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Economic crisis = Darkfall release?
Adventurine has been more than dodgy in the past, but what MMORPG company anounces a release and says it's in six weeks time? I saw the announcment after years of "we'll release in 2006/7/8" and thought why do they announce a release date and one so soon now? They have an internal Beta which means family and friends, no time for a real closed Beta and certainly not an open Beta. No announcment of pre-order availability, purchase price or digital download, nothing just a "we're going live in six weeks SUPRISE!".
I see the economic crisis as being the factor to get Darkfall released, not the 20 man team at Adventurine. I believe that the bank had a meeting about the status of thier credit and gave a deadline to start paying or the ballifs will be paying a visit to thier homes. So the Adventurine team sat down and weighed thier options, release Darkfall ASAP or have our doors kicked in, in 6 months time and our homes repossesed.
Looking at the history of Darkfall I only see ill omens, even if it does get released (still in great doubt) I see another Vanguard. An army of fans rabidly following this products development for years, buying new computer systems and multiple accounts. Then shortly afterwards turning into a mob bent on revenge with thier hatred flowing in whirling torrents and foaming at the banks like the Tiber, ready to burst and engulf all those watching in horror!
I want a great MMORPG made by gamers for gamers, but Adventurine are too vague in thier description of DF and just don't have the manpower to produce and maintain such an ambitious endevour. I believe this game is being released now for all the wrong reasons and it is obvious it is a rushed release. I see Adventurine as planning a "smash and grab" next month, almost two years to the day that the infamous Vanguard smash and grab took place.
This statement is my opinion and in no way fact ....... for now!
Agricola.
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience"
CS Lewis
Comments
They have WAY more than family and friends in an internal beta. Unless i misread your post, that internal beta ended long long ago with plenty of proof of it out there.
They have been in public closed beta for awhile now.
As far as releasing during economic crisis....they certainly arent rushed.....lol at suggesting DARKFALL was rushed.
There was a huge thread, and if i can find the link ill post it, about how MMOs are fairly recession proof so its not really a factor.
---sig---
Click this for lulz: http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/173737/page/6
There waiting for Obama to take over the throne.
The OP isn't talking about the current global economic situation, but the finances of the development team.
This is the way most MMORPGs are released. When should we release? When the game is finished, with all the features, and completely polished. Well, it's a huge piece of software thats' pretty darn complicated, so it's never finished, and never polished enough. So, it gets released when you run out of money, and the investors say, no more money, it's time to earn your keep.
At that point you hope you have a decent game put togetehr. In the case of Vangaurd, they didn't. They were still fighting bugs. In the case of WAR, they were missing content, including capital cities and important classes.
But that's MMORPG development. You do your best with the funds available, and when you run out of money, the game is finished, and it's time to release.
It's quite a vicious cycle, because a year after release if you're still around, you've polished the game, and added content. That's probably when the game should have been released, but now that you look good you're yesterdays news, and everyone is looking for the next new thing.
I think that is definately a possibility. I hope this is not the case though.
We will find out once the NDA drops.
-----MY-TERMS-OF-USE--------------------------------------------------
$OE - eternal enemy of online gaming
-We finally WON !!!! 2011 $OE accepted that they have been fired 2005 by the playerbase and closed down ridiculous NGE !!
"There was suppression of speech and all kinds of things between disturbing and fascistic." Raph Koster (parted $OE)
Huh? I don't think they are an American company anyway. Why would they care who our president is?
According to Tasos himself, there are only a "few hundred" people testing the game. That doesn't seem like "WAY more than family and friends" to me...
And I'm gonna have to agree with most of what the OP said. Without proper testing, which from Tasos interview yesterday we can all cearly see there has NOt been any proper testing, the game will be released unfinished.
According to Tasos himself, there are only a "few hundred" people testing the game. That doesn't seem like "WAY more than family and friends" to me...
And I'm gonna have to agree with most of what the OP said. Without proper testing, which from Tasos interview yesterday we can all cearly see there has NOt been any proper testing, the game will be released unfinished.
You must have amazing reading skills..i am sure i saw some words like "finished" and "could release today" and "Everything has been tested internally" there...
Do you sleep sometimes with open eyes ?
-----MY-TERMS-OF-USE--------------------------------------------------
$OE - eternal enemy of online gaming
-We finally WON !!!! 2011 $OE accepted that they have been fired 2005 by the playerbase and closed down ridiculous NGE !!
"There was suppression of speech and all kinds of things between disturbing and fascistic." Raph Koster (parted $OE)
Thankyou for correcting me it's Aventurine, but my critisisim on thier early release becomes all the more prominent with your correction of my inaccurate information of the Beta status. You say they're in closed Beta as of Nov 10th, which means closed Beta has been open for less than a month. They will offer a try before you play on the Jan 22nd release date, which means the shortest closed Beta test I know of. Certainly no time for an open beta either, doesn't it all seem that they're walking a tightrope here without enough time for Darkfall to benefit from a normal closed Bets test. Closed Beta tests don't start two months before release, this seems rather shady to me and it's not long enough to benefit the live version.
On your second point, my apologies. I believe it was a 20 man team last year but it seems they've increased thier manpower somewhat.There was a release date before but it wasn't a specific date as far as I know, it was in Aventurine style rather vague. They have had a track record of doing the same for the last few years with a release date, hence the vapourware rumours.
I agree from what is said you won't have to upgrade, but you know what fans are like when they get excited. I apologize to Aventurine and thier customers if any are offended, but it is my honest opinion and I'd be happily suprised for Aventurine to prove me a paranoid old cynic. Besides I could've compared DF to D&L
I agree no game is ever perfect and I don't expect it, I also hope you're right and that they made a game for gamers. Not some mass appeal PVE grind turd, I've just seen so many hyped releases kamakazie that it just isn't funny anymore
And it's not like Aventurine have anywhere near the same resources, but perhaps this is what we need? Games made by small outfits, that consist of gamers? Just like 10 years ago? It would be nice, but it just seems too good to be true.
One last thing about the "try before you play" and system specs, Tasos said alot of things in the past.
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience"
CS Lewis
According to Tasos himself, there are only a "few hundred" people testing the game. That doesn't seem like "WAY more than family and friends" to me...
And I'm gonna have to agree with most of what the OP said. Without proper testing, which from Tasos interview yesterday we can all cearly see there has NOt been any proper testing, the game will be released unfinished.
It is known to all who care to actually research and visit the official forum that more than family and friends are in the beta. And that the game is in a public closed beta well beyond family and friends.
It is ok if you dont have the time to read up on things...i suggest you visit this thread to catch up on the last 3 months in which you will find people in the beta posting their responses who certainly arent family or friends. And if you are able to take off the tinfoil hat and realize that the closed beta tester quotes werent faked...that is just more proof.
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Darkfall Releases on: February 25th, 2009
Darkfall Recap of everything that has happened the last 3 months: http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/213296
"The monsters are tough. I was looking for a challenge, but these things are just too damn smart." -DF Beta Tester
"If people were dismissing it, then they wouldn't be talking about it. The well-meaning gamers root for efforts that try to raise the bar. So who's left? It's so easy being a skeptic." -Tasos
A public closed beta? Isn't it either public, or closed?
A public closed beta? Isn't it either public, or closed?
Its all subjective at this point...so many definitions being molded to personal taste these days..ie vaporware.
Thats not even my definition, i read it frmo another post. What im trying to say is that by "public closed beta" that it is a beta under an NDA that has people outside of the company and their families playing.
i.e the people who signed up on the forums for a beta spot...and other media who were allowed in. I would consider the time they spent in beta with devs, family, friends, and the paid beta testers as internal. Now it is public.
OPEN beta will be when its open to the public to try, as in anyone can get it (depending on how they do the open beta....see WAR vs AoC vs WoW etc and how they did their open beta)
~~
Darkfall Releases on: February 25th, 2009
Darkfall Recap of everything that has happened the last 3 months: http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/213296
"The monsters are tough. I was looking for a challenge, but these things are just too damn smart." -DF Beta Tester
"If people were dismissing it, then they wouldn't be talking about it. The well-meaning gamers root for efforts that try to raise the bar. So who's left? It's so easy being a skeptic." -Tasos
I totally agree with this part of your message... but people still buy into this stuff despite the obvious flaws in the logic...
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CASUAL CONFESSIONS - Draccan's blog
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Hang on, let me get this straight. You think they are rushing release?
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The person who is certain, and who claims divine warrant for his certainty, belongs now to the infancy of our species.
I know i am shocked when i read people today saying "they are rushing the game out the door". It is so fun to watch people change their arguements everytime they get proven wrong.
Seriously DF may be a lot of things....but it wasn't rushed.
~~
Darkfall Releases on: February 25th, 2009
Darkfall Recap of everything that has happened the last 3 months: http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/213296
"The monsters are tough. I was looking for a challenge, but these things are just too damn smart." -DF Beta Tester
"If people were dismissing it, then they wouldn't be talking about it. The well-meaning gamers root for efforts that try to raise the bar. So who's left? It's so easy being a skeptic." -Tasos
I think your obvious lack of knowledge regarding the current economic crisis to be lol worthy. The last thing banks want to do right now is let you declare yourself insolvent and have to try to liquidate your company.
Please diaf
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Huh? I don't think they are an American company anyway. Why would they care who our president is?
Because people say obama is the Beast, 666, end of the world and all that. Not saying he is but its a common joke where I live. (bible belt humor)
Now if he wasnt telling that joke then I dont know why he typed that.
I am going to have to call Vinny and Guido and make sure they dont pay Santa a Visit. He will be late, not that late. I think Santa deserves a break, and not his legs.
I don't claim to be an economic expert, but what I do know for a stone cold fact is that banks aren't lending money to busnisses anywhere in Europe or America right now. I was saying that since they can't get anymore credit the banks are forcing thier hand. This happens anyway without an economic crisis at some point, but I think it forced the issue now with Aventurine. It was the same with Sigil, if the credit hadn't dried up Vanguard would have been in development for another 20 years!
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience"
CS Lewis
This is very true and the core problem of Vanguard.
I know i am shocked when i read people today saying "they are rushing the game out the door". It is so fun to watch people change their arguements everytime they get proven wrong.
Seriously DF may be a lot of things....but it wasn't rushed.
No? it wasn't? Isn't?
So where is the open Beta that NEEDS to be done for games like this for at least a few months. And don't give me none of this bullshit internal Bot testing garnabe. or "professional " tester. Because it's 100% BULLSHIT.
Where's the Stress Testing of the servers with THOUSANDS of people that NEEDS to be done with games like this?
1 month before a launch. LOL
Not rushed? You're right it isn't being rushed. It's being forcibly kicked out the door to sink or swim. But after 7 years who can blame them.