Did anybody else see....

[Mangar The Dark]

Did anybody watch that "X-Factor" show on the Discovery Channel a few days ago? It devoted an hour to showing the design process involved in making a game for the X-Box. I know this doesn't directly relate to AOD, but I kept thinking of AOD as I watched it. A large portion of the show focused on the development of "Crimson Skies 2." The design team had all these ideas that sounded great on paper. What's more, the cutscenes looked spectacular, and even the gameplay looked pretty nice. Then we got to see the playtesting phase, in which the production team brought in a bunch of outsiders to try the game and give their feedback. Overall, the response was lukewarm. While most people didn't hate the game, they weren't exactly thrilled with it. The designers were then forced to decide how to proceed. Finally, they reorganized their entire staff, brought in a new design team, and began completely reworking the game based on the suggestions from the play testers. Needless to say, the game faces a long delay, but ultimately, it should be a lot better than it would have been. I really wonder if AOD went through a similar process at any point, and if so, why did it turn out as poorly as most people say it did. In any case, it was an interesting show, and if you missed it, keep an eye out for a repeat airing. It definitely sheds some insight into what goes on behind the scenes.