I share many of the sentiments others have shared. For an in-house production, I think the video is exceptional. I really appreciate that it shows actual in-game footage, and not a ton of effects.
I hesitate to type this, because I don't want to target anyone who's commented (because I think feedback is usually positive, even if it's pointing out flaws or sharing dislike), but I'm honestly really baffled that some people are worried about showing this video to friends who may not have seen much or read much about the game yet. If those friends were hoping for an action-oriented combat system, then they're going to be disappointed regardless. If those friends were searching for a less cooperate experience, they're going to be disappointed regardless.
Yeah, the animations are still a bit choppy, but the video clearly states the game is in a pre-alpha state. The combat is a bit stiff, but again, pre-alpha. Compared to the early in-game videos of other games that have come out relatively recently, I think this is perfectly competitive.
Also, can we PLEASE talk about the music? HOLY ****. It's so freaking good. Like, I can't. I didn't even watch the video the first time it played. I was just frozen in awe of the music. The other songs I've heard for this game are so freaking good. Just please give Joppa a raise.
Ok... so I just spent some time rewatching the promo video and also reading all the comments left by individuals as well as the replies made by devs. The question was asked several times by Brad responding to various comments what did people prefer... The promo video or the live streams... unfortunately not many took the time to respond.
So with that being said and moving forward here are my thoughts. I do not know how feasible this idea would be but here goes....
I really liked the streams with Cohh. It seemed like there was great interaction between the devs and him which gave the sense in some ways of him being just one of the guys. Many questions were also answered for the viewers. Advancements were pointed out and in some cases highlighted such as the the advances made to the graphics of the shaman pet over just a few days. And so much more.
I also took the time to time some portions of the streams. Two examples would be from the elevator ride in the tower to viewing the library and explaining it and on to the first boss kill to after his death. That took approximately 30 minutes. The second part timed was from part 1 which was made a week or so earlier. The run from just outside of the final house you cleared where the boss was... from the point of killing a few placeholders on the path just before the house, clearing the house and finally the boss took just over 20 minutes. During both of these segments we got the feel for the flow of the game, seen some what may be considered trash mob engagements, clearing to the boss, killing the boss and also some other tidbits like the explaination of the library and how it may play into the perception system as well as showing off the monk's stealth mode. In other words a lot wwas shared in these 2 ssegments while still showing game flow and immersion.
Now there are things many are still looking forward to seeing and I realise this is a fine line because I, like most others, dont want to see too much time spent on cosmetics at this point and would rather see the available manhours invested in gameplay, zones and other mechanics.
Back to a potential idea for an upcoming stream... again no idea about what it would take or if it is even feasible...
Both streams mentioned above were 90 minutes long. Lets divide that into three 30 minute segments with each segment showing different content... maybe even different level content showing regular engagements, clearing and culminating with boss fights. Also showing completely different environs. Along with this, each segment, and this I know would be difficult, would see a different group makeup in regards to class and races showing off and covering all classes and all races I believe. Questions by viewers can still be answered as in previous streams and can be answered extensively while logging on to new characters and using GM mode to get to the start of the next location chosen to continue the stream.
So the entire stream would still have a flow but would also be somewhat scripted. Spontaneous jumps off towers to test safefalls may want to be kept to a miniimum however to keep on scrip :) Sorry... just had to reference that as it was a hilarious moment for me.
Anyway.. I know this is probably a dream to see something like this and even if possible it would be several months away but I truly believe is would draw that interest and excitement we all know will come eventually.
I love the bus stops! Here is my suggestion for the next promo video. Show something that gives a quick overview of the different mechanics of the game. Basically take what you did with the perception system, add it to the combat "bring friends" video, and maybe add something like crafting or show the same situation played out two or three different ways.
Bonechip said:Have you guys considered selling sets of the Bus Stop posters?
I am sure that it would generate more income.
Your answer can be found here
OK guys, don't misunderstand the criticism and don't be overly defensive. None of us here are "against" this game. Everyone rabidly wants the game and wants/expects it to be awesome. The problem is that you aren't getting critical feedback if everyone is just fanboi-ing over it. Of course almost everyone here loves it - this (myself included) are the fans and supporters. You don't need to convince US. You need to convince "them" - the non Pantheon fans. The folks who don't know about it. The gamers who only know to look for current game expectations.
This video isn't going to get love from them.
Compare these images
That water/graphics/texture/etc is gorgeous!
But what you showed the new viewers is this:
My point is that the game is *MUCH* better than that video showed. This is just one example. The animations were another. The battle sequence against the group of undead made the game look like a really out-dated game. And that makes no sense because the streams were awesome.
It's like you guys are building a brand new Corvette and you put a Chevette in your commercial.
Sorry guys. I love PRF/VR so far but my criticism of this video is because I honestly think it will turn on the non-Pantheon folks off, not on.
Temmi said:I share many of the sentiments others have shared. For an in-house production, I think the video is exceptional. I really appreciate that it shows actual in-game footage, and not a ton of effects.
I hesitate to type this, because I don't want to target anyone who's commented (because I think feedback is usually positive, even if it's pointing out flaws or sharing dislike), but I'm honestly really baffled that some people are worried about showing this video to friends who may not have seen much or read much about the game yet. If those friends were hoping for an action-oriented combat system, then they're going to be disappointed regardless. If those friends were searching for a less cooperate experience, they're going to be disappointed regardless.
Yeah, the animations are still a bit choppy, but the video clearly states the game is in a pre-alpha state. The combat is a bit stiff, but again, pre-alpha. Compared to the early in-game videos of other games that have come out relatively recently, I think this is perfectly competitive.
Also, can we PLEASE talk about the music? HOLY ****. It's so freaking good. Like, I can't. I didn't even watch the video the first time it played. I was just frozen in awe of the music. The other songs I've heard for this game are so freaking good. Just please give Joppa a raise.
The music was definitely dope. Do we know for sure that Joppa made that? My wife and I absolutely loved it (as we did the rest of the video) and would be extremely happy to know that we can look forward to more awesome music like this in the future.
Temmi said:I share many of the sentiments others have shared. For an in-house production, I think the video is exceptional. I really appreciate that it shows actual in-game footage, and not a ton of effects.
I hesitate to type this, because I don't want to target anyone who's commented (because I think feedback is usually positive, even if it's pointing out flaws or sharing dislike), but I'm honestly really baffled that some people are worried about showing this video to friends who may not have seen much or read much about the game yet. If those friends were hoping for an action-oriented combat system, then they're going to be disappointed regardless. If those friends were searching for a less cooperate experience, they're going to be disappointed regardless.
Yeah, the animations are still a bit choppy, but the video clearly states the game is in a pre-alpha state. The combat is a bit stiff, but again, pre-alpha. Compared to the early in-game videos of other games that have come out relatively recently, I think this is perfectly competitive.
Also, can we PLEASE talk about the music? HOLY ****. It's so freaking good. Like, I can't. I didn't even watch the video the first time it played. I was just frozen in awe of the music. The other songs I've heard for this game are so freaking good. Just please give Joppa a raise.
The reason many people might be hesitant to show this video to friends is because humans, typically, form base judgements within seven seconds to a couple of minutes, depending on the literature you get your information from. So you have up to two minutes to give someone a base of which they will judge all future interactions of a product. Can it be changed over time? Of course. But it makes it a lot harder in the long run.
That voice sure sounds similar to the original EverQuest intro video...
I wanted to let things settle in a bit before making a comment regarding the video. After so many years closely following the project and being so emotionally and financially comitted at this point, I'm hardly an objective audience. So I wanted to think through things very carefully.
From the very positive standpoint, it still amazes me how much progress has been made on this world visually in the past 3+ years. If anyone remembers the very brief post-kickstarter, post PantheonROTF.com v.1 collapse, crowd funding efforts and videos that were released, it would be easy to think we would never get here. The world is coming along in a way that is clearly very attractive to an old school MMORPG gamer and I am confident that things have continued to head in a positive direction.
The aspect of the game that I'm least enthusiastic about, at least initially, is choice of character races. I just haven't found one that fits me, yet. I am holding out to see much more about the elves in general, and hope that will eventually be home. But it is impossible to deny the improvement that we have seen in character models up to this point. No, the animations are not there yet, and some of the stances still seem a bit awkward, but with the resources available to the team it still looks like good progress.
I also consider it a good sign that the team has reached out and attempted some of these marketing efforts. It means they feel good about the product they are producing and want to show it off. Activision isn't out there providing the PR team and the marketing resources to create a demo reel and professional writing and focus group testing... I'll take it for what it is. It's better than what I dealt with on Project Copernicus from the ill fated 38 Studios, we didn't get even a world fly by video until the company was going under.
From a committed Pantheon follower, here's the only downside for me:
- We've still only seen a very, very small sample of the world. The progress has been substantial, but a viewer of the Twitch streams and long time follower of screen shots is probably not taking anything new away from this video. If I have a long term concern for Pantheon at the moment, it is if the team has the resources necessary to create dozens of the environments similar to what we've seen, and if those environments are being improved as much as the ones we see currently. Will there be enough for us to do?
As someone who might want to get others involved in this game, I already run into a few roadblocks:
- Outside of family, I literally know no-one from my hard core MMORPG days that still plays. I have great memories with some folks, but they're not out there looking for something to play (unlike me). I can't spread the word very effectively.
- This video markets specifically to the crowd that, like me, understands the concepts of the traditional MMORPG genre and favors them above and beyond most of the trappings of modern game design. I can look past the early game state and the type of combat we're seeing because I understand why it is being done this way and actually want that to be the style of play. This video doesn't do much to expand the crowd this is being marketed to.
- It's outside of my wheel-house, but I have a hard time gauging exactly how much of the old-guy MMORPG gamer crowd is out there that still hasn't heard of Pantheon. Maybe it's a huge market? I don't know. But this video is for them... and it's a little tough to get excited about it just because I have a hard time gauging the impact.
But I'm still extremely optimistic and hopeful as I watch over this again. It's a team that's trying to do it right, and it's clear there is some hard work going into getting there. I certainly wouldn't say this video does any damage, because I don't know that the market who is scared off by this footage was ever going to get behind the project anyway... at least not at this stage. This video is really for us. It doesn't change my outlook at all - just keep staying the course.
Hannar said:..........
- This video markets specifically to the crowd that, like me, understands the concepts of the traditional MMORPG genre and favors them above and beyond most of the trappings of modern game design. I can look past the early game state and the type of combat we're seeing because I understand why it is being done this way and actually want that to be the style of play. This video doesn't do much to expand the crowd this is being marketed to.
........
Your posts reflects many sentiments I share.
With respect to the above however, I am sure that, as you said, the video markets specifically to people like you, me and every other person you can find on these forums. I am also pretty sure that is exactly the crowd VR is looking for. Not sure if you meant to write opposing points but I am positive that VR does indeed not want to market this and expand the crowd as you said but remain specifically within the niche of those traditional MMORPG'rs who've been left stranded. Additionally, they will want to make this game known to newer players who like games like us but have never had a chance to play such a game.
Sorry, should have clarified the actual nouns I was referencing since that's worded poorly... veered to a different subject by the end. This video markets to our existing crowd. It doesn't do much to expand the potential market that may eventually tap into the game. There's did not seem to be significant potential to reach beyond what may already be saturated.
oneADseven said:The music was definitely dope. Do we know for sure that Joppa made that? My wife and I absolutely loved it (as we did the rest of the video) and would be extremely happy to know that we can look forward to more awesome music like this in the future.
This was not Joppa's piece, no. It was an external contract and license.
BenD said:oneADseven said:The music was definitely dope. Do we know for sure that Joppa made that? My wife and I absolutely loved it (as we did the rest of the video) and would be extremely happy to know that we can look forward to more awesome music like this in the future.
This was not Joppa's piece, no. It was an external contract and license.
^^ Are you able to share any additional information? Who is the artist?