Comments on: The Emergence of Episodes http://www.aelon.net/2006/06/the-emergence-of-episodes/ Random babblings from a few digitally inclined people Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:13:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: DesertChicken http://www.aelon.net/2006/06/the-emergence-of-episodes/#comment-1974 Wed, 07 Jun 2006 02:37:40 +0000 http://www.aelon.net/2006/06/the-emergence-of-episodes/#comment-1974 ^^ a metaphor i just thought of: What's the point of buying a DVD for 20 bucks when you can watch cable TV infinitly? They offer two different types of entertainment. ^^ a metaphor i just thought of:
What’s the point of buying a DVD for 20 bucks when you can watch cable TV infinitly? They offer two different types of entertainment.

]]> by: DesertChicken http://www.aelon.net/2006/06/the-emergence-of-episodes/#comment-1973 Wed, 07 Jun 2006 01:25:15 +0000 http://www.aelon.net/2006/06/the-emergence-of-episodes/#comment-1973 IMO WoW and HL2 hold two completely different experiences. WoW has a lot of gameplay, however that gameplay taken from an artistic depth point of view is rather shallow. Sure there's a lot of lore in the game and the graphics are sound. But look at how simple the core endgame gameplay is. You run dungeons over and over again until you get the gear you need. I plunk my 15$ a month into WoW so I admit, it can be fun. But, when I finished HL2: Ep1, it was like watching a classic film after a summer full of mindless action flicks. The quality of virtual acting Valve has created with its facial system awed me. The developer commentary tracks revealed the amount of work that went into the game. Just listening to the amount of design and work that went into the opening scenes has given me respect for Valve's ability to create games of such artistically emmersive depth that it feels like I'm watchign a movie's director's commentary track. If you want an example just track down Ep1's teaser trailer #4. IMO WoW and HL2 hold two completely different experiences. WoW has a lot of gameplay, however that gameplay taken from an artistic depth point of view is rather shallow. Sure there’s a lot of lore in the game and the graphics are sound. But look at how simple the core endgame gameplay is. You run dungeons over and over again until you get the gear you need. I plunk my 15$ a month into WoW so I admit, it can be fun. But, when I finished HL2: Ep1, it was like watching a classic film after a summer full of mindless action flicks. The quality of virtual acting Valve has created with its facial system awed me. The developer commentary tracks revealed the amount of work that went into the game. Just listening to the amount of design and work that went into the opening scenes has given me respect for Valve’s ability to create games of such artistically emmersive depth that it feels like I’m watchign a movie’s director’s commentary track. If you want an example just track down Ep1’s teaser trailer #4.

]]> by: Andrew Martin http://www.aelon.net/2006/06/the-emergence-of-episodes/#comment-1964 Tue, 06 Jun 2006 06:24:09 +0000 http://www.aelon.net/2006/06/the-emergence-of-episodes/#comment-1964 I really see the episodic model as all wrong headed. I don't want short games. A four hour game is completely unacceptable, especially on the PC where i have to pay a signficant amount of money for it--20 bucks for 4 hours? sheesh i play World of Warcraft every day for hours on end for 15 bucks a month. I'm not seeing a good value there and the way they've set it up there is no second hand market, it's not going to be on amazon years from now for 2 dollars like say Planescape torment can be found these days if you're lucky. I haven't really played it yet but I don't really feel compelled to play it yet as I've got World of Warcraft and what i'm hearing about HL2 doesn't really sound that appealing to me atm. I like that it lowers th bar of entry for developers but i really want to see longer games, in a world where i can just play WoW till my eyes bleed it's hard to justify spending more money on games that aren't even going to last as a super fast molten core run. Which we cleared on Sunday in a record for our guild sunday 4:12 with only one wipe. I really see the episodic model as all wrong headed. I don’t want short games. A four hour game is completely unacceptable, especially on the PC where i have to pay a signficant amount of money for it–20 bucks for 4 hours? sheesh i play World of Warcraft every day for hours on end for 15 bucks a month. I’m not seeing a good value there and the way they’ve set it up there is no second hand market, it’s not going to be on amazon years from now for 2 dollars like say Planescape torment can be found these days if you’re lucky.

I haven’t really played it yet but I don’t really feel compelled to play it yet as I’ve got World of Warcraft and what i’m hearing about HL2 doesn’t really sound that appealing to me atm. I like that it lowers th bar of entry for developers but i really want to see longer games, in a world where i can just play WoW till my eyes bleed it’s hard to justify spending more money on games that aren’t even going to last as a super fast molten core run. Which we cleared on Sunday in a record for our guild sunday 4:12 with only one wipe.

]]> by: DesertChicken http://www.aelon.net/2006/06/the-emergence-of-episodes/#comment-1955 Sun, 04 Jun 2006 17:47:23 +0000 http://www.aelon.net/2006/06/the-emergence-of-episodes/#comment-1955 I just have to give my props to the storytelling in HL2. Alyx really made Episode 1 and the depth of her character is unmatched in any game I've ever played. Episode 1 is such a good gaming experience on its own that it kind of sets itself apart from all other episodic experiences. What I mean is that Episode 1's success won't determine the success of episodic content in general. Valve has an advantage over other episodic series in terms of its "initial episode" Half Life 2. It was a given that this expansion would sell well. It was a given that this episode would play well. The true test of this content will be whether series such as Sin: Episodes and Bone can succeed. I just have to give my props to the storytelling in HL2. Alyx really made Episode 1 and the depth of her character is unmatched in any game I’ve ever played.

Episode 1 is such a good gaming experience on its own that it kind of sets itself apart from all other episodic experiences. What I mean is that Episode 1’s success won’t determine the success of episodic content in general. Valve has an advantage over other episodic series in terms of its “initial episode” Half Life 2. It was a given that this expansion would sell well. It was a given that this episode would play well. The true test of this content will be whether series such as Sin: Episodes and Bone can succeed.

]]> by: Holliday http://www.aelon.net/2006/06/the-emergence-of-episodes/#comment-1953 Sat, 03 Jun 2006 17:21:59 +0000 http://www.aelon.net/2006/06/the-emergence-of-episodes/#comment-1953 I gotta go with Sheps here. I don't know what numbers people are looking at when they say the $20 for ep1 is a "rip off". Ep1 clocks in at about 5 hours, so if you paid the standard $50 for a game in that formula it would be a 12.5 hour game. That is longer than a <i>ton</i> of action games. Max Payne and Max Payne 2 were both under 10 hours each but they were a damn good ride. Half-Life 2 itself was around 15 hours. I bought HL2 for $60 if I recall. Give or take skill it really looks like they just took their price per hour of a half-life 2 caliber game and cut it up to fit. I also preordered Episode 1 so I got it for $17. Deals abound. And when they say the next 2 episodes are already well into development I get excited. This is how episodic content should be. I also really like how Episode 1 is not just "more half-life 2" (which would have been great anyways). Working with Alyx is really rather incredible. I gotta go with Sheps here. I don’t know what numbers people are looking at when they say the $20 for ep1 is a “rip off”. Ep1 clocks in at about 5 hours, so if you paid the standard $50 for a game in that formula it would be a 12.5 hour game. That is longer than a ton of action games. Max Payne and Max Payne 2 were both under 10 hours each but they were a damn good ride. Half-Life 2 itself was around 15 hours. I bought HL2 for $60 if I recall. Give or take skill it really looks like they just took their price per hour of a half-life 2 caliber game and cut it up to fit.

I also preordered Episode 1 so I got it for $17. Deals abound. And when they say the next 2 episodes are already well into development I get excited. This is how episodic content should be.

I also really like how Episode 1 is not just “more half-life 2″ (which would have been great anyways). Working with Alyx is really rather incredible.

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