Troika's Market Strategy- Good Idea?

Constipated Craprunner · Oct 23, 2002

So, what do you think of Troika's not realesing any info on their new RPGies until 2003?

Deathy · Oct 23, 2002

By that time, at least one of them will be in feature lock, I'd imagine.
It'll keep the idiot fanboys from ruining the game, although it doesn't give very much time to pimp it.

Saint_Proverbius · Oct 23, 2002

It's not Troika's idea. Their publishers wanted that. In fact, Troika can't even say who those publishers are until January, which is very, very odd.

wizard · Oct 23, 2002

Maybe the publishers didnt want to have their names in the public yet...
but still it's odd

VasikkA · Oct 23, 2002

I don't think it's a bad thing. At least they can work in peace of all the fans, media, etc. Besides, it's worth waiting for something good. Excitement keeps us hungry.

Zed · Oct 23, 2002

Indeed.

Saint_Proverbius · Oct 23, 2002

The only thing that bothers me about them waiting so late on this is that they could cancel the game right up to January and no one would know the difference since it hasn't been hyped at all. There would be no backlash on that either, since no one knows who those publishers are either.

Then again, maybe I'm paranoid. That's the only reason I can see them not being more forthcoming though.

Vikjunk · Oct 23, 2002

That or the publisher is just taking a page from the Diablo playbook, if I remember right Diablo 2 didn't release that much info about it until pretty close to the release of the game. The publisher may think that was one of the things that helped Diablo 2 to be such a success; it didnâ€™t try to please everyone like Arcanum did.

Xerophyte · Oct 23, 2002

I'm not even going to try to analyze how effective it might be. If there's one thing I know nothing about, it's marketing.

Personally, though, I'm rather happy about it. When I eventually got my hands on Arcanum I had been so saturated by prerelease info - from hanging out on the forum for a long time, reading up on every possible tidbit, conniving myself to a beta and so on - that I just did not enjoy the game. I usually have the most fun in RPGs when I get to explore unknown lands, experience mystical adventuring and all that - in Arcanum I knew most everything beforehand. Not fun and I'd rather not make the same mistake again. That Troika are helping me keep away from prerelease info by not giving me any is thus a good thing

Sol Invictus · Oct 23, 2002

They're probably brewing some gigantic ad campaign in the meantime. Though, like all "sudden ad campaigns", they have a tendency to fail because no one knows wtf is going on.

Saint_Proverbius · Oct 24, 2002

That could be, Exit.. I wouldn't be shocked if I don't see a huge campaign though. At least, not one done by the publisher that involves spending a lot of money.

jvn3t · Dec 8, 2002

They've got my fifty bucks.

Saint_Proverbius · Dec 8, 2002

Well, they're making a D&D game, it seems. I've heard the module they're using as a basis for it is pretty interesting, and they're making it turn based which is good.

Still though, it's a scary concept for me.. Tim Cain making a D&D game. I fear.

Constipated Craprunner · Dec 8, 2002

Saint_Proverbius said:
Still though, it's a scary concept for me.. Tim Cain making a D&D game. I fear.

Heretic!
None shall fear anything that Tim Cain gives us!
It shall all be great!
Anyway, what edition is it?

Spazmo · Dec 8, 2002

Guess. Take one great big guess. Strain your brain reeeeeal hard and guess.

Constipated Craprunner · Dec 8, 2002

Damn 3rd edition.
Damn it!
Damn it!

TimCain · Dec 8, 2002

Saint_Proverbius said:
Still though, it's a scary concept for me.. Tim Cain making a D&D game. I fear.

If you remember, Saint, I predicted you would not like my next game. I am just following my "Make what I want and hope others enjoy it" strategy to making games. It's not much of a business strategy, I know, but I'm not much of a businessman.

Now go bug Black Isle to make Fallout 3.

Dan · Dec 8, 2002

Even though I find the D&D setting less appeling then a more original one, I still think it can be a good game.

Most of the bad D&D games out there are not bad just because they are D&D, but also because of many other reasons.

Jed · Dec 8, 2002

Even hindered by the combat focus of 3E, I still think it could be a good game, proived it's approaches the gate of Torment, rather than the torment of Gate. History tells me to give Mr Cain a bit of credit, so I will be interested to check it out.

Is this related to the rumor that the module in question will be The Temple of Elemental Evil?

Jed

Saint_Proverbius · Dec 8, 2002

TimCain said:
If you remember, Saint, I predicted you would not like my next game. I am just following my "Make what I want and hope others enjoy it" strategy to making games. It's not much of a business strategy, I know, but I'm not much of a businessman.

A good D&D CRPG is fine by me. It's just a little shocking that you're making one rather than making something new and never been done. I thought your philosophy was, "Make something new and unique that I want and hope others enjoy it."

I was kind of thinking, "Hey, Tim Cain putting his own spin on fantasy with his own rules. Well, that's not that bad." since I'd love to see a unique take on the general setting.

My world is shaking, Tim!

Now go bug Black Isle to make Fallout 3.

I'd rather bug you to make FAILSAFE: A POST ATOMIC CRPG!

I fear BIS making Fallout 3 more than I fear you making D&D CRPGs. At least with the D&D CRPG, we might get a good game made with those rules for a change, as opposed to what BioWare and Black Isle tend to pump out.

Chadeo · Dec 11, 2002

I should start buying lottery tickets.

Newscaster: "So, now that you have 10 MILLION dollars, what are you going to do?"

Me: "Buy the rights to the fallout world from Interplay"

Newscaster: "What?"

I wonder if that would be a tax deductible gift? One game license donated to Trokia...

Saint_Proverbius · Dec 11, 2002

"I'm going to take Tim Cain to Disneyland!"

chrisbeddoes · Dec 11, 2002

TimCain said:
"Make what I want and hope others enjoy it" strategy to making games.
Now go bug Black Isle to make Fallout 3.

a)This is the only way to make good games .

b)Black Isle is not making Fallout exactly because of the fans.

a)Marketing & shareholders want money
b)The developers want to express their creative vision .

Feargus can deal with both a and b like every manager in every company .

But he cannot deal with c)

c) Crazy fans that that want Fallout their way without cool minigunez and with moral decisions and who knows what else .These crazy fans believe that Fallout story is their property and they are ready to defend "their property" in the net .

That is why they are not making the game because he cannot deal with c)

So to go and bug them is not exactly a very good idea is it ?

Saint_Proverbius · Dec 12, 2002

That's most likely because we've done more for Fallout in the last five years than Interplay has. Fallout 2? Yeah, thanks for all the bugs and pop culture references! Fallout Tactics? Thanks for all the bugs, the pop culture references, and totally screwing up the setting.

There's a reason the fans are so rabid and protective of Fallout, it's because the last thing Interplay did with it was a friggin' travesty.

Fiver · Dec 18, 2002

Well, I liked Fallout 2. Sure, it had some bugs, but, heh, Fallout 1 wasnt exactly bug free if I recall. I do admit, Fallout 1 was grittier but Fallout 2 had some serious charm. I always shoot to have enough charisma and endurance to drug up and be a pornstar and sexpert (not to mention, pimp my spouse). I know I know, that makes me lame, but, heh, I love when a game has those little intangibles.

Anyways...as far as the main topic goes, I have gotten to the point where I no longer want companies to give me oodles of info about a game. It really does ruin the game a bit for me. For example, I make it a point to read nothing at all about Deus Ex 2. I loved part one and want to have the same sense of discovery when I fire up part 2.

Also, when companies start to drop features that were once gonna be in the game or seriously change things, then you can kinda get a lil disenchanted. I remember the development of Icewind Dale 2. I was very active on the message boards and read about all the neat kits that were being designed. Then they up and used those terrible 3rd edition rules (whose only saving grace are the prestige classes Ive read about that no video game company seems to use) and I couldnt bring myself to play the game. Why? Well, I kept thinking, "man, this coulda been so much cooler if they woulda stuck to that other ruleset and included all those cool and diverse kits...oh well."

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