Um... the only thing that defines a good game company is there abitlity to put out a good game... and in the case of an existing franchise it's their ability to put out a good game while remaining true to the source material and feel of the franchise...
Not sure how this is even a question that has to be asked.
Not sure how this is even a question that has to be asked.
They make good games from good properties because they enjoy the literary and artistic content and the gameplay possibilities of those properties, not because they believe some property would make them a greater profit.
They promise good games, do not promise what they cannot deliver, and deliver what they promise. They listen to customer feedback, incorporate what is practical and consistent in their eyes with the design of the game, and don't do things that aren't. They keep a well-functioning development staff and environment together, and they work within the abilities and limitations of that rather than try to work outside the box in ways that detract from a single unified vision of the product or require excessive management and supervision.
CDPR takes the "do not promise what they cannot deliver" part of that seriously, as they should. It is important to understand this. You cannot go reading more than is said into their statements, or demanding statements when they have kept silence on a matter. People are still upset because they think CDPR promised to deliver The Witcher 2 on PS/3 when they said nothing of the kind.
They promise good games, do not promise what they cannot deliver, and deliver what they promise. They listen to customer feedback, incorporate what is practical and consistent in their eyes with the design of the game, and don't do things that aren't. They keep a well-functioning development staff and environment together, and they work within the abilities and limitations of that rather than try to work outside the box in ways that detract from a single unified vision of the product or require excessive management and supervision.
CDPR takes the "do not promise what they cannot deliver" part of that seriously, as they should. It is important to understand this. You cannot go reading more than is said into their statements, or demanding statements when they have kept silence on a matter. People are still upset because they think CDPR promised to deliver The Witcher 2 on PS/3 when they said nothing of the kind.
-If you have a formula that works & everyone loves it, don't abruptly change it.
-Don't underestimate your fan base intelligence & treat them with respect.
-Don't lie to your fan base.
-Don't engage in cheap gimmicks like day one dlc with a $7 price tag.
-Don't cast blame on your fan base.
-Interact with your fan base on a professional level.
-Listen for important feedback.
-Don't underestimate your fan base intelligence & treat them with respect.
-Don't lie to your fan base.
-Don't engage in cheap gimmicks like day one dlc with a $7 price tag.
-Don't cast blame on your fan base.
-Interact with your fan base on a professional level.
-Listen for important feedback.
-Develop the game for PC and port after if needed
-Fix the bugs
-Free new content
-Listen your fans
-Release your masterpiece
After Wtcher 2 CDPR is way ahead of any other developer, but have to see where they are after their next game. Luckily next console generation is coming so we don't have to worry so much consoles holding them back if they decide to develop it to several platforms.
-Fix the bugs
-Free new content
-Listen your fans
-Release your masterpiece
After Wtcher 2 CDPR is way ahead of any other developer, but have to see where they are after their next game. Luckily next console generation is coming so we don't have to worry so much consoles holding them back if they decide to develop it to several platforms.
If it was as simple as releasing a good game, Ubisoft and EA would probably be well-liked. It's all about convenience (either releasing games DRM-free or with something small like a keycode activation, though of course with a Steam version because die-hard Steam fans will complain otherwise), knowing how to create good PR and maintain the resultant positive image, and the games actually being good enough to benefit from the other two things.
Many companies only succeed at one or two, underestimating the importance of the others, and either end up going unnoticed or attracting negative attention. Like the always-on DRM thing for Ubisoft that murdered their sales with a chainsaw as their PC sales dropped 90%. Or the Spore DRM thing for EA (on Amazon: 3,288 customer reviews, with an average rating of one and a half star out of five that came to be thanks to 2,613 of those being one-star reviews). Good times.
Continued support of the game after release has obviously done wonders for CDPR, so I'd definitely go with that one. Releasing extra content for free and all that. Does that technically even count as a trait? Whatever, I doubt that anything else has had as much of an impact in terms of rapport as that one.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation isn't my favorite "save the day" move, honestly. All things considered, I think I prefer the Heimlich Maneuver. Personal preference.
Here are a couple of things from the top of my head:
• putting artistic vision before profits
• integrity (i.e. staying true to your ideals)
• good communication with their fan base
• innovation and the courage to experiment
• honesty (i.e. not tricking / lying to your customers)
• a certain sense of humbleness (i.e. not telling your customers to basically go eat shit if they’re unsatisfied *cough*EA*cough*)
• “generosity” (i.e. not being greedy and not doing a cost-benefit analysis for every little thing)
As for my views on CDPR, they are certainly fulfilling a lot of these criteria (more so than any other big studio, actually) but I am nevertheless worried that they might betray us at some point. Pre-order bonuses, DRM and the like can be found in their games, too, although they handled these much better than pretty much any other AAA developer. I really hope that these were just one-time things that will never happen again once they are big enough to tell the publishers with whom they have worked so far to fuck off should they insist on these.
• putting artistic vision before profits
• integrity (i.e. staying true to your ideals)
• good communication with their fan base
• innovation and the courage to experiment
• honesty (i.e. not tricking / lying to your customers)
• a certain sense of humbleness (i.e. not telling your customers to basically go eat shit if they’re unsatisfied *cough*EA*cough*)
• “generosity” (i.e. not being greedy and not doing a cost-benefit analysis for every little thing)
As for my views on CDPR, they are certainly fulfilling a lot of these criteria (more so than any other big studio, actually) but I am nevertheless worried that they might betray us at some point. Pre-order bonuses, DRM and the like can be found in their games, too, although they handled these much better than pretty much any other AAA developer. I really hope that these were just one-time things that will never happen again once they are big enough to tell the publishers with whom they have worked so far to fuck off should they insist on these.
I can accept their DRM. DRM that is removed just after release. TW2 leaked a week before release and DRM prevented pirates from playing it before release and saved CDPR from losses. If you hate DRM then you could buy it on GOG where it was completely DRM free. They removed DRM in other versions just after release.
There's no stopping piracy, they've said so themselves. I agree with how they did it for TW2: reasonable DRM for the for two weeks or so, then remove it.
This kind of DRM requires an online connection to remove it though which kinda defeats the purpose of “just install and play” (since that’s what they should be going for). Personally, I don’t even see what the big deal with pre-day-one cracks is. I doubt someone who pre-ordered the game is gonna cancel it just because he can play a ripped version a day early.
CD is an awesome company. There games are getting better every time and they really want to know what the fans think about it.
A good gaming company is one that hears the fans and wants to make them happy. Too much company only do it for the money.......EA.....
A good gaming company is one that hears the fans and wants to make them happy. Too much company only do it for the money.......EA.....
I hear a lot about listening to the fans and about doing what the fans want. I don't think that correctly states the quality that makes a game company good.
A game company is good if they produce work that they themselves are the best fans of. (That doesn't mean they produce cheesy crap that nobody else likes. It means they produce games that other people will enjoy because they enjoy them first and most.)
Doing just what the fans say they want won't make a game, it'll make a Charlie Foxtrot. You must use your vision as the game's creator to make it something that will meet the needs of the fans as you hear them and determine they can be met.
A game company is good if they produce work that they themselves are the best fans of. (That doesn't mean they produce cheesy crap that nobody else likes. It means they produce games that other people will enjoy because they enjoy them first and most.)
Doing just what the fans say they want won't make a game, it'll make a Charlie Foxtrot. You must use your vision as the game's creator to make it something that will meet the needs of the fans as you hear them and determine they can be met.
I think the reason I trust CDPR is because they don't over promise and under deliver. This is why ME 3 and DA 2 killed my trust in Bioware completely. This is why I enjoy the Fable games, but I'd never buy them full price. Trust between a developer and player base is important. The companies that get this are always going to get more of my money than those that don't.
For original properties.... this is true... but for an existing property, particularly one with a fervent fanbase.... if you don't take that fanbase into consideration, then you are kind of shooting yourself in the foot.
I could give you a long long list of utterly failed games based on existing properties that failed because they tried to cash in on fanbase love for the property, but didn't give the fanbase any input.
However, since CDPR themselves are fans of Cyberpunk, then am not to worried... besides, they announced the game this early, they began their blog, and they opened up the forums all before any real progress into the games development began...
This to me says they very much want fan input...