2 questions

[GnB_237]

I have 2 quick questions for the game. One being in Solo Career Mode. In Solo Career Mode is it set up like BWT where you have to advance city to city and earn roadies and stuff like that, or is it just like GH where you just play down a list of songs?

And my second question is are the drums adjustable?

[TheRocker]

1. No you can still create your Rocker and go by setlists and cities but its not even close to the BWT experience
2.Adjustable they can be lowered or raised up.

[MaineDrummer]

Solo is like GH.

The drum height is the only adjustable part.

[GnB_237]

what can you do in BWT that you cant do in solo career mode, besides playing with your friends.

[yomerodes]

1. No you can still create your Rocker and go by setlists and cities but its not even close to the BWT experience
2.Adjustable they can be lowered or raised up.

You know if your bandmates in solo mode are random generated or if you have the option to made them?

[HeXcoda]

All video evidence suggests bandmates are generic and randomized when you're playing solo, and where a band name would appear in a venue, your character's name appears instead. I started a fairly massive thread about my findings in this regard and naturally got called a whiner :) but the research stands, until HMX proves us otherwise, which is not likely.

BWT has a number of setlist challenges in each city, usually pertaining to the city or grouping together several songs by concept. You also have to earn vehicles to travel across the country and across the world. You can name a band and design a band logo (can't do that solo). Finally, roadies, managers, and rock decisions like producing a DVD (earn 5 stars for massive bonus) or selling out (double cash, lose fans) etc.

Problem is, BWT is LOCAL multiplayer only, 2-4 players... so if you can't regularly get at least one person to play with you, you're hosed. Alternatively sing and play guitar yourself if you're coordinated enough.

Frankly, 70% of Rock Band is BWT mode. HMX will pretend otherwise because they don't wanna lose sales to people who are solo only due to real life interfering. This is something they need to work on for RB2008. Still, if you enjoy playing GH solo, you should get some enjoyment out of RB solo since it's the same concept.

[drno830]

Mind you, BWT is local-play only at launch. They have plans to have a patch that will allow for online BWT, but they couldn't have it done by the time the disc needed to be finalized.

[HeXcoda]

Mind you, BWT is local-play only at launch. They have plans to have a patch that will allow for online BWT, but they couldn't have it done by the time the disc needed to be finalized.

Dang, I knew I missed something in my summary...

Yeah, they're keen on getting online BWT in there. But there's no specific date set for it; it may not even be a patch, it could be in RB2008. It's inevitable but it's not something you should count on having anytime in the near to medium distant future.

I played some GH2 online last night with a friend... sure, he wasn't standing next to me, but it was still more fun than playing by myself. Looking forward to doing some online RB, even if we're stuck with Quickplay... although I'd prefer BWT since it's the majority focus of the game experience.

[masterx1918]

with all these plans for DLC, especially with all these big name bands as DLC, i'd be shocked if there was a Rock Band 2. Needless to say I doubt there will be one simply because of DLC.

[hardyfoster]

all i would love to have is the BWT for one player.

hopefully i can choose two, let one fail and keep playing without the whole band failing.

hopefully whenever RB 2 comes out, they'll have it where one player can experience the same benefits as multiplayers for BWT.

until then, i'll just whine about it till it happens or doesn't happen.

[HeXcoda]

with all these plans for DLC, especially with all these big name bands as DLC, i'd be shocked if there was a Rock Band 2. Needless to say I doubt there will be one simply because of DLC.

Yeah, they say the same thing about Madden, too... :)

Retail boxes keep the money train going. DLC is nice but if you don't make the bigbox stores happy by giving them product to sell they'll stop stocking your game, since it's no longer "hot and new". This is why MMORPGs sell expansions on shelves, despite being able to deliver content online easily.

As for letting the 2nd "player" fail out, that won't work. If you don't revive them after 30 seconds you fail the song. If they fail out three times it's game over.

Solo should not be an afterthought, HMX... something to consider for RB2.

[toefer]

Yeah, they say the same thing about Madden, too... :)

Retail boxes keep the money train going. DLC is nice but if you don't make the bigbox stores happy by giving them product to sell they'll stop stocking your game, since it's no longer "hot and new".

I don't think this is necessarily true. If HMX had big plans for DLC, which they seem to have, they have no real reason to make new games. They'll likely anger a lot of people who invested in RB 1, and have all those songs they paid for, so unless they find a way to import all your old RB songs into any potential sequel, expect angry customers. And I think angry customers matter more to HMX than angry video game stores.

If RB continues to sell well down the road, I doubt any retailers will refuse to keep carrying it, just because HMX has no plans for a sequel. If they really want, I suppose they can sell add-on packs, in a similar fashion to The Sims, which could keep the retailers happy, while still just using the one game. These could add new outfits, guitars, drums, or songs. They can also sell hardware stuff in the stores, like new guitar models for the controllers, and whatever else.

I think in some interview in the past, someone, maybe Rigopulos said something about how this isn't as much a game as it is a new way to experience music, and in that sense, I hope he implies its not the first in a long series, but just an entirely new platform to expand upon.

[BathTub]

with all these plans for DLC, especially with all these big name bands as DLC, i'd be shocked if there was a Rock Band 2. Needless to say I doubt there will be one simply because of DLC.


Personally I would shocked if we didn't see Rock Band 2 in 18 to 24 months, or some major in store release, however one of the selling points would be backwards compatible with all your downloaded tracks.

[HeXcoda]

I don't think this is necessarily true. If HMX had big plans for DLC, which they seem to have, they have no real reason to make new games. They'll likely anger a lot of people who invested in RB 1, and have all those songs they paid for, so unless they find a way to import all your old RB songs into any potential sequel, expect angry customers. And I think angry customers matter more to HMX than angry video game stores.

Was anybody angry that Guitar Hero 3 exists when Guitar Hero 2 already had DLC capability? DLC alone is not enough to keep the profits coming in. It's good for BONUS money but it doesn't replace the profit spike of a retail box, and doesn't allow for the several gigs of new data needed for new features, new venues, and 45+ new songs. Imagine trying to fit all that on your hard drive... unfeasible.

DLC has been around for two years now and it's not stopped companies from making sequels. I doubt it'll stop them anytime soon, either. You just can't beat a boxed game for profits.


I think in some interview in the past, someone, maybe Rigopulos said something about how this isn't as much a game as it is a new way to experience music, and in that sense, I hope he implies its not the first in a long series, but just an entirely new platform to expand upon.

It can be both, though. You can release a new boxed game and still have DLC. Mark my words, there WILL be a new Rock Band box on shelves next November. It's inevitable.

[Reaper0563]

well i can tell you right now, that if there is a RB 2 next year i'll be pretty pissed. Since it was stated that RB was going to be a platform and not just another franchise.

EDIT: I would much rather have DLC that I can choose from and nitpick through than be giving a disk with prechosen songs that I buy for 60 bigguns

[Jack_Harvard]

I don't think this is necessarily true. If HMX had big plans for DLC, which they seem to have, they have no real reason to make new games.

There will always be new cool features that HMX will come up with for future disc releases. Think about the upgrade from GHI to GHII, with the addition of co-op play, pro face-off and the various tweaks to the system. Plus, with the technology available today, there's no reason a future Rock Band couldn't be compatible with RB1 DLC.

[blue_dragonzero]

The only concern I have about RB2 is online. Because some people will prefer RB's original songs other than RB2's, thus creating a schism. If RB2 is ever created, Hmx needs to allow registration of RB owners and --- with a fee of say $5 --- allow them to add all of RB's main setlist and bonus songs as DLC playable on RB2.

[Xzyliac]

One thing I love about this forum is how two simple questions, with two simple answers, almost always explode into multi-paragraph battles of wit. It's amazing.

[R0ck3r]

One thing I love about this forum is how two simple questions, with two simple answers, almost always explode into multi-paragraph battles of wit. It's amazing.

Oh yeah, then it gets like 15 pages off of it, gets out of hand and Apples locks it (or somebody else).

[Xzyliac]

Oh yeah, then it gets like 15 pages off of it, gets out of hand and Apples locks it (or somebody else).

So basically we're a bar?

[Axel32]

Hey don't mean to hi-jack your post but I have a quick question.. So they are going to have online BWT later in the game through a patch? Okay.. any word on the Solo Bass carrer through a patch? Yes.. it still ticks me off, I want a friggen' bass carrer.

[HeXcoda]

Harmonix has hinted at a patch for online BWT, since it was planned to be added from day one -- they just ran out of time. But until they confirm that it's coming and/or offer a timetable, don't expect it anytime soon... possibly pushed off until Rock Band 2008.

No word on solo bass, but I highly doubt it.