For me though its all about money. If I was in some kind of room full of top top men (thats 2 tops) I would be like "no guys, if you make 40 man raids you wont get the maximum return from all the people who want to enjoy the game but don't have the time! We need to tap into the mom (hehe), into the worker, into that guy with the nightshift, into the banker with the stress, into the phsyco with all those boyfriends. We need to make SOOO much money that our account will collapse with its weight!"
Some guy will be like "Wait, are you just doing this for the money?"
I would be like "Were not doing this for the mooonnneyyy.... We doing it for a SHITLOAD of money!"
Well, some interesting news: I've been invited to the Beta for DarkSpore. I don't recall signing up for it, however it's installing as I write this and is very legit. I did make a few well received items for SPORE, perhaps that gets you an invite?
In any case, I'll post some impressions in case someone, somewhere, was intersted in DarkSpore. I can't help but think EA are tired of me bashing them up and down the internet, and this is actually some kind of trick. If I don't reply in the next 24 hours, call Liam Neeson - he knows what to do.
Well, DarkSpore is really something interesting.It's like Diablo, only with less loot and a far more inventive setting. The game mechanics are different enough that it won't really compete with Torchlight or Diablo, and yet similar enough to attract a similar crowd. The graphics are nice, though with horrible outlines around everything (I turned them down, however you can't disable them) and the music and sound are pitch perfect and quite unique.My original fears about a simply lower contrast level aren't warranted; DarkSpore is less kid-friendly than SPORE, and more mature. Monsters don't have cutesy eyes and exaggerated features; they feel like proper alien creatures, though still stylised.Unfortunately, there are some issues. Firstly, a lot of of the content in the game - such as creatures, Heroes, etc. - is taken directly from SPORE. They're clearly attemping to capitalise on their already created content, however unlike SPORE there is frankly little customisation here. Monsters are "hard coded" - you can't can't create your own. Heroes are basically set in stone, with only their minor details - like horns, feathers, spikes, etc. - moveable or sizeable. The skinning options are also really tonned down from SPORE, and every variation of a Hero really just feels like exactly that; a minor variation of a Hero.It would seem Maxis believe that by using the SPORE creature creator to create the content for DarkSpore, and preventing the player from adding to it or changing it dramatically, they can make some serious money charging for the variations the editor can spit out. What I mean by this is that they're basically using the custom content for SPORE and charging for it, as the monster roster and Hero roster are locked, and so they can whip up a new Hero in a few minutes in the Editor, import into DarkSpore, and charge the player for it. The game features an in-game "Store" page. Currently, it only contains a link to purchase the game, however rumours on the forums have it that it'll be populated with new details, Heroes, etc., for players to purchase piece by piece. Considering the real lack of customisation on offer, it's insulting. I mean, SPORE let you alter hands, legs, heads, eyes, etc., and DarkSpore barely lets you move horns and paint them.
Ultimately, it's better than I thought it would be - and yet, it still disappoints. They'll be charging for the permutations that their previously constructed Editor can spit out, and preventing the player from using the editing options that the engine was built around in order to do it. Unless the retail game packs an insane amount of content, this is essentially another terrible cash in on the horrible failure that is the SPORE.But hey, the music really is nice.
I played the beta for a day and uninstalled it.
It's still overly kid friendly, gameplay-wise.
How does it compare to other casual action RPG's like Magicka? (I don't mean casual in the pejorative sense.)
Edit: Double post
Yeah, my main concern for this game is that it seems to be setup to allow for massive p2p content additions. Otherwise I like what I see so far, which arguably isn't a lot.
The gameplay itself is basically the standard A-RPG formula, though with a dose of DotA thrown in; it's less about just mindless clicking, ala Diablo, and more about ability useage - ala DotA. For example, the spider Hero - who's name I haven't cared to remeber - collects 'souls' as they defeat enemy. For each soul you have, up to six, one of your abilities spits out seeking missles. This is handy when against bosses in 1v1. Another ability spits out a massive numbers of smaller missles, again the number depends on the souls you have, and allows you to handle groups of monsters. Each Hero has unique abilities, and some have entirely unique mechanics, and one of your abilities is a 'squad ability' that can be used regardless of the Hero you currently have selected. Matching up interesting combinations to give you an edge is the name of the game. It adds an interesting strategic layer to game, as not only do you need to carefully equip your Heroes, you also need to carefully select them as well. Unlike Diablo or Torchlight, there is no in-game inventory. Your inventory is a massive hoard of the items you have shared between Heroes. You sell and buy them between levels, and it helps to speed up the game quite a bit. No Town Portals, etc.The game is built around multiplayer, to the point of it requiring an internet connection. I haven't tried my hand at PvP yet, you have to unlock it, but the co-op stuff is where the fun really is. It's faster than, say, Diablo's multiplayer as you just keep moving, however it's balanced around a more difficult game; it gets harder the more players you have, and it really forces you to work to gether to stay alive. The online stuff, like the party system, is ripped right out of the typical MMO UI handbook, complete with typing /party to talk to your party. It works, though it's combersome and hopefully the Beta fixes up a lot of the quirks.
Your player profile can level from 1 - 100, the same as your Heroes, and each level brings new unlocks. The Hero customisation options open up the more you unlock, as well. You have to get really creative with your Heroes to make them unique. I have have been a little too harsh on these options initially, however I still stand by the fact that it's too restrictive. A random and I jumped into a game together, and we both had the same first Hero selected. Apart from our weapon, our Heroes were basically indentical, despite having spent some time trying to make mine unique.It's an interesting take on the A-RPG.
thanks for the update. thinking of picking this up for a bit of coop fun.
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