Anthem

TitianGerm · 22-01-2019 11:58am

ZiabR wrote: »

That list could not be any further from the original plan for the game in 2017. Its not a move that EA wanted to do, it is a move EA were forced to do. If they pushed on with the original plan, they game would have sold 10 copies.

Do you have a link to this original plan? I remember them saying what Eoin posted alright but not what your eluding to.

ZiabR · 22-01-2019 12:27pm

TitianGerm wrote: »

Do you have a link to this original plan? I remember them saying what Eoin posted alright but not what your eluding to.

I will try to dig it up for you now.

Kirby · 22-01-2019 12:58pm

super_furry wrote: »

A season pass without story DLC is interesting. Wonder if it will be a Fortnite style thing.

There is no season pass.

Not at launch anyway.

Icyseanfitz · 22-01-2019 1:15pm

theres some beta this weekend i think

Kirby · 22-01-2019 1:28pm

Yes. If you pre-order you get into the beta this weekend. It's more of a demo really.

The following weekend is open to everyone. So if you are on the fence i'd suggest trying it out then.

Kiith · 22-01-2019 1:59pm

Assuming Origin Premier gets the beta as well?

EoinMcLovin · 22-01-2019 2:12pm

Kiith wrote: »

Assuming Origin Premier gets the beta as well?

Origin Premier gets the the vip demo this Friday, open demo on February 1st and Early Access on February 15th

gizmo · 22-01-2019 2:52pm

I think there may be a conflation of events here..

Back in January 2017, news broke that the game, which was originally scheduled for release in the Fall of 2018, would be pushed back to early 2019. Realistically this would mean before the end of March since that would align with the end of EA's fiscal year. As part of the article on this, however, a source was quoted as saying...

The “fall 2018” window mentioned during that E3 announcement was “never realistic,” ...

Fast forward to April and Patrick Söderlund has just been made Chief Design Officer when he gives an interview to The Verge. As part of this he remarks...

“I’d be lying to you if I said that what’s happened with Battlefront and what’s happened with everything surrounding loot boxes and these things haven’t had an effect on EA as a company and an effect on us as management,” he explains. “We can shy away from it and pretend like it didn’t happen, or we can act responsibly and realize that we made some mistakes, and try to rectify those mistakes and learn from them.”

...

“We have taken significant steps as a company to review and understand the mechanics around monetization, loot boxes, and other things in our games before they go to market,” he says. “For games that come next, for Battlefield or for Anthem, [players have] made it very clear that we can’t afford to make similar mistakes. And we won’t.” Microtransactions will be added back to Battlefront II starting next week, but will only include cosmetic items.

So while I don't doubt that the fallout from BF2 has had an affect on whatever monetization system Anthem was going to have, it's simply not accurate to say whatever retooling which took place is the cause of the shift in release date.

As an aside, there's a Reddit post from Technical Design Director on the project, Brenon Holmes, where he says that the issue of micro-transactions is "an ongoing discussion". Note, this post was made in October 2017 which was before the release of Battlefront 2 and the subsequent furore.

Static M.e. · 22-01-2019 5:47pm

I thought I had shared this already but I thought it give a nice overview of the Demo. We should be able to preload in the next two days.

Anthem // VIP & OPEN DEMO! How To Access Anthem Demo, Early Access & More!

Static M.e. · 23-01-2019 5:25pm

BioWare's Anthem demo has started preloading

Dammit, I'm totally on the hype train now. Seems to be discounted -38% on one of the keysites, if anyone is looking.

43.54 gigabyte download

Dcully · 23-01-2019 9:21pm

Not seeing that much of a discount anywhere.
Well nothing showing up on DLC compare.

One @ €33 other in or around €38-€40 , ive never used the one with cheapest offer.

Ill probably sub to origin access for a month to try it out first, worked great for BF5, got enough in the month to see i didnt want to purchase full game after sub ended.

Venom · 23-01-2019 10:58pm

The Anthem demo is going to be rather different from the final release. The combat and economy will be very different according to devs.

https://twitter.com/pcgamer/status/1087580631364714497

Varik · 23-01-2019 11:23pm

Any friends code going?

They're not tied to a platform.

degrassinoel · 23-01-2019 11:47pm

Venom wrote: »

The Anthem demo is going to be rather different from the final release. The combat and economy will be very different according to devs.

Heard that spiel from bioware before with Andromeda..

Venom · 23-01-2019 11:53pm

degrassinoel wrote: »

Heard that spiel from bioware before with Andromeda..

Well, I suppose they can't let people see how grindy the game really is before they buy it!

Varik · 24-01-2019 12:34am

degrassinoel wrote: »

Heard that spiel from bioware before with Andromeda..

In fairness Andromeda wasn't them, it was the other Bioware the B team.

ZiabR · 24-01-2019 9:35am

Venom wrote: »

The Anthem demo is going to be rather different from the final release. The combat and economy will be very different according to devs.

Excuse my ignorance but is the point of a demo not to have people play a small section of a game in the hope that you buy the full release? What's the point in releasing a demo of a game that is not the game when it is released?

Its like test driving a 520 BMW for 2 days and then when you go to collect, you are handed the keys for a E Class Merc...

Pointless.

EoinHef · 24-01-2019 11:17am

I wouldnt pre order this with some one elses money:P

I hope its good as it looks like my type of game but EA have givin no one any good reason to pre order there games at this point.

Doctor Jimbob · 24-01-2019 12:28pm

EoinHef wrote: »

I wouldnt pre order this with some one elses money:P

I hope its good as it looks like my type of game but EA have givin no one any good reason to pre order there games at this point.

Pre-ordered it for about 40 euro on the game collection, should make most of that back anyway if it ends up being rubbish :pac:

ShadowHearth · 24-01-2019 1:10pm

ZiabR wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance but is the point of a demo not to have people play a small section of a game in the hope that you buy the full release? What's the point in releasing a demo of a game that is not the game when it is released?

Its like test driving a 520 BMW for 2 days and then when you go to collect, you are handed the keys for a E Class Merc...

Pointless.

To be honest, some games are very hard to show to gamers as Demo. Perfect example would be Monster Hunter games. They always did a demo and I always tried it. I love MH games since MH3u, but if I would be new to franchise, then I would think it sucks balls. Demo cannot capture the whole concept of the game, where you hunt, improve your gear, try to see if you ready to tackle next bigger monster etc.

So not surprised Anthem can't do that with demo too.

Lone Stone · 24-01-2019 1:40pm

is the demo for everyone this weekend or next ?

Nody · 24-01-2019 2:06pm

ShadowHearth wrote: »

To be honest, some games are very hard to show to gamers as Demo. Perfect example would be Monster Hunter games. They always did a demo and I always tried it. I love MH games since MH3u, but if I would be new to franchise, then I would think it sucks balls. Demo cannot capture the whole concept of the game, where you hunt, improve your gear, try to see if you ready to tackle next bigger monster etc.

So not surprised Anthem can't do that with demo too.

The demo has faked economy to make things appear to be less grindy to make you level up faster and buy more gear then they will be in the actual game; that's not something hard to show off in a demo...

24-01-2019 2:06pm

Lone Stone wrote: »

is the demo for everyone this weekend or next ?

Feb 1st for everyone. I thought it was already live when I downloaded it last night

Venom · 24-01-2019 2:15pm

ZiabR wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance but is the point of a demo not to have people play a small section of a game in the hope that you buy the full release? What's the point in releasing a demo of a game that is not the game when it is released?

Its like test driving a 520 BMW for 2 days and then when you go to collect, you are handed the keys for a E Class Merc...

Pointless.

Well, these loot and shoot style games such as Anthem, Destiny and The Division make the player re-do the same content over and over to level up and acquire better gear such as armour, weapons and money as part of the game play loop. The Division, for example, had mobs that took silly amounts of damage to kill when it first launched and this was rather unpopular among its player base. This demo with different combat and economy systems to the final game might make mobs easier to kill or have much higher chances of high-end gear dropping which may result in getting better reviews or looking less of a grind to people watching it being streamed.

_CreeD_ · 24-01-2019 2:35pm

I really just want to see 2 things from the demo:
1 - How it handles performance wise on my machine.
2 - How it 'feels', no amount of content or economy changes can fix bad movement and gunplay whereas I can forgive a lot when the latter are satisfying.

The economy will constantly be tuned (hopefully) over time so even if it is not deliberately engineered for hype initially (which it probably will be) I wouldn't expect impressions from the demo to mean much long term anyway.

Noxin · 24-01-2019 2:49pm

Looking forward to trying it out personally. This rubbish lately about the economy is just youtubers trying to make drama and get their cash..
They announced ages ago that the demo economy will be different so that you can get a decent taste of how it will work.
Things like that pretty much always get tweaked during the live game when something out of place is noticed.

TitianGerm · 24-01-2019 2:56pm

_CreeD_ wrote: »

I really just want to see 2 things from the demo:
1 - How it handles performance wise on my machine.
2 - How it 'feels', no amount of content or economy changes can fix bad movement and gunplay whereas I can forgive a lot when the latter are satisfying.

The economy will constantly be tuned (hopefully) over time so even if it is not deliberately engineered for hype initially (which it probably will be) I wouldn't expect impressions from the demo to mean much long term anyway.

Movement and shooting were good in the alpha. It was pretty seamless going from running to flying imo. Shooting was fine, not as good as Destiny but still very good.

Only issue I had is you walked extremely slowly once back at the out post.

EoinMcLovin · 24-01-2019 3:26pm

If anybody is interested in playing the VIP demo, follow Ben Irving @BenIrvo and Michael Gamble @GambleMike on twitter as they are giving out codes. They are both Lead Producers on the game

Flashdan · 24-01-2019 3:50pm

You can get in by having Origin Access on your PC its only 3.99.

Flashdan · 24-01-2019 3:56pm

_CreeD_ wrote: »

I really just want to see 2 things from the demo:
1 - How it handles performance wise on my machine.
2 - How it 'feels', no amount of content or economy changes can fix bad movement and gunplay whereas I can forgive a lot when the latter are satisfying.

The economy will constantly be tuned (hopefully) over time so even if it is not deliberately engineered for hype initially (which it probably will be) I wouldn't expect impressions from the demo to mean much long term anyway.

I have played the Alpha on 2 machines. The 1st was i7 9600, GTX 1050 2gb and 8gb DDR3 and it was not worth it. Very blurred backgrounds but it ran ok.

On the 2nd one i had Ryzen 5 2600, RX 560 8gb 8gb DD4 and it runs great on that.

Gun play feels good. I did not like the air and underwater movement but there is sliders for the controls so you can change that.

I don't think there will be an economy as such. There is no player trading even in groups and no auction house. You will be able to by cosmetics like skins, emotes etc (like Overwatch)

gizmo · 24-01-2019 4:27pm

Noxin wrote: »

Looking forward to trying it out personally. This rubbish lately about the economy is just youtubers trying to make drama and get their cash..
They announced ages ago that the demo economy will be different so that you can get a decent taste of how it will work.
Things like that pretty much always get tweaked during the live game when something out of place is noticed.

Bingo. The Quartering dude not only managed to make a 12:48 video based on someone else's article and two tweets from the EP on the project but his subsequent argument is also based on a blatant falsehood - that the demo is the version of the game that the reviewers are going to get.

After getting called out on this fact by the Lead Producer of the game, rather than apologising and taking the video down he instead said he'd do so tomorrow (now today, he still hasn't) and spent the next couple of hours arguing with people about said video while keeping it pinned on his Twitter with an equally atrocious tagline.

I'd like to say I'm surprised, but I'm not.

Dcully · 24-01-2019 4:38pm

ShadowHearth wrote: »

To be honest, some games are very hard to show to gamers as Demo. Perfect example would be Monster Hunter games. They always did a demo and I always tried it. I love MH games since MH3u, but if I would be new to franchise, then I would think it sucks balls. Demo cannot capture the whole concept of the game, where you hunt, improve your gear, try to see if you ready to tackle next bigger monster etc.

So not surprised Anthem can't do that with demo too.

I know countless people who tried the cracked version of monster hunter world on PC and though it sucked after 90 minutes playtime.
The thing is the real activity and draw of it doest happen until 5 hours+ but once you hit this point theres no going back.
Incredible game easily one of my favourites now of all time.
Shame it still has ****ty console textures though.

My point is its nigh on impossible to demo a looter style game, the real attraction and reason to keep coming back for more doesnt happen until well into these games.

Static M.e. · 24-01-2019 4:59pm

Dcully wrote: »

Not seeing that much of a discount anywhere.
Well nothing showing up on DLC compare.

One @ €33 other in or around €38-€40 , ive never used the one with cheapest offer.

I noticed this morning that the percentage changes depending on if you get the Demo with the Game or not. They actually sell the demo separately on which is new to me. Are we allowed to mentioned the website names?

I was able to preload the demo last night but i'm not sure if they will ask me for a key tomorrow or not. I'll probably just end up getting it on Origin too.

Sephiroth_dude · 24-01-2019 5:01pm

Will this be available to play using the game pass?

24-01-2019 5:07pm

Dcully wrote: »

I know countless people who tried the cracked version of monster hunter world on PC and though it sucked after 90 minutes playtime.
The thing is the real activity and draw of it doest happen until 5 hours+ but once you hit this point theres no going back.
Incredible game easily one of my favourites now of all time.
Shame it still has ****ty console textures though.

My point is its nigh on impossible to demo a looter style game, the real attraction and reason to keep coming back for more doesnt happen until well into these games.

I really must give monster hunter a proper look. On paper it sounded like my kind of game but the demo left me scratching my head, and likely for the reason you mentioned.

EoinMcLovin · 24-01-2019 5:28pm

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

Will this be available to play using the game pass?

Do you mean Xbox Game Pass ? Then no.

Sephiroth_dude · 24-01-2019 6:24pm

EoinMcLovin wrote: »

Do you mean Xbox Game Pass ? Then no.

Ya that one, damn.

degrassinoel · 24-01-2019 7:07pm

Venom wrote: »

Well, I suppose they can't let people see how grindy the game really is before they buy it!

Nothing wrong with a reasonable grind tbf, i'm more concerned that i've heard those words before from the same studio, regardless of which division it was, the company as a whole is responsible for the state a game is released in, be that good or woeful.

Icyseanfitz · 24-01-2019 8:13pm

ive it preloaded with some friends but my level of hype/hope is pretty much at rock bottom. Most games as a service games ive played have been trash

Robert ninja · 24-01-2019 9:11pm

I heard the demo is also easier so game journalists can actually play it and give it a good rating. Reducing the grind isn't that big a deal if it's just done for sake of demonstration and not to mislead. However given the publisher... this wouldn't be the first time if it is indeed that situation(to mislead). This is a definite wait and see. If it's meant to be a business model similar to guild wars then there's really no harm in letting it get past its growing pains anyway.

Kiith · 24-01-2019 9:16pm

I've some friend invites for the demo if anyone wants one.

gizmo · 24-01-2019 9:25pm

Robert ninja wrote: »

I heard the demo is also easier so game journalists can actually play it and give it a good rating. Reducing the grind isn't that big a deal if it's just done for sake of demonstration and not to mislead. However given the publisher... this wouldn't be the first time if it is indeed that situation(to mislead). This is a definite wait and see. If it's meant to be a business model similar to guild wars then there's really no harm in letting it get past its growing pains anyway.

That was The Quartering talking out of his arse again.

See above.

YouSavedMyLife · 24-01-2019 9:49pm

Kiith wrote: »

I've some friend invites for the demo if anyone wants one.

I'll take a demo key off you Kiith if you don't mind. Its on PC i assume? Curious to see how it runs on my machine. If console key, ill pass thanks

Dcully · 24-01-2019 10:02pm

Deleted User wrote: »

I really must give monster hunter a proper look. On paper it sounded like my kind of game but the demo left me scratching my head, and likely for the reason you mentioned.

It was this video that encouraged me to try it again and im so glad i did.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qATQXx-chaE

Spear · 24-01-2019 10:02pm

Is the demo not available to everyone on Origin? I haven't pre-ordered or needed a key to start the demo there.

EoinMcLovin · 24-01-2019 10:02pm

YouSavedMyLife wrote: »

I'll take a demo key off you Kiith if you don't mind. Its on PC i assume? Curious to see how it runs on my machine. If console key, ill pass thanks

The friend code is just a link that you use to gain access to the demo. It will work on any platform

Varik · 24-01-2019 10:12pm

Robert ninja wrote: »

I heard the demo is also easier so game journalists can actually play it and give it a good rating. Reducing the grind isn't that big a deal if it's just done for sake of demonstration and not to mislead. However given the publisher... this wouldn't be the first time if it is indeed that situation(to mislead). This is a definite wait and see. If it's meant to be a business model similar to guild wars then there's really no harm in letting it get past its growing pains anyway.

There was a closed door event recently and watching some of that I could believe it but the demo this week and next will likely not be as I can't see any reason to. M&K was also still borked so that may have played into it.

Varik · 24-01-2019 10:26pm

Ye pretty sure it's just ****ed M&K from the closed door event. Some of the videos I've seen are atrocious but some I follow for Destiny aren't the greatest either.

Spear · 24-01-2019 10:40pm

Spear wrote: »

Is the demo not available to everyone on Origin? I haven't pre-ordered or needed a key to start the demo there.

To answer my own question, I was granted access as I signed up for the newletter. And I have three passes for those that want them as a result.

Grumpypants · 24-01-2019 11:11pm

Robert ninja wrote: »

I heard the demo is also easier so game journalists can actually play it and give it a good rating. Reducing the grind isn't that big a deal if it's just done for sake of demonstration and not to mislead. However given the publisher... this wouldn't be the first time if it is indeed that situation(to mislead). This is a definite wait and see. If it's meant to be a business model similar to guild wars then there's really no harm in letting it get past its growing pains anyway.

They have said that the demo starts at level 10 and players will level up and earn currency faster than in the full game, as you only have a small window to play in the demo and they want you to see some more of high level stuff.

No one rates a demo, that's just silly nonsense from the usual crowd of dopes.

But often at review events they will unlock end game content that would take 50 hours to unlock so they get a feel for that stuff. It's not because games journos are bad or they are trying to pull a fast one.

But common sense seems in short supply.

Anthem

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