Tommy Tallarico - Fun Amico Conversations

3 minutes ago, Starpaddler said:

The designers and developers are also game players themselves.  As they are the most knowledgeable on the system’s capabilities and limitations, I’m sure they are designing the game controls to be the best combination of physical simulation and fun. 

Yeah but it's the "it worked well on mobile but not on the controller" bit that was a bit of a red flag. That says to me that the hardware isn't (at least wasn't) ready.

In reality I'm not too worried about that as I don't really care about motion controls but I would have thought it'd have been nutted out by now.

Maybe Tommy can clarify what the issues were...

16 hours ago, godslabrat said:

Would you mind providing specific examples?

This guy explains how he felt bullied after giving his opinion.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rdQumLTE1X4

13 hours ago, godslabrat said:

Oh, I would never want someone to review it who already had a strong opinion.  I firmly believe the first big reviewers should have no ties to the Amico project or to the most vocal critics.

That rules out ArsTechnica and Digital Foundry.  One example he gave does have lots of experience reviewing videogames.

14 hours ago, godslabrat said:

I strongly disagree that this would be a poor time to send review units.  I don't need to list the doubts that have been cast on the project (I mean, I will if you want me to). I would suggest that being able to show a solid hardware unit with complete games would do wonders toward building confidence in the Amico project.

They already showed their hardware and games, live, earlier this year.  First at the National Videogame Museum, then again at various events around the Crayola event.  People still think it's not real.  There really is no point trying to convince certain people.

14 hours ago, godslabrat said:

Questions were raised about the completeness of the hardware as well as certain games.  Tommy's response was that he needs to withhold that information so that websites and youtubers can get the "scoop".  My question came from a spot of asking why paying customers should be more in the dark about the status of the project compared to websites and youtubers.

He was talking about showing certain games.  Hardware has been shown, and they say is complete, and they've shown a lot of their games, talked extensively about cornhole.   Examples of gameplay they're holding include the sixth packin and other party/social games, as well as how physical games and licensing works.  They have the right to do what they feel is in the best interest of the company. Those with preorders aren't kept in the dark anymore than anyone else. Those with preorders should see it all well before they have to commit to purchasing.  What's the issue.

8 hours ago, MantaNZ said:

Pat? 🤣🤣🤣

No, it’s just that Cornhole stood out to me in a way the other games have not as of yet. I loved Wii Sports and that game gave me the same vibe- I was disappointed in the changes that were shown but if Amico pulls it off I’d pick it up to play that game. Most of the other games don’t appeal to me, although Cloudy Mountain is on my radar.

15 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

For the record (so no one is disappointed when they finally get them in their hands)... the boxes are about half the size as depicted in the pic.

The boxes are accuratley sized, its TJ that is twice the size in reality! 

11 hours ago, jerseystyle said:

Tommy, I’m the first to admit I’m far too invested in Cornhole, as my various posts attest. Was sooo pumped for the game, then was deflated by the updated footage. However, I love being surprised. Please make sure that game is awesome. If it is I’ll buy an Amico to play it no worries. 

Don't worry.  Our goal is not to put out crappy games.  Especially one of the big pack-in games. 

I can totally understand why the footage may have caused concern for some folks.  But let me go into a little more detail so you can better understand what you were seeing and how it is incorporated into the game.

In the final version of Cornhole you don't need to set any of that stuff that you saw being adjusted in the video if you don't want to.  The angle of throw, player position and landing spot are already set.  The new throwing method controls the speed/distance and yaw/angle that you throw.  It's actually even a little more than what Wii Bowling did (which didn't have a gyroscope initially and could only be purchased as an add-on called the Wii Remote Plus).  The only thing we took away from the original way we had it was calculating in the arc of the throw.  That was the thing causing problems from a gameplay and code standpoint (in the Amico controllers because of no magnetometer).  It was playable... but it didn't feel good or play as good as we thought it could.  You never felt that connected to the throw and it was difficult to place a bag exactly where you wanted.  That is no longer a problem.  If you want to change the arc, player position or bag position on the board... you can set that if you'd like.  But you would still need a perfect throw with no mistakes in order to land it exactly where you want.  So even if you aimed the bag at the bottom of the board and you threw the bag too hard/far, you could still get it right in the hole at the top.  In that regards... think of it more like a Golf game... except with motion controls to determine the power, distance and slice of the swing.

Oh yeah... we also have wind factor in the Medium & Hard courses. 

The game is much more fun to play and control now.

We will be doing a deeper dive (as well as showing the general public playing it for the first time) in an upcoming video.

Stay tuned.

Thanks!

5 hours ago, Starpaddler said:

Not speaking for IE but don't think SW or firmware are ever really complete until there is a pens down, complete final optimization and get it out the door by x date order; and most times not even then (especially when it comes to Sony & MS). They've got HW that I believe  is 100% designed, except for maybe a few more electrical components they may be looking to swap out due to part availability.
 

As they’re paying their engineers and developers anyway, why wouldn’t they keep tweaking and bettering the first round of games and also the firmware and UI (the latter 2 of which will likely be worked on and updated for years after launch), until they can secure the final parts they require to buid and release the system?  
 

Sure they could wrap the games and start earnestly on the second wave but don't think having 60 games at launch aligns well with their slow and curated release of games, that is both good for the consumers and developers. Additionally, the second wave may include more developers and licenses that would then require additional money, so think its smart to wait until they start collecting profits from their work to date before heading down paths that lock them into further pre-revenue investments.  
 

Why does everything need to be a conspiracy? Sometimes things are just as they are advertised.  Don't think anyone doubts that securing components is currently difficult, nor that IE can afford to loose money on a large number of released consoles.  Also don’t think anyone really believes at this point that Amico is fake or has a fatal design flaw; but maybe I’m wrong, people seem to believe a lot of crazier things these days. 
 

Speaking of crazy, call me crazy, call me a shill, call me whatever but at the end of the day there has been a lot of innovation, pioneering and development work, both HW and SW that has been shown to hundreds of people, and I have not yet heard of even one account where someone has called attention to either their general dislike or any serious issues they've encountered while playing it, myself included; and in fact I’m aware of 2 people who were originally openly cold to the system that were swayed after playing it; that being SmashJT (who actually invested in Amico after playing it) and Saggy’s BF.
 

As for youtubers vs paying customers, I’m sure IE will be contacting those who’ve preordered once a release date has been determined and also that their plans for revealing more info on the system, controllers, UI, physical products, etc. will be done on larger youtube channels in order to generate as much awareness as possible at the time it will do them the most good (they’ve already said as much), so think I’m still missing the point on your concern, unless you disagree with my above, in which case I’d like to know which parts?  

Well said.

❤️

5 hours ago, MantaNZ said:

I gotta admit that update video worried me me a little too. Giving up on the motion controls... seemed a bit like a band-aid job rather than a proper fix. I hope this gets sorted. I'm still looking forward to trying out the controller though, motion or not.

Just so there is no confusion, we didn't give up motion controls.  Sorry if that wasn't made clear in the video.  You still need to throw the bag and (check out my post above) we are still calculating things on-the-fly via the gyroscope and accelerometer.  The only thing we really changed/added is that you can now set the angle of your throw and the position of where you want to aim exactly on the board (but only if you want to).  It helps greatly in making more accurate shots.

Hope that helps to clear it up.  Let me know if you have any other questions on how we are approaching it.  I can tell you this... the game is a LOT more fun since we made the adjustments.  And that's the most important thing!

5 hours ago, MantaNZ said:

Yeah but it's the "it worked well on mobile but not on the controller" bit that was a bit of a red flag. That says to me that the hardware isn't (at least wasn't) ready.

 

In reality I'm not too worried about that as I don't really care about motion controls but I would have thought it'd have been nutted out by now.

 

Maybe Tommy can clarify what the issues were...

It had nothing to do with the hardware at all. 

We wanted the throwing to feel more fun and accurate with the Amico controller.... and we succeeded. 

And just to be 100% clear, the controls now are much more fun and simple to use than the mobile controllers with the magnetometer were before we made the adjustments.

1 hour ago, Intellivision Master said:

 

I just noticed that one of the bowlers from the original Bowling is the Amico blue color!  

55 minutes ago, jerseystyle said:

No, it’s just that Cornhole stood out to me in a way the other games have not as of yet. I loved Wii Sports and that game gave me the same vibe- I was disappointed in the changes that were shown but if Amico pulls it off I’d pick it up to play that game. Most of the other games don’t appeal to me, although Cloudy Mountain is on my radar.

No worries.  I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts after you've had a chance to play it.

If you liked how Wii Bowling controlled, then I think you'll really like what we're doing with Cornhole as well.

35 minutes ago, theswede said:

The boxes are accuratley sized, its TJ that is twice the size in reality! 

14 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

 

I just noticed that one of the bowlers from the original Bowling is the Amico blue color!  

 

 

Right.  Isn't that something.

18 hours ago, Retrodon said:

@Tommy Tallarico

Could you clarify on the NFT thing? Was that a misnomer for NFC, or are you actually planning on associating Amico with NFTs? As a fan, that would sound morally dubious and in contrast with Amico philosophy. I hope this is just some misunderstanding, as I want to be excited about this project.  

Don't want to spam or anything, just unsure if my post got unnoticed. Just want to be reassured as a fan, since I'm particularly conflicted about the subject.  

1 hour ago, Retrodon said:

Don't want to spam or anything, just unsure if my post got unnoticed. Just want to be reassured as a fan, since I'm particularly conflicted about the subject.  

Like everything we are creating, it's a really great thing that is very consumer friendly.
 

15 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

the boxes are about half the size as depicted in the pic.

@Tommy Tallarico is there a chance of getting a comparison pic of the Amico game boxes and the original INTV boxes? Maybe even compare them to modern ones?  I would love to see a Moon Patrol vs Moon Patrol pic.  I understand that if you take a quick snap, people will complain that it's not professional enough. And you have plenty of other things to do...  Not a need.. But a want.

Also how about dropping an exclusive on us? Haven't had one in the forum for a while. A new game in Development. a screenshot of a previously announced game. Maybe a little hint at some of those early WTBS^tm games/licenses that you have done, but have not officially announced.

1 hour ago, Retrodon said:

Don't want to spam or anything, just unsure if my post got unnoticed. Just want to be reassured as a fan, since I'm particularly conflicted about the subject.  

I had the very same question before :). According to Tallarico, it should be really NFT, both for digital and physical games. No details beyond that are known currently. 

@Tommy Tallaricobeen searching for footage from this year's gamescom that you guys were at but can't find anything??? Will this be added to the amico you tube channel or Facebook page 

49 minutes ago, woobman said:

Also how about dropping an exclusive on us? Haven't had one in the forum for a while. A new game in Development. a screenshot of a previously announced game. Maybe a little hint at some of those early WTBS^tm games/licenses that you have done, but have not officially announced.

I second this.

6 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Just so there is no confusion, we didn't give up motion controls.  Sorry if that wasn't made clear in the video.  You still need to throw the bag and (check out my post above) we are still calculating things on-the-fly via the gyroscope and accelerometer.  The only thing we really changed/added is that you can now set the angle of your throw and the position of where you want to aim exactly on the board (but only if you want to).  It helps greatly in making more accurate shots.

Hope that helps to clear it up.  Let me know if you have any other questions on how we are approaching it.  I can tell you this... the game is a LOT more fun since we made the adjustments.  And that's the most important thing!

 

 

Ah cool. I thought it may have been changed to a traditional golf game style control method. Thanks for clearing it up. I guess you can turn off the angle system for full on realism (hard) mode.

Hi Tommy, What’s happened to this game? Is it a new version of Auto Racing? 😀

Did the Gamescon event happen? I was wondering if anyone had seen it. 

10 minutes ago, Silverbot said:

Hi Tommy, What’s happened to this game? Is it a new version of Auto Racing? 😀

 

 

I’d buy that game on this screen shot alone. 

2 hours ago, Starpaddler said:

I’d buy that game on this screen shot alone. 

Speaking of screen shots - here's a (very early) shot of my Amico game.

Sadly after signing an NDA I never heard anything back from the Amico commissioning team so I never got to show it to them but I'm still working on it anyway  More than likely PC now though

This is very old and there's much more to the game now but I always liked this shot.

23 minutes ago, MantaNZ said:

Speaking of screen shots - here's a (very early) shot of my Amico game.

 

 

Sadly after signing an NDA I never heard anything back from the Amico commissioning team so I never got to show it to them but I'm still working on it anyway  More than likely PC now though

 

This is very old and there's much more to the game now but I always liked this shot.

 

That looks really cool man. I'm picturing bouncy idling and puffy smoke coming out the tail pipes.