Anthem

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Arachnid1
https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/10/15776168/anthem-ea-bioware-rpg-teaser-e3-2017

This is Biowares new game made by the same team that made the original Mass Effect trilogy. I'm on board just to see a new IP by those guys. It won't be release until 2019 apparently but I'll be following it closely.

ares834
A Destiny knockoff made by EAware? I'll pass.

Beniboybling
With a live service and disruptive new social design tho.

Arachnid1
lBvkjJU-cfY

We'll see where they take it. These guys gave me a hundred+ hours of a great experience in ME so they've more than earned the benefit of the doubt.

Demonic Phoenix
EL5GSfs9fi4

Smasandian
From a graphics point of view, it looks very impressive.

If they can impart Bioware storytelling than I'm game. Destiny and The Division tried to expand story into the loot gathering but they ultimately failed. If the intro sequence that starts the quest is an indication of how the game sets up missions then this game is very much on my radar.

The strange thing....is that the most impressive part of the demo was when the players flew through the air and then dived in the water to open up an entire area beneath it. If that's the case then I will be more than happy to explore the world they created

Demonic Phoenix
Yeah, that exploration gameplay looked amazing. I'm not a fan of co-op games in general, but I want to see where this goes.

BruceSkywalker
can't wait to buy and play.. this looks good

Smasandian
Originally posted by Demonic Phoenix
Yeah, that exploration gameplay looked amazing. I'm not a fan of co-op games in general, but I want to see where this goes.

As Ares said, it's EA's version of a loot shooter. It's probably not going to have any huge surprises. If they include Bioware storytelling then it could be something special.

BackFire
Difficult to really gauge anything about the game yet. Have no idea about the story or if there will be an emphasis on characters/world building, or if it'll be like Destiny where all that is on the back burner. Has potential, will have to see more on it, though.

Smasandian
From the trailer, it does look like they are making an effort to provide some resemblance of a story.

Most games like this are very bare when it gives out missions. It's usually some sort of voiceover/phone thing while this game seems to have interaction with NPC's.

Tough to say though.

BackFire
Yeah, but I mean this is Bioware, their games are primarily known for characters/writing moreso than for gameplay reasons. If the main priority of the game isn't characters/writing than I have to question why Bioware even made this game.

Smasandian
True and it's the Edmonton office and that's the good one.

I just don't see EA releasing that trailer without having a huge story element attached to the game. And after the shitstorm EA received after ME:A, I cannot see them allowing this game to be released in that state.

This looks like EA Edmonton had help from DICE because those facial animations are straight from the Battlefield series.

BackFire
Yeah the animations, and the graphics in general, were really nice.

I look forward to seeing more of the game over the next year or so.

Nemesis X
But doesn't The Old Republic have loot gathering but still tell a story? I think we're letting Destiny and Division get to us.

Smasandian
Yes, from what I understand.

The Division did have a story and the missions were pretty good.

ares834

KingD19
Well they showed 6-8 minutes of an Alpha mission. For all we know it could be just like Mass Effect or Dragon Age with a huge story that branches depending on your choices in and out of combat.

ares834

Beniboybling
Looks lame and generic. no

BackFire
Some good news about this game. Drew Karpyshyn, head writer of Mass Effect 1 & 2 is writing for Anthem.

Antonio94
Originally posted by BackFire
Some good news about this game. Drew Karpyshyn, head writer of Mass Effect 1 & 2 is writing for Anthem.

Then I will consider this is an excellent news. When Anthem announced at E3 I was kinda worried since I'm quite skeptical when it's gameplay video shown. Graphic aside, the video looks extremely scripted to me and after what happened with Andromeda, I'm in cautious state.

Smasandian
It was scripted but aside from that big monster at the beginning of the game, all the rest of footage seemed pretty normal to me.

1. You can fly down to areas. Seems normal to me.
2. You swim under water and fight dudes. Nothing too outrageous.
3. You attack those things at the end. Seemed like a mission event.


It didn't seem too scripted to me.

Tzeentch
Looks interesting at least from an aesthetic perspective, but looter-shooters in which you have to autistically grind for RNG unlocks (or just pay real money haaaa) is the definition of cancer so it's likely a no-go for me.

Robtard
Originally posted by Demonic Phoenix
EL5GSfs9fi4

Would have to see/hear more, but as of right now, looks very meh, aside from looking pretty/cool designs.

NemeBro
ares you've hated Bioware for like seven years now, they're not one of your favorite developers you phucking nerd.

Anyway, meh on this game.

ares834
They were one of my favorite developers years ago. KotOR and ME2 are two of my favorite games. It's just been a long time since I've liked them. stick out tongue

Nemesis X
lHo04qOae0Q

Yeah seems about right.

Zack Fair
No hype for me.

ares834
So EA stuck again and just killed Visceral. After the disaster that was ME:A, I expect Bioware is on thin ice. If this game doesn't meet EA's absurd expectations, I wouldn't be surprised if Bioware is closed down.

Kazenji
EA is the serial killer of game studio's.

Arachnid1
Originally posted by Kazenji
EA is the serial killer of game studio's. RIP Dead Space. You're up in survival horror heaven with Silent Hill now.

Judging by sales, Evil Within will be with you guys shortly. I'm glad Evil Within went out on such a phenomenal entry unlike Silent Hill Downpour or Dead Space 3 though.

https://i.imgur.com/n7utPH9.png

Kazenji
I guess its only time until they take DICE out the back and finish them off too.

Smasandian
Have you read the Kotaku story regarding Visceral?

I think there was major problems within the company. I don't think it's all on EA's feet.

BackFire
https://kotaku.com/bioware-doubles-down-on-anthem-as-pressure-mounts-1822380989

Good article about this game (and Bioware in general). Backs up the idea that Bioware is basically putting all their eggs in the Anthem basket. This game needs to succeed or else Bioware may suffer greatly. Nearly the full brunt of Bioware is working on Anthem, including the Austin team who are taking a break from the Star Wars MMO to help out. It's all hands on deck.

With one caveat - There's a small team working on a new Dragon Age game and it has already been rebooted (probably not a good sign) to include "live" aspects, whatever that means.

Nemesis X
I think they'd have little trouble if they just look at Destiny 2 and know what NOT to do. no expression

If Anthem is the game that decides whether Bioware stands or falls, then I hope it succeeds. They're the only ones I know that make the kind of RPG games I like. Without them....T-T

BackFire
I think Anthem will do alright if (and it's a big if these days unfortunately) they don't muck up with the microtransactions. Gamers seem very very ready to absolutely destroy a game if it has what is viewed as predatory or unfair microtransactions. And since EA is helming this game they could very well get greedy and botch everything up like they did with Battlefront 2.

I'm like you, despite the fact that part of me is bitter that this is the game that got the development time from the A team instead of a new Mass Effect, I'd like it to do well and be a good game so that Bioware can continue to make games and hopefully one day make another great Mass Effect game.

Tzeentch
I want Bioware to be taken out back and shot in the head because much like Bungie the majority of the people who made all those great games we fell in love with have long since moved on to greener pastures. The developers left are the ones who kissed enough EA ass to keep their jobs. Time to put the beast out of its misery.

Nemesis X
I dunno. I mean I like some of the Bioware games that were made while under the EA banner from ME2 to DAI but Bungie has yet to make one good game since they left Microsoft for Activision IMHO.

BackFire
There are still quite a few of the old guard of Bioware still there. Casey Hudson, drew karpyshyn, Patrick Weekes. Just that they are spread out to other projects now and are head honchos over there. Weekes is now the head writer of Dragon Age, Hudson runs the entire company, and Karpyshyn seems to just go where he's need to help with writing.

Smasandian
Aside from Andromeda, Bioware hasn't produce a bad game. I don't get the mentality of "kill it off" when they can still produce quality titles.

But I guess we are in the age of, "if it's not perfect, it's a pile of garbage" era of video games. Well...at least for AAA developers.

BackFire
And I'd argue that Andromeda isn't a bad game. Does some things very well, misstepped in others. But I'd still consider it an okay game.

The Lost
Originally posted by BackFire
And I'd argue that Andromeda isn't a bad game. Does some things very well, misstepped in others. But I'd still consider it an okay game.

I'd agree. It's actually got a lot going for it.

Tzeentch
Originally posted by Smasandian
Aside from Andromeda, Bioware hasn't produce a bad game. I don't get the mentality of "kill it off" when they can still produce quality titles.

But I guess we are in the age of, "if it's not perfect, it's a pile of garbage" era of video games. Well...at least for AAA developers. You don't get it because you and I are different premise entirely.

If you hold the opinion that DA2, DAI, TOR and MEA were all trash from both a writing and gameplay perspective, while ME3 was awful from a writing one, Bioware ceases to fit in the category of "flawed but pretty good overall." They're in the "these people haven't made an overall great game in almost ten years" category.

As for the strawman about a game/company needing to be perfect or else it's trash, nah the playerbase is frankly way more accepting of the industry's shitty business practices then it should be. You think peoples' standards are too high because you have none.

The Lost
lol at blax's "you committed a strawman so here's a false dilemma."

Haha. ****in' classic Blax.

Nemesis X
Originally posted by BackFire
And I'd argue that Andromeda isn't a bad game. Does some things very well, misstepped in others. But I'd still consider it an okay game.

Part of me wants to defend Andromeda somewhat kind of but I feel there were too many steps backwards with that game. Sometimes, it's the little things that matter and when those little things have been in every Bioware game up until now, you take notice and it feels frickin weird!

Smasandian
Yeah, I would agree with that. It felt really disjointed and you can't really defend the bugs it had.

I feel like the game could of been something special if they spent more time in regards to the planet building idea. If you actually spent time turning planets into vibrant colonies...that would of been fun. They didn't nail the frontier feel either. In my opinion, the game should of been a space version of Wyatt Earp but instead of towns, it's planets.

Nemesis X
First step to uh oh. Mass Effect writer leaves Bioware.

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/mass-effect-writer-who-left-in-2012-and-then-came-/1100-6457319/

cdtm
Mass Effect trilogy will be my last Bioware title.

Glad I got it, and most of the dlc, but **** EA.

BackFire
Well at least the writing for Anthem would be done by now, probably.

Nibedicus

Nephthys
Originally posted by BackFire
Well at least the writing for Anthem would be done by now, probably.

Yeah, this isn't that big of a deal if they've probably finished off the writing. It could be that her work on it was done and she just left. The same thing just happened to Obsidian for Deadfire which is coming out in a month.

BackFire
Yeah, it's not like he was frustrated and left. He was rehired for a specific purpose and fulfilled that purpose, so his job is done. Think this is getting kinda blown out of proportion.

Smasandian
Yep!!

I guess we should expect developers to keep every single person in the company for all eternity. But discount the fact that people require change, move or try new careers.

Nephthys
No romances, no companions, no character customization, and no offline play.

RIP Bioware.

BackFire
This game really doesn't look very good imo. Combat looks super generic and I see none of the hallmarks of a good bioware game being shown, like side characters or world building. I'm extremely underwhelmed and I didn't have very high expectations in the first place. Maybe we'll see more and a better representation at the Microsoft conference tomorrow.

Nemesis X
It doesn't look terrible. Combat does look a tad generic but if they can pull this off as an open world story driven cooperative shooter without any microtransactions, it could do where Destiny struggled and be fun. Otherwise RIP Bioware indeed.

Smasandian
It's a loot shooter. It's what people want these days.

I think the game looks very interesting from a "world" perspective but I will wait and see before making a major judgments.

cdtm
Originally posted by Tzeentch
You don't get it because you and I are different premise entirely.

If you hold the opinion that DA2, DAI, TOR and MEA were all trash from both a writing and gameplay perspective, while ME3 was awful from a writing one, Bioware ceases to fit in the category of "flawed but pretty good overall." They're in the "these people haven't made an overall great game in almost ten years" category.

As for the strawman about a game/company needing to be perfect or else it's trash, nah the playerbase is frankly way more accepting of the industry's shitty business practices then it should be. You think peoples' standards are too high because you have none.

Oh wow. This is the most objective, even handed, well adjusted response I've seen here.

I feel exactly the same way every time people get offended for telling them they are shit, everything they like is shit, and they're shits for not accepting my reasonable opinions. thumb up

ares834
Originally posted by Nephthys
No romances, no companions, no character customization, and no offline play.

RIP Bioware.

That seemed obvious from the beginning. This game was never going to be anything then a Destiny clone.

The Lost
Originally posted by Nephthys
No romances, no companions, no character customization, and no offline play.

RIP Bioware.

Romances could actually be added later (if the demand is high enough) and would free, according to Darrah.

No companions is confirmed. Depending on how this game is structured and if they incorporate other story functions effectively, it won't bother me.

Yeah, no customization for the individual inside of the suit, I am pretty sure, but more javelins are coming in the future and customizations will go beyond colors (For example, no two Rangers will look exactly the same).

No offline play doesn't irk me that much but I can certainly see why it does for some.

It won't be a BioWare game that people are used to but if they make this an enjoyable experience and check most of the boxes with a degree of competency? I don't see what the issue is. This also isn't an indication that their other franchises are dead or they are done with SP games or w/e so I don't really understand the "RIP Bioware" statement. Do you think Anthem indicates a changing trend for Bioware that will be negative? If so, why do you think this?

NemeBro
He's saying RIP Bioware because he expects Anthem to underperform, and that when it does, EA will drag Bioware out back and blow its brains out.

Nephthys
Yeah, it doesn't cater to any of Biowares strengths or what their fanbase expect from them. On top of being a blatant Destiny-clone I expect it to likely underperform (at least by EA's standards) and be just another nail in the coffin.

Bioware needs this to succeed after Andromeda. But with their fanbase I doubt it will. The gameplay looks good but it also looks super shallow outside of that.

BackFire
I think the game will probably sell pretty well initially, but will probably end up hampered by a lot of the same issues the Destiny games are - long term playability problems, things like "game play loops" being emphasized over a compelling story and strong characters/world building, issues with satisfying loot drops/weapons, etc.

I'm not sure I agree that this needs to be a home run for Bioware to remain safe, though. It's a new franchise, EA may be giving it some leeway in regards to how it performs or how it's received. I think the next Dragon Age game will truly be the make or break game for Bioware.

BackFire
I'm starting to get somewhat optimistic about this game. From what I've seen I think it looks pretty good. May end up getting it.

Nibedicus

BackFire
I did hear about that stuff, it's concerning, but that's usually what these betas/demos are created for. To iron the stuff out now instead of on release. Of course half the time the problems remain during release as well.

Smasandian
It looks like people are punishing the servers. Most online games have this problem when they first come online during a beta.

Nibedicus

Nemesis X
$20 SKINS?!

7IKs4d5oj04

Is EA trying to kill Bioware on purpose? Last time a game had such insane price tags for it's reskins, the game died (Evolve). Even if these prices aren't official and someone is just testing to see gamers' reactions, you don't give them that kind of first impression or they're not gonna wanna buy it and it won't matter if the game is good.

cdtm
Maybe they want to declare bankruptcy? And just aren't insolvent enough to do it yet?

Kazenji
Unicron Arts devouring on Bioware's corpse.

Nibedicus

NemeBro
Game sucks balls, NemeBro is right again. Suck my nuts phuckers.

cdtm
Boycott them, and maybe we'll get lucky enough for them to threaten no more PC ports of Anthem sequels, just like they did with the Guiding Light game, or whatever it is.

Nibedicus

Smasandian
That's the genre though.....Division, Destiny and other like minded games do the same thing. Anthem isn't different in that regard.

I played 30 minutes or so. Gunplay felt really good for me and the movements are fun.

Nibedicus

Smasandian
I might have missed something but I'm not sure how you know how many missions they are going to be. I know there will be 3 strongholds for end game content and that will be a problem. But overall....I do not know.

I find it interesting you mention Division. There was serious issues with loot in Division until they fixed it 8 months after release. And a serious issue with content. The same complaints you have about Anthem were echoed in the Division subreddit before Update 1.4. Gear sets didn't change your playstyle at all. Running Lexington for the 500th because that was the fastest way to get decent gear (unless you lucked out in the dark zone) and you basically just went into cover, threw up smart cover and blasted people away.

Nibedicus

BackFire
Wtf, there are only 6 missions? That sounds absurdly low.

Tzeentch
"Games as a service" is the hot new meme in the Publisher world.

Release the game with anemic content, then build upon it with expansions and other bullshit. They've said that content DLC will be free going forward though, so who knows how it'll work out. As a consumer you shouldn't really be worrying about lack of content at launch though, because if you have self-respect you don't buy AAA games on launch day anyway. You wait a couple months for all the game-breaking bugs to get fixed and for the first couple of content/QoL patches to get added in.

I mean the PC version won't even have text-chat at release FFS.

BackFire
It's very cool that content DLC will be free for the game, hopefully, that doesn't mean that other important portions of the game will be monetized to hell and back.

cdtm
Originally posted by BackFire
It's very cool that content DLC will be free for the game, hopefully, that doesn't mean that other important portions of the game will be monetized to hell and back.

First gun is free. 5 dollars a gun after.

Ammo is 20 cents a box, 200 bullets per box.

Kazenji
wka5RovFEo8

ares834
The reviews aren't looking good.

RIP Bioware. You made some of my favorite games.

sad

NemeBro
Good. Maybe it will finally be put out of its phucking misery.

Nemesis X
oK158ih4smY

Smasandian
Reviews are bad but history suggests games like this can ultimately do well over the course of 1-2 years.

Nemesis X
Will EA care though? For awhile, they seem to have been trying to screw Bioware on purpose for years and Anthem is the excuse they needed just like Battlefield Hardline was their excuse to close Visceral. They're making studios go out of their element 'cause they know the sales will suck. Plain and simple.

Smasandian
I disagree.

Anthem probably cost tens of millions of dollars to produce. It's been in development for 5 years. According to an in-depth Polygon story, Anthem was always in a state of production and was never put on hold. Cory Hudson was there when Anthem was in it's pre-production phase and came back when Anthem was in full production.

EA has numerous issues but they wouldn't waste all that money just for an excuse to dissolve Bioware. They would just close them.

There is a very good article by a publication (I believe Kotaku) that goes in depth on why Visceral was closed. From what I remember, the company had ample time to produce titles that they wanted (for instance, the game where you play as Jack the Ripper and the murder victims are aliens in desguise) while Battlefield Hardline was another project. Sure, it contributed to the downfall but the company had terrible upper management that caused the downfall the company. It's basically what happened to Telltale.

I have no idea if EA will care but there is ample evidence that suggests loot shooters can be successful if they are support correctly. It was my understanding that EA wanted Anthem to be there loot shooter games as a service flagship title so I cannot believe they would throw it away based on bad reviews when it can still be successful in the long run.

Look at Sea Of Thieves....much worst shape than Anthem when released and people are jumping on board months later due to updates and free content expansions. Sure, Xbox Game Pass helps with this but EA has its own service they can utilize.

And I don't believe they would throw away Bioware Edmonton. Too much history and they really haven't made any bad games aside from Anthem. They also have Dragon Age 4 in production and if that game is great....all this would be forgotten.

Tzeentch
Sabotaging Bioware is bit more Machiavellian then I would give EA credit for. They just want money.

The issue is that they're late to the party. Borderlands made oodles of money and then Destiny came out and made gangbusters and from that moment EA decided that they wanted in on the lootershooter market too, just like Ubisoft did with the Division. But the fad has passed. And more importantly, they're trying to take people on the same ride that they've already been on at least THREE TIMES if they've played Destiny 1 and 2 and The Division, four if they played Sea of Thieves, which is "pay full price for our game and enjoy this content that you'll blow through in 15 hours and then spend the next 20 hours grinding for gear while waiting for us to anemically introduce more content for you to grind through down the line". It's an old ****ing story.

I agree that down the line they might get a consistent playerbase if they can keep pumping content into the game. The bitter reception toward the game's release right now isn't surprising at all though.

Smasandian
I think the idea of EA sabotaging their own development groups a bit silly. Why would they want to do that? They most likely mismanage them and make decisions that hurt some (like Bioware using Frostbite) but I don't support the idea EA is doing this on purpose.

I think Anthem took to long to produce and they missed the window by a year. You could say they were late to the party but I think it might be a bit harsh because it was in development for a long time and while you can criticize them for many things, I don't think criticism should be thrown for trying to catch a fad. However, while the loot shooter market might not be as hot, grinding for loot has been around 20+ years and will continue to be around for years to come.

So....Anthem could be still be thing 1 year from now. It does have a few good things going for it and the shooting aspect is always a major thing that brings players back. I only played for 30ish minutes on a beta but I did find the shooting a lot of fun and I enjoyed the world Bioware was trying to create. There was just other problems outside of that dampened it. However, all of this can be fixed.

And after I go through The Division 2...I might check Anthem out if it becomes better.

Nemesis X
Eh. If Konami can do it with Kojima's old Metal Gear team, don't see why EA can't with Bioware. They wouldn't be too worried long as FIFA's still a hit for them like Evolution Soccer is for Konami. I want to be wrong here and hope I am but it's just how this all looks to me.

Nemesis X
Retail sales are in and Anthem so far has sold half of what Mass Effect Andromeda did:

https://screenrant.com/anthem-physical-sales-half-mass-effect-andromeda/

cdtm
Originally posted by Tzeentch
Sabotaging Bioware is bit more Machiavellian then I would give EA credit for. They just want money.

The issue is that they're late to the party. Borderlands made oodles of money and then Destiny came out and made gangbusters and from that moment EA decided that they wanted in on the lootershooter market too, just like Ubisoft did with the Division. But the fad has passed. And more importantly, they're trying to take people on the same ride that they've already been on at least THREE TIMES if they've played Destiny 1 and 2 and The Division, four if they played Sea of Thieves, which is "pay full price for our game and enjoy this content that you'll blow through in 15 hours and then spend the next 20 hours grinding for gear while waiting for us to anemically introduce more content for you to grind through down the line". It's an old ****ing story.

I agree that down the line they might get a consistent playerbase if they can keep pumping content into the game. The bitter reception toward the game's release right now isn't surprising at all though.

So, what happened when Microsoft bought Minecraft for 2.9 billion. Bad acquisition for MS because the fad had passed, great for the creator.

Arachnid1
I'm glad this game failed tbh. I'm tired of the "games as a service" approach. Hopefully they get this team back to Mass Effect.

ares834
Failed? It's way too early to say that yet.

Nibedicus

-Pr-
lol, jfc: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/25/analysts-react-to-initial-reception-of-electronic-arts-anthem.html

BrolyBlack
Its actually a fun game, I have been playing destiny for years, this gives me new fun. Also, my best friend refused to play destiny but got into this game before me and I didn't have to convince him to, its better when he learns to like a game naturally, so he and I played for the first time last night and had a great time.

ares834
You're part of the problem.

Nemesis X
Originally posted by BrolyBlack
Its actually a fun game, I have been playing destiny for years, this gives me new fun. Also, my best friend refused to play destiny but got into this game before me and I didn't have to convince him to, its better when he learns to like a game naturally, so he and I played for the first time last night and had a great time.

Your friend didn't want to play Destiny but wanted to play Anthem like Destiny but worse. Uh huh...

Nemesis X
8AJsKyh0x7w

BruceSkywalker
so.. is this game that bad or are people just whiny idiots

NemeBro
There are worse games out there, but it isn't anything worth playing either.

Nibedicus

cdtm
Worse games, without the same hype machine or pedigree behind it.

BrolyBlack

BrolyBlack
*high resolution

Tzeentch
Originally posted by BruceSkywalker
so.. is this game that bad or are people just whiny idiots It's definitely a game that was tailor-made for someone like you.

KingD19
Anthem wouldnt be a bad game if BIOWARE wasnt stamped on the front.

Tzeentch
What did he mean by this

KingD19
Originally posted by Tzeentch
What did he mean by this

Were you asking me what i meant by this?

Somtaaw-115
So $60 for a boring bug-filled game full of lootboxes? I'll pass, thank you.

Nemesis X

BrolyBlack
Then your just jealous of PC graphics and load times.

Kazenji
Yeah....because graphics is everything that matters.

BrolyBlack

Kazenji
Doesn't help when folks tell shit jokes to begin with.

BrolyBlack

BackFire
Seems like from what I've heard, this game will be good in a year or so when it's more fleshed out. It's weird how these games always seem to have the same issues as all the rest in the genre.

Smasandian
Yeah, it is strange. I wonder if Division 2 will follow the same trend.

I think it's one of those genres that is really hard to balance correctly. The loot structure is basically a functional economy and I could understand it being out of whack when the game is first released. It's hard to test that when it hits live.

Division had the same problems when it was released. Loot was totally out of whack and the end game was very, very small and weak. It took the devs 6 months to release an update that fundamentally changed the way the game was structured.

BackFire
The loot structure is part of it, but even with things like struggling to have a strong narrative or world. It seems particularly bad in this case because it's a Bioware game, it had a 6 year development cycle, and from what I heard it still somehow feels rushed.

BrolyBlack
This game fcking sucks. Fck this, ill come back to it next year

cdtm
Originally posted by BackFire
The loot structure is part of it, but even with things like struggling to have a strong narrative or world. It seems particularly bad in this case because it's a Bioware game, it had a 6 year development cycle, and from what I heard it still somehow feels rushed.

Duke Nukem Forever had a much longer cycle, and look how that turned out. thumb up

Like in that case, I'd bet somewhere in this mess is incompetent management.

cdtm
Hey, don't critic scores determine how much devs get paid?


I can't find how much Anthem made, or if it's a financial success, but I was thinking:


If critic scores had no real effect on sales anymore, and companies knew this, wouldn't they try and game the critic scores on their own games lower, just to screw the devs and save some money?

Just a thought.

Smasandian
I think it can affect bonuses but not wages.

Why would a company pay millions of dollars to make a worst game to save money?

Most reasons why games come out bad is mismanagement. From either middle managers to owners.

Nemesis X
Meanwhile Sony is offering refunds now that the game is reportedly crashing consoles.

https://www.vg247.com/2019/03/03/sony-reportedly-refunding-digital-copies-of-anthem/

Nemesis X
Looks like the inevitable happened. RIP Anthem.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2019/04/29/anthems-waning-playerbase-is-starting-to-create-matchmaking-problems/#aab4b4e74099

cdtm
Originally posted by Nemesis X
Looks like the inevitable happened. RIP Anthem.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2019/04/29/anthems-waning-playerbase-is-starting-to-create-matchmaking-problems/#aab4b4e74099

Didn't they promise it would last forever?

I smell a false advertising lawsuit. smile

cdtm
Seriously though, why is loot.so difficult to fix?


Is it a case of being unable to fix it? Or unwilling?


Like Vince McMahon hell bent on giving the fans every hour of Stephanie they never asked for, while cutting out the match's they do want?

Nibedicus
I think it has a lot to do with the type of loot and what that loot could do to the game in general. Problem with loot based games is that you can sometimes create imbalance and "must haves" and plenty of games want to avoid the cookie cutter builds where only certain loot are seen wanted due to their ease of use, power and efficiency. So devs have to be careful when introducing specific type of items as well as balance out their rarity.

But none of that is Anthem's problem. The loot in that game is such hot garbage that ANYTHING would have been a decent alternative for the mountains of dog doodoo they are shoverling at you in that game. Not to mention the terrible way they were handing out loot in the game (you get the loot AFTER each mission). They tried to copy Destiny's loot system while being even more stale and boring. Where Destiny's loot is hampered by its pvp (so devs had to make the loot as simple as possible so that they won't accidentally make something that is too OP when used in combination with other items), Anthem is pure PvE so it should not have been an issue (OP is A-OK in a PvE lanscape). They should have tried to be more like Diablo than they did Destiny.

I would say their incompetence/inexperience combined (they were never as skilled at shooting mechanics as Bungie) with some higher ups forcing them to stick to a Destiny-esque game, gave the game the worst aspects of Destiny while not not getting the best parts (polish and gunplay).

cdtm
Despite the flaws, I keep seeing people say it's a lot better then Warframe.


And I'm enjoying Warframe so far.

Smasandian
I enjoyed the combat part of the game....however, I only played the beta.

But I can understand the frustration with loot. The Division had similar problems when it was released and it took months to fix.

I believe people came back to that game after the devs did a major overhaul so Anthem can do the same thing (in theory of course).

There is one thing I know and that's people love loot based games and are willing to come back if the game is good.

BackFire
I hope they turn this game around. I thought it looked kind of fun and was kind of looking forward to trying it in a year, after they fixed a lot of the problems the game reportedly has.

Smasandian
I think it would stupid for them to at least try.

The story around the game would be a lot worst if they just abandoned it.

If Ubisoft didn't try to fix The Division, I believe Division 2 annoucements would be harshly received. However, they fixed it and the story became more about how the made the effort than the original shittastic end game.

Nemesis X
Lead creators leave Anthem, Bioware shifting focus to Dragon Age 4.

https://www.gamesradar.com/dragon-age-4-becomes-biowares-next-big-focus-as-anthem-loses-its-lead-creators/

It only pisses me off even further this is what they abandoned Andromeda for: another game but this one they apparently didn't know how it worked making everything they've done up to this pointless! Hopefully this'll get EA to not push Bioware to do this live service crap again with Dragon Age at least or else repeat history. Good grief.

Tzeentch
One step closer to the end of Bioware. Keep it up daddy EA. Keep tightening the noose.

BackFire
Originally posted by Nemesis X
Lead creators leave Anthem, Bioware shifting focus to Dragon Age 4.

https://www.gamesradar.com/dragon-age-4-becomes-biowares-next-big-focus-as-anthem-loses-its-lead-creators/

It only pisses me off even further this is what they abandoned Andromeda for: another game but this one they apparently didn't know how it worked making everything they've done up to this pointless! Hopefully this'll get EA to not push Bioware to do this live service crap again with Dragon Age at least or else repeat history. Good grief.

I think this was kind of always the intent with Anthem. The "A" team makes the game for initial release and then hands it over to Bioware Austin to make any other content down the road.

Actually it's probably for the best, Bioware Austin is responsible for TOR which has become a pretty decent MMO, they can probably take a lot of what they learned form that game and utilize that knowledge to make Anthem decent, where as the Edmonton team seemed to have no ****ing idea how to make a game like Anthem in the first place.

Nemesis X
Bioware abandoned it's second roadmap for Anthem. Repeat: It's second! Told y'all they didn't know what the f#@& they're doing.

cdtm
Originally posted by Nemesis X
Bioware abandoned it's second roadmap for Anthem. Repeat: It's second! Told y'all they didn't know what the f#@& they're doing.


Ass kissing and credit stealing to career advancement eventually leads to competency bankruptcy.


All the idea people have long since been driven out or moved on.

Nemesis X
So the last guy to run Anthem? Saying it would get better? He left.

https://www.polygon.com/2019/11/3/20946657/anthem-bioware-post-release-support-pc-ps4-xbox-one-chad-robertson-electronic-arts

-Pr-
So at first, it was leaked by a couple of people on twitter, but now the bigger sites are picking it up: Anthem is getting relaunched later this year.

https://www.gamerevolution.com/news/632612-anthem-relaunch-bioware-rework-major-changes

https://blog.bioware.com/2020/02/10/anthem-update-february-10/

Key parts:



Shades of FFXIV there, it seems.

Smasandian
I only played a bit of the beta but the world looked cool and the combat seemed fun.

Ubisoft did the same with The Division. It did a complete re-think on most of the systems with 1.4. It seemed to work. However, the difference was Division had more active players at the time.

However, if the games rethink turns out a much better product and they release it on Game Pass....it could start something good.

BackFire
Will be interesting to see how the rework goes. Another thing that makes this a bit of a different situation is that a new console generation is coming soon, probably before Anthem's rework is complete, so that makes me wonder what kind of strategy they will have to deal with the fact that many players who bought the game will have moved on to a new platform. I wonder if they will try to release this new Anthem as a new game, or if it will be a free update, and how the new console generation will play into that plan.

I hope they are able to get the game in a better state. It seemed like a cool premise - an mmo shooter with a good single player story. I hope one day they can realize that idea.

Smasandian
Reworks generally work out don't they for similar type games?

I assume the amount of money that was put into this game requires EA to make an effort to fix it. It probably only requires a small group of people to make these changes.

BackFire
Yeah they've worked well in the past. But like I said, the situation with the next gen consoles coming out so soon might throw a wrench into that.

Arachnid1
Them reworking it isn't good news IMO. I really just want Anthem to die so this team can get back to Mass Effect.

BackFire
I read that the team reworking it isn't the main team, but Bioware Austin, which makes sense since they have experience in the online RPG genre already by running SWTOR.

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