Comments on: Three Moves Ahead Episode 21 — Soren Johnson and the state of the genre http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2009/07/14/three-moves-ahead-episode-21-soren-johnson-and-the-state-of-the-genre/ The Best Strategy Game Blog in My House Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:15:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Is 2010 The Year of Strategy Gaming? http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2009/07/14/three-moves-ahead-episode-21-soren-johnson-and-the-state-of-the-genre/comment-page-1/#comment-229529 Is 2010 The Year of Strategy Gaming? Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:24:10 +0000 http://flashofsteel.com/?p=1626#comment-229529 [...] But what if sales are underwhelming? What happens to Gas Powered Games’ Kings and Castles if Supreme Commander 2 doesn’t perform up to expectations? The Command & Conquer team was already gutted by EA, so I think that that publisher needs big numbers to justify a presence in the genre. Yes, Stardock and Ironclad have shown that you can make a great strategy game or two without sinking millions and millions of dollars into it, but there is a AAA mentality that assumes you need AAA budgets for AAA publishers. (Soren Johnson talked a little about this in his podcast appearance.) [...] [...] But what if sales are underwhelming? What happens to Gas Powered Games’ Kings and Castles if Supreme Commander 2 doesn’t perform up to expectations? The Command & Conquer team was already gutted by EA, so I think that that publisher needs big numbers to justify a presence in the genre. Yes, Stardock and Ironclad have shown that you can make a great strategy game or two without sinking millions and millions of dollars into it, but there is a AAA mentality that assumes you need AAA budgets for AAA publishers. (Soren Johnson talked a little about this in his podcast appearance.) [...]

]]> By: Alan Au http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2009/07/14/three-moves-ahead-episode-21-soren-johnson-and-the-state-of-the-genre/comment-page-1/#comment-219933 Alan Au Thu, 27 Aug 2009 06:29:15 +0000 http://flashofsteel.com/?p=1626#comment-219933 Panzer General? I suspect Tom was thinking of the old Genesis RTS game Herzog Zwei. Panzer General? I suspect Tom was thinking of the old Genesis RTS game Herzog Zwei.

]]> By: Ralph Lee http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2009/07/14/three-moves-ahead-episode-21-soren-johnson-and-the-state-of-the-genre/comment-page-1/#comment-217730 Ralph Lee Fri, 17 Jul 2009 07:23:10 +0000 http://flashofsteel.com/?p=1626#comment-217730 Loved the illustrious guest. The discussions about the future of strategy games was interesting, though I wish you guys talked a bit more about the limitations of the "web" platform. Hope Soren comes on again soon. You guys mentioned briefly that the next episode is about sports management games--I'm really looking forward to it. I've been playing Franchise mode of Madden since 2001 (yes, I'm part of the problem, I buy every year's NCAA and Madden release), and I've been playing Sports Interactive's soccer management games since Championship Manager 01/02 (They're now on Football Manager / WWSM 09). Hopefully this time you guys will get around to playing the games or at least learning about them beforehand so you don't have a League of Legends/Heroes of Newerth gaffe again :) PS: I didn't realize Tom was such a luddite! Loved the illustrious guest. The discussions about the future of strategy games was interesting, though I wish you guys talked a bit more about the limitations of the “web” platform. Hope Soren comes on again soon.

You guys mentioned briefly that the next episode is about sports management games–I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve been playing Franchise mode of Madden since 2001 (yes, I’m part of the problem, I buy every year’s NCAA and Madden release), and I’ve been playing Sports Interactive’s soccer management games since Championship Manager 01/02 (They’re now on Football Manager / WWSM 09). Hopefully this time you guys will get around to playing the games or at least learning about them beforehand so you don’t have a League of Legends/Heroes of Newerth gaffe again :)

PS: I didn’t realize Tom was such a luddite!

]]> By: Scott R. Krol http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2009/07/14/three-moves-ahead-episode-21-soren-johnson-and-the-state-of-the-genre/comment-page-1/#comment-217711 Scott R. Krol Fri, 17 Jul 2009 01:12:43 +0000 http://flashofsteel.com/?p=1626#comment-217711 That cat in the background made me think one of my cats was crying someplace. That's the first I've ever heard anyone say that Panzer General originated in Japan. I think maybe the confusion is either (a) it also came out on the Playstation and 3DO and since Japanese developers dominated the PS the assumption was it came from the land of the Rising Sun or (b) there are several console games with Panzer in their title and the confusion is a mix up with another game. But no, Panzer General was an internal SSI design. That cat in the background made me think one of my cats was crying someplace.

That’s the first I’ve ever heard anyone say that Panzer General originated in Japan. I think maybe the confusion is either (a) it also came out on the Playstation and 3DO and since Japanese developers dominated the PS the assumption was it came from the land of the Rising Sun or (b) there are several console games with Panzer in their title and the confusion is a mix up with another game. But no, Panzer General was an internal SSI design.

]]> By: Michael A. http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2009/07/14/three-moves-ahead-episode-21-soren-johnson-and-the-state-of-the-genre/comment-page-1/#comment-217671 Michael A. Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:53:03 +0000 http://flashofsteel.com/?p=1626#comment-217671 Hmm... Iphone may be the hotness at the moment, but I think within a year or two, the "Google Phones" (running Android) are going to dwarf the Iphone as the platform for mobile gaming, for so many reasons: - Support from multiple vendors vs one vendor = better hardware for lower prices. You can also buy Android phones without idiotic user-locking agreements (did I mention how much I hate those). - Open vs proprietary closed technology = you can do stuff with Android that Apple won't allow you to do on iPhone. Most importantly, you don't need a Mac to develop for Android. - Android programs are Java programs. That makes it very easy to port software from pretty much any platform to the phone (the big hurdle, as always, being the UI). It also means that you have tons and tons of on-line game developers (whose games are usually Java), with the skill set to develop games for the phone right away. It's still early days for the Android phones, but IMO there is no question that the user base for Android is going to outstrip iPhone in 1-2 years, and where the user base goes, the programmers (and the games) will follow. Hmm… Iphone may be the hotness at the moment, but I think within a year or two, the “Google Phones” (running Android) are going to dwarf the Iphone as the platform for mobile gaming, for so many reasons:

- Support from multiple vendors vs one vendor = better hardware for lower prices. You can also buy Android phones without idiotic user-locking agreements (did I mention how much I hate those).

- Open vs proprietary closed technology = you can do stuff with Android that Apple won’t allow you to do on iPhone. Most importantly, you don’t need a Mac to develop for Android.

- Android programs are Java programs. That makes it very easy to port software from pretty much any platform to the phone (the big hurdle, as always, being the UI). It also means that you have tons and tons of on-line game developers (whose games are usually Java), with the skill set to develop games for the phone right away.

It’s still early days for the Android phones, but IMO there is no question that the user base for Android is going to outstrip iPhone in 1-2 years, and where the user base goes, the programmers (and the games) will follow.

]]> By: spelk http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2009/07/14/three-moves-ahead-episode-21-soren-johnson-and-the-state-of-the-genre/comment-page-1/#comment-217640 spelk Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:46:19 +0000 http://flashofsteel.com/?p=1626#comment-217640 @Swiftranger thanks for clearing that up, I guess Savage 2 must have done well enough for them to be able to carry on with the Newerth franchise into Facebook. I was a massive Savage fan when it hit, and I guess my knee jerk reaction was to pipe up about it when I heard Tom mention Newerth. @Swiftranger thanks for clearing that up, I guess Savage 2 must have done well enough for them to be able to carry on with the Newerth franchise into Facebook. I was a massive Savage fan when it hit, and I guess my knee jerk reaction was to pipe up about it when I heard Tom mention Newerth.

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