First of all, I actually want to thank you for responding in a reasonable way, pointing out the parts of my statement you had issue with with clarity. (You could have been a little less aggressive about it originally, especially since your major issue seems to be that the language I was using was too inflammatory, but I digress...)Oh dear, that would require a dissemination almost sentence by sentence, but a few things...
To clarify, I'm not accusing everyone who is not psyched for ME3 of bitching, I am accusing the people who actually are bitching, of bitching. It may be harsh (I was a little pissed off granted) but since I refer to the other side of the argument in equal terms later on I wouldn't say that I was being unfair.That's a very bad way to start any constructive conversation on anything, decrying people of "bitching" will get you very strong emotional responses in return (or calls of agreement), observe here [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.325816-I-Am-Alive-Producer-Dismisses-Bitching-PC-Gamers]
In your very opening argument you are dismissing an issue people might have right in its summation, even though it has been[/b] discussed [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/experienced-points/8672-EA-Intervention] before and some people deemed it an issue, outright ignoring someone's opinion doesn't make them want to listen to you as the bringer of impartial compromise.
Again, my grumpy demeanor may have got in the way of what I was actually trying to say.
What I really meant by 'jack shit' was 'does not necessarily tell you anything concrete about the quality of the finished product', but that would have been too long for a pithy sub-title. I have my peeves about game marketing too, particularly where EA is involved. However, No amount of shitty marketing will ever serve as any kind of 'proof' that the game in question will suck; and the amount of people who try to claim otherwise, and will act like the sky is falling over every little thing do annoy me.
Just like above, I am not calling everyone who has taken issue with ME3 a 'douchbag', 'elitist' or a 'jerk'; only the people who are guilty of such behaviour.Calling someone a "douchebag" is again very emotionally laden (as most of what you've written) and holds valuation in itself. As for the argument you present, I don't exactly get it since as they usually go they aren't as much about who plays a certain game if they aren't exactly related to "Call of Duty"-threads or the persons that do, but about changing the game itself to something unappealing for them by Bioware and being disappointed about that, I also don't think it has anything to do with "new guys" (since that would say imply that someone was "against" people that buy into Anno 2070, Heroes of Might&Magic VI or Civilization V to play them the first time, which can't hold water), but pandering to a different audience while abandoning theirs.
Using terms like "pissing and moaning", "Shut up!" and "elitists", "being a jerk" doesn't help you reach your audience but turns them away.
Maybe we just have different experiences, but I have seen a lot of people take their frustration out on other gamers who they perceive as having 'stolen' the franchise away from them, and some of it was very mean-spirited. The deeper motivations as to why they chose to do so don't concern the thread. I didn't want to get into yet another argument about differing opinions, rather about behaviour. Their behaviour was appalling, so I was calling them out on it.
I can't really take issue with this. EA's business model is crap, I'll be the first to say that. However, despite this it seems a large fraction of my favorite games have actually been published by EA, so I always try not to let their rather crude approach prematurely colour my expectations of any finished product. It just bugs me when people use the logic that 'I did not enjoy DA2, therefore ME3 will inevitably suck balls', which is just not true, at all.This is presented somewhat better, I think you're just missing the argument somewhat as it goes, a large number of people don't think that the same people that did Dragon Age 2 are making Mass Effect 3 (at least I hope so), but that EAs influence upon both in a budgetary and managerial direction might show in how they direct the project, trying to finish it in a smaller time span, implementing "buzz" features instead of polishing the rest all the while marketing DLC and the likes.
I'm glad we agree on some things at least, and you're right, maybe I worded that a little unfairly. It just seemed to fit into the sentence better that way. Believe me when I say I meant no offense.I actually agree with that, but again it's all in the phrasing and saying people "liked bullshit" etc.
I honestly don't think that what I said here was unfair. Obviously it only applies to people who do it, but the fact is that Bioware have been on the receiving end of a lot of bile lately, and in my opinion must of it is ridiculously exaggerated, not to mention that it doesn't actually help produce a better product. You can see how, from a developers point of view, this could lead to becoming bitter at the fan base, which could lead them to seek out other groups of people to impress, don't you?Oh dear, I'd rather not touch that oneThat would surely not "antagonize" anyone with issues to bring up as you put it.
Again, I meant no disrespect. I perhaps should have changed 'the ones' to 'the few' in order to better get across my intentions. Fact is, some people like that sort of thing. I'm not judging them, all power to them in fact. It was another case of referring to them in the same context I had before fitting better into the sentence. In the context of the sentence I was actually defending them.This makes your stance on the point of what you think about RPG players rather too obvious, trying to pack it in some kind of semblance of an argument doesn't hide it.
Again it breeds hostility the same way "CoDtard" would, although you put that in apostrophes.
I don't see what's so antagonistic about this part. People who like a game and people who don't are different groups. My point was, why is that a problem? Even though people will inevitably disagree and argue, why must we descend this particular argument into defensive, childish bickering. I in no way implied that it was 'us against them'. I just didn't. The last part of your statement here is also incorrect. I said on more than one occasion that plenty of the reasons fro disliking certain games/having doubts about future games, are entirely legitimate and that people have every right to hold them. I didn't dwell on it because, once again, the focus of this thread is not about people differing opinions, but rather the way they choose to behave to people who hold different opinions. I also can't go into depth about why people act the way they do, because I am not a mind reader. What people think and why is their business, and if I don't share their sentiments I don't assume that I can properly analyse them. When people start to act like twats about what they think, whether I agree with what they think or not, then I call them out on it.In this last point you especially use the term "they" and "you", trying to splinter everyone into two groups e.g. "we" against "them" instead of people having a different opinion, for instance I also love Mass Effect 2, while I dislike Dragon Age 2. Also throughout you're usually only dealing with one side of the arguments, the "we" side and never give any way to try to understand "them".
I can't be utterly neutral, nobody can. Everyone has their own opinions and biases. However, that doesn't change that I called out the behaviour of people on both sides of the divide, regardless of what side of it I am on, and I think my points were legitimate, for the most part, although perhaps I let my frustration cloud my presentation somewhat. I hope my responses have at least cleared some of that up.Summed up, you're not very good/successful at presenting a "neutral" argument on the matter.