Alex Ward to Burnout Paradise Haters: Cry More and Merry F***ing Christmas

[squicken]

http://www.criteriongames.com/burnou...errychristmas/

Just wanted to say 'Merry Christmas' to all. It's great to see that so many people have downloaded the demo and are enjoying it. But there do seem to be a lot of misconceptions floating around so I thought I'd try and answer some of them.

We hear you, but...

The demo was made AFTER work on Paradise was completed, so no, we won't be using internet 'feedback' to tune the game.

It's only a demo

Everyone breathe, relax, and remember, it's only a demo - we think we made THE best demo released all year - you don't see many other games getting an online enabled demo up on both systems before launch.

Personally speaking, I don't believe it is possible to even capture the essence of this new Burnout experience (and I use the word 'experience' there deliberately because this new Burnout is an experience that YOU choose how to play rather than us forcing a game structure on you - when the rest of you get to play the full game I am confident you will agree) in a single demo. So we picked a couple of things and a small area in which to play.

This is not some other game

For everyone constantly comparing the game to other games rather than see the game for what it is - all I can say is that this game isn't those games.

It isn't TDU that's for sure, even though many of you seem to swear that it is (and you haven't played it either). TDU is one of my favourite games - (the 'Millionaire Challenge' was a real highpoint) but it isn't Burnout and Burnout isn't TDU.

City size

Paradise City was hand built for Burnout gameplay - racing, fighting, jumps, stunts, shortcuts and crashing. Other games feature huge spaces with tons of repetition - whilst technically nice we didn't feel that was right for our game - so we hand built the city. It may be smaller than other games but it runs at twice the framerate, has no loading, and features WAY more gameplay than ANY other open world game out there. We have always believed that GAMEPLAY comes first.

Which Burnout is best?

With any Criterion game we believe in moving forward and creating something new that has never been created before. For all the people we see arguing over which Burnout is best, then all we can do is smile. They are all different and we made them that way.

As we have said many many times already this year - each Burnout is a reflection of who we were AT THAT TIME. And times change and so do we. We don't see this with many other games - they often do one thing and then stick to it. Whereas Burnout has always and will always be about evolution. We're quite open about this, and we've said it many times and in many interviews so it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone really. Just because we do something in one game never means it may or will come back in another.

As to those who can proclaim from a taste of the demo that Burnout 2 was the best game (always nice to see all those Gamecube owners on the internet who haven't played the game since B2! ) or that B3 is the better game - again, I can only smile. Those of us who have made the games dearly love those games but we're confident that if you love those games too then you will love Paradise. All of the B2 stuff is in there (and all of the original music including the never before heard original B3 soundtrack) - it's a WAY WAY better game than B2 or B3. At least that's the way we feel about it.

Online customization

Well the game is all about freedom and the online stuff is DEEP, the custom route stuff is very well done and yes you can create any type of race you want. As for no online racing in the demo, well, there was a limit on how much of our work we wanted to give away FOR FREE. If you want to experience the rest of it then YOU HAVE TO BUY THE GAME.

Showtime

'OMG The Crash Mode suXXors'.... Hmm, again, none of you have played it yet. N'Gai Croal at Level Up seems to like it. It's not Crash Mode, it never was - it never could be. There was no way we would have created a linear and limited experience in a massively open game that is about freedom, expression and seamless play. Again, try it for yourself and make up your own mind. Don't let the internet do it for you. We feel that a crash experience where YOU choose when to start and stop it, YOU choose where to play it, and YOU experiment with is way better than anything we built before.

No retry!

Oh, what were they thinking.... Well, you can go anywhere and do anything in any order - despite talking about this on all of our podcasts (when not too distracted by all the bad spelling in all of the letters we receive) it seems that few people really understand this yet. And to be honest, why should they, when the game's not out yet!

But it will be next month!! The lack of retry really isn't an issue. You may disagree, but we don't feel it is and retry would have introduced loading into the game, which we didn't want to do. In fact, we hate loading with a passion now. Games like Burnout Paradise and Uncharted Drake's Fortune (and Haze I think and GTA) keep you IN THE GAME rather than watching what is usually a very dull screen. (At least we used to write special tips for our load screens when we did them, most people simply do nothing....)


So we hope that you all enjoy playing the demo over the next couple of weeks. We certainly had a very busy 2007 making the game, and we're really proud of the end result. I hope that this answered a few questions. If it didn't, then oh well, at least we tried.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from everyone here at Criterion Games.


Regards

Alex Ward and The Burnout Team

[Son of Godzilla]

So like... Croal is a name to drop now? N'Gai likez it, why don't you!

[WickedLaharl]

what a dick

[Chairman Yang]

After Black, Alex Ward's talk is like the bleating of sheep to my ears.

[JdFoX187]

I love developers who refuse to listen to criticism.

[Maggot9]

I hate when developers do this. Why do they feel they have to prove something to the people who dislike their game? Just STFU and let nature take its course, Jesus.

[lockload]

Wow what a ten ton cock he is

[Livin_Lovin]

Jesus. When does he come to my house and bend me over a table? All that shouting...

That being said, I think his game is brilliant and that the lack of a retry is its only true flaw.

[omg rite]

Wow, he REALLY comes across as a huge cock.

[Chao]

Plz drop the annoying radio station guy thing, nobody likes him, kthx

[Xeke]

Toolbag.

[kbear]

Anyone listen to 1up Yours? Shane and the other guys were saying the same thing... that the Burnout Paradise complaints were really unwarranted and that the full game is so much better. I forget exactly what they said. I'm still gonna get it.

[TheGreatDave]

So any issues I have are wrong. Gotcha.

[AltogetherAndrews]

I love developers who refuse to listen to criticism.

Oh please. People whine about every new thing Criterion tries. Crash mode? OMG they are ruining Burnout, cut that shit! Traffic checking? WTF is Criterion thinking, this sucks, good job on alienating everyone! Race crashbreaker? LOL!

[Mr Jared]

Cry More and Merry F***ing Christmas

Funny. I'll remember to tell him that come NPD day next month.

[PjotrStroganov]

No retry! Oh, what were they thinking.... Well, you can go anywhere and do anything in any order - despite talking about this on all of our podcasts (when not too distracted by all the bad spelling in all of the letters we receive) it seems that few people really understand this yet. And to be honest, why should they, when the game's not out yet!

This will be fun when people have finished all but a few challenges.

[Icarus]

All the whiners need a bitch slapping like this.

[Ravidrath]

Well deserving of his industry reputation as an insufferable cunt, it would seem.

EA's gonna muzzle him real quick-like after this, methinks... well, mehopes, at least.

[Bookey]

so online races are in the final game?

[f_elz]

After Black, Alex Ward's talk is like the bleating of sheep to my ears.

exactly

[Bad_Boy]

I thought squicken was alex ward for a sec lol, wondering what was with all the negative posts. Damn I need to read posts more carefully.
If the OP was alex ward, I wonder if the posts would be just as negative...

[JdFoX187]

Oh please. People whine about every new thing Criterion tries. Crash mode? OMG they are ruining Burnout, cut that shit! Traffic checking? WTF is Criterion thinking, this sucks, good job on alienating everyone! Race crashbreaker? LOL!

It's not that. It's how he goes out of his way to attack them and try to talk up how they're wrong. Like someone else said, just shut up and let the game run its course. If it sells well, they did something right. If it sells like shit, they did something wrong. Don't make long rants about how your way is right and all the haters should shut up. Reeks of elitism.

[AltogetherAndrews]

It's not that. It's how he goes out of his way to attack them and try to talk up how they're wrong. Like someone else said, just shut up and let the game run its course. If it sells well, they did something right. If it sells like shit, they did something wrong. Don't make long rants about how your way is right and all the haters should shut up. Reeks of elitism.

You weren't around for when Alex Ward was posting here, were you? Besides, the whiny GAFers have made whiny posts about a game they have played little more than a fraction of since that fraction was released, why shouldn't the developer be allowed to respond in turn?

[Psychotext]

We're right, you're wrong. F*ck off. It seems in this generation companies just loves telling us what we really want rather than what we thought we wanted.

[Keyser Soze]

Some people really are idiots and don't understand the game so I can see why he got angry... hell I even got angry trying to explain to people why they were stupidly hating a whole game based solely on the limitations of the game in the demo thread on this forum

EVER FUCKING INTERSECTION PEOPLE, EVERY ONE!!!!!

[RavenFox]

He's human and he has a right to speak. Just like we are allowed to give criticism he is allowed to stick up for his team and his product . Get a grip people. Developers aren't robots who have a switch to order them to sit back and take it.

[striKeVillain!]

...And with that I'll be skipping Paradise and waiting for DMC4. You're welcome.

[JdFoX187]

You weren't around for when Alex Ward was posting here, were you? Besides, the whiny GAFers have made whiny posts about a game they have played little more than a fraction of since that fraction was released, why shouldn't the developer be allowed to respond in turn?

No. What does that have to do with this rant?

[f_elz]

It's not that. It's how he goes out of his way to attack them and try to talk up how they're wrong. Like someone else said, just shut up and let the game run its course. If it sells well, they did something right. If it sells like shit, they did something wrong. Don't make long rants about how your way is right and all the haters should shut up. Reeks of elitism.

if the game tanks he will probably blame the gamers who didn't like it too

[squicken]

I thought squicken was alex ward for a sec lol, wondering what was with all the negative posts. Damn I need to read posts more carefully. If the OP was alex ward, I wonder if the posts would be just as negative...

Hey I agree with everything Alex Ward said there except for the bit about retry. That's going to be very annoying. Load times > backtracking

[Elios83]

He seems a bit (too much) bitter for the bad reception they had on their demo :/
It's definitely not with arrogance that he can change things, many people didn't like the direction they took with Paradise. He could just shut up and hope that there will be many people liking it, I will skip it because I hated the demo and I've not 70€ to spend just to give them a possibility for something I haven't enjoyed

[beermonkey@tehbias]

Yet another developer who thinks if you don't like his game, you are just an idiot.

[Kabuki Waq]

his Damage controlling for lack of a retry option is pathetic.

[AltogetherAndrews]

He's human and he has a right to speak. Just like we are allowed to give criticism he is allowed to stick up for his team and his product . Get a grip people. Developers aren't robots who have a switch to order them to sit back and take it.

And again, Alex got a lot of shit for Black not too long ago. So yeah, I'd excuse him for not feeling like being too diplomatic. What's more interesting is how offended message board people get when they are being addressed in ways that should be more than familiar considering their own attitudes.

Yet another developer who thinks if you don't like his game, you are just an idiot.

It's not really just about liking the game though, is it? People have all but written off an open world game based on a limited demo, and now these same people are accusing others of arrogance?

[PjotrStroganov]

Some people really are idiots and don't understand the game so I can see why he got angry... hell I even got angry trying to explain to people why they were stupidly hating a whole game based solely on the limitations of the game in the demo thread on this forum EVER FUCKING INTERSECTION PEOPLE, EVERY ONE!!!!!

Generalisation is quite easy when making a point no? Many people have made valid points when discussing certain aspects of the demo that are representative of the final game.

[f_elz]

Yet another developer who thinks if you don't like his game, you are just an idiot.

he always struck me as a pompous ass. well... around the time black was gonna come out.

[manxor]

All the reaction the demo has recieved just goes to show that no matter how great your demo is, it can always have a negative impact. I completely understand when devs wait a few weeks after a game's out before dropping a demo.

[Son of Godzilla]

Showtime 'OMG The Crash Mode suXXors'.... Hmm, again, none of you have played it yet. N'Gai Croal at Level Up seems to like it. It's not Crash Mode, it never was - it never could be. There was no way we would have created a linear and limited experience in a massively open game that is about freedom, expression and seamless play. Again, try it for yourself and make up your own mind. Don't let the internet do it for you. We feel that a crash experience where YOU choose when to start and stop it, YOU choose where to play it, and YOU experiment with is way better than anything we built before. No retry! Oh, what were they thinking.... Well, you can go anywhere and do anything in any order - despite talking about this on all of our podcasts (when not too distracted by all the bad spelling in all of the letters we receive) it seems that few people really understand this yet. And to be honest, why should they, when the game's not out yet! But it will be next month!! The lack of retry really isn't an issue. You may disagree, but we don't feel it is and retry would have introduced loading into the game, which we didn't want to do. In fact, we hate loading with a passion now. Games like Burnout Paradise and Uncharted Drake's Fortune (and Haze I think and GTA) keep you IN THE GAME rather than watching what is usually a very dull screen. (At least we used to write special tips for our load screens when we did them, most people simply do nothing....)

The amount of dissonance in this man's mind must be nightmarish. How is this anything other than "It's Okay Because You Choose When And Where, No You Don't Need To Choose When And Where"?

[Forsete]

Funny. I'll remember to tell him that come NPD day next month.

lawl, got him thur!
Ah, NPD, my fav game of all time.

Plz drop the annoying radio station guy thing, nobody likes him, kthx

Agreed.. Hated him from the start, in fact I hate all thse DJ dudes.
SSX, Burnout, NFS.

[Ether_Snake]

They should learn not to comment on criticism if they can't handle it.

[Mash]

I was going to defend this but then I realised the main essence of this ramble was "don't judge a game by its demo" which kind of fried my brain.

[Hydro_Alexis]

Wow what a ten ton cock he is

So over half of the population of GAF must love him then?

[Thunderbear]

He could of expressed himself better but he's not being worse than all the internet critics of the demo. It's just all around sad.

As for the game, I think it looks like fun and I am getting it.

[Lostconfused]

It's not really just about liking the game though, is it? People have all but written off an open world game based on a limited demo, and now these same people are accusing others of arrogance?

Maybe he needs to have a talk with the guy at Realtime Worlds.

[RavenFox]

And again, Alex got a lot of shit for Black not too long ago. So yeah, I'd excuse him for not feeling like being too diplomatic. What's more interesting is how offended message board people get when they are being addressed in ways that should be more than familiar considering their own attitudes. It's not really just about liking the game though, is it? People have all but written off an open world game based on a limited demo, and now these same people are accusing others of arrogance?

Ex fucking actly

[reilo]

lol at all of you.

He's just talking to you in a voice that you should be familiar with. You know, a voice that you all use against each other.

Hypocritical, to say the least. If you can't take it, then don't dish it in the first place.

What's he supposed to say?

"Oh, you are all right! We fucked up the game! Don't buy it!"

[Xater]

This will be fun when people have finished all but a few challenges.

Exactly. I don't get the no retry thing. I can already see me being angry as hell to drive all the wayto the last event where don't have gold yet again and again and again. No retry is just a poor design decision imo. Putting events all over the fucking city is not a great solution for people like me who try an event again and again until they get it right.

[Burai]

If you don't want people to judge the finished product solely on a restrictive demo, maybe you shouldn't release a demo?

How fucking hard is that for him to understand?

[Ranger X]

Nice OP. The guy seem to be totally right.

[reilo]

If you don't want people to judge the finished product solely on a restrictive demo, maybe you shouldn't release a demo? How fucking hard is that for him to understand?

Wow. People.

Really.

Are you this fucking arrogant and stuck in your ways?

You'd BITCH relentlessly if they hadn't released a demo, and now you are bitching that they released a demo that is a glimpse of a game? Do any of you know the definition and the purpose of a demo?