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[Kosma]

Well at least we know who's to blame now.

BioWare has a message for critical fans who blame the company's perceived inadequacies on its corporate overlords at Electronic Arts. "I always chuckle because we are EA, we're BioWare -- we're both, and we still have huge autonomy in terms of what we do," co-founder Greg Zeschuk recently told Eurogamer.

Zeschuk and partner Ray Muzyka cover a lot of ground during the sit-down, and the docs indicate that they still play BioWare's games despite delegating day-to-day development duties to various project leads. "Most of our games, before we ship them, we finish them several times. The Old Republic, we're probably at that level or higher, in terms of hours," Zeschuk says.

Your BioWare game has also been "supplemented" by market research (to check you want it); mock reviews at a development milestones (to get an outside critical opinion); and tested by normal people. "They're never wrong," said Muzyka of testers. "It helps you craft tutorials, to refine the flow."

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-10-03-bioware-ea-doesnt-tell-us-what-to-do

 

[A Link to the Past]

I'll blame BioWare then.

 

[Xater]

No problem Bioware. I will happily continue to just blame you.

 

[markot]

"Way, way back, years ago, we didn't even consider those [commercial elements], we just made stuff,"

 

[Aaron]

Has there ever been a company that's made more excuses than Bioware? It seems most of their press releases are some form of passive-aggressive non-apology these days.

 

[DodgerSan]

Seems they should get back to not worrying about the commercial side and "just making stuff". It was better when the game was their first concern.

 

[Yagharek]

Has there ever been a company that's made more excuses than Bioware? It seems most of their press releases are some form of passive-aggressive non-apology these days.

Quantic Dream?

 

[Chinner]

i wonder how angry they get seeing themselves fall into obscurity.

 

[Kosma]

Has there ever been a company that's made more excuses than Bioware? It seems most of their press releases are some form of passive-aggressive non-apology these days.

I bet Denis Dyack would, if someone would let him.

 

[Dennis]

"They're never wrong," said Muzyka of testers. "It helps you craft tutorials, to refine the flow."

bwahahahha!!!!!!

 

[DeadRockstar]

If the testers are never wrong they must have hated DA2 as well.

 

[eastmen]

mass effect 2 and dragon age 2 were huge leaps backwards.

I really don't know whats going on with them , alot of the swtor changes are also in a bad direction

 

[peakish]

I don't know why people have blamed EA, I think they've been heading in this direction long before that acquisition. It's not the direction I had preferred after playing BG2 the first time, but eh, I've come to terms with it by now.

(In fact, though I haven't played much of it, I think the ME series as an action series looks much more interesting than Jade Empire or KotOR as an RPG series)

 

[Woo-Fu]

If the testers are never wrong they must have hated DA2 as well.

I suspect their testing pool isn't populated by 40-something man-children who grew up with D&D. I could be wrong.

 

[Dennis]

I suspect their testing pool isn't populated by 40-something man-children who grew up with D&D. I could be wrong.

bwahahahha!!!!!!

 

[Nuclear Muffin]

"Not that we're bound to it, but we think a lot more about the commercial elements than we used to," Zeschuk explained. "Way, way back, years ago, we didn't even consider those, we just made stuff. And some of the stuff we made, in retrospect, was kind of crazy, like MDK2 - that's just crazy!"

That pretty much says all that you need to know. But just in case it wasn't bad enough, here's more!

Your BioWare game has also been "supplemented" by market research (to check you want it); mock reviews at a development milestones (to get an outside critical opinion); and tested by normal people. "They're never wrong," said Muzyka of testers. "It helps you craft tutorials, to refine the flow."

Design by committee. Don't you just love it?

 

[toastyToast]

I'll buy Mass Effect 3 for $10 in 2014

 

[Aaron]

I suspect their testing pool isn't populated by 40-something man-children who grew up with D&D. I could be wrong.

I'd think D&D fans would be okay with cut and paste room descriptions. It's the fans of the first game they needed to watch out for.

 

[MaddenNFL64]

Yes, yes, they sold out, corporate whores.

And now they're worth $700 million bucks. It's worked out for them.

I like the shit they put out anyway.

 

[Woo-Fu]

As a fan of "Western RPGs" my opinion is that Bioware left the building around the time of KOTOR and Jade Empire and hasn't been seen since. Obsidian is the company making the games Bioware used to make, the games that I find most appealing. Mask of the Betrayer is the best thing since BG2.

 

[Kosma]

That pretty much says all that you need to know. But just in case it wasn't bad enough, here's more!



Design by committee. Don't you just love it?

It translates to: expect our games to be bland focus tested shit from now on.

MDK? That shit won't fly.

 

[kadotsu]

I'll buy Mass Effect 3 for $10 in 2014

You probably mean May 2012, at least on PC retail, which I will get because no Steam means no digital version for me.

 

[markot]

Yes, yes, they sold out, corporate whores.

And now they're worth $700 million bucks. It's worked out for them.

I like the shit they put out anyway.

To be fair, the guy who owned EA bought Bioware and made it part of EA... while he owned bioware >.<

 

[Kosma]

 

[Sipowicz]

this would hold weight if the shitty new syndicate/ssx games didn't exist or if EA hadn't destroyed the command and conquer franchise

 

[Dog Problems]

embarrassment.jpg

Perfect.

 

[Kosma]

this would hold weight if the shitty new syndicate/ssx games didn't exist or if EA hadn't destroyed the command and conquer franchise

You don't understand. No one would care about a top down RTS style game with few units in 2011.

Except the millions that play Dota/LOL/HON (not the same, but top down games aren't dead).

 

[Paz]

I thought DA2 was pretty damn bad but you guys attacking him for his comment on testers are way off base. Usability testing (which is what he's clearly referring to with his comments on flow and tutorials) is essential to game development and performed by pretty much every studio in the world.

The rest of what they say is pretty stupid though...

 

[AppleMIX]

I'm still amazed that people can't get over DA2.

 

[Ushojax]

I don't think I've ever known a company go to such craven lengths to try to apologise for releasing a complete turd like DA2 without actually doing so. Just admit the game was a piece of dog shit that failed in every way and let's move on. You didn't attract new customers with it, you didn't please existing fans, you just annoyed the people who paid money to play it.

 

[Rufus]

I'm still amazed that people can't get over DA2.

Why?

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

Okay.

Fuck you, Bioware, for ruining Mass Effect.

 

[Moaradin]

Okay.

Fuck you, Bioware, for ruining Mass Effect.

Mass Effect 2 > Mass Effect 1

UH OH

 

[Foliorum Viridum]

We've found one of their testers, folks.

 

[Rodhull]

I'm still amazed that people can't get over DA2.

True. There must be a couple of new moaning about Bioware threads every week. That in itself isn't a bad thing but they're essentially the exact same with people making the same posts with the same points in them.

"Someone from Bioware says something/anything..."

New thread and the cycle begins again.

 

[Ushojax]

Mass Effect 2 > Mass Effect 1

UH OH

Gameplay-wise there is no question of that, but the writing and story direction? A complete joke.

 

[PetriP-TNT]

tested by normal people. "They're never wrong," said Muzyka of testers. "It helps you craft tutorials, to refine the flow."

Normal People: "How do I shoot web?"

Developers: *creates a hour long tutorial about shooting with R1 *


Gamers: "FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUFUFUFFUFUFUFUFUUUUUU"

 

[HeadlessRoland]

I'm still amazed that people can't get over DA2.

I am still amazed that anyone could get over such a monumental disaster. Pretty much guaranteed I will never purchase a product of theirs again.

 

[Kayo-kun]

Mass Effect 2 > Mass Effect 1

UH OH

No, just no.

 

[AppleMIX]

We've found one of their testers, folks.

Love it.

Was anyone even here when ME1 was released? Everyone was bitching about the check points, screen tearing, texture pop-ins, the side missions and the Mako (among other things).

As soon as ME2 comes out, it's all of a sudden a masterpiece of gaming.

I am still amazed that anyone could get over such a monumental disaster. Pretty much guaranteed I will never purchase a product of theirs again.

It was a rushed mediocre game. I've played and enjoyed far worse.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

I understand usability testing even if I don't think it is fully applicable to games but if they take market research and mock reviews seriously then I don't know.

 

[Sophia]

Mass Effect 2 > Mass Effect 1

UH OH

If we're talking about the Xbox version of Mass Effect 1, I can't actually disagree with this. The UI and controls are atrocious.

Too bad instead of fixing the UI they just threw all the offending elements out.

 

[Moaradin]

Love it.

Was anyone even here when ME1 was released? Everyone was bitching about the check points, screen tearing, texture pop-ins, the side missions and the Mako (among other things).

As soon as ME2 comes out, it's all of a sudden a masterpiece of gaming.

It wouldn't be NeoGAF if a game that got GOTY wasn't hated a couple month later.

 

[Kosma]

I am still amazed that anyone could get over such a monumental disaster. Pretty much guaranteed I will never purchase a product of theirs again.

Pretty much.

I don't know how people CAN get over it and even look forward to more crap from them.

It wouldn't be NeoGAF if a game that got GOTY wasn't hated a couple month later.

It wouldn't be Neogaf if some guy wasn't drinking the corporate kool-aid indeed.

 

[Chinner]

It wouldn't be NeoGAF if a game that got GOTY wasn't hated a couple month later.

so people dislike mass effect 2 because of hive-mind? thats your argument?

 

[Vampire On Titus]

Gameplay-wise there is no question of that, but the writing and story direction? A complete joke.

I'll question that. Questioned.

Spoiler

Mass Effect 2 was still a great game though.

 

[Moaradin]

It wouldn't be Neogaf if some guy wasn't drinking the corporate kool-aid indeed.

I'm sorry that I like the game that you don't like. If it makes you feel better, I loved both of the games. I thought the story in ME1 was better but ME2 was superior in every other aspect.

 

[Anasui Kishibe]

so basically, they trying to say all the criticism they got for DA2 was directed at EA

that would have been really astute, Zeschuk, if noone had noticed it

 

[Vampire On Titus]

I'm sorry that I like the game that you don't like. If it makes you feel better, I loved both of the games. I thought the story in ME1 was better but ME2 was superior in every other aspect.

Jacob.

 

[Ushojax]

I'll question that. Questioned.

Based on what? ME's combat was a janky mess. ME2 might have had mediocre shooting gameplay but it was a damn sight better than what was in ME1.