I would like to gather some opinions regarding the "Hype man". For example Funcom Project Manager Erling Ellingsen or Creative Director for Mythic Entertainment Paul Barnett. I would like to know how they affected your excitement level for their respective games pre release. Did the videos from both camps get you pumped or did they not phase you at all. Do you think they had any part in the disappointment or happiness with these games post release. Good, bad, don't give a damn Id like to know, so please by all means tell me here.

Originally posted by Synhder

I would like to gather some opinions regarding the "Hype man". For example Funcom Project Manager Erling Ellingsen or Creative Director for Mythic Entertainment Paul Barnett. I would like to know how they affected your excitement level for their respective games pre release. Did the videos from both camps get you pumped or did they not phase you at all. Do you think they had any part in the disappointment or happiness with these games post release. Good, bad, don't give a damn Id like to know, so please by all means tell me here.

The hype men are just doing their job, trying to sell you their game. My only problem is when what they claim isn't what you get, or the game just fails to deliver. I fell for the AoC hype and found out first hand the game sucked. I didn't really fall for the WAR hype, but still found out first hand the game sucked.

Exactly the kind of info im looking to gather. Do you think that after being burned by Funcom your approach  to Warhammer was diffrent? Did the failings in AoC's launch prevent you from believing in the "Hype" Paul Barnett laid so thick for Warhammer?

Thanks for your Input its greatly appreciated.

Originally posted by Synhder

I would like to gather some opinions regarding the "Hype man". For example Funcom Project Manager Erling Ellingsen or Creative Director for Mythic Entertainment Paul Barnett. I would like to know how they affected your excitement level for their respective games pre release. Did the videos from both camps get you pumped or did they not phase you at all. Do you think they had any part in the disappointment or happiness with these games post release. Good, bad, don't give a damn Id like to know, so please by all means tell me here.

Hype of the HYPE man nerver do anything for me, the only thing I fully trust is my own opinion that can be based on my own experiance by actually trying/playing a game. No amount of HYPE can ever change that ever.

I really wished people would stop believing in HYPE or the HYPE man, it really could make allot of difference.

Are we talking about hype based on features that do appear in the final product, or about hype related to over-exagerating features or non existent features?

Hype is closely tied o expectations. It is a really good thing when the expectations fall within the realm of the features actually delivered. It is ok-ish when people hear about a feature and imagine it's something much much more. It's bad when features that will never be offered are promoted with the sole purpose of generating attention.

I am with the crowd that doesnt like to have things promised, only to find out it isnt the truth.

Vanguard would be a shining example for me. Didnt figure there was anyway it could be a total fubar.

Yep...that will teach me.

I dont think I ever tried anything so hyped  since I started EQ in 01.

I dont mind paying my 50 bucks if I get a month or 2 play out of a MMO. When you dont wanna play from the get go, the forking over of money really nags at me.

I didnt like WoW at first....but that was due to art. I thought I could get by it, and I couldnt. So it didnt bother me that I gambled on WoW when it launched.

I didnt mind the money for EQ2, CoH, LoTRO, or DAoC either when each titled first shipped. I didnt view them as a total loss of a game...just not the game to make me forget EQ. Each probably had a few things lacking...but overall they were playable for most part.

VG was supposed to be EQ2 at launch. Yeah OK....hope Brad is still partying off the money he screwed folks like me out of. He worked the FoH forums for a couple of years before launch. He is a prime example of using deceit to sell a game.

IMO hype men pizz folks off more than if they kept it real in their promises.

I'm sure Paul Barnett can account for half the initial sales.

I don't mind advertising so more people know about a game, and of course that inevitably involves hype, but I almost never listen to it. I've seen way too many games that sold just off of hype so I only listen to people who have a similar opinion to my own.

I do think they have a lot of effect on a game, good and bad. If you're dissapointed by a game, hype just makes it worse as you were pumped up for a game only to then get dissapointed which in effect feels like you just paid to get lied to. On the other hand, I do believe hype can make someone think they're having fun with a game they otherwise wouldn't really enjoy. For instance, take a look at Oblivion, after it was realeased just about everyone except the RPGCodex said, "This game is without flaws!". Now, before Fallout 3, many were saying, "Oblivion may have been a great game but it sure did have flaws!". Same thing, now, with Fallout 3. Then, "Flawless!", now, "It's great! Except for...", before Bethesda's next, "It won't have all the flaws Fallout 3 had!".

Now I think that's just stupid but I guess in a wierd way if you can convince yourself you're having fun... that's... good?

Depends on the game, if its like AoC or WAR where the game is unfinished, unpolished and rushed, the hype man is going to do bad. If its a game like Aion thats compeltely polished, in beta for 3 years and already out in Korea, then most likely it will do good. If its a game like Darkfall where hardly any info is given, most likely it will do harm.

Hype is a double-edged sword, for me.

For the most part, it definately makes me more excited to try the game on release, but it magnifies my disappointment if the hype turns out to be massively exaggerated.

If a game hypes the b'jeezus out of a particular feature (like for example, WAR's open RvR) and then fails to deliver it; I feel MORE disappointed than I would have otherwise been. I know it's a fairly irrational psychological response, but I did feel an element of betrayal as though I had been personally deceived.

It was definately a factor in my decision not to resubscribe.

Originally posted by Ilvaldyr

Hype is a double-edged sword, for me.

For the most part, it definately makes me more excited to try the game on release, but it magnifies my disappointment if the hype turns out to be massively exaggerated.

If a game hypes the b'jeezus out of a particular feature (like for example, WAR's open RvR) and then fails to deliver it; I feel MORE disappointed than I would have otherwise been. I know it's a fairly irrational psychological response, but I did feel an element of betrayal as though I had been personally deceived.

It was definately a factor in my decision not to resubscribe.

Yes this is totally true.  I purchase most of my new MMO's because I read about the hype level.  I subscribe to the beta, and pre-order the game before release.  I can only say that game-hype really determines how many copies this game is going to sell upon release.

Hype is needed to sell the game, without the hype.. well, I guess there would not be as many potential buyers untill after the game is release and the reviews start to spew all over the internet.

I like hype though.  Like I said, it makes me go out there and pre-order the game.  Even if the game turns out terrible, it still gave me something to do for a month.  Sure I might be out of around 50 bucks or so, but what if the game does turn out good, then for me it was a good investment.

In the end, I think it will have been a bad thing for the industry. Developers love to over-promise and under-deliver, which eventually leads to distrust and hesitancy amongst customers. For the past four years, I have held to a strict no-trial no-play policy. I will never again buy a game without first playing it on trial, and that is due to the hype machine making inferior games look like holy grails.

Ah yes The allmighty Hype man. Im not sure what to think of him/her. I just tend to regard him as a source of info about the game coming from a source that knows whats going on. I dont disregard forums but they tend asume and guess alot about the game.

So Good, bad? That depends on what he says and what happens come release *coughAoCcough*. But I have to say... good. Its info about the game coming from an official source, it might not always be 100% correct but usually he's not guessing how the game will play.

Thank you for all of the input!

The Hype Man, as you call him, is critical in single-player games where the only (real) goal is to move a lot of boxes (or paid downloads, in this day and age).

But, like so many other single-player concepts, it doesn't really translate well into the MMO world.  If you massively hype an MMO, and don't deliver, you'll be worse off than if you didn't hype it all.

Example 1: Developer says, "Here's our game, this is what it's about.  Come try it out."  Lots of people try the game, some like it, most don't, at the end of the day it gets about 200-300K subscribers.  Games like this are usually judged to be successes - it didn't promise much, attracted a loyal following, all that stuff.

Example 2: Same game, but developer says, "This game will DESTROY WoW!  It's the bestest game EVAR with all these NEW REVOLUTIONARY FEATURES like X, Y, AND Z!  We cater to everyone!  We'll bake you a pie when you hit max level!"  Exact same subscriber response - lots try, some stay, most don't.  But now it's a miserible failure as it has failed to live up to its own hype.  Few games recover from this.