The opinions expressed in these forums have been passionate to say the least but why is that? What is it about this game that has so many people worked up and agitated about it? Despite all the issues being batted around the one thing almost everybody says is :
'Once it's patched enough times it'll be awsome,.. I just know it... I can't offer any proof of that outside of that's what happened with GalCiv but it just has to happen... this game can't just fall flat on it's face... it just can't, its just got to be successful because if it's not... I don't know, I can't imagine going back to another game or waiting for another game to be developed, etc, etc.'
So what is it about this particular game that so much rides on its success or failure? I've only recently become aware of this game but I've been PC gaming since 56k modems allowed me to play Dune II and Warcraft: Orcs and Humans with my neighbor across the street.
Don't get me wrong, more awsome games to choose from is something everybody wants but what am I missing?
I have to agree with this; the PC game market is in the worst shape I have seen it in for as long as there has been a PC game market. Unless you play FPS or RTS there is very very little out there and most of what is out there is launching buggy/unplayable/unfinished.
It is important because if it turns out to be a failure, probably nobody will make this kind of games for years.
The only promising game in this genre that and I can see on the horizon is the mysterious standalone FFH.
That's why there is so much nitpicking at these forums
Core gameplay is good coming from a 4x newbie. Game mixes alot of different game elements to make it very appealing. Unique art style. Nothing quite like it on the market.
I think PC Gaming is making a turn around...slowly. Blizzard is single handedly saving the market with Starcraft 2, WoW expansion and eventually Diablo III. Civilization 5 will also help immensley. Id is working on Doom 4, Valve is promising some big secret reveals this year, I'm seeing alot of indie developers coming up with interesting games more often. HOMM6 was announced...I dunno, outlook seems bright for imo.
Now if we could just get some new original games for pc I'd be very happy. PC games have always been the leader in new game mechanics, graphics, etc...now it just seems to be who can make the best looking FPS.
If you like Diablo style games check this preview out IGN just released. Game called Path of Exile will be 100% free. http://pc.ign.com/articles/111/1117602p1.html
Strange... Because all the Devs (with the sxception of Fireaxis) you mention are the ones Killing pc games in my book. By dumbing down mechanics, reshuffling around the same concepts in order to milk again and again the same aging cow...
Do you relally think Diablo III will be innovative? Fresh for the pc market? Don't get me wrong, no sarcasm intended, I happen to find diablo quite fun but...
Have you ever played the first chapters Might and Magic? Your party could DIE OF OLD AGE!
Have you ever seen daggerfall?
from wikipedia :
"Bethesda claims that the scale of the game is equal to twice the size of Great Britain: around 487,000 square kilometers. The game world features over 15,000 towns, cities, villages, and dungeons for the player's character to explore"
HoMM vs MoM??? No way
again, no sarcasm, offense or anything bad intended just my 2c here
This is only fantasy 4X released in years to come. If SD does not manage to finish it, we are left to play same old games again.
I get the impression the reason why everybody's hair is on fire is that because games like this are so rare that if it doesn't do well the liklihood of something similar coming out is diminished (supposedly). However, if such a loyal and powerful consumer base exists then I don't see why another developer wouldn't come along to meet the demand, or why the probability of that happening is so low. I would think that the developer who could deliver on the promise of the perfect (or near perfect) fantasy/civ/4x TBS would basically become a legend. With that said, it would also make sense to me that it would be in the developers best interest to get the game and its release absolutely right. This way the dev would not only blow away the die-hards but pick up a whole generation of players who don't have a MoM in their past.
With all that being said, who's to say another dev doesn't step up next year and do better. Which leads me back to the question of why this game? Anybody who even spends 10 minutes reading the forums can see a ravenous player base ready to jump on board this type of game.
So, is it accurate to say its not that 'Elemental' needs to succeed per say, not this particular game but rather that any game which is fantasy/civ/4x TBS needs to be absolutely supported for the future of the genre?
Games are announced early. Usually, release date is apporimately known at least year before. And the fact that game is being worked on 2-3 years before release.
I did not see any announcements of other fantasy 4X, and release schedule lists only 2 space 4X in whole 2011. No fantasy one there.
So its quite safe to assume E:WoM is alone here for 2010/2011. And most likely, 2012.
And everybody knows Elvis is bound to destroy our World, leading an army of undead Maya, in 2012
I see that the PC gamer review is out and it's not exactly great. I can't see how this whole mess helps encourage other devs to release this type of game. More importantly, to get a new generation interested in this game genre and then demand similar games be produced. I feel as though short term this game will eventually satisfy those waiting for a game to permanetly replace MoM but the long term damage may be unworth the brief satisfaction.
When somebody spends more than $50 on something, they will champion the cause until the cause either sinks or swims. Add to that an investment of time some people have put forth (beta testing and whatnot), and you have a bona fide group of zealots.
There's nothing wrong with it of course, and if you check the young forums of any newly birthed game, you will find similar groups of people with similar aspirations.
The short answer: Master of Magic. 15 years old and it still takes the lunch money of many current titles. That's so sad.
The long version: because Elemental already has many of the elements that would make it possible to turn it into a worthy successor of "that game".(and it's just as buggy as the MoM release was. Yay! =P)I don't expect it to be a carbon copy. I don't want it to be because MoM had it's share of problems, too, and I want something better. =P
The good news is that Stardock happily embraces it's modding community so I expect that even if the "official" vision goes another way, it should be possible to script and mod a game where magic actually matters and that has a stupid amount of depth and spell combinations. That is a big reason why so much "value" is accredited to the potential of the game. The current state is rather inconsequential.That's what gamers who buy a game "just to play it" will not understand. And it's true. There's no denying that for them it simply fails to deliver. Sorry.
Whether the official or a modded version becomes "my game" makes no difference to me. In the real world it's the result that counts.And it's very likely that I'll still be altering the parts I don't like. Why not?
This.
Well said. I've always thought that the fanaticism of the followers here is both good or bad for the future of this genre. I hope that some brave developer takes the passion here and sees money in it and tries to create a competitor to this...
Standalone FFH? Ehhhhh....there is a huge difference between creating a new game and modding an existing game.
For me it's not Master of Magic (never played it, but want to now after hearing how, basically, perfect it seems to be).
For me, it's Age of Wonders. Got all those games, loved them all - have been looking for another one ever since. Maybe even some Warlords 3.
Actually I think true, old-school, RPGs are just as rare. The Bard's Tale, Might and Magic types. Wizardry 8 was the last one to give me that feel.
i might be a little off base here but it some way's it makes me think of an old school game called ogre battle i use to play back in the day lol
I really liked HOMM3 as much as I did AoW. Wizardry 8 was a initially a lot of fun. The horrendously common and difficult random encounters eventually made me move on.
Stardock is in the habit of taking ownership throughout the life of their products, instead putting them out there and moving on. I think one result of that is that people feel they aren't wasting their time if they speak up about what could be better, what needs fixed.
Games bomb though. Moo3, Pool of Radiance 2, Ultima 9.
I hate to do it this way, it's a bit of apples to oranges, but I think it might give you some perspective. Think about the last 10 years of comic book movies. The genre has a pre-established DIEHARD fan base. (i.e. ComicCon). Some of these movies absolutely break records in sales, merchandise and marketing - and come back with sequels. Others fall flat on their face. There's no point in naming specific movies, you know what I mean. There is so much backstory already there for the director and producer to choose from, yet they constantly feel the need to deviate and "make it their own". Sometimes this works extremely well, other times it just pisses fans off. So much time and care is spent in picking just the right actor/actress for the roles and then there's endless debate afterwords if said person fit the established character. There's so many things that can go wrong, but if it goes right then not only do SEVERAL people make great profit, they open the door for more - both for them and for others. However, if they fail then they can lose respect in the industry and potentially destroy careers.
THIS game combines MULTIPLE fan bases, as if taking risks on just one wasn't enough. THIS game comes parallel to a book. That kind of pre-made backstory allows a much deeper immersion into the fantasy. Brad and StarDock are taking a risk, and as can already be seen, there are some pitfalls involved. They've already lost a few fans. However, they've also gained several new ones just by discussing their problems with us. Imagine if some of those movie makers had taken the time to listen to the fan base and had open and honest communication.
MoM is far from perfect, but it has a unique feel. I think the graphics have held up well (16 years, guys! We're all old now...), and if you want to grab it, it's like $6 from gog.com. I highly recommend it, but you may want to google some screenshots first. There's none of this campaign nonsense. Significantly different gameplay based on Wizard design and difficulty, too. Warlord, Crusadered, adamantiated berzerkers... with flying. Mess you up.
If you haven't played it, but enjoy tactical combat/RPG(ish), you should check out XCOM:UFO Defense (the first, not the subsequent ones). Wizardry 8 was really a remarkable game, too. Another heir to a venerable series, it was a work of love, and had both depth and polish.
You know, now that I think about it, that "work of love" thing is probably what ties all these really great games together. I think my expectation of a Gold, release-ready Elemental must be due to the obvious dedication and integrity of Stardock and the dev team. When you have talent and passion, things happen that just work.
It's been ages since anything like it was released. Another game I'd feel equally passionate about would be a Homeworld 3.
I'll tell you why. Because the gaming industry, for the most part, Stardock being a major exception, has fallen into the hands of the corporate morons. The same ones that run the movie business.
Innovation is anathema to them. They will not take a chance on something new.
If it is not derivative or a sequel, they won't touch it.
"Hey, XYZ, was the most recent TBS game and it didn't sell 500 million copies. We can't make one of those."
Now there's a game I haven't seen duplicated.
I'd love to play a PC version of Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen.
I don't mind the graphics, especially like you said it's 16 years old. Graphics don't matter much to me, so I won't be disappointed there. Probably even impressed.
Almost sounds like a kind of Warlords type game with empire-building and control over battles. That would be cool too I loved Warlords 3.
I haven't played XCOM either (have heard of it though and typically favorably). Might have to grab both of those.
God, We don't even want them to be innovative on this on !
Just clone MoM and remove the dust (new graphics, better AI, better balance) and I'll pay 100 bucks to have it. I don't require any single tiny bit of new idea, as long as the manage not to screw something in copy-pasting every single game concept, game mechanics, spell and creature and the like and just updating the numbers and the AI.
But we have spent 16 years without even this
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