Obsidian New RPG Avowed

[tangey]

I honestly think a lot of these "mad reactions" such as the art directors are the result of the world crashing down on them, I mentioned similar in the Veilguard thread; we're dealing with people that live in very controlled environments that don't exist in actual reality. They spend a ton of time in what can only be described as toxic positivity, social media becomes a huge part of their lives but they heavily curate it (there's literal apps you can use to auto-ban massive lists of people with even middling to very gentle right leaning views and they're very commonly adopted) and never see the other side of the fence. They don't even attempt to understand or engage in it until they're left with no choice in the matter, and so when they're inevitably confronted with it, often from very tired plebs, they go nuclear. They're hammered with/believe in DEI initiatives within the workplace that only reinforces their opinions, so when they're forced to interact with the public at large (such as during a big game release) they can't comprehend what's going on.

I have no interest in attributing blame.

I came to read about whether a new release game is good/bad, has bugs, it's playtime, it's graphics whether there are some interesting twists etc...you know...like any other game discussed in its relative thread.

 

[Jono8]

where is the option to disable that?

Well, just don't buy the game if being reminded that transgender people or pronouns exist bothers you so much.

 

[Gray2233]

Well, just don't buy the game if being reminded that transgender people or pronouns exist bothers you so much.

I concur, that tactic has been working out really well for companies and consumers lately.

 

[Jono8]

I concur, that tactic has been working out really well for companies and consumers lately.

Well, then keep doing it.

If it's all as unpopular as you think, it will surely sort itself out...

 

[xaldub]

I have no interest in attributing blame.

I came to read about whether a new release game is good/bad, has bugs, it's playtime, it's graphics whether there are some interesting twists etc...you know...like any other game discussed in its relative thread.

It's not out yet, so how can anyone possibly tell you it has bugs etc ? None of us are time travellers.

 

[Gray2233]

It's not out yet, so how can anyone possibly tell you it has bugs etc ? None of us are time travellers.

I actually had hopes for Avowed and to an extent still do, but someone in a relatively high position within the development process going on a social media meltdown over political BS is concerning enough to wait for a sale, or at least in depth reviews from non-traditional media.

You don't handle things like that as a professional, that guy might have cost people jobs if the game doesn't turn out to be the disaster many now think it's probably going to be after his rant. It wasn't just him either, another person higher up the chain was retweeting/whatever the other sky platform version is too. People are fatigued, they just want good games without hamfisted nonsense being rammed down their throats. It's fine to turn a blind eye to an extent, I can shrug and move on over the pronouns things, but the return window for a lengthy RPG is very slim and for many these games are a big part of their entertainment budget in the current climate. It's bonkers to add red flags to your product regarding what is clearly a big chunk of your market audience.

A lot on here take the stance of trying and seeing, but many don't have the time nor money for that. For others it might be their main hobby, thus why they're so connected and effected by these things. It's valid to be upset or question things when something you love is being negatively effected in whichever way, and that's a perfectly viable avenue for debate.

PS: Hold in mind that I say this on the back of the fact we're nearing release and they've still given us next to nothing relating to the actual gameplay/story etc.

 

[Grim5]

Well, then keep doing it.

If it's all as unpopular as you think, it will surely sort itself out...

It's certainly trending that way, AAA western games as an industry is in serious decline

Eastern AAA is rapidly growing, and world wide A and AA are rapidly growing, it's only Western AAA studios and games that are failing miserably, gamers as a whole just aren't interested in the crap coming out of these large western studios and one by one they are folding

So yes it certainly is sorting itself out. I don't know if ideology and politics will disappear from western games but I do know there will be fewer games on the market like this simply because it's unprofitable

 

[Darujhistan]

People are tired full stop, of going to work, then coming home for some leisure time and escape whatever that is watching sports, games, cinema etc and being lectured about how bad they are, when they're not the problem. Companies have seen this and many of them are retreating from propaganda and virtue signalling because there's no money in it.

The Democrats thought that they couldnlt lose because they were righteous, and people would simply agree to be defined by them into voting as the party defined them by ethnicity etc and it backfored in spectacular fashion, that's not to say that that wasn't the only factor not by a long shot but it played its part - the Dems certianly thought a lot of votes were in the bag because of this. Other political parties and large businesses will have taken note.

 

[monkeyspank]

So, still arguing about a single option on the character creation screen then?

 

[Grim5]

Uh oh

 

[Frenzy]

people are slowly going nuts

 

[Personality+]

Imagine if people cared about their own lives as much as they did things like this

 

[Darujhistan]

Imagine allowing your art director to go on social media and be openly racist...

 

[spudbynight]

Imagine if people cared about their own lives as much as they did things like this

Imagine if game devs cared about making good games as much as they did things like this.

 

[spudbynight]

Matt Hansen just losing it. It doesn't matter what his political beliefs are, the problem is that he can't separate them from his professional life.

 

[Gray2233]

Matt Hansen just losing it. It doesn't matter what his political beliefs are, the problem is that he can't separate them from his professional life.

I think that's such an important element to the current issues, there's so much that's forced and intertwined with beliefs that some of these people involved in development can't separate work from day to day life.

It inherently becomes pretentious, you have someone trying to sell you a product while looking down from up high at their customers with apparent distaste.

Your political or social beliefs don't matter to me, if you release something that's good without harping on I'll give your product a punt if it takes my fancy.

I'm not even saying that releasing games with what some might consider "woke" elements is necessarily bad, just don't preach and be honest about it. Games like Disco Elysium are fantastic experiences, I'm sure by the standards of many that could be considered "woke" but it's a well made product and I don't remember anyone breathing down my neck and accusing me of being a bigot because I dislike bad writing or poor hiring practices. If you're into game development good for you, you're a developer first not a political activist and I don't need or want to listen to you go crazy when I look for information on your game. Keep your politics to yourself unless your game is inherently political, and an open world fantasy RPG targeting a general audience is (or should be) anything but.

 

[Neil79]

Oh dear......... And here we go!

Again

 

[loftie]

Oh dear......... And here we go!

Again

"XBox REFUSING Review Codes For Avowed To Dragon Age: The Veilguard Critics And It's A HUGE PROBLEM!"​

Doesn't seem to apply to the previews.....
Negative DAV review...

Positive Avowed preview....

"XBox DEMANDS positive comments for 'Avowed'"​

From skill ups preview

"If there's one thing I didn't like about Avowed it's the menu UI, it is terrible."

It's interesting that the reviewer that was 'blacklisted' wrote the game ran poorly (DAV) "does not run at a constant 30fps", of all the things I've heard about DAV I heard it ran pretty well.
And then we get to the reason why she was actually blacklisted, her review was 'too offensive with the criticism of Dragon Age'. Now, that looks like she's been shut down, ya know with all the trans stuff. But then when you read her tweet.
"It's a ******* piece of garbage as an RPG, stay away from this game, don't even buy it on sale, it's a pile of putrefaction created by people who have no ******* idea about video games!!!" - ok, fine. Could have used a better choice of words.

Followed by
"Uninstalled already, **** your mother" - yea I can see why they told her to **** off.

 

[Neil79]

Followed by
"Uninstalled already, **** your mother" - yea I can see why they told her to **** off.

Avowed does look to be a far better game than veilguard with better writing.. So I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

Hopefully it's a more positive experience when released

 

[Nasher]

Seeing a pattern with these big AAA releases. Same "mindset" across multiple studios and they release flop after flop. Where are they getting the funds to stay in business from?

When you see things like review embargos and certain reviewers denied access, you can see straight away something is wrong with the product and the makers know it.