I'm fairly sure the issue here is the nature of the ending and not so much the length of the game.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Dark Matter (Steam, $15) ABRUPTLY ends 4 hours in b/c the devs ran out of time/money.
- Thread starter chubigans
- Start date
I'm fairly sure the issue here is the nature of the ending and not so much the length of the game.
Louis Cyphre
Banned
$15 for a 6-8 hour game is still pretty reasonable. This is one of the risks of backing Kickstarter projects. Kickstarter is a good option when so many publishers only care about profits.
Not to change the subject or to dismiss what appears to be an unfinished game but we also see many big blockbuster games that have DLC to be purchased on day 1.
Not to change the subject or to dismiss what appears to be an unfinished game but we also see many big blockbuster games that have DLC to be purchased on day 1.
DarkoMaledictus
Tier Whore
Yep, but at least these games did not end in the middle of a sentence .... open door switch to txt and main menu... damn!
Sentenza
Member
I'm not, judging by the Greenlight thread this is exactly what indie developers wanted.
Kickstarter has nothing to do with this extremely bad ending to their game.
Reallink
Member
Well the OP seems to put the focus on the $$$:Time value. If what's there is good (maybe it sucks, haven't played it), I don't see the problem relative to some other popular indies.
This week has been crazy. More than 30 new games on Steam.
No, but I don't need to play to see how unprofessional that ending is. Either they released as a Steam Early Access game or didn't. People will be buying this thinking it's a full game.
ebullientprism
Member
Its not the length thats the problem.
EDIT Seriously WTF is up with people bitching about KS in this thread?
If that's the main issue people were having with this, I wouldn't see the problem either given that $15 for around 6 hours sounds just fine considering modern games.
Time isn't really my issue with the game as I noted at the end of the OP. Also there's this:
freshmendontod
Member
Wow, they didn't even try. They could've just made the screen shake a lot in the last level and added some countdown noises, then you just run to a door labeled "Escape Pod."
Regardless of the OP's opinion, I think the majority of people who are annoyed in this thread are bothered by the fact that the game literally doesn't have an ending, not the length.
I have no problem paying money for short games. Brothers is one of my favorite games of the year. I'm loving the Stanley Parable right now and you can play through that game in twenty minutes.
But I feel like a game not having any conclusion is inexcusable. How can the player have any sense of satisfaction if nothing is resolved? I'm sorry the devs couldn't get kickstarter money but I don't think that gives them a pass at selling an unfinished game for $15 and apparently having zero intention to finish it.
BrokenEchelon
Banned
You'd think Valve could dedicate one person to do some quality control on this shit.
I really hate how much they let their consumers do all their work for them sometimes.
I really hate how much they let their consumers do all their work for them sometimes.
Hero_of_the_Day
Member
There is no fraud. But, this isn't a non-issue either. This isn't a terrible ending, there is literally no ending. They put a piece of text behind a random door to tell you you were done playing.
This is an obviously, and admittedly, incomplete game being put out as a full release. People who paid $15 for have the right to bitch about it, and those of us who didn't want to know about this kind of shit before we do.
This game could go on sale for $1 and I wouldn't buy it now.
The only issue with the length is that the developer is still saying it's a 6-8 hour game, while someone has 100% it in 4.5. Obviously peoples mileage may vary, but if it's really that short, then this is just another example of the developer being a little shady. But, still not the main issue.
The One Who Knocks
Member
The first half of Dark Souls (I'll spoiler it anyway but there's not really anything spoilery);
you've rang the first bell, you are on your journey to Blighttown and have just finished the Lower Undead Parish. You go to the locked door and you open it and enter The Depths. You free the Pyromancer and
You win the internet for today.
Louis Cyphre
Banned
Hello, just to answer all these questions.
No, the full story is indeed not complete yet because originally we wanted a longer game (12-16 hours) but couldnt finish it completely due to time and money (and Kickstarter failing). So, we choose to go with a 6-8 hour game instead to bring something out to the world and show everyone the world of Dark Matter. We are going to change the "to be continued" text to something else, to make sure this will be the end of the game as is in a clear msg to everyone...
Sounds to me that yes, the Kickstarter failing did have an impact of how they handled the ending. Looks like it was either release the game as is or not release it at all. The money from Steam sales could mean they will be able to change the ending now.
No County For Old Men is a complete story that ends on a slightly ambiguous emotional note. I don't see the connection.
Hero_of_the_Day
Member
I just don't get why the failed crowd funding resulted in this. Like, they couldn't go one more week to put in a boss fight at least. A shitty abrupt ending would have been better than what they gave, which is literally nothing.
If I had gif making skills, an NES Metroid gif where Samus just runs through a normal door and the game ends would be hilarious.
Slightly ambiguous?
Just plain stops out of nowhere. It is not complete. It has no ending at all. Just like this, apparently.
ElRenoRaven
Member
Bungie got a lot of shit for that ending too. Rightfully so too. Let's not pretend that they did not.
Yes, we all read that part. Doesn't explain your comment "This is one of the risks of backing Kickstarter projects."
If people actually did back it, they likely would not have released the game in this unfinished state.
The way I see it, the system worked. People sensed a dud, didn't back the game, turns out it's a dud.
poopninjamvc3mk
I sucked six dicks to get this tag.
I'm pretty sure people are just upset over the ending not necessarily the length.
DarkoMaledictus
Tier Whore
Still wonder who those people are... hated that movie with a vengeance!
ebullientprism
Member
There is nothing to explain. I am guessing he (like a handful of others) saw the word Kickstarter and went all in. Now trying desperately to find a shred of logic to make their post seem rational.
No, that would be DMC: Donte May Cry.
IN GAME FORM
If Capcpom have any sense left.
This sounds more like if Final Fantasy VI were missing everything after
Kefka destroys the world
Movies from the Coen Brothers are always love it or hate it - I love that movie and think that Burn after Reading is an awful movie.
Anyway.
I personally think that they clearly should've put at least a bit of effort on the ending. It still would've been pretty bad, given that there are several gameplay mechanics missing as far as I heard, but at least it would soften the blow somewhat.
Louis Cyphre
Banned
So you're saying nobody invested money towards this Kickstarter project?
User 73706
Banned
The moral of the story: people don't care about the length of the game, people care about the girth of the game.
Mutanthands
Member
The Kickstarter failed. No money changed hands as a result.
Louis Cyphre
Banned
Your avatar seriously got my google-fu going yesterday.
For anyone curious google for "Mia Cortinez" and scope out the video on World Star Hip Hop,.... golly.
Louis Cyphre
Banned
Because I read the caption from the developers response in the OP
That and Sopranos finale as another example are not comparable to this. Those endings had artistic intent. The authors wanted to end their work that way. This is an unfinished work that the authors themselves admitted that they had to end it like that due to financial constraints and with a facetious "to be continued" that they are going to redact.
Shrike Alvaron
Member
Some people just seem to hate Kickstarter with a passion and take every chance to try to prove that it's the worst crime to gaming ever conceived. Those same people also tend to not understand how Kickstarter even works (namely, that if a project fails they get NO MONEY from anyone).
They used to, and everybody fucking hated it because not enough games were getting on Steam. Then they said "fine you do it and we'll take the best few" and everybody fucking hated it because there weren't enough games getting on Steam. Then they started adding way more games, and now people go "WELL WHY DON'T THEY HAVE SOMEBODY LOOKING AT THESE? WHERE'S THE QUALITY CONTROL?"
IcyRhythms
Member
Thanks for the heads up
I guess it's confusing to me because Kickstarter isn't mentioned in the thread title, so presumably people read through the actual first post. The only mention of Kickstarter is "Kickstarter failing", which should provide all necessary information.
I totally get the fear of what Kickstarter represents and totally respect peoples' decisions to not support it. It just seems like an odd thing to get hung up on. Really, the only people who lose in a crowdfunding situation are uninformed backers that shouldn't be participating in the first place.
It's a service that has made all sorts of incredible games possible after traditional publishing failed. Isn't it just awful?