Opinions on how TCR & FG are dealing with AAMFP criticism

[Fortigurn]

Actual, valid criticism I have yet to see.

The extent to which you simply keep saying this, without ever addressing the detailed and specific criticisms made by people who enjoyed the game considerably but believe it should have been marketed better and could have been improved, is now becoming troll-like.

[Cuyir]

What criticism? You mean whining like "But but.. I wanted and expected TDD2!!!1111" (poor, blind and deaf children that for some reason over-fantasized the game they expected)? That is not a valid criticism and I don't think either FG or TCR even bothered by that in slightest. Actual, valid criticism I have yet to see.

Spoiler below!

No but really, don't paint all the naysayers with that specific brush, so to speak. All you're doing is making the people who liked it look like tossers. There HAVE been some legit criticisms and legit dissident opinions.

Please don't take this innocent thread down *that* path.

As for their reaction, as someone who loved the game, I found it a little disappointing but I can see where they're coming from.

[jd1802]

My god I actually didnt know that they said those things .___. *dissapointed* But oh well... care for the art not the artist~

I actually agree with a lot here and you speak english better than me so dont worry So I think that the problem with the game is not the game itself but the way they sold it. I know everyone keeps saying it and Its not like Im the first one to bring this but still, that was the real problem. They can even call It Amnesia thats great cause well the story is actually in the Amnesia universe so thats cool. But for Christs sake call it a ''spin-off'' or something, make us realize is different from the first two Amnesias cause the way they sold it, how the trailers showed us real survivor horror was the mistake they made. They should've made trailers for a psychological horror and actually sold it for what it was but whatever, its already done. And ok they maybe are acting kinda like jerks but you know they made a whole game trying to be what they are and get criticized about it and I kinda understand why theyre angry about it. Like even with the promotional problem they are TCR and people should have known how this game was going to be so... Its kinda annoying the way they react to it but I still kinda understand it

[VaeVictis]

What criticism? You mean whining like "But but.. I wanted and expected TDD2!!!1111" (poor, blind and deaf children that for some reason over-fantasized the game they expected)? That is not a valid criticism and I don't think either FG or TCR even bothered by that in slightest. Actual, valid criticism I have yet to see.

I've encountered a lot of that attitude as well (looking for TDD with a different map), and it can get frustrating, but the one thing I'd have liked to see more was little more of Brennenburg's influence and a few more challenging puzzles.

I loved the originality of this game and it's predecessors. I hope they don't abandon that.

[Kein]

Actual, valid criticism I have yet to see.

The extent to which you simply keep saying this, without ever addressing the detailed and specific criticisms made by people who enjoyed the game considerably but believe it should have been marketed better and could have been improved, is now becoming troll-like.

Here is valid criticism and feedback on the game: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/09/...-for-pigs/

Not that people like you will ever read or appreciate that. After all, your point of existence on these forums now is to whine and tell everywhere how bad the game is.

[Fortigurn]

Here is valid criticism and feedback on the game: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/09/...-for-pigs/

Predictably, you link to an article containing virtually no criticism whatsoever, and commenting almost exclusively on the story and themes. Gameplay and mechanics are touched on briefly in a mere two paragraphs, here.

There are precious few chases or games of hide and seek, and I finished the entire game without dying. In fact, I don’t even know if it’s possible to die. Several times, I was wounded and cowered in the dark, bleeding, but there are no health bars or sanity meters – even the lantern is eternally charged. Dropping the inventory system and mechanics of its predecessors, AMFP does not allow confrontations and death to detract from its narrative.

During the opening couple of hours, when the total deviation from Amnesia’s template is less obvious, I missed the mechanical parts of the game. There’s precious little to do and, as Jim noted, the phantom children who act as motivation and bait are unconvincing – we’ve seen them too often before and they seem like a borrowing from a lesser place. Being charitable, I reckon that might be the point – they are a horror trope that has survived from 1899 to the present, a reminder that very little changes in a game that is, at its foundation, about the fear of change. That’s a stretch though. They’re probably just slightly naff ghost kids, although they do have a significant role to play as the story develops.

Some of those same comments have been made by people such as myself.

* 'There are precious few chases or games of hide and seek'
* 'there are no health bars or sanity meters – even the lantern is eternally charged'
* 'I missed the mechanical parts of the game'
* 'There’s precious little to do'
* 'the phantom children who act as motivation and bait are unconvincing'
* 'They’re probably just slightly naff ghost kids'

When we make these comments it's apparently unacceptable, whereas you're perfectly ok with them being made by the author of that article. Or perhaps you just didn't read the article.

Not that people like you will ever read or appreciate that.

I have read it before, and I agree with it. But it is not an examination of the game, critical or otherwise. It's almost exclusively a commentary on the story, its delivery, themes, and symbolism. It also contains virtually no negative comments about the game at all, which is clearly the kind of reception you think every review should provide.

After all, your point of existence on these forums now is to whine and tell everywhere how bad the game is.

This exposes you as a blind fanboi at best, a troll at worst. People such as myself 'enjoyed the game considerably' (as I have said more than once), and are not saying 'how bad the game is'; we are praising it for what it is, while criticizing aspects we believe could have been improved. You are simply not being intellectually honest.

[Alardem]

This exposes you as a blind fanboi at best, a troll at worst.

Pot calling the kettle black.

[Fortigurn]

Pot calling the kettle black.

Evidence please. I have balanced considerable praise for the game, with a few pertinent criticisms of its gameplay and marketing.

[Lazoriss]

I can see where a lot of people would dislike or even hate this game. It is, essentially, A Chinese Room game in the skin of a Frictional one. I will agree that the trailers DID pain a totally different picture. Even the later teasers and interview comments suggested it being a scary ass game. Although I do remember there being mentions of it being more story oriented, it certainly didn't suggest it being to such a degree as it truly was.

I was actually disappointed with the game at first, no lie. I didn't like having no inventory and that almost all the objects couldn't be moved (which also made the puzzles insanely easy. If you can move an object, then it's obviously important). Once the story got into full swing, however, I was blown away by its depth and the sheer brilliance of the prose in the notes. I love this game intensely. I want to stand on a mountain and scream how much I adore this game. XD But I know that there are people who would not find the game interesting, and that's ok! I can totally see why, especially considering the context revealed to us pre-release... I haven't seen anything on the company's reaction to criticism, though. There ARE a lot of people being outlandishly vile with their "reviews" on the game, however. >_> And, really, fuck those guys. Just because you don't like a thing doesn't mean you can be a total asshole about it. TCR put a fuck-ton of effort into this game and it shows. The game is a beautiful work of art. If you don't find the style to be your cup of tea, fine. You can even say so. Just... don't be a dick about it.

Hey OP. Do you by chance have a source link to where TCR says these things? I'd appreciate the context! VwV

[Alardem]

I think the game's linearity and simplicity works better for introducing non-gamers or casual players into the horror experience. This is something that a lot of angry fans seem to forget, and those who do remember often act ridiculously snobby.

Apparently it's a crime and a betrayal to make a game more accessible to 'casual' players by...diminishing the emphasis on puzzles and item hunting, removing the light-sanity balancing game, and making the protagonist a resilient character. I dunno, it sure helps in getting the attention of people who otherwise wouldn't bat an eyelash at games. The game's professionally done, has a story that's much less dumb than a certain big-budget game about a flying city, and still feels like a cousin to Amnesia rather than a separate entity.

Personally, I'm a little disappointed that Pinchbeck lost control and lashed out at the negative reaction on this forum. While understandable and satisfying, it does affect his team's critical integrity and raises the question if they can withstand more backlash for future projects i.e. the Rapture game. As a random stranger on the internet, I'll say this: it's the internet. The majority of blind hatred lessens after the first few months, and the more legitimate comments linger on. One has to roll their eyes and laugh at the internet rage, because responding to anger in kind, as tempting as it feels, doesn't work.