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Alganon - Why aren't you playing?
Note: This is a serious post and question. I'm looking for genuine feedback.
The game is pretty good. It's got an attractive world, solid features and mechanics, a wealth of quests (nonstop questing, at least for the levels I've obtained), etc.. Lest you think I'm blowing sunshine up your ass, I also think the game has a ton of issues and despite having good play, feels more like a beta game than a released game...
Right now, I kind of think of Alganon as a diamond in the rough. It absolutely needs work and polish, but the play is solid. It has potential to be great. So, why aren't more people playing it?!? I've put several hours now into Alganon. My main character is level 17 and my others are 9, 7, 4, 2 and 1. I live in Utah, so my time is US MST (GMT -7). I've played all hours of the day, weekdays and weekends, and I've yet to see more than about 15 players in my social list. Most of the time, I see between 0 and 1 other player... When I finally made it to my capital city and checked out the auction house, it was almost completely barren (it had 0 auctions going and only 4 requisitions!). I do occasionally see other players in the public chat channels, but those are few and far between and normally it's only 2 or 3 players chatting and very sporadically)...
Here's a short poll with answers based on feedback I've seen in reviews, on forums, my own thoughts, etc... If you post to explain your vote, please be polite and follow the rules.
~Ripper
p.s. Obviously, this isn't a scientific poll, but the results are slightly skewed due to faulty poll mechanics on this stie. I had to vote why I'm not playing, even though I am (so I voted "Other"), just to be able to see the results of my own poll. This immediately led to a suggestion for the MMORPG site to add a "See results" link to polls without requiring voting...
Comments
If Ripper calls it a Diamond in the Rough, I'm gonna have to download it and try it.
Hail to the old DR crew
PS -- I know you wanted Genuine feedback. I'll give it a spin, and tell ya if I find kinks.
I will say up until now, I didn't play it simply because it was Sub. The games I usually sub to are either alleged "AAA" titles, or small time games with an optional sub (Dungeon Runners, Requiem etc). Only "AAA" sub title I've stuck with is LOTRO, which I just play as a casual. The only AAA title I've stuck with long term is Guild Wars, not just for no sub but just for being different.
I'm gonna go in with low expectations. But I will admit I have a place in my heart for underdog games.
I think my sig pretty much answers that question for me.
-Letting Derek Smart work on your game is like letting Osama bin Laden work in the White House. Something will burn.-
-And on the 8th day, man created God.-
I remeber downloading the client, logging in to create a character, taking one look at the character models and then uninstalling the game.
and Derek Smart.
Hey Rev
Give it a whirl. If you like it, cool. If not, at least it was free to try
No harm, no foul!
I know what you mean re: underdog games
I greatly enjoyed Dungeon Runners, even though it had issues of it's own. I really feel for Steve and crew and what they went through at NCSoft. Wish I could share more, but I can't
I was enjoying the Mythos closed beta until the Flagship debacle (curious to see what will happen to it under RedBana).
I've been a big fan of Earth Eternal (never-ending open beta and a plethora of issues, but a fun game with great potential and great community) and now it's status is in question (offline, hopefully temporarily, until the new owner takes over).
~Ripper
Because people don't like the game.
Can you elaborate? What specifically did "people" not like? Actual game play elements, the revenue model, the "type" of game, etc... Kind of the reason why there are so many options to choose from in the poll...
Also, the poll is "Why aren't you playing...", not "Why aren't people playing..."
~Ripper
"Alganon - Why aren't more people playing?"
---------------------------------------------
The name's too weird.
Sounds like dishwasher detergent or a ladie's bath or something. They should do like the Chinese MMO's do when not enough people play their games. Just rename it to something different to get the "WoW" crowd.
As funny as that sounds, sometimes a product does boil down to something as dumb as a name for people not trying it out.
If someone made a MMO tomorrow called "Mega Disaster Pwner Power" or something as equally silly, you'd have tons of hits just to see what it was about.
"TO MICHAEL!"
"Alganon" = "Algebra Addicts Anonymous"?
Flowers for "Alganon"?
Thank you for a very interesting point of view - I can definitely see what you mean!
~Ripper
The thing is that there is no reason to play Alganon beside your are a mmorpg-beginner and have never played a mmorpg b4 so you dont know that there are so much better games out be it P2P or F2P.
Alganon may have some nice ideas and some potential but thousand of failed games have that and there is nothing outstanding.
A game is not a reason for itself to be played!
Beside that Advertising is null and void and my guess is it would not save the game!
While the Derek Smart thing is difficult to judge as i believe it may be reason number one but one has to ask: If Derek Smart is gone will i play the game or is there another reason i still wont play?
"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
Did I really just read that?
There is no point. A wow clone. And even if it is a diamond in the rough, there are enough diamonds out there and it just don't cut it.
In fact, the only reason why i am in this forum is to watch Derek bickers with his potential CUSTOMERS and watch the train wreck.
I thought it looked like the name of a group for people who just can't put down the spirulina. (Algae Anonymous)
I had been thinking about giving it a try since I heard that it was going f2p and all, but I just haven't gotten around to it. I've been playing other f2p games and contemplating going back to a p2p (probably either EQ1 or WoW). Now that you've jogged my memory, I'll probably d/l it and check it out while I am babysitting the D&D crowd in our store tonight. I mean, the worst thing that can happen is that I just don't like it, right?
I don't care if you have Gandhi or Stalin making your game or running the company. All I care about is whether or not it is a good game. I am just a bottom line kind of girl.
Well i bet you can't play WOW with 30$ for more than 2 months ,now can you? But i guess you can play and fully enjoy Alganon for a year with around 50-60 $.So there is a good reason why to play it. If you like wow-type-mmos but don't want to spend a lot of money Alganon is your game. Shaking off the "wow clone" paint was Quest's Online's biggest mistake !Noone should be ashamed to be called the clone of the best ever(commercially speaking ofc) MMO in history. Alganon could gain a lot from WOW-quiters now that it's free.
In my opinion the best FTP game is "Runes f Magic" BUT you can't max your progression unless you spend a lot of money once you reach the endgame levels.And i mean A LOT OF MONEY. Most FTP games are NOT better from Alganon.
Just back from my first 5 levels.
Graphics are definitely "Poor Man's WoW." Can't tip toe around it, no matter how much I try to turn it off from my brain and give it benefit of a doubt. Hotkey icons looked too familiar in style. I hate using WoW Clone to describe any MMO; this one I can't think of any way to describe the initial impression.
I do have to admit, there are plenty of other games out there in the free market that play similar to this one. That said, there's a lot of P2P titles that I'd rather spend a little more to get the full game of Alganon, even if I just play it for a month.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Looking at most peeps arguments against it, it reminds of a topic a blogger I followed brought up in gaming:
The Peanut Butter Conundrum.
Go to a supermarket, and let's assume your brand isn't available. Which one do you pick? Crunchy? Creamy? So many damn choices for pretty much the same thing. Some peeps will tell you Brand X tastes better than Brand Y.....
It has my interest for now. It's not going to stop me from playing other games, it's not gonna make me stop longing for Guild Wars 2. It is gonna give me a new stomping ground for a little bit, a new map to figure out, and due to the small population numbers NO BARRENS CHAT.
i don't play it because it looks bad and i heard it was bad. not worth a download.
The game was a diamond in the rough. sure it had clone features found in WOW. But these days it is kind of hard to find things in mmo's that are not the same. Being a player of the game from early Beta and still do play here and there. It might still have a chance and survive and keep going.
But sorry being a somewhat mature gamer. If the President of the company values his ego more then respecting a players view and suggestion of problems with the game. Along with getting off on telling gamers too piss off. Then for those sheer facts the game deserves to not survive.
You have to ask yourself. Would you take any of the Smrt bullshit if it was from another business area?. Most customers will not shop at a store or go to a eatery if they are even somewhat treated like crap by a employe of that business.
So why should the game companies or their employees be treated special?
Atleast David Allen would listen and respect your views.
Coming from someone who followed the game before launch, got accepted and played quite a bit during closed beta, I absolutely got turned off from all of the inner drama and turmoil and how the drama was brought directly to the user base.
But not only that, the frustrations during closed beta of urging the team to reconsider launches due to the state of the game, and them flat-out ignoring that feedback for a while, then launching, failing, calling it "softlaunch," then all the "i told you so" from the community, and the drama that followed shortly after. I've never experienced anything that unprofessional before, and at the time they were charging AAA prices.
I haven't played since Derek took over, but how much could the game of changed? I still see people posting the same issues we had in closed beta. And now I have to purchase chat privileges in a persistent online world? On top of the above issues I have, I'm not a fan of the revenue model, or what it entails, either. I absolutely do not understand how you charge for communication to others. If they're that desperate to charge for chat channels, that to me is an indication of the status of the game, and the future of it -- get as much money as you can while you can then get out.
Then to top it off, I'm not playing because I have a perfectly fine MMO in Aion, despite what others opinion might be on the game. I imagine anyone paying for a P2P and enjoying it has no reason, and with all the new AAA titles taking a dive to the F2P status a lot of people have no reason to play Alganon over DDO, LoTRO, EQ2 Extended, etc. or it's just lost in the shuffle so much. Either way, Alganon isn't a bad game. The mechanics were solid; very simple and at times buggy, but solid. The rework of the soldier class seems like it was a positive thing. There was always a good amount of quests until you started getting into your 30s and on, and I think they patched mid and upper level content in, too. It still feels, for whatever reason, very generic. It's very playable, but the entire time I'm asking myself why I'm not playing something of higher quality, especially for the price of the now basic features such as chatting.
I'm not playing because of my history with the game and the fact I'm not impressed with people still complaining about the same issues that were present in closed beta, 1st launch, and 2nd launch. I was thinking about giving it another shot, but your talk of the community being that low tells me the game cannot be too enjoyable, the servers always had more on that you say now. I'd go to give it a shot, but I'm just tired of the solo gameplay. Maybe I'll try to convince someone to come play with me and I'll give it another try if just to see changes and nothing else.
Edit: A poll option for "all of the above" might be in order for some of us.
I quit prior to the actual launch. I contemplated downloading the new client but decided it wasn't worth my time.
Obviously in beta there were a lot of bugs, but it wasn't unplayable.
The game isn't bad, it just isn't good. I don't feel like investing time in something that is mediocre and has little
no chance of surviving.
Drop the next-gen marketing and people will argue if the game itself has merit.
If looking at this fresh, without a history that reads much like Synthetick's, that one factor would get me to continue looking for another game to try. Any attempted explanation about the other chat channels being adequate for a new player are irrelevant to me. If i play an mmo, even a free one, i shouldn't be charged a fee to talk to people.
That is an expectation i have and will continue to have when playing an mmo. And when you see the Super Pack includes a fee for talking to people, immediate turn-off regardless of explanation. Yes, i realize that may seem to be a knee-jerk reaction, but that would be the main reason i skipped this one in its current state if the other stuff is put aside.
Jergis
Why play a bug ridden copy of WOW when you can play the original ?
No reason to play it - really small community, Derek Smart, WoW clone, not-really-free-to-play.
There are other, better MMOs.
If I wanted to play game like Alganon, i would play LoTRO instead - bigger community, better game, decent free-to-play model.
Sorry.
Same as many others. Immedietly when I started playing I got a "been here, done this" feeling and after 2 days of about 2 hours aday it went in the trash bin.
All statements I make is from my point of view unless stated otherwise.
Really interesting feedback, so far. Thanks! Keep it coming...
~Ripper
Yeah hate to say it, rolled on the other side to give it a spin. While I thought the "evil" race was kinda cool, it was just a night elf with Orc/Troll textures and I couldn't shake the "WoW" glasses off. I still have a month of pre-paid WoW.....I have no inclination to fire it up again, if ever. And I just can't get past how much this game tried to emulate it, I swear some of the voice overs sound the same.
It just didn't really bring anything new to the table, and it doesn't really have any charming quirks or personality to it like about it. The game is playable, but it lacked a world and setting I felt like investing in.
I'll keep my eyes on it though; not like anything else is grabbing my attention atm :P
And kudos to at least keeping a moderately civil discussion about game flaws on an MMO forum.
I've not really researched it and I don't know anything much about it actually. Easy answer, I know, but truth.
That being said, I'll give it a look-see. Looking for some new diversions.