harmonix, please change the world tour mode

[hardyfoster]

can you change the line in your program so a single player can play world tour mode ?

it would be very much appreciated. I don't understand why you'd make it where two people are required.

Either change it to where one person can do it, or make it to where we can have a computer player. whichever is easier.

[TheRocker]

Im sorry Foster but the game is done by now :) and besides its called its the World Tour for something but dont worry Solo Tour will still be as fun.

[Magnet]

Yes, they're on it right now. Even though the game's essentially done and they're not making any more major changes to it, they just need to change one line of code and everything will be gravy.

-_-

[undertow]

Either change it to where one person can do it, or make it to where we can have a computer player. whichever is easier.

Isn't that the same thing? :)

Have some friend's play with you through that part, it is a Band World Tour afterall. Not a Solo World Tour. If you have no friend's to play with you, there's nothing else I could write after this that would make that reality any easier, sorry :(

[ThePaska]

can you change the line in your program so a single player can play world tour mode ?

it would be very much appreciated. I don't understand why you'd make it where two people are required.

Either change it to where one person can do it, or make it to where we can have a computer player. whichever is easier.

I think it will be a little more change than a line of code so that you can play one person in BWT.

Also that is what single player careers are for, so you can play on your own. Band World Tour is reserved for 2-4 people. It's too late to change it now, and it makes more sense the way it is.

[Edgehopper]

If you have no friend's to play with you, there's nothing else I could write after this that would make that reality any easier, sorry :(

Can we drop this "If you can't find people to play BWT, you have no friends and you're pathetic" thread? For most of us, the problem isn't that we don't have friends, it's that we don't have friends with the time and inclination to spend 50-100 hours playing a video game with us, including various 3-6 hour sessions for the marathon setlists.

That being said, of course they can't change it on the disc at this late date, though if it is patchable to allow single players to play the BWT mode, that would be great.

[toefer]

I think it will be a little more change than a line of code so that you can play one person in BWT.

Also that is what single player careers are for, so you can play on your own. Band World Tour is reserved for 2-4 people. It's too late to change it now, and it makes more sense the way it is.

If you can't find a friend to play with, its as easy as playing guitar and singing at the same time. Except that that's not really easy. But once you can get coordinated, imagine how much more fun that can be.


Can we drop this "If you can't find people to play BWT, you have no friends and you're pathetic" thread?

I don't think he meant it like that. Notice he didn't say "if you have no friends" he said if you can't find them, like I said too, which I think includes the whole thing about friends not having the time to come over and play.

[HeXcoda]

For most of us, the problem isn't that we don't have friends, it's that we don't have friends with the time and inclination to spend 50-100 hours playing a video game with us, including various 3-6 hour sessions for the marathon setlists.

Quote for truth. That's the real crux of the problem -- offline or online very few people can align the stars in such a way as to complete BWT mode. From the description of it, it's gonna involve some ridiculously long playlists and very in depth stuff. Not the sort of thing you can do with a pickup group on X-Box Live by any stretch.

It's too late to change this in Rock Band, but I hope Harmonix considers it either as a downloadable, or for Rock Band 2. BWT sounds FUN. Really fun. And utterly impossible to really get deep into unless you happen to have a lucky combination of free time, friends, and friends with the same free time as your free time and the same passion for this one game mode that you may have.

I understand that team rocking = fun fun, but it's not always possible. It's not even frequently possible. It's rarely possible under real-world conditions.

Edit: Aaand now from other threads, we can't even find online people to do BWT with. That means I don't get to do BWT at all. A third of the game, gone. :(

[hardyfoster]

finally some people that know where i'm coming from. i'm sure harmonix will take care of this issue somehow or another.

a patch is possible and probably easier. hopefully they'll do something.

i wonder if in BWT mode you can skip the playing and just beat the guy up, steal the money and run ? :)

[hardyfoster]

lol
i just thought of something insane.

you can choose place the mic by a cd player and start the song same time as the game so the cd player will be the singer. I know the timing of starting the cd would have to be exact. just a crazy idea.

i'll do like everyone else and put singing on easy so it's hard to fail and play the guitar as normal.

i already had a co-worker say "Why not start a real band?" i just sighed cuz i didn't have the energy to answer that stupidity.

[HeXcoda]

Considering the effort to get four people together, starting a real band may be easier than playing this game...

I'm seriously considering recording myself doing the vocal sessions solo, so once I have a well scoring run, I can play it back while I play drums/guitar just like you suggest, hardy. I will not be locked out of a third of the damn game because I have no local mates who play music games! It's just stupid!

[Jp7588]

Slap on your headset and put vocals on easy and play guitar, bass, or drums on whatever difficulty you want. Problem solved. Vocals on easy will probably be easy enough to pass without paying too much attention to them. I sing along when I play gh anyways. This way you can play through BWT all alone.

[Magnet]

Edit: Aaand now from other threads, we can't even find online people to do BWT with. That means I don't get to do BWT at all. A third of the game, gone. :(

As stated earlier in the thread, you can do BWT alone if you sing and play an instrument simultaneously. Set singing on easy and it probably won't be difficult at all to pass songs, even for people who have trouble doing both at once.


you can choose place the mic by a cd player and start the song same time as the game so the cd player will be the singer. I know the timing of starting the cd would have to be exact. just a crazy idea.

It's been confirmed by HMX that it's almost impossible to get that to work with the isolated original vocal track (any recording will likely give feedback) played into the mic, let alone the full song being played into the mic.

[hardyfoster]

i can do guitar and vocals but drums and vocals would be impossible for me!

how would you work out the timing hexcoda for recording yourself and playing it back?

[Edgehopper]

Slap on your headset and put vocals on easy and play guitar, bass, or drums on whatever difficulty you want. Problem solved. Vocals on easy will probably be easy enough to pass without paying too much attention to them. I sing along when I play gh anyways. This way you can play through BWT all alone.

Only if you're good enough. This is on par with the ScoreHero demands for insanely difficult solos in every song; very few people can handle it. It's very hard to keep the guitar's rhythm while singing the vocal part, even on Easy; I can do it, you can do it, but most people Harmonix wants to sell the game to can't.

[HeXcoda]

As stated earlier in the thread, you can do BWT alone if you sing and play an instrument simultaneously. Set singing on easy and it probably won't be difficult at all to pass songs, even for people who have trouble doing both at once.

Can we even DO BWT on Easy? Remember, in Guitar Hero, you can't even reach the last tier or unlock any encore songs unless you're on Medium. If Rock Band is similarly unforgiving then that may not be an option, unless you can master the art of being two different band members at the same time.


It's been confirmed by HMX that it's almost impossible to get that to work with the isolated original vocal track (any recording will likely give feedback) played into the mic, let alone the full song being played into the mic.

Yeah, you can't do it with the official song; but if you record yourself playing the vocal solo career (I hesitate to call it a "career" when it has no career elements...) then that should work. It's an audio source, it's providing only the sounds the game wants.

Okay, no more posting from me for a few hours. My Nerd Rage is clearly overwhelming my restraint. Still... disappointing that I have to trick the game into thinking I'm two people just to play the most important mode of it.

[sporkBrigade]

The "friends" comment I think is being taken slightly out of context. Although I cracked a joke about deodorant, I was just trying to be silly.

I think the point is you need one bandmate for this. One. And it doesn't even have to be the same person every time. Just one person to come over and play now and then, and bam, you have a world tour going. When that person is gone, you play solo tours, online quickmatches, and all the other fun stuff you can do. But for that World Tour action you just need one person now and then, and you'll get your fix. I guess to me, it just is surprising that you can't get one person over to your house now and again. I mean, I'm a gigantic geek. In another thread, my biggest concern in life was whether or not my Avatar could always play the same instrument I was. I mean, I was truely concerned. Despite this, I can still get one person to come over now and then.

I guess I'm just saying, if it's THAT important to you, you can still do it. And yes, I agree HMX should have a solo tour that's as fleshed out. But if they didn't, and it's sounding like they didn't, I think you just have to resign yourself to talking some folks into coming over now and again. And to me, this doesn't seem like an absurd suggestion, so I apologize if it sounds like one. I mean no offense.

[undertow]

Can we drop this "If you can't find people to play BWT, you have no friends and you're pathetic" thread? For most of us, the problem isn't that we don't have friends, it's that we don't have friends with the time and inclination to spend 50-100 hours playing a video game with us, including various 3-6 hour sessions for the marathon setlists.

That being said, of course they can't change it on the disc at this late date, though if it is patchable to allow single players to play the BWT mode, that would be great.

Ya man, I didn't mean it how it was read. If anyone else read it that way I apologize.

I meant, that if he really has no one else to play with him, for reasons you stated plus many others, than nothing I write will ease of the pain of knowing he will not be able to partake in the BWT to it's maximum.

Again, I apologize for any confusion.

[HeXcoda]

The only person I can get to come over and play this is my sister, who is doing it more out of pity for me than any genuine desire to play. All my high school buddies have moved away, fragmented off after a notable local divorce, or are too busy with their jobs and families to come play wacky 40 hour multiplayer music pretendy fun game campaign with me on even a semiregular basis.

Oh, I have PLENTY of people who I can play with... online. Except that's out the window now. For all Harmonix's efforts I may as well just be playing a Guitar Hero clone, since I can't access the one mode that makes Rock Band special, unless I can master singing AND playing at the same time.

So yeah, I'm a little bitter about this. And I imagine a lot of others are in my situation, as gamers are getting older and growing up, and can't just grab the phone and call over some buddies for afterschool gaming. It's not realistic to slap down a mode this large-scale in front of us and then say you can only play it during the rare chance you have someone over who's skilled at Rock Band.

[Edgehopper]

I guess to me, it just is surprising that you can't get one person over to your house now and again.

The problem is that given the scope of what they've said BWT contains, it's not just "now and again". Suppose it takes about 50 hours to complete; that's something like one 3 hour session a week for 17 weeks. My group of friends can only make that sort of commitment one night a week, and they already do it for tabletop RPG campaigns. If it's more like 100 hours to complete, the situation is even worse. I suppose your best bet is having a music gaming girl/boyfriend, but few of us are that lucky.

Added: Incidentally, this is half of why I'm more bothered by lack of online BWT than I am by lack of online GH3 co-op career mode. GH3's co-op career mode is maybe 6, 7 hours long; I can get friends over for long enough to finish it. The other half is that GH3 co-op career isn't significantly different from GH3 co-op quickplay, while BWT is an incredible improvement over Rock Band co-op quickplay.

[Reaper0563]

WOW, I have not heard about this yet . . . that really sucks that there isn't a solo BWT mode. I have 2 roomates who will probably be playing with me, but there are times that I would like to have a solo mode . . . like when they can't play or if they just don't feel like it, which will be pretty often considering that they aren't big fans of guitar hero or rock band.

Is there any realistic chance that harmonix COULD even patch this after release? Or would they even care enough to want to?

[HeXcoda]

I would not count on a patch. Harmonix has said over and over that the whole point of Rock Band is to play with others, so I doubt they're going to edit in a solo mode. At best they'd put in networked BWT, but that smells like something they'd hold off on for a sequel.

For the rest of us, it's time to brush up on being able to sing and play guitar, and hope they allow Easy Mode in BWT, because in the real world nobody can conscript enough time and people to finish a multihour campaign like this.

[Reaper0563]

ok, say I can't find friends to play BWT mode and its not online so all my xbox live buddies are out. Has there been a review of the solo mode? Are there any details as to what its like? Is it just like GH solo campaign?

[Eman311]

Yea, it is pretty much the GH solo campaign. Which will be fine and dandy, but it's no BWT mode.

[Magnet]

For the rest of us, it's time to brush up on being able to sing and play guitar, and hope they allow Easy Mode in BWT.

Difficulty isn't something that seems like a constant in BWT. The idea is that you have a band and you can at any time modify how many players beside the leader play. Different members can come and go from the band as BWT progresses. So it would make no sense to have inflexible difficulties for the entirety of the BWT mode. I'm pretty sure that the structure allows players to adjust difficulties for each part on a song-by-song basis. I mean, if you're getting better at the game, but you started BWT (a really, really long campaign compared to a normal GH list) on Easy, it would be silly for BWT to always force you stay on Easy rather than letting you play on higher difficulties as you get better.

Remember that BWT isn't set up in the same tier system as GH where songs just aren't available on one difficulty level. There's only one BWT, not separate ones for certain difficulties. It's set up so that you need to do well in locations and gigs to earn fans, money, and star ratings. My guess is that it'll take a while to get enough stars if you perform Easy + Easy each time, but Easy + Expert will get your score a lot higher and get you stars faster. So difficulties can be adjusted very often. It wouldn't make sense for the entire mode to just lock out a bunch of songs if one person out of a 3 or 4 person band suddenly plays one song on Easy one day. It's safe to say that the BWT awards all its new content based on good performances, not difficulty level. This makes it very easy for numerous people to come play as that "second person" part on different difficulties so you won't need just one "medium" drummer or one "hard" bassist for an entire campaign once you start BWT.

I can't see why Easy on one instrument would lock out anything unlockable during the BWT, including songs.

[PurpleHaze]

As much as I'm a fan of Rock Band, and of Harmonix - I have to say that I find this a very strange and disappointing decision. I love local multi-player, in all games, and I sincerely wish I was able to do it more often - but the reality is that between work and family and geographical locations, it's simply not possible to match up people's free time as often as I would like.

Therefore, to restrict the mode with the most features to local multi-player only ... wow ... I just don't get where they're coming from on that one at all. I can understand online being cut, as that would probably involve significant work and time, both in terms of UI and networking. However, if you lose online, then that makes a single player option even more important, and it seems like that should be a much simpler proposition - the game is already able to fill in two missing spots on the band, so it seems like it should be relatively simple to get it to fill in three missing spots without many changes.

[sporkBrigade]

The problem is that given the scope of what they've said BWT contains, it's not just "now and again". Suppose it takes about 50 hours to complete; that's something like one 3 hour session a week for 17 weeks. My group of friends can only make that sort of commitment one night a week, and they already do it for tabletop RPG campaigns. If it's more like 100 hours to complete, the situation is even worse. I suppose your best bet is having a music gaming girl/boyfriend, but few of us are that lucky.

Added: Incidentally, this is half of why I'm more bothered by lack of online BWT than I am by lack of online GH3 co-op career mode. GH3's co-op career mode is maybe 6, 7 hours long; I can get friends over for long enough to finish it. The other half is that GH3 co-op career isn't significantly different from GH3 co-op quickplay, while BWT is an incredible improvement over Rock Band co-op quickplay.

I apologize, I've been posting from the point of view that this shouldn't be a big deal. Fact is, whether it's a big deal for me or not, it's a big deal to others, and that's the way it is. But I'd love to see some of you stress out a little less about this issue. So here's another way for you to think about it.

They wanted to put BWT online for you. They worked on it, they scheduled it in, it didn't make it in time. They don't think you're wrong, and they know how bad you want it. But that's how game development works. If it helps at all, think about your two alternatives. A, game is delayed until BWT online can be finished. That could be spring, that could be holiday season 2008. Option B, release online BWT, but absolutely broken. If you want to experience this, please try out many of EA's other fine titles.

If you pause and think about it this way, and you're still pissed off, that's okay. But I hope you still buy the game. Online quickplay is still going to be pretty damn fun, and I want as many forum goers there as possible. :D

[milkman4591]

I apologize, I've been posting from the point of view that this shouldn't be a big deal. Fact is, whether it's a big deal for me or not, it's a big deal to others, and that's the way it is. But I'd love to see some of you stress out a little less about this issue. So here's another way for you to think about it.

They wanted to put BWT online for you. They worked on it, they scheduled it in, it didn't make it in time. They don't think you're wrong, and they know how bad you want it. But that's how game development works. If it helps at all, think about your two alternatives. A, game is delayed until BWT online can be finished. That could be spring, that could be holiday season 2008. Option B, release online BWT, but absolutely broken. If you want to experience this, please try out many of EA's other fine titles.

If you pause and think about it this way, and you're still pissed off, that's okay. But I hope you still buy the game. Online quickplay is still going to be pretty damn fun, and I want as many forum goers there as possible. :D

No chance of a release, with a future patch for single player and online BWT?

[Edgehopper]

They wanted to put BWT online for you. They worked on it, they scheduled it in, it didn't make it in time. They don't think you're wrong, and they know how bad you want it. But that's how game development works. If it helps at all, think about your two alternatives. A, game is delayed until BWT online can be finished. That could be spring, that could be holiday season 2008. Option B, release online BWT, but absolutely broken. If you want to experience this, please try out many of EA's other fine titles.

Agree that A is better than B, but best would be option C: If you can't make BWT available online, make it available to individuals, maybe even have a BWT-style format replace the GH-style solo tours. It's just bad game design to make a major game mode that's nearly unplayable for the vast majority of the game's audience. In an earlier post, I compared it to releasing The Orange Box with TF2 only being playable as a LAN. Sure, it's awesome when you can get 8 people with XBox's and TVs in one place to play, but how many people can actually do that? It would have been a terrible game design decision.

Now, there's an idea that "Individual World Tour" is inauthentic, or that Rock Band is about the group experience, and that's fine as far as it goes. But it's still a video game, and you have to adapt it to make it playable. If you're a musician/gamer with other musician/gamer coworkers and friends, like the average Harmonix employee, it's great, but most of us don't have that opportunity. If we're out of college but don't have a family yet, finding the rest of the band is incredibly difficult.


If you pause and think about it this way, and you're still pissed off, that's okay. But I hope you still buy the game. Online quickplay is still going to be pretty damn fun, and I want as many forum goers there as possible. :D

Of course I'll still buy the game. Continuing the Orange Box analogy, I'd still buy the Orange Box even if it didn't include TF2. I'll still have friends over to play through things in quickplay, and I'll still get to play online with friends on the other side of the country. But it's a big problem, and it's the sort of deficiency that'll have Rock Band ceding a much deserved game of the year award to The Orange Box or Mass Effect.

[Reaper0563]

honestly I was super-psyched about this game before hearing about BWT, I was excited enough about being able to play drums, sing, and guitar with friends online in quickplay. Then when they discussed the band world tour mode I thought it was really cool and was making plans for my character and such. But now that I know that it is multiplayer only, i don't know it just seems like I was told I could have as much cake as I wanted but the offer was taken back . . . not pissed, just disappointed.

[markmw]

wut r we talking about?

[espher]

I guess I'm fortunate that most of my family is interested in this game, including but not limited to my grandparents. ;)

[Electric_Zen]

I really like the fact that the single-player career mode is substantively different than the multiplayer career mode. I think it is a rock solid approach in terms of game design.

Yes, I really would have gotten more out of BWT if it was online-enabled. Harmonix recognizes that, and wanted it in, but couldn't get it in time for a holiday release. That's life. This will be a great game, Harmonix will continue to focus on DLC and enhancements that make it better, and we'll all be happy in a month.

[LongDarkBlues]

I find it hard to believe that everybody complaining doesn't have 1 friend who can come over to play - you only need 2 people for the BWT and it doesn't even have to be the same person - ANY person can be the other band member. I work 2 jobs, my girlfriend is writing her PhD thesis and my other friends work full time, but they all are psyched to play and I can't imagine that SOMEONE won't be around to play it with me most of the time. And, on the rare moment they aren't, you STILL can unlock stuff for you character in single player or practice your vocals or do drum tutorials or whatever - you are all making a big, whiny deal out this.

[SoraRikuVGM]

See, I have a lot of friends to play with, but I still wish the World Tour was the same as the solo. I feel like I'm getting the shaft when I want to play alone, cause I want to be able to get agents and all that crap. ;_;

[HeXcoda]

I find it hard to believe that everybody complaining doesn't have 1 friend who can come over to play - you only need 2 people for the BWT and it doesn't even have to be the same person - ANY person can be the other band member. I work 2 jobs, my girlfriend is writing her PhD thesis and my other friends work full time, but they all are psyched to play and I can't imagine that SOMEONE won't be around to play it with me most of the time. And, on the rare moment they aren't, you STILL can unlock stuff for you character in single player or practice your vocals or do drum tutorials or whatever - you are all making a big, whiny deal out this.

The problem is two parts:

Having people who can come over. I don't. My gamer friends moved away and I play with them online instead, and my other friends broke up or otherwise drifted off. Welcome to life in your 30s!

Having people who can come over for many, many hours and consistently so you can clear BWT mode. The occasional once every few weeks 3 hour get together does not count because while you can go "WOO I'M PLAYIN' WITH PEOPLE" you could just as easily do that online. That's not the same thing as a BWT campaign, which requires a hell of a time investment.

You don't seem to have either problem. You have a girlfriend and friends who are busy but clearly are interested in putting in those many, many hours. Very few of us have your lucky scenario.

[AdamBomb629]

The problem is two parts:

Having people who can come over. I don't. My gamer friends moved away and I play with them online instead, and my other friends broke up or otherwise drifted off. Welcome to life in your 30s!

Having people who can come over for many, many hours and consistently so you can clear BWT mode. The occasional once every few weeks 3 hour get together does not count because while you can go "WOO I'M PLAYIN' WITH PEOPLE" you could just as easily do that online. That's not the same thing as a BWT campaign, which requires a hell of a time investment.

You don't seem to have either problem. You have a girlfriend and friends who are busy but clearly are interested in putting in those many, many hours. Very few of us have your lucky scenario.

My only real gamer friend has moved recently, so I have convinced my wife to play (we'll see how long that lasts!) the BWT.

[LongDarkBlues]

Yeah - I guess that''s true to some extent - I also don't have anyone online that I would be playing with - playing with strangers doesn't sound very fun and I certainly don't expect the couple of people on Live to also have the whole package. Regarless, I can't imagine that the solo Tour will be THAT different. They aren't going to just not use the tour map and all the manager stuff they included.

[HeXcoda]

Regarless, I can't imagine that the solo Tour will be THAT different. They aren't going to just not use the tour map and all the manager stuff they included.

It's pretty much confirmed that solo mode plays exactly like Guitar Hero. Grind your way through a setlist. No career decisions, no managers, no roadies, no vehicles. So yes, it IS going to be that different.

[steelcurtain187]

The only person I can get to come over and play this is my sister, who is doing it more out of pity for me than any genuine desire to play. All my high school buddies have moved away, fragmented off after a notable local divorce, or are too busy with their jobs and families to come play wacky 40 hour multiplayer music pretendy fun game campaign with me on even a semiregular basis.

Oh, I have PLENTY of people who I can play with... online. Except that's out the window now. For all Harmonix's efforts I may as well just be playing a Guitar Hero clone, since I can't access the one mode that makes Rock Band special, unless I can master singing AND playing at the same time.

So yeah, I'm a little bitter about this. And I imagine a lot of others are in my situation, as gamers are getting older and growing up, and can't just grab the phone and call over some buddies for afterschool gaming. It's not realistic to slap down a mode this large-scale in front of us and then say you can only play it during the rare chance you have someone over who's skilled at Rock Band.
I am very disappointed about this news as well. It came as a bit of a shocker since it seemed to be kinda assumed that you could do the world tour mode online. I mean that seemed like the ONLY realistic possibility when I first heard about it. Like ya said, I don't know too many people who can actually get 3 other people together to play the mode at the same time and for hours on end :(

[foolosophy]

I have tons of friends who game. They all just play the wrong genre of games, I mean a few here and there like Guitar Hero but none are really good at it. Although I have sparked interest in a few people who play drums in real life that want to take a crack at the Rock Band ones.

[admanimal]

I understand how the online BWT feature could not work out for technical reasons, but I wonder what exactly their rationale is for requiring 2+ players for BWT.

If it just has to do with forcing us to have the "real band" experience by playing with another real person, is playing with one other person really that big of a difference over playing solo? I'd rather have a BWT experience that is maybe slightly less than optimal than no BWT experience at all.

The only other possible reason I can think of is that it has something to do with scoring and leaderboards, where maybe they feel that a 1 person band has an unfair advantage or there is some other technical reason that it can't be done.

[HeXcoda]

I understand how the online BWT feature could not work out for technical reasons, but I wonder what exactly their rationale is for requiring 2+ players for BWT.

If it just has to do with forcing us to have the "real band" experience by playing with another real person, is playing with one other person really that big of a difference over playing solo? I'd rather have a BWT experience that is maybe slightly less than optimal than no BWT experience at all.

The only other possible reason I can think of is that it has something to do with scoring and leaderboards, where maybe they feel that a 1 person band has an unfair advantage or there is some other technical reason that it can't be done.

That's a good point. I doubt the technical reason -- if anything a one person band probably will score less, since they don't have a high combined score compared to a quartet.

My guess is since they keep emphasizing that "THE way to play" is with four people, that they want to enforce that band experience. But with no online... there's no experience at all. What good is zero compared to a limited experience? Just open the thing up to solo play if you're not going to let us play with our online friends.

My hope is that they'll patch in solo. That's considerably easier than patching in online and will "tide us over" until we can finally play with our friends outside of the pick-up-group quickie online play. Otherwise... well, there's nothing to differentiate this from Guitar Hero. The offline and online experiences are identically thin and straightforward.

[LongDarkBlues]

It's pretty much confirmed that solo mode plays exactly like Guitar Hero. Grind your way through a setlist. No career decisions, no managers, no roadies, no vehicles. So yes, it IS going to be that different.
Where is that confirmed? I haven't seen anything conclusive about it myself (not to say it's not out there) - I've seen some Quick Play stuff that looks like GH, but nothing that was referred to as the Solo Tour.

[tbradshaw]

I'm kind of stunned. At what point did anyone not think that Rock Band, at it's core, was a cooperative multiplayer game?

Yes, it is 100% certain, you cannot experience the full Rock Band experience solo, of course. Everything the game is about is great "band" moments, great cooperative mulitplayer moments.

The single player is there, but it's not the entire experience. Rock Band is a cooperative multiplayer game. Asking for single player WBT is just silly. Online cooperative WBT play? Absolutely acceptable request. I hope it makes it in the first possible patch.

[tbradshaw]

Where is that confirmed? I haven't seen anything conclusive about it myself (not to say it's not out there) - I've seen some Quick Play stuff that looks like GH, but nothing that was referred to as the Solo Tour.

Alex stated it in several interviews. The PAX interviews have that info in it for sure.

[HeXcoda]

The single player is there, but it's not the entire experience. Rock Band is a cooperative multiplayer game. Asking for single player WBT is just silly. Online cooperative WBT play? Absolutely acceptable request. I hope it makes it in the first possible patch.

Obviously single player WBT is not the best way to experience the game. It's meant to be cooperative.

But since we CAN'T play it cooperatively (due to a lack of online) and some of us can't harass the locals into spending hours playing with us... single player WBT is at least something, you know? It at least lets us experience a sampling of that mode, rather than dangling it over our heads. Plus, and this is admittedly a guess, it's probably easier to patch in than online play. They could get that in, then get online in weeks/months later, and all would be well.

What makes Rock Band special and unique? New instruments, and a band tour mode. Those of us without a cadre of local diehard gamer buddies are only getting half the deal but paying full price, and that's a shame. I'd rather get slightly more than half the deal than only half the deal.

[FailedNinja]

I'm kind of stunned. At what point did anyone not think that Rock Band, at it's core, was a cooperative multiplayer game?

Yes, it is 100% certain, you cannot experience the full Rock Band experience solo, of course. Everything the game is about is great "band" moments, great cooperative mulitplayer moments.

The single player is there, but it's not the entire experience. Rock Band is a cooperative multiplayer game. Asking for single player WBT is just silly. Online cooperative WBT play? Absolutely acceptable request. I hope it makes it in the first possible patch.

How is that silly? Sure you'd have the most fun with others, but I really don't see a reason to lock it out of single player. Even something like Mario Party lets you play it single player with computer controlled players. The mechanics are there, the solo career mode lets you play with 3 computer bandmates. The addition of solo WBT is most likely trivial. If it would make just 1 person happy enough to buy the game then it's worth it.

[crivit]

The single player is there, but it's not the entire experience. Rock Band is a cooperative multiplayer game. Asking for single player WBT is just silly. Online cooperative WBT play? Absolutely acceptable request. I hope it makes it in the first possible patch.

I think everyone understands that playing Rock Band with other people is the ideal way to play. What is hard to understand is why those of us who can't are going to miss out on a large part of the game. Personally while I would like to see a online BWT, I would much rather see it possible as a solo option. Why is asking for solo silly, in your opinion, and online ok? Considering most bands would be formed online by people who don't already know each other, how is playing in a room by yourself with other "people" online any more a band experience than playing in a room by yourself with the game AI. Oh yeah, the other people online will lag/drop out, and then there's always the wonderful foul mouthed 12 year olds who think they have the 133tist gameing skillz and constantly talk trash about it. Yeah, that's totally a much more satisfying 'band" experience. :rolleyes:

[Spraynwipe]

For the record, it's not just as simple as "changing a line". We approached the Solo Tour and Band World Tour as geared towards solo play and band play respectively, and have design and code features in there that would have to be completely rebalanced and retooled to be fun with one player (or multiple players for Solo Tour).

I think you'll understand more when you get to play Rock Band and see some of the details that haven't been explored fully by previews yet.

[AdamBomb629]

For the record, it's not just as simple as "changing a line". We approached the Solo Tour and Band World Tour as geared towards solo play and band play respectively, and have design and code features in there that would have to be completely rebalanced and retooled to be fun with one player (or multiple players for Solo Tour).

I think you'll understand more when you get to play Rock Band and see some of the details that haven't been explored fully by previews yet.

SO SPEAKETH HARMONIX!!!!

Thanks!

[FailedNinja]

For the record, it's not just as simple as "changing a line". We approached the Solo Tour and Band World Tour as geared towards solo play and band play respectively, and have design and code features in there that would have to be completely rebalanced and retooled to be fun with one player (or multiple players for Solo Tour).

I think you'll understand more when you get to play Rock Band and see some of the details that haven't been explored fully by previews yet.

I have no problem taking your word on it. You guys deserve the benefit of the doubt if for nothing else than how open you've been with the development of the game. Can you tell us if the solo tour is more substantial than the GH kind of linear club progression?

[The_Future_Breed]

Problem: RB requires multiple friends to commit time and effort into completed BWT mode.

Solution: Clone yourself. Or hijack your siblings to play with you. W/e.

[hardyfoster]

thanks for replying Harmonix.

All we're saying is that there are wonderful features in Band world tour that aren't accessible to the single player and we wish those features were.

maybe in Rock Band 2 or a special version or something, I don't know.

like hexcoda said, not many people are going to want to spend hours playing the game like we would.

Great job on the "story mode" that everyone has been asking for by the way. BWT is great. Do you have any ideas for a workaround harmonix?

[HeXcoda]

Well, it's disappointing to know BWT will remain inaccessible to a solo player, but at least we have a solid response -- it beats people optimistically waiting for a patch with that feature.

Hopefully, those 'unrevealed details' will include details on how created bands (with logos, names, characters, etc) are still useful outside of BWT mode, so this is not just a clone of Guitar Hero (in which you play Some Guy for Anonymous and the Unimportants) when played solo.

[milkman4591]

Thanks for the definite answer, but honestly is it that hard to change it from 2 or more player to 1 or more players? I know you want to keep it a band experience but I know many people buying this game aren't going to be able to have a friend come around 24/7. I would get the no online part, that would be a b1tch to program, but the fact that you guys would ruin the best part of a game by not giving a very simple choice is just beyond me. I totally get the time constraints, but I really hope you guys are working on a patch (eventually) I really do.

[admanimal]

Thanks for the definite answer, but honestly is it that hard to change it from 2 or more player to 1 or more players?

Any code change to a substantial application is a potential disaster waiting to happen, particularly when the product is nearly done with testing, because then you either have to test it all over again or not and risk there being bugs in the final game.

[milkman4591]

Any code change to a substantial application is a potential disaster waiting to happen, particularly when the product is nearly done with testing, because then you either have to test it all over again or not and risk there being bugs in the final game.

That's why I'm really crossing fingers for patch, where they would have time to work on it calmly without bastard customers riding their asses. I hope it's even possible to patch something like that because shipping the game as is is like releasing TF2 with only bot matches, or Halo 3 without split-screen, just makes no sense at all. I honestly wouldn't care if all we were missing out on were the setlists and little things, but the entire campaign and the progression is the staple of the game, and solo tour, just does not cut it. I was so happy when they announced this game because it wasn't a guitar hero clone, but now......

[Straus]

That's why I'm really crossing fingers for patch, where they would have time to work on it calmly without bastard customers riding their asses. I hope it's even possible to patch something like that because shipping the game as is is like releasing TF2 with only bot matches, or Halo 3 without split-screen, just makes no sense at all. I honestly wouldn't care if all we were missing out on were the setlists and little things, but the entire campaign and the progression is the staple of the game, and solo tour, just does not cut it. I was so happy when they announced this game because it wasn't a guitar hero clone, but now......
That's the truth. I'm beyond disappointed that only a small percentage of people will be able to enjoy BWT to it's full potential. I understand that they want this to be played with others to get the “band experience”, but why make such a large portion of the game exclusive to multiplayer only? What would be the problem with someone wanting to play BWT as single player? It just doesn’t make sense to me that’s all.

[LongDarkBlues]

only a small percentage of people...
Really? A small percentage of people have friends who play videogames with them? Sales of GHII would indicate otherwise to the extent that a ton of towns are having GHII/III nights at bars - there's a lot of people playing this stuff, and surely more to get into it as it's the big thing this Xmas. Maybe you gusy just need new friends - you could put a post up on craiglist or soemthing if it's really that dire.

[milkman4591]

Really? A small percentage of people have friends who play videogames with them? Sales of GHII would indicate otherwise to the extent that a ton of towns are having GHII/III nights at bars - there's a lot of people playing this stuff, and surely more to get into it as it's the big thing this Xmas. Maybe you gusy just need new friends - you could put a post up on craiglist or soemthing if it's really that dire.

Playing at a bar is a tiny bit different then going for around 4 hours of solid rocking (endless set list), another amazing feature only available in BWT. Also, what sweet town do you live in where they have GH at bars? Sounds cool... And like I said, not many people have friend who they can call 24/7 every time they feel like playing a game. Let's not forget how much it takes away from the game when that person you invited over sucks, and then leaves because they get sick of it. By the way, I like how you jump to the friends thing, way to build an argument like a civil person.

[Straus]

Really? A small percentage of people have friends who play videogames with them? Sales of GHII would indicate otherwise to the extent that a ton of towns are having GHII/III nights at bars - there's a lot of people playing this stuff, and surely more to get into it as it's the big thing this Xmas. Maybe you gusy just need new friends - you could put a post up on craiglist or soemthing if it's really that dire.
Come on, don't try to pretend that everyone will be able to get together and play this game for large amounts of time. That's the main problem. I have plenty of friends that enjoy video games and I will be playing BWT with them at times. Maybe you have friends around you all day and all night, but what about the rest of us who have conflicting schedules with our friends? I don't see the problem in making BWT single player.

[toefer]

Playing at a bar is a tiny bit different then going for around 4 hours of solid rocking (endless set list), another amazing feature only available in BWT. Also, what sweet town do you live in where they have GH at bars? Sounds cool... And like I said, not many people have friend who they can call 24/7 every time they feel like playing a game. Let's not forget how much it takes away from the game when that person you invited over sucks, and then leaves because they get sick of it. By the way, I like how you jump to the friends thing, way to build an argument like a civil person.

Keep in mind that online BWT isn't all it's cracked up to be. The way it's set up, with needing a band leader, imagine you join a cool band, and then 3 weeks from now, your band leader goes MIA and you can never play your band anymore. All your effort was wasted. I suppose they could just get rid of the whole band leader thing though.

I suppose the better argument to make is that they should allow solo BWT. But think of it this way, if they offered that, whats the point of the rest of the game? There wouldn't be one. I certainly have friends around that can come by and play fairly frequently, but I know there will be times when I'd like to just load up the game and play a few songs on my own. That's why in some sick crazy way I'm glad BWT forces at least two people, so that I have the added challenge of playing two things at once.

Granted, it may not be ideal, but at least it sets the mode apart from the regular single player. I feel like as long as you are familiar with the songs, it won't take long to adjust to singing and playing an instrument at the same time, and I feel like once you learn that, it will be surprisingly fun. At least Sean seems to think so.

[milkman4591]

Toefer I agree with you 100%. Scrapping the idea of a band leader would be much better, I think being able to promote another person and have them save the data for the band would be much better (again if it's possible, I'm a bit of a dreamer). I have been pushing for solo BWT since the news dropped, and I will be until they either patch it or RB2 comes out. I feel the solo would be best as a quick play type of thing offline, since BWT has the most heavy story elements, and it would be a great practice area, but your right, it would have no purpose (unless you just want the GH setup). I personally would use it as a money maker when I needed it without the fuss of crazy challenges. Trust me, I'll be trying the 2 instrument setup, here's hoping that you can even get neat stuff on easy in BWT (I'm screwed with singing otherwise :D).

[dlisapussy]

Why solo BWT?


That would be the same exact thing as BWT but only with one player, which is no fun. They should have made SWT and BWT. In solo world tour, instead of having a band and going to gigs to earn money, you could be a loner who makes his way in the solo career and as you get better, you get to play concerts with other bands or other solo artists.

Its better than having 2 BWT's, one single player and the other multiplayer. That would be a waste of time.

[dj_lonestar]

So hang on . Let me get this traight.

YOu cant play BWT mode online, you have to have a second person at your house playing with you. Now although its no problem for me, why with so many people onlive over live and network why not enable this mode for online play. It just seems silly to me.

Or have i got what i read wrong and you are able on the 360 version to do BWT mode online.
Please someone clear this up im confused lolz.

[CPT_Destroyer]

So hang on . Let me get this traight.

YOu cant play BWT mode online, you have to have a second person at your house playing with you. Now although its no problem for me, why with so many people onlive over live and network why not enable this mode for online play. It just seems silly to me.

Or have i got what i read wrong and you are able on the 360 version to do BWT mode online.
Please someone clear this up im confused lolz.

You can't play the career / BWT mode online at all. You have to play it locally with at least 2 human players in your band. They didn't make it online not because it wouldn't be fun / cool, it was more a time constraint thing.

[dj_lonestar]

You can't play the career / BWT mode online at all. You have to play it locally with at least 2 human players in your band. They didn't make it online not because it wouldn't be fun / cool, it was more a time constraint thing.

i wuld rather wait for 2 months and get them to release it online than not. So is there any online play on this game ? because if not i see why neversoft now have the GH franchaise.

[NotorietyH]

So is there any online play on this game ?.

Yes! Just not Band World Tour mode. All this complaining over a mode no one knew existed until a few weeks ago. It's getting (or has long since passed) ridiculous.

[dj_lonestar]

Yes! Just not Band World Tour mode. All this complaining over a mode no one knew existed until a few weeks ago. It's getting (or has long since passed) ridiculous.

lol so whats the fuss then lolz. As long as you can unlock all the songs and play with your mates online who cares if one mode is a dedicated offline game. Not everyone has access to online play so good on em for making somthing for the minority.

[RkBndDrmr]

i wuld rather wait for 2 months and get them to release it online than not. So is there any online play on this game ? because if not i see why neversoft now have the GH franchaise.


Umm.. Neversoft has the GH franchise because Activision acquired Guitar Hero's publisher, RedOctane, in 2006 and took control of the Guitar Hero franchise, while MTV bought Harmonix during the same year.

There is online modes in this game.
Most of us I think would rather the game now, and online later..I would.

Did anyone else feel the disturbance as he slammed HMX? Ouch!

[dj_lonestar]

Did anyone else feel the disturbance as he slammed HMX? Ouch!

well they didnt deliver on gh 2 for the 360 no online not even an update to allow it. Just a thought.


Why did Harmonix lock so much of the game's content behind a mode that mandates local multiplayer only?

iT DOES SEEM LIKE ANOTHER LET DOWN TO ME LETS HOPE THAT THERE WORKING ON A PATCH FOR IT.

[NotorietyH]

iT DOES SEEM LIKE ANOTHER LET DOWN TO ME LETS HOPE THAT THERE WORKING ON A PATCH FOR IT.

The way people are going on you'd swear that HMX announced that they'd found the cure to cancer but didn't want to release it. There's loads of other online modes, loads of solo player modes, this is just one aspect of the game that is for offline multiplayer only. Next you'll be complaining that you can't play multiplayer in the solo career modes.

[RkBndDrmr]

well they didnt deliver on gh 2 for the 360 no online not even an update to allow it. Just a thought.



iT DOES SEEM LIKE ANOTHER LET DOWN TO ME LETS HOPE THAT THERE WORKING ON A PATCH FOR IT.

True, but I'd guess they went into Rock Band development instead which you have to agree is an incredible game as it is.

HMX has said it was on their wish list. They want it as much as we do. Patch? RB2? We will see it at some point for sure.

[milkman4591]

Why solo BWT?


That would be the same exact thing as BWT but only with one player, which is no fun. They should have made SWT and BWT. In solo world tour, instead of having a band and going to gigs to earn money, you could be a loner who makes his way in the solo career and as you get better, you get to play concerts with other bands or other solo artists.

Its better than having 2 BWT's, one single player and the other multiplayer. That would be a waste of time.

Really I want it to stay BWT, but allow one person to play it. And of course online, that's a given (but also an unlikely dream).

[milkman4591]

The way people are going on you'd swear that HMX announced that they'd found the cure to cancer but didn't want to release it. There's loads of other online modes, loads of solo player modes, this is just one aspect of the game that is for offline multiplayer only. Next you'll be complaining that you can't play multiplayer in the solo career modes.

Hate to double post, but there is just so much juicyness to talk about. It's true there is other online modes (which I will be playing the hell out of) but it's all the things we could be missing since we can't have a friend over anytime we want. Then again, solo tour still hasn't had that much coverage, so who knows, it could be exactly the same as BWT, and if so I will eat my own foot so I stop complaining like a b1tch over nothing :).

[NotorietyH]

Hate to double post, but there is just so much juicyness to talk about. It's true there is other online modes (which I will be playing the hell out of) but it's all the things we could be missing since we can't have a friend over anytime we want.

The way I see it, it adds longevity to the game. You can have 3 friends in the band and any time one fo them is over you can play the BWT mode, gives you more of a reason to keep coming back to it if you ask me.

[milkman4591]

The way I see it, it adds longevity to the game. You can have 3 friends in the band and any time one fo them is over you can play the BWT mode, gives you more of a reason to keep coming back to it if you ask me.

I'm all for band gameplay, but honestly, playing endless setlist or finally unlocking that arena might be a ton more work than some of your friends might be into (I really have no good hardcore guys by me). I really just want it to go from 2 or more player required to one player or more, all I want, and I really don't think that would be that much of a feat programming wise, the online I could understand.

[hardyfoster]

it's not a big feat programming wise at all. maybe it is to change it now, but initially this is a very simple task.

we'll see what the ps2 offers. harmonix did say the ps2 will have some exclusive features to it. harmonix, if it's not too late, let us play one player on BWT for ps2 !

[milkman4591]

it's not a big feat programming wise at all. maybe it is to change it now, but initially this is a very simple task.

we'll see what the ps2 offers. harmonix did say the ps2 will have some exclusive features to it. harmonix, if it's not too late, let us play one player on BWT for ps2 !

So help me god if they do that for the PS2 and not for the other systems, I'll cry haha.

[Quastor]

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/5819/beatdeadhorseym8.gif

[Rook_x51]

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/5819/beatdeadhorseym8.gif

Bravo.

//Topic needs to die.

[Schultzy]

Bravo.

//Topic needs to die.

Agreed.
Side note: amazing picture, Quastor! :D

[municipalblack]

Yeah this is a major let down as I remember from the interviews Harmonix said that "you're band can move away but you'll still be able to play together". Maybe they weren't referring to BWT though, who knows.
I would have waited 6 months for a functioning online BWT mode but that's irrelevant at this point as this is what we're getting so it's put up or shut up.
I really don't like the idea of having a single player BWT as it really takes away from the whole band experience but it would be nice for those times when you just can't get a friend/wife/girlfriend/random child to spare 6 hours to unlock some cool stuff.

I think the worst part about all of this is the only person I can get for those extra long sets is my gf on the mic. If you're heard her sing then you'd know why it's so bad :(

This game is still going to kick ass though so in the end it doesn't really matter.

[Terranova]

I have to say i'm a tad disappointed in this news, i'm 33 and all my friends are in their late twenties early thirties and we all work for a living, our schedules are such that we are very rarely able to get together in the same place for any length of time certainly not long enough for the commitment that the BWT requires. i don't understand why it wouldn't be fun or hard for HMX to allow a single player to play through it, i love the idea of managers, fans and everything else that the mode offers and knowing that i wouldn't be able to experience that is quite saddening.

I'm hoping the solo tour isn't just like the GH games of old because playing just tiers sounds so plain and dull compared to what the BWT offers, if some aspects of BWT is in the solo tours then i'll be happy.

[Rook_x51]

*yawn*

The most brilliant thing HMX ever did was release this info a month early. Now I'm bored of it and it doesn't bother me in the slightest.

[Clutch414]

I wonder what would happen if HMX announced that their next game made your console poop gold nuggets? I'm betting that people would complain that it wasn't pooping platinum nuggets.

[Rook_x51]

I wonder what would happen if HMX announced that their next game made your console poop gold nuggets? I'm betting that people would complain that it wasn't pooping platinum nuggets.

There's no platinum nuggets?!!? WTF?

[jq71586]

There's no platinum nuggets?!!? WTF?

I heard you could poop platinum nuggets on the 360 version. But not the PS3. We get stuck with gold nuggets.

[Clutch414]

I heard you could poop platinum nuggets on the 360 version. But not the PS3. We get stuck with gold nuggets.


OOOOHHHH BURRRRRRRRRN!!!!

[Reaper0563]

i heard they took out nugget pooping all together for the 40 gb ps3, in order to cut on costs :p

[Rook_x51]

Whew, close one. I almost went with the bronze nugget GH3. Although it's more of a dull bronze... brown even.. Yup GH3 is a brown nugget.

[jq71586]

i heard they took out nugget pooping all together for the 40 gb ps3, in order to cut on costs :p

Ha! but I have a 60 gig PS3. Gold nuggets here I come!:D

[Clutch414]

Ha! but I have a 60 gig PS3. Gold nuggets here I come!:D

I can see the thread titles now...

"Harmonix, please change the gold-nugget-pooping mode."

[FailedNinja]

If you can't see why this would be upsetting to some people then you are very narrow minded. Of course it's not doom and gloom end of the world. The game will, in all likelyhood, still rock. I will still (barring unforeseen changes) buy the game. That doesn't mean I can't be upset about no single player or online BWT. It's not about nitpicking a small or phantom slight (like your ridiculous gold nugget comparison). Lacking a viable way for a single player to play BWT (be it solo or online) is a legitimate gripe. The severity of the grip is, of course, up to interpretation.

And it's only been like 3 days so I don't really see how it's beating a dead horse. Of course we really only need one thread on it, but that's another issue...

[Rook_x51]

If you can't see why this would be upsetting to some people then you are very narrow minded. Of course it's not doom and gloom end of the world. The game will, in all likelyhood, still rock. I will still (barring unforeseen changes) buy the game. That doesn't mean I can't be upset about no single player or online BWT. It's not about nitpicking a small or phantom slight (like your ridiculous gold nugget comparison). Lacking a viable way for a single player to play BWT (be it solo or online) is a legitimate gripe. The severity of the grip is, of course, up to interpretation.

And it's only been like 3 days so I don't really see how it's beating a dead horse. Of course we really only need one thread on it, but that's another issue...

*yawn*

Anyone see the game last night?

[FailedNinja]

*yawn*

Anyone see the game last night?

yes
another lesson in the stupidity of prevent defense

[Rook_x51]

yes
another lesson in the stupidity of prevent defense

Indeed! Well done!

[Quastor]

If you can't see why this would be upsetting to some people then you are very narrow minded. Of course it's not doom and gloom end of the world. The game will, in all likelyhood, still rock. I will still (barring unforeseen changes) buy the game. That doesn't mean I can't be upset about no single player or online BWT. It's not about nitpicking a small or phantom slight (like your ridiculous gold nugget comparison). Lacking a viable way for a single player to play BWT (be it solo or online) is a legitimate gripe. The severity of the grip is, of course, up to interpretation.

And it's only been like 3 days so I don't really see how it's beating a dead horse. Of course we really only need one thread on it, but that's another issue...

Or, rather than calling people narrow minded, you could realize a few points.

First, the game is a month away from release, so if it hasn't gone gold already, it's close. It's already been stated by HMX (DanT I think) that if they were to make BWT available for solo play it would require an entire reworking of the mode to be balanced for one player or 2-4. This would push the game's release back till sometime in Q1 08.

Next, it's not like HMX is saying that they aren't disappointed that they couldn't bring BWT online. They realize it's a much desired feature and they weren't exactly ecstatic to have to release the game. If they can find a way to get this in as a patch later, they will. If they manage it for Rock Band 2, it'll be there. They made a decision not to have it, and we should be trusting their choices.

And yes, this thread is beating a dead horse. If you read it in full, it's about 6-7 pages of the same argument being thrown back and forth. Nothing new is being added to this thread, so please just let it die.

[FailedNinja]

Or, rather than calling people narrow minded, you could realize a few points.

First, the game is a month away from release, so if it hasn't gone gold already, it's close. It's already been stated by HMX (DanT I think) that if they were to make BWT available for solo play it would require an entire reworking of the mode to be balanced for one player or 2-4. This would push the game's release back till sometime in Q1 08.

Next, it's not like HMX is saying that they aren't disappointed that they couldn't bring BWT online. They realize it's a much desired feature and they weren't exactly ecstatic to have to release the game. If they can find a way to get this in as a patch later, they will. If they manage it for Rock Band 2, it'll be there. They made a decision not to have it, and we should be trusting their choices.

And yes, this thread is beating a dead horse. If you read it in full, it's about 6-7 pages of the same argument being thrown back and forth. Nothing new is being added to this thread, so please just let it die.

But if you can't see why this would be upsetting to some people then you are being narrow minded. I can see and respect how some people would not care one way or the other and that doesn't bother me. If you can't understand a person thinking opposite of you, that is narrow minded. Either that or you have some kind of mental block.

First, I never said they had to change the game or postpone the release. I was merely expressing my disappointment.

Second, I appreciate that HMX feels bad about it. I just think they should know I was disappointed in the exclusion of single and online play. This forum is a perfectly legitimate medium to express this message.

Third and final point, I don't see anything wrong with a continuing discussion on this topic as long as it stays in one thread. I acknowledge that there were too many, but I have tried to limit my posting to this one. As long as the thread isn't being bumped by one or two people, there's nothing wrong with it, even if you consider it beating a dead horse.

[Clutch414]

If you can't see why this would be upsetting to some people then you are very narrow minded. Of course it's not doom and gloom end of the world. The game will, in all likelyhood, still rock. I will still (barring unforeseen changes) buy the game. That doesn't mean I can't be upset about no single player or online BWT. It's not about nitpicking a small or phantom slight (like your ridiculous gold nugget comparison). Lacking a viable way for a single player to play BWT (be it solo or online) is a legitimate gripe. The severity of the grip is, of course, up to interpretation.

And it's only been like 3 days so I don't really see how it's beating a dead horse. Of course we really only need one thread on it, but that's another issue...


If you can't see why people lose patience with those who pick nits, well, that's pretty narrow minded.

THINE NARROW MINDED SWORD CLEAVES BOTH WAYS.

[vtjustinb]

I don't understand the need for the back-and-forth metadiscussion. Nobody is happy about this, including HMX, but it is what it is and there's nothing that can change or reinterpret that.

Sure this is a great way to have an internet argument--to either call the people who are passionate about it overreactors, or the people who aren't apathetic--but you're not going to change man hours and deployment schedules with whining from either direction.

Just leave it be.

[FailedNinja]

If you can't see why people lose patience with those who pick nits, well, that's pretty narrow minded.

THINE NARROW MINDED SWORD CLEAVES BOTH WAYS.

I can absolutely see why people would lose patience. I'm just saying those people should chill, try to see all sides, and put forth reasonable discussion instead of talking about gaming systems excreting precious metals. If all else fails, just stay out of the "whining" threads.
We're all fans here and we should be able to have a discussion.

Apologies if I've offended anyone with the "narrow minded". It was, perhaps, a poor choice of words.

[Evoorg]

I feel it's important that those of us who are disappointed in this design decision to voice our concern. What is this forum for if not to communicate with the devs our impressions on their upcoming game? For those of you who have become bored with opinions that differ from you, you might want to refrain from commenting and re-read the press releases for entertainment...

Count me amongst the disappointed. BWT sounds like the Rock Band I was looking forward to. While I will be able to play BWT mode with friends and family, it will be only on rare occasions our schedules work. I work odd hours... My girlfriend works mornings and I tend to work late. A lot of my friends are married and now some with kids. Rock band is being sold at a pretty high premium for the full band experience. Now that it has been confirmed that one of the differentiating modes from GHIII is only available with local co-op I think many are going to find it more difficult to justify the large investment. Especially amongst the uniformed masses who only know the GH name.

I for one would gladly pay DLC prices for solo BWT in the future...

That's it... I've voiced my displeasure and other than to say I hope HMX comes up with a solution to bring BWT to solo play, I'm done complaining.

[LongDarkBlues]

Nobody is holding a gun to your head forcing you to buy the game. If you don't think it sounds like it's worth $170, just get GHIII, you know?

[Rook_x51]

*YAWN*

Jees are we still on this?

[JackBNimble]

There are two choices
Either delay the game
Release the game and hope for a patch in the future
I am sure HMX will put out a patch they did say no one wants WBT online more then they do.Unless you think thats B.S. then why wouldn't they make a patch?They know how important WBT is for so many.This game could be huge money for HMX if they do it right .

[BiffMan]

I am sure HMX will put out a patch they did say no one wants WBT online more then they do.Unless you think thats B.S. then why wouldn't they make a patch?They know how important WBT is for so many.This game could be huge money for HMX if they do it right .

The catch is that we don't know if it will be technically feasible to patch a major feature like that into the game after the fact. So good intentions may not matter if it simply can't be done.

[Insignificant_Other]

Just putting my voice in here as well - I'm really bummed about the BWT being offline only. I, like many others, will have a really hard time getting interested people over to play on anything even resembling a regular basis, and was counting on being part of a virtual online band. I know there is still online quick play, but I would gladly pay for a downloadable Add-on that made online BWT possible, rather than waiting for that feature to come out in a later product.

Still very much looking forward to Rock Band, but this was the first really disappointing bit of news since I first found out about the game.:(