Why...why...WHY the N-gage?

Shin Kenshiro · Wed May 12, 2004 7:52 pm

I voted for the N-Gage first since someone pointed out a good thing...

If it's only on N-Gage, that means that Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo probably already passed on the deal.

Also, by working it out on N-Gage, you learn how to turn Rifts into a videogame and since you're not open to a massive consumer market, 10 million people won't suddenly decry the game if they don't like it, therefore ruining chances of sequels or better offshoots.

So I say Palladium's doing a good thing by going with Nokia on this one...let them get their feet wet....then bring the good stuff on over to PS2 so I may kill hundreds upon thousands of mages as a Dead Boy SAMAS. And as for Rifts: The MMORPG....NO!!! I don't like that idea at all until we're already at 3 Rifts games that are good or more.

Maryann · Unread post by **Maryann** » Wed May 12, 2004 7:56 pm

Shin Kenshiro wrote:I voted for the N-Gage first since someone pointed out a good thing...

If it's only on N-Gage, that means that Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo probably already passed on the deal.

Also, by working it out on N-Gage, you learn how to turn Rifts into a videogame and since you're not open to a massive consumer market, 10 million people won't suddenly decry the game if they don't like it, therefore ruining chances of sequels or better offshoots.

So I say Palladium's doing a good thing by going with Nokia on this one...let them get their feet wet....then bring the good stuff on over to PS2 so I may kill hundreds upon thousands of mages as a Dead Boy SAMAS. And as for Rifts: The MMORPG....NO!!! I don't like that idea at all until we're already at 3 Rifts games that are good or more.

Actually its because Nokia was the first to contact Palladium BEFORE the movie hype starts. Ground floor, good position. I think the NGage thing will do just fine.

I know I've talked to Kev a couple of times about it and he's incredibly exicted by what he's seen so far. He's also been involved in the concepts behind it so that can only be good.

RoadWarriorFWaNK · Wed May 12, 2004 8:02 pm

I hate MMORPGs. Like I got time to sit there and level up for 30 hours a day and wait in line to fight floopers. i'll never buy an MMORPG. I want a third-person shooter or a tactical combat RPG like Fallout Tactics. I'm a consumer! Offer me the things I want!!

Shin Kenshiro · Wed May 12, 2004 8:12 pm

HRH Maryann wrote:Actually its because Nokia was the first to contact Palladium BEFORE the movie hype starts. Ground floor, good position. I think the NGage thing will do just fine.

I know I've talked to Kev a couple of times about it and he's incredibly exicted by what he's seen so far. He's also been involved in the concepts behind it so that can only be good.

I was just saying probably....and c'mon...when is Kevin NOT involved in the concepts behind anything Rifts? The man loves his stuff, and I'm glad he's got his hand in the cookie jar. Means I won't be seeing something truly lame winding up in my game library.

UR Leader Hobbes · Wed May 12, 2004 8:43 pm

Well did Palladium license all Rifts titles out to Nokia for a time frame or is it just a one shot deal?

If it's a one shot deal then more then likely Nokia will produce something and if it goes well on N Gage then lots of other systems will pick it up or develop their own.

If it's a time frame license then Nokia will probally sell at an incrediblely ludricous price for what they paid after the movie gets released.

So which is it??

Dustin Fireblade · Wed May 12, 2004 8:59 pm

Well I can't afford a Ngage, no matter how much the price comes down. My kids want a xbox and a half dozen games for it.

On the other hand this is a big and important step for Palladium, so I'm glad to hear it. I'll just wait and buy the PC version, or the xbox if it gets to that as well. I'm guessing that will be the next steps somewhere down the road.

Shin Kenshiro · Wed May 12, 2004 9:16 pm

macloclen wrote:Thats a strong argument but there are 400,000 N-gages in the US and under a million sold around the world. So that is still a lot of exposure. And therea are plenty of gaming guides inprint and the internet that reviews N-gage games so we will definetly hear about it.

So why not an MMO? There has been plenty of one time MMOs from licenses that came out good and there are twice as many bad ones that came after 1 or 2 games came before it.

I would like to trust Palladium with having a MMO made. I personally don't want to have to buy a 300 dollar N-gage just to play a game that will never be as good as a PC or XBOX game.

400k N-Gages sold is by no means a small market, agreed. However, compared to the MILLIONS of PS2's, Xboxes, and Gamecubes in America, the exposure is still miniscule in comparison. Another thing to think about is the N-Gage needs something to set it apart...something no other system has, and with Rifts...WHAM! You have it. Not saying it's going to be the end-all be-all of video games, but it's a safe bet that there's no other game like that on the major systems. And if the game is good, you can bet that the other companies will then be approaching Big Kev and Palladium to produce a game for their systems.

As for the MMO issue.......the only difference in all these MMO's out there right now is story and graphics. But everything feels the same to me....make the MMO a sharply divided storyline, or better yet, make it more like Planetside. A continuous FPS with the CS and Tolkeen. You could actually relive the Siege of Tolkeen and maybe change the outcome.

Warmaster40k · Thu May 13, 2004 12:33 am

maybe hopefully this is just a redherring please let it be a redherring

Uncle Servo · Unread post by **Uncle Servo** » Thu May 13, 2004 10:16 am

C'mon folks, let's cut 'em a little slack. Sure, the NGage isn't the platform we were all looking for when we talk about a Rifts video game... but as Maryann said, Nokia was the one who did the contacting and did it before the main movie hype starts.

I see this as a good 'first step' in the process and I want to congratulate Palladium on making it. Just don't stop there, guys (and gals).

As long as Kevin didn't pull a bonehead stunt like agreeing to some exclusive lisencing clause that makes Nokia the sole outlet for the games, there's still a good chance that once the hype really starts perkin' along OUTSIDE of the Palladium boards you'll see other developers start sniffing around the Siembiedas' front door.

Uncle Servo · Unread post by **Uncle Servo** » Thu May 13, 2004 12:24 pm

Pooh21 wrote:Unless they Jar-Jar-BinksIt

"Mesa gonna be bombad Coalition general, you betcha!" :lol:

Maryann · Unread post by **Maryann** » Thu May 13, 2004 2:53 pm

Zylo wrote:I'd rather see a single player game more like Morrowind, but with the option of multiplayer. Have several factions and a random mission generator it would be killer, IMHO.

Even a RTS with the C&C Generals engine would be sweet!

I was thinking of getting a cell phone...maybe I'll save up for the new n-gage. It's $200, not the $300-400 that most people are complaining about.

Also, an article I read said the people at Noika had the Rifts game costing only 30-40 dollars. I'm envisioning play similar to Fallout 1&2 by the descriptions. It could be sweet, but then I'm being optimistic.

Actually the cost is suppose to be $99-$199 for the phone/game. I know when the new NG2 come out I'll invest in one. I think it will do very well with the new games they've lined up for it.

Maryann · Unread post by **Maryann** » Fri May 14, 2004 7:39 am

macloclen wrote:
Actually the cost is suppose to be $99-$199 for the phone/game. I know when the new NG2 come out I'll invest in one. I think it will do very well with the new games they've lined up for it.

That's a nice price, but I've only seen it that cheap when you sign up for a 2-3 year contract...which won't happen. If I want a 2-3 year contract, I'll pay monthly instalments to the MMO.

And in Canada, the N-gage is 400 bucks without a contract.

Actually they're suppose to have a no-contract, month-to-month plan also. I'm not sure which service its through though

ApocalypseZero · Fri May 14, 2004 10:16 am

I have to ask, why is everyone wanting a MMORPG? Do you all have no jobs, some 'mysterious' income that allows you to have a computer, power, and the game with subscription? These have been the only examples of people I know who play MMORPG's (or Everquest, to be more specific). And if you don't fall into this category, then are you the ones that spend real money for virtual items (be it characters, items, money, etc)?

(Note: The above is the experience I have had with people and Everquest. The only good example is the guy I know who is retired from GM. Sorry for rant.)

Now, as for the N-Gage. I am disappointed. How am I going to talk the wife into letting me get one of those? That's my dilemma. That and the great thing about video games and systems now adays are you can get them, try them, and return them if you are not happy (if you go to the right store). Personally, I will wait to see more on the Rifts game before making my decision on whether to buy an N-Gage or not.

You may now cast stones of hate at me now.

Sureshot · Unread post by **Sureshot** » Fri May 14, 2004 10:28 am

ApocalypseZero wrote: "You may now cast stones of hate at me now.

"

(Hands AZ a naruni forcefield.)

I myself can't afford a n-gage and I really don't need one.

Borast · Unread post by **Borast** » Fri May 14, 2004 10:44 am

N-Gage?!

Yik...

Even if I wanted a cellular telephone (a cell modem on my next purchase of a laptop - two to three years from now...maybe), I'd insist on a stripped-down model with no games, and a display capable of showing the number being dialed and not much else. If someone needs to contact me, they can leave a message on my answering machine, with my subscribed answering service, or one of my (soon to be) three e-mail accounts, or on one of the "BBS's" I'm subscribed to - or they can call me at work if it's an emergency. Ergo, while the 2 million or so N-Gages out there can enjoy it. Me, I'll wait for it to come out for PC.

As for the idea (of owning a cell phone) itself...if a building falls on me, I'll turn it on, until then, I'll save the batteries.

As for the poll...I choose "neither / none of the above..." :lol:

Syndicate · Unread post by **Syndicate** » Fri May 14, 2004 1:59 pm

Heh...I'm a Palladium player...If it's not good at first...I'll make it better...later...much later...

Chuck Lang · Unread post by **Chuck Lang** » Fri May 14, 2004 10:16 pm

GMastEr wrote:Never mind... hopefully the movie will be multi-format, and not Betamax only or something bizarre like that

That was a good one. :lol:

Chuck Lang · Unread post by **Chuck Lang** » Fri May 14, 2004 10:31 pm

Personally, I am hoping for a PS3 Rifts RPG or maybe even a FPS; although, I would prefer the later. (I'm not a big fan of FPSers.)

I'd settle for one of the previously mentioned game styles on the PS2 as well.

I can't say that I am disappointed with the N-Gage decision; pretty much I am indifferent. I won't be able to buy this game nor play this game unless it gets translated to a different platform.

punisher1 · Unread post by **punisher1** » Sat May 15, 2004 12:01 am

All I can say is I think it's great there will be a Rifts game. But it is a really bad choice of platform. Being a video game addict and the fact I love Rifts, I cannot say I will ever go out and get this game system just to play. Dear God Kevin! At least make a PC version!

Chuck Lang · Unread post by **Chuck Lang** » Sat May 15, 2004 1:13 am

Shadow_otm wrote:This poll could have really used another option or two...

Agreed; I have refrained from voting because I like neither option; not that this is an issue to debate in this thread, but I just wanted to make my stance clear. I do not want to see an MMORPG for Rifts. I have neither the time nor the money to spend on such a game (although, I would be sorely tempted). I would much rather spend my money on Rifts books that would perpetuate endless adventures of the imagination, which is my stance on many issues of such kind.

Stormseed · Unread post by **Stormseed** » Sat May 15, 2004 1:52 pm

Borast wrote:As for the idea (of owning a cell phone) itself...if a building falls on me, I'll turn it on, until then, I'll save the batteries.

Finally, someone who feels the same way I do about that.

Warmaster40k · Unread post by **Warmaster40k** » Sat May 15, 2004 6:00 pm

well i have one thing to say about this...
Siembieda WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING
i mean is N-Gage was a good system from what i heard but the marketing sucked it was a flop if nokia came to me and offered to make my game id say no thanks id rather get my tooth pulled not to offend you but your market is too restrictive and i believe to put something on the N-gage is a fate worse than death.

Mack · Unread post by **Mack** » Sat May 15, 2004 6:19 pm

Warmaster40k wrote:well i have one thing to say about this...
Siembieda WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING
i mean if N-Gage was a good system from what i heard but the marketing sucked it was a flop if nokia came to me and offered to make my game id say no thanks id rather get my tooth pulled not to offend you but your market is too restrictive and i believe to put something on the N-gage is a fate worse than death.

And that's why your posting on his company's board, and not him on yours.

punisher1 · Unread post by **punisher1** » Sat May 15, 2004 6:24 pm

Guys and Gals,

Like I said before I would never by a N-Gage just to play this game. PC's would be more of a market. As for the type of game it would have to very Everquest, Star Wars Galixies'esh, mixed in with some First person shooter. The equipment list would be massive and how could you possibly get all that great loot?

I just cant see how they could cram Rifts into N-Gage and do it any justice. Maybe it's agood start, but then it may crash and burn and nobody will touch it again because it did not make enough money for the companythe first time around. Generally somebody would have to buy the rights and then produce the PC version.

Most people never heard of Rifts, but most people have heard of D&D. As you may know the D&D movie did poorly and did not bring credit to a amazing game that 100's of thousands (if not millions) of people have played for 20+ years. So my point is that if the game blows on N-Gage it may never make the PC where the majority of the market is. The same goes for the movie. Great movie/game = Big$$$ for more projects.

Hopefully something more is in the works!

Hystrix · Unread post by **Hystrix** » Mon May 17, 2004 12:28 pm

I've acyually heard KS say that he dosn't read the boards. From what I could tell he dosn't even like them...

dark brandon · Unread post by **dark brandon** » Tue May 18, 2004 2:21 am

macloclen wrote:That is too bad he didn't start his own poll on the message board. He would have had thousands of votes on it for what kind of game the kids wanted.

The majority of "game" players today are around I believe 18-26. not exactly kids.

The problem with message boards and poles is that it has a very limited appeal. I use to work for a company that had online message boards, but in truth, my supiriors prefered the hand written letter than anything really on the boards. There are just too many "kids" on the web who tend to speak before they think. This makes anything like this unreliable. Also, there are things like multiple postings and the like where one person could have many accounts just to voice his opinion.

While an online option for voting could have been a good idea, I doubt seriously kevin or anyone takes online poles seriously.

For example, I visit the blizzard boards frequently. But there is just so much garbage there that any good idea is smoothered in a sea of stupidity. I think most places that have online boards tend to do it for customers to give them a placebo effect that the company listens. For the most part, unless you've taken the time to write a letter and mail it, it's probably gonna get minimal attention.

Tinker Dragoon · Tue May 18, 2004 3:26 pm

Angryjack wrote:Ok Tinker Dragon, STOP DELETING MY POSTS.

And Back to the NGAGE... It really is a crazy idea to think that Rifts on the NGAGE2 (ngage 1 is horrible ) is gonna be a good idea...

I foresee that this will indeed be tied to the release of the rifts movie. I forsee that Most palladium fans will Not be forking over $600 to buy an ngage 2 and a year subscription to play Rifts on it. I suspect a few hundred may, and that's like the same number of people who bought those $150 Gift packs from last year. I e. Palladium will again increase the internal strife between fans of their games.

PS. SAVE PALLADIUM! Make it OpenSource(tm).

I've not deleted any of your posts.

NoJack · Unread post by **NoJack** » Tue May 18, 2004 5:40 pm

opensource? the cry of socialist hippies everywhere...

do you use linux or a mac my friend?

How would open sourcing the game help?

Putting it on a PC I could understand, putting it on anything with a screen larger than a pocket calculator.

The fact that we poor gamers will continue to shell out for books, and then for another technobauble that none of us need is the part that burns me up.

I suggest downloading the emulator when it becomes available...

gerrylum · Unread post by **gerrylum** » Tue May 18, 2004 5:58 pm

NoJack wrote:I suggest downloading the emulator when it becomes available...

I want to play this game and I will most likely be doing just that. Unfortunately, that also means my money will not be going to Palladium to play this game.

Had they released a game on one of the major systems or better yet, the PC, I would have paid to play the game.

NoJack · Unread post by **NoJack** » Tue May 18, 2004 6:23 pm

I'm sending them money with every book that I buy, if they make it an option, then I'll give 'em money for my emulator copy. I'm more dissapointed than anything.

dark brandon · Unread post by **dark brandon** » Tue May 18, 2004 9:39 pm

macloclen wrote:
The majority of "game" players today are around I believe 18-26. not exactly kids.

While an online option for voting could have been a good idea, I doubt seriously kevin or anyone takes online poles seriously.

Seriously, do you seriously take yourself seriously? Hopefully so you won't post replies that indicate simple monikers referring to general public elude comprehension next time, "kids" means public.

And as unrestricted, uncontrolled blog polls go, I wasn't talking about an accurate statistical account. But if 10000 people voted (hoping that someone doesn't have the inclination to do it more than 1000 times themselves ) you might get an idea of what the "kids" want.

Yes, I do take myself seriously. If you do not want to, that's fine.

Online polls are superficial, at best. I'm not trying to start an argument, but most companies only take a minimal use of online opinions. They don't accurately portray their companies customer base.

As I said, i've worked for a company that had online polls, and for the most part, it was frivolous. Now, maybe some web-based company online polls are a must (like a MMORPG) or something. but for a company like palladium, it'd only cause trouble.

If he did do the poll, and it did show that they wanted the new Rifts game on say X-box the most, there would be many unhappy people that say "look, here's proof, X-box wants it, but you chose to go with x brand, why?"

Sureshot · Unread post by **Sureshot** » Tue May 18, 2004 10:05 pm

DarkBrandon wrote:

"If he did do the poll, and it did show that they wanted the new Rifts game on say X-box the most, there would be many unhappy people that say "look, here's proof, X-box wants it, but you chose to go with x brand, why?"

I don't think the rection would have been as bad. Not only do you have to get an n-gage but you have to sign up for a 2 year contract at least. From what I saw it could cost from 400-600 dollars canadian. How many people do you think are going to spend that much money for one game?

With an x-box which i think cost around 199 and the game at least 60$ or more ot still comes out in favor of the x-box because of the cost. It all comes down to three things. a0 How much it costs b) do I have to buy an extra items to run the game c) Will the game be good.

Uncle Servo · Unread post by **Uncle Servo** » Wed May 19, 2004 11:15 am

Okay, I'm gonna have to agree with DarkBrandon on this one... going with an online poll in this case really wouldn't have been a good idea. Unless you're in a situation like creating/maintaining a MMORPG, you can't base your business decisions from online polls as not enough of your target audience is going to be online enough to get an accurate sampling.

Macloclen stated that if 10,000 people voted "you might get an idea of what the 'kids' want," and if that were the case that would be a rather accurate assertion. However, at the time of this posting there are only 1378 registered users on the Palladium boards -- and since it's nigh-impossible to get a consensus from even this limited number, it's sheer lunacy to imply that you're going to ever get one from 10,000 members (assuming it ever reaches that many and every single member visits the boards on a regular basis).

Why do most companies rely on written communication for feedback? Simple -- it shows that the sender feels strongly about the subject.

Think about it... how hard is it to log into the Palladium boards and type "Rifts on the N-Gage sucks?" Well, not hard at all. It's free to become a member, typed quickly (depending on how advanced your typing/grammar skills may be), and nobody knows who you are aside from your screen name. You don't have to think about what you're posting (and let's face it, a lot of posters here DON'T), and it's been proven that people behave differently online as the anonymity provides a certain comfort level.

By contrast, if you're going to sit down, write a letter, sign your real name/address to it, buy a stamp and mail it to Palladium, you're more than likely going to think about what you say before you write it and therefore your arguments are more likely going to be more well-thought-out. You're also spending money to send it -- and since your talk isn't so cheap as it was before it's more than likely going to be something you genuinely feel strongly about.

Does that mean there's nothing of value here on these boards then? Of course not! It's a valuable resource for gamers to share ideas/opinions/writing/experiences/etc. with each other. It's also a great place to get questions answered by other gamers. However, the thing to keep in mind here is that for the most part the information you get here is UNOFFICIAL (aside from quoting official sources, that is). Making business decisions that involve 6 or 7 figures on the left side of the decimal point based on the often-conflicting feedback by less than 1500 members (some of whom by their own admission don't even buy Palladium products) is a risky proposition even at the best of times.

ApocalypseZero · Wed May 19, 2004 11:29 am

*Looks up at UncS's post*

And on that note, can I get an AMEN!!

Uncle Servo · Unread post by **Uncle Servo** » Wed May 19, 2004 4:13 pm

macloclen wrote:I guess at only 1500 registered users it would be lacking in the info, but I'm not talking just registered users. I've been browsing through the message board since its inception and only recently posted on a topic I found important enough to remark on.

But if you posted a moderated poll on the front page of the website which I'm sure gets a many number more people, it'd be pretty reasonable. Nothing saying you can't have a part where each voter can make a comment about it either.

That's not a bad idea, but you'd still have to get 8,500 more people before we reached your target number. Yes, there are people like yourself who lurk without posting... but you're not going to convince me that there are anywhere near that number. Even if you have 3 people who browse but don't post/register for every one who does you'd only wind up with about 6,000 total. Given that Palladium has a worldwide distribution, not even in my worst drunken stupor would I base my business decisions on those kinds of numbers.

That's even assuming you'll get a clear, definite pattern from this poll. Since you've been browsing through the boards for quite a while, I think you'll agree with me that it's hard to get a majority opinion from the Palladium Boards posters on ANYTHING. There's the -10 rule, the "+2 attacks for living" rule, whether the Coalition could beat Atlantis, what's the biggest bad@$$ SAMAS, the Siege Of Tolkeen, and other discussions that frequently devolve into little more than personal flaming.

How are you supposed to make high-level decisions that affect the entire RPG's direction based on a bunch of heated arguments? No matter which way you'd turn, you'd have some faction or another crying out, "What were you thinking? You've just ruined the game! You're no better than George 'Jar Jar' Lucas!"

macloclen wrote:Mind you, you would have to keep the poll going for perhaps a month or even longer but we've waited how long for a video game? I've waited about 5 years. So long in fact I started making one in C++ back in high school. It was buggy, but it was beautiful.

So basically are you getting P.O.'ed because you've waited so long only to find out that the first Rifts game is going to be on the N-Gage? Do you think that Palladium was seeking out consoles and purposely bypassed the PlayStation, X-Box, and PC formats in favor of the N-Gage?

If that's the case, then you really need to take a deep breath and relax. Maryann said earlier in the thread that it was Nokia who did the approaching, and did it BEFORE the main movie hype started. Since you want as many people knowing about Rifts as possible to stir up as much pre-movie interest as possible, you'd have to be an absolute idiot to pass up any and all opportunities to introduce your product to the public.

Also, it sounds as if a lot of the critics on this thread are reacting as if this is going to be the ONLY Rifts game to come out. I find that idea completely ridiculous for one reason above all others -- JERRY BRUCKHEIMER.

Take a look at this man's filmography:
Pirates Of The Caribbean, Veronica Guerin, Bad Company, Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor, Remember The Titans, Gone In Sixty Seconds, Con Air, The Rock, Crimson Tide, Coyote Ugly, Top Gun, Bevery Hills Cop 1 & II, just to name a few. Also, he's responsible for CSI, CSI: Miami, CSI: New York, Cold Case, and The Amazing Race among others.

While a name in and of itself doesn't guarantee success, Jerry's had enough that his association alone is going to get a LOT of attention... and quite frankly, any game developers worth their salt should be practically drooling at the chance to do a tie-in game with a Bruckheimer movie that appears to have merchandising potential.

No, while I've waited for a Rifts video game to come out since I started playing it in the late 80s/early 90s I'm not so nearsighted as to think that the N-Gage version is the end of the road. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised to see a Rifts game for at least the PC to be announced in the very near future.

Now, if Kevin pulled a 'Jar Jar' and signed some sort of exclusivity deal that means only Nokia can produce Rifts games, then I'll eagerly join the chorus of "KEVIN, WHAT THE $#$*% WERE YOU THINKING?"

Until then, folks, let's just take a deep breath and relax because it's not over by any means.

Maryann · Unread post by **Maryann** » Wed May 19, 2004 6:59 pm

The-Mighty-Buddha wrote:No Deep breathes needed here. It is by far the worst hand held system on the market, maybe the worst ever (ive played on the NGage, and i preffered my $7.50 bass fishing game i got from grandma for xmas a couple years ago).

If they wanted to do this serious they would round up a ton of coders and graphics people, buy a worth while engine (marrowinds, all those new D&D games) modify the hell out of it and release it on PC or Xbox or whatever.

The #1 indicator that this would be a bad decision is that Nokia came to THEM wanting to make the game. From all the news ive read and all that most big game companies get approached about taking it a step further, or make the decision by themselves and contract it out (im not big into the gaming industry so i cant be sure on that, but as business person i can def tell you its just good money thrown after bad).

Not true again, Palladium has been contacted by game companies before however terms could never be come to. When licenseing a property the licensee contacts the licensor and they go from there. Your still basing all of your assumptions on the original NGage, everyone is in agreement that that wasn't a great system, from what I have seen and heard the new NGage is leaps and bounds above anything that they done thus far.

Prince Cherico · Thu May 20, 2004 2:19 am

Ive played the lastest N-gage it defiently sucks alot less than the first one.

Maryann · Unread post by **Maryann** » Thu May 20, 2004 7:37 am

Lord Cherico wrote:Ive played the lastest N-gage it defiently sucks alot less than the first one.

Where did you play it at? I haven't seen the finished product and want to (other than on the web site). I didn't think it had been released yet.

Uncle Servo · Unread post by **Uncle Servo** » Thu May 20, 2004 9:39 am

macloclen wrote:And a web poll is still a good idea.

No, it's not a BAD idea... but it's still unwise to base any business decisions off the results. Unless, of course, you're running a MMORPG and your target audience is pretty much all online already.

But anyway, back to the topic at hand. Yeah, I too was surprised to learn that N-Gage got the first crack at a Rifts game... but I can't blame Palladium for going with it. After all, it's all about exposure (remember, the general public doesn't know about Rifts like we gamers do) and every little bit helps.

Oh, and yes, Buddha, we all expect N-Gage to only be 'a little bit.'

Truth is, though, I'm surprised there has been a game agreement/announcement this far out. The whole idea behind generating hype for a movie is so public interest is at its peak at the time of its release -- only problem with that is, since the general public has a short attention span you only have a limited window in which to build hype before it trails off. I wasn't expecting any official announcements for at least several more months.

I'm still confident that we'll see Rifts coming to other platforms as the premiere draws closer.

Well, at least I'm hopefull we'll see it... :lol:

Maryann · Unread post by **Maryann** » Thu May 20, 2004 12:39 pm

Fauntus wrote:
Maryann wrote:
Lord Cherico wrote:Ive played the lastest N-gage it defiently sucks alot less than the first one.

Where did you play it at? I haven't seen the finished product and want to (other than on the web site). I didn't think it had been released yet.

The new N-gage has been appearing at trade shows, like E3 and meetings for a little while now, also selected retailers are getting a little preview (in the way of an instore display. ) not to mention the market research in major metro areas. aferall its only a month away from the "official" release, game stores should be getting shipments in in about two weeks.

Thanks! I'll have to start hunting ...

Uncle Servo · Unread post by **Uncle Servo** » Mon May 31, 2004 12:56 pm

Selina wrote:Summation: I wish the Nokia game luck, although I won't be playing it. I would play a PS2 or PC single-player game, because I think it would be interesting, but I think it would limit the Rifts world. I would be blissfully delighted to beta an MMORPG, and would happily dig through the couch cushions to scrape up the money for the monthly fee.

And I personally believe you'll eventually have your chance.

Everybody's griping and moaning about the N-gage like it's the end of the world, but few (if any) are stopping to consider the possibility that other options may be in the works as well (or at least are still possible). While I don't have any 'inside information' on which to base my opinion, common sense would be that if you're trying to hype a movie you want as many avenues of exposure as possible -- so if Nokia comes a-knockin' first you'd have to be near stupid to decline.

No, I don't have an N-gage. No, I won't go out and buy one just for this. However, I won't question Siembieda's sanity because he agreed to a deal with Nokia. I would, however, question it had Nokia approached him and he DID turn it down.

It's all about exposure, people -- and every little bit helps.

BigLEE · Unread post by **BigLEE** » Mon May 31, 2004 1:12 pm

Uncle Servo wrote:And I personally believe you'll eventually have your chance.

Everybody's griping and moaning about the N-gage like it's the end of the world, but few (if any) are stopping to consider the possibility that other options may be in the works as well (or at least are still possible). While I don't have any 'inside information' on which to base my opinion, common sense would be that if you're trying to hype a movie you want as many avenues of exposure as possible -- so if Nokia comes a-knockin' first you'd have to be near stupid to decline.

No, I don't have an N-gage. No, I won't go out and buy one just for this. However, I won't question Siembieda's sanity because he agreed to a deal with Nokia. I would, however, question it had Nokia approached him and he DID turn it down.

It's all about exposure, people -- and every little bit helps.

Except as Maryann mentioned above, Nokio wasn't the first. As it stands, even the handful of folks who want an nGage are going to have to wait at least a year to get the game. Everyone else will have to wait even longer.

Maryann · Unread post by **Maryann** » Mon May 31, 2004 1:41 pm

BigLEE wrote:
Uncle Servo wrote:And I personally believe you'll eventually have your chance.

Everybody's griping and moaning about the N-gage like it's the end of the world, but few (if any) are stopping to consider the possibility that other options may be in the works as well (or at least are still possible). While I don't have any 'inside information' on which to base my opinion, common sense would be that if you're trying to hype a movie you want as many avenues of exposure as possible -- so if Nokia comes a-knockin' first you'd have to be near stupid to decline.

No, I don't have an N-gage. No, I won't go out and buy one just for this. However, I won't question Siembieda's sanity because he agreed to a deal with Nokia. I would, however, question it had Nokia approached him and he DID turn it down.

It's all about exposure, people -- and every little bit helps.

Except as Maryann mentioned above, Nokio wasn't the first. As it stands, even the handful of folks who want an nGage are going to have to wait at least a year to get the game. Everyone else will have to wait even longer.

Except Nokia was the first that was able to work out a contract that was acceptable to all parties. From what I understand the people at Nokia and Backbone Ent. are absolutely wonderful to work with and that will just make this project all the better. Before everyone moans and groans lets just wait to see what developes, shall we?

LDMcFear™ · Unread post by **LDMcFear™** » Tue Jun 01, 2004 6:57 am

Durandal wrote:fallout would be the perfect way for rifts rpg in my opinion. fallout 1 and 2 were some of the best rpgs ever for any system.

Amen

churchoftin · Unread post by **churchoftin** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 3:20 pm

mizume · Unread post by **mizume** » Mon Jun 07, 2004 2:31 am

i'd like to start by saying that i've played rifts off an on for about 10 years. i read the novels, i tried the rifts CCG, and i tried a rifts MUD several years ago. i'm a fan.

as somebody who has worked in the gaming industry for a while, i think that making an MMO would be a bad idea. about 3 years ago everybody decided to start making MMOs and now they're all coming out. between everquest (which isn't going to stop just because the next comes out), everquest II, world of warcraft, galaxies, final fantasy, city of heros, dark age of camelot, planetside, the planned matrix MMO, and the planned lord of the rings MMO, i think there's too much competition. i can only speculate what the competition would be like at the time that a rifts MMO was to come out, but i imagine it will be fairly similar. games like this are a huge time investment and most people do not play multiple MMOs at once. the current rifts fan base may or may not be large enough to support this on their own (i would assume not), but not all will be playing. only the rifts fans with the gaming machines required for an MMO when this comes out (if you were to begin today and use an existing engine i think 1.5-2.5 years would be a reasonable time for a public beta). you would gain the player base of hundreds to thousands of sci-fi fans who like the idea of an MMO but don't like fantasy settings, and you would gain sales and temporary subscriptions by the hardcore MMO fans who play absolutely all of the MMOs that come out (their numbers will significantly dwindle 6 months after launch). is that enough players for an MMO? not for anything particularly sucessful, but it may be enough to get something out and keep it out for a year or two (with exansions). and all of that assumes that the final product is something that the public really likes.

the old n-gage was a joke (anyone who says otherwise doesn't know what they're talking about). i do not know enough about the new one to make an informed statement about it (i didn't go to E3 this year). looking at nokia's massive ad campains for the first, and their very delayed public acceptance of failure i can't help but think that they'll do better this time (let's face it, how could they do worse?). however, in a marketplace of the GBA, DS, and PSP, the second n-gage will be the underdog, and a rifts game will still be a relatively unknown title, on this system that sells poorly when compared to its competition. this will all combine to limit the total potential customer base.

a situation that is very similar to the idea of bringing out a rifts game would be the warhammer 40k game that came out. a warhammer game (fire warrior) released to the PS2 then to the PC (porting something to the PC doesn't mean the PS2 version was a sucess. a PC port is just an inexpensive way to generate more sales for a product). mediocre gameplay and a fairly poorly known license doomed the title. the company is trying again with a real time strategy game (like warcraft), but i have a feeling that unless the gameplay is fantastic they will have another mediocre selling game at best. this is as a PC title (large customer base), in the RTS genre (substantial customer base percentage), as a game franchise that has release a previous PC title, and using an overall customer base from a gaming system that has been around for about as long as rifts (i do not know the exact dates).

is a handheld console the place for a game like this rifts game? the GBA has shown that RPGs can do very well on handheld gaming systems. with sucesses like the zelda series, golden sun, final fantasy games, the pokemon series, fire emblem, and many more you see that RPG fans go for a different type of game than most other genres. by that i mean, with an RPG the story truely has to come first. with most games you can be sure to gain a certain number of sales by having a game look good enough (like dead or alive or farcry). that's all fine and dandy, but for building a franchise you have to go beyond this. a memorable experience has to be created, and that will come through story and gameplay (as with all of the GBA games i mentioned before). for example bad inventory systems can aboslutely ruin an otherwise good game.

i've never heard of the people making this game, and i hope they get it right. i think that my hope is that this game is wonderful and is only limited by the console decision. recieving reviews that say things like "great game, too bad it's on this console" will be fantastic news and should really support further expansion.

in short ... good luck. i won't be playing an n-gage version of this. i would play an MMO version. however, i would rather not see this game an as MMO because i think this game has a better chance of being a great game on a bad system, than a great game among the giants of the MMO world.

LDMcFear™ · Unread post by **LDMcFear™** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 7:39 am

mizume wrote:i'd like to start by saying that i've played rifts off an on for about 10 years. i read the novels, i tried the rifts CCG, and i tried a rifts MUD several years ago. i'm a fan.

as somebody who has worked in the gaming industry for a while, i think that making an MMO would be a bad idea. about 3 years ago everybody decided to start making MMOs and now they're all coming out. between everquest (which isn't going to stop just because the next comes out), everquest II, world of warcraft, galaxies, final fantasy, city of heros, dark age of camelot, planetside, the planned matrix MMO, and the planned lord of the rings MMO, i think there's too much competition. i can only speculate what the competition would be like at the time that a rifts MMO was to come out, but i imagine it will be fairly similar. games like this are a huge time investment and most people do not play multiple MMOs at once. the current rifts fan base may or may not be large enough to support this on their own (i would assume not), but not all will be playing. only the rifts fans with the gaming machines required for an MMO when this comes out (if you were to begin today and use an existing engine i think 1.5-2.5 years would be a reasonable time for a public beta). you would gain the player base of hundreds to thousands of sci-fi fans who like the idea of an MMO but don't like fantasy settings, and you would gain sales and temporary subscriptions by the hardcore MMO fans who play absolutely all of the MMOs that come out (their numbers will significantly dwindle 6 months after launch). is that enough players for an MMO? not for anything particularly sucessful, but it may be enough to get something out and keep it out for a year or two (with exansions). and all of that assumes that the final product is something that the public really likes.

the old n-gage was a joke (anyone who says otherwise doesn't know what they're talking about). i do not know enough about the new one to make an informed statement about it (i didn't go to E3 this year). looking at nokia's massive ad campains for the first, and their very delayed public acceptance of failure i can't help but think that they'll do better this time (let's face it, how could they do worse?). however, in a marketplace of the GBA, DS, and PSP, the second n-gage will be the underdog, and a rifts game will still be a relatively unknown title, on this system that sells poorly when compared to its competition. this will all combine to limit the total potential customer base.

a situation that is very similar to the idea of bringing out a rifts game would be the warhammer 40k game that came out. a warhammer game (fire warrior) released to the PS2 then to the PC (porting something to the PC doesn't mean the PS2 version was a sucess. a PC port is just an inexpensive way to generate more sales for a product). mediocre gameplay and a fairly poorly known license doomed the title. the company is trying again with a real time strategy game (like warcraft), but i have a feeling that unless the gameplay is fantastic they will have another mediocre selling game at best. this is as a PC title (large customer base), in the RTS genre (substantial customer base percentage), as a game franchise that has release a previous PC title, and using an overall customer base from a gaming system that has been around for about as long as rifts (i do not know the exact dates).

is a handheld console the place for a game like this rifts game? the GBA has shown that RPGs can do very well on handheld gaming systems. with sucesses like the zelda series, golden sun, final fantasy games, the pokemon series, fire emblem, and many more you see that RPG fans go for a different type of game than most other genres. by that i mean, with an RPG the story truely has to come first. with most games you can be sure to gain a certain number of sales by having a game look good enough (like dead or alive or farcry). that's all fine and dandy, but for building a franchise you have to go beyond this. a memorable experience has to be created, and that will come through story and gameplay (as with all of the GBA games i mentioned before). for example bad inventory systems can aboslutely ruin an otherwise good game.

i've never heard of the people making this game, and i hope they get it right. i think that my hope is that this game is wonderful and is only limited by the console decision. recieving reviews that say things like "great game, too bad it's on this console" will be fantastic news and should really support further expansion.

in short ... good luck. i won't be playing an n-gage version of this. i would play an MMO version. however, i would rather not see this game an as MMO because i think this game has a better chance of being a great game on a bad system, than a great game among the giants of the MMO world.

Awsome Post

Maryann · Unread post by **Maryann** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 6:56 am

rellik wrote:I hope to high heaven that the n-gage game will be good and i am in the market for a cell, however i still wouldnt want to pay $300 for a phone a contract plus more for the game, which incedently is the same thing that keeps me from MMORPG's, i just dont like paying for a game that i already purchased, i mean its mine just let me play. But thats just my silly thoughts on the poll and no i dont think ill be voting on this as both options are pointless to me right now.

Its $99 after rebates...

SkyeFyre · Unread post by **SkyeFyre** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 12:55 pm

n-gage

I don't like paying for a game once I've already bought it. Mind you if it has a single player option (as it does) then I don't mind paying if I want to go online with it, as long as I don't NEED to pay just to play it period. Besides, I like the idea of having my RIFTS game portable.

gelidus · Unread post by **gelidus** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 9:12 pm

There is only one way I see this can work. And thats if this game is very very very good. 1 really good game can truely help the market sales of that system. Want an example? H A L O. I had no intrest in getting an x-box till I played 1 level in halo. It was love at first sight. I bought the X-box JUST FOR halo. How many people even gave a x-box a passing glance till halo came out? But then again adventualy halo came out for pc.....

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