WTF Humble Bundle?! "Indie" my ass.

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Skizle

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targren said:
I just paid for the "Humble Indie Bundle 4" so care to tell me why the HELL I'm staring at a big, bloated pustule of an EA logo? I support indie gamers so that they DON'T feel the need to sell out to the scumbag sequel shitters. And to be the worst of the bunch, the one that I have actively and effectively boycotted for over two years?

I'm not happy about this, and the only reason I don't go change my "developer" slider down to zero is that the actual indie devs don't deserve to be screwed over because EA and HB pulled a fast one.
EA is the PUBLISHER, not the developer. If you did some research you wouldn't have had to have the aneurysm that your having now
 

Twilight_guy

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Nov 24, 2008
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Does EA get a cut of the profit beyond what any other of the game developer might get... if any cut at all? If not, then STFU you whinny asshole its still for charity. If not, then you have an actual argument.

As such you have not established any notion of cash flow only that EA is involved. If you think EA is bad enough to not give to charity, then congratulations you're an asshole. Until we have establish EA is somehow noming on profits or something shaddy is going on your just being an ass and letting your personal feelings get in the way of the point of the indie bundle.
 

pyrosaw

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Because one game is slightly published by a large publisher the entire humble indie bundle, including the other games are no longer indie.
 

OtherSideofSky

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Fappy said:
xXxJessicaxXx said:
''Shank is a 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up developed by Klei Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts.''

Indie developer EA as publisher, no problem there right?
EA's name attached = auto-bad.

It's like if you hate Quinton Tarantino you shouldn't watch the film "Hero" because his name is on the poster.
Wait, really?
You mean "Hero", the Zhang Yimou movie? Starring Jet Li?
I had no idea he had anything to do with distributing that.
Does that mean he's responsible for the shitty American cut with the dumbed-down subtitles and the full version never getting a US release? Because that actually would make me hate him.
 

Starke

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Hazy992 said:
Richard Humphries said:
Hell, I thought this was going to be interesting. I get that EA isn't indie, but what do you have against it as a company? They make sequels because the previous title sold successfully, that's what companies do. Plus, when indie companies get big, it can happen, you'll probably just go and start talking bad about them too.
What do I hate about EA? Well;

Bringing out 'sequels' year on year that are only incremental updates, then having the cheek to charge £40 for it.
Popularising the online pass system.
Having adverts like 'Your Mom Will Hate Dead Space 2', which just paints a negative picture of the medium, like game developers are trying to piss people off.
The way the treat their employees and smaller developers.
Trying to beat the competition by making the same game as the competition but worse (*cough* Medal of Honor *cough*).

Phew! Rant over!
You forgot backing SOPA. ...or were you done... oh shi...
 

Elementary - Dear Watson

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Hmmm... As a gamer I don't care who makes my games. If its good, I buy and play, if its not good, or not the type of game I enjoy I don't buy or play... Simple! Who cares who's logo pops up when you start it up? The only time I look at what dev made the game is when I want to have an indication of what to expect from the game, but even then you can't be sure!

In reality 2 games made under the same Devs logo, could in fact be made by entirely different teams of people, with different works ethics, different standards and a completely different gaming experience!

I like Oblivion, and the new Fallout games (and I am sure I will enjoy Skyrim too when I get home in Apr) but that doesn't mean I will instantly like RAGE or Hunted: THe Demons Forge... And if I played Hunted for instance, and didn't like it, and they produced a sequel, and didn't like that, then it doesn't mean I should boycot all future Fallout and Elder Scrolls games because they were made by the 'sequel shitting' company...
 

William Dickbringer

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targren said:
I just paid for the "Humble Indie Bundle 4" so care to tell me why the HELL I'm staring at a big, bloated pustule of an EA logo? I support indie gamers so that they DON'T feel the need to sell out to the scumbag sequel shitters. And to be the worst of the bunch, the one that I have actively and effectively boycotted for over two years?

I'm not happy about this, and the only reason I don't go change my "developer" slider down to zero is that the actual indie devs don't deserve to be screwed over because EA and HB pulled a fast one.
you know it cost money to have them servers up right? money that not even humble tips can pay maybe they needed some extra sponsorship who cares would we flipping as much of a shit if it was activision? are we being charged extra? Nope all I see is pay what you want still and you pay over the average amount get two games free I see all this but hey you don't want to buy it because "EA IS TEH DEVILZ!!!!11" fine by me I on the other hand am gonna enjoy cave story+ super meat boy and BEAT.TRIP RUNNER from the bundle and am gonna try the other 3 later good day to you sir
 

Fappy

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OtherSideofSky said:
Fappy said:
xXxJessicaxXx said:
''Shank is a 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up developed by Klei Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts.''

Indie developer EA as publisher, no problem there right?
EA's name attached = auto-bad.

It's like if you hate Quinton Tarantino you shouldn't watch the film "Hero" because his name is on the poster.
Wait, really?
You mean "Hero", the Zhang Yimou movie? Starring Jet Li?
I had no idea he had anything to do with distributing that.
Does that mean he's responsible for the shitty American cut with the dumbed-down subtitles and the full version never getting a US release? Because that actually would make me hate him.
I saw it way back when it was released in American theaters, so I wouldn't really remember subtitles or really that much of the movie at all... but yeah, I believe Tarantino funded the US release.
 

Akeroh

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So, OP - You're telling me that you're pissed off because there was a single indie game (out of 7) in the humble indie bundle that was sponsored in part by EA.
It wasn't designed by EA, it wasn't developed by EA, it wasn't advertised by EA, it was simply invested in by EA and all of that was done by a small game studio?

Seriously? Can a game not be considered 'indie' if it has larger companies investing in it?
 

Sud0_x

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ZeroMachine said:
Right, OP, I'd say this warrants a mention:

EA published Shank.

Published.

People who purchase HIBs choose if their money goes to charity, the developer, or a HIB tip.

See what I'm getting at here?
There's really no need to be belittling people.

EA is a publisher,
of course they only published it, who said otherwise?
What the fuck is going on in here?

OP also seems well aware of the option to choose where your money goes, in fact, he goes so far as to mention it in the OP.
I believe he was trying to get across some kind of statement about small developers getting into bed with large publishers, again, it's in the OP.

It wasn't the best discussion starter but I really don't think there's any excuse for such condescension.

targren said:
I just paid for the "Humble Indie Bundle 4" so care to tell me why the HELL I'm staring at a big, bloated pustule of an EA logo? I support indie gamers so that they DON'T feel the need to sell out to the scumbag sequel shitters. And to be the worst of the bunch, the one that I have actively and effectively boycotted for over two years?

I'm not happy about this, and the only reason I don't go change my "developer" slider down to zero is that the actual indie devs don't deserve to be screwed over because EA and HB pulled a fast one.
I know you've made several posts in this thread already but if you'd like to elaborate on your opinions on this relationship between small upstart projects and the big players; you have my ear..er.. eyes.

Small projects like these are fantastic but independent developers just can not sustain themselves without some kind of financial backing, it is a high-cost, high-risk industry. Initially these guys might decide that they're ready to put their ideas into practice and want to get started but the process itself, more often than not, results in debt. Marketing and distribution are absolutely crucial to the success of a small indie title, and consequently the studio behind it, these are just some of the things publishers offer.

I don't think there is anything wrong with a large publisher pairing up with a smaller studio.
I do believe the Publisher/Developer relationship needs to be adjusted a little, I'm not sure how, exactly, as I know little of the real inside day-to-day.

Some people might not agree but I do believe a publisher has a right, or even an obligation, to give their creative input and such given the nature of their task. I really don't think these guys sit down and ask "How can we piss off the most people?"

As much as we'd like to think that the publishers are just jerks and the developers are our buddies; video games are a business, they have to treat it like a business.

I think what the the bigger publishers and studios need to work on are incentives and goodwill, not just marketing spin but actually giving consumers a genuine reason to support them. Let's kill the freakin' barriers and just talk.
A little transparency goes a long way, indies are fucking great at this.
The now-common act of treating potential customers like criminals and calling them names is inconceivably dumb business practice.

I have no idea how to run a development team or a successful business model so we just have to hope that all those professionals, who do know what they're doing, can find something that works for everybody. Or at the very least we keep getting the occasional accidental gem of a game crapped out once in a while!

All this said, I'm not an expert and I really don't know if a small indie developer can stay a small indie developer while maintaining a sustainable business model. It very well may have been done.

Anyway, OP, if I were in your position I'd give the cash to the developer I felt has earned it. Otherwise a good charity is a nice substitute.
Yeah, WE should be looking out for those guys and giving them our support.
Because those guys? They actually listen to us. I know, I know, I couldn't believe it the first time I witnessed it.

In summary, I don't know jack and my opinion isn't special.
I just felt bad for the guy everyone was railing on and couldn't leave my own post without any real discussion value.
As horrible as it probably is...

Anybody else have some ideas to share?
 

ZeroMachine

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Sud0_x said:
ZeroMachine said:
Right, OP, I'd say this warrants a mention:

EA published Shank.

Published.

People who purchase HIBs choose if their money goes to charity, the developer, or a HIB tip.

See what I'm getting at here?
There's really no need to be belittling people.

EA is a publisher,
of course they only published it, who said otherwise?
What the fuck is going on in here?

OP also seems well aware of the option to choose where your money goes, in fact, he goes so far as to mention it in the OP.
I believe he was trying to get across some kind of statement about small developers getting into bed with large publishers, again, it's in the OP.

It wasn't the best discussion starter but I really don't think there's any excuse for such condescension.
The OP is acting like money he puts towards developers is going to support EA, which he, unreasonably in my eyes, hates and doesn't wish to support at all.

This is wrong.

I was pointing that out.

THAT'S what's going on in this thread.

Maybe it was a bit condescending, but I'm in a sarcastic/frisky mood today, so other people are just gonna have to deal with it for...

... Huh. Less than a minute.
 

OtherSideofSky

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Fappy said:
OtherSideofSky said:
Fappy said:
xXxJessicaxXx said:
''Shank is a 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up developed by Klei Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts.''

Indie developer EA as publisher, no problem there right?
EA's name attached = auto-bad.

It's like if you hate Quinton Tarantino you shouldn't watch the film "Hero" because his name is on the poster.
Wait, really?
You mean "Hero", the Zhang Yimou movie? Starring Jet Li?
I had no idea he had anything to do with distributing that.
Does that mean he's responsible for the shitty American cut with the dumbed-down subtitles and the full version never getting a US release? Because that actually would make me hate him.
I saw it way back when it was released in American theaters, so I wouldn't really remember subtitles or really that much of the movie at all... but yeah, I believe Tarantino funded the US release.
Huh.
I really thought he cared enough about Chinese cinema that he would have at least put an uncut DVD out over here, especially after it got that Oscar. I mean, the American cut is missing like 30 minutes. The Chinese cut has another alternate version of events, longer fight scenes in a couple of places, and a much more nuanced conclusion, all of which are absent from both the American theatrical cut and the region 1 DVD release.
 

arnoldthebird

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Sep 30, 2011
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EA is helping a small indie developer to be recognised, is that not what people want?

Perhaps seeing the 'EA' brand logo will plant a seed of interest in the wider community, for them it is good business and you are still getting what you want, an indie developed game. If EA can continue to help small developer's get their feet then perhaps the broad gaming community will come to appreciate the little gem's that the indie developer's release.

EA makes money, which is what a business like EA wants, and we as gamers are given brilliant and unique ideas developed by new people.

In my opinion it is a good thing, because perhaps we shall see more indie title's in the future
 

Freaky Lou

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Hazy992 said:
What do I hate about EA? Well;

Bringing out 'sequels' year on year that are only incremental updates, then having the cheek to charge £40 for it.
Popularising the online pass system.
Having adverts like 'Your Mom Will Hate Dead Space 2', which just paints a negative picture of the medium, like game developers are trying to piss people off.
The way the treat their employees and smaller developers.
Don't forget Origin! It's spyware, likes to glitch and double your charges, and locks you out for misbehaving on EA or Bioware forums. On top of that we have their promising copies of Battlefield 1942 to PS3 buyers of BF3, and then just not doing it after the BF3 units had been sold. THEN, of course, offering "early access to DLC" as compensation (note it's just early access; they still had to pay for it) when that early access was already an advertised bonus prior to this debacle.

Hazy992 said:
Trying to beat the competition by making the same game as the competition but worse (*cough* Medal of Honor *cough*).
Medal Of Monor was once a proud military FPS series; it predates Call Of Duty by a good bit and was a lot better back in its day. Did you ever play MoH: Allied Assault on the PC? Or Frontline on Gamecube/PS2? Those were great games! But EA mutated it from its former strong, singleplayer-focused roots into an attempt to directly attack CoD, which they already had Battlefield for.
 

Not G. Ivingname

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Richard Humphries said:
Hell, I thought this was going to be interesting. I get that EA isn't indie, but what do you have against it as a company? They make sequels because the previous title sold successfully, that's what companies do. Plus, when indie companies get big, it can happen, you'll probably just go and start talking bad about them too.
They supported SOPA, something even Activision didn't do.
 

Deadagent

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Sep 14, 2011
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Second time I actually need to post something.

http://twitter.com/#!/klei/



Hopefully this will clear things up
 

Fishyash

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Dec 27, 2010
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Vault101 said:
the fact that they have put "humble" on thease things pisses me off

it comes across as pretentious
I am pretty sure I am not the only one who thinks you somehow managed to interpret the exact opposite message that actively defies the definition of humble.

"Hi, I am nothing special."

"Stop trying to be special! It sounds pretentious."

Please explain yourself. It is not easy to somehow assume the opposite meaning from the word humble. Pretentious is nearly the opposite.

Okay... on topic now.

OP said:
Oh no! An indie developer (yes, it is an independent developer) is actually getting supported by the big bad EA! How DARE they try and make money from their games. Finally, how DARE they actually put the logo of someone who supported them on their humble indie bundle page!
That's what I got from your first post. I am sorry, you seriously don't understand the concept of selling out and it makes you sound like a total jerk. Someone actually getting money for their games will not be making weaker products. Joining one of the big four shouldn't count as selling out in the music industry, how is an indie developer helping their game get sold by EA count selling out in the gaming industry?
 

MercurySteam

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Fappy said:
xXxJessicaxXx said:
''Shank is a 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up developed by Klei Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts.''

Indie developer EA as publisher, no problem there right?
EA's name attached = auto-bad.
Yep, this is pretty much how the OP is thinking. Well the mystery behind this is easy to uncover.

Failure. Of. Logic.

Seriously, automatically hating EA whenever you see their name ANYWHERE is probably the most childish practise that I've seen people participating in this last year. People need to watch this [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/3857-BOYCOTT] very carefully, and use as much brainpower as they can muster to determine whether it's justified or not.

targren said:
Not sure what 2K does anymore besides GTA (never been my bag), and haven't seen a THQ game since Titan Quest. Are they still around?
2K published Bioshock/Bioshock 2 and Borderlands. THQ published Darksiders, Saints Row 2/The Third and Red Faction: Guerrilla. Where have you been lately?
 

DeltaEdge

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Revnak said:
You know what would be great? If EA would keep helping developers like this. Allowing them to get their work done while maintaining creative control. That would be great. Good games and new ideas would flourish. I have absolutely no problem with that. I may not like many of EA's business practices, but this is unquestionably a good one.
Probably the most sensible post on this thread so far. I completely agree.
On a separate note, seeing your avatar directly before reading your post made me think a blood-coated vino crawled down from the ceiling right next to me with crazy eyes reading your post on my computer. That would be flippin' scary XD. And it's still dark in my room so..yeah. And yes, that last part was completely random.
 

Headdrivehardscrew

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targren said:
Richard Humphries said:
Hell, I thought this was going to be interesting. I get that EA isn't indie, but what do you have against it as a company? They make sequels because the previous title sold successfully, that's what companies do. Plus, when indie companies get big, it can happen, you'll probably just go and start talking bad about them too.
What do I have against EA? Either you're new to gaming, or a BF3 fan... They're the Microsoft of the gaming world (though Sony is trying to catch up in the race to the bottom).
Yo, Microsoft, right now, does not deserve much hate. Windows 7 rocks my boat, so much I even almost forgot all about Vista. They made the XBOX360 to be on par with the PS3 and even their Phone Mongo Mango isn't as easy to hate as I'd like it to be.

On the other hand, explain to me what Apple is doing? Why do they keep selling laptops with well-designed but crappy cheap power supplies that just plain don't deliver enough power or fall apart randomly? Why do they get away with all the crap stunts they've been pulling off lately? Because they claimed to be different last century?

Running a business only makes sense as long as there's a profit, people want more of what you deliver, and like how you do it. Every lie, every broken promise is a risk, a liability. I personally loathe EA, and every time I went weak in the last decade, I felt effed over and ditched in a dark alley. Yeah, thanks for that, EA.