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2010 - The Year Of Pessimism?
deadburnt
Member Posts: 7
I've noticed lately that there are a lot of negative comments about upcoming games for 2010 (ie STO, SWTOR) and I was wondering if this is the result of a really bad 2009.
In 2009, everyone was psyched about the latest "WoW-killer" or "Revolutionary" game, but as the year wore on, forum posts and replies have grown more pessimistic. Has the MMO community grown accustomed to disappointment? Do they now see the future games as "glass half-empty" until they actually play the released version?
From what I have seen, there is a lot to be excited about in 2010, but finding people to openly admit this has been exceedingly difficult, and when they do proclaim that a game looks noteworthy, the community readily bashes and thrashes the poster until he/she crawls back in to their little hole.
Anyways... if you haven't done so already, take a look at the updated threads on the MMORPG.com homepage and watch them update for a little while... you will see what I mean by "pessimistic".
--Also, jfyi, this New Year's Eve is "Once in a blue moon" (North America, 2nd full moon this month, partial eclipse) - only happens once every 28 years - so enjoy!
For more info on the upcoming cosmic craziness...
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977967992&grpId=3659174697244816
Comments
It's hard to feed people games which have not been created.
Thus the starving creatures beg and whine for food that will not come.
At least not soon...
Playing - Champions Online
Unsure Of - Darkfall, Star Trek Online
Waiting For - Star Wars: The Old Republic, All Points Bulletin
Played - Age Of Conan, Everquest II, Mabinogi, Tabula Rasa, Star Wars Galaxies, World Of Warcraft
Instead of being so pessimistic, could be said it's been a lesson of humility for all those 'WoW killers' wannabes. It's one of the problems for a release based on hype, high number of boxes sold to game shops, followed by decline of population.
I see lots of marketing involved at the high level too. WAR followed by WOTLK a months later. And Aion-West followed by 3.3.
It seemed to work oh-so-well in 2009, though.
I also find it interesting that the mindset of MMO players somewhat parallels the pessimistic global mentality that resulted from economic failings.
Maybe I'm looking too deep into the situation. It just seems that no one wants to get their hopes up anymore for fear of being slaughtered by the reality that their game didn't meet their expectations - kind of like opening up a X-mas present, expecting a Red Ryder BB Gun and getting a pink Easter bunny costume instead. I guess the devs are worried we might shoot our eye out.
This site is a pretty pessimistic crowd as a rule, but yeah, I see the trend you're talking about. I think of it more as a case of learning their lesson about predicting the success of upcoming games. Lessons like:
1. The only game that will kill WoW is WoW.
2. Getting what you want isn't always a good thing.
3. WoW's success is the exception, not the rule.
I remember the WoW-killer stuff particularly; WAR was usually the one mentioned that would tear it down, though occasionally AoC was brought up. It's one thing to be wrong, another to be nearly impossible to be less right. So now it seems the best chance to be right is to say all these upcoming games will fail.
However, there's a good chance they'll be wrong, again. Seems they didn't learn the true lesson which is, predicting whether a game will be successful or not is folly at best. Many just learned to assume that everything new will die just like most the games of the past couple years...
There is a fine line between realism and pessimism. ie 'the new games will probably suck' vs 'the new games will suck'.
Stick around the genre long enough and you realize how worthless all the talk and hype and cinematic trailers are.
Every MMO in the last few years has either been a total flop or, at best, just failed to live up to their own claims/expectations. Yet again, EVE is the only exception, since they launched very small and built up to a successful niche.
So yea, every year will be the year of pessimism, until some one can put their money where their mouth is and deliver on their claims.
There is a fine line between realism and pessimism. ie 'the new games will probably suck' vs 'the new games will suck'.
I think 2009 erased that line. In the minds of many, many players, realism has become pessimism.
It goes along with the idea that if you find a good-looking car and drive it for 10 miles, it breaks down and you have to buy a new one. Then at the end of the year, after this has happened several times, you become convinced that EVERY car you get in will break down after 10 miles. This analogy feels a lot like 2009. You find a good-looking MMO, play it "for 10 miles", and your experience somehow "breaks down". This "break down" could be anything from inadequate PvP, PvE, graphics, bugs, etc. etc.
Also, I think this site (and others like it) do present a problem with the MMO experience. Now, I'm not saying get rid of it or anything like that, but gamers are given a "behind the scenes" and more with upcoming MMOs. This isn't necessarily a good thing most of the time because devs are not only have to complete the game but also fend off potential buyers' appetites while they wait with a non-stop stream of information. A great example of this is the dev blog. Sure, some devs might love to "bring in gamers" to their experience in making MMOs, but I wonder how many of them do it just to satisfy gamer cravings.
If you watch the trailer to a movie over and over, then talk with others about the trailer, then get "sneak peek" reviews, and eventually become overloaded with information, when the movie releases, everything feels like "Fail" because you already constructed the movie in your head before you went to see it.
And yes, I'm big on analogies. *shrug*
I think 2009 erased that line. In the minds of many, many players, realism has become pessimism.
Also, I think this site (and others like it) do present a problem with the MMO experience. Now, I'm not saying get rid of it or anything like that, but gamers are given a "behind the scenes" and more with upcoming MMOs. This isn't necessarily a good thing most of the time because devs are not only have to complete the game but also fend off potential buyers' appetites while they wait with a non-stop stream of information. A great example of this is the dev blog. Sure, some devs might love to "bring in gamers" to their experience in making MMOs, but I wonder how many of them do it just to satisfy gamer cravings.
Hype is a big issue, agreed. It packs on more pressure for devs to meet that hype, and fuels temptation for the suits to release an unfinished game to "strike while the iron is hot".
I also think there's the reality of the technology; the novelty is gone from MMO's. Years back, just to see another player walk across your screen in front of you, or even some text that tells you they did, was an exciting milestone in gaming. Now, nearly everybody has some form of broadband. They communicate and interact daily on social sites, text messaging, you name it. It's no longer new or exciting that you can wave at or give a noogie to someones avatar in a MMO.
Until there's a new breakthrough that allows us to interact in a way we never could before, new MMO's will just be "yet another MMO", even, "just another video game", no matter how brilliantly they are designed. Some will be successful while many will fail, just like any game. In summary, such phenomenon have a short window before they're "just like every other" event.
I am very optimistic for 2010 as we will see (hopefully) the introduction of 38 studios mmo come into fruition.
I am optimistic for one game - SWTOR - that it will deliver a good story worth playing and it will be "Multiplayer" and will be a commercial success - how much it will be an "traditonal MMORPG" no one can say...
I am also optimistic that AoC expansion "Rise of the Godslayer" will be fun and worth playing...
The rest so far i have seen is "more of the old", have no originality, are overhyped, having an hypocritic community so they can never deliver a gameplay close to the far to high expectations, are shortfunded etc...
So, if one thinks that most of the new games will suck then 2010 is the year of pessimism...
"Torquemada... do not implore him for compassion. Torquemada... do not beg him for forgiveness. Torquemada... do not ask him for mercy. Let's face it, you can't Torquemada anything!"
MWO Music Video - What does the Mech say: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF6HYNqCDLI
Johnny Cash - The Man Comes Around: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0x2iwK0BKM
I'm always optimistic. Disappointment is overrated.
Don't you mean pessimistic? If you're always optimistic, wouldn't you be more prone to disappointment?
Very true. I hope that the light is slowly dawning MMO devs that they cannot just market and hype a poorly developed product and hope to god that it becomes a great success. MMO players have become very particular in their needs and wants lately. There's no longer a sense of loyalty to an MMO any more because the MMO's fail to promote it in their players (with some exceptions of course). They need to learn that failure to ensure that their product meets a good level of quality (which was determined by some of the most successful MMO's) will only result in a spike in initial sales around launch time, with a slow decline afterwards.
In short, it's time they began spending their budgets more wisely. Less focus on the latest new innovative "next generation" features and more on the "core" components that traditionally are the hallmark ingredients of a good and well rounded MMO. That is precisely how the most successful MMO's accomplished their goal.
Top 10 Most Misused Words in MMO's
not at all, however im more interested in 2011 but...
Gw2: may be pushed for 2010
Tera: we may se some CB/OB
MO: may get some OB in 2010 with an improvement.
DarkFall: 1 more year and it may improve even more.
DCUniverse: not sure, but possible some interesting things.
FFXIV: not looking for this game, but may calm down some of my most vicious friends.
SW:TOR/STO - screw them, im a fantasy whore
and some other interesting f2p just to keep talking bad on forums (forum wars is also a game
).
And MAYBE some games announced that have been "dead" for awhile like heroes of telara, D3 may come to ligth to say "hi, we are ok just doing some homework, soon momy will let us go out to play".
cheer, happy new year
now: GW2 (11 80s).
Dark Souls 2.
future: Mount&Blade 2 BannerLord.
"Bro, do your even fractal?"
Recommends: Guild Wars 2, Dark Souls, Mount&Blade: Warband, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.
Don't you mean pessimistic? If you're always optimistic, wouldn't you be more prone to disappointment?
That's precisely the point!
I'm saying: If I'm disappointed, I'm disappointed, so what? People make such a big deal out of disappointment. It's a constant part of life, isn't it?
And disappointment over games? Come on, that surely is no biggie. In my opinion it's much better to look forward to a game and go "Oh, well..." in the end than be a jaded pessimist with a constant bleak outlook on what's primarily supposed to be fun.
Well after so many disappoinments in the past it's no wonder people are doubtful!
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
I don;t know about anyone else but for me 2010 is looking like a good year for me.
With Eve's expansions, Ryzom getting better and better, games like STO and TOR that look decent and Sandbox games like Earthrise, MO and perpetuum im freaking.
PLaying: EvE, Ryzom
Waiting For: Earthrise, Perpetuum
Mark my words, FFXIV will give the genre a much needed kick in the ass towards a different direction. Whether or not it's "better" is subject to individual opinion, but they're breaking away from the current Flavor of the Decade.
"There is only one thing of which I am certain, and that's nothing is certain."
I'd say it's the Year of Ignorance. I can see it in this thread very clearly that most of the posters here are quite ignorant when it comes to upcoming MMO's with potential. I wouldn't necessarily blame them though, but it's still quite painful to see. Well, in a year or two everyone will understand.
Just curious (because I know nothing about the new game), but how are they breaking away? Do you mean theyre staying away from the ultra-casual, quest train stuff?
Nothing "zomgrevolutionary" but pretty significant things in MMO-scale.
For example, you can change your class at any time just by changing your weapon type. The character progression won't be similar to one used in 99% of MMO's today (level job to X), but instead you level your skills- making it a bit more like a sandbox. You can also finish the game by being a fulltime crafter or item gatherer, making it seem more like a sandbox/themepark hybrid.
Battle system is also different, and breaks away from the auto-attack approach and is more strategic (although slower) than other MMO's of today.
While it's not the only upcoming MMO to do this, the game also features full-scale storyline and substories with voice acting and cutscenes (like TOR).
They're also attempting to blend soloing and grouping better together so that players would use both methods to progress their character: FFXIV's version of "quests" (guildleves) allow players to mix up quests to make them greater/harder and thus have better rewards, as well as help other players with their leves which in turn helps your character by having your skills increase more rapidly during the leve. Leve's also try to offer more complex questlines that have things like puzzles in them for players to figure out, instead of simply going out to the field and killing 5 mobs for item X.
So, nothing too significant but still refreshing changes that are unfortunately rare in MMO business these days.
I don't think it's a matter of ignorance on most people on these forums. I think, as others have said, that alot of people got burned by games that they were looking forward to. Game A was hyped to be this and Game B was hyped to be that, but when Game A and B launched people found that they didn't live up to all the hype. Now the reason for all the hype is two fold, one players themselves, they get excited by a game thats coming out and they tell others about it and get them excited and then you have the game companies that go and say "well this is what we are doing and what we plan on having in the game". What you get from that is a high amount of hype which in alot of cases leads to people getting disappointed and burned by the hype. Yes, hype is needed to a degree for a game otherwise it might not have the best of launches. At the same time though alot of hype, as can be seen from alot of people on these forums, can actually hurt a game more then help it. I learned long ago not to trust everything a game company says aboutthe game they are releasing and to instead try to get into a beta and try it out for myself before making a decision about the game. Now occasionally even in beta you will occasionally see and experience one thing and then come to find something different once you start playing the game (for me Aion was a case of this) but thats something you have to accept with a grain of salt. I might be pessimistic, but I have been burned by too many games claiming to be one thing and turning out to be another to get really excited about upcoming games. I'll wait till I have tried it before deciding if it's for me and therefore something I'll hype to my friends or let them know my experience and let them decide on their own if they want to try it.
Space available for rent.
But it's still ignorance, when you are ignoring one of the upcoming MMO's that is actually the one with the best chances to be good, for whatever (ignorant) reason. The pessimism isn't really valid in that case, when you aren't even taking into account every possibility: "TOR and STO don't look so good, shitty year coming up guys".
If it was only TOR and STO that were coming out, I would be pessimistic too!
Nothing "zomgrevolutionary" but pretty significant things in MMO-scale.
For example, you can change your class at any time just by changing your weapon type. The character progression won't be similar to one used in 99% of MMO's today (level job to X), but instead you level your skills- making it a bit more like a sandbox. You can also finish the game by being a fulltime crafter or item gatherer, making it seem more like a sandbox/themepark hybrid.
Battle system is also different, and breaks away from the auto-attack approach and is more strategic (although slower) than other MMO's of today.
While it's not the only upcoming MMO to do this, the game also features full-scale storyline and substories with voice acting and cutscenes (like TOR).
They're also attempting to blend soloing and grouping better together so that players would use both methods to progress their character: FFXIV's version of "quests" (guildleves) allow players to mix up quests to make them greater/harder and thus have better rewards, as well as help other players with their leves which in turn helps your character by having your skills increase more rapidly during the leve. Leve's also try to offer more complex questlines that have things like puzzles in them for players to figure out, instead of simply going out to the field and killing 5 mobs for item X.
So, nothing too significant but still refreshing changes that are unfortunately rare in MMO business these days.
What he said... to me this is sort of going back to the mainstream beginning and taking a long hard look at Ultima Online and the fun people had in just cutting trees or fishing all day or just dungeon crawling, as well as throwing in the advancements of what MMO's have accomplished to date.
"HOW" exactly it will work no one really knows the mechanics yet, but as far as promises, Square-Enix usually holds up to them and gives a decent amount of polish to what they set out to do.
"There is only one thing of which I am certain, and that's nothing is certain."
Also, maybe it's just me but I don't think Square is really overhyping their game at least. People want more info but as somebody already said in this thread, too much hype isn't always the best thing to have for an MMO. So, their approach is quite different from other developers and if that doesn't give at least some optimism, I don't know what will.