A 3 Year Plan (LONG read)

[TUSS11]

Quote: Originally Posted by Behindshadows

2 weeks before...On the 21st...it was leaked out on Youtube earlier today.

Video interview?

[ILLSmak]

Having a long-term plan is a good thing... every game should continue to develop, and 'starting over' every three years isn't a bad thing if it keeps the product fresh. Unfortunately, producing a bad game and making an excuse is not part of it.

A bad game is a bad game, period, it has nothing to do with a plan. A raw game, well, that's different. You guys should appreciate it if Elite is really a raw version of something better. I thought 09 was a raw version of what Live should become, but I guess not. Live 09 and 10 were by far the best Lives ever...

But one of the keys to having a three year plan is making progress with each step. Then, you can say "Just wait til next years game if you liked this one."

It's kind of like trying to get girls... you gotta be at least decent with a plan for the future. Nobody wants someone who is stagnant, period, but nobody wants someone whose greatest trait is something that will or could happen in three years.

BAD IDEA TO MENTION THREE YEAR PLAN. Why go through the growing phase, then? Way to turn more people to other games.

-Smak

[donkey33]

Super post Will.

I respect the fact that a massive amount of work may have gone into this game and even next years game but until it becomes a complete product, my coin will stay in my pocket and I suppose I even find it disrespectful of game companies to have full priced games when they know the product is not complete.

My every day job consists of me working hard but if the end result is not up to scratch, I either don't get paid or get paid what it's worth and that's the reason I make sure my end product is a success. Basic business 101 really and no disrespect to ReAnimator/stepsix, etc, but suits need to relearn that.

[Admiral50]

Yep great post.

Probably a better location for my thoughts from a different thread...

I just don't get.

Live 10 was close to achieving something special with it's mo-capped animations and multi-player sequences, in that they actually were beginning to feel seemless and less scripted.

The amazing control just topped it off.

I think it's really wrong of a company to release what is essentially a test or work in progress, something that might be worth buying in a couple years and scrap possibly their best ever product in the series.

Sure, if you want to try a new direction then keep it behind closed doors and build it over a couple years, but in the meantime keep polishing the potential in Live 10.

I've almost never based my purchases on a bias or opinion of the company/devs (often jumping back and forth from Live to 2K over the years, based on the better game) but what EA is doing here is certainly isolating their fan base.

[shadowgrin]

Quote: Originally Posted by DaveDQ

I believe in 3 year plans, but I believe you should be hush hush about them.

Quote: Originally Posted by ILLSmak

BAD IDEA TO MENTION THREE YEAR PLAN. Why go through the growing phase, then? Way to turn more people to other games.

No, it's a bad idea for them (Elite team) to go CIA on the community regarding their (3 year) plans.
It's good that the devs are interacting and sharing with the community especially for a long standing franchise like Live/Elite.

Point is most people felt that the previous game (Live 10) was a good foundation for future versions but instead EA decided to reboot with Elite.

This is where people started having that feeling of deja vu - starting with a new foundation for the game (again), sacrificing/scrapping something previously present in the game, and never letting the game/title fully develop because of all those restarts of their 'plan'.
It's a case of 'we've seen it happen before again and again, how will it be different now'?

The solution is not for them to be secretive, but to improve the title and stick with their plan and vision for it (whatever that is) and not reboot/restart just because it didn't meet expectations or the competition is kicking their behinds.

[lebron6_james]

standing ovation for WTF!!! G.O.A.T post, man. it's like reading my mind.

[Flightwhite24]

Very good post WTF. No bs and straight to the point. Gotta say there is no way I would waste my $$$$ on EA's test project. This has to be the most wish/washy project of all-time. Just smoke-blowing ideas imo.

[mrprice33]

Where did this whole "incomplete game" meme come from? The only thing lacking in this game (assuming that the gameplay will be what they say it is) is animations. They are adding modes to the live 10 feature set. If all of this vitriol is due to no in game injuries I just don't understand it. While they are important, I would rather they not be in than to not be done right. It's like backbreaker. They want to do injuries in a different way, so they elected to keep them out of the first game. I can understand that. Tossing in random injuries just for the sake of having them is worse to me than not having them at all.

If it's not just the injuries, then again I'm not sure where this all makes sense. They aren't rebooting the series from a feature standpoint, and what happens if you prefer the new gameplay? Are you still mad?