It would've been upsetting seing this venture fail, considering my huge interest in replaying BG2 and the prospects of the 3rd chapter, for that I would open my wallet and say to Trent to help himself... On a serious note, many people haven't heard about the remake, and this needs far more exposure, I've came here by mere chance after reading about it on RPGwatch, nothing against Beamdog but for a digital edition the commercial "do or die" really need to be Steam, even if I don't like it much.
lol, honestly, if it seems like the game isn't doing well in sales, they should let us know. There are alot of people who support this game and will buy it multiple times. I've already preordered, and will probably buy my wife a copy, my lil bro a copy, and trying to talk my boss into buying a copy. I loaned him my bg1 + totsc disks awhile back and he enjoyed it, but he didn't get into part 2 as much.
edit: also don't forget that those who preorder will basically get a 'demo' of the game (early partial download/whatever). I think when that happens and people start to post about the game, the preorders will pick up since the people are actually getting something for said preorder. I'm checking beamdog multiple times a day to see when i'll be able to start an early d/l.........darn, not yet..........still no......ehhh, the waiting is the hardest part......
Tell us what to do to promote the game! Do you have a facebook page we can share or anything else. I don't want this project to come to an end!!! I want BG2, BG3, BG4... BG124859
Tell us how to support sales since as mentioned earlier ADVERTISEMENT for the game is scarce.
I already did a post on eu.battlenet forums and I will do another one soon I hope that real gamers will be interested to play a proper RPG... As for the "farmers" and "fanboys" of this abomination of a game over there I am sorry but I can't convince them and I don't think there is a cure either.
hmmm anyone work at google.com? can add a program into the search engine that would make it always load to a bg:ee page as the first hit.......that would deffinately get this project some attention
I spoke to my friend the other day who was a big fan of BG and BG2. He didnt even know the projects existed, so maybe more PR is needed.
I concur ^_^ Same thing happened with several of my friends. But I guess we can help with the advertising by spreading the word, wide and large. Official reviews will probably the turning point. If they are positive, you will see a massive mouvement
I'm afraid far less people will purchase the product than the developers hoped for. I believe that a huge majority was disappointed by the news that no changes to old content/NPC's and so forth will be made, which was the most appealing aspect of the Enhanced Edition. And please, do not write me "the Enhanced Edition is great, so many additions, bla bla". Most people on this forum are hardcore fans, so anything new will be attractive. A huge majority of consumers are far more distanced towards Baldur's Gate.
Youre not really in a position to say "it will sell 'far less' than the developers hoped for," because, well, you dont know what the devs hoped for in terms of sales and what their target is.
The "not changing the old content" thing is a double edged sword. Alot of fans like the current content as is and doesnt want it to be meddled with in fear of the games legacy being destroyed. Others will argue that the game hasnt changed enough to warrant them purchasing it. But there is absolutely no proof to say that these people are a "huge majority".
Im not arguing for the enhanced edition here, just stating the facts.
You're correct Samiel, pre-orders are only PC at the moment, and many people dont pre-order games so the current figures arent really an indication as to how well the game will do.
While i would wish to see the EE becoming successful, but many facts do show indeed that this has a high chance to suffer the fate of what is called in other terms "box office bomb"...
- Limitation to certain stores (People do not like to change their favourite game stores)
- "Without good graphic a game sucks" opinion of many recent gamers
- many old Baldur's Gate owners see no reason to buy the EE because they have the modded games or already countless of Box Sets
- People do these days in general prefer more light hearted, "play and forget" content, what does take long time to finish or is putting them into the situation to think before act... is a no-go situation for many of the recent Gaming People
Well, but i would of course be nicely surprised if EE becomes a success
Daemon Souls and Dark Souls might be an exception. We are talking about a game that is incredibly hard and punishing. At the same time, the game take more time to complete.
there's also minecraft where the graphic are not quite up to date Hell, Even team fortress 2 graphic wise is not the best but still extremly popular
- many old Baldur's Gate owners see no reason to buy the EE because they have the modded games or already countless of Box Sets
-I don´t agree with this one. First of all, most of BG fans who still play the game want to support them. -There are many players who don´t mess with mods, because they may break things in the game. -It is the new content and bugfix from original creators, so any real BG fan will go after it.
Sorry lads but this discussion is pretty pointless since there's no clear definition of what would be a success for BG:EE. Has it to sell as well as top games coming in september ? Or has it just to cover the expenses plus a reserve for the next game ? We don't have any idea how many copies they have to achieve for either of these options so unless anyone has numbers, we can argue for years....
But we can say that one thing for sure, the core customer group of the EE WILL be mostly Baldur's Gate Series Gamer.
To expect a 3d Shooter casual gamer buying the EE... The chance therefor is mostly a clear no-no
A casual RPG gamer... Well in times where People do look at Graphics for the most part, i would say also a mostly no-no situation
Whats left then... The quality looking RPG Gamer who is more open minded, and of course the typical old Baldur's Gate series Gamer.
The question now if this is enough to make sure that a Baldur's Gate Part 3 will be developed and/or other Games will be enhanced..
And even if it pains me to say, i do not think it will be enough.
In the best case i believe we will get a Baldur's Gate 2 enhanced Edition. In the worst case, even that will be a clear no-no situation.
But i would not make any bet that other Games will be enhanced and a Baldur's Gate 3 will be developed - for THIS the Customer groups are way too few, since quite a number of Baldur's Gate players have stated they will not buy the Game since it does not meet their expectations.
Seen from that logical point of view, we will either run in one of 3 situations:
A) Ok numbers, enough for a Baldur's Gate 2 enhanced, Other Enhanced Games and Baldur's Gate 3 - more unlikely
Numbers are not what have been expected, Chance for a BG 2 EE is perhaps still there but has to be reviewed again, BG3 and other Enhanced Games - unlikely
C) Numbers bigtime disappointing - No BG2 Enhanced, no other Enhanced ones and no BG3
Of course who knows what will happen, but i am pretty sure - looking from the demand/expectation of today's gaming market and even the different opinions in the core customer target groups will most likely prevent a pretty good or amazing selling number.
We should also not forget, that the working time seen in industry standards is for sure no cheap one, so... i am sure they have some big number they want to be reached.
Was thinking the whole day if i should post that, but well, here you have my more deeper opinion after a whole day of thinking over that subject.
Based on what I've screened, BeamDog have to make BG2EE by contract clauses. So don't worry too much about that @IkonNavros. Worst case is, in case of failure, beamdog won't "take off" as a video game compagny. We really need some new fresh blood in the gaming industry. Even if it's not as flashy as modern games, the soul is what matters the most. If they can grip it, players will come. I feel like some gamers aren't rpg players because there is nothing WORTH playing in RPG. And seriously, if millions of people can still play at WoW with outdated graphics, and pay per month fees, and worthless scenario, why can't BGEE have a tiny fraction of that number ? I really hope they make it a commercial success. Because I trust them to make it a gaming success for me anyway
Based on what I've screened, BeamDog have to make BG2EE by contract clauses. So don't worry too much about that @IkonNavros. Worst case is, in case of failure, beamdog won't "take off" as a video game compagny. We really need some new fresh blood in the gaming industry. Even if it's not as flashy as modern games, the soul is what matters the most
Well, if that is the case that they also have to enhance BG2 even if BG:EE could be a commercial failure.. well, at least people will not be left only with half of the series!
Well, and the terms of Flashy and WOW - Here is a big problem. First of all, in today's times people do get seriously lazy. People do buy stuff which requires them not to think much and what does look like a cartoon They want to press buttons, play one or 2 hours and forget about it afterwards. Complex things are in my opinion dying out. Times get more and more busy, freetime gets less and less, people just mostly feel not being interested anymore in starting something rather big and long lasting, no matter how good it is.
And its the multiplayer aspect that makes games like WOW so successful. Gaming goes under a big change, In times of being connected with everyone and everything at all times no matter at which place people see mostly no reason why they should play a single player game even if it also has some multiplayer mode, at least none with "modern state of the art features"
People want to fight a big bad with hundreds of others for hours to see him fall, a deep story and interesting characters are of no matter anymore.
So.. no matter how good a game is, its quite hard that it will find a fitting place, and its even harder, if it is an old game - no matter how big the name was and still is. I see that movement at least that way. And thats quite sad.
It's like a war outside.. if you can not counterattack with either some over the top 3d super awesome graphic or a cool multiplayer mode, you can only lose, the fact that a game is consisting of more that that 2 features just does not really count anymore these days. As i wrote.. People do get lazy and do not recognize quality anymore even if it would be pushed right in front of their eyes.
Even considering if the BE:EE doesn't sell as well as expected, I do believe that with todays technology (kickstarter) and the dedicated fanbase that this franchise has, the second one still has potential.
I mean, marvelous can happen with the internet now. The creators of Space Quest(remember that series) are coming out with a new series based entirely off kickstarter.
I hope in the end this succeeds, the Baldur's gate style of making DnD games needs to comeback, I honestly thought Neverwinter Nights made it too one man against the world action-based at times. Sure you could get party members, but they were completely useless 6/10 of the time, plus Bioware kind of hurt some of the DnD traditions with their stupid ideas. This is my only my opinion, I wasn't too fond of the NWN community and Bioware when they kept twisting everything around. Hey let's make a vampire unicorn! (Me:give me a break)
Some of the NWN community really made DnD look dumb, there were guide-lines for a reason, but most people pretty much broke those. for example certain creatures shouldn't be able to learn certain domains, just isn't possible, especially with the Troll-shaman bit. Call me a purist, but the origins of creatures really got screwed around with. I loved Baldur's gate for just being realistic about DnD and sticking with the guidelines
On a side-note for advertisement: BeamDog could always contact the IGN/GameTrailers/GameSpot editors. I don't know what their community is like, but they do know what a good story is, and they would probably like this maybe. I'm more worried about the young crowd since these days it's all about FPS and Mindless Action.
For now they are just testing the waters seeing how a game like this will do in todays market. BG is still incredible popular and if its a success than I could bet that a lot of other games are going to get re-released/enhanced with updated graphics and engines. We can all say it started here!
Another point some people are missing (I think) is that today's gaming industry is not all dedicated to top 3d/multiplayer modes like @IkonNavros explained. it's a big part, agreed. But the AppStore for iOS has his own niche, which can represent a fair amount of revenue. It's also not the same kind of games or demands. BG:EE might not fare well on Windows or Mac and be a hit on tablet, who knows ;-)
Another example of niche that runs pretty well is all the indie, casual games like World of Goo or Machinarium. They don't appeal to 3d-first-person-hardcore-gamers but in the end, they've succesful and reached a different kind of public.
I might sound like a broken record but we don't know what kind of figures they have to reach. Other small studios made it without being hype or using top technology so why not Overhaul ?
Last example : Tales of Monkey Island from Telltale Games. Who would bet a point and click would be successful in today's gaming ? ;-)
Comments
On a serious note, many people haven't heard about the remake, and this needs far more exposure, I've came here by mere chance after reading about it on RPGwatch, nothing against Beamdog but for a digital edition the commercial "do or die" really need to be Steam, even if I don't like it much.
edit: also don't forget that those who preorder will basically get a 'demo' of the game (early partial download/whatever). I think when that happens and people start to post about the game, the preorders will pick up since the people are actually getting something for said preorder. I'm checking beamdog multiple times a day to see when i'll be able to start an early d/l.........darn, not yet..........still no......ehhh, the waiting is the hardest part......
Tell us how to support sales since as mentioned earlier ADVERTISEMENT for the game is scarce.
I already did a post on eu.battlenet forums and I will do another one soon I hope that real gamers will be interested to play a proper RPG... As for the "farmers" and "fanboys" of this abomination of a game over there I am sorry but I can't convince them and I don't think there is a cure either.
i agree with more PR. it would be nice to see atari and wotsc help advertise the game, especially if they're taking royalties. :P
The "not changing the old content" thing is a double edged sword. Alot of fans like the current content as is and doesnt want it to be meddled with in fear of the games legacy being destroyed. Others will argue that the game hasnt changed enough to warrant them purchasing it. But there is absolutely no proof to say that these people are a "huge majority".
Im not arguing for the enhanced edition here, just stating the facts.
The real new stuff will come with bg3, anyway.
- Limitation to certain stores (People do not like to change their favourite game stores)
- "Without good graphic a game sucks" opinion of many recent gamers
- many old Baldur's Gate owners see no reason to buy the EE because they have the modded games or already countless of Box Sets
- People do these days in general prefer more light hearted, "play and forget" content, what does take long time to finish or is putting them into the situation to think before act... is a no-go situation for many of the recent Gaming People
Well, but i would of course be nicely surprised if EE becomes a success
Let's just hope for the best!
there's also minecraft where the graphic are not quite up to date
Hell, Even team fortress 2 graphic wise is not the best but still extremly popular
-There are many players who don´t mess with mods, because they may break things in the game.
-It is the new content and bugfix from original creators, so any real BG fan will go after it.
To expect a 3d Shooter casual gamer buying the EE... The chance therefor is mostly a clear no-no
A casual RPG gamer... Well in times where People do look at Graphics for the most part, i would say also a mostly no-no situation
Whats left then... The quality looking RPG Gamer who is more open minded, and of course the typical old Baldur's Gate series Gamer.
The question now if this is enough to make sure that a Baldur's Gate Part 3 will be developed and/or other Games will be enhanced..
And even if it pains me to say, i do not think it will be enough.
In the best case i believe we will get a Baldur's Gate 2 enhanced Edition. In the worst case, even that will be a clear no-no situation.
But i would not make any bet that other Games will be enhanced and a Baldur's Gate 3 will be developed - for THIS the Customer groups are way too few, since quite a number of Baldur's Gate players have stated they will not buy the Game since it does not meet their expectations.
Seen from that logical point of view, we will either run in one of 3 situations:
A) Ok numbers, enough for a Baldur's Gate 2 enhanced, Other Enhanced Games and Baldur's Gate 3 - more unlikely
C) Numbers bigtime disappointing - No BG2 Enhanced, no other Enhanced ones and no BG3
Of course who knows what will happen, but i am pretty sure - looking from the demand/expectation of today's gaming market and even the different opinions in the core customer target groups will most likely prevent a pretty good or amazing selling number.
We should also not forget, that the working time seen in industry standards is for sure no cheap one, so... i am sure they have some big number they want to be reached.
Was thinking the whole day if i should post that, but well, here you have my more deeper opinion after a whole day of thinking over that subject.
Well, and the terms of Flashy and WOW - Here is a big problem. First of all, in today's times people do get seriously lazy. People do buy stuff which requires them not to think much and what does look like a cartoon
And its the multiplayer aspect that makes games like WOW so successful. Gaming goes under a big change, In times of being connected with everyone and everything at all times no matter at which place people see mostly no reason why they should play a single player game even if it also has some multiplayer mode, at least none with "modern state of the art features"
People want to fight a big bad with hundreds of others for hours to see him fall, a deep story and interesting characters are of no matter anymore.
So.. no matter how good a game is, its quite hard that it will find a fitting place, and its even harder, if it is an old game - no matter how big the name was and still is. I see that movement at least that way. And thats quite sad.
It's like a war outside.. if you can not counterattack with either some over the top 3d super awesome graphic or a cool multiplayer mode, you can only lose, the fact that a game is consisting of more that that 2 features just does not really count anymore these days. As i wrote.. People do get lazy and do not recognize quality anymore even if it would be pushed right in front of their eyes.
I mean, marvelous can happen with the internet now. The creators of Space Quest(remember that series) are coming out with a new series based entirely off kickstarter.
Some of the NWN community really made DnD look dumb, there were guide-lines for a reason, but most people pretty much broke those. for example certain creatures shouldn't be able to learn certain domains, just isn't possible, especially with the Troll-shaman bit. Call me a purist, but the origins of creatures really got screwed around with. I loved Baldur's gate for just being realistic about DnD and sticking with the guidelines
On a side-note for advertisement: BeamDog could always contact the IGN/GameTrailers/GameSpot editors. I don't know what their community is like, but they do know what a good story is, and they would probably like this maybe. I'm more worried about the young crowd since these days it's all about FPS and Mindless Action.
Another example of niche that runs pretty well is all the indie, casual games like World of Goo or Machinarium. They don't appeal to 3d-first-person-hardcore-gamers but in the end, they've succesful and reached a different kind of public.
I might sound like a broken record but we don't know what kind of figures they have to reach. Other small studios made it without being hype or using top technology so why not Overhaul ?
Last example : Tales of Monkey Island from Telltale Games. Who would bet a point and click would be successful in today's gaming ? ;-)
I'm really hoping it does well so we eventually get BG3