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Hertston -> (9/29/2003 1:18:39 AM)
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Matrix deals in a specialist market, albeit one people feel very passionately about. But sales of even a particularly successful wargame, like Uncommon Valor, are peanuts compared to the more mainstream RTS and FPS games. Anything they can do to cut costs will be done, and as long as the core product remains of sufficient quality I can go with that. I'd rather have Matrix in business and producing games without the frills rather than go under trying to compete with the likes of EA.
You see it in the products (rather than box and bumpf) too. Take something like Titans of Steel. A terrific game, but the graphics really are very dated if not actually "bad". But.. a flash 3D RTS style engine really isn't necessary, the graphics don't hinder gameplay and the costs of doing something significantly better would mean we'd probably never have seen the game at all. Graphs or not, it's a great game and well worth the money - something true of all Matrix products.
HPS (essentially a one-man-band) are another company producing "full price" wargames that in that respect are far "worse" than Matrix. But, again, Tiller churns out (and that is the right phrase in his case :D ) very good wargames again usually worth the money - at least if don't already have two or more in the same series.
Wargamers have a great deal these days IMHO compared with a few years ago, when computer wargaming almost died a death. HPS, Shrapnel, Matrix and Battlefront (the last two becoming more mainstream with "box" releases) are all producing great games. You just have to accept that, as wargame sales are almost always small relative to the mainstream, some of the "froth" might have to go so they can still turn a profit.
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