Personally, i think it will fail when RockStar actually bring out a GTA mmorpg in the true form of a mmorpg not this concept that RealWorlds have bought out.
I could go into many reason why this game really is flawed and does not have lasting appeal but i would be breaking the NDA which is still in place.
what 5 years down the road? lmao by then this game will be outdated
Personally, i think it will fail when RockStar actually bring out a GTA mmorpg in the true form of a mmorpg not this concept that RealWorlds have bought out.
I could go into many reason why this game really is flawed and does not have lasting appeal but i would be breaking the NDA which is still in place.
IF GTA MMO ever happened.....
Right now there is nothing like APB on the market. PVP games are never mainstream anyways and devs are definitely not trying to target millions. So it will do fine with average population.
You are just repeating what i am saying. This game will fail when RockStar actually bring out a mmorpg that is a MMORPG. If people hoping to buy this game are expecting to be thrown into a vast city where murder and intrigue and endless possibilties are waiting then they will be seriously dissapointed.
Personally, i think it will fail when RockStar actually bring out a GTA mmorpg in the true form of a mmorpg not this concept that RealWorlds have bought out.
I could go into many reason why this game really is flawed and does not have lasting appeal but i would be breaking the NDA which is still in place.
IF GTA MMO ever happened.....
Right now there is nothing like APB on the market. PVP games are never mainstream anyways and devs are definitely not trying to target millions. So it will do fine with average population.
You are just repeating what i am saying. This game will fail when RockStar actually bring out a mmorpg that is a MMORPG. If people hoping to buy this game are expecting to be thrown into a vast city where murder and intrigue and endless possibilties are waiting then they will be seriously dissapointed.
rockstar hasnt even started on a gta mmo. MMos take alot of time to develop
Personally, i think it will fail when RockStar actually bring out a GTA mmorpg in the true form of a mmorpg not this concept that RealWorlds have bought out.
I could go into many reason why this game really is flawed and does not have lasting appeal but i would be breaking the NDA which is still in place.
IF GTA MMO ever happened.....
Right now there is nothing like APB on the market. PVP games are never mainstream anyways and devs are definitely not trying to target millions. So it will do fine with average population.
You are just repeating what i am saying. This game will fail when RockStar actually bring out a mmorpg that is a MMORPG. If people hoping to buy this game are expecting to be thrown into a vast city where murder and intrigue and endless possibilties are waiting then they will be seriously dissapointed.
No i am not repeating what you said,i just laid more emphasis on IF. If this or IF that.. a lot of things may or may not happen. But in present time APB has very different settings for PVP¨. You are most welcome to name any other MMO which lets you play as a cop or a criminal? moreover the size of cities is quite huge and can be a pain sometimes especially when you are chasing someone. All i saw was a lot of chaos and killing everywhere i went.
I am not even sure if we are talking about the same game here.
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty -- Mahatma Gandhi
Personally, i think it will fail when RockStar actually bring out a GTA mmorpg in the true form of a mmorpg not this concept that RealWorlds have bought out.
I could go into many reason why this game really is flawed and does not have lasting appeal but i would be breaking the NDA which is still in place.
IF GTA MMO ever happened.....
Right now there is nothing like APB on the market. PVP games are never mainstream anyways and devs are definitely not trying to target millions. So it will do fine with average population.
You are just repeating what i am saying. This game will fail when RockStar actually bring out a mmorpg that is a MMORPG. If people hoping to buy this game are expecting to be thrown into a vast city where murder and intrigue and endless possibilties are waiting then they will be seriously dissapointed.
rockstar hasnt even started on a gta mmo. MMos take alot of time to develop
Again, you do understand what the word "when" means don't you?
Ill repeat myself just so you have an understanding of what i am saying.
Ready, ok.
This game will fail "WHEN"(look it up in the dictionary) RockStar actually bring out a mmorpg that is actually a proper mmorpg.
Their, you should have no trouble understanding me now, right?
well your time counter only counts down when your in the Action zone. And you can actually make Game time in the Game From selling things on the market. so now your economy is based around people wanting to play more.
Its a new concept in mmo gaming , just gotta give this one a chance , Imo this is an interesting game.
Why is every 'new concept in mmo gaming' about squeezing more money out of the player for a smaller game?
well your time counter only counts down when your in the Action zone. And you can actually make Game time in the Game From selling things on the market. so now your economy is based around people wanting to play more.
Its a new concept in mmo gaming , just gotta give this one a chance , Imo this is an interesting game.
Why is every 'new concept in mmo gaming' about squeezing more money out of the player for a smaller game?
How is it squeazing money? if it was the only option i would understand. You can pay sub like regular MMO or if you are very casual player you can pay by hours. moreover, its not the game company which is selling products via RMT. its totally on players. If players stop making stuff no will be there to buy it. Its not a cash shop.
So once again.. how is it about squeezing money out of the players?
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty -- Mahatma Gandhi
Personally, i think it will fail when RockStar actually bring out a GTA mmorpg in the true form of a mmorpg not this concept that RealWorlds have bought out.
I could go into many reason why this game really is flawed and does not have lasting appeal but i would be breaking the NDA which is still in place.
IF GTA MMO ever happened.....
Right now there is nothing like APB on the market. PVP games are never mainstream anyways and devs are definitely not trying to target millions. So it will do fine with average population.
You are just repeating what i am saying. This game will fail when RockStar actually bring out a mmorpg that is a MMORPG. If people hoping to buy this game are expecting to be thrown into a vast city where murder and intrigue and endless possibilties are waiting then they will be seriously dissapointed.
No i am not repeating what you said,i just laid more emphasis on IF. If this or IF that.. a lot of things may or may not happen. But in present time APB has very different settings for PVP¨. You are most welcome to name any other MMO which lets you play as a cop or a criminal? moreover the size of cities is quite huge and can be a pain sometimes especially when you are chasing someone. All i saw was a lot of chaos and killing everywhere i went.
I am not even sure if we are talking about the same game here.
Again, you are telling me things i already know about this game,who said their is another mmorpg that let's you play cops and criminals, i didn't?
Look at my sig, you do know what Furious Fighters means ,don't you? if so then why do think i need reminding what this game is about,lol.
Again ill repeat myself.
This game will fail when RockStar decide to bring out a GTA mmorpg that is actually a MMORPG.
I don't think it'll only attract GTA people, especially with the customising elements. Traditional MMORPG people, GTA people, people who are into customising and character creation, PVP'ers... I think there will be a lot of people looking for all sorts of different things here. The only thing APB has to do now is deliver a game that appeals to all those people. I have no idea whether they can and I have no way of knowing. I'm not in the beta and I'm not about to pretend, allude to or insinuate that I am, even for brownie points. There's still an NDA and, from what I've heard, it's strictly worded.
well your time counter only counts down when your in the Action zone. And you can actually make Game time in the Game From selling things on the market. so now your economy is based around people wanting to play more.
Its a new concept in mmo gaming , just gotta give this one a chance , Imo this is an interesting game.
Why is every 'new concept in mmo gaming' about squeezing more money out of the player for a smaller game?
How is it squeazing money? if it was the only option i would understand. You can pay sub like regular MMO or if you are very casual player you can pay by hours. moreover, its not the game company which is selling products via RMT. its totally on players. If players stop making stuff no will be there to buy it. Its not a cash shop.
So once again.. how is it about squeezing money out of the players?
Because to customize or make anything which is basically half of what this game is, you have to purchase RTW points.
well your time counter only counts down when your in the Action zone. And you can actually make Game time in the Game From selling things on the market. so now your economy is based around people wanting to play more.
Its a new concept in mmo gaming , just gotta give this one a chance , Imo this is an interesting game.
Why is every 'new concept in mmo gaming' about squeezing more money out of the player for a smaller game?
How is it squeazing money? if it was the only option i would understand. You can pay sub like regular MMO or if you are very casual player you can pay by hours. moreover, its not the game company which is selling products via RMT. its totally on players. If players stop making stuff no will be there to buy it. Its not a cash shop.
So once again.. how is it about squeezing money out of the players?
Because to customize or make anything which is basically half of what this game is, you have to purchase RTW points.
The box comes with 100 RTW. And my source tells me thats not a lot. However, I also hear you can gain RTW through in-game actions within the social district. So a savvy player can potentially play for free unlimitedly.
Is it squeezing the player? Or offering a new and different way of payment for the game?
The social district comes with unlimited play time for free. So they have to make sure that costs are covered for it. You do that by adding RTW points for sale to those interested in those other features. Thats not a squeeze in my book.
It does not cost any RTW points to customise any of your gear at all. It only costs RTW points if you make it and sell it to someone else, this is called manufacturing.
You can sell manufactured goods for in game cash or RTW points, and use those gained RTW points to play for free.
I tried beta, won't go in to details and I won't try be a troll (never intend to be!)
But it's not for me, just think it's not going to do well the way it's mechanics are/... saying that, it's a beta so has time to improve.
I think Global Agenda offers more and is alot better for money.
The main reason why i prefer APB over GA is because of open world PVP. I really don't enjoy queuing for matches and then teleported to a random map in GA. Too much like Unreal Tournament and Quake.
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty -- Mahatma Gandhi
I tried beta, won't go in to details and I won't try be a troll (never intend to be!)
But it's not for me, just think it's not going to do well the way it's mechanics are/... saying that, it's a beta so has time to improve.
I think Global Agenda offers more and is alot better for money.
The main reason why i prefer APB over GA is because of open world PVP. I really don't enjoy queuing for matches and then teleported to a random map in GA. Too much like Unreal Tournament and Quake.
i will say this Apb get hectic at times. and yes the shotoing mechanics are diffrent from GA. but honestly iw as able to play with some lag at 200 ping
For the record I hate WoW and haven't played it for years...I just used WoW as a reference point because.....It's WoW. And you are pretty retarded, I wasn't comparing this game to WoW, I was saying that MMO's like WoW in general are games you can easily dump all of your time into, I don't think APB, GTA or any game like that is a game that can sustain you to keep playing actively week in week out...It's like playing an Xbox live game, it's the type of thing you want to pick up when you feel like playing it.
This game is like Guild Wars, a city consists of 100 players, it's unfinished, there is no proper USB device support for cars (steering wheel/controller...it just like using keyboard buttons), the game is very unfinished, there aren't even hitboxes (a foot shot does the same damage as a headshot), with the voip and last.fm car audio systems they've added the game has been nothing but a lagfest, even when the districts are only at half population (50% they've been made for the betas).
I have no problem paying a subscription, I pay close to $50 a month for an online racing game (iRacing), I also play AoC, and have pretty much been playing subscription based MMO's nonstop for the past 5 years, but APB is a game that should not have a subscription. Pretty soon we're going to have call of duty with subscriptions just because they can get away with it.
For the record I hate WoW and haven't played it for years...I just used WoW as a reference point because.....It's WoW. And you are pretty retarded, I wasn't comparing this game to WoW, I was saying that MMO's like WoW in general are games you can easily dump all of your time into, I don't think APB, GTA or any game like that is a game that can sustain you to keep playing actively week in week out...It's like playing an Xbox live game, it's the type of thing you want to pick up when you feel like playing it.
This game is like Guild Wars, a city consists of 100 players, it's unfinished, there is no proper USB device support for cars (steering wheel/controller...it just like using keyboard buttons), the game is very unfinished, there aren't even hitboxes (a foot shot does the same damage as a headshot), with the voip and last.fm car audio systems they've added the game has been nothing but a lagfest, even when the districts are only at half population (50% they've been made for the betas).
I have no problem paying a subscription, I pay close to $50 a month for an online racing game (iRacing), I also play AoC, and have pretty much been playing subscription based MMO's nonstop for the past 5 years, but APB is a game that should not have a subscription. Pretty soon we're going to have call of duty with subscriptions just because they can get away with it.
lag fest i wasnt getting much lag just alil latency issues here and there but that sbecause of 200 ping. the game isnt sub based its timed based. with a sub option. its better than ftp with cash shop. and thats what it would be IF they didnt go the way there doing it.
7-10 bucks a month is nothing its leas than 40 c a day. i cant even drive places with out spending that in gas. if oyu can afford it. why do you ven bother with mmos
For the record I hate WoW and haven't played it for years...I just used WoW as a reference point because.....It's WoW. And you are pretty retarded, I wasn't comparing this game to WoW, I was saying that MMO's like WoW in general are games you can easily dump all of your time into, I don't think APB, GTA or any game like that is a game that can sustain you to keep playing actively week in week out...It's like playing an Xbox live game, it's the type of thing you want to pick up when you feel like playing it.
This game is like Guild Wars, a city consists of 100 players, it's unfinished, there is no proper USB device support for cars (steering wheel/controller...it just like using keyboard buttons), the game is very unfinished, there aren't even hitboxes (a foot shot does the same damage as a headshot), with the voip and last.fm car audio systems they've added the game has been nothing but a lagfest, even when the districts are only at half population (50% they've been made for the betas).
I have no problem paying a subscription, I pay close to $50 a month for an online racing game (iRacing), I also play AoC, and have pretty much been playing subscription based MMO's nonstop for the past 5 years, but APB is a game that should not have a subscription. Pretty soon we're going to have call of duty with subscriptions just because they can get away with it.
lag fest i wasnt getting much lag just alil latency issues here and there but that sbecause of 200 ping. the game isnt sub based its timed based. with a sub option. its better than ftp with cash shop. and thats what it would be IF they didnt go the way there doing it.
7-10 bucks a month is nothing its leas than 40 c a day. i cant even drive places with out spending that in gas. if oyu can afford it. why do you ven bother with mmos
ABP isnt a MMO, it's a CO like guild wars, and did you even read my effin post? I pay $75 a month on subscription based video games right now.
If Microsoft charges you $10/month to use Windows are you going to justify it because it's cheaper than gas? What if Levis' starts charging you $10 a month to wear their jeans? Where do you draw the line? They are just putting a subscription on APB because they can get away with it. Just like they are going to do with FPS games soon enough.
And everyone has lag issues, not just you, it's even worse on the European beta's...and again the districts on beta are capped at 50 people and they still have terrible lag.
Guild Wars didn't have susbcriptions, it wasn't F2P with cash shop, and I can guarantee you that APB isn't going to have a fraction of the success that GW had.
For the record I hate WoW and haven't played it for years...I just used WoW as a reference point because.....It's WoW. And you are pretty retarded, I wasn't comparing this game to WoW, I was saying that MMO's like WoW in general are games you can easily dump all of your time into, I don't think APB, GTA or any game like that is a game that can sustain you to keep playing actively week in week out...It's like playing an Xbox live game, it's the type of thing you want to pick up when you feel like playing it.
This game is like Guild Wars, a city consists of 100 players, it's unfinished, there is no proper USB device support for cars (steering wheel/controller...it just like using keyboard buttons), the game is very unfinished, there aren't even hitboxes (a foot shot does the same damage as a headshot), with the voip and last.fm car audio systems they've added the game has been nothing but a lagfest, even when the districts are only at half population (50% they've been made for the betas).
I have no problem paying a subscription, I pay close to $50 a month for an online racing game (iRacing), I also play AoC, and have pretty much been playing subscription based MMO's nonstop for the past 5 years, but APB is a game that should not have a subscription. Pretty soon we're going to have call of duty with subscriptions just because they can get away with it.
lag fest i wasnt getting much lag just alil latency issues here and there but that sbecause of 200 ping. the game isnt sub based its timed based. with a sub option. its better than ftp with cash shop. and thats what it would be IF they didnt go the way there doing it.
7-10 bucks a month is nothing its leas than 40 c a day. i cant even drive places with out spending that in gas. if oyu can afford it. why do you ven bother with mmos
ABP isnt a MMO, it's a CO like guild wars, and did you even read my effin post? I pay $75 a month on subscription based video games right now.
If Microsoft charges you $10/month to use Windows are you going to justify it because it's cheaper than gas? What if Levis' starts charging you $10 a month to wear their jeans? Where do you draw the line? They are just putting a subscription on APB because they can get away with it. Just like they are going to do with FPS games soon enough.
And everyone has lag issues, not just you, it's even worse on the European beta's...and again the districts on beta are capped at 50 people and they still have terrible lag.
Guild Wars didn't have susbcriptions, it wasn't F2P with cash shop, and I can guarantee you that APB isn't going to have a fraction of the success that GW had.
What, then, defines the requirement to have a subscription? What justifies it? What makes a subscription acceptable for one game but not another?
To me, Battlefield Bad Company 2 does not justify a sucbscription for the individual player because BFBC2 does require a subscription for the servers.
APB has a persistant character that exists purely on thier serves online. The game happens 100% on thier servers and the updates, patches and anti-cheating are all actively handled.
I am not part of the beta so I am not 100% aware of all of the features the game has regarding its persistance, but I know that by having persistance online and it contained all on thier equipment, they do have some right to a subscription.
Using GuildWars is a bad tactic for debate here. GW was highly successful and approached a different payment method that actually ended up more expensive than most MMO subs if you purchased all of the xpacs.
The way I see it, as others have remarked, folks like the OP that treat a mmo as a life-time commitment, might themselves need a reality check. Gaming is nothing more than another form of entertainment like golf, ball, cricket, squash. Just because 'you' dont think golf is a sport, doesnt mean it isnt a sport.
Just because you dont think Guild Wars, Champions Online, or APB isn't an mmo, doesnt make them any less of, well, mmo's.
The problem, I think, has to do with the competitive nature and free-form nature of this game, where many traditionalists have been playing single-player type, carnival mmo's that allows them to play without a full-on hectic environment or being influenced by other players at any time during game-play. Maybe not, but thats part of my suspicion.
APB might be a blend of some nice features, being great personalization, avatar customization, unsuspecting, non-scripted game-play progression, and free-form role-play. All Points Bulletin is a massively multiplayer online free form combat and driving-based game. It isnt going to probably appeal to fantasy nuts that like to play as an asian combat kid, fairy, or tauren.
It probably will attract those that like third-person shooters and mmo's. But having said that, I hope that there is more content to keep game-play fresh.
I'm skeptical of $10/month, but the first month (50-hours) is free. My average single-player game played is 2-weeks, and an mmo, 3-months.
So this game seems to have greater breadth, depth, customization and world-persistence than my single-player games that has a lobby-system, static environment, 10-minute round map pvp.
If your going to criticize the game, at least me smart about it. I see alot of appealing things in this game, but at least I played the launched version of STO before I and the vast majority criticized the hell out that horror.
Comments
hey you guys do know champions online has less than 100 players per instance right like 20 for what i played of it.
What i got to play of yesturday. APB was fun i like the way the missions are setup but i do think the game will need mor e: )
what 5 years down the road? lmao by then this game will be outdated
You are just repeating what i am saying. This game will fail when RockStar actually bring out a mmorpg that is a MMORPG. If people hoping to buy this game are expecting to be thrown into a vast city where murder and intrigue and endless possibilties are waiting then they will be seriously dissapointed.
Furious Fighters
http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/13trindx.htm
rockstar hasnt even started on a gta mmo. MMos take alot of time to develop
No i am not repeating what you said,i just laid more emphasis on IF. If this or IF that.. a lot of things may or may not happen. But in present time APB has very different settings for PVP¨. You are most welcome to name any other MMO which lets you play as a cop or a criminal? moreover the size of cities is quite huge and can be a pain sometimes especially when you are chasing someone. All i saw was a lot of chaos and killing everywhere i went.
I am not even sure if we are talking about the same game here.
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty -- Mahatma Gandhi
Again, you do understand what the word "when" means don't you?
Ill repeat myself just so you have an understanding of what i am saying.
Ready, ok.
This game will fail "WHEN"(look it up in the dictionary) RockStar actually bring out a mmorpg that is actually a proper mmorpg.
Their, you should have no trouble understanding me now, right?
Furious Fighters
http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/13trindx.htm
Why is every 'new concept in mmo gaming' about squeezing more money out of the player for a smaller game?
How is it squeazing money? if it was the only option i would understand. You can pay sub like regular MMO or if you are very casual player you can pay by hours. moreover, its not the game company which is selling products via RMT. its totally on players. If players stop making stuff no will be there to buy it. Its not a cash shop.
So once again.. how is it about squeezing money out of the players?
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty -- Mahatma Gandhi
Again, you are telling me things i already know about this game,who said their is another mmorpg that let's you play cops and criminals, i didn't?
Look at my sig, you do know what Furious Fighters means ,don't you? if so then why do think i need reminding what this game is about,lol.
Again ill repeat myself.
This game will fail when RockStar decide to bring out a GTA mmorpg that is actually a MMORPG.
Furious Fighters
http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/13trindx.htm
I don't think it'll only attract GTA people, especially with the customising elements. Traditional MMORPG people, GTA people, people who are into customising and character creation, PVP'ers... I think there will be a lot of people looking for all sorts of different things here. The only thing APB has to do now is deliver a game that appeals to all those people. I have no idea whether they can and I have no way of knowing. I'm not in the beta and I'm not about to pretend, allude to or insinuate that I am, even for brownie points. There's still an NDA and, from what I've heard, it's strictly worded.
Because to customize or make anything which is basically half of what this game is, you have to purchase RTW points.
The box comes with 100 RTW. And my source tells me thats not a lot. However, I also hear you can gain RTW through in-game actions within the social district. So a savvy player can potentially play for free unlimitedly.
Is it squeezing the player? Or offering a new and different way of payment for the game?
The social district comes with unlimited play time for free. So they have to make sure that costs are covered for it. You do that by adding RTW points for sale to those interested in those other features. Thats not a squeeze in my book.
It does not cost any RTW points to customise any of your gear at all. It only costs RTW points if you make it and sell it to someone else, this is called manufacturing.
You can sell manufactured goods for in game cash or RTW points, and use those gained RTW points to play for free.
I tried beta, won't go in to details and I won't try be a troll (never intend to be!)
But it's not for me, just think it's not going to do well the way it's mechanics are/... saying that, it's a beta so has time to improve.
I think Global Agenda offers more and is alot better for money.
The main reason why i prefer APB over GA is because of open world PVP. I really don't enjoy queuing for matches and then teleported to a random map in GA. Too much like Unreal Tournament and Quake.
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty -- Mahatma Gandhi
i will say this Apb get hectic at times. and yes the shotoing mechanics are diffrent from GA. but honestly iw as able to play with some lag at 200 ping
off topic but CO supports about 100-150 per instance. Only tutorial is about 25 and crisis is 50.
For the record I hate WoW and haven't played it for years...I just used WoW as a reference point because.....It's WoW. And you are pretty retarded, I wasn't comparing this game to WoW, I was saying that MMO's like WoW in general are games you can easily dump all of your time into, I don't think APB, GTA or any game like that is a game that can sustain you to keep playing actively week in week out...It's like playing an Xbox live game, it's the type of thing you want to pick up when you feel like playing it.
This game is like Guild Wars, a city consists of 100 players, it's unfinished, there is no proper USB device support for cars (steering wheel/controller...it just like using keyboard buttons), the game is very unfinished, there aren't even hitboxes (a foot shot does the same damage as a headshot), with the voip and last.fm car audio systems they've added the game has been nothing but a lagfest, even when the districts are only at half population (50% they've been made for the betas).
I have no problem paying a subscription, I pay close to $50 a month for an online racing game (iRacing), I also play AoC, and have pretty much been playing subscription based MMO's nonstop for the past 5 years, but APB is a game that should not have a subscription. Pretty soon we're going to have call of duty with subscriptions just because they can get away with it.
so its about the same
lag fest i wasnt getting much lag just alil latency issues here and there but that sbecause of 200 ping. the game isnt sub based its timed based. with a sub option. its better than ftp with cash shop. and thats what it would be IF they didnt go the way there doing it.
7-10 bucks a month is nothing its leas than 40 c a day. i cant even drive places with out spending that in gas. if oyu can afford it. why do you ven bother with mmos
ABP isnt a MMO, it's a CO like guild wars, and did you even read my effin post? I pay $75 a month on subscription based video games right now.
If Microsoft charges you $10/month to use Windows are you going to justify it because it's cheaper than gas? What if Levis' starts charging you $10 a month to wear their jeans? Where do you draw the line? They are just putting a subscription on APB because they can get away with it. Just like they are going to do with FPS games soon enough.
And everyone has lag issues, not just you, it's even worse on the European beta's...and again the districts on beta are capped at 50 people and they still have terrible lag.
Guild Wars didn't have susbcriptions, it wasn't F2P with cash shop, and I can guarantee you that APB isn't going to have a fraction of the success that GW had.
What, then, defines the requirement to have a subscription? What justifies it? What makes a subscription acceptable for one game but not another?
To me, Battlefield Bad Company 2 does not justify a sucbscription for the individual player because BFBC2 does require a subscription for the servers.
APB has a persistant character that exists purely on thier serves online. The game happens 100% on thier servers and the updates, patches and anti-cheating are all actively handled.
I am not part of the beta so I am not 100% aware of all of the features the game has regarding its persistance, but I know that by having persistance online and it contained all on thier equipment, they do have some right to a subscription.
Using GuildWars is a bad tactic for debate here. GW was highly successful and approached a different payment method that actually ended up more expensive than most MMO subs if you purchased all of the xpacs.
The real reason it will flop is because it has no hookers.
The way I see it, as others have remarked, folks like the OP that treat a mmo as a life-time commitment, might themselves need a reality check. Gaming is nothing more than another form of entertainment like golf, ball, cricket, squash. Just because 'you' dont think golf is a sport, doesnt mean it isnt a sport.
Just because you dont think Guild Wars, Champions Online, or APB isn't an mmo, doesnt make them any less of, well, mmo's.
The problem, I think, has to do with the competitive nature and free-form nature of this game, where many traditionalists have been playing single-player type, carnival mmo's that allows them to play without a full-on hectic environment or being influenced by other players at any time during game-play. Maybe not, but thats part of my suspicion.
APB might be a blend of some nice features, being great personalization, avatar customization, unsuspecting, non-scripted game-play progression, and free-form role-play. All Points Bulletin is a massively multiplayer online free form combat and driving-based game. It isnt going to probably appeal to fantasy nuts that like to play as an asian combat kid, fairy, or tauren.
It probably will attract those that like third-person shooters and mmo's. But having said that, I hope that there is more content to keep game-play fresh.
I'm skeptical of $10/month, but the first month (50-hours) is free. My average single-player game played is 2-weeks, and an mmo, 3-months.
So this game seems to have greater breadth, depth, customization and world-persistence than my single-player games that has a lobby-system, static environment, 10-minute round map pvp.
If your going to criticize the game, at least me smart about it. I see alot of appealing things in this game, but at least I played the launched version of STO before I and the vast majority criticized the hell out that horror.
It really is a dull game :[ Run around doing boring missions, having to kill the opposition here and there.
Wont last long