Aliens RPG now "officially canceled."

[Wirdschowerdn]

Look at all those pathetic fuckers in this thread that wish for BioWare's death, yet want to see leaked screens/footage of an canceled game that "would have been shit anyways". Even more pathetic that these same fuckers will rush out and buy Dragon Age at release day.

Agreed.

Thanks.

 

[Rosh]

Look at all those pathetic fuckers in this thread that wish for BioWare's death, yet want to see leaked screens/footage of an canceled game that "would have been shit anyways". Even more pathetic that these same fuckers will rush out and buy Dragon Age at release day.

Agreed.

Thanks.

Stuff.

 

[Kron]

Never paid for an Obsidian game, never will.
Come to think of it, haven't paid for a game in several years now...

 

[BearBomber]

I've liked the concept of many different/gimmick aliens, but on the other hand I'm not a huge fan of the movie and I've enjoyed Capcom's AvP.

 

[Wyrmlord]

Rosh, Morgoth makes a more or less acceptable point.

I don't think the very thought of trying Jade Empire ever struck me.

Alot of people bought it. And when they bought and played it, they said it was a bad game.

Well of course it would be! BioWare going more linear than KotOR and making a martial arts beat-em-up game cum interactive movie - and some people thought it would be worth their time in the first place?

Alot of Codexers bought it too. And they even have to state the obvious about recycled characters. BioWare already recycled entire dialogue from Hordes Of The Underdark into KotOR, and there were gamers who were surprised they did it again?

Fact: People do play games that they obviously know they will not like, even if you do not. Unfortunately this includes Codexers.

 

[skyway]

I like the people who think that actual devs posting here will somehow stop the constant decline...

But still, I have a question for Anthony. You spend time on the Codex, answering questions of retarded people, who bash the company you work for and I assume its an alright place to work in. Why do you bother? I mean, its not like your comments will sell copies and you are hopefully not as obsessive as VD. You even created an LP here instead on the Obsidian boards. Why do you do all of this?

 

[Seboss]

Mr Davis has some guts for coming over here to get his employer's name and coworkers dragged in the mud on every single occasions, you'll have to admit that.

 

[Wyrmlord]

Why do you do all of this?

He and MLMarkland have been assimiliated.

As they all are.

 

[denizsi]

I think I know what part of the problem is, I mean besides general belligerence

General belligerence? Beside me and skyway (metalcraze), everyone wrote supportive posts, also expressing sincere disappointment (including me) in cancellation of Aliens RPG, not to mention that Obsidian gets plenty of pity points around these forums. You call a few posters bombarding you with skepticism as general belligerence? How can you ever face criticism, if at all, for your work in your work environment with such an attitude, I wonder. With denial? Two people out of majority in a thread that's so far 3 pages long, you find the environment hostile.

Working at Obsidian must like a lollercoaster where no one needs to face criticism at face value and works submitted are lotteried to prevent hard feelings, which can also explain the bugs and cut content in Obsidian games :AnthonyDavis: (see what I just did there? pretty cool, don't you think?)

That, or, I don't know. Claiming general belligerence so far is downright bullshit, no matter how much you spin the disagreement label. What's next, developers coming to RPGCodex, hoping to cry and then running away in shock and fear?

Come to think of it, that's basically what Bethesda did.

Disagree all you want about design decisions and other issues,

It's not that WE disagree with what you have written here. It's that MILLIONS of Alien fans (as that's the kind of defense developers are using a lot these days) could be taken as an already-proven case:

If you are making the game we are making where there are moments of horror, you have to give them something new.

Funnily enough, I don't remember such new wild designs from either AVP games to give "the players something new". The games just kept throwing aliens at you, and guess what: mainstream reception was very high and they sold very good.

This leads me to think that you have adapted so good to unoriginal way of thinking, you don't even realize you're being unoriginal. You have this whole angle of "gotta shock/surprise the player!" mindset. Compare that to total screen time of the alien in Alien, the best movie in the series: it is pretty insignificant. Yet, it's still a brilliant movie even after you've seen it several times and the initial shock of finally facing the alien washes off. Now, Aliens was pretty much the opposite of that and introduced a lot of new things, but apart from the queen, nothing really served to "shock/surprise the audience with new & cool stuff!"

The only matter of disagreement here is that whether it may or may not be good practice to introduce new, wild subtypes of Alien species. One thing is for sure, as 4 movies, 2 spin offs and several games proved: it's not even remotely a matter of "you have to do something new" regarding alien physiology, to throw something at the player. Yes, the current canon has it that aliens take traits from the host. But a sluggish monstrous variation?

So, there goes several working examples against your argument. So, being purely objective, that leaves only two options:

(1) You are a lot more prone to bad clichés of gaming industry than you're aware, as I've illustrated above. Throwing "new alien stuff" at player isn't a matter of obligation for success or quality. Yet you think so. Yet, numbers prove you dreadfully wrong.

(2) My original argument holds true. That you find this approach a lot more original, to inject your own idea to take some liberties with probably the most unnecessary aspect of the game that might need it -alien physiology/anatomy- instead of, well, since I don't know the details of the game, I can't make a comparison to whatever else was or wasn't planned. Nonetheless. You're doing it because of your own incentive to introduce something, and if the first case isn't true for you (ie. you really aren't that clichéd and ordinary as a game development studio to think such cheap tricks *are* necessary), this can only mean that you find these new designs very original, very worthy of an Alien game.

Now, at this point, whether they are really original and worthy is, by some degree, a matter of opinion and disagreements, but then comes 2 other points:

(2-a): You've really screwed the basic alien design, which is about, repeating myself for the third time:

a cold killing machine that's an amalgam of sexuality and rape in its biomachine-like anatomy and aesthetics.

This is not something I'm pulling out of my ass either. Other than that this particular commentarie has been made by every director, screenwriter and every actor and actress to have starred in either mobie, it is a prevailing theme through the whole series. There is always someone or some people in complete awe of the elegance of aliens, and some of them go deeper than that to make commentaries on their physiology and their agile abilities. You change basic alien design to a sluggish creation of monstrosity, you have lost the key to understanding Alien.

(2-b): You have contradicted yourself. You have claimed that it was a necessity to throw new alien stuff at the player. Well, I did point out why you're wrong about that. Which either takes to (2) and to (2-a) from there, or to here, which means you've made a mistake. It happens, though, and it's ok.

Oh but never mind any of that, blaming it on belligerence and simple matter of disagreements is a better cope out.

 

[Gay-Lussac]

As for the rest of your comment, shrug.

And that is probably why this title was deservingly shitcanned after your team's inability to accurately describe game mechanics pissed someone off who held the license quality controls.

Obsidianate: "...and so the player uses stealth against the xenos -"

IP Control Exec: *spews coffee across the meeting table* "STEALTH?! Did none of you fuckers ever watch the movies?!"

Quite cute that you think anyone outside of these forums is as nerdy as you to actually care about that. ALIENS SENSE OF SMELL IZ SIRIUS BUZINESS!

 

[Rosh]

Rosh, Morgoth makes a more or less acceptable point.

Alot of Codexers bought it too. And they even have to state the obvious about recycled characters. BioWare already recycled entire dialogue from Hordes Of The Underdark into KotOR, and there were gamers who were surprised they did it again?

Fact: People do play games that they obviously know they will not like, even if you do not. Unfortunately this includes Codexers.

Implying that they are pathetic in getting a game anyways to make a critical opinion is really wrong. What should they have done instead? Pirate it? Sometimes it is like a train wreck, you just can't help but watch as it happens. I'd say that a site that has willing critics like that, which aren't going to sugar coat their review of a game, is sorely needed to cut through the noise of the ignorant fast food reject media writers.

If Obsidian wanted to talk to mindlessly devoted fanboys despite title after unfinished title who still believe that Obsidian somehow will ever release a finished, polished game, they can do that on their own forums.

Eventually, I do believe folks here will stop wasting their money to see the accidental horror show. Sometimes it isn't worth it, especially in this economy, and with all the lame copycatting and crappy work going on - it doesn't take much to guess why this industry is heading for another crash like in 1983.

 

[Rosh]

Quite cute that you think anyone outside of these forums is as nerdy as you to actually care about that. ALIENS SENSE OF SMELL IZ SIRIUS BUZINESS!

Quite cute that you think everyone has the mentality you seem to hold tightly onto like a stuffed teddy bear.

OMG, KEWL PARTICAL EFFEX! TEH BESTEST GMAE EVAR!

I do not care about fast food rejects. Run along now.

 

[FeelTheRads]

Oh, boy... dumbshits, waves of dumbshits.

No, alien sense of smell is certainly not important in a game about aliens. Nothing really is. You just have to enjoy it for what it is!!!!!111 Don't complain about unimportant stuff and if you have important stuff to complain about don't either because it's not Obsidian's fault!!!!!1

 

[M_I_C_K_E_Y_M_O_U_S_E]

Denizsi, he pretty much called them boss fights, right? Or at least that they weren't common? Why don't you ask for the concept art of whatever aliens are used as filler, rather than, you know assume "OMG OBSIDIAN GOT IT WRONG!!!1".

 

[Black]

Never paid for an Obsidian game, never will.
Come to think of it, haven't paid for a game in several years now...

Dang, you're suck a rebel. Wonder who'll play you in the film.

 

[obediah]

Obsidian is just the lap dog of Bioware and Bethesda, the one time they get to do a game of their own, AP is what we get.

Oh, you mean AP isn't a ME prequel?

 

[BearBomber]

Eventually, I do believe folks here will stop wasting their money to see the accidental horror show. Sometimes it isn't worth it, especially in this economy, and with all the lame copycatting and crappy work going on - it doesn't take much to guess why this industry is heading for another crash like in 1983.

>>>Except it's not. There were no Nintendo/Sony/Microsoft/random Jap developer fanboys, Sims fans, sport games fans, casual players and MMO players that will buy games today no matter how shitty they'll be. There is no way for 1983 kind of crash to happen again.

 

[Rosh]

Oh, boy... dumbshits, waves of dumbshits.

No, alien sense of smell is certainly not important in a game about aliens. Nothing really is. You just have to enjoy it for what it is!!!!!111 Don't complain about unimportant stuff and if you have important stuff to complain about don't either because it's not Obsidian's fault!!!!!1

Well said.

You know, it's that kind of brain-dead lack of attention to any setting detail that gave rise to many of these cheapass clones, where setting is placed around the features list. It is also what has been causing a decline in game quality in terms of design in favor of cashing in on puerile appeal like romances and MGS/Full Spectrum Warrior rip-off gameplay that does neither the CRPG or FPS parts decently.

Sales figures have become the biggest lie in the industry.

You can consider sales numbers in raw numbers to be good, as marketing and PR like to prop up, but here's the problem. Most sales are now going for global, and they are often barely skimming the amount of big time hits in the past with those numbers. Given international distribution costs, advertising, and legal matters, it bites further into the overall profit, meaning that 1M in sales globally is far, far less impact than 1M domestically.

Something to think about.

 

[MetalCraze]

One thing is for sure, as 4 movies, 2 spin offs and several games proved: it's not even remotely a matter of "you have to do something new" regarding alien physiology, to throw something at the player. Yes, the current canon has it that aliens take traits from the host. But a sluggish monstrous variation?

I think Anthony probably wanted to say something akin to trying to scare you with the same tricks/monsters is getting old fast (which is correct when it comes to implementation of Doom3) but even if its the case I agree - the problem is in Obsidian's solution. No matter how much new stuff you will put in the game, if it's silly or feels out of place - it won't help (much like it was with a fail addon to AvP2 - hey let's now drop 6 alien queens into the game!)
Also just look at Alien 3. After akshun-packed aliens where hordes of bugs were being killed by brave spacemarines, like a single alien never took down a whole crew in the first movie - they've made a movie where the only thing they've changed when it comes to Alien is his appearance while he still had exactly the same traits - and also a setting which was now a monstrous jail. And the movie didn't flip for some reason, even if it was basically a return to the old stuff. And then look at the awful Alien 4 driven by that terrible philosophy "let's drop in as much new stuff as possible" incl. human-like Alien which was a most stupidest idea there.
Also the monsters are getting old only when you put hordes of them down and apparently it's much more interesting when even 2 or 3 aliens can't get old if they are real killing machines from Alien 1/3 which you don't simply grind. So why invent a bike when such stuff still works?

 

[denizsi]

Could any of you please kill skyway dead? I'm getting sick of filtering posts just because skyway/metalcraze, humanity's biggest waste product, keeps spamming crap in threads that could be interesting. Developers should be encouraged to post here, not nerd raged upon from people who love nothing and contribute nothing.

Uh... venting time is over. Back to filtering.

If developers are to be whiny little emofags who are unable to take their shit or at the very least, ignore/filter what they perceive to be belligerence, then maybe they shouldn't come here at all. And if Codexers are to conform to whiny little emofags, perhaps they should sooner STFU & GTFO.

Case in point: MisterSmileyFaceDude. After all the bullshit he spewed about Oblivion (which was tragic because he himself seemed to believed in them), I don't know what more he could possibly have to contribute here. The same goes for anyone. No free rides.

Other than that it's amusing to see codex bashing the only game company which makes somewhat decent 'aaa' rpg titles nowadays(hopefully they've learned from nwn2 engine by now) but i suppose there isn't anythign codex doesn't bash.

I don't like ^this kind of attitude; it's getting old seeing the same failed abortion of an argument, the "they're the only ones making aaa rpg titles, so we should suck their cocks. I do, it's delicious, mmmmmm" silliness. BUT, it's not really your or other chipmunks' fault since you couldn't tell shit from cream cake if your face was buried in either, and that your ilk isn't going away anytime soon, so it's ok, we're living with that. In the meantime, you could at the very least get the hints and take up some reading comprehension and forming own opinions and objective and realistic assessments.

And so can developers. Codex wasn't supposed to be a lollercoaster with plenty of free rides.

Denizsi, he pretty much called them boss fights, right? Or at least that they weren't common? Why don't you ask for the concept art of whatever aliens are used as filler, rather than, you know assume "OMG OBSIDIAN GOT IT WRONG!!!1".

Which I pointed out (that those new alien sub-types would be boss fights), and if you had passed the reading comprehension check, you'd notice that I didn't comment on an Alien game having such boss fights at all.

But it's correct: when you see a sluggish towering monstrosity that's supposedly another alien, it's no longer alien. Unless of course, you adore Fallout 3 and think that the super<s>orcs</s>mutants and Behemoths in Fallout 3 made perfect sense, totally Fallout.

I think Anthony probably wanted to say something akin to trying to scare you with the same tricks/monsters is getting old fast (which is correct when it comes to implementation of Doom3) but even if its the case I agree - the problem is in Obsidian's solution. No matter how much new stuff you will put in the game, if it's silly or feels out of place - it won't help (much like it was with a fail addon to AvP2 - hey let's now drop 6 alien queens into the game!)
Also just look at Alien 3. After akshun-packed aliens where hordes of bugs were being killed by brave spacemarines, like a single alien never took down a whole crew in the first movie - they've made a movie where the only thing they've changed when it comes to Alien is his appearance while he still had exactly the same traits - and also a setting which was now a monstrous jail. And the movie didn't flip for some reason, even if it was basically a return to the old stuff. And then look at the awful Alien 4 driven by that terrible philosophy "let's drop in as much new stuff as possible" incl. human-like Alien which was a most stupidest idea there.
Also the monsters are getting old only when you put hordes of them down and apparently it's much more interesting that even 2 or 3 aliens can't get old if they are real killing machines from Alien 1/3 which you don't simply grind. So why invent a bike?

All of which is why relying solely on actual Alien encounters as to need something new at all to drive a game means fail. Alien universe has enough material for a proper RPG, some of which I've mentioned:

wrote:
First of all, I only addressed the two pictures. I didn't talk at all about the story and what was going on at the location for the game.

Indulge us. I had some faith in an Aliens RPG because the setting is full of intriguing elements. Corporate interest conflicts, humanitarian questions, basic survival with limited supplies, camping among survivors ie. civil unrest, conflict between civilians and military/security force in a situation going to hell millions of miles away from anywhere that's somewhere in the universe etc. An Aliens RPG may have had a lot more interesting situations for a good RPG than most other settings.

 

[Rosh]

>>>Except it's not. There were no Nintendo/Sony/Microsoft/random Jap developer fanboys, Sims fans, sport games fans, casual players and MMO players that will buy games today no matter how shitty they'll be. There is no way for 1983 kind of crash to happen again.

Keep on believing that, and then wonder where your beloved franchises go to, sold off and becoming the property of other companies as they are bought out. We've seen the decline of TES, id get bought out (so much for e-sports and FPS fans), and the copy/paste sports games, among others.

Yes, I say decline, because what was once a high domestic sales figure is now being put on the same level as global sales. 1M sales to 300M people is hardly the same as 1M sales to 6.7B people.

Oh, should I also mention the growing number of starting developers in other countries, while the US developers are having to consolidate, are being bought out, and in fact, closing shop entirely?

I've seen this happen repeatedly for quite some time.

 

[Hümmelgümpf]

Keep on believing that, and then wonder where your beloved franchises go to, sold off and becoming the property of other companies as they are bought out. We've seen the decline of TES, id get bought out (so much for e-sports and FPS fans), and the copy/paste sports games, among others.

Yes, I say decline, because what was once a high domestic sales figure is now being put on the same level as global sales. 1M sales to 300M people is hardly the same as 1M sales to 5B people.

Oh, should I also mention the growing number of starting developers in other countries, while the US developers are having to consolidate, are being bought out, and in fact, closing shop entirely?

I've seen this happen repeatedly for quite some time.

It's like that thing Cleve's been talking about.

 

[BearBomber]

>>>Except it's not. There were no Nintendo/Sony/Microsoft/random Jap developer fanboys, Sims fans, sport games fans, casual players and MMO players that will buy games today no matter how shitty they'll be. There is no way for 1983 kind of crash to happen again.

Keep on believing that, and then wonder where your beloved franchises go to, sold off and becoming the property of other companies as they are bought out. We've seen the decline of TES, id get bought out (so much for e-sports and FPS fans), and the copy/paste sports games, among others.

Yes, I say decline, because what was once a high domestic sales figure is now being put on the same level as global sales. 1M sales to 300M people is hardly the same as 1M sales to 6.7B people.

Oh, should I also mention the growing number of starting developers in other countries, while the US developers are having to consolidate, are being bought out, and in fact, closing shop entirely?

I've seen this happen repeatedly for quite some time.

>>>I'm not sying that industry won't get smaller, or that nothing is wrong, but there is a number of people that will prevent total failure/abandon ship kind o f crisis. The ID softwere may get bought, the EA game may fall, but there will always be people who don't care about the industry and that will buy new sport game very year, there are hardcore nintendo fans that will buy N new games no matter how uninnovative it will be etc. There may be steady decline but I don't belive in giantic ciris. VG are not hobby anymore, they're part of pop culture with many companies, and wide audience. No matter how shitty movies/comic books/tv series will get ther will be no movies/comic books/tv series crisis. They may disappear someday, but it will be long process, not one game failure destroying whole industry.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

Speaking about decline, one factor that contributes to the poor situation about the state of (PC) games right now are fucking pirates, something that many Codexers are very keen to commit themself.
Or how many times have I read here "It's shit anyways, I'll remove it from the inventory", but also from the same people have to listen to the pathetic weeping why there are no decent RPGs being made anymore.

 

[denizsi]

Demagogue +1