Remember Spore 2005?

[Boxinatorizore]

I was wondering around on the internet and came across a video of 2005, you know the 35min demonstration. I had come across this video once before about two years ago. After playing the version of spore that was released I sat there and said what the hell? Why did they downgrade Spore so much. Now I realize that Maxis probably had good reason (a.k.a they wanted a bigger audience) but Spore just wasn't enough.

What should Maxis do about this?
I think they should release a new version of Spore. Fix all the bugs with the swimming stage, have underwater cities, procedural walking, the level of detail, the more mature looking style instead of the cartooney crap. the more advanced editor and release it. It wouldn't be an expasion, it would be a new game. Call it Spore Advanced or something. It would pretty much be spore 2005 with everything a little polished and fixed. That would satisfy me.

 

[Lord_Jaroh]

This is what I was hoping Spore would be like, unfortunately they dumbed it down for the mass market. I would just rather see a different, better game now. It took too long for this one after teh hype they built, only to be let down by the crap they released.

 

[WrongSprite]

An expansion where they stopped it being a series of minigames would be good.

 

[SomeBritishDude]

I wish Will Wright would make a public announcement saying sorry for such a terrible game and that everyone may get a refund.

Seriously, nothing was going to fix that piece of shit. I still have the CC though, so sad that such an awesome idea was implemented is such a bad game.

 

[sgtshock]

Why does everyone think Spore was "dumbed down" for a bigger market? Isn't it a lot more likely that they simply couldn't get all the things they promised in the game in time? it was a pretty damn ambitious project.

 

[Boxinatorizore]

Well they had a tech demo before with a lot more in it then the actual game...therefore it was dumbed down.

 

[grollo]

They just took away too many things. In the cell and creature editors, you could edit more parts of the skeleton than just the spine. Also, you could choose whether to make you creature stronger, faster, smarter or what instead of just automaticlyy gaining brain power by killing stuff, or play simon says with them . And the tribal phase felt much more interactive, like making a complex creature with a personality instead of being friendly, unfriendly, of both. Now all the charactarisation (unsure of spelling there) is done in the space stage, but the semms to be no obvious way to swich to a new personality (at least none I have found after over 50 hours of total gameplay). Lastly, and most importantly, there was the option of having an amphibious creature. That would have been awesome.

 

[Quaidis]

I have to admit that I was confused and thereafter disappointed that you could not devolve back into the water to make underwater cities. I saw it in the presentation and spent quite a while trying to flipper and fin my monsters to re-sea them. Then I was eaten by something large from those very waters.

I would like to see an expansion with underwater cities. I would also like to see more depth on running around as a beast. You could make full fledged uncivilized monsters in the game through the Creature Creator, but you could never play them tearing other monsters limb from limb - you were always forced into the tribal stage. Maybe I'm going at this wrong.

 

[sgtshock]

Well they had a tech demo before with a lot more in it then the actual game...therefore it was dumbed down.

Just because it was in the tech demo doesn't mean it can actually work in game. Remember the "AI" in the Half-Life 2 demo that turned out to be scripted?

And besides, how much would underwater cities and editing your creature's rib cage really have added to the game?

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Well they had a tech demo before with a lot more in it then the actual game...therefore it was dumbed down.

Just because it was in the tech demo doesn't mean it can actually work in game. Remember the "AI" in the Half-Life 2 demo that turned out to be scripted?

And besides, how much would underwater cities and editing your creature's rib cage really have added to the game?

I was more for the procedural actions than anything. I remember being oddly disappointed when I couldn't drag my food around.

 

[Zac_Dai]

Why does everyone think Spore was "dumbed down" for a bigger market? Isn't it a lot more likely that they simply couldn't get all the things they promised in the game in time? it was a pretty damn ambitious project.

Either way it failed, I doubt its even entertaining to the usual Sims crowd.

Anyway yeah I too remember the 2005 video, such hopes, such dreams...

 

[Quaidis]

Why does everyone think Spore was "dumbed down" for a bigger market? Isn't it a lot more likely that they simply couldn't get all the things they promised in the game in time? it was a pretty damn ambitious project.

Either way it failed, I doubt its even entertaining to the usual Sims crowd.

Anyway yeah I too remember the 2005 video, such hopes, such dreams...

Odd, I spent tons of time randomly making monsters on the game. I also play through it now and then with fondness; with exception to the space level. For some reason I can't actually beat the game due to the generic 'rts' feeling. Sure, take away all you worked hard on with the monster and make you either market out supplies or attack someone in a random craft. There is no option 3.

 

[Boxinatorizore]

Well they had a tech demo before with a lot more in it then the actual game...therefore it was dumbed down.

Just because it was in the tech demo doesn't mean it can actually work in game. Remember the "AI" in the Half-Life 2 demo that turned out to be scripted?

And besides, how much would underwater cities and editing your creature's rib cage really have added to the game?

How would being able to remain underwater add to the game? Is that even a real question?

 

[Kollega]

Spore was a huge letdown. I (and everyone else)was hoping for elaborate trancendental life simulator,but instead we got what we got. Spore certainly lacks many abilites and opportunities,but there's one thing worse - that it could be much,much more. It's a great idea killed off by terrible execution - and that's one of most disappointing things in the world. I really would like to play Spore shown in 2005,but unfortunately it was dumbed down for the masses,and it seems to be irreversible. And oh,EA is always selling us 1/3 of the game,and other 2/3 are sold as addons. So fuck them.

Bottom line: Zero Punctuation is a great source of quotes.

 

[sgtshock]

Well they had a tech demo before with a lot more in it then the actual game...therefore it was dumbed down.

Just because it was in the tech demo doesn't mean it can actually work in game. Remember the "AI" in the Half-Life 2 demo that turned out to be scripted?

And besides, how much would underwater cities and editing your creature's rib cage really have added to the game?

How would being able to remain underwater add to the game? Is that even a real question?

What do you mean? That was one of the things people were complaining was in the tech demo but not in the final game. I was simply implying that a lot of the features cut from the demo wouldn't have saved it from so-so gameplay.

 

[Outcast107]

Well they had a tech demo before with a lot more in it then the actual game...therefore it was dumbed down.

Just because it was in the tech demo doesn't mean it can actually work in game. Remember the "AI" in the Half-Life 2 demo that turned out to be scripted?

And besides, how much would underwater cities and editing your creature's rib cage really have added to the game?

How would being able to remain underwater add to the game? Is that even a real question?

What do you mean? That was one of the things people were complaining was in the tech demo but not in the final game. I was simply implying that a lot of the features cut from the demo
wouldn't have saved it from so-so gameplay.

How wouldn't it? It add on to how cool it would be in the game. More choices to make. And with the spore we got, it took a lot of choices away, which you couldn't do much with your creature. So it was dumb down. Some games do this and it pisses me off. I SO wanted to make a robotic life form. But couldn't. At least I thought you could if my memories serves right with some of the vids I saw of Spore. But yeah..they took a lot of shit out of the game, which would have made the game 10x more fun.

 

[CheeseSandwichCake]

I had played SPORE before seeing that 35 minute video so my expectations weren't ruined.

But after having seen it I must say that SPORE could've been so much more, this didn't however ruin the amount of fun I had with it. I enjoyed it while I still played it although I think the other stages could've been more detailed because everything really does just build up your character so you can actually play the real game in the space stage.

 

[sgtshock]

How would being able to remain underwater add to the game? Is that even a real question?

What do you mean? That was one of the things people were complaining was in the tech demo but not in the final game. I was simply implying that a lot of the features cut from the demo
wouldn't have saved it from so-so gameplay.

How wouldn't it? It add on to how cool it would be in the game. More choices to make. And with the spore we got, it took a lot of choices away, which you couldn't do much with your creature. So it was dumb down. Some games do this and it pisses me off. I SO wanted to make a robotic life form. But couldn't. At least I thought you could if my memories serves right with some of the vids I saw of Spore. But yeah..they took a lot of shit out of the game, which would have made the game 10x more fun.

IMO, it wasn't a lack of things to do that was wrong with Spore, it was the gameplay itself. The creature stage was a tedious exercise in walking and button-mashing, the Civilization stage was a boring Rise of Nations wannabe, and the space stage has lame combat and a lack of things to do.

Spore already has a lot more than any other game out there, you can create all sorts of weird creatures, conquer a planet, build a intergalactic empire, and explore (and destroy) other planets. I agree that underwater cities, robotic creatures, and all the other things promised would have been cool to have, but in my opinion, but it wouldn't have saved it.

 

[Da_Schwartz]

Spore to me is alot of smoke and mirrors. It's not this unmeasurable galactic generational experience of creationism. It's a bunch of mini games that go from water to space. Everything you create and customize doens't directly affect the game and the creatures within it, like the demo shown. Hell even when you playonline i don't think your actually online. The loading screens show creations with user names underneath them, i don't even think it's live server play.
The differnt stages are also just dumbed down version of games we all know and love, a rts, a sim, a mmo, just a big ol box o disapointment and terrible game design. The most ironic thing i found about that game has to be the fact that in this entire "100% customizable world" you can't even change any of the keymapping. I mean seriously. It's 2009 what pc game doesn't let you change button config or invert a mouse at the least!?!?!