Quote:
Originally Posted by dore
They already have those games, just they're more like Stepmania than RB (as in free games, community driven). But there's no mass appeal to something that complex so why would a game developer in their right mind try to be so "innovative?"
|
I've never heard of a game such as this which has the kind of community backing that Stepmania does, that has members who are easily recognized as worthwhile "step" chart writers, and at the same time, picking EXACTLY the kind of music I want to play.
Rock Band, on the other hand has quality charts (that is, not bull**** to make it harder like Guitar Hero), and my favorite songlist of ANY music game I've ever played. The only way it could be better would be if they had full albums of my favorite bands, and if they follow down the path they're on, they very easily could end up doing just that (and actually, at least one album on my list is definitely on the way).
I guess what I'm trying to say is that community driven games about rock-centered music will never be as
good as the Stepmania community at delivering what the target player (i.e., me) would want. If I were to guess, I'd say that a freeware game like Rock Band would have no driving force (like Arch was in the early days with the Keyboard Megapack, which was a major catalyst), and 99% of the songs available would be ****ty duplicated songs. Imagine a Stepmania where 99% of the charts available are the same 5 songs, and all of them are ****. That would be how this community driven thing would work for Rock Band.
Actually, ****. I just realized that 99% of the charts available for Stepmania are ****ty duplicates. But the difference here is that: the Stempaniers are a tight knit group, and despite the lack of an absolute central source, there still is a center to it. There are chart creators who are recognized and known to make worthwhile charts, even if 99.999% of people making charts are chimps with down syndrome. That very idea is why Rock Band wouldn't work the same way Stepmania does: Rock music is a LOT harder to get right. Just look at Stepmania. Plenty of folks who play Stepmania listen to and enjoy rock music, but because the style doesn't lend itself to easy stepping, it's typically avoided by people who actually know what they're doing.
Quote:
|
I think eventually it will come to that point, but through gradual e-peen wars between developers ("our drumset's the biggest har har har). Right now, the market just isn't ready for something like that.
|
Well, if you think of it that way, then why would Rock Band have taken the initial step backwards? Why didn't they just copy what DrumMania was doing and throw in a second foot pedal?
ps seriously, how feasible is it of me to desire a full 88-key keyboard controller for Rock Band 2? I can't even begin to imagine how it would scroll, aside from possibly showing a for-reals staff with "sheet" scrolling from right to left like the lyrics do.