Let's talk about Gearbox's Marketing (Homeworld Related)

[Soviet Heavy]

First, I'd like you to watch this video.

Without knowing anything about Homeworld, what sort of emotions or themes of the game do you think this trailer represents? Because I sure as hell don't know why a Borderlands Trailer is showing deep space combat. Also, apparently we're saving humanity, instead of, you know, the Kushan and the Hiigarans.

This trailer has all the trademarks of a Gearbox production, but I haven't seen a disconnect so jarring since the Space Hulk Deathwing trailer, but at least Mariachi Terminators were kind of interesting and the dissonance was entertaining. This trailer just feels like Gearbox slapped their marketing team on Homeworld without understanding a single thing about the game.

BUILD SHIPS BUILD SHIPS BUILD SHIPS

I get it, its an RTS, that's kinda what you do.

EDIT: I suppose I should clarify that I already preordered this (come on its fucking Homeworld) and I'm really enjoying it. I just felt that this trailer was pretty shit and not at all indicative of what the game's tone is actually like. It really does feel like they took the Borderlands trailer format and tried to slap Homeworld on it. Contemporary music, obnoxious text blaring and jumpy editing might work for a tongue in cheek cartoon FPS, but not for a Space Opera Odyssey adventure.

 

[latiasracer]

I actually really like this trailer, and i'm a long standing fan of the series.


We need more people to play the game, that's a fact. Whilst many hardcore fans will buy the game, strangely the developers want to sell as much of their game as they can.

The "save humanity" bit made me cringe a little, but i think that was just a loose attempt to make it relatable.


I like it, the music fits, they are appealing to the masses which is fine by me.



Also, whilst the marketing team didn't know anything about the game neither did 99% of people they gave out demo keys too!

 

[bluepotatosack]

Weird trailer. All the ones before fit the tone of the game so well, this one is way off the mark though. Terrible music choice, and I don't even dislike the song all that much. Really jarring.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well as you would expect from a trailer, it is completely misrepresenting the product.
And this is exactly why I hoped against all hope no one touches a single piece of content in the game, because these monkeys could have very well ended up making it an FPS.

 

[TrevHead]

Yup that's a std AAA style trailer of which I see nothing wrong in them (even if it is a bit cheesy). Homeworld as well as other Relic RTS titles are very cinematic and make good avenues into the genre for the average PC gamer so it makes sense for Gearbox to make this type of trailer imo.

BUILD SHIPS BUILD SHIPS BUILD SHIPS

I get it, its an RTS, that's kinda what you do.

You and I know it's a RTS but others might not, BUILD SHIPS basically means THIS IS A RTS

If I have any problem with the trailer it would be the save humanity part.

 

[Gladion]

Well as you would expect from a trailer, it is completely misrepresenting the product.

I absolutely expect a trailer to represent the product. That doesn't mean I have to be gullible about it, but there's nothing to be gained and everything to be lost from letting people do half-assed jobs.

OT: Well, I think they've done a good job with this trailer. With these HD-rereleases, you don't have to sell to the old audience any more. They've made their decision regardless of your marketing campaign. Either they've already had their fix from the original and aren't interested or they're starving for more and buy it either way.
So you really have to convince people who know nothing about Homeworld, such as myself. If you believe that some snappy editing and a pop song in the background are completely at odds with the actual game, well, you're the expert, I guess, not me. I still thought this wasn't overdoing the style at all and I didn't find anything misrepresentative: I know the goals, I understand what type of mechanics I will be using the achieve these goals, and I know this is not a new game.

 

[Godhead]

I would probably appreciate it more if it didn't look like it could be made in a week by a High School Film Studies student.

 

[F-I-D-O]

I would probably appreciate it more if it didn't look like it could be made in a week by a High School Film Studies student.

I'm in this boat. I've never spent time playing Homeworld, and the remastered edition looks interesting. I didn't think the trailer was bad, just lazy. It was the same effect done over and over again. The timing with the music was well done, but that's not a difficult editing job.
It feels like something the interns threw together from stock footage on a last-minute lunch break.

That said, I didn't know Homeworld was an RTS - I thought it was just a space sim along the lines of Elite Dangerous, but you just had the one ship. Knowing that it's more than that, and appears to be a unit-based RTS where your base can move (similar to Necrons from DoW: Dark Assault), I'm a lot more interested. The trailer was light enough to interest me, without scaring me away with technicalities. I do wish there'd been more narration than "SAIL," and possibly any indication of a button to swap old for new graphics.

And I have no idea where that claim of it being a Borderlands trailer comes from. Those are far sillier, and represent the games less than this appears to,.

 

[Velociferocks]

I'll preface by saying that I don't have much experience with Homeworld and my view of Gearbox as a Dev is very low, so one should probably read my opinion with that in mind.
This is one of the most obnoxious trailers that I've seen recently. Editing to the beats of the music is fine... if the song wasn't so overused, and the text popups are just plain ugly and distracting. it simply doesn't convey what it would feel to command a fleet of space ships, not even a little bit [not that I know, but whatever].

 

[Aerosteam]

You could put dubstep to this trailer and it would fit. I don't think it should.

 

[The Madman]

In all fairness most of the previous trailers were just fine, it seems to be just this one where for some strange reason Gearbox or whoever decided on making all funky and inappropriate given the tone of the games themselves.


Incidentally for those scared away by the Gearbox label, you have every right to be after their bullshit with some of their previous non-Borderlands releases, but even so Homeworld is a brilliant series. I haven't played the Remastered edition yet but from what I understand it's pretty much just a visual update of the original games, and really that's all they needed seeing as the original games were fantastic.

 

[Vigormortis]

snip

So what you're saying is, in this game....I can build ships?

Oh my gods, that's incredible! I've never seen such a thing! And I get to do it in ULTRA-DELUXE UBER HD 4K+?!

And dat song. Man, I got shivers. This game looks so modern and badass! I bet the soundtracks FULL of pop and dubstep hits!

Spoiler: Fuckin' sold, Gearbox.

 

[Lunar Templar]

"I turned of the music I was listening to for this?"

Actual first thought, then the 'Save Humanity' thing popped up and the thought following that was "Welp, there goes the very little bit of interest I had...'

 

[Dalisclock]

Weird trailer. All the ones before fit the tone of the game so well, this one is way off the mark though. Terrible music choice, and I don't even dislike the song all that much. Really jarring.

It's okay. At least it uses scenes actually from the game.

It reminds me of this trailer, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31-NAkq8YEY for Bioshock: Infinite.

Except the BS:I trailer showed something that never happens in the game and in fact, contradicts things from the full game. And it uses a song that both isn't in the actual game nor fits the style of music you hear.

 

[Dalisclock]

"I turned of the music I was listening to for this?"

Actual first thought, then the 'Save Humanity' thing popped up and the thought following that was "Welp, there goes the very little bit of interest I had...'

What's really wierd is that at no point are the people in the game ever called human. In fact, in the original version, you didn't see them at all until the final cutscene. Later they're shown to be human looking but with no ties to Earth.

 

[Lunar Templar]

"I turned of the music I was listening to for this?"

Actual first thought, then the 'Save Humanity' thing popped up and the thought following that was "Welp, there goes the very little bit of interest I had...'

What's really wierd is that at no point are the people in the game ever called human. In fact, in the original version, you didn't see them at all until the final cutscene. Later they're shown to be human looking but with no ties to Earth.

huh, the the trailer makes even less sense to me then.

Ship building looks neat but I can get 'build stuff' games cheaper and that allow for much more absurdity in design.

also ... why do the space ships, all still seem to be using thrusters? i thought that was nipped in the bud as 'not optimal' back with G1 Star Trek.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

It reminds me of this trailer, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31-NAkq8YEY for Bioshock: Infinite.

Except the BS:I trailer showed something that never happens in the game and in fact, contradicts things from the full game. And it uses a song that both isn't in the actual game nor fits the style of music you hear.

Funnily enough, the trailer itself is in the game. It plays if you leave the start menu untouched. But yeah, i did wonder what the origin of those scenes were.

 

[happyninja42]

Eh, so it's a bad trailer, big deal. It's not the only one, nor was it even the first one. The other trailers were fine, so this one missed the mark a bit. If you're letting one trailer buy/sell a game for you then you aren't giving enough effort to researching the game.

Personally I would pay attention to the actual gameplay shown, and if it looked interesting I would look for more info.

 

[The Madman]

huh, the the trailer makes even less sense to me then.

Ship building looks neat but I can get 'build stuff' games cheaper and that allow for much more absurdity in design.

also ... why do the space ships, all still seem to be using thrusters? i thought that was nipped in the bud as 'not optimal' back with G1 Star Trek.

You don't design your own ships in Homeworld if that's what you're thinking, you build and use ships from a pre-existing selection. As for why they use thrusters, because it's cool looking and the trails ship leave in their wake are useful for identifying ships from a distance and following the action in battles.

If you're into the rts genre I really would recommend the Homeworld series. Not only are they fun to play and surprisingly challenging, but there's not really anything else quite like them in the genre and the story is surprisingly excellent. You wouldn't know if from that launch trailer, but the tone and mood of the Homeworld games is actually quite somber. Ships explode and die in the distance while Adagio for Strings plays in the background and the narrator describes the seemingly hopeless journey before you in a mournful tone.

Nothing else quite like it!

 

[Ender910_v1legacy]

Guess Gearbox needs to keep better tabs on what their marketing team are doing, lol.

As for the game itself, I think Gearbox made a lot of really good moves. Working with members from the original development team for Homeworld (who should now be working on a prequel for the series), and not only prettying up the engine but also bringing better mod support and multiplayer support (via Steamworks).

My only gripe so far is that it's all in one complete package, but that's mostly just me being a little nitpicky.