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| On the next project and BWUs | |
| Posted By: Psychophan7 <psychophan7@gmail.com> | Date: 3/1/08 12:35 a.m. |
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So, with this week's update, I can only help but think one thing: I really don't like the way Luke writes. Of course, I've always had a dislike for Luke's writing; The boasting of leet skills, dumb memes, vague references to (personally) obscure movies, blatant references to sports (which I don't watch), and overall cockiness doesn't quite help his cause. At least in the podcasts, when not talking about sports, leet skills, or generally stupid and unrelated stuff, he's somewhat respectable; This is mostly referring to him just asking questions and being a journalist who knows enough about Bungie to not be completely ignorant (like some, perhaps many, news journalists are). But enough about Luke, onto the updates. Following, my thoughts on the next project where I tie this post together and you all start bashing me about bashing Bungie or agree with me with a generic answer. You can skip to the reply box and just make up a reply without actually reading this; I promise I'll try to know what you're talking about. The Bungie Weekly Updates
Fan Q&A updates are cheap and boring predictable. 10 people will ask about the next thing Bungie is doing. 5 people will ask about new maps. 3 people will voice complaints about a common problem. 2 people will ask questions about unrelated things. 1 person will ask about Recon. 15/21 questions will be answered with a response that means nothing or otherwise doesn't say anything other than that it can't be answered. The remaining 6 answers will be about unrelated nothings or just rehashings of past answers. A few examples of such questions and "responses:" Q: Are there any intentions on making a foundry like map set in the open instead of a warehouse?
A: Reception to Foundry has been really positive. We’re impressed with the types of content that folks have created with the tools at their disposal. This doesn't even answer the question. Why bother giving an answer if you're not going to actually answer the question? Saying that "Foundry is good," basically just says, "You want more than that!?" Q: Is it true that Recon is unlockable. I'm not asking for hints or for recon itself. Just wondering if it is truly unlockable.
A: No, it is NOT UNLOCKABLE. Bungie has to gift it to you. So please don’t spam mailboxes, or come up with crazy schemes. It will be a natural organic process. Bungie will give it to folks who’re cool, do something nice, play well, perform good deeds, whatever. They will NOT give it to anyone who harasses or harangues them. And don't complain about the vague criteria either, or you go on the "complainer" list of no Recon. It's quite a dick answer to give. Just a quick 'what if' scenario: I'm new Halo 3/XBL, my friends are telling me about Recon Armor. I ask a question about it because I don't know. Uh oh, I can't have it anymore because I wanted to put their rumors to rest! Funny thing? By saying that, I'm probably on the "complainer list" now because I complained about the answer that deals with complaints. Of course, I could have removed that to be safe, but if the criteria is basically, 'Don't ask or never recieve," I don't think I want to have a gift from a tool. It's almost like a kid looking at a gift under the Christmas tree and asking, "I wonder what is?" and having it immediately taken away by the parent/guardian. It's a bit of a stretch, but that doesn't mean that the 'policy' isn't any less dickish. Q: Any classic Halo CE remakes in the works?
A: We would not discuss that, nor reveal it in this fashion. Anything is possible. Nothing is certain. Whoo! "We can't remake maps without discussing it with Microsoft. If we can, we're going to get it put into print because we're press whores." That's what that answer says to me. I think it's a botched quote/reference at the end, too. This last example had me excited:
Shinzen declares with poison on his tongue:
When are you going to stop trying to be mysterious with your information? It was cute for the first 5 years or so, but now it's just stupid. It's not quite as retarded as the "hype machine" CliffyB (the internets only rockstar OMG!) mentioned recently, but it's pretty close. Seriously. Get over yourselves and make with the info. Yes, finally. Someone has the balls to try and force at least some kind of definitive answer. Surely, after something like this, we get some tiny, awesome tidbit of something? Ah, that would be telling! Let’s just say that information about information will be forthcoming! No. We get a garbage answer that, like 75% of the other answers, means nothing. I'd rather get nothing than be fed garbage. Past Updates I click each update expecting very little these days. Sometimes it might be something like a few shots of cool stuff, like new maps or the Macfarlene action figures. Often times, it's not. There is a whole lot of not. I remember when- Wait, that's a different section. I recall reading about 'Purple Reign' and 'Moonbase Alpha' back in... December. Those first one or two updates were good for one reason: They told you what the maps were without actually telling you anything about it. Hold on a second, that's not good. The updates were good because the described what the maps were and tried to ruse a nostalgic feel from you. Hmm, still not good... It must be something else that made them seem good. Moving along; Recent updates are horrible. Luke tells you what the maps are without telling you anything about them. "It's purple!" and the like. He tries to use nostalgia and references to things we've already seen in Halo. "'God rays' streaming in through broken windows like you'd see on Sierra 117," is a prime example. I can sum up all past and future updates about the maps with this: "It's awesome. Take my word for it." Now, unless the update is exclusively about maps and has pictures, that's all you're going to be reading. "It's awesome. I know it is, I've seen them and played on them. They're sweet and you're going to love them." Wow, I'm just so excited about the new maps now. On a somewhat related note, Ghost Town looks unfun. It's going to become Halo 3's Elongation. Aesthetically, it looks kind of okay. I wonder why people make a fuss when there is a week without an update... Pre-May '07 (Pre-Luke) I remember reading an update about Halo 3. It was written by Frankie. It detailed the level "The Storm" from campaign and the Scarab. However, we didn't know that it was The Storm or about a Scarab. You can re-read it here. This quote is from the previous one, though. It was a battle of such ferociously large scale, that it stood out even in the newly embiggened Halo 3. I mean, scale. Scale of combat and literal, physical scale. There's a couple of things I'm not at liberty to reveal about that encounter, and the one immediately before it, but it was big. Think dozens of fiery explosions, plasma fire coming from everywhere. Aerial combat in the skies above. Jerks with turrets on the ground below. Rockets flying everywhere and dozens of ways to approach the combat. It was epic and mind numbing, and still 100% Halo. I kind of want to play The Storm, now. Real gameplay, too, not a speedrun. But enough chatter. Doesn't Frankie's painting of words just make you salivate with anticipation? The updates were a canvas upon which he crafted. I dare say that Luke's writing is scribbling on the wall with crayon compared to Frankie. I fear that I won't salivate over anything Halo ever again, though... Halo Wars
Bet you didn't ssee this section coming. You better not have, because it wasn't part of the introduction area at the top of the post. Anyhow, I'm not psyched about Halo Wars. The concept art and few offerings Ensemble has given us are okay, but the just don't do it for me. However, unlike the BWU, Ensemble actually does something with these Monthly Updates; They—you know know what I'm going to say—provided content. It wasn't just a bunch of filler to appease the fans. They aren't Q&A fan services (one was, but it was for Grunt dialogue). They're content about the game. There aren't any glaring sportss references; There isn't a slurry of crap that, after reading, people won't care about; There isn't filler. Of course, there isn't any crafted paintings of salivation, but at least it's readable. The Next Project
If things continue the way they are, I can only imagine that less people will buy TNP (The Next Project) if the updates are written the same way. If the developer (or the developer's community team, for that matter) can't rouse interest in me with words, then they'll have to use pictures. Pictures isn't Bungie's game, from what a gather. All it took for me to get excited for Halo 3 was words. ViDocs and trailers were just icing in comparison. TNP has to have a phenomenal announcement trailer. Luke can't write the updates for them (it's easier to suggest this than "Luke needs to be fired.") Actual TNP content should be delivered less frequently than weekly filler (perhaps monthly). Simply put: I don't think things look good for Bungie's future. TNP is bound to get success from "new school" "Bungie" (Halo) fanboys, but for people like me who actually look at what the game is to see how it's coming along... I don't think they're going to do too well. AND IT'S ALL LUKE'S FAULT.* Two non-Halo examples (with a bonus third!):
Starcraft 2 caught my interest because of the semi-regular updates about new/changed units. The trailers had me salivating (one of which was just artwork set to music with some early gameplay footage). I wanted (and still want) more; I wanted more of a game I had virtually no interest in for the previous 10 years. I went off and starting looking at things related to Starcraft. I read a bit about the story, I went to YouTube and watched a few cutscenes. I talked with some friends about their opinions of the original 1998 Starcraft. Months later, I bought Starcraft to become familiar with the game and universe before SC2 comes out. It's fun. Being DT rushed by more experienced players is fun—sort of. It's like a test against time and trying to think clearly, remaining focused, and overcoming the odds that are stacked against your favor. It's kinda funny seeing one person take out a team of three. The Metroid Prime series. I've voiced my opinions about MP3 before, but this is different. I bought the Metroid Prime series because I just love the Metroid Series. Fanboyism for a franchise. If I recall correctly, Retro Studios' first game was Metroid Prime, so I couldn't have had any bias towards the game from past games. They did an amazing job with it, too, so of course I'd go back for more. The first two examples show how proper coverage of the game raises interest. The third example shows how love for the base franchise can support the branch (Metroid for Metroid Prime). Following this logic, I can deduce several things about TNP:
Final Thoughts
* All caps for comedic/dramatic effect. Obviously it's not entirely Luke's fault, but he certainly has quite a big role in it.
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| Replies: |
| On the next project and BWUs | Psychophan7 | 3/1/08 12:35 a.m. |
| Somebody knows html tags... | stan | 3/1/08 1:14 a.m. |
| Re: On the next project and BWUs | Simpsons Rule | 3/1/08 1:26 a.m. |
| Re: On the next project and BWUs | Mr Kint | 3/1/08 1:54 a.m. |
| Re: On the next project and BWUs | elpolloguapo | 3/1/08 9:28 a.m. |
| HTML rules | Hawaiian Pig | 3/1/08 1:54 a.m. |
| Re: On the next project and BWUs | KP | 3/1/08 2:41 a.m. |
| Re: On the next project and BWUs | gspawn | 3/1/08 4:24 a.m. |
| Re: On the next project and BWUs | Psychophan7 | 3/1/08 6:25 a.m. |
| True enough. | UrsusArctos | 3/1/08 11:47 p.m. |
| LOL @ n00b | Anton P. Nym (aka Steve) | 3/1/08 8:31 a.m. |
| Re: LOL @ n00b | Louis Wu | 3/1/08 10:25 a.m. |
| Re: On the next project and BWUs | PriorMarcus | 3/1/08 10:37 a.m. |
| Did you have to quote the whole thing? *NM* | J23 | 3/1/08 10:39 a.m. |
| Re: Did you have to quote the whole thing? | PriorMarcus | 3/1/08 10:42 a.m. |
| Re: On the next project and BWUs | Louis Wu | 3/1/08 10:39 a.m. |
| Re: On the next project and BWUs | elpolloguapo | 3/1/08 11:42 a.m. |
| Re: On the next project and BWUs | Ducain | 3/1/08 2:03 p.m. |
| Re: On the next project and BWUs | elpolloguapo | 3/1/08 5:03 p.m. |
| Re: On the next project and BWUs | Psychophan7 | 3/1/08 2:23 p.m. |
| Re: On the next project and BWUs | Louis Wu | 3/1/08 3:05 p.m. |
| Re: On the next project and BWUs | mr2noshoes | 3/1/08 10:49 p.m. |
| The probelm is... | stan | 3/1/08 3:43 p.m. |
| Re: The probelm is... | Psychophan7 | 3/1/08 4:24 p.m. |
| 100% agreed with Wu | Phoenix_9286 | 3/2/08 5:46 p.m. |
| Re: On the next project and BWUs | lukems | 3/3/08 1:23 p.m. |
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