Generals 2 Quick Poll on Facebook

[Sonic 292]

On the official Facebook page for Command & Conquer a new quick poll is asking "What are you looking for the most in Generals 2?" You have the following options should you decide to vote.

 

• Singleplayer Experience
  
• Frostbite 2 in action
  
• Multiplayer game modes
  
• Overall multiplayer experience
  
• A new high quality C&C game
  

Click here to cast your vote.

[Guest Stevie_K]

Don't know whether it's looking for or hoping, but the last one.

[Plok 314]

The first one and, duh, the last one - why would a quality C&C be an option if that's what everyone wants??

[AlexB 8]

The last option sounds just like some PR buzzcrap, and it really shouldn't be an option at all, because It means nothing on its own.

I would chose the single player experience, but without a Facebook account it's hard to participate.

[Sonic 292]

Interesting poll results. Almost up to 2000 votes for single player, people want a story. While multiplayer hasn't even cracked 200 votes.

[Inferno 22]

I don't play C&C games for the competitive multiplayer, although ZH was a fairly good game for that.

[Troopzor 5]

personally I found the Generals series to be the best C&C for RTS multiplayer. The others I primarily enjoyed for the single player. So when it comes to G2 I think i'm actually more excited for the multiplayer. But I must say, I'm really interested to see what they are going to do for single player since they have the bioware influence now

[iLikeToSnipe 0]

I personally would prefer better multiplayer. I can only play a single player campaign once. Multiplayer has much, much more replay value than a singleplayer campaign.

[Golan 6]

Personally, I'm looking forward to a well made SP. Don't personally care for MP, I've found it to be frustratingly repetitive and requiring too much time to enjoy. Still, I hope they won't let the MP folks down, it's about time C&C gets out of its niche again.

[PurpleGaga27 37]

Although many people wanted SP for Generals 2, they'll be pissed off when they found out that the game needs Origin and persistent Internet connection to load the game (if only that does not happen). My only concern for this is installing and loading the game.

 

A high quality C&C game was already given using the Frostbite 2 engine. What more can it expect?

 

For the story, I wish it could have been epic and similar from a recent Call of Duty game.

[Plok 314]

A high quality C&C game was already given using the Frostbite 2 engine. What more can it expect?

Engines do not dictate gameplay.

[BigJoe 4]

Ugh, people shouldn't be voting for the single player option. Bioware has been really bad at story telling for a long time now, and this is just feeding their ego's.

[Inferno 22]

Ugh, people shouldn't be voting for the single player option. Bioware has been really bad at story telling for a long time now, and this is just feeding their ego's.

How would this in any way, shape or form feed their ego's? Please, elaborate.

[BigJoe 4]

edit: Redacted. I'm sorry, this post was made spur of the moment and not in good conscience, so I'll just slink away and mind my own business. Please forgive me for making an unecessary scene.

Edited April 19, 2012 by BigJoe

[Nmenth 285]

Bioware actually thinks that game developement is a legitimate form of art.

Congratulations, I think the reputation system of these forums is a waste of time, and yet this statement has encouraged me to award you the first down vote I've ever cast.

 

I couldn't care less about BioWare or your opinion of the job they are doing, but to deny that game development is an art is just ignorance. I truly hope you are in no form or fashion connected to the game development industry or you are doing them a disservice and should switch careers immediately.

[BigJoe 4]

There is a creative process from ideation to completed product when it comes to the developement of the game, yes, but I do not believe that the end result is a form of art (which is what Biowre thinks of their games). This is what I had meant originally, so I apologize if I confused you.

Edited April 19, 2012 by BigJoe

[Chronojam 3]

Interesting poll results. Almost up to 2000 votes for single player, people want a story. While multiplayer hasn't even cracked 200 votes.

****, can you blame people after C&C 4? Steering away from multiplayer seems important to avoid them trying that again anytime soon. I think people still have that in mind, and are voting that way.

 

Plus, Frostbite 2? Quality C&C? I know this kind of social media drivel's driven by marketing but way to make it apparent, damn. What I really would not mind is more fun little alternative modes for singleplayer (or multiplayer, sure) like the C&C RISK that came with Kane's Wrath, the old General's Challenges and Uprising challenges. Even this new C&C Alliances browser game feels like it could've been much better as a fun little metagame diversion in a new traditional-style C&C; hell they could have tied it into their C&C 4 style persistance bull**** if they wanted to insist on going down that path and it would've made more sense instead of unlocking things in the actual C&C 4 campaign.

[BigJoe 4]

How would this in any way, shape or form feed their ego's? Please, elaborate.

Having thought this over more, I'm ready to give an elaboration instead of a rant.

 

Basically, in my opinion, Bioware is not a good company. Ever since Baldur's Gate II their overall quality has fallen, especially in their writing, which they tout as their strongsuit. Their recent success with games like the Mass Effect franchise and Dragon Age 2 appears to have gone to their head. Mass Effect 2 and onward has shown that Bioware's writing has rapidly declined into fan-fiction territory, complete with awkward, fanbase desired character pairings and exploration into sexual fetishes like trans-sexuality and BDSM. Not only content wise is their writing poor, but structure overall is really bad. They're intent on creating clear cut "good and bad" choices and disguising them as "free choice" or "morally grey area", giving the illusion that you're making your own story, but you're really following an on-rails game with no real sense of character developement except becoming either the nicest person ever, biggest asshole in the world or a boring Mr. Nobody, with nothing inbetween. To top it all off, most of what they write is extremely forgettable and relies heavily on cliched story devices. All of their fame and fortune that they have been recieving makes them feel as if they are the pinnacle of game developement and have actually caused them to think that they are now at the forefront of making video games a new form of artistic expression.

 

Bioware has been decieved into thinking that they are actually a good game company by their followers and, in turn, so have their fans. Having people vote for a good quality single player story in Generals 2 will only add fuel to the fire and bloat Bioware's ego even more. It's going to make them think that they are somehow gracing C&C with their "divine artistic presence" when, in reality, they are putting a long standing franchise at risk of having "Dr. Thrax + General Granger = I'd ship dat" style relationships in a game where it doesn't fit. I agree with Chronojam that the people voting cannot be blamed after the disaster that was C&C 4, but Bioware is not going to be the saving grace for any stories in any C&C game. It's just another high risk danger that will very likely result in laughably embarrasing results.

 

edit: If anybody should be voting on anything on that poll it should be "Another high quality C&C game". Although I really don't understand why they even need to ask that though. I mean, can't they compare and contrast C&C3 and RA3 with C&C 4 and see what they did wrong and go from there? They could make their jobs easier if they could just take what made the first Generals successful and what made C&C3 and RA3 successful and mash it all up and you'd probably have a really good C&C game.

 

"hurf durf gee fellas we should really ask the fans want they want in a C&C game that would show 'em that we really care!!!!"

Edited April 20, 2012 by BigJoe

[Golan 6]

Keep in mind that BioWareVictory (or whatever they call it now) is not the Bioware that made the ME or DA Series. Or BG, for that matter. The BW guys of old are involved in the development but, as far as interview information goes, more in the role of general guidance and advice.

[Inferno 22]

Basically, in my opinion, Bioware is not a good company. Ever since Baldur's Gate II their overall quality has fallen, especially in their writing, which they tout as their strongsuit. Their recent success with games like the Mass Effect franchise and Dragon Age 2 appears to have gone to their head. Mass Effect 2 and onward has shown that Bioware's writing has rapidly declined into fan-fiction territory, complete with awkward, fanbase desired character pairings and exploration into sexual fetishes like trans-sexuality and BDSM. Not only content wise is their writing poor, but structure overall is really bad. They're intent on creating clear cut "good and bad" choices and disguising them as "free choice" or "morally grey area", giving the illusion that you're making your own story, but you're really following an on-rails game with no real sense of character developement except becoming either the nicest person ever, biggest asshole in the world or a boring Mr. Nobody, with nothing inbetween. To top it all off, most of what they write is extremely forgettable and relies heavily on cliched story devices. All of their fame and fortune that they have been recieving makes them feel as if they are the pinnacle of game developement and have actually caused them to think that they are now at the forefront of making video games a new form of artistic expression.

I do very much agree with you that the whole concept of making choices could be very much more elaborate. However, the whole concept of influencing how the game plays out, even when in practice just being given a limited number of choices, is still very intriguing. In regards to your statement about sexual fetishes, I'd say it's about time that games explored the possibility of sexual content. Prudishness should not get into the way of telling a part of the story, of whatever minor importance it is.

 

Bioware has been decieved into thinking that they are actually a good game company by their followers and, in turn, so have their fans. Having people vote for a good quality single player story in Generals 2 will only add fuel to the fire and bloat Bioware's ego even more. It's going to make them think that they are somehow gracing C&C with their "divine artistic presence" when, in reality, they are putting a long standing franchise at risk of having "Dr. Thrax + General Granger = I'd ship dat" style relationships in a game where it doesn't fit. I agree with Chronojam that the people voting cannot be blamed after the disaster that was C&C 4, but Bioware is not going to be the saving grace for any stories in any C&C game. It's just another high risk danger that will very likely result in laughably embarrasing results.

I'm not entirely sure how a company is capable of having a big ego. I even more so fail to see how adressing the importance of the singeplayer aspect of Generals 2 will will "add fuel to the fire", as you say, let alone negatively impact the final product.

 

edit: If anybody should be voting on anything on that poll it should be "Another high quality C&C game". Although I really don't understand why they even need to ask that though. I mean, can't they compare and contrast C&C3 and RA3 with C&C 4 and see what they did wrong and go from there? They could make their jobs easier if they could just take what made the first Generals successful and what made C&C3 and RA3 successful and mash it all up and you'd probably have a really good C&C game.

Yeah, that sounded like a generic option to me as well. They should be asking what the fans find the most important, so they know what aspect of the game they should focus their time on the most. This list was a bit meager, as far as I'm concerned.

 

"hurf durf gee fellas we should really ask the fans want they want in a C&C game that would show 'em that we really care!!!!"

Even though I would prefer to refrain from getting all personal on this, that is kind of what it looks like.

[BigJoe 4]

Keep in mind that BioWareVictory (or whatever they call it now) is not the Bioware that made the ME or DA Series. Or BG, for that matter. The BW guys of old are involved in the development but, as far as interview information goes, more in the role of general guidance and advice.

Last I heard, Bioware Victory are the ones developing the game, but Bioware themselves are doing the actual writing for the story.

 

(just getting a quick reply in while at work)

Edited April 20, 2012 by BigJoe

[Sonic 292]

Generals 2 is officially a BioWare game but its really in name only. Its still very much a BioWare Victory (formerly Victory Games) project being developed at EALA. In December 2011 the Victory Games team was integrated into the BioWare label.

[BigJoe 4]

I am aware that Victory Games is not Bioware. What I am saying is this:

 

Bioware = Writing

Victory = Everything else

 

Victory Games is not sovereign over the C&C title, they answer to Bioware. Also, neither is Bioware sovereign over it, they answer to EA. Because Victory is under Bioware, they can shift resources within Victory however they wish to in order to see a product that they decided is satisfying. Basically if that poll wins out with the single player story option, then Bioware (or EA) may very well make a move that shifts some writing resources from Bioware to Victory, if they have not done that already.

Edited April 20, 2012 by BigJoe

[Nmenth 285]

Basically if that poll wins out with the single player story option

There is no such option, there is a Singleplayer Experience option. At least as far as I'm concerned, that covers a lot more than just a story.

[BigJoe 4]

There is no such option, there is a Singleplayer Experience option. At least as far as I'm concerned, that covers a lot more than just a story.

It means story for the vast majority of people voting for that option, though. (Or at least I'm willing to bet that is the case)