EvilRoy said:
Nazulu said:
snip
Hahahaha! I didn't even notice I was talking to someone else. Sorry about that.
Well, what your saying is what some of these big company's are doing now, but it obviously isn't the only way to go, is it? That's what Metal seemed to be on about anyway.
Those people thinking "I like RTS" wouldn't be small crowd since they've must of liked some previous successful RTS games, games that introduced them to the genre.
Actually, before I go any further, are you really saying that what you described in your last comment is really the only way to do business, or make successful games, or whatever? I'm going to tell you now that I will never agree with it since I've seen many company's survive of niche games before.
Not a problem.
What I'm really trying to get at is the perspective of the game company. In reality there is no way a company could ever really know your intentions when you do something. As much as I can forgive a person for hoping that most people on earth are sane and rational, companies have far more reasons to believe this isn't the case than that it is. When a company makes a game then it either sells or it doesn't sell. On that basis a company can only reasonably conclude that customers liked or did not like the game.
However, and this is the kicker, they will never be able to conclude IF customers will like a different game than those they have made. And that is no more apparent than in the indie scene. Most of those games are made because the creator just wanted to make it, rather than because they thought it would sell well. Some of them get big enough for people to hear about, but most of them just drift away on the XBLA. Large companies can't take that kind of risk, because large companies include hundreds of people with hundreds of spouses and hundreds of children who would like to enjoy a warm house and the odd meal.
And thats the thing I'm trying to say here: large companies cannot base decisions on what you think, because what you think is unreliable and ultimately unrelated to what you do. What you do can at least be planned for based on previous habits.
Gotcha. I just wanted to see if you just agreed with Metal but I guess it doesn't matter.
I'm already well aware of that. We already acknowledged they don't like taking risks and rely on numbers (focus groups and what not) for what you mentioned, but the thing is that they used to, and with some other devs, quite often. However, the problem I think we are seeing here is more to do with a lack of confidence than anything. With the combination of their random innovations and stupid PR statements, well I have no confidents in them.
In this day and age where there is communication/internet devices everywhere, looking into what people are thinking isn't 100% (because I never said it was) but it can be seen rather quickly, even just asking or making a poll can actually get some results. It's an option and shouldn't be ignored. In fact, some big company's do use them and they even try to get more people involved in their work sometimes to get definite results.
The numbers Metal brought up don't explain 'why' many people didn't buy the sequels, and if they can get a popular answer for the reasons (some I already mentioned), they could become big sellers once again, and that's why I'm saying it's foolish to drop these franchises, especially when they keep reminding everyone of them with the Smash Brothers games. They pulled out that Icarus game from their ass which was interesting, but once again, they made some stupid moves and it doesn't seem they are learning from there mistakes, just avoiding them, which I don't think is healthy for any business. There is also the strategy that if you leave something for long enough, many people may starve for it, just like making the same thing over and over can kill it.
And another thing is how they could try to experiment with some titles between some successes (which they kinda have). Is it really too much to ask they take some chances every now and again? Yeah, everyone knows they are a business that wants to stay afloat as much as possible, but we'd also like to see something unique every now again too. Those are the games that really stand the test of time in the end. It's the only reason I'm reading through all the new game news, and from what I can see, these professionals need better guidance.
With Nintendo's Wii U selling poorly, I can see why they would just play it safe, but it can also kill them too. It's not a black and white issue, and I have no idea how Metal could expect them to come up with something new now. They need answers and to build up their confidence, otherwise I don't see the point.
