Electronic Arts: A Comedy of Errors

Discussion in 'Other Games' started by MagnusEffect, Aug 22, 2018.

Page 1 of 7
  1. MagnusEffect

    MagnusEffect Administrator Staff Member Jarl SC Huscarl

    Messages:
    9,655
    Likes Received:
    6,103
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Melbourne, FL
    Ætt (Clan):
    Huscarls
    In the video game industry there is a lot of news specifically regarding EA. I will readily admit that I think they are a terrible company and statistically most people would agree with me. While I don't buy their games anymore out of principle, I still try to keep track of what they are doing because I believe they still (unfortunately) have huge sway in the industry. But EA has been fucking up so much as of late it is hard for me to keep track.

    Therefore I'm creating this thread as an archive of EA's successes and blunders. But before we look at their present, let's look at their past:


    Favorite part of the video: "At least they haven't wrecked Battlefront yet"... (this video was made before the lootbox scandal) :glee:

    Feel free to post any EA related news here.
     
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2018
    MagnusEffect, Aug 22, 2018
    #1
  2. Sardonic

    Sardonic Well Liked Viking

    Messages:
    4,488
    Likes Received:
    3,991
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    UT, USA
    Ætt (Clan):
    Svinfylking
    Poor Mass Effect.... :crying:
     
    Sardonic, Aug 22, 2018
    #2
    Lardaltef, MostlyHarmless and MagnusEffect like this.
  3. MagnusEffect

    MagnusEffect Administrator Staff Member Jarl SC Huscarl

    Messages:
    9,655
    Likes Received:
    6,103
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Melbourne, FL
    Ætt (Clan):
    Huscarls


    Not so suprisingly, Patrick Soderlund is leaving the company after 2 decades working there.

    Don't remember who he is?

    He's the guy who publicly said gamers don't REALLY want a new and proper Command & Conquer game... no no... what they really want is a shitty mobile version. He's also the guy bending over backwards to cram SJW "causes" into Battlefield 5.

    If EA genuinely cared about depicting women in the setting, they just as easily could have used a historical example of one of the badass women who ACTUALLY fought in WW2 (and with all their limbs still attached) in their trailers. I'm sure there's plenty of examples in the French Resistance and Russian front. Why they decided to go with such a cartoonish depiction shows just how out of touch they really are.

    I really don't understand why people want to make the "lack of realism" argument though; especially comparing it to BF "One". I don't see how anyone can honestly claim BF "One" was realistic in its portrayal. There are a lot of complaints that can be leveraged at EA and Battlefield, but the ship for complaints about "realism" in Battlefield left long ago.

    That being said, it seems most people are less upset about being able to play as a woman and more to do with all the ridiculous statements coming from EA.
     
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2018
    MagnusEffect, Aug 22, 2018
    #3
  4. MagnusEffect

    MagnusEffect Administrator Staff Member Jarl SC Huscarl

    Messages:
    9,655
    Likes Received:
    6,103
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Melbourne, FL
    Ætt (Clan):
    Huscarls
    Sorry.. just one more for today.

    EA claiming they've "learned their lesson".

     
    MagnusEffect, Aug 22, 2018
    #4
    Trevnor likes this.
  5. Lardaltef

    Lardaltef Well Liked Berserker

    Messages:
    16,957
    Likes Received:
    7,744
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Charlotte, North Carolina
    Ætt (Clan):
    Drakjägare
    Well EA did kinda end the tiberium C&C story with 4. Sure they did it terribly. I think should do some red alert time travel voodoo and make it so 4 never happened.

    Also people complain about anything. But yeah the Russian army had plenty of women fighting in world war II. Heck there were supposed to be 3 aviation combat regiments made up entirely of women (only one actually ended up being exclusively women. By that I mean even the support personnel on base were women).

    Also is it possible to wreck a franchise (battlefront) if it is terrible from the start (starting with the EA battlefront. Not the pre EA battlefronts)?
     
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2018
    Lardaltef, Aug 22, 2018
    #5
    MagnusEffect likes this.
  6. Flessar

    Flessar Well Liked Viking

    Messages:
    1,362
    Likes Received:
    616
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Klamath Falls, OR
    Ætt (Clan):
    Huscarls
    Just from the german side of ww2, at the start they had over 200,000 in the nursing services, and more than 120,000 others in auxilery and logistics roles. In 1943 they manned all anti aircraft/searchlight batteries in all cities controlled by the Germans that was more than 20km from the front, with numbers outside the nursing ones (over 400,000 by that point) rising to almost 500,000. Who wants to say they didn't fight? This doesn't even raise the question of the French/Russians/Italians/Greeks/Romanians/Etc.
     
    Flessar, Aug 22, 2018
    #6
    Lardaltef likes this.
  7. Lardaltef

    Lardaltef Well Liked Berserker

    Messages:
    16,957
    Likes Received:
    7,744
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Charlotte, North Carolina
    Ætt (Clan):
    Drakjägare
    Heck even the US had the WASP program going (Women Airforce Service Pilots). I dont think they saw combat or went overseas for that matter. But they were closely associated with the army air force but still civilians.

    There were also various organizations in the military branches for women but I believe they were all positions far away from combat zones (even the medical ones they filled).
     
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2018
    Lardaltef, Aug 22, 2018
    #7
  8. Lardaltef

    Lardaltef Well Liked Berserker

    Messages:
    16,957
    Likes Received:
    7,744
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Charlotte, North Carolina
    Ætt (Clan):
    Drakjägare
    I do have that mobile command & conquer game but it's more of a "generic arena combat game with C&C units." But aside from the units it has nothing to do with command & conquer. Wonder if they did it just to keep the rights.

    Also. GODDAMMIT EA. Though I think this would be a better game now than back in 2003 with what they can do now.

    Command & Conquer: Continuum (Canceled)Edit
    Command & Conquer: Continuum was to be Westwood's second MMORPG, developed on the "Westwood 3D" engine, and set in the Tiberian Universe. It was canceled due to the termination of Westwood Studios in 2003. As stated by Adam "Ishmael" Isgreen and Rade Stojsavljevic, it would have been a non-stand-and-swing MMORPG, featuring:[citation needed]

    • Instanced "crisis zones", hubbed flight routes, and scripted boss battles
    • GDI, Nod, Mutants, CABAL, and Scrin
    • Los Angeles half underwater, Area 51, Dino island, Newark airport, and a mutant city
    • Fluid and movement-oriented combat, unlike most MMORPGs; range was important for weapons use, and there were layers of counters for the weapon types.
    • Creatures that had many console-game-boss sensibilities, in that you could expose weaknesses and hit them for extra damage
    • A moving and evolving Tiberian world, where players could play a role in the entire story
     
    Lardaltef, Aug 22, 2018
    #8
  9. Flessar

    Flessar Well Liked Viking

    Messages:
    1,362
    Likes Received:
    616
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Klamath Falls, OR
    Ætt (Clan):
    Huscarls
    The WASP program did see combat against U-Boats while on escort carriers crossing the Atlantic or as recon in b-17's/b-24's that they dog legged over to the UK. They usually turned around after delivering the planes, but a few did further shuttle equipment to mainland Europe post-D-Day, no recorded Dog fights or anything like that though.
     
    Flessar, Aug 24, 2018
    #9
    MagnusEffect and Lardaltef like this.
  10. MagnusEffect

    MagnusEffect Administrator Staff Member Jarl SC Huscarl

    Messages:
    9,655
    Likes Received:
    6,103
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Melbourne, FL
    Ætt (Clan):
    Huscarls
    I don't expect much from EA these days, but I just noticed something today...

    BF *Five* is actually the SIXTEENTH installment of the franchise. The first was released in 2002. So there has literally been a BF game produced for every year of it's history. But even if you go by just the "tentpole" releases, BF5 is actually more like the sixth or seventh main game in the series.
    Way to count EA. :glee:
     
    Last edited: Aug 24, 2018
    MagnusEffect, Aug 24, 2018
    #10
    Lardaltef likes this.
  11. Lardaltef

    Lardaltef Well Liked Berserker

    Messages:
    16,957
    Likes Received:
    7,744
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Charlotte, North Carolina
    Ætt (Clan):
    Drakjägare
    Battlefront XVI.... maybe because 16 looks silly or they thought the playerbase doesnt understand Roman numerals.
     
    Lardaltef, Aug 24, 2018
    #11
  12. MagnusEffect

    MagnusEffect Administrator Staff Member Jarl SC Huscarl

    Messages:
    9,655
    Likes Received:
    6,103
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Melbourne, FL
    Ætt (Clan):
    Huscarls
    EA is way more fucked than even I realized:




    It's not about the portrayal of strong women in videogames. I don't think anyone here has a problem with that. Unfortunately, EA seems to be missing the point completely. If they wanted to portray women and minorities in WW2, there are plenty of historically accurate examples to pick from. It shouldn't come at the cost of disrespecting the memory of known soldiers who fought in that war by writing them out of their own stories or distorting the facts of the time through the lens of modern social context.

    If they were so concerned about artistic freedom and making a statement about modern social justice, no one was stopping them from creating a game in a setting that fits that better. Why they chose to force that into a game about WW2 combat is beyond me. The only thing I can think of is that EA made the very simple calculation that WW2 games sell and their version of "inclusiveness" sells; all they did was mash two ideas together. I don't think EA gives a shit about anything other than making as much money as possible.

    All these boneheaded decisions makes me worried for Bioware's future.
     
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2018
    MagnusEffect, Dec 5, 2018
    #12
    Lardaltef, Dihm and Trevnor like this.
  13. Trevnor

    Trevnor Tokin' Canadian Staff Member Jarl SC Huscarl

    Messages:
    13,906
    Likes Received:
    4,439
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Ætt (Clan):
    Huscarls
    That's pretty much exactly why I had so much dislike for BFV. Either way, I don't think I've bought anything from EA since TF2(and that was a gift to me) so likely, I'm not going to give them any money for the foreseeable future.
     
    Trevnor, Dec 5, 2018
    #13
    Lardaltef and MagnusEffect like this.
  14. Hollister

    Hollister Fun-Taker Berserker

    Messages:
    5,582
    Likes Received:
    3,880
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Ætt (Clan):
    Drakjägare
    A update on what’s going on with lootboxs and EA doubling down that lootboxs aren’t gambling.

    Only posting here because AE was the first one to really push the bar for lootboxs.

     
    Hollister, Dec 5, 2018
    #14
    MagnusEffect likes this.
  15. Dihm

    Dihm Speaker of the Word Staff Member Gothi SC Thane

    Messages:
    23,379
    Likes Received:
    13,460
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Misery
    Mariya Oktyabrskaya
    After her husband was killed fighting in 1941, Oktyabrskaya sold her possessions to donate a tank for the war effort, and requested that she be allowed to drive it. She donated and drove a T-34 medium tank, which she named "Fighting Girlfriend" ("Боевая подруга").

    Oktyabrskaya proved her ability and bravery in battle, and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. She was killed in battle in 1944, and was posthumously made a Hero of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union's highest award for bravery during combat. She was the first of the few female tank drivers to be awarded this honor.
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariya_Oktyabrskaya?wprov=sfla1
     
    Dihm, Dec 5, 2018
    #15
    Lardaltef and MagnusEffect like this.
  16. Hollister

    Hollister Fun-Taker Berserker

    Messages:
    5,582
    Likes Received:
    3,880
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Ætt (Clan):
    Drakjägare
    It’s easier to just slap a terminator arm on a woman and call it done then do actual research on historical figures.
     
    Hollister, Dec 5, 2018
    #16
    Trevnor, Lardaltef, Dihm and 1 other person like this.
  17. Dihm

    Dihm Speaker of the Word Staff Member Gothi SC Thane

    Messages:
    23,379
    Likes Received:
    13,460
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Misery
    That's the thing, it would be awesome to highlight the contribution of the real women who fought, because there were some especially on the Russian front. If they had saved the fictional character for a Bad Company 3 game it would have worked fine. Like Sid pointed out, there WAS real diversity and real heroes out there who's stories aren't well enough known.

    Replacement of the people who actually carried out historical events or revising the French to be racist against the Senegalese unit? WTH?
     
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2018
    Dihm, Dec 5, 2018
    #17
    Lardaltef and MagnusEffect like this.
  18. Flessar

    Flessar Well Liked Viking

    Messages:
    1,362
    Likes Received:
    616
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Klamath Falls, OR
    Ætt (Clan):
    Huscarls
    Hell the Manchurian puppet of Japan had women in the Cavalry and Border guard, most of them ended up fighting against the Soviets toward the end.
     
    Flessar, Dec 5, 2018
    #18
    Lardaltef likes this.
  19. Hepatitis TK

    Hepatitis TK Decorative Flounce Berserker

    Messages:
    2,639
    Likes Received:
    2,435
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Ætt (Clan):
    Svinfylking
    If you wish to play the Soviet campaign, please insert the Soviet disc.
     
    Hepatitis TK, Dec 5, 2018
    #19
    Flessar, Trevnor and Dihm like this.
  20. Hakija

    Hakija Chaos Pony Viking

    Messages:
    7,014
    Likes Received:
    8,153
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Atlanta, US
    Ætt (Clan):
    Huscarls
    I'm a little confused here. People have been writing historical fiction with made up characters for a long time now? Why is this one evil?

    I haven't really been following this game, so please excuse if I'm missing something.
     
    Hakija, Dec 5, 2018
    #20
Page 1 of 7