Troika closing doors?

[Bradylama]

So, I really don't understand where the "buggy" argument comes from.

Because a lot of people that aren't you experienced bugs, maybe?

This is the same reasoning Playstation fanboys use when I criticize Sony for putting out a poor quality console.

"Duhhhhhh, well my Playstation 2 werks just fyne."

Yeah? Well my first one broke after 6 months due to laser degradation, as did thousands of others.


Ratty, it seems, is experiencing more angst at the community's unwillingness to criticize Troika for their shortcomings than an objective measure of the quality of their games.

Arcanum, I will admit, lacked in the combat department, but it was still a great role-playing game. I have no opinion on ToEE, since I'm sick as Hell of D&D and all other class-based games. Now Vampire, while being buggy as all fuck and runs like mollasses, has both a brilliant, compelling story, well designed characters, and a brilliant implementation of White Wolf's World of Darkness storytelling system to a platform roleplaying game. Done better, even, than White Wolf's own attempt at bringing Vampire the Masquerade to the video game market in the form of Redemption.

Troika makes quality games. To deny them this attribute due to their shortcomings is reactionary thinking.

While their offerings to the market may not be upper-echelon, they do offer something that's worth our money. I've never thought that mediocre games are worth my money, quite frankly, they're simply not worth my time.

I've played Neverwinter Nights. I got about as far as when it was revealed that the ancients were a bunch of lizardmen, and quit playing due to the overwhelming stench of lame. And of course, the elf-chick ends up joining them. As if I'd care. She hardly got enough screentime or character interaction (talking to her after every quest in Neverwinter does not count as character interaction) to make her the least bit compelling other than OMG BOOBIES.

Smilin' Jack, on the other hand, I talked to after every quest, not becuase I had to but because I wanted to. I wanted to hear his input, I wanted his advice.

If a game can generate that kind of feeling for a character, its more than just mediocre.

Of course, that's my opinion. =/

 

[Sol Invictus]

We should start a betting pool for Troika's official death announcement. Dibs on the 2nd week of Feb.

 

[Sander]

Troika, technically, has made hideous games. Every game they released was buggy and this had the potential to destroy a lot of the fun (it is NOT any good for a game if it has a bug in it that will simply stop your game in its tracks, they gave the code of Vampire to Activision with that bug in it. )
However, if you manage to look beyond the bugs you will find that they have made a couple of incredible games. Arcanum was expansive, had a good story, was involving, but got mutilated by its frustrating combat system. (*cast spell* *fall over*)
Vampire: Bloodlines had sveral great characters (and, of course, a bunch of stereotypes), had involving quests and absolutely wonderful moments. It had its low points and dissappointed at times, but it was still the best RPG I've played in years, with absolutely the best written and voice-acted dialogue I've seen in any game in years. It had a lot of effort put into it, and just the fact that Malkavians and Nosferatu have been put into the game realistically says a lot for the competence Troika has. It's too bad that their code writing skills are, apparently, of a lesser level.
Vampire: Bloodlines is one of the few games I've played over the past year I thought high enough of to spend any money on, and that means I really thought it was a good game.

 

[SimpleMinded]

So, I really don't understand where the "buggy" argument comes from.

Because a lot of people that aren't you experienced bugs, maybe?

This is the same reasoning Playstation fanboys use when I criticize Sony for putting out a poor quality console.

"Duhhhhhh, well my Playstation 2 werks just fyne."

Yeah? Well my first one broke after 6 months due to laser degradation, as did thousands of others.

Your logic seems to be on the same basis as his... just because your PS2 broke, doesn't mean the system has poor quality. Even if you have thousands in the same boat, there are thousands in his boat as well.

Though I'll fess, the PS2 is definitely a hunk a junk as I've gone through one myself and think my new one is about to die too.

Ratty, it seems, is experiencing more angst at the community's unwillingness to criticize Troika for their shortcomings than an objective measure of the quality of their games.

It seems like the opposite is occuring now though, everyone is in this mood to degrade their games when we all can agree that they've put out some very enjoyable games. While each has its flaws, and bugs, the enjoyment they've given us greatly outweighs any of the other crap out there today.

As for the rest of your post, I agree completely. Though I've TOEE and its the biggest disappointment they've offered up. It's the perfect example from the gaming forums of why gameplay alone can't drive a game. Sure the combat system is great but the game is boorrrrinnngg. I pretty much just play it when I feel the desire to get some fighting in.


Exitium, do you have some sort of grudge with troika? You seem overly anxious for their downfall.

 

[Lost Metal]

I really, really hope Troika doesn't go under. I've been eagerly waiting for them to do something "their own" ever since Arcanum.

I think the reason ToEE flopped and Vampire has disappointed many fans. Is because they had to make the best RPG's they could, using someone elses guidelines, storylines and themes.

When it comes down to it, Troika's games are about originality, deph and style.

ToEE had none of those things, but Vampire definitely had deph and style. But I felt it lacked originality and I just got lost in the cliche movie-type moments after awhile.

Fallout 1&2 and Arcanum had those 3 things, because they could do things the way they wanted.

I know if Troika gets a chance to release something completely "their own" it will be great.

EDIT: I was just thinking. If Troika did go under, it would be pretty cool if we could persuade some of them to run a "donation" based game. I would gladly donate 50$ to Troika employees, if they made us a Turn-based 2d PA RPG.

 

[Kamikaze]

no0

This will not be true because i have personal relationship with god and wont buy him the beers next time if he lets this happen.I bought and played Arcanum because my friend suggested and it was really cheap.It was the best roleplay experience ever, i loved the story and loved everything else about it, i cannot see how anybody could say it was a failure as a game.After that i decided to go and check out these "fallout" games, i must say fallout1,2 were excellent 9.5 but i consider arcanum 10/10. I dont know.Actually they are pretty equal but the interface with items and such was better in arcanum.
Its not fair they close troika down, still waiting for Arcanum 2.Also vampire game was excellent but the d&d i really considered a pos.Beat em up.

 

[greatatlantic]

Exitum, I'm laughing at you over here. Only, and I do mean only, on a fallout fansite will anyone think Troika has enjoyed a free ride. Fallout was never a mass market game, just those who've played it love it. After creating Arcanumn with a staff of only 10 people, they almost gave it up then. However they managed to get two more projects, Bloodlines and ToEE, and Bloodlines was almost a gift from Valve.

Now compare that with Obsidian...they got a free ride. Or better yet, Blizzard. They could put a copy of Great Expectations in a box and still out sell anything Troika can put out.

 

[Silencer]

Fallout was never a mass market game, just those who've played it love it. .

Well, isn't this the normal course of things?

I'd rather see that than a game loved only by those who haven't played it yet.

LOL.

 

[Briosafreak]

Only, and I do mean only, on a fallout fansite will anyone think Troika has enjoyed a free ride.

Actually Rex posted this thing in five or six places, not only Fallout fansites. He`s wrong though, Troika never got the freebies Obsidian got, nor ever had the good press that is ready to look the other way around like Bioware has. I`ve seen some fair criticisms of Troika here, but this is stretching things a bit too far.

 

[Sol Invictus]

EDIT: I was just thinking. If Troika did go under, it would be pretty cool if we could persuade some of them to run a "donation" based game. I would gladly donate 50$ to Troika employees, if they made us a Turn-based 2d PA RPG.

Save your money and play Gearhead or Geneforge.

 

[SimpleMinded]

Fallout was never a mass market game, just those who've played it love it. .

Well, isn't this the normal course of things?

I'd rather see that than a game loved only by those who haven't played it yet.

LOL.

bah, you're poking fun at his words but they're very true. It's that or a game that sells well and is merely an average game that is bought by the masses... a pop album per se .

 

[greatatlantic]

Yeah, its either that or the game somebody bought at Walmart because the box art looked cool, and never played it because it wouldn't work on their "CD" player. I think thats the fate of a lot of games.