tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post1669926905785388587..comments2023-05-20T12:08:52.031+02:00Comments on In The Games Of Madness: One Month after Amnesia's releaseFrictional Gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00278352641328669040noreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-41939026106076919722012-01-17T09:32:47.421+01:002012-01-17T09:32:47.421+01:00First of all, terrific job on Amnesia!
I didn'...First of all, terrific job on Amnesia!<br />I didn't get round to buying Penumbra but I got Amnesia full-price on Steam after trying the demo. Sadly, I can hardly play it at all just because I can't handle the horror. Still, awesome game!<br />Next step for you guys is making something a la Dead Space but with less shooting. You've done contemporary and fantasy/middle ages, now go for a futuristic design! :DCurratumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01096713860194686438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-62770425285580948042011-01-10T00:49:29.991+01:002011-01-10T00:49:29.991+01:00Congratulations on making this masterpiece!
Fricti...Congratulations on making this masterpiece!<br />Frictional games is for gamers what H.P.Lovecraft is for readers!<br />I'm sorry to say this, but I did not buy the game (yet). The 20$ are quite much for the average salary in my country, and I also don't have my own salary... We can't even afford basic software here! Piracy is essential for us.<br />However, while I am aware that major companies do not need complete support, indie companies such as Frictional Games need as much support as they can get. I am saving up to buy the game, but I would much prefer to donate the money directly to the company.<br />Long live Frictional Games!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-69006555452631694402011-01-04T05:21:02.267+01:002011-01-04T05:21:02.267+01:00This is a much older topic now, so I'm not sur...This is a much older topic now, so I'm not sure if you even check the comments here, but I am glad that Amnesia went above and beyond your expectations in the first month, I can only assume after sitting at #1 on sales for 3 days on steam (even at a steeply discounted price) certainly didn't hurt, yet there's one thing in this post that disturbs me.<br /><br />First you compare yourself to minecraft in terms of sales simply due to advertising and budget basically. But it's like comparing apples and oranges, these are two very different games, in two very different genres, with one big difference, there is basically no other game like minecraft. It is it's own category of a legostyle adventure where the entire point is shaping the world to your liking one block at a time. Amnesia is a horror game, and up against a lot of other popular titles in the same genre. Even with the publicity you've gained, it's bad to count out competition as a factor.<br /><br />The closest thing to minecraft I could think of would maybe be a sim game, but even those don't hit home. The absolute closest competition I could come up with would of course be Legos, but they're not a video game so I'm not sure how much competition they have there. Whereas if I go look up horror games, or even midieval style horror games, I could come up with 5-10 off the top of my head.<br /><br />That's not to say I don't think Piracy is a part of it, with Notch's forced log-in system I'm certain he gets less piracy, but any kind of active DRM like that would not fit with the style of game Amnesia is. But again, I have to say that Notch cornered a market, whereas you made a name in alright rather shrunken market, with many horror games now going action-horror to hit a broader audience due to low sales numbers. Correlation does not necessarily equal causation. Blaming is easy and all but impossible to disprove, but logic tells me I can't believe that is the entire or even the majority of the story here.<br /><br />There's also the matter of how you were advertised, I heard from minecraft on youtube with videos with 200k+ views, other than the site (as I loved you guys after the Penumbra tech demo of flying fishthing) the first place I saw amnesia on was the escapist, with yahtzee half praising it half tearing it down. But that's neither here nor there really, just another slightly different perspective on where I think the difference may be.<br /><br />Just remember, sooooo many game companies are quick to point the finger at piracy, and not look at all the factors. Don't fall into that trap too. Piracy is bad, and Piracy exists, and I'm sure it hurt your sales, and that does make me sad, but...I think game companies greatly overestimate it's true market value.Hollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05917389479158565346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-61697545250442558592010-12-31T01:15:13.767+01:002010-12-31T01:15:13.767+01:00What I would like to see from you is a more light-...What I would like to see from you is a more light-hearted game. What I have in mind is a murder mystery. A rich old man's only daughter is getting married, but he suspects he fiancée is up to no good. He hires you to come to his mansion and investigate the fiancée's true identity and intentions, but shortly after you arrive the old man dies, seemingly of an accident or natural causes. Now you need to not only investigate the fiancée, but also catch a killer. Put in some plot twists, a gunfight in the greenhouse, and a surprise ending, build it off the gameplay on Amnesia, and you have what I want to play. But make it a real murder mystery where the player is the investigator, not just someone going through the motions while the protagonist character solves the mystery for you if you succeed in getting through all the levels. Perhaps allow for multiple scenarios and solutions with some randomized elements so that it would be difficult to solve the game by past experience or using a walkthrough. It should be done so that even though there may only be say, 4 different scenarios, due to randomization the player would have to think in order to uncover the truth for at least the first few play-throughs.<br /><br />I'm sure you will just do the usual super-scary horror thingy you always do, but I really wish you would try something different. Perhaps think of it as having "primary titles" and "secondary titles", where the secondary titles are games that exist to satisfy people like me (meaning those who like your games, but can't handle the fear) and to finance the primary titles, which are the games you really want to do. As far as I'm concerned, it's OK for a secondary title to be nothing more than a mod that was released as a standalone game, so just reuse the assets from Amnesia.<br /><br />Oh, well. At least I can dream.ymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10839758776973265558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-76829837497515469882010-12-25T00:50:11.290+01:002010-12-25T00:50:11.290+01:00Hi Frictional,
I would like to say that Amnesia is...Hi Frictional,<br />I would like to say that Amnesia is "FAR MORE BETTER then my THE-MOST-HORROR-GAME-I-HAVE-EVER-PLAYED" Clive barker's Undying. the atmosphere is hilarous, I can't play it at night :-D Wanna say that you really deserve money we all spent. Be sure that I'm gonna recommend this game to all my friends and IF someone pirate this game, I'll put curse on them (Call Shadow :-).. <br />Please continue in your good work, Iˇm looking forward to see more games from you.. (hey, do new horror game, you are asolutely fantastic in this ;-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-31866202312856113182010-12-11T02:42:55.434+01:002010-12-11T02:42:55.434+01:00I think your game will be a bit of a slow burner. ...I think your game will be a bit of a slow burner. I heard about it yesterday and checked some reviews and thought it looked good. Checked on steam and saw it for half price. Have had a little go and instantly thought of half a dozen other people that would enjoy that style of gameplay who i will recommend it to. I think you will enjoy steady sales for quite a while yetAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-75069521588257891632010-12-10T21:14:06.842+01:002010-12-10T21:14:06.842+01:00I have not bought Amnesia, but I have not download...I have not bought Amnesia, but I have not downloaded it either. Usually I do one or the other, but this time I felt it would have been wrong.<br /><br />Developers like you guys are always worth supporting (I'm still considering buying Amnesia), but the genre Amnesia represents is just not my cup of tea. Even if I want to support you I don't want to do it for the sole purpose of supporting you.<br /><br />I think a lot of people feel this way. Survival horror is just not a genre that a lot of people are into, especially if it's as well done as this, as crazy as it may sound (I loved the first 3 Resident Evils, but they were hardly scary). That being the case you can't really expect to make millions out of the games. Same thing applies to music: If you make a deathmetal/reggae record you wont sell as much as the guy who made a pop record.<br /><br />That doesn't mean you should stop making games like these. This game probably gave you a boost in reputation, which automatically means you're in a place lot better considering the next game (I've been a PC gamer for like 20 years and I had never heard of the Penumbra games).<br /><br />What you should do I think is consider just using the same engine for instance. Graphics don't really matter to real gamers, who I presume represent 98% of your customer base. Atmosphere, art direction, plot etc. You know, just create a new environment, a new story, new puzzles and you're good to go. Of course I know very little about the game developing business, so take my words for what they're worth -- 2 cents.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-12597405078435031502010-12-10T09:27:46.730+01:002010-12-10T09:27:46.730+01:00Hey I just wanted to say I bought your game and St...Hey I just wanted to say I bought your game and Steam sales was a big part of that.<br /><br />Can't wait to start playing!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-25041303089112950082010-11-22T00:36:10.223+01:002010-11-22T00:36:10.223+01:00Thank you for this pure survival-horror experience...Thank you for this pure survival-horror experience.I can't even imagine what this brilliant team would create with a better budget....I hope you eventually overcome your problems and give us another great(or better) game....Just try to be more creative on the gameplay part because amnesia's gameplay has many core similarities with the Penumbra series.Which is not a bad thing...but I think it can be further evolved....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-39539038513170416482010-11-20T23:00:09.926+01:002010-11-20T23:00:09.926+01:00what is the next game u guys are working on?what is the next game u guys are working on?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-82038195514488507622010-11-11T17:31:19.971+01:002010-11-11T17:31:19.971+01:00I had been planning to buy Amnesia for a while and...I had been planning to buy Amnesia for a while and finally got it from Steam. The game is great (I can only play in half an hour bursts or slightly more) and I hope there's still a lot left!<br /><br />I'm sorry to hear about the sales but at least you covered your costs. You have to keep in mind that Minecraft might have been a one-off success..look at how many similar games might have failed miserably. Also, such a game would be unlikely to create customer loyalty. On the other hand, you have created a following for your work which is something priceless in the industry (in my opinion).<br /><br />Good luck for your next project! Looking forward to it!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-75904007857060545652010-11-04T04:52:33.514+01:002010-11-04T04:52:33.514+01:00Indie developers always screw this up - you have a...Indie developers always screw this up - you have a captive audience of Amnesia fans, use it! Take a few members of your team and create a DLC expansion while you're gearing up for your next project. It costs less to develop than an entirely new game and brings in more ongoing revenue, extending the life of your game (and studio).<br /><br />You don't make a great piece of intellectual property and then just abandon it because you want to work on something new!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-78735803743222332672010-11-03T23:34:34.073+01:002010-11-03T23:34:34.073+01:00If Amnesia was a rushed game, then I can't wai...If Amnesia was a rushed game, then I can't wait what will you make if you take your time!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-51927560562888616532010-11-01T22:29:17.156+01:002010-11-01T22:29:17.156+01:00A bit late to the party here, but I bought the gam...A bit late to the party here, but I bought the game a couple days ago, though I waited til last night to start it. I had intended to play it in one sitting because it was short, but I'm not going to lie, after the fifth or so monster encounter (about 2/3 of the way through the game, possibly more), I couldn't take anymore and gave up for the night, ha ha.<br /><br />Just finished it today. It is a short game. It has very little replay value. But man oh man, I have never been this scared by a game. You guys have made possible the scariest game I've ever played in my life. I'm definitely recommending this game to everyone I meet, and I plan on picking up Penumbra pretty soon. I look forward to what you guys come up with next!<br /><br />Thank you for making this game!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-22499818632870291172010-11-01T09:24:47.197+01:002010-11-01T09:24:47.197+01:00I agree with the above... I would really wish to p...I agree with the above... I would really wish to play this on the console, especially using the move on ps3 :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-59593537235273695832010-10-31T04:15:06.384+01:002010-10-31T04:15:06.384+01:00You guys are very talented developers. I can't...You guys are very talented developers. I can't wait until you guys make bigger games!<br /><br />P.S. Have you thought about converting some of your games to XBL and PSN? <br /><br />Console gamers are big on FPS games at the moment so I think it would be a great idea... :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-30229353193694368852010-10-27T01:17:08.008+02:002010-10-27T01:17:08.008+02:00Thomas, I would like to speak with you about some ...Thomas, I would like to speak with you about some opportunities, and a chance to make games with a lot of talented people. You can email me at eo_pipes@msn.com. We can take it from there.<br /><br />JMHAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-38972528320536877822010-10-26T20:01:51.282+02:002010-10-26T20:01:51.282+02:00The reason I didn't buy:
What a wonderful, in...The reason I didn't buy:<br /><br />What a wonderful, insightful post, just flat out interesting stuff here.<br /><br />There is one reason that I didn't buy your game after trying the demo on mac steam: It was too scary. I don't mean that as praise or criticism in particular, just an observation that some of the scary story-telling you experimented with, really seems to have paid off, but this game, looks like a niche game to real scare-addicts (unlike me).Lasse Skolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06309585369424101551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-13099922741578110372010-10-26T17:38:51.377+02:002010-10-26T17:38:51.377+02:00Got the game off of Steam and loved it. One of th...Got the game off of Steam and loved it. One of the most memorable and unique games I've ever played. I plan on buying the penumbra series soon.<br /><br />RE: Sales, I see Amnesia as an "adventure" game. I know it's very different than your traditional adventure game, but I still think it appeals to the same niche demographic that adventure games appeal to. Given this, I don't think it will ever be a huge seller. But most great art never sells well. I know that's little consolation when one needs to eat and pay bills, but it's how things have always been,<br /><br />I actually think it's a good idea to look at developing cross platforms, just please don't abandon the PC!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-47656468400658568352010-10-26T15:28:11.716+02:002010-10-26T15:28:11.716+02:00Hi Frictional,
I bought and played through Amnesi...Hi Frictional,<br /><br />I bought and played through Amnesia via steam, and enjoyed it. I did my best to convince friends to play it as well, they've been looking for horror games done right. :)<br /><br />On the subject of piracy, a business model that has been effective in reducing it is what Valve and Blizzard have been moving toward: "games as a service" rather than a product. You glossed on this idea a little in your blog post when you mentioned minecraft requiring a constant server connection. If you look at Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead, and StarCraft 2, those games all require server authentication and players expect future content to be released. Valve has been really good at offering interesting content at no additional cost to users which keeps sales going.<br /><br />This in turn drives down piracy because hacking around server authentication is harder, and if they disable it in some way that usually means they're not getting future content. This makes the pirated option much less attractive.<br /><br />Of course, for horror games meant for single player experiences, the games as a service model is very difficult to integrate. Certainly you've considered episodic content? Maybe telling the same story but through different characters? <br /><br />Have you seen what Demons' Souls on the PS3 did with multiplayer? It's definitely not a horror game like you folks put together but I could see the game mechanics with other players crossing over to make a compelling experience.Zyzyxhttp://www.brolem.net/brolem/blog/1noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-14545134817196782402010-10-26T12:01:49.158+02:002010-10-26T12:01:49.158+02:00I'd like to say thank you for the great game! ...I'd like to say thank you for the great game! I saw it on Steam, and although I'd never heard of Frictional or any of their games, you can see the quality in the gameplay video. I bought it right away and I don't think my ass has been unpuckered since. Once I finish playing it, I'm sure I'll go buy Penumbra as well. These kinds of gameplay experiences are a rare and beautiful thing.<br /><br />I'd also have to say that ANY comparisons with something like Minecraft is just a plain old bad idea. Even though both devs may be small, the products are so different, and so is the target customer. You'd get more useful numbers from someone like Bethesda, who also only makes niche products, and who ended up outlasting the crazy FPS fads to find success. I hope you guys follow a similar course, and let the vision and quality of what you do, as well as the uniqueness of what you do differently build up your numbers the right way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-68101256214197281692010-10-26T04:49:17.038+02:002010-10-26T04:49:17.038+02:00I had originally torrented this game, and was plan...I had originally torrented this game, and was planning to buy it at a later date; rejoice in knowing this blog made me decide to for real ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-211135116210494522010-10-24T12:20:58.033+02:002010-10-24T12:20:58.033+02:00I bought the game after I read about it in PC Game...I bought the game after I read about it in PC Gamer, Minecraft got boring after a few weeks, and I have to wait for the update. So its nice to play something completely different.<br /><br />I only played it for about 30 minutes, but the atmosphere is really intense. I'm waiting for it to get dark again so I can play in a completely dark room.<br />I have some high quality headphones for full effect.<br /><br />I Bought it on impulse driven (Cause I wanted to see how different it was from steam, I did like the simple interface).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-48837530186501357532010-10-24T00:43:01.787+02:002010-10-24T00:43:01.787+02:00I bought Amnesia this weekend after seeing an ad f...I bought Amnesia this weekend after seeing an ad for it in the Steam Store. <br /><br />After reading the advertisement, I read the reviews on Metacritic. (I read user reviews more than professional reviews). Impressed, I bought the game on Steam right away. <br /><br />I would've paid 60 dollars for your game. 20 is a bit low in my opinion. Amnesia (in my opinion) surpasses games on a AAA budget. It has substance, it had suspense, it has a compelling story.<br /><br />You just made a life long fan out of me. I will buy any game you guys put forth. Frankly, I humbly consider your company a new gaming revolution for horror story-telling.<br /><br />Keep up the excellent work. Superb, Superb, Superb!<br /><br />Sincerely, <br /><br />Clay Davis<br />www.RYAMATSU.com<br />video game composerRyamatsuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09164575140993839032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9193968969153274146.post-74694035611833736562010-10-22T09:39:48.746+02:002010-10-22T09:39:48.746+02:00I'm happy your game is selling. I would buy it...I'm happy your game is selling. I would buy it, but scary games just don't work with me. Good luck guys.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com