Splinter Cell's complexity held it back, says Ubisoft Toronto lead
Ubisoft's Jade Raymond says that Splinter Cell is still one of the most complex games out there, and Conviction is aiming to appeal to a "broader range of play styles."
Splinter Cell: Blacklist marks another revival, of sorts, after Ubisoft took a different direction in Conviction. Each new entry seems like an attempt to modernize and update the game, appealing to new fans and old. Its old-school sensibilities have proven problematic, according to Ubisoft Toronto lead Jade Raymond.
"One of the things that held it back is despite all of the changes that have happened over the years, it's still one of the more complex and difficult games to play," Raymond told Eurogamer. "Even though we do have core fans who are like, 'Oh, I want to have more of this experience,' when you play any other game that has stealth elements, they're all a lot more forgiving than Splinter Cell. I guess Splinter Cell stayed with the most pure approach to that stealth experience."
She says the complexity comes from the "planning phase," an important part of Splinter Cell games. Instead of assessing the situation as you move, it's important to map out enemy positions, look for cover, and plan a strategy. "By default there aren't many games where that's the phase. Most games you can walk in and you start shooting right away, or you just walk in and you improvise as you go along."
Blacklist, for its part, is attempting to bridge the gap with a "broader range of play styles." It rewards stealth for making it through a stage without a single kill, and the addition of "Perfectionist" mode. But some of Sam's movements are more automated, and you can shoot your way out of situations if need-be. Read our preview for more.
-
Shacknews
replySteve Watts posted a new article, Splinter Cell's complexity held it back, says Ubisoft Toronto lead.
Ubisoft's Jade Raymond says that Splinter Cell is still one of the most complex games out there, and Conviction is aiming to appeal to a "broader range of play styles."-
-
SC was always too fiddly for its own good. Sounds good to me.
-
A game doesn't have to sell trillions to be good or worth developing. It has to turn up a profit and generate demand for a sequel.
What they mean by holding back is it will never attain CoD or World of Warcraft status. That facetious in thinking. Not every game has to appeal to the broadest possible audience. They just have to appeal to a large enough niche and turn up a healthy enough profit.-
You would be shocked by the names and numbers of recent AAA critical darlings that failed to turn a profit. You can't make high fidelity experiences in most genres/settings without spending tens of millions of dollars. If you want those experiences to exist at all, they have to be made to address an audience big enough to justify the exorbitant cost. There is sadly no middle tier left for developers.
-
As far as I'm aware, even Modern Warfare managed to turn a profit. The problem has been unrealistic expectations from publishers, like Square throwing Enix under the bus because Tomb Raider and Hitman: Absolution were only profitable but not profitable enough to pay off all of the money Square is wasting.
http://www.vg247.com/2013/04/09/square-enix-blames-huge-slump-in-us-sales-for-western-title-failures/
Square Enix did not disclose exact sales figures or projections, but said it expected to sell 2-2.5 million units of Sleeping Dogs in Europe and North America; 4.5-5 million units of Hitman: Absolution worldwide; and 5-6 million units of Tomb Raider worldwide.
Look at that bullshit. That's what's wrong, there's middle tier, just publishers don't care about it anymore and will blame their studios instead of themselves.
-
-
-
I think I just heard Clint Hocking and Patrice Désilets simultaneously going, "DAAAAAAAAAAA!!"
-
Splinter Cell: Conviction was awesome! It had a lot of replayability for me in Single Player and Co-Op with my brother. I cannot wait for this next iteration as it looks like they are keeping pace with SC:C, with exception to the bots and external gadgets which I never liked in games.
For instance, I am more of an infantry only person. I am this way in Battlefield, Arma, and in any other games that have vehicles. I don't want to control anything besides my character, or in this case my Sam Fisher. /Rant over...
-
