Day 3 back at THQ, and I feel like I never left. Wait, scratch that, I feel a renewed sense of appreciation for what I'm doing. It's clear that I missed this while I was gone, and that I underestimated that. Life is a learning experience, but I learned that if you listen to it with a pure heart, you'll be where you belong. Things I love so far:
- Writing: I really missed this
- Twitter: I'm a force, and although Tank and Cory think they have the upper hand, no one dominates Twitter like the "People's Hammer."
- You guys: You motivate me every single day to represent you in the best way possible. It's a pleasure.
We released our DLC reveal #1 yesterday. Like always, I expected some backlash. You really can't win with these, but I never intend to. Never go into a fight expecting to win, when you already know that you can't. Not saying that this is a fight, though. Although, I'm sure that I'd like to fight that dude who told me to "die" this morning. What a moron. Have some perspective, brah!
Anyway, with the DLC there are a few things to note:
- This isn't all of the DLC that we're putting out, we're revealing more on Thursday
- Our Fan Axxess pass works much like last year's. If you bought last year's, you still have to purchase this year's though. There is no carry over
- The DLC is worked on past our final for the shipped game -- hence why they're DLC. We work with the WWE to get our roster. Our roster is comprised of Superstars/Divas and personalities we want that are current to programming, and Superstars/Divas/Legends and other personalities we want in RTWM. That's how the list is compiled
I hear all sorts of things on my twitter account (shameless @stephensonmc plug), but I can never understand the contradictions in some things that I read. For instance: "I'm not going to buy WWE '12 because of so and so not having the attire I wanted/or being on the roster." Ok...thanks for your feedback, but surely you must understand that your preference isn't going to determine what we do, right? When I say, "stand up and unite" I truly mean that. I want change just as much as you guys, but we can't do it alone. If you truly feel something with all of your heart and soul, impact others and voice your opinions together. Strength in numbers, everyone. Individuals do matter, but the reality is that we make a game for everyone. Anyway, I didn't even get to the second part that is funny about these comments. They usually say "I loved every single thing about the game until I heard that one thing." I don't mind you saying what you feel, but read what you're saying before you say it. How can I not think you're nuts? Ok, "nuts" was a harsh word. I don't think you're nuts, just not thinking clearly when you're speaking to me. Just as you analyze each word that I say, I have to do the same. After all, I'm helping you.
I got the WWE '12 build yesterday, and I'm really enjoying it. The difference really is phenomenal from last year to this year. Even the difference from when I left to now is incredible. I do want to answer all of the detailed questions you guys have, but I'm also trying to figure out an efficient way to do that. I need to have the time to do my daily duties, and answer as many Q's as I can. I hate that the FAQ dropped off after I left, because I fear that there is too much to catch-up on, but I guess that's just as much my fault as anyone's. I'm exploring a few ways (other than Twitter), for you guys to speak directly to me. I'll have more on that later.
For now, I'm just getting into the groove again, and I hope that you can be patient along with me, while I reset myself in this wild and crazy world that I love so much.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, “THE HAMMER” IS IN THE BUILDING.
NOTE: This is resurfaced from my first blog at our WWEgames website. This will be the only blog that I resurface. The rest of the blogs here will be about me, and making our games better. Personal conversations with all of you.
For starters, damn I missed all of you. It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve been here, but in reality, it’s only been two months. Now, I’ve learned that when you love something as much as I love this, two months can feel like two years, and that’s what happened here. Before the countdown, follow me on Twitter. Why? Because I'm awesome, and can help you. (Twitter: @stephensonmc) Now, begin the countdown...
Last August, I left WWE Games to pursue another opportunity. It was very hard for me, as I left knowing that a piece of me was dying. A big piece. The WWE and games had been engrained in the fabric of my DNA since birth practically, and was mostly responsible for my career. I knew that when I left it would hurt, but I couldn’t have predicted the overwhelming response from you guys. Your reaction to my departure caught me off guard, and I instantly felt guilty for letting all of you guys down. Including those internally who counted on me to be there alongside them. With that said, that’s not the reason why I’m coming back (well, maybe a small part).
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Marcus Stephenson, and I was a Designer and Community Manager on WWE Games. Most recently, as a Community Manager, I partnered with THQ_Tank to form the most electrifying tag team in this business. We’ll no doubt pickup right where we left off, but to keep this in line with WWE ’12, we’re taking things over the top (one of my favorite movies, by the way), and making it all BIGGER, BADDER, and BETTER (sorry for the cheese)!
What does this mean, though? More than ever, your feedback will be directly impacting the development of future WWE Games. I’ll personally be assisting the design team with development going forward, and that can only mean good things for all of you. There’s no doubt that the design team listens to what you’re saying before making decisions on the games, but we want to take that to another level. We believe that WWE ’12 is a reflection of what you guys want. That can only get better. Know that when you’re talking to me, you’re talking to a Community Manager who is engrained in the design. That’s the way we’re doing things here at THQ. Community matters here, and I don’t mean to butter all of you up, but think of my return as a prime example of what THQ_Tank, Cory, and the rest of the staff here think about all of you. We have the most passionate fans in the world, and we’re using that asset to our advantage.
Now, it’s time to do your part. I’m not saying that you haven’t been already, but like I said, we want to do things “BBB” going forward. You know where we are: @stephensonmc, @THQ_Tank, @RealCoryLedesma. If you have feedback, we want to hear it. Sure, we’ll be on our official forums regularly (CLICK HERE FOR OUR OFFICIAL FORUMS), but if you want answers quickly, our Twitter accounts are up throughout the day, so hit us up there!
Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone. I know I made the right choice in coming back. Cory, thanks for bugging me on Twitter about the WNBA. Tank, we need to come up with a finisher for some of these fools who get out of line.
It’s clobberin’ time!
- Marcus “The Hammer” Stephenson (@stephensonmc)
Friday, June 24, 2011
History Repeating Itself...
I honestly wondered if I would ever use this again, but sure enough, here we are..
I can't say that I'm too happy about having to post a blog, but I guess some of the blind hatred has forced "baby" out of her "corner" to drop some knowledge. So far, the reaction to WWE '12 has been astounding! We couldn't have hoped for anything better, and the development team truly deserves some awesome credit this year. Another audience deserves credit as well, YOU. Well, not all of you, but a good amount who truly took what we had to say last year to heart, and committed to helping us make the best possible game we could. Without your feedback, we wouldn't be where we are now, that's for sure.
On with the show...
6 Diva Matches
Cory said in his Q&A that this isn't possible due to polygonal count. This isn't an excuse, and is true. If you don't believe, then ask yourself these questions:
1.) We know there are hacks out there (you're not hard to find), why would Cory say what he said knowing that you guys can do what you want via hacks? Did you ever stop to think that Cory knows about actually making the games? I picked that question out for the sole purpose of getting Cory's response for you guys.
2.)This was absolutely a controlled Q&A based on what we can say at this point (PR timelines -- I'll come to that later). Why would Cory have even answered it if it wasn't true? The answer, because it was the truth. And you know this, man!
3.)Let us prove it to you -- we have a plan, let us show it to you!
Bottom line, when we can prioritize the proper work involved to make things happen, we will. Not this year, though... Here's why.
GAMEPLAY, GAMEPLAY, GAMEPLAY
In case you haven't heard, gameplay was the big focus for us this year -- and it should have been. We've heard from you guys for the longest time that our gameplay needs addressed. We're finally doing that this year with our "Predator Technology." Nice guess, guys, "Predator" obviously has a tie-in with Randy Orton, but here's what the tech actually is as we would describe it internally:
- Our SvR gameplay tech caused the "picturebook" effect, meaning that each animation had missing frames in it, creating a flip picture book look. As the game got older, you'd notice this more. This is where the term "herky-jerky" came from (made famous from NFL 2K). What our new tech allows us to do, is fill those missing frames in with an animation, creating blending from one animation to the next. It makes for a much smoother experience.
- Physics now come in to play via our gameplay tech upgrade. Now, if you walk by another person and glance their shoulder, they'll move accordingly. This means that your opponent is an actual in-ring object that has true interaction.
The gameplay tech upgrade was a massive undertaking. Most of our time was spent taking our old data, and hooking it in with this new upgrade. Have you played NBA 2K? Have you noticed some of the same looking animations in their game since the earlier days? Yep -- but they look a whole lot better now. That's our reality.
You're right, this is an upgrade and not a new engine. We never said it would be, and we made the right choice to do it this way. Why didn't we do a completely new engine? Here's why:
- We make a game every year, and this gives us the opportunity to replace the "house" brick by brick vs a demolish and redo effort. If that's the case, you'd have Madden 06 / FIFA 06, instead, this allows us to be more like a NBA 2K -- any questions?
- A new gameplay tech upgrade does not mean that it will "LOOK" visually different than what you've seen before. When we say you have to play it and see side by side comparisons, we mean it. We're still the WWE sim game, so we have to keep up a certain visual degree to stay real to true WWE programming. The visual improvements come in with the slight texture and modeling upgrades (note: not gameplay related), and our physics and blending that is made possible by the "Predator tech."
- If we wanted a new engine, our current team size would not make that a possibility at the moment. We're making a game every year, and we don't have the resources to try to build new engines and prove them out while doing what we're doing now. Money doesn't come out of thin air, and although some may think we're just raking in the dough -- we're not.
Haters Gonna Hate
There's negative feedback (which is needed and constructive), and there's hating. Don't mix it up, we know the difference. I'll take responsibility for making some of you think that you'll get an official reaction if you SHOUT false assumptions. That's going to stop now, I promise.
We're in the business of making games, and we reached out to you guys to help us make a great game (games moving forward). At this point, if you're hating, you're not helping. We're out here every day trying to solicit feedback from all of you. USE THIS OPPORTUNITY! We've proven to you now that your feedback from SvR 2011 was not only heard, but implemented where it could be. Even now your feedback is being heard. Keep turning your heads to it (the few), you're missing some great things.
PR Timelines
This is literally the one that pains me to write about, because it makes me think that no one has learned anything from last year. If we're ever going to get anywhere, then there needs to be actual thinking on both sides. We've done the work to understand where you're coming from, please do the same and try to learn and understand where we are too. Some of you are really good at digging for things if it supports your opinion, but can you do the same sort of digging to find things that don't (the truth)?
Anyway, like every single game in this industry, we have a timeline plan from the start of a campaign to launch. The timeline is filled with spots where new information on the game is revealed. Whether it's a website exclusive article talking about RtWM, or a new trailer, it's all on there. The issue I see you guys having, is that you still don't understand that this exists. Sometimes, when I see the failure to understand this pretty simplistic concept that's a staple of our industry, I think of the seagulls in Finding Nemo who don't listen and learn, but just shout "MINE, MINE, MINE," or in this case, "INFO, INFO, INFO."
We want to give you the information, we just can't right now and when we can, you'll forget about this moment because you got what you were looking for -- INFO. Please understand this difference.
Surveys Weren't for Nothing
Do you remember those surveys we frequently put out last year? Ok, now do you remember some of you saying that "they probably won't do anything with this?" Well, I think you're seeing that we took them very seriously. They helped us with our prioritization. We saw point blank that gameplay was the biggest issue for you guys, and in even more detail than that. That was much more concrete than going to random message boards to look at what one or two (or 20) people wanted. This way, we got a huge sample size and some great feedback.
In closing, I'll say this until I'm blue in the face -- we're here for you. Without you, we wouldn't have this game, so we're trying very hard to get you on board with helping us so that you'll understand what it takes to not only make a game, but do it every year. Expectations are set by YOU, not us. We want you to buy our game, yes, but we're not going to "sell" you on it. The purchasing decision is yours, and we wont force you. But we will prove it to you, and we have till 11/22 to do it.
The burden is on us, not you. Let us PROVE IT!
Oh yeah, I can't wait for the "Why don't you keep working on the actual game instead of typing novels" comment. No win situation, but I love it!
I can't say that I'm too happy about having to post a blog, but I guess some of the blind hatred has forced "baby" out of her "corner" to drop some knowledge. So far, the reaction to WWE '12 has been astounding! We couldn't have hoped for anything better, and the development team truly deserves some awesome credit this year. Another audience deserves credit as well, YOU. Well, not all of you, but a good amount who truly took what we had to say last year to heart, and committed to helping us make the best possible game we could. Without your feedback, we wouldn't be where we are now, that's for sure.
On with the show...
6 Diva Matches
Cory said in his Q&A that this isn't possible due to polygonal count. This isn't an excuse, and is true. If you don't believe, then ask yourself these questions:
1.) We know there are hacks out there (you're not hard to find), why would Cory say what he said knowing that you guys can do what you want via hacks? Did you ever stop to think that Cory knows about actually making the games? I picked that question out for the sole purpose of getting Cory's response for you guys.
2.)This was absolutely a controlled Q&A based on what we can say at this point (PR timelines -- I'll come to that later). Why would Cory have even answered it if it wasn't true? The answer, because it was the truth. And you know this, man!
3.)Let us prove it to you -- we have a plan, let us show it to you!
Bottom line, when we can prioritize the proper work involved to make things happen, we will. Not this year, though... Here's why.
GAMEPLAY, GAMEPLAY, GAMEPLAY
In case you haven't heard, gameplay was the big focus for us this year -- and it should have been. We've heard from you guys for the longest time that our gameplay needs addressed. We're finally doing that this year with our "Predator Technology." Nice guess, guys, "Predator" obviously has a tie-in with Randy Orton, but here's what the tech actually is as we would describe it internally:
- Our SvR gameplay tech caused the "picturebook" effect, meaning that each animation had missing frames in it, creating a flip picture book look. As the game got older, you'd notice this more. This is where the term "herky-jerky" came from (made famous from NFL 2K). What our new tech allows us to do, is fill those missing frames in with an animation, creating blending from one animation to the next. It makes for a much smoother experience.
- Physics now come in to play via our gameplay tech upgrade. Now, if you walk by another person and glance their shoulder, they'll move accordingly. This means that your opponent is an actual in-ring object that has true interaction.
The gameplay tech upgrade was a massive undertaking. Most of our time was spent taking our old data, and hooking it in with this new upgrade. Have you played NBA 2K? Have you noticed some of the same looking animations in their game since the earlier days? Yep -- but they look a whole lot better now. That's our reality.
You're right, this is an upgrade and not a new engine. We never said it would be, and we made the right choice to do it this way. Why didn't we do a completely new engine? Here's why:
- We make a game every year, and this gives us the opportunity to replace the "house" brick by brick vs a demolish and redo effort. If that's the case, you'd have Madden 06 / FIFA 06, instead, this allows us to be more like a NBA 2K -- any questions?
- A new gameplay tech upgrade does not mean that it will "LOOK" visually different than what you've seen before. When we say you have to play it and see side by side comparisons, we mean it. We're still the WWE sim game, so we have to keep up a certain visual degree to stay real to true WWE programming. The visual improvements come in with the slight texture and modeling upgrades (note: not gameplay related), and our physics and blending that is made possible by the "Predator tech."
- If we wanted a new engine, our current team size would not make that a possibility at the moment. We're making a game every year, and we don't have the resources to try to build new engines and prove them out while doing what we're doing now. Money doesn't come out of thin air, and although some may think we're just raking in the dough -- we're not.
Haters Gonna Hate
There's negative feedback (which is needed and constructive), and there's hating. Don't mix it up, we know the difference. I'll take responsibility for making some of you think that you'll get an official reaction if you SHOUT false assumptions. That's going to stop now, I promise.
We're in the business of making games, and we reached out to you guys to help us make a great game (games moving forward). At this point, if you're hating, you're not helping. We're out here every day trying to solicit feedback from all of you. USE THIS OPPORTUNITY! We've proven to you now that your feedback from SvR 2011 was not only heard, but implemented where it could be. Even now your feedback is being heard. Keep turning your heads to it (the few), you're missing some great things.
PR Timelines
This is literally the one that pains me to write about, because it makes me think that no one has learned anything from last year. If we're ever going to get anywhere, then there needs to be actual thinking on both sides. We've done the work to understand where you're coming from, please do the same and try to learn and understand where we are too. Some of you are really good at digging for things if it supports your opinion, but can you do the same sort of digging to find things that don't (the truth)?
Anyway, like every single game in this industry, we have a timeline plan from the start of a campaign to launch. The timeline is filled with spots where new information on the game is revealed. Whether it's a website exclusive article talking about RtWM, or a new trailer, it's all on there. The issue I see you guys having, is that you still don't understand that this exists. Sometimes, when I see the failure to understand this pretty simplistic concept that's a staple of our industry, I think of the seagulls in Finding Nemo who don't listen and learn, but just shout "MINE, MINE, MINE," or in this case, "INFO, INFO, INFO."
We want to give you the information, we just can't right now and when we can, you'll forget about this moment because you got what you were looking for -- INFO. Please understand this difference.
Surveys Weren't for Nothing
Do you remember those surveys we frequently put out last year? Ok, now do you remember some of you saying that "they probably won't do anything with this?" Well, I think you're seeing that we took them very seriously. They helped us with our prioritization. We saw point blank that gameplay was the biggest issue for you guys, and in even more detail than that. That was much more concrete than going to random message boards to look at what one or two (or 20) people wanted. This way, we got a huge sample size and some great feedback.
In closing, I'll say this until I'm blue in the face -- we're here for you. Without you, we wouldn't have this game, so we're trying very hard to get you on board with helping us so that you'll understand what it takes to not only make a game, but do it every year. Expectations are set by YOU, not us. We want you to buy our game, yes, but we're not going to "sell" you on it. The purchasing decision is yours, and we wont force you. But we will prove it to you, and we have till 11/22 to do it.
The burden is on us, not you. Let us PROVE IT!
Oh yeah, I can't wait for the "Why don't you keep working on the actual game instead of typing novels" comment. No win situation, but I love it!
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