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What Would You Do?
InTheGenes
Member Posts: 21
In a lot of threads that I've recently read, there seems to be (on the part of some folks) the idea that "DAoC is a great game, one of the best on the market", etc... yet, some people (even supporters of the game) feel that the game is "on its way out" or "dying".
So... if you were EA/Mythic, what would you do to change that perception (whether it's true or not)? Is it all about Marketing? Or is there something else that could be done?
Comments
any good answer, at least one that will satisfy those that come to
these boards. As I see it the problems with the game are:
1. WoW canabalized DAOC (and others) playerbase.
2. WoW has 7 million people playing it and it is the "it" game.
3. Warhammer is coming out so people do not want to "invest" in a game when a newer one is coming out.
4. The game is viewed as "old" so no one wants to play old
games. The thought in people's mind is that somehow newer =
better and that old games are "dead" for new players.
There is really only one thing to do - get more players. This
means taking them from other games and attracting new players.
The only way to do this is advertise. The "5th" aniversary
edition to me is a poor choice of a name. It says "old."
What you need to do is market the game as new. This means large
game adversisments, advertisments in magainzes, and in fact I would
suggest even on TV. G4, Spike, and Sci-Fi would be good places.
Then you need to take on WoW. Its next expansion is going to be a
flop (by that I mean it just adds more of the same crap so nothing to
get people back to the game). You need to attack WoW in terms of
quality and customer support. You need to make WoW seem like a
baby game. Something you try out to get into the genre, but if
you want a real mmorpg you need to move on to another game and DAOC is
that game. Reviews of both games point out farily well that WoW
is in no way the same quality as DAOC - espically in terms of RvR
play. Make WoW seem like a fad whose time has passed.
Then you need to hire a substantial amount of new staff for programers
and art. You need to rework the older zones and character
models. They are doing this now, but it needs to be spead
up. You need to replace old content with new content in the older
zones.
Then you need to change the dynamics of the game to make TD a slower way to level so people are out in the world.
You need to make grouping always be more XP than solo.
You need to update the UI
You need to give people a reason to level from 1-50 instead of /level.
Most importantly, when making this seem like a new game, they need a
release date. They need something special so that the game will
have an influx of new players. I am not sure this is
viable. You do not want to stop peope from subscribing ahead of
time. So I think the biggest problem is getting a lot of new
people into the game at around the same time. If you can do this,
then I think DAOC has many more years to go.
In my honest, professionaly, experienced response to your question, is that the problem lies with
#1. Another game has attracted more of the gamer world, and is higher in feedback and reviews.
#2. It is trying to compete with a game that not only is newer, but has higher marketability and has the funds for over-the-top advertisment.
#3. The game is not as popular as a game like WoW.
#4. A game such as WoW is a large growing widespread game that is expanding throughout the US and EU.
And then the question is: But how did they do it?
Such as when youtube became so popular, google bought it for 4 billion dollars.
And the way to do it is to first
#1. Revise bugs, issues, listen to customer feedback, and update graphics to up-to-date or higher
#2. Make sure you have the people happy.
#3. Spend money on advertisements, billboards, magazines. And spend more money on this then anything. Get a tv advertisement. Which is very effective. And in the longrun it will be well worth the trouble.
Explain why your product is better then anyone elses.
Explain why you should be the one their spending their money on.
Explain why they should have to pay to play this instead of going to a free game
Tell them why Dark Age of Camelot, is the Massive Multiplayer Player vs. Player Revolution
And also, most importantly, have a very effective psychological slogan that will catch people's attention and make them remember it. Such as:
"MMO Revolution - Revised" or "Mythic Entertainment, always looking out for number 1" or
"Mythic Entertainment, thinking for you"
3. Warhammer is coming out so people do not want to "invest" in a game when a newer one is coming out.
Sad as it may be, there is usually a "shelf life" on games. Good games are not excluded. I fear there is nothing you can really do for daoc at this point, its just too old. There is too much that needs to be changed.
Instead of changing it, there making a better game in Warhammer.
Before someone gets there panties in a twist, I had a TON OF FUN playing daoc.
I truly have respect and admiration for the game and its players, but its just too old.
flop (by that I mean it just adds more of the same crap so nothing to
get people back to the game).
This is actually very funny. I mean I do agree that DAoC is a great game and is being overlooked, but ... TBC won't be a flop. It's probably the most bulletproof piece of gaming software to be released in a while. It will be extremely popular, it *will* bring people back to WoW (not as if it's lacking in people now, in any case) due to the new content and the new races/cities. It will be a massive seller and the game overall will get a boost ... and not like it needs it with the sub numbers it already has.
My take would be to advertise DAoC as a PvP game, to attract the PvP crowd. Trouble is, with Age of Conan and WAR coming in 07, this won't last too long. It's important to be realistic. At the end of the day, DAoC isn't going to take too many people away from WoW or the new releases in 2007. Getting a few here and there is a more realistic and achievable goal for a game that is 5+ years old.
most people want to be the best. or have an oppurtunity to be the best anyway. when DaoC comes out with expansion they should merge 2 of the very low pop servers and make a fresh one and advertise it. the did do this once maybe a year and half, 2 years ago and it went very well, alot of people came back but they overdid it and added a 3rd one when they should not have.
im killing time right now waiting for some games, but im not going to go back to daoc for 6 months on a server it woudl take me that long just to catch up to majority of casual gamers, especialy on a pvp game. i would go back with a new server though
1. Make it more fast paced.
2. Fix ghost lag, fix choppy movement and combat styles.
3. Nerf Hibernia on classic servers.
4. Change the interface to look more like WoW.
5. 0 out the economy so it's more fair to new players.
6. Make less things instanced, make more things outdoors, add better quests.
7. UPDATE THE GRAPHICS ON MOBS FFS.
8. On ToA servers, give new players a leveling bonus, get rid of the /level option.
9. Nerf the artifacts, so new players have a chance in PvP.
10. Make melee classes more useful in PvP.
11. Balance the classes.
12. Make a 50 BG, like WoW's WSG.
13. Make the 3 realms 1, like on co-op servers, but allow PvP.
14. Allow world PvP.
15. Get rid of the /commands for the new players to make things easier.
There is probly even more.
FFXI: Gauhar - Odin
There already is a PVP server - Mordred.
There is a fairly new BG for 45-49, probably as close to a BG for 50's that is going to happen.
I thiink the current double XP for the classic areas has been a good thing for getting people out of tds. In this last Herald Mythic said they are going to consider what to do about it in the future - in the meanitime move it to include Shrouded Isles while they consider it.
I think making a higher bonus for grouping is a great idea - except there is no way to exclude bots from that....
I never understand the call for balancing classes. It seems to me that realms would have - should have different strengths and abilities. Why would realm be all the same...?
Sometimes I get aggrevated by all that post in various places that they are leaving - the game is dying... so leaving helps it live? I serioulsy doubt that I'll move to WAR - just not that interested in spending the money for another game. So it will be real life here.. maybe read some good books....
right here is the #1 problem. Those who play mmorpgs will view
the game as old and not play. I disagree with a shelf life, but
certainly once something has been out for more than a couple of years
it is not worth playing.
You are never going to get those people that come here to this forum to
leave whatever game they are playing in mass to go to a game that has
been out longer. You best chance is to target recent mmorpg
players (like those whose first game was WoW) and bring in customers
from outside of the genre. You have to make it seem new and
relevant compared to its competitors. So, for example, it is a
really bad idea to put out a 5th aniversary edition. It screams
old to people and people do not want to play old games even if most
reviewers will say that it is better than the games that have followed
it.
I like Daoc but it wasn't very well planned out leveling can be a burden or sickining. THe RVR PVP is fun.
But adding automatic dungeons with catacombs just added lameness to the game. Mnotaurs who cares
I feel sorry for anyone who attempts to level one to 50 60.
THe best thing about DAOC was Darkness Falls that is the scariest dungeon ever created even topping
Deciet in Ultima Online and KOV the only cool dungeon I made it to in EQ 2.
Play this game on the freeservers Mythic doesn't deserve your money isn't it like 14.00 a month for what?
I agree with logangregor. The game may not be dieing in the sense that a year from now it won't be here anymore, not at all. But I do think it's reached its winding down point. No game, no television show, etc. will last forever. I am just now starting to play DAoC and am having fun, though I'm still playing around with the classes to see what works for me. I don't have anything above level 13, lol.
It's the same cycle that Anarchy Online, UO, Asheron's Call, what have you, all went through. With luck and some TLC they will carve out a small, dedicated core that will continue to play and which will earn them a modest profit. Or they can be dumb and greedy and try to overhaul the game to increase subscriber numbers ( see: SWG) thus ruining it.
The only real option I can see is a sequel that somehow captures the "spirit" of DAoC, but with updated graphics and some new twists. This hasn't worked out well for other games, though, so not sure how that would work out. Examples: Asheron's Call 2, EQ2.
I think Blizzard has given up on DAOC for the most part, its in manintenance mode. They've put all their eggs in the basket called WH and all the improvements will be found there.
I guess all games have a life cycle, you can't expect to play them forever....
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
2. DAOC is still making more improvements than WoW. All for
free, they have started to update all of the original zones. They
have added new lower level areas to the game. They are adding a
new quest system. They have been and will start again next patch
cycles making changes to class. With a paid expansion you now
have one new race, one new class, and the largest dungeon in any
mmorpg. Add to that the continuation of champion levels.
With WoW's expansion you get what - more zones, higher level limit, and
jewelcrafting? It is going to be the same old game just more of
it.
3. The new dungeon adds a new way to RvR.
4. Mino-relics also add a new twist to game play.
So, far from the case, DAOC is not in maintenence mode. However,
you cannot make huge changes in a game that make it something new
because in doing that you loose a lot of subscribers. SWG
anyone? DAOC was and is the more inovative game than WoW.
I highly doubt you can say all of the eggs in one basket. EA is
in the process of turning over all mmorpg development and control to
Mythic. Mythic controls UO, DAOC, and WAR. They also have
access to all of the intellectual property of EA and EA's huge
pocketbooks. While WAR is certainly going to be the next big
thing coming from them it is hardly going to be the last.
DAoC is a dying game. Mythic is trying to squeeze as much money from it as possible atm, as it is with the expansion pack. Mythic is or was (may have given up) trying to revive the game, but i think their best bet to save DAOC is to maje DAOC 2. However, DAoC 2 will probably not happen as seeing that mythic is working on WAR, which i hope will be a good game and will probably drop the DAoC population as if it were DAoC 2.
I also find it funny that someone suggest implementing a WSG for DAoC. My response to that is mythic is not nearly dumb enough to try to implement a horrible PvP system as it is in WoW. If you have played DAoC you would also realize that a lvl 50 bg is a horrible idea.
or the easy interface.I played wow for over two years...the day it was launched both my wife and I left DAOC.
I feel that I got my money's worth.
BUt after playing with different classes and seeing end game content from both sides I have to say theres nothing really else to do but to level alts.The way the game was designed it has a broad appeal to many age groups, from a marketing angle this is great it appeals to alot of folks and brings in the money! But is one of it's downfall a large majority of player based are under 15...and it shows...
I really wish Mythic would at least revamped their UI and their quest to make it more eye appealing....At least here once you hit 50 you can rvr.I just reactivated my account after two years...buit it saddends me to see alot of my old friends have gone to other games, and or there's not alot of folks to pve with.
I actually wnet thru their game tutorial and I have to admit it was actualy was pretty straightforward kudos to Mythic
I know one thing am not going back to wow.I do enjoy games like DAOC that challenge you to grow with your character...unlike wow where at the end the only thing that matters is purple epics!
one a side note I would like to ask does the new expansion uses a new game engine? I miss how fluid wow
would move in game.Am still runing the catacombs to toa upgrade but it seems a tad slow at times.
is a digital download perhaps they are making some, but generally
whatever company puts out an expansion you just recover the development
costs.
As for UI changes, I really have no complaints. But then again I
came from EQ and the UI was very similar. The only complaint I
can see people having are all of the /slash commands. Given that
WAR and DAOC use the same game engine, it would not surprise me if some
UI changes were not going to come out soon.
How does that happen, though? How do the developers go about designing something that is 100% player-driven? If players decide to travel in packs for the whole "safety in numbers" thing, what is the solution? Attach penalties of some kind? Somehow, I don't see that going over very well with the majority of the playerbase.
What about the folks who like the whole "epic battle" feel? I'd argue that for every person out there that complains about Zerg vs. Zerg, there's just as many folks who thrive off of the excitement and adrenalin associated with large-scale combat. Myself, I fall into that last category; some of the best game memories I have are of massive battles that lasted and lasted, until one realm was left standing.
So again, I ask you (Fugnudz): what, specifically, would you do differently? I hear what you don't like, but how would you change it?
How does that happen, though? How do the developers go about designing something that is 100% player-driven? If players decide to travel in packs for the whole "safety in numbers" thing, what is the solution? Attach penalties of some kind? Somehow, I don't see that going over very well with the majority of the playerbase.
What about the folks who like the whole "epic battle" feel? I'd argue that for every person out there that complains about Zerg vs. Zerg, there's just as many folks who thrive off of the excitement and adrenalin associated with large-scale combat. Myself, I fall into that last category; some of the best game memories I have are of massive battles that lasted and lasted, until one realm was left standing.
So again, I ask you (Fugnudz): what, specifically, would you do differently? I hear what you don't like, but how would you change it?
<Fugnudz scratches his nuts and shakes his head> I dunno.
I could be wrong on this (I frequently am) but I think I read that WH will have small instance combat in addiction to wide open RvR zones. These instance RvR zones will pit equal numbers/levels of players from both sides against each other in various combat situations. If so, this is very WOW like... (BG's anyone) and will address the needs of people who want to play in a controlled combat situation.
But like I said before.... I could be wrong.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
I agree, I'm over the WoW style and wish newer games would stray away from trying to replicate it.