Edit: Discussions closed. Thanks for all the great questions!
The fine folks at Harmonix have granted us an interview and we’re in the process of putting together the questions. Jen and I are really psyched about it and were wondering….. What would our readers ask? So I asked Harmonix if they would mind fielding some community questions and of course, they said ’sure’. So use that little comment box below and post some interesting questions… The three we like best (We are judge and jury on this one folks…. ) will be asked. Just a word of advice… I’m pretty sure asking the question ‘When are we going to be able to play ________ on Rock Band’ won’t be considered.
Keep it interesting, I know one of the questions I would like to know is what’s the process of getting a song from pure audio, to a DLC track with 4 difficulty levels out the door. Having 5 years of software QA under my belt, for the 6th largest software company in the world, I can relate to the amount of work getting content (or in my case, hotfixes) out the door takes. Feel free to link to us from your blog or website, the more questions the better.
Another question I get asked all the time is ‘Have you heard anything about what they have learned about the quality of the instruments… I’ve read so many stories about broken guitars and such”… I actually saw a drum petal break in half on New Years Eve.. Yeah we were all drunk… But we also all play without shoes… We certainly don’t beat on our controllers like we wail on those drums.. It’s still a good, honest question.
So put on your rocking thinking caps. Ask about the past, the present, or the future. We’ll tally up the questions and get them over to our friends at Harmonix ASAP. Keep Rocking.
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1Nimicohgr
on Jan 29, 2008 at 5:04 pm:
Rockband is a convergence of many other game types. Besides bringing together vocals, guitars and bass it has added a drum simulation which we have not seen the likes of before on a console. With that being said this new drum controller is suffering from numerous failures in my friends houses. The drum kit has to literally take a beating from people - some not so skilled with the drums.
Do you have any plans on releasing an upgraded drum kit separate from the starter kit? Maybe a bit sturdier with a more realistic drum pedal? I would gladly pay for a more professional grade drum kit!
2Greyjoy
on Jan 29, 2008 at 5:50 pm:
What’s the situation with the release date for UK/EU/Aus?
3Benji Black
on Jan 29, 2008 at 11:37 pm:
What some of the problems that come up with a master track, that ultimately mean rejecting it, and having to do a cover version of the song?
4ASPSAX
on Jan 30, 2008 at 12:07 am:
Are there any plans on expanding Band World Tour to include new gigs involving DLC? (A 4-song Metallica set would be KILLER hard!)
5Ryan
on Jan 30, 2008 at 12:54 am:
Do you have plans to keep patching Rock Band on a semi-regular basis? Many people would like to see features (like Make a Setlist and choosing venues) in the Band World Tour incorporated into the Solo Tour as well. Are there any plans to make that happen via online patches?
6Ryan L.
on Jan 30, 2008 at 1:02 am:
Will we every see an Online Band World Tour or how about a Solo Band World Tour experience?
7Dugrex
on Jan 30, 2008 at 8:29 am:
What is the timetable for the larger DLC, i.e. The Grateful Dead, Who’s Next, and Nevermind?
Is there a realistic possibilty that The Beatles might be included in future DLC?
Will there be a significant patch to the game to fix things such as on line BWT or a song manager to turn on/off some of those more annoying songs, or will we have to wait until Rockband 2?
Will there be a Rockband 2?
8Dugrex
on Jan 30, 2008 at 8:33 am:
Is there thought to expanding the peripherals, such as keyboard? I would love to play some Doors tunes.
9omgChezMix
on Jan 30, 2008 at 9:00 am:
Rock Band is appealing to both casual and competitive players alike. Are there any plans to stimulate the competitive aspects of the game?
Do you see the music game genre becoming as prevalent in the competitive gaming scene as First Person Shooter (FPS) and Real Time Strategy (RTS) genres are?
10HeXcoda
on Jan 30, 2008 at 9:04 am:
Does it get frustrating to be asked the same questions over and over (”When are albums coming out?” “Where’s online BWT?” “Why exactly can’t you add GH3 compat?”) and not be able to answer them to the fan’s satisfaction? It seems the nebulous nature of software design timetables and corporate manuverings has conspired against you guys somewhat, as throws up a wall of silence and ambiguity about key issues with the game.
11Sidd
on Jan 30, 2008 at 9:23 am:
Since GH3 has slash, will we have any chance of seeing Downloadable content from Guns N’ Roses?
12Clay
on Jan 30, 2008 at 9:28 am:
What’s the status with the patch and activision? Are you still actively pursuing this or is it a dead issue?
13James
on Jan 30, 2008 at 9:52 am:
What is happening regarding the EU/AUS release? Q1 was mentioned at original release, and now 1/3rd of the way through that period, we have had no news.
14Super_hoops1967
on Jan 30, 2008 at 10:28 am:
When will we get a u.k/european release date & uk/european price list?
What is taking so long for it to get from the u.s to the u.k….there’s no translation needed & the instruments connect via USB so thats no problem either.
15shields102
on Jan 30, 2008 at 11:13 am:
Could you provide us with an example dialog of the interaction between Harmonix as the developer, and a band and its agents/record company,in regards to a song or songs being used in the game? Maybe siting a particular band/song as an example.
Nice site!
16Celebritarian
on Jan 30, 2008 at 11:38 am:
You’ve been having a lot of problems with Rock Band peripherals, such as the strum bar breaking and drum pedals cracking etc. Do you have any plans to release updated versions of the controllers?
17Joseph aka joeycrizzack
on Jan 30, 2008 at 11:46 am:
Hey, whats up. First and foremost, I was never a rock and roll fan until I played your game. Its probably the best gamin experience I’ve ever had (Im 26 Years old).
Now my question is, Is there any plan to release any other downloadable content, like an expansion pack, for this game? If so, can you give us some detail as to what is?
18Drew
on Jan 30, 2008 at 11:47 am:
Seeing as how Harmonix is based in Boston and that the address of “The Establishment” is the same address as the main Harmonix offices, it stands to reason that other addresses/venues may refer to actual locales. Some are easy to spot (”Heebie Jeebies” -> CBGB’s) but others may leave fans wandering up and down Beacon Street in Somerville looking the Charles Pub! So where is the bar that the Charles is based on? Is it Abbey Lounge? The Kirkland? This question has been nagging me and my friends for weeks!
19Jason
on Jan 30, 2008 at 4:08 pm:
Any plans to offer in-game or lobby chat on the PS3 version?
20Ryan Frost
on Jan 30, 2008 at 7:07 pm:
Hi,
I know this question has been asked before, but us guys in the UK have read all the positive reviews of this game and are just dying to get our hands on it.
If anyone out there has any details with regards to a UK release date and UK pricing, it would be most appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
21Jamie Tatum
on Jan 30, 2008 at 11:56 pm:
Congratulations on your success with Rock Band! This is the game that brought me into the genre and at this point it’s hard to imagine a party without it. I second the question about keyboards. So many tunes have really great keyboard/piano tracks and it will be awesome to play along with them. I also wonder about more flexibility for the existing parts. Why can’t two people play drums, or lead guitar? This limitation struck me as funny, especially in quickplay modes.
22RockinSteve
on Feb 2, 2008 at 1:13 pm:
Now that Rock Band for Wii has officially been confirmed, can you tell us if the Wii Rock Band Guitar will be compatible with Wii Guitar Hero III? Please don’t pull another GHIII/PS3 on us Wii fans!
23rich Goldsmith
on Feb 2, 2008 at 4:36 pm:
the drum kit that ion used at the ces show in Vegas would you consider adding that to the game in the near future???
24Flinch
on Feb 3, 2008 at 2:03 am:
Is there any chance of seeing some ‘regional’ non-US/Britain packs thrown out? By that, I mean something like:
- Canada (Sloan, New Pornographers, which are already on there, which is GREAT!), Arcade Fire, etc)
- Australia (Silverchair, AC/DC, INXS, Air Supply, Powderfinger, etc)
- Sweden (Millencolin, Opeth, Refused, The International Noise Conspiracy, The Hives, Meshuggah, In Flames, ABBA, Europe (FINAL COUNTDOWN!), The Sounds, Peter Bjorn & Jon, The Caesars, etc)
- Norway (Ton of metal bands, I’m sure, Turbonegro, A-Ha, Apoptygma Berzerk, etc.)
- Brazil (Sepultura/Soulfly, along with others, I’m sure)
I think it’d be a great idea and a neat way to expose artists/music from other parts of the world to people who may not be aware of said bands, as well as providing some classics.