I hope I haven't just started something there.
So the introduction movie for Mysteries of Westgate has been posted on the Vault and it's receiving mixed feedback. It's difficult for me to see what some of the criticisms are--the encrusted diamonds on my 30" platinum-coated monitor tend to reflect an obscuring light on to the screen--but it seems that it's low-budget compared to the legacy game's opening movie, and not reflective of the backing and hype the adventure pack has received. Now think about both of those points for a second and apply some logic and you'll realize why I'm glad to be heading off for a week-long vacation tomorrow.
Yeah, it's been frustrating alright. I recall a conversation this time last year where the game was almost finished and we were hoping for a nicely appropriate Halloween release. I don't need to complete the second part of that thought, I expect.
In other news, I haven't yet decided on the fate of the Blades of Netheril. I am, however, very happy with the evident enthusiasm the community still has for the project. Thank you all for your feedback, words of encouragement, and occasional chastisement. The response was greater than I expected, and there was even a thread dedicated to my dilemma. Burning effigies of my devilishly handsome self were heart-warmingly absent.
Now then. Off to the Greek isles for a week or sun, surf, and Steven Erikson. Yep, Toll the Hounds. Has anyone else considered just how well the Malazan world would translate to a CRPG or, in fact, an MMO? Honestly; it's perfect. Tell me I'm lying, and I'll call you a Sicilian.
Laterz.
Monday, 7 July 2008
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21 comments:
Have a great trip, Luke! Say hello to the ocean and sunlight for me -- I'll be in an underground bunker-like science center computer lab teaching high schoolers how to program Java amidst a small army of pale, flickering screens, bastions of light in an otherwise dark and shadowy realm.
PS: Not bitter at all. Not even one bit. Don't know what you're talking about.
Don't let it get to you, guys. The whiners are always louder than the content unfortunately. Whatever belly-aching people are doing because of the wait, I still think they're going to get it. Especially when the rest of us do, and talk about how much fun it was, as I'm sure it will be.
JasonNH
A lot of the 'hype' seemed to come from certain vocal corners of the community who ended up disappointing themselves, as far as I can see. Most are keen to have new content, and everyone wants things sooner rather than later.
Enjoy greece - you picked a good time to flee the UK rain!
I'm sad that Ossian's got shafted like this. MoW should have been released ages ago. Maybe Atari can get it right with the second adventure pack Mhm.
Bon Voyage!
I didn't really see all that much hype. And anyway, what do the quality of the intro movie (which I'd called perfectly good) and some shitty decisions of the publisher have to do with the module's quality.
But since your NWN1 module was great, I don't see why this one shouldn't be.
Now, if Atari will let me buy it without a credit card...
Yeah, and maybe Atari will get their act together and release the damned thing. Jeez, it's been almost a full year since it was finnished!
PS:The intro looked perfectly fine to me.
Since I left my "mixed feelings" on the vault page, I might as well leave a word of encouragement here.
Look, I love everything what you (or ossian) has done so far. Daggerford was great... and I'd buy MoW at twice the price atari will ask for. I'd buy it for friends if it could help getting the adventure pack out this month... but it won't, of course.
Regarding the trailer.. ok, but not great. Voted in consequence. Voice acting was good but the content was disappointing (not including those sea monsters). And don't tell me there wasn't any "hype" with ELEVEN spotlights I tried to avoid (to keep some surprises...), previews in a major game mag and RPG websites, interviews with Alan, a game session, photoshoots and months (a year?) of "we have a big thing coming" on various NWN blogs. I don't complain about it, it's just that expectations were built up!
I will play MoW the moment there's confirmation the security check is not screwing up computers... and I wish you a great time in Greece!
Fardoche77
I'm still not sure what people were expecting from an intro *regardless* of the hype. The NWN2 engine is there, did you expect Ossian to magically update it to produce a cutscene of never-before seen quality?
I think it's a great intro for a NWN2 mod. The only thing I find weird is the talk of Westgate being sighted, when they are literally in the harbor, but eh. :p
Mood-wise I think it's spot on. Really dig the sounds especially, and the music is really nice as well.
As for comments on the Vault, I think it's a mix of two things. First, as sad as it is, people will take out their anger of the delay at Ossian even if the problem is out of Ossians hands. And secondly, because the mod is being charged for, people will descend to new levels of ass-hattery (just check out some of the comments on the MotB page). Don't get me wrong, I think it's good that people are critical of a product that is being charged for, but since we're on the Internet... Yep.
I really feel for Ossian however in regards to the delay. Man I hope this thing will be out soon. Not only do I want to play it, but I think it will be like a huge relief to the community somehow, heh.
Have a nice vacation!
Fardoche77,
Nice dig about the eleven spotlights you thought were "hype." I can assure you that the internal conversation from our end was something like "we feel bad about all the waiting our fans are being put through. Why don't we do something nice to TRY to alleviate their suffering."
Disbelieve that rationale all you want, but no one involved with those made a single penny for doing them. So much for good intentions. We should have just let you all twist I guess...
Oh, if the truth about MoW were ever known...
Huh? I thought MoW was released ages ago! The intro was up on IGN's site for 4 months already. Man, Atari dropped the ball this time. I feel sorry for Ossian.
putriD
Have a wonderful trip!
Maddyanne
"Sicilians are great liars. The best in the world. I'm a Sicilian. And my old man was the world heavyweight champion of Sicilian liars. And from growin' up with him I learned the pantomime. Now there are seventeen different things a guy can do when he lies to give him away. A guy has seventeen pantomimes. A woman's got twenty, but a guy's got seventeen. And if you know 'em like ya know your own face, they beat lie detectors to hell. What we got here is a little game of show and tell. You don't wanna show me nothin'. But you're tellin' me everything. Now I know you know where they are. So tell me, before I do some damage you won't walk away from."
True Romance
written by Quentin Tarantino
Sorry, your post just reminded me of that classic scene. Anyhow, have fun in Greece. As far as I am concerned, Crete = Atlantis, so it should be an inspiring trip. You may get less of the book read than you think.
Alazander,
You are not the only one who has thought about how brilliantly the Malazan world (Seven Cities foremost in mind to me), would convert to a Neverwinter Persistant World. I would be fibbing if I said the PW I'm working on wasn't influenced greatly by that setting (among others).
That said, I'm betting it will convert even better to Dragon Age, because of the "all magic is magic" system as opposed to the divine/arcane D&D split system.
And I'm secure enough in my masculinity to say I bawled like a baby at the end of Memories of Ice. To me, that's still the highpoint of the series.
Have a Happy Vacation,
RangerSG
Shawn
@RangerSG
You're not the only one who bawled there. I'm not sure if someone who is not heartbroken at the end of Memories of Ice really has a heart.
I don't really care for Erikson's books. They're not really books you can put down and pick up a few days later and have any idea what's going on. I guess that makes me some kind of Italian, eh?
I also don't see how anyone can say MoW wasn't hyped with a straight face. Saying you didn't get paid to hype it or we accidentally hyped it because our fans were "suffering"(fans in Darfur?) so it's not hype is missing the "rational" part of "rationale".
But anyway, what did you expect to happen? People are mad, you all have been dangling that carrot for a while now. They're also way past the "wow new things awesome 10!" phase. You aren't above criticism.
They say worse about Atari.
Sorry, Luke, for hijacking your blog.
OK, dirtywick, back your crap up. What - exactly - have we done to merit your criticism? We aren't "above it" after all, so let it fly! What should we - i.e. Ossian - have done differently?
I think I need to stand back because I'm about to be dazzled by the ignorance of someone who hasn't the first clue what's actually happened... but then I need a good laugh.
haha! Yeah, get mad at me. I'll tell you one thing right now, whatever "really happened" with the delays people are angry about, it wasn't anything I did.
I didn't criticise anything (except your argument that putting out a lot of pre-release info isn't hype if your heart is in the right place, which was just bizarre on it's face), if you'll read carefully. I merely stated I understand where this criticism is coming from. People are mad about the situation and will be pointing the finger at you all, it's that simple. And some of it's valid because no matter how good MoW is, it's not going to be perfect (i.e. it'll be criticized) I don't see what's so hard to understand about that.
Instead of taking it stride or taking a minute to read what I wrote instead of venting on me (I've never said anything bad about MoW ever, or Ossian for that matter), you know, like a professional, you're sitting there belittling me. Of course, basically calling me an idiot is sure to make you look like the bigger man here.
Not exactly dazzling, I know. Next time I'll find some sparkly font.
Switching temporarily to the *other* topic addressed in this log post, AL4 - The Blades of Netheril.
It is a bit of a let down to carry the same character through an entire series, and at the end of the third episode be told in so many words that the fourth and final episode of the series would wind things up.
THEN suddenly be faced with the potential of not being able to finish the series with the proper character.
There is no possible way to take an existing character in NWN1 and convert it into an equivalent character in NW2. It can't be done.
Gezer
Gosh... people need to calm down a little. I guess I would be cranky too if my project was held back and held back forever.
But there's no need for insults. Look, English isn't my first language, but when I said hype, I didn't want to imply there was anything wrong with making money out of it. On the contrary, I wish you'd get paid enough to work on NWN2 full time.
I just thought the trailer was a little disappointing, and didn't want to imply anything bad about MoW itself, let alone insulting its creators.
We all care a lot about this game (maybe too much actually). A tiny little criticism shouldn't be received with all this hostility.
Your Fan,
Fardoche77
Hope you're having a good trip, Luke.
As for MoW, personally, I think that the intro video was amazing. It did a very good job setting up the game and combining the "traditional" b&w artwork we've gotten from the core game beginnings and endings with cut scene work that was evocative of Westgate.
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