Hard Light Productions Forums
Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: azile0 on June 25, 2009, 05:25:57 pm
-
So, I checked my YouTube PMs for the first time in like, a year. I got tired of the hate mail. Well, it turns out that Dan Wentz from Volition had read my comment (I forget what/where) on some FS/FS2 video and sent me a message. And responded when I sent a message back. Totally surprised me.
(http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/8964/13389893.th.png) (http://img222.imageshack.us/i/13389893.png/)
(http://img366.imageshack.us/img366/2951/volition1.th.png) (http://img366.imageshack.us/i/volition1.png/)
-
Wow...that's really, really cool, actually. It explains the little FS3 Easter egg in that RF2 April Fools' video, too. :p
-
Woot.
Dan has always been really great with the community, particularly with the music.
-
RF2
I snickered.
-
What did you send him between the first and second messages?
-
RF2
I snickered.
You get the idea. :p
-
You should ask him what "insane" amounts to in USD.
I do seem to recall there being a movement to get the funds together here to
try to buy them.
-
Several, as a matter of fact. One guy was even willing to spend his inheritance on it, several million dollars.
-
I see. I am surprised to have a member of Volition contact me. I just saw the commercial for Saints Row 2. In fact, it's playing on my TV next to my computer now. As for FS3, I have heard from members of Hard-Light that Inerplay was holding a huge ransom for the Freespace license. How much could they ask for a game license, anyway? It couldn't be terribly expensive.. And, one thing that gaming companies have to remember is that THEY HAVE FANS!
Some fans of the Freespace series, like me, would gladly donate any money we could to the revitalization of the series. Some experienced people may even do indie development, as their way of contributing to a great game. Gaming companies don't need to lavish millions of dollars on a game, when the fans will probably ask for half of the price of the professionals. Just poke around Hard-light.net, and I think you'll find people who think just like me.
Thank you for your time.
I sent that on October 17, 2008.
-
Hail text advertising. Thanks for sending that to him, azile. :)
-
Woah
-
as for buying the rights to freespace it would probably be cheaper to buy interplay and that way you get all of there rights , there total stock value isnt that much atm so getting a controlling stake or owning it outright isnt that expensive ( i use that expensive if you are a really rich person )
-
If Saints Row 2 keeps selling well and the new Red Faction does great......and then we hear that the suits at Volition are optimistic and open to something else......and then I start roping myself into the idea that FS3 is still actually possible, when it's been ten.......****ing...........years............and I only haven't moved on, completely and wholly, because I still love HLP, and I get drawn into this, again, then that would be....just..........
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*head explodes*
-
I'd love to see Dan Wentz reply a second time. That would be epic.
If he does/already has, post it here, dammit. :drevil:
-
It's great to see that Dan continues to interface with the community. :yes:
It's interesting that he says that acquiring the IP is the big hurdle though. I would think that even if they had the IP, making a high budget space sim in today's gaming market would in itself be a very risky venture.
-
Wow...that's really, really cool, actually. It explains the little FS3 Easter egg in that RF2 April Fools' video, too. :p
What now? What video? Where?
-
It's interesting that he says that acquiring the IP is the big hurdle though. I would think that even if they had the IP, making a high budget space sim in today's gaming market would in itself be a very risky venture.
I figured that was what he meant about profitability; given the expected return on a space sim, you can't afford to spend much of anything acquiring the rights to make it in the first place.
-
Wow...that's really, really cool, actually. It explains the little FS3 Easter egg in that RF2 April Fools' video, too. :p
What now? What video? Where?
In the Red Faction: Guerrilla video that :v: released on April Fools' Day introducing the Ostrich Hammer. One of the whiteboards in the background of one scene had something like "FS3 Release" written on it. :p
-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKi5-ZSKh24
That's the video in question.
-
FS3 huh.
-
Here is it (passed it through a filter so you should see it better):
(http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/8053/fs3eegg.jpg)
-
I think it's been made clear that :v: wants to do FS3 more than we do. I say give it time... eventually, we'll get it. I think the best way for the Suits to decide that it's worthwhile making would be to send them a basic copy of FS2 and then a copy of FS2 Open, to show that the community at least is still there. If they Suits think it's a good game too, they'll convince themselves that going after making a Third would be good business. The only thing that would need to be done is to advertise the damn game! :P
-
The problem rests with the market. People are satisfied with rehashed FPSs,
a new Madden, and MMOs every year it seems.
You also have to consider that of course it sounds like there's a market if
you read the posts here. Except that HLP and GW account for such a small
fraction of the overall market, that you'd probably run out of decimal places.
EVE Online is the only real example of success right now, and it can only loosely be called
a sim for these purposes.
What they need to see is a resurgence in the SS genre by way of a competing product.
Jumpgate for example... if it took off then you'd have an easier time selling FS3 to the bean counters.
Add to the fact that the game developers are hurting in this economy, and consoles and mobile (the latter
being where the main focus is right now) are showing the most growth, and you have to see that PC
platform isn't the major leader if you want to capture the casual audience.
So there's some significant hurdles to over come.
-
Of course, there's always a risk that they'll try to turn it into an MMORPG and totally ruin it in the process.
-
If I get FS3, I want FS3, not World of FreeSpace or FreeSpace Stories or FreeSpace 2k10.
-
If FS3 comes as MMORPG, i'll do the same with it that i do with the KOTOR MMORPG - i ignore it ( unless a wonder happens and it comes with a dense, action packed single player story part with over 80+ hours of awesome game play fun ).
In my opinion, the FS universe wouldn't work as MMORPG as it is.
:v: would have to make a lot of changes to the universe to make it work, and imo, it would be better to create a new one from scratch.
EDIT: The fact that some folks from :v: are visiting HLP from time to time is cool, it rarely happens that developers are still interested in their "babies" after a decade has past.
-
If FS3 comes as MMORPG, i'll do the same with it that i do with the KOTOR MMORPG - i ignore it ( unless a wonder happens and it comes with a dense, action packed single player story part with over 80+ hours of awesome game play fun ).
Which to listen to BioWare talk, and this is BioWare we're talking about, the fully recognized demi-gods of the PC RPG, it's going to be like that, but online. They have said they want the player to have a powerful story that is told about they're character that they can bring they're friends along for the ride.
-
Now, I wouldn't mind FS3 with a Co-Op mode.
-
I wouldn't mind FS3 with 32v32 multiplayer dogfights.
-
Now, I wouldn't mind FS3 with a Co-Op mode.
But FS2 has a co-op mode!
-
Another FS3 discussion when we have a :v: member to talk with?
Why don't we ask him their plans for FS3 plus something about Bosch and the Shivans?
-
Because he's a composer, not a writer.
-
But what leads you to believe that he doesn't know what we want to know?
-
But it's so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of you: are you the sort of man who would put the poison into his own goblet or his enemy's? Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own goblet, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool, you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.
-
I don't it's so simple/obvious. I know that sometimes people work on games without knowing them as a normal fan would, but what leads to believe that Wentz knows absolutely nothing of the original plans for FS3? I read his personal message, and looks like he is a freespacer like anyone else.
If he knows but doesn't want to tell it's another matter.
-
:lol:
I wonder if that ruffled Mobius' hair when it went over his head.
-
Hmmm, space sims have always been a niche genre. I wonder what the profit margin has been, for, say, PC-exclusive distribution like Steam for stuff like space sims.
Console space-sims haven't exactly been commercially famous either. What was the last franchise out? Colony Wars, was it?
-
Truly you have a dizzying intellect :lol:
-
Console space-sims haven't exactly been commercially famous either. What was the last franchise out? Colony Wars, was it?
It's a shame the Colony Wars series ended that way. Under many points of view, it was better than FreeSpace.
-
Hmmm, space sims have always been a niche genre.
Not so. There's a reason WCIII (or was it IV?) was the most expensive game yet made when it was released.
-
Another FS3 discussion when we have a :v: member to talk with?
Why don't we ask him their plans for FS3 plus something about Bosch and the Shivans?
He wouldn't know...because none of them know. I asked a few of them when I was last there (this was many years ago now) because I was dying to know as well. They had some rough ideas, lots of little bits, some cool discussions (none of which were shared :)) but that was that...and then they were busy on Red Faction 2 and Summoner 2 by that point. So its extremely unlikely that the composer would know less than the writers or producers.
I can tell you this...the Volition guys who worked on FreeSpace are as much a fan of the game series and genre as we are. Maybe even more judging by the posters they had on the walls. If the opportunity was there I would doubt there would be any hesitation.
-
Thanks for the detailled reply... :yes:
-
If FS3 comes as MMORPG, i'll do the same with it that i do with the KOTOR MMORPG - i ignore it ( unless a wonder happens and it comes with a dense, action packed single player story part with over 80+ hours of awesome game play fun ).
Which to listen to BioWare talk, and this is BioWare we're talking about, the fully recognized demi-gods of the PC RPG, it's going to be like that, but online. They have said they want the player to have a powerful story that is told about they're character that they can bring they're friends along for the ride.
That's exactly the problem, it's a online experience.
Not that i'm not playing online from time to time ( BtRL, TBP, now waiting for Diaspora ), but here i'm forced to always be online to play the game. Disconnect the LAN cable and you can't play.
I also don't want to pay monthly fees to play a game that i've already payed for and that's not playable if i'm not connected to the world wide webs ( and i give a **** that they say it's for server maintenance or service, or what ever ).
It's cool to have a MP mode in a good game, e.g. FS2, but this game has a good SP campaign and it doesn't forces me to be online to play it.
So far, Bioware has made good to awesome games, and now this.
If Bioware would have developed KOTOR 3, i would have bought it as soon it hit the shelfs, without waiting for reviews, but they decided to make a mmorpg.
I will forgive them this sacrilege, once they announce a real KOTOR SP game. :P
-
I would agree with that except you aren't pay for the game. You are paying for server access and bandwidth as well as content development for patches and whatnot, not to mention the salaries of the people who help you if something breaks or doesn't work exactly right.
World of Warcraft(the owner of part of my soul) for instance, is approaching it's 11th major patch. That's not counting the minor bug fixes and such that happen from time to time.
-
I would agree with that except you aren't pay for the game. You are paying for server access and bandwidth as well as content development for patches and whatnot, not to mention the salaries of the people who help you if something breaks or doesn't work exactly right.
World of Warcraft(the owner of part of my soul) for instance, is approaching it's 11th major patch. That's not counting the minor bug fixes and such that happen from time to time.
Ever heard of TF2? It's completetely multiplayer, has 4 or 5 major patches under it's belt, and doesn't require monthly fees. Ever heard of Guild Wars?
-
Heh. Bird-****ed.
I only saw one FreeSpace poster in that entire video, and I noticed the FreeSpace 1 box on that guy's desk at the end of the video (look to the left of the chair).
-
This Is It!
(http://www.game-warden.com/earthdefence/staff_files/Snail/Miscellaneous/THIS_IS_IT.jpg)
-
when this thread fizzles out and dies, somone should stick it in classics
-
Won't work. It doesn't have Shrike in it, which is why other threads are not in the classics as well.
-
More importantly, requesting that it be moved to Classics is a sure sign that it will never be moved to Classics. :p
-
In that case, can someone remove Nuke's post? :drevil:
-
Y'know what, this is Goob's call, but just because this thread proves that :V: members ask about FS3 nearly as often as new HLP members, I think this should be Classicked.
-
Ehh... then what else should go in The Classics? DaveB's request for a stencil shadow build?
And again, using my criteria, the thread isn't old enough yet.
EDIT: Where's the thread with the original video?
-
The great thing about FSO and even FS2 is that they are shining examples of a good modding game. Everything is very intuitive (sorta) and easy to learn and implement in-game. Hope they continue that.
-
Ehh... then what else should go in The Classics? DaveB's request for a stencil shadow build?
And again, using my criteria, the thread isn't old enough yet.
EDIT: Where's the thread with the original video?
In that case, does the 158th April Fool's thing really belong in there?
-
In that case, does the 158th April Fool's thing really belong in there?
That's different; it's in its own April Fools section. I keep forgetting to dig up all the old April Fools threads and move them in there.
-
How about one of iamzack's spam threads?
-
On a note vaguely related to the main topic, I recently e-mailed Volition asking them about Saints Row DLC for the PC.
Dear Volition,
Two things.
1. Jim Torbit is yummy. Is he married?
2. When will the PC version of Saints Row 2 get some DLC loving?
Swarthily,
Rick James
Their response:
Hello,
Thank you for contacting us. We won’t be commenting on Jim Torbit’s personal life, but with regard to DLC for the PC version of Saints Row 2, this will not be occurring. The DLC is only available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game. We hope you understand and continue to enjoy Saints Row 2 and any future games developed by Volition.
:(