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View Full Version : Oh dear, here comes another one... (New Coke pack)



Hellfire_WZ
12th October 2005, 09:31 AM
Dunno how many of you will be interested after that last travesty, but the next Coke pack is available tomorrow. TIme to see if they can butcher a craft in the same way they can destroy a track... :cry:

BaldyCurly
12th October 2005, 09:59 AM
I don't really understand why ppl are no happy with the branded content, I mean it's not like we are paying for it yet and I for one don't really mind advertising in exchange for new tracks and ships.

I personally like the Puma ships and tracks, bring it on I say.

eLhabib
12th October 2005, 10:14 AM
have you ever SEEN the coke stuff? it really hurts the eyes, believe me - Puma branding is subtle compared to that. Plus, the new coke pack will probably feature the same craft again, just with different livery.

Hellfire_WZ
12th October 2005, 10:17 AM
You obviously haven't seen the difference between the Puma branding and the Coke branding.

http://uk.geocities.com/ce_hellfire/coke1.jpg

BaldyCurly
12th October 2005, 10:39 AM
Not exactlly tasteful I agree but at least it's free I guess.

Drakkenmensch
12th October 2005, 11:45 AM
A single screenshot of the track does not do justice to how awful this branding truly is. From the Iridia track name itself replaced with a coke logo to the recolored red track, it's all cokecokecokecokecokecokecokecoke from start to finish.

All that's missing is a musical track override so that it gets replaced with

LA LA LA COKE LA LA COKECOKECOKE LA LA COKE (ad nauseam on infinite loop)

It's just toxic, really.

Seek100
12th October 2005, 12:52 PM
It's just toxic

Much like Coke itself.

Seriously I don't know how a decent person can sleep at night when they're sponsored by that radioactive waste of a drink.

Baldy, I mean I don't know how you can agree with this, just cause it's free, it's not actually new content, it's just the Delta pack continuously rebranded over and over again, the unbranded version was partially released already for the Japs, and the Yanks should be getting it soon - also unbranded. This Coca-Cola stuff is completely without merit - what's the point in getting the same medals again, you don't even have to learn a new track layout.

BaldyCurly
12th October 2005, 01:00 PM
it's not actually new content, it's just the Delta pack continuously rebranded


I didn't realise it was just a rebranded delta pack, thought it at least contained some new tracks to play on. Point taken and I agree.

Sausehuhn
12th October 2005, 01:20 PM
but hey - it gives you new images in the gallery :D

Hellfire_WZ
12th October 2005, 02:00 PM
...of our beloved craft plastered with Coke branding

Sausehuhn
12th October 2005, 02:57 PM
now, that's awesome - great idea... http://www.portablegaming.de/images/smilies/zack.gif

Drakkenmensch
12th October 2005, 03:29 PM
Remember now - this new Coke pack gives you the coke SHIP - which means you get a brand new red and white bullseye for your plasma bolts!

Hey, maybe we could launch a challenge - quickest time to destroy the coke ship in a race!

Zebula77
12th October 2005, 03:31 PM
Hehe, actually the Puma I craft is one of my favourites. I did most of the tournaments with that one. And I don't think the track advertisments are a bother, but thruthfully I haven't seen the Cola ones...yet. :lol:

Drakkenmensch
12th October 2005, 03:33 PM
Your eyes have not been burned out of their sockets through sheer horror, so clearly you haven't seen the Coke branded Iridia. Puma is tame and tasteful, in comparison :evil:

Mobius
12th October 2005, 03:37 PM
I don't notice the puma advertising anymore, i just see white and red blobs squares.

But i can't figure how the puma trainers got onto my feet though... :wink:

Just for the count i wear quicksilvers, i would never, ever wear puma's

lunar
13th October 2005, 05:56 PM
I wish I could stop noticing it too, Mobius, but I can`t. I even tried using the Puma skin to saturate myself with it, and somehow become immune to red and white, but it won`t work. What annoys me most are those spinny trackside things - they just couldn`t leave anything alone for fear I wouldn`t realise they were sponsoring it. Christ, if I was blind I wouldn`t be playing wipeout would I?

I`ll never ever wear Pumas either. This sponsorship is totally counterproductive. If they had tried to fit in the with the mood of the game, and sought a balanced and proportionate presence within it, then many of us who are anti-sponsorship would have been pleasantly surprised and come out of it with a more positive view of the brand. Those who don`t mind the sponsorship would still have been perfectly aware of Puma`s association with it. As it is though, it seems they don`t give a rat`s arse about my game experience and just want to make sure I see one of their logos at every point in the game - hence the wildly excessive track branding and the sponsorship of the craft, to make sure I can`t avoid it. The message I get is that they have no respect for the audience, and want to put themselves above the game and what we really like and what we are really here for - which is Wipeout. It would have been much more effective for them to just be associated with the game in a way that is subtle and respectful - that way they would have seemed fairly cool. As it is they just seem like another dumb corporation taking the piss.

Sony shouldn`t forget that Wipeout is a brand for them too, and by whoring it out to other brands like Puma and Coke they are damaging their own.

Sausehuhn
13th October 2005, 06:06 PM
Personally I've no problem with sponsors. We saw that it worked in the past. Red Bull or Kappa are also sponsors, and I quite like them when they appeared in the games.

But with Pure they did it another way. There're not just one or two boards per track advertising a brand, there are boards everywhere. And then of course the ships!

I hope Sony and SL learned from this lesson and won't do it again. Not this way.

lunar
13th October 2005, 06:09 PM
I`ve got no problem with it in every case - it`s just in this case the sponsorship is being ramped up to such a degree that it becomes worrying. As you say let`s hope the lessons they learn from this are to not go so far in the future - rather than judging it to have been a big success and give us even more.

Seek100
13th October 2005, 06:13 PM
I'm sure SL would rather not have to put up with their creation being whored out by their corporate masters at SCE, I really doubt it's in their hands though, they're just another branch of the company.

The vital difference with Red Bull is that 1 the sponsorship made sense (Red Bull is actually useful for aiding your concentration, thus theoretically it may improve some people's concentration while playing 2097) and 2 it was only featured on 1 or 2 background billboards and on the loading screens but again very discreetly there. Kappa had even less game presence, they had a few billboards that could barely be seen IIRC. Kappa still suck balls as a brand though.

Puma and Coca-Cola have gone completely the other way and it's clear that any influence the creators may have had in their ability to limit the sponsorship in 2097 and Fusion to a tasteful level has sadly dissipated. Sony have decided to milk the property at any cost to stretch their already bloated profit margins. Pure greed (pun intended).

Edit: Lunar, I really doubt that they'll learn anything from this, I mean really, a few dozen hardcore fans bitching about them on a messageboard wont do jack to alter their perceptions, they live in a bubble where the consumer is an idiot who will accept anything shoved down their throats like good little slaves.

@ Mobius, LOL at the 5-year plan ref. though I doubt Sony will be able to massacre 30 million people like Stalin, I don't think they have that many employees.

Mobius
13th October 2005, 06:14 PM
Well, sadly SL haven't got a say i this anymore it seems like, i think its Sony gets them to make it without any choice. It really is a shame there because as lunar said WipEout is a brand associated with Sony, so why not advertise that everywhere?

It would look a lot nicer, after all.

With sony however, they are collaberating all the sony game studios together to become sceww (sony (read soviet) computer entertainment world wide) and i think they will shoot anyone who wont be under their cyber collectivsation.... Mabey thay are devising 5-year plans and all that jazz... :?

Poor SL...

lunar
13th October 2005, 06:24 PM
Too right. I don`t know the details, but I don`t think we should be hard on SL for all this. And yes, Seek, a few hardcore moaners like us might not make a lot of difference, I fear. They`ll be much more interested in how the general audience, who are not wz members, react to it.

Drakkenmensch
13th October 2005, 06:40 PM
That's true. It's more than likely that any sponsorship issues presented to the programmers is done so in this way:

SONY LAWYER: "Oh wow, you guys are awesome, that game is going to sell MILLIONS of copies! You rule, don't change a thing! Well, maybe just a tiny detail or two. See, you've got to add these brand billboards to the image of coca-cola, contractual obligations and all that jazz, no biggie. Just a billboard or two. Every few feet. And the name of the track, that's got to go. And the other boards too. Can you change the track wall color? And the roof? And the track color, that was part fo the deal. That's it. And the ship colorings too, that's part of it. Otherwise, don't change a thing."

eLhabib
13th October 2005, 10:23 PM
I`ll never ever wear Pumas either. This sponsorship is totally counterproductive. If they had tried to fit in the with the mood of the game, and sought a balanced and proportionate presence within it, then many of us who are anti-sponsorship would have been pleasantly surprised and come out of it with a more positive view of the brand. Those who don`t mind the sponsorship would still have been perfectly aware of Puma`s association with it. As it is though, it seems they don`t give a rat`s arse about my game experience and just want to make sure I see one of their logos at every point in the game - hence the wildly excessive track branding and the sponsorship of the craft, to make sure I can`t avoid it. The message I get is that they have no respect for the audience, and want to put themselves above the game and what we really like and what we are really here for - which is Wipeout. It would have been much more effective for them to just be associated with the game in a way that is subtle and respectful - that way they would have seemed fairly cool. As it is they just seem like another dumb corporation taking the piss.

+1 to that.
just imagine if puma had placed only 1 (ONE) billboard on every track, then it would have become sort of a treasure hunt to find it, and everytime you fly by it, you'd be like 'whoa, cool! I just saw a Puma advert!'
now THAT would have been a good and functional way to advertise, but not the SHEIT we got from them.

Lance
13th October 2005, 10:28 PM
.
if i recall correctly, Sony is reducing its workforce by 10,000 people. [do you suppose that any of those people will be able to buy Sony products?][when all the companies have reduced their workforces, they will reduce their cash flow. and their products. and themselves. self-correcting situation eventually, sorta. except that everyone suffered a lot and there was a worldwide depression. yay. the profit margin for the next two days will be higher!][stops rant]
.

Sausehuhn
14th October 2005, 11:34 AM
@ eLhabib

that's it! When you just see one or two boards advertising a brand you think "hey! There was a *insert brand name* board! Cool!!!" but when you just see *insert brand name* here, *insert brand name* there, *insert brand name* everywhere you keep it in mind as crap instead of "hey, that's cool"

Drakkenmensch
14th October 2005, 12:26 PM
except that everyone suffered a lot and there was a worldwide depression. yay. the profit margin for the next two days will be higher!

That was the ultimate failure of downsizing. When ONE company does it, it works out GREAT for them. Same work done by fewer people! Less spent on salaries! But when the ENTIRE WORLD does it at once, that means a LOT LESS people working and having money to spend on the products they make. Instant recession caused by one guy who had the "brilliant idea" to downsize.

xEik
14th October 2005, 12:45 PM
Am I the only on finding it ironic that precisely "Pure" is being [choose verb from the list below] by corporate advertisement? :roll:
stained
soiled
tainted
tarnished
spoiled

rageagainstgeorge
14th October 2005, 12:53 PM
A little of all of those maybe...

Drakkenmensch
14th October 2005, 01:23 PM
Other verbs fitting to add to the list:

- defiled
- sullied
- corrupted

lunar
14th October 2005, 02:57 PM
Yes it`s all very ironic, there`s also:

desecrated
violated
debased

if we keep this going we could soon have the lyrics for a song. All we need is a ripped off Smiths riff and we`re there. If you sing it to yourself like the Coldplay guy or Bono it sounds quite convincing too. Whatever, then we could try and get it put into one of the next download packs. :wink:

Deluxe
16th October 2005, 05:19 PM
To be completely honest, i have all 4 CocaCola packs and I really quitte enjoy the "InYaFace" advertising and obscene red!

For all those of you slagging it off, think of it like this:
1 - You didn't pay for it.
2 - You're not forced to play it
3 - You didn't have to download it.
4 - There are plenty of other liveries / tracks.

Variety is the spice ;).

Drakkenmensch
16th October 2005, 05:31 PM
Take a barrel of radioactive toxic waste.

It's free.
It will be delivered to your home free of charge.
You don't have to order one if you don't want to, but you can get one easily.

Do you still want to EAT it?

:twisted: I sure wouldn't. That's how I feel about the coke downloads.


Pride.
Power.
Piranha!

Lance
16th October 2005, 06:28 PM
.
[Lance glows in the dark]
[but crass tasteless adverts still bite]
.

Sumimasen
16th October 2005, 08:23 PM
I just downloaded the latest Coke pack (the completist in me seems to have over-ridden my better judgement...) and I think it's now gone way too far...

I was a bit confused to see no new Coke ships in the menu, so started a normal single race, only to find my beloved Piranha covered in Coke livery!!! :evil:

So, does this new download override the standard livery of the 8 standard craft? If it does, then it's coming straight off the bloody memory stick RIGHT NOW!!!

... I'm starting to think that constantly switching between the three versions of W'O"P is starting to have a detrimental effect on my sanity! :oops:

Drakkenmensch
16th October 2005, 10:28 PM
*hands over to Sumi a canister of gasoline and a pack of matches*

Here you go, buddy, the fastest and most purifying way to remove the Coca-Cola FILTH from your beloved Piranha. That's how I cleaned mine, and despite the short moment of pain, he's forgiven me since I restored his pristine colors of origin.

It's my firm belief that people who still argue "it's free and nobody's forcing you to download it" simply have not SEEN it yet.

Quite horrific once you see it in action.



Pride.
Power.
Piranha!

Deluxe
17th October 2005, 01:48 AM
Well, i have it, and i say it. So your firm belief smells XD.

However, Coke-pack 4 does bother me, it does seem to overide the standard liveries. I don't mind having the extra coke liveries, but i think the liveries check box should multiply depending on how many different skins there are.

So if there are 4 different liveries from a ship, there are 3 squares, ne?

I never realised that the Coke pack 4 replaced the standard liveries because i fly using Tirgon, which has no coke ( or alternative ) liveries as you know.

The thought that came to mind when i played the first of the Coke-branded tracks was simply that it's realistic. Have any of you watched / seen any kindof F1 / V8 / Cycle / Tennis / Any kind of sport ?

A lot of the time the advertising is far more in your face than those subtle Coca-Cola tracks ;).

edit by Lance: two immediately succeeding posts only 5 minutes apart were combined into one.

Drakkenmensch
17th October 2005, 02:09 AM
But there's variety in real life sporting events. Not always the same brand everywhere.

This is what would happens if this sort of branding happened in a Formula 1 event, using a fictitious brand, say, Blazers Cigarettes.

The starting grip is ready. All 24 cars are lined up, each and every single one of them Blue and White with the word BLAZERS written on them. There are Ferraris, McLarens, BARs, Renaults, Toyotas and all the other teams, but you wouldn't be able to know because the team names have ALL been painted over by the blue and white sponsor colors. The entire ad panel content along the way is BLAZERS everywhere. The railguards are blue and white, the tunnel walls and room as well. The very TRACK is blue and white. BLAZERS is visible in three separate places no matter where you point the camera. It's all BLAZERS BLAZERS BLAZERS BLAZERS. The name of the track has been replaced by BLAZERS. The track formely named for a beloved racing hero who died tragically in a terrible crash has been renamed to BLAZERS. Not a single spot of red, green or yellow to be seen anywhere.

Just Blue and White - AND BLAZERS.

Remind you of anything?

Deluxe
17th October 2005, 02:16 AM
Ah, I'm talking the tracks, not the liveries. I've already added an extra letter to the Cola-Pack 4 , so it doesnt load. That's uber annoying.

Drakkenmensch
17th October 2005, 02:24 AM
Well, I was talking about everything together. The branded Iridia track is a searing insult to the beautiful work of Studio Liverpool and a hard slap to the face of players. One I'm not ready to forget so easily.

Deluxe
17th October 2005, 02:57 AM
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a huge fan of the Coke packs, but each to their own.

I thnk it's just so funny how all us nerds ( You know it's true, deal with it ) can get so fired up about something as trivial as some banners. lol. Gold.

Lance
17th October 2005, 03:24 AM
.
it isn't trivial. shall we have corporate control of all phases of life [which has become more complete as the decades have passed], or will private citizens have a high degree of control over their environment. we vote with our money. what do we buy? we vote with our time. what do we use?
how long do we have a vote? does there come a time when the government is directly the corporation?

did the game designers at Studio Liverpool have a vote on whether there would be corporate sponsorship and unlimited graphic modification of the studio's designs?
were the videogamers given the choice of whether the games would be debased? Wipeout Pure has been debased by the production of these versions even if we never use them. we know they are there. we know what was done to something we love.

this is our life experience that is crapped on. not trivial. not trivial at all.
.

Deluxe
17th October 2005, 03:28 AM
8O

That sounds like my queue to leave this courful thread of cranky-ness, lol. I know I'm not losing any sleep over it ^^

Dominator
17th October 2005, 06:44 AM
With you Lance...Coke, Puma everywhere...urgh!! Defacing our beloved Wipeout, pls no more of this bullshit :bombhead

Drakkenmensch
17th October 2005, 09:20 AM
We can only be so thankful that the US versionhas yet remaining untouched, unstained and uncorrupted by the filth that the japanese version has come to know.

At this point, knowing that the US branded contents will be entirely contained within the quarantined area that is the Stealth movie UMD seems more and more like a blessing in disguise...

Dogg Thang
17th October 2005, 09:43 AM
I totally agree, Drak. My US copy is a temple compared with my other copies. The JP downloads I don't mind so much though. Yes, the Coke packs are vile beyond belief but everything is offered in an untouched form in JP Pure if you want it that way.

Unlike the poor sods who only have the EU version. I'd be steaming right now if I had to put up with the Puma branding just to play the Delta packs. That's just me though.

With all of this branding, there is a certain irony in the name 'Pure'...

richchestmat
17th October 2005, 09:01 PM
I will be removing this new Coke pack but

for fun I'll admit openly that I think the Coke skin for Pirahna looks pretty nifty. :twisted:

Drakkenmensch
17th October 2005, 10:13 PM
*growls while wielding a huge 1-ton anime mallet bearing a Piranha logo*

Distrupto
18th October 2005, 12:58 PM
I will be removing this new Coke pack but

for fun I'll admit openly that I think the Coke skin for Pirahna looks pretty nifty. :twisted:

Wow, I wonder what a Coke skin on a FEISAR, Triakis or Medieval would look like! 8O 8O 8O

Hellfire_WZ
18th October 2005, 01:02 PM
http://cokestyle.net/game/item.html

There's your answer :)

element42
18th October 2005, 01:02 PM
See the link I posted in this thread (http://www.wipeoutzone.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2857) (second post).

[edit] :shame beaten to it.

Lance
18th October 2005, 07:59 PM
.

''Holy wretched Excess, Batman.''
.

username
19th October 2005, 12:43 PM
i havent seen any of the puma or coke downloads, if they bring out some red bull designs then that wil get me happy!! (im addicted to it like hell) :oops:

Distrupto
19th October 2005, 02:20 PM
http://cokestyle.net/game/item.html

There's your answer :)

Eek, those r RIDICULOUS! 8O :?

AG-Sys looks like a lawn-dart. Qirex not tooooooooo bad. Triakis, thankfully isnt very different. ARGH! What have the done to Auricom, Piranha and FEISAR! With those funny flames, they look like old-style retro-cruiser motorcycles! Harimau has partially inherited Triakis' original colors and Assegai is a total billboard. :blarg :blarg

Now we have 9 Coke-branded ships!!! AG5y5, Qirex, Triakis, Auricom, FEISAR, Piranha, Harimau, Assegai and Al-Vaskei r all infected now. Lets see if anyone can create a backstory y well-funded teams like the original 8 would advertise Coke. I would DREAD seeing the grid line up with everyone sponsering Coke( 9 teams!) on a track which is made completely of Coke ads. :bat :blarg 8O