This is a testament to the fact the fantasy genre will always rule the MMORPG scene.
I played in beta and it was completely transparent that this game would fail if released. NCSoft did wrong by their name releasing this game. People would cry out that no one likes fantasy MMOs, that someone needs to come out with a new model, yet no one played this game. I am sick of hearing that people want something different, yet they won't play EVE or AA.
All people want is a game where they can play an elf and get to be the most powerful person on the server with only twenty hours played. That no matter how much someone else plays, like 40-60 hours a week, they will never become more powerful.
This is a testament to the fact the fantasy genre will always rule the MMORPG scene. I played in beta and it was completely transparent that this game would fail if released. NCSoft did wrong by their name releasing this game. People would cry out that no one likes fantasy MMOs, that someone needs to come out with a new model, yet no one played this game. I am sick of hearing that people want something different, yet they won't play EVE or AA. All people want is a game where they can play an elf and get to be the most powerful person on the server with only twenty hours played. That no matter how much someone else plays, like 40-60 hours a week, they will never become more powerful.
I'm sure that if Blizzard would come up with a World of Starcraft instead of Warcraft there would be loads of people playing it. It's not about the sci-fi/fantasy here, AA and EVE are simply completely different games, with different mechanics than most of todays mmorpgs.
This game was no different from any other fantasy MMO. You just played as a car instead of an elf. It offered nothing new, unique, or innovative besides a different custom.
Originally posted by ovat Well, i remember some guy being surprised on general chat in the game that AA had more subscribers than EVE - which he was playing regurarly (was on trial in AA). He didn't like the game - thats why he was surprised that so many people play it. Now i don't really know if what he was saying was true, but i guess there are some figures out there that say that. So my question is how can EVE still be around after all this time?
He was lying, or mistaken. Auto Assault has never had anywhere close to the same number of subscribers EVE has or had at the time.
Eh, not really disstress. Eve is a popular game that is doing /very/ well for what it is, which is an open-ended space MMORPG with few rules to govern players other than themselves.
As far as AA goes, I had played it from 2nd wave of beta up to several months after launch. What got me was the simple repetitiveness of gameplay. It just got to be the same thing over and over. Simple as that. I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that's why the majority of people left the game. It simply didn't have enough to offer besides being a different setting.
Auto Assault deserves to be canceled. It played more like the arcade game "Spy Hunter" than as an MMO.
Its ending demonstrates that poorly conceived MMO game concepts can die quick deaths and won't necessarily languish in the gaming backwaters for years with low populations.
Its cancellation may even contribute to a redefinition of failure in the MMO market along with Dark and Light.
"Don't corpse-camp that idea. Its never gonna rez" Bladezz (The Guild)
Auto Assault deserves to be canceled. It played more like the arcade game "Spy Hunter" than as an MMO. Its ending demonstrates that poorly conceived MMO game concepts can die quick deaths and won't necessarily languish in the gaming backwaters for years with low populations. Its cancellation may even contribute to a redefinition of failure in the MMO market along with Dark and Light.
As long as mmo developers learn lessons from the AA story then it will have served some purpose. Net devil delivered a post mortem at GDC this year (there's a link on MMORPG.com if you want read it) the pretty much stated that you must never let the publisher dictate you development process. NCsoft is mostly to blame for AA's failing.
Now once the MMO players out there get sick of elves and swords then you might see AA back and successful under another name.
RIP AA. I played when there was a free trial and wasn't all that impressed, but I did have some good times in it.
Shame that these games have to die. Dont know why they HAVE to either...I miss Asherons Call 2, even though it was an odd and crappy game sometimes, I miss it to death. And it was my first MMO.
It really is sad to see a game go down, even if you didn't enjoy it. It's just a whole lot of work that seems to have been for naught. Though if it provided even a few people with some enjoyable moments it wasn't a complete loss.
I guess you could say the good news is the people kicked out of this game will have to go elsewhere and boost another game's population.
If it was free to play, it'd have done better... For what it was, it wasn't worth paying a monthly fee for. From time to time I enjoy playing a carmageddon style game with guns and stuff on them, but not 15 bucks a month often.
An excellent point. I think the downfall of subscription based power title is coming. Hopefully NCSoft learns their lesson here launchs Guild Wars 2 with the same business model as the original.
As for Auto Assault, meh... if I wanted to play CoH, I'd play CoH.
Not much to say, but it's been a fun and interesting ride. And most defently a lonely one, at times it felt as if it were a single player game. It might of faired better as such instead of an MMO.
It just never got the population that it had during the betas...
I've been a long time subscriber of Auto Assault (from June, 2006 til present), and I've loved every minute I've had in the game. I've loved the action, close-knit community, and the fun and mayhem of guns and cars. I have no regrets above being a part of this wonderful game.
Those who never gave it a chance can say all they want to add insult to injury here, but this Auto Assault player will think of the good times that I've had in the wastelands with my friends, never looking back.
This game was nice. I wish I would have like it, but I just can't muster the motivation to play it. But it was nice. Seeing it go is sad. It was running smoothly, the graphics where neat, the animations where great. The system was sweet. I just wasn't getting the motivation for some reason (prolly was the endgame as I understand it, never experience it...and since I was not motivated much for some reason, I didn't told them, over and over and over again what was annoying me...see folks in some forums, such as Vanguard and WAR may find me irratating and annoying with all my arguments, but I am sure the cool guys at Net Devils would have love more feedback, more arguments, more stuff...sorry, I wish I would have been motivated, the game was neat and all)
Whatever the next thing you do guy, I wish you tons of luck!
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
This is a testament to the fact the fantasy genre will always rule the MMORPG scene. I played in beta and it was completely transparent that this game would fail if released.
NCSoft did wrong by their name releasing this game. People would cry out that no one likes fantasy MMOs, that someone needs to come out with a new model, yet no one played this game. I am sick of hearing that people want something different, yet they won't play EVE or AA. All people want is a game where they can play an elf and get to be the most powerful person on the server with only twenty hours played. That no matter how much someone else plays, like 40-60 hours a week, they will never become more powerful.
You're right. That's why Anarchy Online is right now celebrating 6 years online, has just been slated for new server infrastructure, engine, and graphics. Because people only want elves.
Originally posted by disstress All people want is a game where they can play an elf and get to be the most powerful person on the server with only twenty hours played. That no matter how much someone else plays, like 40-60 hours a week, they will never become more powerful.
There is a difference between the BEST in the whole game and been the BEST in a dungeon level 5. Players, they want to be the BEST at what they do. Not at everything (even if they may argue that they want to be).
See, if someone play a total of 20 hours and nothing more, I think it might be a legitimate request that he completely and totally rule the first dungeon, and that nobody else will outdo them, there, in the level 5 dungeon.
Personnally, I am a fan of UNLIMITED LEVELS. But at the same time, I support a level cap on each and every zone. So in said zone, everyone is brought down to the level cap if they are higher levels. Peoples asking to be the best at everything shouldn't be listened to, since they ask for what they don't need. A raider who ask to be the best in groups, he asks something he doesn't deserve nor need. If he raid, all he deserve and needs is raiding-progression, not grouping progression. Giving him a grouping progression will please him, but it won't ensure his subscribtion, since all he really cares for, is raiding...since he raid. At the same time, if you give progression outside of a gameplay, you ensure that everyone in said gameplay isn't enjoying the game. Best groupers have to be groupers. Best noobs have to be noobs. Best raiders have to be raiders. Simple, logical and efficient.
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
I can't say I'm surprised by this notion... in my opinion, it's another case of the devs not listening to the players frequently enough.
For all the long-term players (I played a very, VERY brief stint) I'd like to ask, how many times did people request PvP without having to drive in small, mini semi-circles for added evasion bonuses?
I am surprised, however, NCSoft didn't just sell it to SOE for some small stipend. SOE seems to love to buy dying games, and I'm sure they could have gotten something for it...
Oh well. Better luck next time NCSoft
Waiting for something fresh to arrive on the MMO scene...
I was in closed beta for AA and the game was horrible and didn't seem to improve any if anything it got worse and became more of a grind as beta stages progressed. It was a good concept, but bad execution in terms of game play because it just wasn't fun enough the vehicles didn't drive or handle well at all for the style of game play especially the type it was trying to portray the guys that made carmageddon or twisted metal would've done a much better job if they'd been on board the development team and had the resources to do so. The worst part about hearing AA being canceled is it's likely to ruin any chances of a similar game being developed any time soon in the near future as a result of AA's failure even though it's because the game sucked by design rather than concept.
NCSoft really needs to do something similar to Sony's Station Pass and then keeping small games like this around (Matrix Online, anyone?) won't seem like such a bad idea. As many people said, it's a fun game...not $15 a month fun, but I'm sure I'd fire it up from time to time if I could pay, say $25 a month and have access to CoX/L/L2/AA and then when Tabula Rosa comes out, they can tack another $5 onto the cost (V:SoH*cough*).
Ah well, it was fun the month or two I played it, would have liked to pop back from time to time, but I just couldn't justify the continued $15 a month for something that was a distraction, at best.
at least they were smart and made a decision if they were going to keep it or not....unlike more games that should have done the same thing a while back....now THATS a mature company....others should learn from that.
Comments
This is a testament to the fact the fantasy genre will always rule the MMORPG scene.
I played in beta and it was completely transparent that this game would fail if released.
NCSoft did wrong by their name releasing this game. People would cry out that no one likes fantasy MMOs, that someone needs to come out with a new model, yet no one played this game. I am sick of hearing that people want something different, yet they won't play EVE or AA.
All people want is a game where they can play an elf and get to be the most powerful person on the server with only twenty hours played. That no matter how much someone else plays, like 40-60 hours a week, they will never become more powerful.
I'm sure that if Blizzard would come up with a World of Starcraft instead of Warcraft there would be loads of people playing it. It's not about the sci-fi/fantasy here, AA and EVE are simply completely different games, with different mechanics than most of todays mmorpgs.
This game was no different from any other fantasy MMO. You just played as a car instead of an elf. It offered nothing new, unique, or innovative besides a different custom.
He was lying, or mistaken. Auto Assault has never had anywhere close to the same number of subscribers EVE has or had at the time.
Eh, not really disstress. Eve is a popular game that is doing /very/ well for what it is, which is an open-ended space MMORPG with few rules to govern players other than themselves.
As far as AA goes, I had played it from 2nd wave of beta up to several months after launch. What got me was the simple repetitiveness of gameplay. It just got to be the same thing over and over. Simple as that. I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that's why the majority of people left the game. It simply didn't have enough to offer besides being a different setting.
Auto Assault deserves to be canceled. It played more like the arcade game "Spy Hunter" than as an MMO.
Its ending demonstrates that poorly conceived MMO game concepts can die quick deaths and won't necessarily languish in the gaming backwaters for years with low populations.
Its cancellation may even contribute to a redefinition of failure in the MMO market along with Dark and Light.
"Don't corpse-camp that idea. Its never gonna rez"
Bladezz (The Guild)
Now once the MMO players out there get sick of elves and swords then you might see AA back and successful under another name.
RIP AA. I played when there was a free trial and wasn't all that impressed, but I did have some good times in it.
Shame that these games have to die. Dont know why they HAVE to either...I miss Asherons Call 2, even though it was an odd and crappy game sometimes, I miss it to death. And it was my first MMO.
RIP AA. Still have my account subscribe till this October.
All canceled. Waiting on Warhammer Online : Age of Reckoning.
I was in beta and it was ok. The first 2 hours I thought it was the greatest thing ever, but then it got old real fast.
Well good luck TR, your going to need it.
It really is sad to see a game go down, even if you didn't enjoy it. It's just a whole lot of work that seems to have been for naught. Though if it provided even a few people with some enjoyable moments it wasn't a complete loss.
I guess you could say the good news is the people kicked out of this game will have to go elsewhere and boost another game's population.
If it was free to play, it'd have done better...
For what it was, it wasn't worth paying a monthly fee for.
From time to time I enjoy playing a carmageddon style game with guns and stuff on them, but not 15 bucks a month often.
As for Auto Assault, meh... if I wanted to play CoH, I'd play CoH.
Not much to say, but it's been a fun and interesting ride. And most defently a lonely one, at times it felt as if it were a single player game. It might of faired better as such instead of an MMO.
It just never got the population that it had during the betas...
I've been a long time subscriber of Auto Assault (from June, 2006 til present), and I've loved every minute I've had in the game. I've loved the action, close-knit community, and the fun and mayhem of guns and cars. I have no regrets above being a part of this wonderful game.
Those who never gave it a chance can say all they want to add insult to injury here, but this Auto Assault player will think of the good times that I've had in the wastelands with my friends, never looking back.
This game was nice. I wish I would have like it, but I just can't muster the motivation to play it. But it was nice. Seeing it go is sad. It was running smoothly, the graphics where neat, the animations where great. The system was sweet. I just wasn't getting the motivation for some reason (prolly was the endgame as I understand it, never experience it...and since I was not motivated much for some reason, I didn't told them, over and over and over again what was annoying me...see folks in some forums, such as Vanguard and WAR may find me irratating and annoying with all my arguments, but I am sure the cool guys at Net Devils would have love more feedback, more arguments, more stuff...sorry, I wish I would have been motivated, the game was neat and all)
Whatever the next thing you do guy, I wish you tons of luck!
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
You're right. That's why Anarchy Online is right now celebrating 6 years online, has just been slated for new server infrastructure, engine, and graphics. Because people only want elves.
And i had just picked up the game and was having fun
. I do hope that in the near future there will be another game like this.
There is a difference between the BEST in the whole game and been the BEST in a dungeon level 5. Players, they want to be the BEST at what they do. Not at everything (even if they may argue that they want to be).
See, if someone play a total of 20 hours and nothing more, I think it might be a legitimate request that he completely and totally rule the first dungeon, and that nobody else will outdo them, there, in the level 5 dungeon.
Personnally, I am a fan of UNLIMITED LEVELS. But at the same time, I support a level cap on each and every zone. So in said zone, everyone is brought down to the level cap if they are higher levels. Peoples asking to be the best at everything shouldn't be listened to, since they ask for what they don't need. A raider who ask to be the best in groups, he asks something he doesn't deserve nor need. If he raid, all he deserve and needs is raiding-progression, not grouping progression. Giving him a grouping progression will please him, but it won't ensure his subscribtion, since all he really cares for, is raiding...since he raid. At the same time, if you give progression outside of a gameplay, you ensure that everyone in said gameplay isn't enjoying the game. Best groupers have to be groupers. Best noobs have to be noobs. Best raiders have to be raiders. Simple, logical and efficient.
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
I can't say I'm surprised by this notion... in my opinion, it's another case of the devs not listening to the players frequently enough.
For all the long-term players (I played a very, VERY brief stint) I'd like to ask, how many times did people request PvP without having to drive in small, mini semi-circles for added evasion bonuses?
I am surprised, however, NCSoft didn't just sell it to SOE for some small stipend. SOE seems to love to buy dying games, and I'm sure they could have gotten something for it...
Oh well. Better luck next time NCSoft
Waiting for something fresh to arrive on the MMO scene...
ON JULY 1 2007 , I BROUGHT THE GAME FOR $1.
I HAD PLAYED IN THE BETA, IT WAS COOL.
NOW I AM SOOO MAD . THAT I WASTED $1.
I was in closed beta for AA and the game was horrible and didn't seem to improve any if anything it got worse and became more of a grind as beta stages progressed. It was a good concept, but bad execution in terms of game play because it just wasn't fun enough the vehicles didn't drive or handle well at all for the style of game play especially the type it was trying to portray the guys that made carmageddon or twisted metal would've done a much better job if they'd been on board the development team and had the resources to do so. The worst part about hearing AA being canceled is it's likely to ruin any chances of a similar game being developed any time soon in the near future as a result of AA's failure even though it's because the game sucked by design rather than concept.
NCSoft really needs to do something similar to Sony's Station Pass and then keeping small games like this around (Matrix Online, anyone?) won't seem like such a bad idea. As many people said, it's a fun game...not $15 a month fun, but I'm sure I'd fire it up from time to time if I could pay, say $25 a month and have access to CoX/L/L2/AA and then when Tabula Rosa comes out, they can tack another $5 onto the cost (V:SoH*cough*).
Ah well, it was fun the month or two I played it, would have liked to pop back from time to time, but I just couldn't justify the continued $15 a month for something that was a distraction, at best.
one grinder more or less, who cares?
at least they were smart and made a decision if they were going to keep it or not....unlike more games that should have done the same thing a while back....now THATS a mature company....others should learn from that.