Have you ever played Hero Academy?

[Anyr]

(08-10-2012 12:46 AM)GreatGonzales Wrote:  

(08-09-2012 01:08 PM)worldfamous Wrote:  OK, no one in these forums can honestly tell me that, after playing the new Team Fortress 2 puzzle game on Hero Academy, they are still not interested in playing. I took a break from HA, but I'm really excited now. Dem's some fun toons to play with! Pretty lame that they delayed the release for a week though.

You know, it's funny since I used to be one of the most active Hero Academy players out there...I'm just not super excited about the team fortress team. Part of it is that I'm into Outwitters right now, and part of it is that Hero Academy has been out for a long time and has become somewhat stale to me. But also I just do not appreciate that they deviated from their normal fantasy setting and made what I perceive to be a sell-out move in making TA the next team. How many awesome team ideas did we come up with on the forum? Dozens. And they went with...team fortress 2? Come on.

That said, the TA team's mechanics do look deliciously complex and different, and I will very probably end up purchasing the team. But no, I'm not super excited about it.

Though obviously this is a subjective matter, I don't consider something a 'sell-out' unless it hurts the game/playerbase for the sake of material gain. By choosing Team Fortress as the skin for its new team, Robot doesn't seem to have harmed either of those things; Quite the opposite, in fact. Association with such a high profile franchise will probably draw in plenty of new players who'd otherwise never have touched Hero Academy, while depriving the existing players of nothing. And as you yourself pointed out, the mechanics for the new team look excellent, so they clearly haven't cut any corners there. The flavour, of course, is a matter of taste; Some will like it, and some won't, just like always. But I'd be willing to wager that more people will be pleased at being able to play these iconic, renowned characters in Hero Academy, than will be upset that a forum suggestion wasn't used instead.

[GreatGonzales]

(08-10-2012 02:01 AM)Anyr Wrote:  Though obviously this is a subjective matter, I don't consider something a 'sell-out' unless it hurts the game/playerbase for the sake of material gain. By choosing Team Fortress as the skin for its new team, Robot doesn't seem to have harmed either of those things; Quite the opposite, in fact. Association with such a high profile franchise will probably draw in plenty of new players who'd otherwise never have touched Hero Academy, while depriving the existing players of nothing. And as you yourself pointed out, the mechanics for the new team look excellent, so they clearly haven't cut any corners there. The flavour, of course, is a matter of taste; Some will like it, and some won't, just like always. But I'd be willing to wager that more people will be pleased at being able to play these iconic, renowned characters in Hero Academy, than will be upset that a forum suggestion wasn't used instead.

I agree that this move does not hurt the playerbase - indeed, steam users will greatly increase and improve it - but I do think that this new team hurts the game. They have contaminated the purity of its vision. I don't think they needed to use a forum suggestion, I mentioned that as a means of illustrating how TF2 is, to a slight extent, a betrayal of the game's hardcore community, and of the fact that there were a million better team ideas at their disposal than TF2. The game is called "Hero Academy" and it has a fantasy setting with fantasy characters, and now there will be large men with machine guns fighting elves. I don't like that. But as you said, this is my subjective opinion.

[Anyr]

(08-10-2012 02:13 AM)GreatGonzales Wrote:  ...The game is called "Hero Academy" and it has a fantasy setting with fantasy characters, and now there will be large men with machine guns fighting elves....

As opposed to the small men with machine guns (not to mention grenades and rocket launchers) that fight them already? Just kidding. I know that that has nothing to do with your main point.

For my part, I've always seen Hero Academy as a game with its tongue firmly planted in cheek. Its attitude feels quite similar to...well...Team Fortress. TF2 has its own 'default flavour' too, about modern day mercenaries with advanced weaponry, battling for control of various sprawling facilities; But that doesn't stop the developers from adding a sword which devours people's souls if the fancy takes them. The setting's cartoony nature makes such additions work, because none of it is meant to be taken seriously. Hero Academy feels the same way to me.

[GreatGonzales]

Perhaps I would feel differently if I was a TF2 fan, but alas, I have never played the game. I should give it a try I guess...I do own the Orange Box.

[Anyr]

(08-10-2012 03:38 AM)GreatGonzales Wrote:  Perhaps I would feel differently if I was a TF2 fan, but alas, I have never played the game. I should give it a try I guess...I do own the Orange Box.

If you're just looking to get a taste of its flavour, then visiting the website should suffice. The movies and comics on there convey the game's spirit very well.

[Eijolend]

I played a lot of HA, but reduced it to a few games since Outwitters is out. Personally I'm not too happy about the TF2 team. It feels like a marketing decision rather than a design choice.

[worldfamous]

(08-10-2012 02:13 AM)GreatGonzales Wrote:  

(08-10-2012 02:01 AM)Anyr Wrote:  Though obviously this is a subjective matter, I don't consider something a 'sell-out' unless it hurts the game/playerbase for the sake of material gain. By choosing Team Fortress as the skin for its new team, Robot doesn't seem to have harmed either of those things; Quite the opposite, in fact. Association with such a high profile franchise will probably draw in plenty of new players who'd otherwise never have touched Hero Academy, while depriving the existing players of nothing. And as you yourself pointed out, the mechanics for the new team look excellent, so they clearly haven't cut any corners there. The flavour, of course, is a matter of taste; Some will like it, and some won't, just like always. But I'd be willing to wager that more people will be pleased at being able to play these iconic, renowned characters in Hero Academy, than will be upset that a forum suggestion wasn't used instead.

I agree that this move does not hurt the playerbase - indeed, steam users will greatly increase and improve it - but I do think that this new team hurts the game. They have contaminated the purity of its vision. I don't think they needed to use a forum suggestion, I mentioned that as a means of illustrating how TF2 is, to a slight extent, a betrayal of the game's hardcore community, and of the fact that there were a million better team ideas at their disposal than TF2. The game is called "Hero Academy" and it has a fantasy setting with fantasy characters, and now there will be large men with machine guns fighting elves. I don't like that. But as you said, this is my subjective opinion.

Can't "fantasy" have a broader definition? I certainly don't think there are any invisible men or medics with guns that shoot green waves at their allies in order to boost fire power in the real world. If it's fun and balanced, I don't see how it hurts the game. With so many different units, they must have had a heck of a time balancing that team.

[wonderpug]

"Fantasy" and "fictional" don't have the same connotations. It wouldn't mesh well to see a giant Russian with a minigun appearing in Lord of the Rings, but none of the other teams' characters would be that out of place.

I'm excited to see the increased attention and support the Valve partnership could bring, but I also would have rather seen the game stick to just adding fantasy teams. Robot Entertainment would have been stupid to say no to the opportunity, though.

Personally, I'll be happy as long as the team is fun just on its own merits (and balanced), but I can certainly see where GG is coming from.

[worldfamous]

(08-10-2012 09:18 PM)wonderpug Wrote:  "Fantasy" and "fictional" don't have the same connotations. It wouldn't mesh well to see a giant Russian with a minigun appearing in Lord of the Rings, but none of the other teams' characters would be that out of place.

I'm excited to see the increased attention and support the Valve partnership could bring, but I also would have rather seen the game stick to just adding fantasy teams. Robot Entertainment would have been stupid to say no to the opportunity, though.

Personally, I'll be happy as long as the team is fun just on its own merits (and balanced), but I can certainly see where GG is coming from.

Gandalf could've used a good Russian with a minigun while fighting off the orcs. . Funny just thinking about that. Well, now that they've blown the fantasy door down, they might as well partner with Lucas Films and make Light and Dark Star Wars teams. You know you want to see that. Just think of the possibilities.

[nivra0]

(08-07-2012 12:16 AM)Kamikaze28 Wrote:  Once the immediate moles in Outwitters have been whacked there is the possibility of adding some kind of notes feature, maybe?

+1. If you could have some of the notes tied to hexes, that would be even better. It would help tremendously for communicating in 2v2's, as well.

+2. If you could have the notes repeated in the replay feature, you could create tutorials and commented replay files for instructional purposes.