I really love the new Battlestar Gallactica series. I am digging it to the nth degree. But you know how many episodes I've watched on the Sci Fi Channel? ZERO.

I knew I would love the series after reading reviews and watching trailers about halfway throught the first season. But I am NOT and episodic content kind of guy. I prize continuity of experience over almost everyhting else. So I patiently waited until season 1 was out on DVD, bought it from Best Buy, and spent the next 12 hours watching every episode in order. I loved it. I can't stand getting little snippets of a story and then waiting a week for more content.

So, does this mean episodic content is a bad idea for games? Of course not. It's just, on a personal level, extremely dissapointing for me, as I do not like episodes. So I'll effectively be waitng much longer for more HL, since I'll be waiting for the "First Complete Season" equivalent of the first several episodes. I hope that all publishers don't start moving towards this model.

I need my game to exhaust me... I need to be like "GOD I NEED TO GET SOME SLEEP" this doesn't happen with episodic content. I need EPIC games...


/oblivion oblivion oblivion
//spore spore spore

If we saw a return to Black Mesa in one of these episodes then I'd happily buy it

Black Mesa was destroyed at the end of OpFor. Or was it...

I can't speak for anyone else, but I know that my attention span isn't something that has to be on for 10 hours straight in order for me to get fulfilment from a game. Three five hour episodes released over time will occupy me just as much as one full 15 hour game.

I dunno; I just don't have a problem with playing an episode; moving on to other things in the industry and my life, and then playing the next episode when it eventually comes out. If I'm really feeling disconnected enough from the series due to time that it would impact my enjoyment of hte next episode, even though I really like it, I'll play through it again before I hit the next one to refresh my memory.

Now, whether not the trend with episodes gravitate to an equilibriam with normal games, being cheaper or being more expensive, we'll just have to find out. But really, there's nothing stopping companies from price gouging with full games; I don't think episodic content will facilitate it anymore than it already happens with normal games. Especially since if you do get ripped off with the first episode, the likely hood of you purchasing the second is greatly decreased, which means you probably won't be buying the next episode. Fool me once and all that.

This comment was edited on Feb 28, 02:03.

Who hopes that this episodic content crap dies a horrible death?

Okay, I understand that financially it's a safer bet for a gamer. If the game sucks, you're only out of 15-20 bucks, rather than 40-50, which is good.
I'll grudgingly accept the "Gamers determine the storyline" fable that Ritual is telling us, because I've yet to see a single writer anywhere who lets his fans dictate his story to him, but who knows. They're crazy anyways, so it might just make it.

But let's look at what is, in my opinion, a monstrous downside.

A new game is revealed. It's coming out in a year. You see screenshots, read previews, it looks the fucking pimp, it's got game of the year written alllll over it.
It's finally out! You've predownloaded it, so you just download the last few Megs, and you go to play it! Finally! Yes!

Four hours later, the words "To be continued" flash on your screen. And you know you've got around 8 to 12 months to wait before you can play more. (In Valve's case, probably at least 18...)

This doesn't bother any of you? Is this the same blues crowd that has, by and large, always been railing against games for "being too short"??
That they're over too quickly? And yet, now a lot of you seem to rush to embrace the whole concept of a game that you will REALLY finish before having to take a leak.

The whole prospect of waiting for a game for a year or more (and it WILL be more when they have to develop new engines...), and then getting to play four hours worth of content is enough to make me think about just finding another hobby.

Not to mention, ofcourse, the length of time between an original and an expansion is often a problem for people buying it. For example, there's a banner ad playing right now for the Rome Total War expansion. Loved the game, played it a ton. It's been uninstalled, and I lost interest in it about five months or so ago. The whole expansion doesn't interest me, but it would have half a year ago.

I understand that for developers and publishers, episodic content is something they'd jizz themselves over. Charge more money for less content.

But why do GAMERS like it? To me it just doesn't make any sense.

As for the next HL episode, whatever Valve. Release the fucking thing already or shut your yap about it. What is it this time, did you change the name again? Or did it get stolen maybe?

Creston

But which episodic content have we been fleeced by?.... Apart from UT2K3, of course;P

In my opinion, any successful franchise becomes episodic. Valve is speeding up the process, which I kinda like... The whole cost per hours doesn't ring a big bell for me.... I don't know how long a game takes me to finish. I never ever time it. At the end of a game, I either enjoyed it and can't wait for more or I put it down to not being my thing.

Also, I liked some of those big open, empty, areas in HL2.... gave me a real sense of desolation..... like the world had been fleeced, prior to us personally via episodic content;P

I believe the general criticism here - at least from me - is that people are being fleeced by releasing 'episodes' at a disproportionately high price compared to their actual content.

I appreciate that point completely and certainly would not want that to happen, I just haven't seen any evidence that that is going to be the case. We have no idea how long these episodes will be in "real" terms and no idea if they are improving the engine or even if the extra content will be any good - that makes it very hard to gauge value. I have my reseverations, as I have yet to see anything resembling a plot or even the existence of anything new, but I'm willing to give them a chance. If it's crap I'll be the first to shout and moan about it...

I wish they'd put some of the old magic back, as I loved running about Black Mesa and fighting grunts - HL2 lacked that, as the Combine were a pretty shit enemy. If we saw a return to Black Mesa in one of these episodes then I'd happily buy it.

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Emotinomicon: Emoticons of the Dead

I heard Steam sucks. Confirm/deny?

... previously they'd have to wait for years,

Yes, because Valve has just invented expansion packs.

-B

I'm playing thru HL2 for about the 5th time (waiting for Oblivion), and man the levels are so EMPTY.


Well, that is the downfall of any game. The emptiness effect was meant to work into the environment of the game. After you play it five or six time, the initial effect of absorbing the game for the effect the developers intended is lost. In other words, like any other game, it gets repetitive after so many times.

How can it take 6 years to make levels that have Nothing in them besides a couple head crabs + a switch to open a door?

Where do you think they got the models for those head crabs? Or the textures to put on the head crabs?

What I'm getting at is, game development has become extremely expensive and time-consuming, because many people don't like to play games that don't have state-of-the-art graphics. A lot of those same people don't care if the game only lasts 6 hours as a result. Valve has got this all figured out.

now they have a chance to change that and people criticise?

I believe the general criticism here - at least from me - is that people are being fleeced by releasing 'episodes' at a disproportionately high price compared to their actual content. As someone who buys games (i.e. plural and general case), it annoys me when a company adopts this type of strategy, because if it works the consequence is usually other companies adopting it, and everything gets more expensive.

Freespace 2: Lost Souls
http://www.sectorgame.com/aldo/

my 1 complaint w/HL2
I'm playing thru HL2 for about the 5th time (waiting for Oblivion), and man the levels are so EMPTY. How can it take 6 years to make levels that have Nothing in them besides a couple head crabs + a switch to open a door? Levels like Father Grigori in the graveyard are fun, but damn there's only 5-6 of those in the whole game.

nin=troll



Yeah. That's right. I put that bad boy in bold and in red text!

I've only been here a few months and if nin's a troll, then enahs is a couch potatoe and Zathrus is anti-intellectual.

it's also paying £40 for 15 hours every 2 years versus paying £40 for 8 hours every year (or £80 for 15 every 2 years)........ which is the real reason for Valves' strategy.

Gamers want more content for HL2, Valve want to make it and they want money... previously they'd have to wait for years, during which time fans get annoyed and Valve get annoyed - now they have a chance to change that and people criticise? NEway, it's Valve we're talking about. Even if they said an episode every 3 months you know you'd only get one a year, so I wouldn't worry.

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Emotinomicon: Emoticons of the Dead

nin just lacks tolerance for trolls, asshats, idiots, etc. Can't say I blame him.

Exactly...

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GW: Nilaar Madalla, lvl 20 R/Mo / Tolyl Nor, lvl 20 E/Mo / Xylos Gath, lvl 13 W/Mo

http://www.goldfrapp.co.uk/

The way it works now we usually get 15 hours every two years (in some cases less in more.)

8 every 1 would be good enough for me.

Of course, it's also paying £40 for 15 hours every 2 years versus paying £40 for 8 hours every year (or £80 for 15 every 2 years)........ which is the real reason for Valves' strategy.


Freespace 2: Lost Souls
http://www.sectorgame.com/aldo/
This comment was edited on Feb 27, 17:50.

nin=troll

LMAO!

*wipes tear*

Ah, that was great.

nin just lacks tolerance for trolls, asshats, idiots, etc. Can't say I blame him.

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Xfire: GreySpire
GW: Alia Arjel Mo/Me

I also see more dramatic use of fog. HL2 didn't use it too often, did it?

nin=troll