Another game down the drain

[TerranC]

Originally posted by Erax:
but someone will take it up.

And thank god, "someone" *wink* *wink* did

[General Woundwort]

Originally posted by geckomlis:
Tabletop/board strategy/war games went through the same lifecycle. Very few people earn a living from publishing those games anymore - yet the genre continues. And the games that exibit craftsmanship and innovation are either one-man efforts or from very small teams.

One simply has to note the decline and fall of Avalon Hill to see the truth in gecko's statement.

(EDIT - found this article on the subject... The Fall of Avalon Hill )

[ August 11, 2003, 10:36: Message edited by: General Woundwort ]

[tesco samoa]

that is a sad story indeed

[Atrocities]

That was a very interesting article General. Thanks for posting a link to it.

Hasbro bought MicroProse for $70 million. Usenet jokes about Hasborg’s progress seemed to be on target, especially after Habro subsequently absorbed WOTC and TSR.

I know MicroProse published Birth of The Federation, but didn't they also publish Moo and Moo2?

All three of those games were good games. So what happenend with MOO3?

[General Woundwort]

Originally posted by Atrocities:
That was a very interesting article General. Thanks for posting a link to it.

What really got to me was the part about Hasbro making the buyout offer to AH, forcing them to settle with Microprose, then buying Microprose 3 weeks after they ate AH.

Could be a coincidence, could be uncoordinated duplication of effort, but I'm a suspicious person by nature...

[ August 11, 2003, 17:50: Message edited by: General Woundwort ]

[Roanon]

Yes, the golden days for game software are over. Cheap but graphic-heavy junk doesn't sell that much any more. The kiddies all have played dozens of them and are growing tired of it. Gone the days when you could sell virtually anything as long as you could get a 99% in graphics from the reviewers. The reviewers being another problem, as they continue to lie and cheat for game producers money, they are biting the hand that feeds them - the reader's hand. Only one of them publicly apologized for their overly positive review of MOO3, for instance.

Especially difficult is and was selling junk to hardcore strategy gamers who above all expect a game and not colorful clickfeasts. So, as we do not provide the market for fast-money-for-nothing, the big companies are leaving, now that they have found out the truth. I hope smaller companies with less expectations and more willingness to work for their money will now have a chance to take back that niche.
I can live with 10 less MOO3-type games while getting 1 more SEIV-type game instead. But, the sad truth is, while the quality may increse the quantity will surely decrease. Do not expect a new good strategy game every year - or even every two years.

What happend to MOO3 is a different thing - the problem is it got into the hands of a company that didn't intend to do a 4x strategy game. Sold as SimGalaxy, which it really is, it would have caused less uproar - but also much less sales probably. Beaten to death this way, I doubt that anyone will be able to revive the series.

[Fyron]

Originally posted by Atrocities:
I know MicroProse published Birth of The Federation, but didn't they also publish Moo and Moo2?

All three of those games were good games. So what happenend with MOO3?

Yes. They also published Civ and Civ 2, and Colonization, and some other awesome strategy games (as well as a few dozen other good games). Sadly, they are gone.