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Hands on with SiN Episodes
onethumb writes "The video game industry may be on the brink of a sea-change just like music has seen and movies are in the middle of now. Valve began it by selling millions of copies of Half-Life 2 online with Steam, and Ritual's about to really turn up the heat by proving that online episodic game development really works. We'll get better games, more frequently, and with new, innovative gameplay. I spent some quality time with SiN Episodes and it looks like everyone wins - Ritual, Valve, and you." From the article: "Everyone wants episodic games. Developers want it because they get to make better games (by listening to their fans suggestions every 6 months and incorporating it directly into the next chapter) and do it more cheaply (6 months of game development vs years. Do the math). Gamers want it because their favorite games will be more frequent, higher quality, and more innovative since developers can now take some risks with different & new gameplay. But figuring out if it's a money-maker is a big risk. Someone's gotta put their hard-earned dough on the line and try it out."
So every 6 months you get another demo length bit of a game? Spiffy.. and by the time you get to part 4 the games two years out of date and looks vile. People stop buying each episodes, game fails, story ends up as a cliff hanger due to resources drying up.
This has "dumbass" idea written all over it. Take the two years and recent a decent game and I'll buy it, advice my friends to buy it and try and support it as best I can. Make a couple of demos and space them out over a year and I'll have forgotten by the end of episode two because I'll have found something else I wish to play/support.
I like muppets.
This actualy worries me. If listening to their fans suggestions turns out to be letting the game's forum drive development. It is my opinion that the forum is the single worst thing to happen to the MMO genrea, and I'd rather it not squeeze it's way into more traditional games.
The problem is that most forum-posters are not game designers, they don't really know what makes a game fun to play, they know what makes a game easy. This is why people make and use "trainers" and other cheat programs, even though they will almost certainly and instantly wreak gameplay. They know what they think they want, but they are rarely right, and even when they are, they generaly don't represent the greater community.
My fear is that too much user feedback will lead to stagnation. The people most vocal in feedback channels are generaly concerned with making a game more like their last favorite game. Developers should be concerned with making it more like your next favorite game. It's the difference between looking backward and looking forward.
If forums teach us anything, it is that logic and critical thinking should be required courses in the public schools.
Why exactly do you think that "episodic content" means "as soon as the first one ceases to entertain me, the next one should be ready"? Nothing else works like that.
The word "episode" is most commonly associated with TV shows. One of those lasts an hour at most, and then you have to wait a whole week (or more) for another one.
A series of novels is also "episodic content." You've heard of Harry Potter? Most people who read that finish one novel several months before the next one comes out. Many people are done one years before the next one. But they still want to read the next one when it's available. Weird.
Also, many video games are already episodic to some degree. Half-Life 2 was like a second "episode" to Half-Life. Did everybody say, "What? I finished Half-Life years ago! Why would I want more of that crap now?"
No. They didn't say that. They bought the game in droves.
These guys are just talking about making smaller games and pumping out sequels faster. Possibly even planning for the sequels in advance, which would be kind of fantastic. It's a cool idea.