Spore: A Failure?

[Silv Something]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8372603330420559198&ei=QBvNSN6FGoLOrgLDv-jXAg&q=Spore#

I would have loved to play that game...

You have no idea how many times I played that video. Heck, even my avatar is from a Spore fansite before Spore was released. Then it came out and the fansite died because the game was so much less than we'd hoped. Turned out waiting for the game was better than actually playing it.

 

[KungCheops]

You have no idea how many times I played that video. Heck, even my avatar is from a Spore fansite before Spore was released. Then it came out and the fansite died because the game was so much less than we'd hoped. Turned out waiting for the game was better than actually playing it.

I didn't wait for the game as long as you really hardcore guys did, I just bought the game a while after it was released. Now I found the video and was like, "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? This could have been a good game!? Oh man..."

Without even having seen this video I dreamed about actual skeletons (instead of a chain of lumps) and creatures that had to be somewhat realistic.

 

[KungCheops]

I agree they made it seem like it was going to be this great indepth game and it just felt like the Fable of the simulation world. It had a lot of bark but no bite.

We should sue them...

Moderator Action: Snippet about killing removed. That's not allowed, even if joking.

 

[Chieftess]

You have no idea how many times I played that video. Heck, even my avatar is from a Spore fansite before Spore was released. Then it came out and the fansite died because the game was so much less than we'd hoped. Turned out waiting for the game was better than actually playing it.

Probably the same website - one user (Hydromancerx) had all of these cool creature designs and stories behind them. The 'CivStage' version of his creatures (and the stories behind them) were really well done. More fun than the actual game!

I see the GS (besides the one support thread) doesn't have a post within the past 3 weeks.

 

[Pokurcz]

I bought Spore a few days ago, and I think I'm already over it. It would have succeeded more if EA made it appeal to EVERYBODY, not just the causal gamer.

I believe they suddenly decided to make a game for EVERYBODY, but their image of who everybody is, is a seven year old kid.

It looks alot like the gamedevelopers where sidestepped by the buisness men trying to duplicate the succes of sims, and in fact destroying what would have become a graeat game if they had let the people with talent and knowhow make the decisions.

This reminds me of the movie buisness with studio executives who are so obsessed by making a profit that they produce the usual hollywood easily digestable poo for a wide audience over and over again. Thinking out systems Like the abhorrent test audience that are shown the movie before it comes out and if they happen to be to dumb to "understand" the movie , the movie is dumbed down.

With mob rule, how does anyone expect art to develope to new heights?

But then the buisnesspeople do not see it as art but an other way to make money.

 

[Psyringe]

I believe they suddenly decided to make a game for EVERYBODY, but their image of who everybody is, is a seven year old kid.

It looks alot like the gamedevelopers where sidestepped by the buisness men trying to duplicate the succes of sims, and in fact destroying what would have become a graeat game if they had let the people with talent and knowhow make the decisions.

Nope, no business men necessary to water down the original concept. There were two camps among the developers already, "Science Camp" and "Cute Camp". Will Wright states that the end product struck a "nice balance" between the camps (see here), but basically the Cutes won. Why this happened is a matter of speculation, but personally I suspect that the Science Camp devs simply didn't find a way to make their grand design actually fun to play. The repeated delays in development, the changes of major game elements even in the late stages of development, and the hiring of Soren Johnson in a pretty late stage as well, are all pointers that the original design had (unfortunately) failed, and that the devs scrambled to make it work _somehow_. Concentrating on the Cute Camp was then the easiest way out since it allowed them to focus on looks and accessibility while simplifying the non-working gameplay.

That's just my personal theory of course, you'll find others in the Spore forums.

 

[Pokurcz]

I believe that a lot of people, including myself would have found the game thrilling if only the evolutionary stage would have been reasonably realistic.

 

[Rub'Rum]

Nope, no business men necessary to water down the original concept. There were two camps among the developers already, "Science Camp" and "Cute Camp". Will Wright states that the end product struck a "nice balance" between the camps (see here), but basically the Cutes won. Why this happened is a matter of speculation, but personally I suspect that the Science Camp devs simply didn't find a way to make their grand design actually fun to play. The repeated delays in development, the changes of major game elements even in the late stages of development, and the hiring of Soren Johnson in a pretty late stage as well, are all pointers that the original design had (unfortunately) failed, and that the devs scrambled to make it work _somehow_. Concentrating on the Cute Camp was then the easiest way out since it allowed them to focus on looks and accessibility while simplifying the non-working gameplay.

That's just my personal theory of course, you'll find others in the Spore forums.

Put like that, it's a likely theory. That being said, I'm not sure how they considered the "cute" version to be fun. It doesn't seem like much more interactivity and "fun" than the 2005 features video.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

Every time I look at that old Spore Video, I imagine that there will someday be a game worthy of that dream. Spore succeeded as a simple and usable creativity engine, but failed as an epic simulation of all life and civilization.

 

[NickTheNick]

I think I have just found something that will make all of your days!

Its the perfect alternative to Spore, something that Im really excited about. Its called Thrive. The game is free and open source, but is still under development. they are seeking new members, and it would be great if more people would join, because then we would finish the game sooner!

Thrive covers all the same stages as Spore, but goes into WAAY more depth for each one. Just search up Thrive the game on google, or check my signature for a link to their wiki.

Hope this helped!

 

[Angst]

Is it downloadable anywhere?

 

[3335d]

I think I have just found something that will make all of your days!

Its the perfect alternative to Spore, something that Im really excited about. Its called Thrive. The game is free and open source, but is still under development. they are seeking new members, and it would be great if more people would join, because then we would finish the game sooner!

Thrive covers all the same stages as Spore, but goes into WAAY more depth for each one. Just search up Thrive the game on google, or check my signature for a link to their wiki.

Hope this helped!

The game still exists? I thought the project folded long, long ago.

 

[NickTheNick]

The game still exists? I thought the project folded long, long ago.

Far from it my friend! Now this is not the end! It is not even the beginning of the end! But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning!

No but seriously its still alive and well. Ive just joined it recently, and Im getting some friends of mine to join too. You might have been thinking of Thrive's predecesor, Evolutions!, which is all but dead now.

Or it might have been Thrive itself, as it has some weeks with low activity and others with high.

@lord_joakim The game is still under development, but everyone is putting focus on the cellular stage, to release it first.

 

[salty mud]

Is this a mod for Spore or is it a completely new, standalone game?

 

[NickTheNick]

Is this a mod for Spore or is it a completely new, standalone game?

Its a completely new, standalone, indie game. You can even become a developer by simply going to the dev forums, signing up, and regularly contributing to the games development.

 

[Ondskan]

From the little I've read and seen about Thrive it seems like an interesting project. Is there any screenshots or like "conceptual art" out there?

 

[NickTheNick]

I'll try and find you a link, I'll edit this post once I do.

EDIT: Here it is.

http://www.moddb.com/games/thrive