Jump to content

Dropteam gets drop-kicked in IMG review


Toad

Recommended Posts

Is this the sorry state of Mac gaming from Battlefront? Should I even bother having the Battlefront website in my web browser bookmarks any longer?

InsideMacGames.com

"Drop Team is an utter failure and has been awarded one of our lowest scores ever."

"DropTeam starts off on bad footing, and stays there."

"I could have more fun with $35, a can of lighter fluid and a match..."

"In the fifteen years that I’ve been playing computer games, I have never played such an over-marketed and poorly conceived game."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 60
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Apart from the comments on the environment I tend to agree with the review. I wish I'd kept my money instead of buying it.

I like the terrain and environment model. However with the nature of people to want short cuts it seems most online players turn off the ground clutter so they can see hiding units easier.

The vehicle physics is nice but too light, there doesn't seem to be enough weight to the vehicles.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Originally posted by Toad:

Is this the sorry state of Mac gaming from Battlefront? Should I even bother having the Battlefront website in my web browser bookmarks any longer?

Well that's over the top and not terribly constructive.

The IMG reviewer (and I read it and the comments when the review first went up) seems most upset that it isn't his father's Battletech came - as though giant bipedal fighting robots are in the least a realistic and plausable future fighting vehicle. Not to say that they don't have their place and cool factor... they just don't make a lot of tactical sense. "Lets all try a hull down in our Madcat... Oh my god a steep slope - turn away!"

Heh - the one fellow that commented that he wasn't getting feedback on his shots made me laugh. OK - you're shooting at a tank from 5km away - do you expect somebody to pop out and go "Argh! You got me!" for every minor hit? Talk to a modern tanker and see what ranges he would expect to engage at.

Perhaps the problem is that Dropteam seems to be more of a simulation rather than a FPS game. Some folks just don't get "it."

Then again he is dead on that:

1) the music is rather repetitive (and I've got a fast enough computer to get though it relatively quickly.) DT really needs it's own volume control too.

2) Most of the original maps do tend to look alike. I'm glad people like Hub, Dark_au and etc. have managed to introduce some variety. I love "Hide and Seek" and "Rumble in the Jungle" and most of the other newer maps.

3) The bot AIs are really lame. They are fantastic shots (which I love) but they can't drive and don't seem to learn where the danger is. I could make suggestions but not right now.

4) Makes me wish I hadn't sworn off on-line gaming.

Thanks!

Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Originally posted by Mark K Nelson:

Perhaps the problem is that Dropteam seems to be more of a simulation rather than a FPS game. Some folks just don't get "it."

I would actually say the opposite is true...

I think what the chap yopu refer to wanted was the TC to call the fall of the round for him like they do on a REAL tank. So if the round is long the TC calls long etc. If its a hit the TC should report "Hit, Re-engage".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't think it was a very good review. It didn't really seem to say much about the game itself or about what it was meant to be like and how it supposedly didn't meet that standard.

I really don't want to dismiss the review out of hand, but I don't see any real justification for its scores. Sound: 1? What? Most of the sounds are at worst perfectly serviceable, and at best quite good. I would have thought that a game getting a "1" score in something would mean that element was actually so bad that it detracts from the game (eg. the sounds being actually annoying) and while DT's could probably be a little better, I don't see any justification for giving it a score remotely near what the review did.

That's just one example, but I don't think that anything in the review was well justified at all. It reads more like a piece designed to tear down the product than to give anyone any information about it. Heck, reading the review you hear more about how the options screen is than how the game actually plays. Did the reviewer even play it at all? Tanks popping up shooting over hills and ducking back down again is the entirety of the game? What?

I really wanted to say something productive about the review, but honestly, it fails on so many levels that if it just read "lol dt sux" it would have conveyed the exact same information with the added bonus that people would be less likely to take it seriously. I'm really disappointed that IMG published such an awful piece.

DT definitely has its flaws. If you really wanted to slam it, there's room to do so, though I think it's difficult to argue that it fails entirely as a game. I actually think it's a really cool game myself. But that review was just so bizarrely biased and free of information that it doesn't do itself, DropTeam or IMG any justice at all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Basically, the game isn't perfect. Noone is denying that. However, not every game is ment for every person, and in the case of this reviewer, DropTeam was not the kind of game that they like.

I would agree with what has been said. That review was aimed at taking "Tactical Simulation" a little more literally. They were expecting some superrealistic tank fighting game, when, in reality, they probably don't know the first thing about them.

Granted, the graphics aren't the best, nor is the sound, but then again, that's what makes this game. And besides, it's one of the most addicting games I've played for mac in a long time.

And compare it to something like BF2, which seems to be the *cough* 'gold-standard' these days. That game is about as big of a failure in the development dept as it gets, but critics love it, simply because it is mass-marketed.

I'd personally rather like to play a game everyone hates, and not ever have to open the admin panel, then play a game everyone loves, but spend my whole time on the server adminning instead of playing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To think all this time we've been playing thinking we we're enjoying ourselves....geez, now that I've read the review I realize how wrong I was. Apparently the game is not worth playing, and here I've been convincing myself that I was having a great time.

Ya know what really burns? I was starting to think I was some great armchair tactician when all I've really been doing is popping-up over hills shooting at people every now and then...crap, I thought I was doing so much more!

Now I guess I should just go over to IMG and find out what big commercial Mac games I'm supposed to buy...cause I just love playing online with thousands of 13 year olds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I played WWII Online for almost 4 years and we could always tell when we had a BF1942 and HALO visitor on our hands. They automatically started whining about how slow the tanks were, that they blew up too easily, that the infantry moved too slowly and couldn't jump onto roof tops and there were no scopes for rifles etc, etc. Fortunately there was a "Block" command for the chat box and you knew that they would go away soon; only after having depleted our supply of equipment. Those of us who enjoyed the game, did so for the very aspects that they disliked.

As indicated by many of the folks above, Drop Team isn't perfect but I ceased looking for perfection a long time ago. I have fun when I'm playing it and although it hasn't attracted a huge number of players yet, I've found the average level of maturity and hospitality of the folks who do play to be a cut far above the smack talking wankers who I encounter in other games. That on it's own is worth a lot.

This reviewer didn't find what he was looking for. Too bad; hopefully the game will continue to develop and grow and we will see more players and improved reviews.

Sabot3

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The biggest problem with the game is that I don't find enough time to play it.

But I'm curious about this 'over-marketed' thing. Not like I'm paying attention to every computer game marketing campaign out there, but I haven't seen much by way of marketing at all - compared to the ads that were posted on the Battlefront blog for ToW, for example. If I have any complaint its that I log on the network at times I wish the servers were full of players, and find them empty, and they remain so even if I stick around for an hour or so.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Originally posted by Spanish Bombs:

[QB] The biggest problem with the game is that I don't find enough time to play it.

same here smile.gif

If I have any complaint its that I log on the network at times I wish the servers were full of players, and find them empty, and they remain so even if I stick around for an hour or so.

I hope the ww2 addon will add just enough players that DT gets critical mass(the north korean kind, no big bang, but enough to get everybody excited ;) )
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't own a mac (since '95) so I can't say what the gameplay is like on those machines, yet it can't be much different than a pc. I played WWII Online when it first came out. Man, you want to talk about a peice of crap! The dev team swore by their armor realism even after having it explained to them that engine blocks don't survive well against 20mm shells. And yes, I know what I'm talking about. DT does have it's flaws that annoy me to death, yet it's one of the most addictive online games I've found in a loooonnnggg time that doesn't involve killing dragons, getting gold, and chasing after cute elves! As far as realism goes for DT; let me say that even though I get fragged alot (I love to take chances) and sometimes I feel like I was cheated on a shot or kill; as a Combat Missions player I'll stand by Battefront's ability to recreate ballistics and armor factors every time. The reviewer probably got on and had Sabot3 smoke him one to many times so he was in a bad mood when he wrote the review!

Schmeltz

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the feedback guys. As you can imagine, we find the review a little... "off" as well. We try, as much as we can, to ensure that the reviewer and the game are well suited for each other. However, this is much harder now than ever before. There is a fundamental shift in game publications these days and the quality of reviewers has dropped dramatically. The main reason why is they lack experience and the editors in charge of directing them don't. I've been in this business for about 14 years now and I can safely say the trend in game publications is not one we're very happy about. And I've been reading IMG since it first came out... distrubuted on floppy disks no less!

As for us, we understand that DropTeam is not perfect. Actually, none of our games are perfect :D As Centurion55 mentioned above, it's pointless to even expect a game to be perfect. Not even the best of the best are without some flaws. The important thing is if the fun comes through for the player. And that, unfortunately, is a highly subjective thing. It would seem that the reviewer "didn't get it" and decided taking pot shots at a game that other people "get" would make for entertaining reading. Unfortunately, there isn't much we can do about this sort of bad matchup.

As for the future of DT... personally, I see it as being quite bright. The basic elements of DT hooked me right away and I continue to love playing it. That's the important thing. If a game doesn't have that it doesn't matter how quickly the game takes to load graphics or how the external game interface works. Therefore, when I look at DT I see a fantastic game that has a lot of potential for becomming even better. Plus, Stan and Clay are great to work with so we look forward to more from DT in the future.

Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ooooh... quake in your shoes... Battlefront says the reviewer is wrong so it must be true.

What a crock. Maybe the reviewer just noticed the disparity between the overview as presented and the game as a final product (I'd still like to know where the ICM is).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Before this gets silly, my two cents: I read the review a couple times and I get the distinct sense that the reviewer spent all of about ten or fifteen minutes actually playing the game, since he reserves about two sentences for multiplayer gameplay which is pretty much the whole point of the game and the demo. Note that he doesn't mention a single unit type or even infantry for that matter. The game is certainly not for everyone (everyone I've showed it to loved it or hated it, almost instantly) but that review is pretty much nothing but the pretentious spite of someone who is an ace in some other on-line game, but probably just got his ass handed to him playing DT. Strangely this fact has never compelled me to write a bad review.

Anyway, does anyone really care if it takes 30 seconds to load textures and whatnot? It's the perfect amount of time to make a quick ham and cheese and grab a diet coke. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've done that while waiting for textures to cache, Konstantine... well, except it was a turkey and cheese, and it was a coke, not diet.. :mrgreen:

Now then.. I hate to go off topic here, but I've gotta say this.

Dark_Au-> If you really hate this game so much, they why are you still here? I'm tired of you constantly showing up and disparaging those of us who actually LIKE the game. You aren't going to change anyones mind, and you're just wasting your time trying. Either come back with a better attitude, or just don't come back at all.

Now then... I think that that reviewer was a little harsh, any way you look at it. Granted, many reviews I've read have said that the game could've been better, (One citing that the requirements were very high for such low textures), but many of them also said that multiplayer was very well done. However, they all did say that the armor handling, ect, was very well done. Most said the gameplay was good, but graphics wise it could be better.

So basically, I don't think one bad review is anything to get too upset over, but it does make you question whether or not he actually played the game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Iceman, I stay around because I like the engine and like what it could become or could have become. I think the WW2 mod for this could be very interesting as the engine is very nice and has a lot of potential for map making. If the WW2 engine is sensible then I can envisage encouraging some sensible players to get it and set up our own server for it.

As it stands, Personally, I don't think DT is a very well thought out game. I can understand some of the reasons but i believe that these "not so well thought out" bits lead to the gamey play styles and tactics in MP that I detest so much. I also believe that we are beta testers who have paid for the right to test this game. I think the decline on the servers, the lack of new players and the lack of people on the demo server attest fairly well to the reviewers comments and to what I've been trying to point out about the tactical longevity of this game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually, I'd say that the numbers on the servers are generally up over the last two months, not down.

Ignoring the Sunday match (when Delta Pavonis was full!), I've been able to get onto servers most weeknights to play against 6 or more people. That's a big improvement over the numbers in the summer, when I might be lucky to find a human player.

I too like the engine. I also think it can be used to greater effect than we've seen so far (hence my map experiments) and that it could be improved further (hence the wish list).

Dark - you might want to start a thread or wiki page about the game play issues that bug you. Maybe they aren't fixable. Maybe they are fixable but aren't wanted by the core developers, in which case I would suggest trying to create a mod with changes in armour, accuracies, etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dark_au,

ooooh... quake in your shoes... Battlefront says the reviewer is wrong so it must be true.
Nice attitude.

What I said is the reviewer has an opinion that I, and other reviewers I might add, disagree with. Since I am entitled to an opinion as much as that reviewer is, you should remember that.

From experience as a gamer and a game maker, which I would suspect is considerably more than yours on both counts, I can tell when a reviewer didn't give a game a fair shake either way. That can be a glowing review of something that is full of flaws, or a scathing review of a game that doesn't deserve it. It is clear to me, and to many other people here, that this reviewer didn't play the game much and was expecting a different game. IN fact...

I stay around because I like the engine
It would appear that you also disagree with the reviewer. Afterall, he made no postive remarks about the game at all that I could see (OK, one small one that was as an aside to a criticism).

Note that nobody here, including myself, has said that DT is beyond criticism. Not so at all. We are just saying that the critic was offbase. As are you when you said this:

I also believe that we are beta testers who have paid for the right to test this game.
Wrong. The game was released in the state we wanted it to be in. You apparently don't agree with that, and that is your right to disagree. But do not automatically consider your wants to have been the designer's ultimate set of goals. That would be rather, well, arrogant to say the least.

What you are probably picking up on is the fact that the DT engine is an evolutionary beast. It was always intended to be that. That means instead of realsing one product and then not improving it at all, DT has been steadily improved since release. And you've not been charged a dime for it. Most game companies don't improve their released products at all, even to the extent of not fixing known bugs. You are getting the opposite treatment with DT and yet you complain as if this is a bad thing.

Seriously... I'd take a hard look at yourself before posting here again. If you are REALLY that down on the game, then it would probably be best if you went away and came back when the WW2 version is out. That way you wont't waste your time on being negative.

Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites


×
×
  • Create New...