Why we do let EA abuse us and get all hyped up for TitanFall?

[Strain42]

I...don't.

The last game I bought that was published by EA was Firemint's Spy Mouse for my iPod Touch back in August of 2011.

It wasn't bad. It made good use of the hardware it was on and had a good visual charm to it that I enjoyed. It's a stealth game so...y'know, I sucked at it, but overall I thought it was pretty good.

By the way, this isn't because I have some hatred towards EA or are boycotting them they just...don't publish games that I have any interest in playing.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Because Respawn Entertainment isn't EA and they're making a very interesting looking game. Pure and simple really. I'm not going to stop myself from buying every single game that has EA on it just to prove a point. If I really want a game, I will get it.

Just because EA isn't developing doesn't make it right, that makes it an excuse...

Just because EA is publishing it doesn't make it right to hate the game and make unilateral decisions not to buy it. Thats just an excuse.
Judge a game on its merits, not who published it. We're not talking war criminals here, EA is not a certain German political party nor responsible for the deaths of millions.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Two words: Instant Gratification. Most gamers are not willing to put aside their entertainment long enough to stick it to EA and do what is necessary to get them to change their behaviour.

That's pretty much it.

EA promises something that people want, people buy it, EA pushes their luck until it pisses people off, then everyone's anger eventually dies down and promptly forgets the stupid shit EA pulled or rationalizes it away, and this process starts all over again. EA has no reason to change, so why start now?

I don't really give a toss about Titanfall, except that I'm already beyond tired of seeing it hyped everywhere.
But eh, that's just the nature of the gaming channels I frequent. Same thing happened with Skyrim.

Easy answer. Because EA doesn't actually abuse us. They provide us with good games and, like the coddled, entitled whiney-babies we are, we whine because this or that tiny little issue that isn't exactly how we'd want it.

Lol.
That's all I have to say: Lol.

 

[unstabLized]

I'm not allowing myself to get hyped up for Titanfall whatsoever. Sure the game looks pretty great but when I learned it was an EA game and subsequently would be an Origin exclusive on PC I immediately remembered that I wouldn't allow Origin on my computer under any circumstances. Plus with EA's focus on Micro DLC these days I probably wouldn't buy their game anyway. The burn cards for example look like a CCG players worst nightmare if they monetise them (which I have no doubt they will). There will probably be booster packs and specific equipment to buy and I would prefer everyone to be on a level playing field in that respect, not paying for advantages.

Plus the Smart pistol looks like such a cheap way for people to farm bot kills all the damn time. I imagine the team with the most Smart pistols will just have the advantage from such an early stage. Being able to headshot 5 guys simultaneously after a quick 1 or 2 second automatic lock on time doesn't sound remotely fair.

Oh don't worry. At least on the PC version, the Smart pistol sucks. It's basically a nooby starter weapon. It can only simultaneously kill bots. It takes a while to lock on to the player, you have to be pretty close to them, and it takes 4 shots to kill someone with it. I've only been killed by it when I'm attacked from behind and that's without the lock on system because people give up after the first shot and figure out that aiming manually is still a better payoff.

I played with it for one spawn, then tossed the thing aside and grabbed the Carbine rifle.

 

[Vigormortis]

OP, I'm going to spell this out for you in the clearest way possible so there's no confusion.

I'm hyped for Titanfall, I plan to purchase it, and I've a lot of growing respect for Respawn at the moment. The reasons for this are as follows:

> Respawn is NOT EA. EA's involvement with the game is essentially just distributor. They've no involvement with the design and, in many ways, infrastructure of the game. That all rests squarely on Respawn and Microsoft shoulders, respectively.

> The beta was incredibly fun and even with limited assets the game exudes masterful design. This alone piqued my interest. As did their exquisite handling of the beta; of which I hope bodes well for the launch.

> Respawn has stated numerous times that there will be no microtransactions, no day-1 DLC, and likely nothing like a Season Pass. They could be lying, but they're an upstart with a lot of predigree. The last thing they'd want to do is tarnish their tentative reputation.

Look. Like you, I dislike EA. I'll be the first to point out the moments wherein they fuck up or do something egregious towards their customers. I've even sworn off purchasing games that I know were borne out of their ridiculous design philosophies. (like Dungeon Keeper mobile)

However, this won't stop me from buying genuinely good games with good design and business practices behind them just because they carry the EA logo. Especially if the carrying of that logo is for tenuous reasons.

EA is one of the largest players in the industry. To avoid EVERYTHING that's even remotely associated with EA or an EA affiliate means avoiding an incredibly large number of high and even low profile games.

As such, I'd rather buy the good games with fair and respectful business models behind them and show EA that these are the models that sell, as opposed to buying into their bullshit ones or simply boycotting.

Boycotting does little to demonstrate to them what works and what doesn't.

 

[Vigormortis]

Oh don't worry. At least on the PC version, the Smart pistol sucks. It's basically a nooby starter weapon. It can only simultaneously kill bots. It takes a while to lock on to the player, you have to be pretty close to them, and it takes 4 shots to kill someone with it. I've only been killed by it when I'm attacked from behind and that's without the lock on system because people give up after the first shot and figure out that aiming manually is still a better payoff.

I played with it for one spawn, then tossed the thing aside and grabbed the Carbine rifle.

It's actually three shots to kill a Pilot. But regardless...

It's not a very good Pilot v Pilot weapon. In fact, it's easily one of the worst in that regard. (the starting rifle is probably the most "OP")

However, depending on your build, if you're trying to rush to your Titan as fast as you can throughout the match, the Smart Pistol is an amazing pick.

You can blast through waves of Grunts and Spectres very quickly, which in turn greatly reduces your Titans cooldown timer. (call down timer? maybe that's a better term.)

Still, I agree with you. How people can still ***** that the Smart Pistol is broken or overpowered is absolutely beyond me. There are even a few people on this forum who claim to be actively playing the beta, yet they still say the Smart Pistol is "too good".

:|

 

[Vigormortis]

Two words: Instant Gratification. Most gamers are not willing to put aside their entertainment long enough to stick it to EA and do what is necessary to get them to change their behaviour.

I dislike EA greatly. I will flatly refuse to buy any game they or one of their 2nd party affiliates make.

However, this doesn't apply to Titanfall. Respawn is not owned by EA nor does EA own the Titanfall IP. in fact, beyond distribution and Origin EA has no control over the game.

It's not a matter of "instant gratification" for me[footnote]And I'm a bit insulted that you're essentially insinuating the only reason anyone could want Titanfall is because they're some mindless twit with the attention span of a child.[/footnote]. I'm intrigued in the game because it's shaping up to be a genuinely good game. The beta reinforces this notion. As does Respawns claims to not having; and disgust at the notion of having; anything like microtransactions, day-1 DLC, or likely even Season Passes.

I agree with most of the criticisms levied against EA. This, however, won't stop me from supporting a good game with good business practices behind it just because the box happens to have the EA logo on it.

As I said in another post: I'd rather show EA I'm willing to support games with these kinds of costumer-friendly design and business philosophies behind them than simply just boycott everything and teach them nothing.

That's pretty much it.

EA promises something that people want, people buy it, EA pushes their luck until it pisses people off, then everyone's anger eventually dies down and promptly forgets the stupid shit EA pulled or rationalizes it away, and this process starts all over again. EA has no reason to change, so why start now?

I don't really give a toss about Titanfall, except that I'm already beyond tired of seeing it hyped everywhere.
But eh, that's just the nature of the gaming channels I frequent. Same thing happened with Skyrim.

See above.

 

[Azrael the Cat]

The hatred of EA comes from their 20 year run of purchasing the best developers of the time, with a policy of immediately streamlining them (churning out a terrible game each year under the IP they purchased, instead of a great game every few years), leading to the closure of studios that runs like a 'greatest hits' of PC gaming. A handful of the previously independent gaming companies bought, milked and closed by EA:

- Origin (Garriott's and Spectre's company: Ultima series, UO, Wing Commander series);
- Bullfrog (that one was Peter Molyneux's company during his peak: Dungeon Keeper, Syndicate amongst others)
- Maxis (hello Will Wright: SimCity etc)
- DICE (Battlefield 1-2)
- Westwood (Command and Conquer series)
- Mythic (Dark Age of Camelot, Asheron's Call)

And now it's Bioware's turn to have its IPs turned into 'churn out a game per IP per year; screw quality - just milk the IPs until they lose their value'.

Not saying this means you should or need to boycott EA. Just that there's a reason why they topped Forbes' poll of 'worst company' the past 3 years.

 

[Azrael the Cat]

Two words: Instant Gratification. Most gamers are not willing to put aside their entertainment long enough to stick it to EA and do what is necessary to get them to change their behaviour.

I dislike EA greatly. I will flatly refuse to buy any game they or one of their 2nd party affiliates make.

However, this doesn't apply to Titanfall. Respawn is not owned by EA nor does EA own the Titanfall IP. in fact, beyond distribution and Origin EA has no control over the game.

It's not a matter of "instant gratification" for me[footnote]And I'm a bit insulted that you're essentially insinuating the only reason anyone could want Titanfall is because they're some mindless twit with the attention span of a child.[/footnote]. I'm intrigued in the game because it's shaping up to be a genuinely good game. The beta reinforces this notion. As does Respawns claims to not having; and disgust at the notion of having; anything like microtransactions, day-1 DLC, or likely even Season Passes.

I agree with most of the criticisms levied against EA. This, however, won't stop me from supporting a good game with good business practices behind it just because the box happens to have the EA logo on it.

As I said in another post: I'd rather show EA I'm willing to support games with these kinds of costumer-friendly design and business philosophies behind them than simply just boycott everything and teach them nothing.

That's pretty much it.

EA promises something that people want, people buy it, EA pushes their luck until it pisses people off, then everyone's anger eventually dies down and promptly forgets the stupid shit EA pulled or rationalizes it away, and this process starts all over again. EA has no reason to change, so why start now?

I don't really give a toss about Titanfall, except that I'm already beyond tired of seeing it hyped everywhere.
But eh, that's just the nature of the gaming channels I frequent. Same thing happened with Skyrim.

See above.

Except that isn't their model.

It's 'buy an EXISTING company that's developed a bunch of IPs people want', then milk that into the ground so hard that in each case the new studio folds within a couple of years.

Of course, this strategy of 'don't ever MAKE any IPs other than your decades-old sports titles, just acquire other companies and then close them almost immediately' has been about as profitable a business tactic as you'd expect - EA hasn't even looked like being profitable for years, and their stock value has been declining for a decade now. It just takes a LONG time for a company that size to go under.

 

[teebeeohh]

because respawn isn't owned by EA. BF4 could be fucked up by meddling from EA because they own DICE. same thing with anything bioware does these days.
respawn had the same shit with Activision and back when it was announced that EA would back them(that was years ago) they basically said they would take EAs money and tell them to keep their grubby paws of the creative side. This is how the publisher/creator relationship should work

 

[Vigormortis]

Except that isn't their model.

It's 'buy an EXISTING company that's developed a bunch of IPs people want', then milk that into the ground so hard that in each case the new studio folds within a couple of years.

Of course, this strategy of 'don't ever MAKE any IPs other than your decades-old sports titles, just acquire other companies and then close them almost immediately' has been about as profitable a business tactic as you'd expect - EA hasn't even looked like being profitable for years, and their stock value has been declining for a decade now. It just takes a LONG time for a company that size to go under.

This is a different thing all together, but it doesn't matter.

I know of this and I agree that it's awful.

But again, this is not the case with Respawn. EA does not own Respawn, and there's little chance that they will.

The deal between the two is simply for distribution. And, for all intents and purposes, extends only to this first game of Titanfall.

Any or all future projects by Respawn can; and likely will be; distributed and/or published either by a different 3rd party or by Respawn themselves.

The only reason they even turned to EA for distribution is because, as an upstart, they lacked the means to do so. (and likely the funds)

In fact, as I've said more times than I can count by now, Microsoft has a larger involvement with Titanfalls production than EA. Much larger.

Point being: Titanfall is not an EA game. Respawn is not an EA developer. And neither is ever likely to be so.

 

[Branindain]

For mine, I would say I'm boycotting it but I couldn't give 2 shits about it to begin with so that's pretty meaningless. It's releasing alongside Dark Souls II and Witch & the Hundred Knight anyway so it stands zero chance with me.

 

[spartan231490]

Easy answer. Because EA doesn't actually abuse us. They provide us with good games and, like the coddled, entitled whiney-babies we are, we whine because this or that tiny little issue that isn't exactly how we'd want it.

That is just a logical fallacy. EA is pretty bad about a lot of the ways in which they treat consumers. Like forced online play in Sim City, day one DLC is pretty much all of their games. You are not doing a good job defending EA since all your doing is attacking the people ad hominem, which is what people do when the facts are stacked against them.

My argument isn't an ad hominem. What you call an ad hominem fallacy is simply an extraneous opinion. My argument is inherent in the good games comment. If EA was really abusive, we wouldn't continue paying their bills by buying their games. They're providing us with a good at a price we agreed to pay. You can whine about day one dlc or forced online play, but you bought the game, which shows that you believed the game, as it was, to be worth the price. And if, in retrospect, you really concluded that EA was delivering games that weren't worth the price, you'd stop buying their products. Nice fallacy fallacy though, try again.

 

[spartan231490]

Easy answer. Because EA doesn't actually abuse us. They provide us with good games and, like the coddled, entitled whiney-babies we are, we whine because this or that tiny little issue that isn't exactly how we'd want it.

So Sim City,the BF4 lawsuits,and the PR problems EA has had for the past 2 years don't mean anything?If you're going to be a EA apologist then come up with a better argument than the tired 'whiny,entitled babies' ad hominem.

My argument isn't an ad hominem. What you call an ad hominem fallacy is simply an extraneous opinion. My argument is inherent in the good games comment. If EA was really abusive, we wouldn't continue paying their bills by buying their games. They're providing us with a good at a price we agreed to pay. You can whine about day one dlc or forced online play, but you bought the game, which shows that you believed the game, as it was, to be worth the price. And if, in retrospect, you really concluded that EA was delivering games that weren't worth the price, you'd stop buying their products. Nice fallacy fallacy though, try again.

As for your comments, those are appeal to authority and appeal to popularity fallacies.

Lastly, I'm not an EA apologist, I hate EA, I'm just sick of people whining about it when they're clearly still buying EA games.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

Oh don't worry. At least on the PC version, the Smart pistol sucks. It's basically a nooby starter weapon. It can only simultaneously kill bots. It takes a while to lock on to the player, you have to be pretty close to them, and it takes 4 shots to kill someone with it. I've only been killed by it when I'm attacked from behind and that's without the lock on system because people give up after the first shot and figure out that aiming manually is still a better payoff.

I played with it for one spawn, then tossed the thing aside and grabbed the Carbine rifle.

But my point is that it's an extremely effective way of killing bots.

Imagine in LoL or DoTA that you had the option of starting with the most powerful item in the game (but it only worked against creeps), you would still have a distinct advantage early game, and things would probably only snowball from there, unless you were a REALLY bad player. That is a bit of a stretch when it comes to comparisons but fundamentally it would be the same.

 

[Atmos Duality]

I agree with most of the criticisms levied against EA. This, however, won't stop me from supporting a good game with good business practices behind it just because the box happens to have the EA logo on it.

As I said in another post: I'd rather show EA I'm willing to support games with these kinds of costumer-friendly design and business philosophies behind them than simply just boycott everything and teach them nothing.

Good for you, but I'm not interested in Titanfall to begin with and I've already highlighted my relevant thoughts on the matter.

 

[Vigormortis]

Good for you, but I'm not interested in Titanfall to begin with and I've already highlighted my relevant thoughts on the matter.

Never took issue with you not having interest in Titanfall. What effect does that disinterest have on me?

None.

My issue was that you, and indeed many others on this forum, seem to be implying the only reasons people are interested in the game are because they have short attention spans and no self control in their consumer habits.

It's the height of dismissive condescension and, quite frankly, is pretty damn insulting. Even for this forum.

I don't give a rats ass whether you're looking forward to the game or not. I don't care if you hate itt. Makes no difference to me. But, that doesn't give you nor others the right to call those of us who are looking forward to it impatient children looking for the "hot new toy".

I don't go around insulting you for your choice in media entertainment. I'd kindly ask you to extend me and others the same courtesy.

Or, is that asking too much?

 

[klaynexas3]

Easy answer. Because EA doesn't actually abuse us. They provide us with good games and, like the coddled, entitled whiney-babies we are, we whine because this or that tiny little issue that isn't exactly how we'd want it.

Except for the games that aren't good, or don't work, and have issues that make them either a completely different experience than they should be, or not playable at all. You know what? Gamers are entitled. They are entitled to ask for games to be not shit. They are entitled to want products that actually work. They are entitled to complain when a game does not work as it should, or even at all, because they paid for the game that was advertised, not the buggy mess they were given.

If you bought a car that was advertised to be work completely fine, run well with a good gas mileage, not many miles on it, and a decent interior, I think you'd expect that car. If you instead got a car that needed constant repairs, had shit mileage, had many thousands of miles on it, and the interior looked like someone smeared it with shit, I think you would complain. Same applies for games.

But I suppose that if you don't agree with this, the best thing to do is insult anyone that does feel the need to criticize games and expect a quality product from game companies.