SOE, Good or Bad?

infrared1

So, is SOE a good game developer / publisher? Or are they bad news?



I'm just interested to see what the majority of gamers think.



Please be able to give an intelligent well thought out answer. Do not base your answer on one thing, but overall perspective of them based on experience. Look at the bigger picture, then answer honestly.



Take into consideration, ie. Customer support, Game development, Game content, Graphics and all of their games including console and PC.



Thank you.

Vidan

I've never understood the SOE hate. I've never used their customer service, but I mainly credit that to them creating a usually stable game. I look forward to them maybe being able to revive Vanguard.

seabass2003

I don't have anything bad to say about them. Then again I don't have anything good to say about them either. To me they are just another company meh.

mklinic

If I were to base my opinion completely on my experience playing SWG, I would have voted terrible. However, I realize this is only one of their games and I can't say I have played any others.



Therefore, I gave it a "Poor" because of my experiences with their customer service (billing issues specificly) and because of their handling of the game development of SWG.



I can't say I "hate" SOE though. Perhaps "frustrated" is a better term.

PerryPanther

in my opinion i think soe is not half bad and here is the reasons.... i played all their games eq , eq2, planetside, matrix and others and i msut say for a company that control all these games they havent done bad. eq 2 is a great game overall and dont forget it was everquest that set the mmo world flying. now some of there game did flop but let look at truth matrix online was bought from wb so it wasnt a soe prduct from start so that dont count, vanguard also was bought cant blame soe on that . now planetside wasnt half bad for it time, eq 1 was awesome until pop then it went down hill eq 2 is still the best they got and swg well we wont go there ....

so overall i give soe a 7 out of 10

Annekynn

My experience with SOE is limited to SWG. After playing that game for several months, I can honestly say I have no desire to ever purchase an SOE product again. Once bitten, twice shy.

blackcat35

I voted okay.  I know SOE has had problems with the public and there are alot of angry people (mostly from SWG?).  CCP from Eve online is worse than SOE IMHO.  SOE doesn't actively cheat in their own games, like CCP does...

Publish6246

SWG = terrible to me

Annekynn

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Originally posted by blackcat35
I voted okay. I know SOE has had problems with the public and there are alot of angry people (mostly from SWG?). CCP from Eve online is worse than SOE IMHO. SOE doesn't actively cheat in their own games, like CCP does...

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Well that probably says more to CCP's immaturity as a mmo developer than anything else. SOE on the other hand was around long enough when SWG came around.

Publish6246

Originally posted by Annekynn


 

Originally posted by blackcat35

I voted okay. I know SOE has had problems with the public and there are alot of angry people (mostly from SWG?). CCP from Eve online is worse than SOE IMHO. SOE doesn't actively cheat in their own games, like CCP does...

 

Well that probably says more to CCP's immaturity as a mmo developer than anything else. SOE on the other hand was around long enough when SWG came around.

I dunno about the cheating because 99% of the developers are playing it right, however like 1 of their developers and 1 GM was caught cheating. So it's unfair to say CCP cheats in it's own games.

Gammit100

They seem to work with a specific formula: design a game that looks great on paper, push it out the door before it's stable and/or polished enough, releasing features and/or expansion packs that the community doesn't want, not listening to their customer base, and having poor customer service in regards to solving issues.

They basically come up with a great game (on paper), screw it up, and then milk it to death. 

DoomLord

I used to play FFXI and never had a problem with SOE the only reason i don't play it anymore is got 2 charaters with over 14 lvl 75 jobs between them and found that i was just doing the same thing over and over.

paulscott

I tend to avoid larger games less I have RL friends playing them.  SOE has never pissed me off.

Gallaid

3 letters





SWG

Jetrpg

I saw no "the anti-christ' option so i picked the next up ale gore and well that was not an option so i picked really really really bad.



PS the jist of what i am saying is true tho i did poke fun at a public figure , in jest ... read that , "in jest".

Devony

Eh, thing I don't like about em is they are so blatently money hungry.. like when you go to sign up for a game they spam you with 100's of check boxes for things you could subscribe to, and they always put out crap loads of expansions for their games, which is good in one sense but then their content is almost never free like a lot of other games.

Invinci_Gal

I don't think SOE is bad really, just poorly managed. I believe the management there doesn't understand the investments and things that are necessary to make a really popular MMO.



SOE tends to put in the minimum effort to make the game acceptable. I think that if one day SOE puts in 110% effort into a MMO, properly tests it and listens to their player base then they'll put out a game that will rival WoW in subscriptions.



I think they've learned a lot from the MMOs they've worked on in the past. Right now they are focused on fixing Vanguard to the point where it can sit on their list of station pass MMOs and maintain itself. Then SOE's next project might really be a contender.

Gammit100

Originally posted by Invinci_Gal

I don't think SOE is bad really, just poorly managed. I believe the management there doesn't understand the investments and things that are necessary to make a really popular MMO.



SOE tends to put in the minimum effort to make the game acceptable. I think that if one day SOE puts in 110% effort into a MMO, properly tests it and listens to their player base then they'll put out a game that will rival WoW in subscriptions.



I think they've learned a lot from the MMOs they've worked on in the past. Right now they are focused on fixing Vanguard to the point where it can sit on their list of station pass MMOs and maintain itself. Then SOE's next project might really be a contender.

You mean their spy vs. spy FPS MMO? 

Here's hoping...

PhelanL

Originally posted by Annekynn


 

Originally posted by blackcat35

I voted okay. I know SOE has had problems with the public and there are alot of angry people (mostly from SWG?). CCP from Eve online is worse than SOE IMHO. SOE doesn't actively cheat in their own games, like CCP does...

Well that probably says more to CCP's immaturity as a mmo developer than anything else. SOE on the other hand was around long enough when SWG came around.

SOE devs don't cheat, because they don't play their own games.  I remember reading some interview about the guy they put in charge of SWG right before the CU...   He said that he enjoyed playing WoW and Battlefield and didn't really play SWG much at all.



Great person to have running your game... somebody who doesn't even like it and who doesn't give a shit about the game's players.

Oneon

Originally posted by DoomLord

I used to play FFXI and never had a problem with SOE the only reason i don't play it anymore is got 2 charaters with over 14 lvl 75 jobs between them and found that i was just doing the same thing over and over.

Errr... SoE didnt develop FFXI or have anything to do with the developement of FFXI in any way, hehe.

Zanetanos

Compared to most companies that produce MMORPGs SOE is highly competent.  However, relative to the amount of wealth that it has garnered over the years, and in general the massive success that it has enjoyed SOE does poorly.  Thus, I would give it an "ok" rating. 

Oneon

Oh, and I'm going to vote Very Bad, mainly because of the "I don't care" attitude that I percieve SOE to have.

1. They make games that sound fantastic in theory but they never really deliver, and if they do deliver anything they say, it is usually just  half assed compared to what it could have been with the resources at their fingertips...so much wasted potential. Another thing, from interviews with Smedly himself and my own interpretation of the things SOE has done, they seem to want only games that will bring in customers because of popularity of the IP itself and not really the game being good. IE: EQ2, SWG, The DC Comics MMO, etc.  The interview I am speaking of with Smedly was about the NGE, he was asked why he thought the changes being made would bring in more players, and his responce was "Because there are millions of StarWars fans."   <<< It's that kind of attitude why I have a sour taste in my mouth regarding SOE.

2. Poor Customer Service all around.....all I need to say about that topic.

3. The whole SWG debacle.

In reference to number 1, SOE has made an exception to what I said on a few occasions, IE:  Planetside, EQ, and possibly Vanguard, but SOE didnt really develop Vanguard so I wouldnt count it.

altairzq

SOE is the worst thing that can happen to an MMOG.

Scriar

I can't think of a single game soe has ever made or been involved with that was good. Actually i can think of one planetside, and they bloody ruined it with the first expansion the bastards  they did the same with SWG and its stupid "upgrades" -_-

DeadeX

I believe SOE could be a great team if they buckled up a little and listens to their customers.

Scriar

Originally posted by DeadeX

I believe SOE could be a great team if they buckled up a little and listens to their customers.

Yeah, they should know when to not listen to them as well, blizzard is the perfect example of a company ruining a game by listening to the wrong people aka the whiners.



SOE has done something right they wouldn't be so rich and successful otherwise, they just don't see to make very good impressions with games, and tend to try and change games to make them more mainsteam, which pisses off the customers currently there.



Gods and heroes might be a good time for them to make a great impression, i don't think they are gonna let this one fail after vangaurd, they just can't afford it. Especially when the next game that they are making after gods and heroes is arguably going to be the most hyped or game with most potential in a long time, ala star trek online.