Nihilistic: "It is not our call to put Zombies Mode in BO: Declassified."

I don't get the thinking "this will sell because it's COD."


Has any COD game outside of the mainline games on consoles ever sold well? The iOS ones seem to do ok, but never live near the top of the charts. Did the DS ones do anything at all?


I want the vita to succeed, i love the device and most of the games... but this idea that just because its COD it will sell seems absolutely silly to me. People who play call of duty have no use for a shittier version of call of duty, they already have the real one.

The ds version of modern warfare sold about half a million in the usa
 
Sony probably paid through the nose to get COD on this platform with minimal efforto on Activision's part. Most likely they'll charge for that too (zombie mode).
 
To what userbase number?
Sometimes targeted userbase is more important than userbase #. I'm willing to bet money that AC3:Liberation sells more than the DS assassin creeds . Cod on ps3 sold way more than the wii versions despite Wii having ahigher install base Than ps3 and 360 combined. The PSP GTAs sold millions while the DS one didn't even break a million. If diablo 3 was on consoles it wouldn't outsell the PC version. People like to act like there is no difference between Sony/Microsoft/ Nintendo's fan base but there definitely is IMO. I don't think little big planet or uncharted would have sold as much on 360. Gears 3 wouldn't have sold as much on ps3. JRPGs sell more on ps3.(and I'm not even talking about Japan).
 
Sometimes targeted userbase is more important than userbase #. I'm willing to bet money that AC3:Liberation sells more than the DS assassin creeds . Cod on ps3 sold way more than the wii versions despite Wii having ahigher install base Than ps3 and 360 combined. The PSP GTAs sold millions while the DS one didn't even break a million. If diablo 3 was on consoles it wouldn't outsell the PC version. People like to act like there is no difference between Sony/Microsoft/ Nintendo's fan base but there definitely is IMO. I don't think little big planet or uncharted would have sold as much on 360. Gears 3 wouldn't have sold as much on ps3. JRPGs sell more on ps3.(and I'm not even talking about Japan).

There were ds assassins creed??
Cod 3 wii outsold the ps3 version but not releasing mW alongside the HD versions fucked the franchise on wii
The ds GTA was vastly outsold its PSP port
Who knows about Diablo 3
Lbp and uc would've sold less on 360 I agree, though lbp probably would've done much better on wii
The gears games probably would do as well (proportionately at least) on ps3
Yeah I'll agree about jrpgs
 
so because they didn't budget properly,or have the general wherewithall to put in the game in the first place they need clearance for DLC from sony an acti? plz

i have no respect for this dev. 6 maps? No Search and destroy?
this could have been their big chance to get their product infront of many eyes, working on the biggest franchise in gaming history.

it looks like their not avid cod players by the game mode choices, and the "survival" wave based mode has no co-op or leaderboards by the sounds of it.

sure this might just be a low budget cash job for them, but someone fucked up along the way, i bet there would be many small hungry developers that would kill for this opportunity, the whole thing just makes me sad.

EDIT also no kill cam so these guys clearly play alot of cod
 
so because they didn't budget properly,or have the general wherewithall to put in the game in the first place they need clearance for DLC from sony an acti? plz

i have no respect for this dev. 6 maps? No Search and destroy?
this could have been their big chance to get their product infront of many eyes, working on the biggest franchise in gaming history.

it looks like their not avid cod players by the game mode choices, and the "survival" wave based mode has no co-op or leaderboards by the sounds of it.

sure this might just be a low budget cash job for them, but someone fucked up along the way, i bet there would be many small hungry developers that would kill for this opportunity, the whole thing just makes me sad.

EDIT also no kill cam so these guys clearly play alot of cod
Contracting, how does it work?
 
Really don't know why Sony has so much faith in these guys. They're awful and this game is going to be awful.
I think it was Ghandi who once said: "The best developer is the one you can afford".

Going through Nihilistic's twitter is freaking depressing.

No in game voice chat except when you're in a party.

No Wager Matches.

No 60fps, which we already knew, but now they also say “IMO 30fps feels very smooth on the Vita, possibly due to its size and the unique qualities of the OLED screen“.

No Killcams either. Probably talking about hardcore mode, right?

Nah man, hardcore mode isn't in the game either.

Hostiles mode is SP only.

Can't control any killstreaks (as in shooting down from a chopper or something like that)

No Gold camo for guns.

Clan tags will be in there.

No Emblem Creator.

No Theater mode, of course.

Can't just invite people from your friends list. I don't fully understand what this means.
PMHEl.jpg


At least they're open about their game not being up to any standards set by previous CoD games.
 
At least they're open about their game not being up to any standards set by previous CoD games.

To be honest, I don't blame the developer. Activision seemingly wants a quick and cheap game slapped together and Sony just want to say "WE GOT COD ON OUR CONSOLE". Poor attitude from both which has left Nihilistic looking incompetent.

I don't know about their pre-Resistance: BS track record but ultimately devs need time to make a decent game which it doesn't look like they are getting here. Maybe next years version will be better.
 
So it has no story, no zombies, no 60fps and a limited multiplayer mode that has none of the new features added in BLOPS 2.


I wonder how many months they have been working on this game. Bet they didnt even start on it until after Resistance Vita shipped.
On Twitter it says Activision started a year ago and Nihilistic were brought in shortly after. This game seems so mysterious, but I'm glad to see at least some positive impressions. Keeping expectations in check, though.
 
No 60fps, which we already knew, but now they also say “IMO 30fps feels very smooth on the Vita, possibly due to its size and the unique qualities of the OLED screen“.

No Killcams either. Probably talking about hardcore mode, right?

Nah man, hardcore mode isn't in the game either.

Can't control any killstreaks (as in shooting down from a chopper or something like that)

At least they're open about their game not being up to any standards set by previous CoD games.

Aren't responsive controls, insane killstreaks and a large variety of modes the cornerstones of CoD?
 
To be honest, I don't blame the developer. Activision seemingly wants a quick and cheap game slapped together and Sony just want to say "WE GOT COD ON OUR CONSOLE". Poor attitude from both which has left Nihilistic looking incompetent.

I don't know about their pre-Resistance: BS track record but ultimately devs need time to make a decent game which it doesn't look like they are getting here. Maybe next years version will be better.
I kind of agree. They also mentioned on their Twitter that they were brought in less than a year ago so I can definitely see why they won't be able to make the game they might want to.

However, they signed a contract and knew what they were getting into. Their name is attached to the product and I'd like to think that developers would just turn down a project if they knew that they wouldn't be able to create a good game. It's one thing to be asked to do a very difficult task. It's another one to say “Okay, we'll do it.” and then not being able to deliver.
 
I feel bad for Nihilistic too. They were given like 6 months to pump out another FPS vaguely resembling COD. Sony and Activision do share much of the blame for this clusterfuck.
 
Contracting, how does it work?

well if they want to coast on by and do the bare minimum thats cool for them, my point was they were handed a huge opportunity to impress the gaming community. But your right theyll get their paycheck and probably move on to make anther middling game.
 
well if they want to coast on by and do the bare minimum thats cool for them, my point was they were handed a huge opportunity to impress the gaming community. But your right theyll get their paycheck and probably move on to make anther middling game.

I'm inclined to agree with the they aren't getting the funds to make this type of game. It isn't like Activision cares about its public image and Sony has rushed games out before.
 
bahahah i just read it doesn't even have a campaign, just individual spec-ops style missions. these guys...... there are gameloft ios games for $7 more full featured. wheres ready at dawn when you need them.

please let AC:L be good
 
bahahah i just read it doesn't even have a campaign, just individual spec-ops style missions. these guys...... there are gameloft ios games for $7 more full featured. wheres ready at dawn when you need them.

please let AC:L be good
It truly is a console quality cod experience in the palm of your hands

-No zombies
-6 maps(including 1 ‘homage’ to nuketown)
-4 v 4
-30 fps
-Objective based sp

Plus

I think it was Ghandi who once said: "The best developer is the one you can afford".

Going through Nihilistic's twitter is freaking depressing.

No in game voice chat except when you're in a party.

No Wager Matches.

No 60fps, which we already knew, but now they also say “IMO 30fps feels very smooth on the Vita, possibly due to its size and the unique qualities of the OLED screen“.

No Killcams either. Probably talking about hardcore mode, right?

Nah man, hardcore mode isn't in the game either.

Hostiles mode is SP only.

Can't control any killstreaks (as in shooting down from a chopper or something like that)

No Gold camo for guns.

Clan tags will be in there.

No Emblem Creator.

No Theater mode, of course.

Can't just invite people from your friends list. I don't fully understand what this means.
PMHEl.jpg


At least they're open about their game not being up to any standards set by previous CoD games.
 
Something tells me, next years COD vita will be really good. These developers have already made a campaign game on VITA if that's what you're looking for. Meaning just focusing on spec ops type mission could let them offer quality sp content.

Still upset by the 4 vs 4. But I think nihilstic is not at fault for most of the criticisms.
 
I'm inclined to agree with the they aren't getting the funds to make this type of game. It isn't like Activision cares about its public image and Sony has rushed games out before.

All parties are at fault. As activisions last big brand they shouldnt want it to be associated with trash, for sony obiously a great cod game could do magical things for the vita, and as for nihilistic..... Well........ If you keep serving up trash you will become known as a trash developer.
 
I for one appreciate them answering those questions. A lot of new info in those tweets and they are being honest about the amount of time they had to make this product.
 
Hostiles is only SP?? Not online co-op??

What fun is horde mode by yourself?? Especially in a shooter like CoD?
 
Something tells me, next years COD vita will be really good. These developers have already made a campaign game on VITA if that's what you're looking for. Meaning just focusing on spec ops type mission could let them offer quality sp content.

Still upset by the 4 vs 4. But I think nihilstic is not at fault for most of the criticisms.

So we're starting the "wait for next years COD" train now? I seem to recall lots of people claiming this was going to be THE game that was going to set the Vita on fire in the West. What a MESS.
 
The problem is not with Nihilistic.

the truth is that they are making a AAA game in a year on a shoestring budget.
No one can make a Tripple-A game on a new system in a year. It cannot be done.

This reminds me of all the shit Treyarch used to take for their games until they started making mainline COD-games. After that the quality of their game increased dramatically.

I don't know if Nihilistic have the talent necessary to make a proper cod game, I only know that we won't be able to tell until they get enough time and resources.
 
well if they want to coast on by and do the bare minimum thats cool for them, my point was they were handed a huge opportunity to impress the gaming community. But your right theyll get their paycheck and probably move on to make anther middling game.
Do you like working for free? I sure don't.

Something tells me, next years COD vita will be really good. These developers have already made a campaign game on VITA if that's what you're looking for. Meaning just focusing on spec ops type mission could let them offer quality sp content.

Still upset by the 4 vs 4. But I think nihilstic is not at fault for most of the criticisms.
I doubt Sony will be calling the shots next year. Depending on how this game and PSV fares you best should prepare yourself for a 3DS up-port.
 
So we're starting the "wait for next years COD" train now? I seem to recall lots of people claiming this was going to be THE game that was going to set the Vita on fire in the West. What a MESS.
I dont think he ment it much like that. I'd say it is pretty clear that the next game will be better, if Nihilistic makes it and if there will be a next game that is. Now they have made the foundation, and one extra year will just add and fix things. I think this is what he means :) I'm not sure that this will happen however, i think it would be best trying to port one of the previous Call of Duty engines to the Vita instead of using another engine.

What mess do you mean by the way? People simply thought it would be put more effort into this game, nothing more to it than that.
 
Something tells me, next years COD vita will be really good. These developers have already made a campaign game on VITA if that's what you're looking for. Meaning just focusing on spec ops type mission could let them offer quality sp content.

Still upset by the 4 vs 4. But I think nihilstic is not at fault for most of the criticisms.
I would not assume that another game is coming next year.

For it to be quality, they should already be working on it with another team. Activision is not paying money for another CoD until this one proves to be successful, or not. If it is, it probably won't get green lit until the beginning of next year. So, it will either be another rush job for 2013, or a long term project for 2014.

At this point, I don't think many publishers are thinking about 2014 for the Vita.

With Activision's lack of enthusiasm, I just don't see another game coming unless this one is a smash. And word of mouth about the lack of features is gonna be brutal.
 
The problem is not with Nihilistic.

the truth is that they are making a AAA game in a year on a shoestring budget.
No one can make a Tripple-A game on a new system in a year. It cannot be done.

This reminds me of all the shit Treyarch used to take for their games until they started making mainline COD-games. After that the quality of their game increased dramatically.

I don't know if Nihilistic have the talent necessary to make a proper cod game, I only know that we won't be able to tell until they get enough time and resources.
I disagree 100%. Like I said, if you're willing to slap your name onto the product then you're 100% responsible for the product. I'm pretty sure Nihilistic knew that it was next to impossible to make a great game within a year but they could have said 'no'. No one forced them to work on CoD for the Vita.

If they cannot make a good product with the tools they have or with the time they're given then that's their fault. We know this game is not up to any standards set by previous CoD games and Nihilistic knows this as well. Saying “Well, everyone should have known that we cannot do it on the term given” is a pretty bad excuse, if you ask me.

What we know for sure is that Nihilistic is willing to release a sub-par product that comes with just a fraction of the features it should come with. That reminds me of Bethesda who are blaming everyone but themselves for completely screwing up Skyrim on the PS3.
 
The problem is not with Nihilistic.

the truth is that they are making a AAA game in a year on a shoestring budget.
No one can make a Tripple-A game on a new system in a year. It cannot be done.

This reminds me of all the shit Treyarch used to take for their games until they started making mainline COD-games. After that the quality of their game increased dramatically.

I don't know if Nihilistic have the talent necessary to make a proper cod game, I only know that we won't be able to tell until they get enough time and resources.

A year would be far too generous a guess at the development time, 5 or 6 months seems more likely
 
What mess do you mean by the way? People simply thought it would be put more effort into this game, nothing more to it than that.

I had numerous discussions with people in the NeoGAF Tinychat about the threads on Vita COD. People were expecting a console quality COD on Vita, that was going to have cross-platform online play and saves. I knew it was too good to be true and looks like there are even more issues with this MESS of a game. More of a MESS than Ellie Goulding's new album, tbqh.

It's probably just going to end up as a generic shooter with the COD name tacked on.
 
I had numerous discussions with people in the NeoGAF Tinychat about the threads on Vita COD. People were expecting a console quality COD on Vita, that was going to have cross-platform online play and saves. I knew it was too good to be true and looks like there are even more issues with this MESS of a game. More of a MESS than Ellie Goulding's new album, tbqh.

It's probably just going to end up as a generic shooter with the COD name tacked on.
Oh, like that, i thought you ment a mess with the discussions. I dont see that as much of a mess because people just speculated and expected more work to go into the game, which unfortunately didnt happen.
 
I disagree 100%. Like I said, if you're willing to slap your name onto the product then you're 100% responsible for the product. I'm pretty sure Nihilistic knew that it was next to impossible to make a great game within a year but they could have said 'no'. No one forced them to work on CoD for the Vita.

You're right, they should just stop taking on projects under anything other than perfect terms......

....and promptly go bankrupt.

Just so you know, studios like Valve and Blizzard are exceptions to the rule. Most studios have very little leverage over things like this.

It's very hard for a studio without extremely successful franchisees behind them to get anything like a decent publishing agreement.

Your Bethesda example is inane. Bethesda both developed and published the Skyrim, and the team that developed it is their most prestigious team - they would have had some leverage. It isn't impossible that the decision to publish the inferior PS3 version was taken over the dev teams head though.
 
I disagree 100%. Like I said, if you're willing to slap your name onto the product then you're 100% responsible for the product. I'm pretty sure Nihilistic knew that it was next to impossible to make a great game within a year but they could have said 'no'. No one forced them to work on CoD for the Vita.

If they cannot make a good product with the tools they have or with the time they're given then that's their fault. We know this game is not up to any standards set by previous CoD games and Nihilistic knows this as well. Saying “Well, everyone should have known that we cannot do it on the term given” is a pretty bad excuse, if you ask me.

What we know for sure is that Nihilistic is willing to release a sub-par product that comes with just a fraction of the features it should come with. That reminds me of Bethesda who are blaming everyone but themselves for completely screwing up Skyrim on the PS3.
Yes, they shouldn't have accepted this contract. I am sure they don't have any bills to pay or anything, mom and pop do the laundry, prepare food and buy tickets for the movies - life is good.

They just wanted to make some extra dough for twinkies but who thinks of the gamers, man?

Vita is more powerful than the 3DS so it would be a down port :P
Well English is not my native language, I've seen it as "port to higher specs = up", with the machine being higher and all.

Just for clarification: 3DS would be the leading development environment.
 
Yes, they shouldn't have accepted this contract. I am sure they don't have any bills to pay or anything, mom and pop do the laundry, prepare food and buy tickets for the movies - life is good.
Because the only way to make money as a game developer is to accept projects under terms that force you to release a game that is not up to any standards people expect and seems like a complete disaster any way you look at it. It's not like they could also work on an own idea and release it on PC for basically free (without the need to pay for patches, submission fees or anything), work on a PSN or XBL title or something like that. I get that this was probably the easier way but I also think it's the wrong way. I mean, there's so much stuff missing that no CoD fan can play this and not be disappointed by the lack of content, features and presentation.

Just imagine you're an okay photographer and are asked to shoot a wedding. Way out of your league, but you'd just say "yes" and not care about knowing that you'll not meet anyone's expectations, will deliver sub-par work while charging them full price for what you're doing? Sure, you'll do the best you can, of course, and that should be enough.
I sure as hell wouldn't. Yes, ruined wedding photos are way, way worse than $50 wasted on a game that's not worth it, but I'd say that there's no excuse for either.
 
Because the only way to make money as a game developer is to accept projects under terms that force you to release a game that is not up to any standards people expect and seems like a complete disaster any way you look at it. It's not like they could also work on an own idea and release it on PC for basically free (without the need to pay for patches, submission fees or anything), work on a PSN or XBL title or something like that. I get that this was probably the easier way but I also think it's the wrong way. I mean, there's so much stuff missing that no CoD fan can play this and not be disappointed by the lack of content, features and presentation.

Just imagine you're an okay photographer and are asked to shoot a wedding. Way out of your league, but you'd just say "yes" and not care about knowing that you'll not meet anyone's expectations, will deliver sub-par work while charging them full price for what you're doing? Sure, you'll do the best you can, of course, and that should be enough.
I sure as hell wouldn't. Yes, ruined wedding photos are way, way worse than $50 wasted on a game that's not worth it, but I'd say that there's no excuse for either.
Needs more car photographer analogy.

But you are right of course, they should totally have rejected this offer and instead developed their own IP and release on PC/PSN/XBLA/eShop. What is money vs artistic integrity anyway. OK, no more twinkies for lunch break but at least they can sleep tight. And Sony/Acti would never have found another studio willing to develop this game under their terms. The market would have forced Sony/Acti to devote more resources (time, money etc.) into this and the gamers would have gotten the CoD PSV they deserve. It's a win/win/win/win situation, which is almost as good as quintuple A development.
 
Needs more car photographer analogy.

But you are right of course, they should totally have rejected this offer and instead developed their own IP and release on PC/PSN/XBLA/eShop. What is money vs artistic integrity anyway. OK, no more twinkies for lunch break but at least they can sleep tight. And Sony/Acti would never have found another studio willing to develop this game under their terms. The market would have forced Sony/Acti to devote more resources (time, money etc.) into this and the gamers would have gotten the CoD PSV they deserve. It's a win/win/win/win situation, which is almost as good as quintuple A development.
Why would you think it's money vs. integrity? Devs can have both. Plenty of devs do.

Your argument is that nothing would have been different if they had turned down the project? Maybe. Maybe not. What we do know for sure is that the project then wouldn't have been in the hands of the one single dev whose only game on Vita is a bad FPS.
 
The problem is not with Nihilistic.

the truth is that they are making a AAA game in a year on a shoestring budget.
No one can make a Tripple-A game on a new system in a year. It cannot be done.

This reminds me of all the shit Treyarch used to take for their games until they started making mainline COD-games. After that the quality of their game increased dramatically.

I don't know if Nihilistic have the talent necessary to make a proper cod game, I only know that we won't be able to tell until they get enough time and resources.

I never found Treyarch games to be terrible. The Spider-Man game tie-in with the movie was surprisingly good and their ports of early THPS games weren't bad, either. In my opinion, they used to fall behind Infinity Ward on the CoD series. World at War was a heck of a lot of fun, but Black Ops was their first game where I felt like it wasn't rushed and was more built from the ground up. They were on quick on their toes with patches for World at War, but it resulted in more glitches and some features being removed (Bipod, for example).
 
Why would you think it's money vs. integrity? Devs can have both. Plenty of devs do.

Your argument is that nothing would have been different if they had turned down the project? Maybe. Maybe not. What we do know for sure is that the project then wouldn't have been in the hands of the one single dev whose only game on Vita is a bad FPS.
"Integrity" is a concept that doesn't bring food to the table. If you run your own business you will quickly accept that. Nihilistic is mainly a contractor, there are other devs that work differently, sure. But as a contractor you don't turn down offers when the conditions are acceptable, bad for business in any way, shape or form.

And besides who else could have picked it up anyway and delivered within a relatively short time frame? There are not a lot of devs with PSV experience and running engines.
 
"Integrity" is a concept that doesn't bring food to the table. If you run your own business you will quickly accept that. Nihilistic is mainly a contractor, there are other devs that work differently, sure. But as a contractor you don't turn down offers when the conditions are acceptable, bad for business in any way, shape or form.

And besides who else could have picked it up anyway and delivered within a relatively short time frame? There are not a lot of devs with PSV experience and running engines.
I've worked for various businesses (though not full time and usually just did internships) but they've all turned down projects left and right simply because it would make them look bad (because they couldn't deliver an expected quality within the time frame given). Hell, when I worked as a pizza delivery guy, we turned down huge orders at least once a week because we only had to ovens and the first ones are kind of old by the time the last ones came out. Bigger businesses ordered all the time and we had a very strict policy about turning down everything where we couldn't meet expectation.

I get why they'd want to accept any offer possible. Their last game probably didn't sell too well and having the CoD name on your game ensures quite a few sales regardless of the quality of the game, but I'll continue to disagree that they needed to do it in order to stay in business. I gave an example of doing independent work on a PSN or XBLA title.

It's not in the businesses' best interest to deliver sloppy work. It just isn't. If your business is about making money now quickly and for the price of your reputation instead of securing a revenue stream for a long time, then you simply won't be in the business for too long. Nihilistic is not really a big name right now and that game won't change this. If someone decides to let a studio develop a good game, give them enough time and resources, I'm sure Nihilistic won't be the publisher's choice. I'm sure these guys have the potential to make great games but Resistance BS was a joke and CoD is shaping up to be an even bigger joke.
 
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