Anthem the Demo impressions

[Something Amyss]

I watched the Jimpressions on it. It looks sluggsh, and the loading virtually everyone has complained about puts me way off. Not sure if I can be bothered to play the demo, given what I've seen.

There have been some articles lately that bioware tried to get a new KOTOR game rolling and EA denied it. No doubt because Star Wars is some niche series nobody cares about and will never make any money, I'm sure.

Or because it would be harder to cram KOTOR3 will lootboxes and Microtransactions.

Remember, if it doesn't make ALL THE MONIES, it's a failure.

It would also involve putting a company to work at the thing it's known for and/or good at.

But yeah, i's probably mostly the lootboxes ting.

 

[Captain Marvelous_v1legacy]

Well I did note I didn't get too far before the game hard crashed a PS4, which is definitely where I just throw it in. If there was super other then L1+R1 (which was the bubble shield), it certainly never bothered explaining it or showing anywhere on the UI I could see.

The super is up on the D-pad. The L1-R1 is basically a support skill that every Javelin has. I've seen two versions, one that blocks bullets and another that increases bullet damage. It'd be great if the demo explained any of this, but alas the demo decides to explain all of jack shit.

[hr]
A list if Anthem's technical issues laid out by EA. [https://answers.ea.com/t5/General-Discussion/ANTHEM-VIP-Demo-Latest-Updates/m-p/7377294/highlight/true?cid=55871&ts=1548648629039&utm_campaign=anth_hd_ww_ic_soco_twt_anthem-endofday2-vipdemo&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter#M11371] As of the last time I played, the endless load screen was still a problem. The workaround was basically to alt-f4 and restart the game. This "demo" is a spectacular shit-show, but I'd rather the demo drop the ball than the full release. There's an open beta starting Feb. 1, so we'll see if any of that is fixed.

The game looks fun. It looks like it'd be fun with friends. But I worry it'd both overstay its welcome right quick if its as grindy as it seems, before they've even implemented the micro-transaction economy, and as you've pointed out the servers are about as stable as a house of cards.

Supposedly, the microtransactions will be limited to cosmetics. So no buying guns, resources, or better skills. Buuuuut, this is EA so they're almost guaranteed to shit the bed at some point.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Supposedly, the microtransactions will be limited to cosmetics. So no buying guns, resources, or better skills. Buuuuut, this is EA so they're almost guaranteed to shit the bed at some point.

That's the official line, but its EA.
The last time they promised a cosmetics only transaction economy it was Star Wars Battlefront 2, and it was a straight up lie. I don't trust for a second this is true, or if it is by 'cosmetic' they mean every color, icon, stamp and alternate look will be walled off and every Iron suit will be the same matt-gray and unlocking light matt-gray will be at least $.99 PER armor part, with 50 colors per armor section for, lets be conservative and say arms, legs, torso and head are each separate(I'm being nice in assuming not only are each arms shaded at once, but both arms and legs are included when you buy a color) we're looking at $200 worth of microtransactions to simply unlock all the colors of a single Mech, not to mention the other mechs or other cosmetics.

So yeah I don't for one second believe this game wasn't designed with a free-to-play mobile economy in mind. I think when all is said and done to have full 100% all cosmetic items we're looking at $2k+ in microtransactions.

 

[Dalisclock]

[hr]
A list if Anthem's technical issues laid out by EA. [https://answers.ea.com/t5/General-Discussion/ANTHEM-VIP-Demo-Latest-Updates/m-p/7377294/highlight/true?cid=55871&ts=1548648629039&utm_campaign=anth_hd_ww_ic_soco_twt_anthem-endofday2-vipdemo&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter#M11371] As of the last time I played, the endless load screen was still a problem. The workaround was basically to alt-f4 and restart the game. This "demo" is a spectacular shit-show, but I'd rather the demo drop the ball than the full release. There's an open beta starting Feb. 1, so we'll see if any of that is fixed.

Hopefully Bioware will actually use the beta to fix the issues prior to launch, unlike some other developers I could mention. I don't have any love for Anthem(due to it not being suitable for solo play and looking like Destiny but made by Bioware) but I'm kinda hoping that Bioware can survive and revive itself rather then be taken behind the shed and put down if/when Anthem bombs.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

Supposedly, the microtransactions will be limited to cosmetics. So no buying guns, resources, or better skills. Buuuuut, this is EA so they're almost guaranteed to shit the bed at some point.

That's the official line, but its EA.
The last time they promised a cosmetics only transaction economy it was Star Wars Battlefront 2, and it was a straight up lie.

Not really. Battlefront 2 was the epicenter of the loot box controversy, as the loot boxes were at the center of the game's progression system. SW:BF2 as released only allowed you to unlock characters with in-game currency (at such exorbitant prices that a casual player would never come close to unlocking Darth Vader, even if they never bought a single loot box for in-game credits), the rest of your progression in terms of skills and abilities (the "star cards") were only obtainable through loot boxes or the second in-game currency, spare parts, which you earned for getting duplicates. The system was further rigged so that upgrading a card required enough spare parts that you had to get like 20 duplicates of the same rarity level to unlock a single card upgrade. Hence, you could slowly eek out in-game credits through gameplay, getting about one loot box every day or other day through casual play, and have a punishingly slow skill progression (you could also get skills and abilities for heroes you hadn't yet unlocked, by the way) or you could fork out real cash and get an instant progression boost.

SW:BF2's revised MTX-economy is indeed cosmetics only and it is a rather fair system. I stopped playing between the progression overhaul and the introduction of MTX, but at that point the in-game economy was actually pretty fair. SW:BF2 seems, so far, to have been peak EA in a non-FIFA game and they've considerably revised their MTX-practices in non-FIFA titles since. Notably BFV still hasn't introduced a premium currency. EA are still scummy as shit, but they deserve some credit for actually backing off from their absolutely most predatory practices in most games (though not FIFA, but that particular fanbase seems to be eating the punishing MTX-model up).

 

[Pseudonym]

It looked more fun than Destiny for what that is worth. There was a jetpack, everything looked faster. Speaking of Destiny though, that reminds me of Halo and of the fact that the AI can be a bit more sophisticated than standing there and shooting at you, until you get through its overly long health bar.

I'm also reminded of Fallout 76. A game much out of the wheelhouse of the developers that showed a painful lack of self-understanding on the part of whoever decided it should happen.

Of course the worst problem is that it's currently very buggy.

With how little games I play nowadays I'm probably going to ignore this one.

Supposedly, the microtransactions will be limited to cosmetics. So no buying guns, resources, or better skills. Buuuuut, this is EA so they're almost guaranteed to shit the bed at some point.

Bad enough, honestly.

 

[Mcgeezaks]

Bad enough, honestly.

Why? I mean, they have to earn money over time somehow, you can't expect them to support the game and release free DLC without getting anything in return.

Besides you can still get cosmetics with the in-game currency, let's wait and see how grindy it is until we condemn it.

 

[Lufia Erim]

or KOTOR remastered... or just a new KOTOR game...

There have been some articles lately that bioware tried to get a new KOTOR game rolling and EA denied it. No doubt because Star Wars is some niche series nobody cares about and will never make any money, I'm sure.

Or because it would be harder to cram KOTOR3 will lootboxes and Microtransactions.

Remember, if it doesn't make ALL THE MONIES, it's a failure.

Pfft Lootboxes are so 2017. It's all about that sweet fortnight battle pass * Glares at CoD black ops 4*.

Oh any it would be so easy to put lootboxes in SW. But i don't want tl give EA any ideas

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

RIP Bioware. You'll be missed.

No. No, they won't.

But 1/2 of Mass Effect 1, Mass Effect 2 and 1/2 of Mass Effect 3 and Kotor were good! can we at least get a ME remastered trilogy before EA devours them like the neverborn daemon they are?

Does anyone love Jade Empire? I love Jade Empire. That needs to be rebooted or have a sequel.

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

RIP Bioware. You'll be missed.

No. No, they won't.

But 1/2 of Mass Effect 1, Mass Effect 2 and 1/2 of Mass Effect 3 and Kotor were good! can we at least get a ME remastered trilogy before EA devours them like the neverborn daemon they are?

Does anyone love Jade Empire? I love Jade Empire. That needs to be rebooted or have a sequel.

I fucking adore Jade Empire and would love a sequel or a remaster.

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

RIP Bioware. You'll be missed.

No. No, they won't.

Says you pal, I?ll miss them terribly.

 

[Dalisclock]

RIP Bioware. You'll be missed.

No. No, they won't.

But 1/2 of Mass Effect 1, Mass Effect 2 and 1/2 of Mass Effect 3 and Kotor were good! can we at least get a ME remastered trilogy before EA devours them like the neverborn daemon they are?

Does anyone love Jade Empire? I love Jade Empire. That needs to be rebooted or have a sequel.

I fucking adore Jade Empire and would love a sequel or a remaster.

Jade Empire was awesome. I only wish there were a company with the interest in making it and the chops to pull it off.

Sadly it's owned by EA now and EA doesn't care about making anything that remotely creative, or god forbid, selling anyone else the IP to do so.

 

[Deadguy2322]

It sucks! It's Destiny in Mech suits. Only it crashes and loads forever all the time.

I always viewed it as recycled Andromeda II after that game crashed and burned.

Yeah it certainly just looks like the gun and jetpack play from andromeda, slowed down to make it feel heavy in much suits

Not even interesting mech suits

Everyone keeps saying its like Destiny, which I can see, and Warframe which I can't, but no one is mentioning its basically just Andromeda multiplayer. I wouldn't be surprised if this is what Andromeda II was supposed to be and they just cut and trimmed it into a new IP

Nobody is saying that because nobody played Andromeda multi.

 

[sXeth]

I did tentatively download the thing again to give it another go in the public demo this weekend, if the whole crashy thing was alleviated.

Monitoring the reddit though, everything is worse, and even more things are breaking. A ton more people are reporting the game just crashing itself right out to dashboard/desktop. The PS4 version is somehow screwing up the sound across the entire system (on PS menus and party chat, not just in game). PC's got flags helicoptering into orbit until the game crashes, and chunks of the map just becoming not there (not even unrendered, though thats occurring too, but walls literally vanish so you can walk through). And the pinnacle mission of the demo crashing 99% of the time and returning everyone back to the hub, minus their loot, but not refunding any resources used. Also some reports of folks having their level randomly reset back to 1. And the tank class having its health just kind of randomly change.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

So from what I've observed with my own grubby mitts (cos pre-ordering's for suckas! and people with actual money), it's a clunky Warframe, except all the warframes are now Iron Man suits and all the enemies are now destiny enemies but also maybe Andromeda enemies. However, I like it more than destiny as it is, due to the lack of 'Saturday morning cartoon' level writing that wants to take itself seriously and pissing all over the initial sci-fi intrigue by doing so. And the flying about is alright, but it feels like there should be a button for cool yet utterly pointless stunts such as swirly-whirls and front-flips.


Oh...shit. That sounds precisely like the sort of thing that would be held back for cosmetic dlc. Fuck. EA can piss right off if they gonna pull that.

Still, not as bad as destiny. That's something, right? Riiiight??

 

[Zeraki]

I downloaded the demo out of morbid curiosity to try it out and it runs like garbage regardless of what settings I use, which really shouldn't be happening on the PC I have.

Resident Evil 2 runs pretty much flawlessly though... which is a much better looking game than Anthem.

RIP Bioware. You'll be missed.

I made my peace with the demise of BioWare in 2013.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Resident Evil 2 runs pretty much flawlessly though... which is a much better looking game than Anthem.

It's a much better looking game, but with much MUCH smaller areas to load and a much slower movement speed. It's much easier to make a game look almost photo-realistic when you only need to load a hallway and a couple of rooms, so that's not really a great comparison.

 

[Burnouts3s3]

I agree with a lot of sentiments forum posters made here about the game not being well-optimized and the world and its characters not being very interesting.

It's hard for me to let go. I know that things haven't been the same and EA is pulling a lot of the same anti-consumer tricks as it's been up to and a lot of the Bioware veterans like David Gaider and James Ohlen left the company and a company is just a name and not necessarily the people who work there.

But... I just can't denounce Bioware and maybe that's a fault of mine.

I see a developer at least attempting to do 'the right thing' but doing it incompetently and perhaps for more monetary reasons than out of the goodness of their hearts. I see developers attempting to put representation first but at the cost of things such as animation and writing. I see people in a company that mean well but get caught up in drama.

I don't know. Part of me still likes Mass Effect 3, Dragon Age: Inquisition and SWTOR. And whenever I hear stories about them helping queer representation, I get a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart.

https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2014/11/12/video-games-company-creates-fake-game-to-help-a-lesbian-couple-get-engaged/

I know Bioware isn't the only sole developer of queer representation. I just wish people wouldn't be so quick to scapegoat others for failings of a developer and a publisher.

 

[sXeth]

http://blog.bioware.com/2019/02/04/onward-to-launch/?utm_campaign=anth_hd_ww_ic_soco_twt_anthem-opendemo-recap&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&cid=56368&ts=1549318631418

There's having your head in the sand, and then there's this.

Like, this is what This Week at Bungie does all the time, right down to the user-content distractions, but even they will acknowledge some discontent or flaw, even if they pass it off as a misunderstanding and throw it to the nebulous live team.

 

[Burnouts3s3]

http://blog.bioware.com/2019/02/04/onward-to-launch/?utm_campaign=anth_hd_ww_ic_soco_twt_anthem-opendemo-recap&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&cid=56368&ts=1549318631418

There's having your head in the sand, and then there's this.

Like, this is what This Week at Bungie does all the time, right down to the user-content distractions, but even they will acknowledge some discontent or flaw, even if they pass it off as a misunderstanding and throw it to the nebulous live team.

It's PR. They're trying to make the game look good before launch. Standard AAA tactic.