Quote:
Originally Posted by wildcatscanread
Yes, I do consider Madden and NCAA 2014 to have been a cash grab because both of us know there was code overlap, even significantly so,
You can take issue with my opinion all that you want but thats exactly what it is. Theres plenty of overlap, and no, I dont acknowledge any sense of whats fair for you poor companies out there. Consumers must stand up for ourselves because we know companies will always put their profits and stakeholders/shareholders above the consumers needs unless they align.
Thats why I appreciate Second and Ten not charging for college and pro separately.
I noticed no response regarding the stat accuracy question. Can you address those concerns? I think there are two lines of questioning: a) how accurate are game/season simulations and b) how are the playbook selections tested as far as accuracy to real life? So straight sim vs. gameplay.
|
I know the hours first hand that I put into developing the pro and college basketball games I make and I can tell you that I create two games - not one game - just as our football developers create two different games. Just because the games both simulate football doesn't mean they're the same - in fact they're very different when you consider the logic for player movement, game play style, scheduling, game rules, roster rules...
You brought up Second and Ten not charging for them separate. Well it looks like on their site the combined game costs $50 and that excludes certain college seasons which you can purchase extra at $10 (that's not a cash grab?) So that means someone with zero interest in pro football is forced to pay $50 for a college football game. At our site someone with no interest in pro football only pays $35 (or less - there is a pre-order discount plus other discounts during the year) for a college football game. How is it better for the customer you are claiming to stand up for when they have to pay for something they don't want? I don't have any issue with them forcing a bundle on someone but that's what they're doing - they're not making one game and giving away a second for free.
You're obviously welcomed to your opinion but do you go to McDonalds and expect to get a Big Mac and a Quarter Pounder because they both use a hamburger patty and a bun? Do you consider Perfect Team a cash grab? It simulates baseball games just like OOTP does. Do you think OOTP should have developed that and given it away for free?
That sort of thinking irritates me - companies like ours are not EA Sports. The OOTP team is far larger than mine and they would dwarf in comparison to EA or 2K and yet both of our companies consistently provide games that cost less and for many people are more fun to play. In some cases these games are built by one or two people and you don't think they should be rewarded for the time they spend developing different games because they're the same basic sport on the field even though almost everything off the field is different?
Statistical accuracy is going to be an opinion - I feel that our football games do an excellent job of generating realistic and accurate stats and that the stats they generate are responsive to the choices made in game play and game planning. And because we operate to make sure that our customers have a satisfying and rewarding experience we offer 100% free demos. We want prospective customers to try the game first and see for themselves how they like it and how much fun they have with it. Then we ask them to fairly reward our developers who put so many hours into building the game.
We're not in the business of "cash grabs" - if we were then we certainly wouldn't offer people the chance to try the games in full without putting out any money or putting a credit card in for a free trial in the hopes they forget later on or something and get charged. We're in the business of providing great sports gaming experiences and building a long term relationship with people who like to play those games. We completely leave it up to the customer to determine what they feel value is weather it is buying every game sight unseen for full price at release or waiting for Black Friday or Wolverine Day to pick up the one game they want at a deep discount.