General Discussion

Originally posted by Cabe2323

 

Originally posted by Heptah

 

Originally posted by Cabe2323

 

Originally posted by Nevarion

Some names...

Westwood, Origin, Bullfrog, Maxis.

Their track record for ruining game studios is legend.

EA Didn't Ruin Origin.  They purchased it in 1992 and Origin still released many games that were highly rated after that.   Then The core development team decided to leave 8 years after being purchased.  That is what ruined Origin. 

 

 

They fired or moved most of the dev team...most of them didnt leave they were fired. The higher level people left after most of the people that worked for them left. No way to spin that. Ask anyone that was there, that is how it happened.

 

UO was origin developed, because it was thought up by origin people from before the EA buyout. The core dev team on the project were pre EA origin employees.

EA contribution to UO = Trammel. nuff said in my opinion.

If you want a crap game built on the license of a former great game look for a EA project. Origninality is a curse word at EA and they will admit that. EA is a conveyer belt for sequels and basically churning out the same game year after year, that players buy.

Probably the best example showing that EA is not interested in making games is what happened after 2k football came out on dreamcast and was better than Madden has ever been. EA didnt decide to make a better game, they decided to just buy the exclusive license. Its a crap company making crap games.

 

 

 

You can't claim EA had nothing to do wiht making UO.  Garriot went to Probst specifically to get the funding for UO.  EA Purchased Origin 5 full years before UO was released.  So no I am sorry but EA fully funded and produced UO.  They had an EA VP over the studio during that time frame. 

 

EA Fired Origin employees because according to Garriot themselves they got out of hand.  They were wasting money like crazy and cancelling projects left and right (Origin not EA) so finally EA got fed up and said these guys are a bunch of screw ups we need to fix this.  So they got more iron fisted after Origin messed up. 

EA has never been super ironfisted with Maxis and that is because Maxis never messed up.  Maxis had their name on the boxes for years after they were bought by EA. 

It is very objective on whether 2K football was better.  Most people I know that play Sports games never liked it in the first place.  Too many people that hate EA are confusing innovation with Fun.  They do not equal each other.  EA focuses on making fun games that will sell a ton of copies.  Customers care about Fun and that is what will cause them to buy massive amounts of games not innovation.

2) EA fired Origin devs for trying to come up with original ideas like they did when you know they were at origin. EA doesnt do original it does the same game over and over and over and over and over again. But they fired them, they moved them and they ruined a great gaming studio.

3) BS...either your friends who play sports games are crazy or you work for EA. I am leaning towards EA marketing guy/girl on this one. If madden is better, then why buy the license and force out the competition. Wouldn't customers just buy your better game?

EA is going to ruin the franchises these guys bring to the table, do not doubt that. Maybe not the first one or  two out of the box. But 4 years from now when the devs who made those games have moved on (they all do) EA suits will move in and mass produce crappy sequels till they cant ring any more money out of the former fans of the series.

EA; Kill any good quality companies today? EA, brining you the same game we brought you last year but this time with new people on the cover.

Originally posted by Harafnir

You dont understand because you are not informed... "jealousy"...please. For gods sakes, stay in reality. There are numerous reasons why people get hesitant when EA is involved, people with years of experience and tons of knowledge. That you dont know and have no experience, does not mean they are wrong, it just means you don't know yet.. So don't worry about it, try not to insult people based on your ignorance and wait until you actually find out.

You could try to actually ask, without starting with insults...

"jealousy" The most stupid comment so far.

which company out there make stuff to serve ppl for free?  obvious u dont have a job and got no clue about this world do u?

Originally posted by elvenangel

 

Originally posted by Thillian

Bioware had a first few very good and original RPS's (Fallout 1+2, BG1, Planescape or icewind dale 1+2), but then they start slipping (BG2, NWN) into overhyped linear action crap (Kotor 1, +obsidian made Kotor2+NwN2). So I didnt expect much from them on MMO field anyway. Now when EA stepped in, its even more doomed.

 

Bioware did NOT make Fallout, Planescape or IceWind Dale!     If you look on Bioware's homepage it tells you the games they actually made.  After the Baldur's Gate games several of Black Isle's developers branched off and Created Bioware, they were not how ever on the project teams that created Fallout, Planescape, or Icewind Dale or you'd see those games listed!    Bioware and Black Isle were always in good relations for the years that passed until Black Isle studios closed its doors permantly (it was a sad day for the RPG world)

Bioware's official list of currently published games

Jade Empires

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 1

Neverwinter Nights (and its subsequent expansions)

Baldur's Gate

Baldur's Gate : Tales of the sword coast

Baldur's Gate 2

Baldurs Gate 2 expansion

MDK2

MDK2 Armageddon

Shattered Steel 

Originally posted by Heptah

 

1) Pre EA take over Origin guys led the development of UO - EA guys took it over after release and ran it into the ground. That is a fact. I was there at beta and launch. We know who the devs are that started and led the poject and we know where they went. Most people also will know why they left. Its not a mystery.

They chose to move onto new things after Garriott messed up Origin.  It wasn't EA's fault that the management at Origin hired 200 new employees (doubling their team size) and started 20-40 new projects and then just completely dropped the ball.  Origin (not EA) canclled a bunch of those projects themselves and then got in trouble by wasting a ton of EA's money.

2) EA fired Origin devs for trying to come up with original ideas like they did when you know they were at origin. EA doesnt do original it does the same game over and over and over and over and over again. But they fired them, they moved them and they ruined a great gaming studio.

NO EA fired ORIGIN Devs because ORIGIN MANAGEMENT messed up and didn't maintain any resemblance of control.  They were out of control and EA had to step in and clean house.  EA didn't come in and immediately fire a bunch of Devs or can a bunch of projects.  Origin actually doubled in size and doubled in projects that they were working on after EA bought them.  If they had been able to properly manage their department they would of been fine.  (that all comes from Garriot himself by the way)

3) BS...either your friends who play sports games are crazy or you work for EA. I am leaning towards EA marketing guy/girl on this one. If madden is better, then why buy the license and force out the competition. Wouldn't customers just buy your better game?

While 2k was new and had great ideas it wasn't as fun as Madden was. 

EA is going to ruin the franchises these guys bring to the table, do not doubt that. Maybe not the first one or  two out of the box. But 4 years from now when the devs who made those games have moved on (they all do) EA suits will move in and mass produce crappy sequels till they cant ring any more money out of the former fans of the series.

Like they did to Maxis?  Oh wait the best selling PC Game of all time was created by Maxis after EA bought them.  AS well as a Sequel that is as highly acclaimed.

EA; Kill any good quality companies today? EA, brining you the same game we brought you last year but this time with new people on the cover.

This is just plain stupid, EA tries to put out successful commercial games.  That is what all big developers try to do.  They are in it to make money.  This is no different then what Vivendi does, or NCsoft, or SOE, or Nintendo, or Microsoft.

EA put out a lot of games I know that I have tried that got great reviews for example:

American McGee's Alice - Not only good reviews but an original game.

Battlefield series all got 80%+ reviews with battlefield 2 being considered one of the best.  Same with Medal of Honor games/

Black & White - Oh wait another Original Game from EA?  No it couldn't be and it got great reviews.

Clive Barker's Undying - 85% average reviews and original

Command & Conquer Generals qhile not quite the same reviews and the first two C&C games it still got an average of 84%.

CRYSIS - Oh wait could one of the most innovative and technically superior FPS games coming out be from EA?

Freedom Force - another good original game with average reviews of 90%.

Lord of the Rings Battle for Middle Earth 1+2, Both 80%+ games both real good RTS games.

SimCity 4 still even got everage reviews of 84%

SPORE will be coming as well,  Super innovative game.  Defintely not rushed.  Super original.  And guess what it is from EA. 

And of course the BEST selling PC Game series of all time and one of the best of any platform with around 90+ million sales and creative reviews of 90%+ The Sims and The Sims 2. 

/Sarcasm on

So yeah Sure EA just puts out crap. 

/sarcasm off

Crysis?

hmm installed something , played a little bit, logged off, didnt log in yet.

More i cant say :D

Originally posted by Heptah

Originally posted by Pyrostasis

Your wasting your time bro... he is drinking the EA Koolaid, you cant argue with him.

More likely an EA marketing person IMO.

Are you guys obviously so blinded by your hate of EA?  I have said before what I do for a living and it isn't in the Gaming genre at all. 

I am so sorry that I do not fall in line with the lets hate EA crowd.  I happen to like using my brain to come to my own conclusions and when the Founder of a company such as Origin places the blame squarely on his own shoulders and not on EA then why should we? 

With Bulldog obviously Molyneaux (spelling?) didn't dislike EA's game practices since he was a VP their he sold them Bulldog so he could get enough money to start a new company and be rich at the same time. 

People don't seem to get it.  The Dev's in most of these small companies are the ones that decide to sell their company to a large conglamorate.  They do so to cash out.  They want to make a whole lot of money.  In a lot of cases they turn around and leave the company and start up a new one because they like to be the boss.  But they wanted to cash out.  EA doesn't do anything to these Developers to make them leave.  That is obvious by the fact that Will Wright is still with the company. 

Originally posted by Cabe2323

Originally posted by Heptah

 

1) Pre EA take over Origin guys led the development of UO - EA guys took it over after release and ran it into the ground. That is a fact. I was there at beta and launch. We know who the devs are that started and led the poject and we know where they went. Most people also will know why they left. Its not a mystery.

They chose to move onto new things after Garriott messed up Origin.  It wasn't EA's fault that the management at Origin hired 200 new employees (doubling their team size) and started 20-40 new projects and then just completely dropped the ball.  Origin (not EA) canclled a bunch of those projects themselves and then got in trouble by wasting a ton of EA's money.

2) EA fired Origin devs for trying to come up with original ideas like they did when you know they were at origin. EA doesnt do original it does the same game over and over and over and over and over again. But they fired them, they moved them and they ruined a great gaming studio.

NO EA fired ORIGIN Devs because ORIGIN MANAGEMENT messed up and didn't maintain any resemblance of control.  They were out of control and EA had to step in and clean house.  EA didn't come in and immediately fire a bunch of Devs or can a bunch of projects.  Origin actua