Opinions on how TCR & FG are dealing with AAMFP criticism

[Diango12]

Even now TCR is tweeting tongue and cheek remarks about not having a sanity meter, or not having an inventory in a game. They absolutely know the criticisms waged against the game is due to disappointment with not meeting expectation set out by pre release marketing. But somehow, when a consumer invents a demand based on promises from a game company to deliver that demand, that consumer is a 'self entitled' fan boy.

Welp.. Welcome to the way of the world kids. I'm a self entitled fan boy, and I demand my entitlement to promises made and expectations created by producers who want to take my money. Especially producers who want to take my money before even giving me the product. Being an indie company doesn't shield you from this social contract. Market responsibly folks.

[Alardem]

Yeah, Dingo, your opinion is yours, not everyone else's. How many other people are playing the game and not bothering to register on this forum or post reviews?

[jiersk]

I guess everything has been said here, but overall I don't like the notion that people are "client" of the "THe Chinese Room company" and that their 20 bucks give them such a sense of entitlement to harass them, track down everything they've said publicly and look closely to everything that looks like a contradiction. The Chinese Room is a few people operation, and they're allow to have humans flaws and reactions without being scrutinized over every little detail. If people can't express themselves with a healthy dose of anger (which was directed toward very specific people who got what they were looking for), just because they're supposed to represent their "company", and they're not "professional" then f** it.

None of this would even have come up had Jessica Curry not written an article which lamented how the critics were focusing on the lack of mechanics and scariness. That they focused on those things at all is The Chinese Room's own fault, as evidenced by their statements in the press since February 2012 up until the release of the game, which is why it was important to dig up those quotes; they're entirely responsible for any expectations gamers had about what AAMFP would be. The way they've reacted to the criticism would make you believe that they'd never said the things they demonstrably did say.

I loved the game and I disagree with 99.9% of the criticisms it has received, but I can't stand the pretentious hand-waving childishness of TCR when they act like they're being persecuted for having the audacity to "break the mould" of gaming when in reality they're just really bad at giving interviews.

Paddy, sometimes ( or often ) I don't agree with things you say ( nothing personal, you just have a very different opinion than me ). But this post just almost made me love you. You just kinda show that you don't have to love the company to love the game.

---

DP I hope you read this.
You have promised us a game that would be really terrifying, and what did you give us? An averagely scary game, not what you promised. And you go donkey balls about people getting mad about that? You should have said from the beginning that it would be a not very scary game that would focus on telling a story, if you would have done that you would have gotten very different reactions afterwards ( better ones I guess ). But I think that you mostly promised us a scary game because that is what most of this community want and ofcourse, you want to sell your game a lot. So you tell a lie to sell your game a lot and get more money out of it. Which makes it even stranger that you get mad.
For the next thing you produce: Make HONEST commerials etc. Don't promise something you aren't gonna give.

[Change]

The trailers showed gameplay that never happened(big manpig breaking down the door. Room with cages you have to hide in), I think that is what some people are on about saying that was the false hype, I expected to experience those, TCR should not have to use hype(untrue) marketing techniques.

Maybe they were from an early version before it became more story based. I still liked the game, tho they should have made a trailer showing gameplay that would have been in the final game.

[EnDash]

I hope FicritonalGames has learnt there lesson from this.

A) Do not out source your IP's to 3rd parties to ride off the fame of you own achievements

b) the next game you do please do it in house like your other epic titles including the original Amnesia Game

I do ask though that the community and fans that love all of FictionalGames in house titles do not directly take there anger and frustration out on them directly but direct it to The Chines Room

as for FictionalGames Devs please.. oh please for now on continue to do your own in house titles so that your Ip's and name dose not get stained by others.

TL;DR to the entire 20 pages, but i had to answer to the original post.

doesn't frictional games outsource most of the content in their games? sure they author it all but all the concept art, models, maps and sound are outsourced to freelance developers and not made by inhouse employees. Frictional Games only create the engine, design and gameplay and author content created by freelance people.

also, frictional games had control over the game to the very end, it's their product and they did the publishing. do you think FG disapproves of the chinese room's design choices or do the actully support them? think about it.

[WALP]

The trailers showed gameplay that never happened(big manpig breaking down the door. Room with cages you have to hide in), I think that is what some people are on about saying that was the false hype, I expected to experience those, TCR should not have to use hype(untrue) marketing techniques.

Maybe they were from an early version before it became more story based. I still liked the game, tho they should have made a trailer showing gameplay that would have been in the final game.

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY THEY TOOK AWAY THE FUCKING FLAPPER THINGIES


and put them out of reach just to tease us >:O!!!


Never take the Flappers TCR, Never take the Flappers

[slo64]

We knew full well that a decent chunk of the audience came to Amnesia because of the Let's Play culture of jump scares and recording yourself shitting on your desk chair, and the chances were that a significant number of them wouldn't have the slightest interest in the story or reading the notes, and as a result would probably hate the game.

Edit: Warning, The Last Of Us spoiler http://plus10damage.com/blog/2013/10/8/d...kinterview


Meh.

[Cuyir]

We knew full well that a decent chunk of the audience came to Amnesia because of the Let's Play culture of jump scares and recording yourself shitting on your desk chair, and the chances were that a significant number of them wouldn't have the slightest interest in the story or reading the notes, and as a result would probably hate the game.

http://plus10damage.com/blog/2013/10/8/d...kinterview


Meh.

He's right though. A pretty sizeable chunk came from that ''culture''.

Not arguing if the game is bad, good, shitty, horrible, etc. But you can't argue that he's wrong on that end.

That article should have a huge spoiler warning/protection. I've finished The Last Of Us (TLOU) months ago, but man that was a pretty brutal spoiler for anyone who hasn't played it. Speaking of which, highly disagree with Dan on his thoughts on TLOU that he spoke about on the interview. He's allowed to have his opinion, as am I. Personally thought TLOU did the whole storytelling better than games that focus exclusively on story. Perfect example of how you can tell a story through actual gameplay but this isn't the time nor the place for that discussion haha.

[WALP]

"One of the basic problems you have in game writing is that you have to square the player's knowledge with the character's knowledge in a way that isn't disruptive or stupid"

Gotta say despite definitely liking the story of AMFP more than TDD I definitely felt this was were AMFP completely failed in comparison. Most of the story was due to the writing vaguely told making it hard to understand, while Oswald expressed he knew everything. I think the main issue though lied in the children, who the protagonist cared so much for, yet we were never given much reason to do so ourselves. Really they did not feel like being the characters Edwin and Enoch at all, but rather just "some children" that were running around the facility and mocking you. To do this day I still cant even make a distinction between them at all.

[Mechavomit]

I think the main issue though lied in the children, who the protagonist cared so much for, yet we were never given much reason to do so ourselves.

Yes! That!
The game made sure to mention that he "loves them so much oh my god", at least a 100 times, but it sounded so very forced...