Big Huge Games

[Nubclear]

BHG had so much potential, but it appears to be largely squandering it.

[DrSpike]

Maybe they never really had potential to start with..............

[Nubclear]

Brian Reynolds was so good with Civ2 and was a genius with SMACX, though.

[DrSpike]

But he immediately sold out to make RTS games because more people play them, so one could argue BHG never had any real potential.

[Protra3211]

Civ2 and SMAC are classic TBS games .Rise of Nations was ok as a RTS game but did not have as long a replay value as the other games had.
Would love to see Brian Reynolds buy out the Call to Power series to produce Call to Power 3.With his skill and name on the game it would be a another best seller.
Has been done many times with other titles which helps in sales as the game already comes with a fan base.

[flash9286]

Rise of Nations was a great game. I haven't heard anything really good about the sequel though.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by flash9286
Rise of Nations was a great game. I haven't heard anything really good about the sequel though.

Check out tom chick at Quarter to three, he thinks ROL is great. Apparently the real RTS genre wonks (?) find it has some really unique gameplay features, good balance, all that. Im NOT an RTS genre wonk, so I dont think it would appeal to me.

I do look forward to BHG getting back to TBS, or history, or something other than ROL.

[vovan]

Originally posted by lord of the mark
I do look forward to BHG getting back to TBS, or history, or something other than ROL.

Has there been any indication BHG might do a TBS?

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by vovan


Has there been any indication BHG might do a TBS?

Not that Ive heard. Its kinda hard to avoid the idea when its Brian Reynolds. OTOH Im sure there are other things hed like to try, and that MS thinks might work.

[Bkeela]

The TBS market is gagging for a space empire style game. I know there are fans of Galactic Civilization here, but the game just didn't appeal to me.

If Brian Reynolds put his SMAC expertise into such a game, I think it could be great.

As it stands, I'm still playing Master of Orion II to get my space civ fix.

[Blake]

Heheh I've started playing Master of Orion 1. I never played it before a couple of weeks ago. I think it really is better than MOO2.
Not better than Stars! tho... except I can't be bothered playing Stars! too much work.

[Addled Platypus]

Originally posted by lord of the mark



I do look forward to BHG getting back to TBS, or history, or something other than ROL.

just Like I was hoping with Avalon Hill

BHG could be heading down the same path ?

[DrSpike]

Originally posted by Bkeela
The TBS market is gagging for a space empire style game. I know there are fans of Galactic Civilization here, but the game just didn't appeal to me.

If Brian Reynolds put his SMAC expertise into such a game, I think it could be great.

BR knows all these things. He also knows the gagging TBS market is much smaller than other markets. He aint dumb.

[El_Cid]

Yeah i think part of the problem that TBS faces is that it has for the most part missed a whole generation of game players, so most of 'the kids' out there now playing games will never have even played one.

The current TBS demographic is an ageing one - which means they have jobs+other real life stuff to do around any playing of computer games they may still do.

So in that respect its a hard market to get your accountants enthusiastic about to green light the funding.

Still it is sad that in todays market, with it's production standards and larger mainstream saturation, I sit here next to my first generation pentium running Xcom. I don't even own RoN and am unlikely to ever want to. For me TBS will remain my favourite genre.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by DrSpike


BR knows all these things. He also knows the gagging TBS market is much smaller than other markets. He aint dumb.

Assuming he isnt about to design an MMORPG, or an FPS, or even an SP RPG, what does that leave? (I presume the skill set for a console game would be somewhat different than BHG has now) Basically RTS vs "Strat" (IE TBS plus hybrids like EU2 or TW, plus citybuilders and related sims) Granted the RTS market is a lot bigger, but isnt it also that much more crowded? RON and ROL had to go up against AOE3, War Hammer, Battle for ME, Company of Heroes, and I dont know what else. All of which affected their sales. And that at a time when Blizzard was NOT making another RTS, which made more room in the market. (Is Blizzard EVER going to make another RTS I wonder?)

Is it better to carve out a niche of RTS hardcore genre nerds, while leaving the meat and potatos of the RTS market to Ensemble and the others, or is it better to challenge Firaxis for the heart of the TBS market, or is it better to try a hybrid of some kind?