To be honest the only two MMO's I'm looking forward to are Star Wars: The Old Republic and The Secret World, nothing else coming out within the next few years (that I know of) excite me in the slightest.
Yes, there is Guild Wars 2, Prime, Dust 514, Arche Age, Tera, Blade and Soul, Firefall, Wizardly and a few others that could potentially be "worth being excited for" but for me they all fell short, and all the ones I mentioned above seem very "style over substance" to me.
Plus I think the setting of Star Wars and even the Secret World are enough to be excited about, fantasy setting bore the crap out of me now, and shooters have never been my cuppa coffee, so all the games mentioned above fall short again for me as unoriginal (I believe setting to be one of the fundemental choices for me in selecting an MMO, yes once a fantasy setting would have been my number once choice, but now its just mehhh.)
Star Wars has a story, thank god for that, and it will be the first MMO where players are actually forced to care about the story, and not given the "easier" option of just skimming quest text or reading the quest overview! This is what the genre needs, not dynamic events (which becuase they happen so often are no longer really dynamic are they?) or realistic graphics (I've never liked them sorry, I'm into the more cartoony artsy kinda graphics, sorry.) or full focus on PvP (this is the worst, PvP and PvE should come equally in an MMO, not one or the other, again in my opinion anyway.)
MMO's should always follow this structure - Gameplay > Story > Community > Graphics. No other way around (again, in my personal opinion, before anyone bites me head off and calls my OPINION wrong, which it cannot be.)
So, to sum my rant up -
Bring on Star Wars: The Old Republic and The Secret World! Oooh yeah!
Funny how a few rabid fanbois quickly tried to changed the subject of the entire thread about how they hate sandboxs, trying to bait people into flames I guess. It was never a sandbox post its not even an anti Themepark post, its an anti WOW clone themepark post. Because what the world needs right now is another big budget wow clone to pollute commercial time between episodes of Family Guy.
I think people are less upset about it being in the News section than they are transparently complaining about one thing while on the other hand they're not happy about their most anctipated game being lambasted without so much as a trial-play from the author. In a way, it makes sense. Articles and videos are not gameplay experience, any way you slice it. I enjoyed the article and found myself agreeing with most, if not all of it, but it's not out yet, and some people appear to be afraid more game journalists will knock a promising title down a peg with front page opinions like this.
I'm meh about SWTOR too, but I'm going to wait until I see more before I judge whether or not it's good or bad. "Meh" could lead some to believe it's already failed.
Speaking of which, why are they taking pre-orders now if it's not to be released until Spring? Is this normal? Seems a bit far off to me.
That would be because it is not being released in the spring. Bioware has said it WILL be released in 2011 spring would make that 2012 considering it is now summer ...
Anyone consider maybe they released info early to let the "rush to new gamers" rush in and then fall off as they always do leaving them with the group that actually wants the game? I have nothing to back this up or no source just a thought.
I actually hope that Bioware takes the path of STO, "this is a game for people that want and understand Star Trek, for those that don't this game is probaly not for you" those were the best words I EVER read in a game forum. STO weither you liked it or not is still going strong despite all those that say it was nothing. Long ago did the random comments about this or that fade into nothing and the remaining STO players were left to actually work on the things that matter.
Not every game has to apeal to everyone, In my eyes wow made everyone think that every game has to apeal to a mass market, the reality is that when you try to please a mass market you end up with SWG, a game that was soild and awesome turned to rubish to try to apease the mass market people that tend to have an attention span about 2 weeks long.
No I am not a "oh sand box is the only thing that is good" kinda guy although I long for a good sand box again, I also enjoy a good theme park, or a good fps, or whatever. Games for me are entertainment, I don't want them to bend and twist for my every whim and they shouldnt.
I get a kick out of the people that holler about the pre-order, " I am not gonna pay that to try a game!!" these very same people in many cases I have seen will go to a game like Combat Arms or Battlefield play for free and load up on the newest gear so they can go shot people, do the math that is kinda close to the cost of a pre-order. Granted you can play first and decide if you want to spend that money but, those of us that pre-ordered have already made that choice and if we get in early then so be it.
Most people that draw the compairisons this game is just like that, are not really fans of anything, they flitter from game to game and never seem to get into anything. There is nothing wrong with that but, these are exactly the kind of people the mmo company's should not listen to because they won't be around in a week or two and those that remain are left with there garbage.
Don't under estimate the Star wars fan base. I already have people I have not seen in years coming out of the wood work for this game, I am sure there are many more like us out there.
Funny how a few rabid fanbois quickly tried to changed the subject of the entire thread about how they hate sandboxs, trying to bait people into flames I guess. It was never a sandbox post its not even an anti Themepark post, its an anti WOW clone themepark post. Because what the world needs right now is another big budget wow clone to pollute commercial time between episodes of Family Guy.
The article is a joke with weak arguments that panders to the jaded, burned out mmo gamers that frequent MMORPG.
1)It's too expensive. - It's the same price as any other Bioware game.
2)There is too much hype. - I guess Bioware isn't allowed to make a Star Wars mmo because it generates too much hype.
3)It's not SWG. - So because you are still mourning a game that has been dead for years we can't have another Star Wars mmo.
TBH I think most people are more upset that the article didn't even try to come up with legimate reasons to be "meh". It's like Isabelle couldn't be bothered to even try.
Anyone consider maybe they released info early to let the "rush to new gamers" rush in and then fall off as they always do leaving them with the group that actually wants the game? I have nothing to back this up or no source just a thought.
That doesn't really make much sense. Bioware would gain nothing from doing this. While it may be somewhat of a nuisance for players when people do this, for developers this is basically an easy first influx of revenue.
Anyone consider maybe they released info early to let the "rush to new gamers" rush in and then fall off as they always do leaving them with the group that actually wants the game? I have nothing to back this up or no source just a thought.
That doesn't really make much sense. Bioware would gain nothing from doing this. While it may be somewhat of a nuisance for players when people do this, for developers this is basically an easy first influx of revenue.
That would be where "just a thought" part came in.
I t would make sense if companys were interested in making a game for the fans of said game and not for the ones that come in and ALWAYS fall off. Sadly that source of revenue you mentioned is the driving force and not a quality game in most cases.
I really REALLY want to get on the hype train, maybe simply because I'm a crazed SW nut, and it's always fun to be one of the 'founding community memebers' of a successful MMORPG.
I just can't bring myself to do so.
Perhaps we as a demographic are simply wising up.
as much as i would like to endorse your comment about a founding member. i cannot.. you must know you will never be concidered as a founder of anything as far as mmo's go today. your just another subscription accepting the crap thats handed out to you wearing a pretty logo.
and i really dont see how it can be successful without having first stood the test of time. the game isnt even released yet. and when it is i fear we will just get yet another wow clone with a few minor diffrences just like rift!
and wiseing up is probably the more accurate thing in your comment.. because that is definately something the mmo community needs to do on a whole and fast. the online games of late are nothing but rubbish and rushed. they look nice sound nice and well play crap.
no game in the last 6 years has lived upto the hype. not one single game. swtor will be no diffrent.. over hyped rushed and not thought out very well.
you can tell without even playing the game.. just look how many planets there are, and how few playable classes and races there are. one might ask them selves what they have been spending the best part of 5 years doing ??? surely its not all on story and cosmetics ?? it certainly isnt on 4 classes they all look boreing and slow!! static combat!!! come one!! auto target auto hit!!! so when are we going to see something that isnt a direct wow copy ??
the only thing about this game that gets me excited slightly are the cenematic trailers which absolutely do not represent the game. so i cant even use that as a source of context to make the game sound pheasable and plausable enough to even concider trying.
i really doubt very much i will be playing swtor. why should ! ive played it before and i didnt like it the first time round.
You're right about success and test of time, but launch numbers should give a pretty good indication, that and retention.
I'm taking the pre-order hype with a pinch of salt, even though I have pre-ordered, those numbers don't count for much really.
You're also right about there not being one single game in the past 6 years that was a success right out the gate and kept it up.
Six years is an awfully long time though, with SW:TOR and GW2 and TSW all coming up soon(ish), I'd hope that'll change.
well launch numbers are direct decendents of the pre-launch hype and silly cgi movies.. you wont know about success until the first year has passed. the game will be booming of life at day one. that indicates a successful advertiseing campaign nothing more.
well the trend is down in black and the number speaking the truth.. wow has certianly left its mark and we are all sufffering now for it. i dont think we will see a change in game creation philosophy any time soon. wow has 11 million subscribers and every single other developer out there wants a peice of that pie. and they think the only way to get a peice is to make a game thats similar and thats what we have been getting. wow clones or wow wannabee's.
all tthese devs are over looking the massive plea for more. the plea from gamers for something new fresh and diffrent. many people would like to step back in time. roughly ten years or so when mmo games where fresh and imaginitive. today they are all the same thing. and they are all overpriced.
You're right about success and test of time, but launch numbers should give a pretty good indication, that and retention.
I'm taking the pre-order hype with a pinch of salt, even though I have pre-ordered, those numbers don't count for much really.
You're also right about there not being one single game in the past 6 years that was a success right out the gate and kept it up.
Six years is an awfully long time though, with SW:TOR and GW2 and TSW all coming up soon(ish), I'd hope that'll change.
well launch numbers are direct decendents of the pre-launch hype and silly cgi movies.. you wont know about success until the first year has passed. the game will be booming of life at day one. that indicates a successful advertiseing campaign nothing more.
well the trend is down in black and the number speaking the truth.. wow has certianly left its mark and we are all sufffering now for it. i dont think we will see a change in game creation philosophy any time soon. wow has 11 million subscribers and every single other developer out there wants a peice of that pie. and they think the only way to get a peice is to make a game thats similar and thats what we have been getting. wow clones or wow wannabee's.
all tthese devs are over looking the massive plea for more. the plea from gamers for something new fresh and diffrent. many people would like to step back in time. roughly ten years or so when mmo games where fresh and imaginitive. today they are all the same thing. and they are all overpriced.
The pre-launch numbers have less to do with their current marketing strategy and more to do with the Bioware brand. Bioware over the years has successfully built up a quality brand that a large group of gamers have grown to trust. Combine that with the Star Wars IP and you have a bonafide hit on your hands before it launches. The marketing campaign has yet to kick into high gear and pre-orders are setting a record pace for an mmo.
Wow is the best thing to happen to mmo's despite what many think. It brought a huge number of new players to the mmo market. With that came more money for development of new mmo's. If it hadn't been for Wow or a similiar Wow like game, mmo's would have remained a tiny niche. You would be lucky to have a tenth of the mmo's that are out on the market.
Developers have learned to ignore what player's scream and instead watch their actions. The reason why you get so many themepark's is because that's where the majority of the players are and therefore where the money is. There are sandboxes out there. Lots of them. I have played a few of them. They tend to end up with 1 server and struggle to maintain a playerbase of even 10,000 subscribers.
"As for SW:TOR… I want to be excited about it, I really do, and for a number of reasons. But I’m just not."
Funny thing is i,m not excited about cottage cheese, and yet I dont create endless posts about my said 'MEH' attuide to said dairy product, even when spruced up with pineapple chunks I am still not moved, so I find it strange that so many people with a MEH attiude post on the subject of this game, dont you get the irony at all?
To those that dont here is a clue, to not be bothered or intrested in something means you wouldnt post on said subject, now if you hate the game,(which you cant as its not out yet) or love the game (which you cant as not out yet) which sadly means this site would be somewhat silent huh?
Now I must go lie down as I have reached my logical quota for the day.
The point is that the author being 'meh' about SW:TOR would be a lot like a gynecologist coming home to find his super model wife waiting for him in her neglige(e). I'm sure he must be thinking 'Honey... If I have to look at one more....."
On one hand, I can see the point of the author/OP. I can. I mean, I'm sure that if I actually had to write articles about games/MMO's as a part of my career, then maybe I would become 'jaded'. I might develop a 'meh' attitude towards games.
As a gamer, I've tried such a wide variety of games. I do reach that point where I'm 'meh' about each of them. I have days where I don't log in. Days where I log in to a game for 5-10 minutes and just think... 'why am I doing this? is this really fun or am I doing this due to habit?' When I reach that point... I know I'm burned out on a game OR that it doesn't suit me.
We all have personal tastes.
For me... every game on the market so far has been nothing more than 'filler'... time-wasting fodder. They have done nothing for me other than span a gap in my personal gaming-history from the time when SWG was fun through when SW:TOR will launch.
If I have to look at another dwarf, elf, orc game... I will bleed from the eyes. FFS, it's been done... to death.
I have a 'meh' attitude about every WoW expansion.
I have a 'meh' attitude about every F2P game that launches.
I have a 'meh' attitude about every game that comes out that is unoriginal in their combat systems, doesn't provide high levels of character customization, and doesn't come with a MUTE-NEUTER/SPAY button to silence the kiddies and R-tards that infest gaming communities.
I'm excited to see one of the strongest IP's on the planet getting a 2nd go at life in the MMORPG world. My friends are excited about it. This is the first game since SWG that we all agreed on playing and showed a high level of interest. And honestly, SWG (preNGE/preCU(RB)) was the most fun I've EVER had in an MMO. The other MMO's haven't even come close... no, i'm not kidding or trying to over-hype here.
I look forward to having 15-20 friends that I've been gaming with for years together in a single game again.
I am interested but not excited. I will keep an open mind but a closed wallet... for now.
parrotpholk-Because we all know the miracle patch fairy shows up the night before release and sprinkles magic dust on the server to make it allllll better.
I'm not saying to get hyped about it because it's "Star Wars". I'm saying get hyped about it because it's a Bioware game. Bioware has a long history of making some of the greatest breakthrough RPG's of all time.
Grinding characters in MMORPG's literally made me hate single-player RPG's in general; until I played Mass Effect. That game left me thirsty for more; and was a welcome change to the RPG norm.
For me, and probably a lot of people, Bioware has always delivered.
"As for SW:TOR… I want to be excited about it, I really do, and for a number of reasons. But I’m just not."
Funny thing is i,m not excited about cottage cheese, and yet I dont create endless posts about my said 'MEH' attuide to said dairy product, even when spruced up with pineapple chunks I am still not moved, so I find it strange that so many people with a MEH attiude post on the subject of this game, dont you get the irony at all?
To those that dont here is a clue, to not be bothered or intrested in something means you wouldnt post on said subject, now if you hate the game,(which you cant as its not out yet) or love the game (which you cant as not out yet) which sadly means this site would be somewhat silent huh?
Now I must go lie down as I have reached my logical quota for the day.
Screw their story. If I want to passively observe someone else's story I will watch a movie or read a book as you attempt to analogize. It is a failed analogy. In an Online Role Playing game, you should be able to make up stories with your friends or even PUGs. This might not make sense to some people that want only the shallow arcade improved-split screen experience, but this is where many of us that played PnP games are coming from. It doesn't have to be fully sandbox to allow RP, but scripted RP is scripted RP and a viable MMO needs more. The 1 or 2 choices that seem to be presented in this game may be an attempt but I'm concerned about the replayability. From what I can gather, once you go through the story once, you've gone through it.
This is completely untrue. Each class will have a unique storyline with over 300 hours of fully voiced. Within each classes' stories, there are choices that can be made that will completely alter the entirety of the story, as well as your companions and your person.
Meaning, both of us could be playing a Jedi Knight, and we can have two seperate stories because we've made different choices.
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums: Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
Dang Dang and Dang now we have a winner! See the reason I am labeling Tor as a "story driven solo game with others players" is I am labeling games like World of Warcraft, Age of Conan, War...GW 2 the same way.
I think this is a good example, one that says it all.
I suspect a lot of people who keep bashing SWTOR with odd arguments are people who actually have grown sick or burnt out on traditional themepark MMO gameplay in general. They don't care about SWTOR because they have stopped caring about themepark MMO's in general, in fact I suspect that for some people that jadedness runs even deeper and they'll find themselves be bored pretty quickly in other types of MMO's as well, still unable to enjoy MMO's as much as they used to, but only time will tell.
These are your words:
They don't care about SWTOR because they have stopped caring about themepark MMO's in general, in fact I suspect that for some people that jadedness runs even deeper and they'll find themselves be bored pretty quickly in other types of MMO's as well, still unable to enjoy MMO's as much as they used to, but only time will tell.
It is to these words of your to which that part of my reply was directed. So, you indeed did insinuate that those people you have labeled as "jaded" because they don't care for themepark play would not be happy in other types of MMOs. It is this I was disagreeing with you in that I think they would be very happy to have some kind of choice of equal production calibre.
Just because someone disagrees with you doesn't mean they "misunderstand" what you are saying.
Read better what I post next time, because 1) that post was about a specific group and that was not the one you think it is (yes, I think I know better what I was saying than someone who tries to interpret what I'm saying and misunderstands) , 2) some of that group literally agreed or stated what I was saying, 3) my argument was never about whether more choice would be a good thing or not. and 4) you're doing the same gross generalisation as you accuse me of doing, which I find rather disappointing.
At least I had the decency to say that I suspect that 'some', not all, would find that their jadedness runs deeper and that they won't just find some magical gaming fun cure when they play in non-themepark MMO's.
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums: Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
Good column. The more I see of TOR the more meh I get, too. I haven't pre-ordered either. A recent combat video actually looked boring. It gave the impression that Jedi are going to be meditating all the time and that smugglers are going to be searching for cover all the time. Just say no to meditation! I've had more than enough of artificial MMO downtime. To this day I consider EQ to be a 3D chat room and not a game.
It makes me take stock of TOR. No day/night cycle. No housing. No true space. No this standard feature. No that standard feature. I'm getting an impression of TOR that defines it by what it doesn't have rather than what it does. Like with the Jedi meditation video, I sense warning bells. Even 2D, over-the-shoulder UO has a day/night cycle.
My biggest fear is that they're making a game where I sit around meditating and watching/listening to cut scenes all the time. It would be ironic if chronic cut scenes turned out to be the biggest turnoff of the game. What if TOR is a big cut scene player with a 3D back end whose only purpose is to take us to the next cut scene trigger? /shudder
Disclaimer: Dear Fanpersons, I'm not trashing TOR. The only true way to know if it's any good is to play it.
I'm looking forward to it. Can't wait actually... But I'm not about to spend that much cash on a Pre-Order when history has shown the mistake of doing so.
I went into my parent's basement, helping them store some stuff, and... ran across some of my old (Original trilogy) Star Wars toys.
Plinket??
Originally posted by MarlonB
This week i'll attend Gamescom for the third time and will have my third hands-on with TOR.
The first two experiences were indeed very Meh.
As my mates will all play it, i pre-ordered it though ... but i really hope it will become a lot more appealing and hold me longer then till level cap.
And for the third time ... MEH.
But to be fair .... almost all on GamesCom was meh.
Comments
To be honest the only two MMO's I'm looking forward to are Star Wars: The Old Republic and The Secret World, nothing else coming out within the next few years (that I know of) excite me in the slightest.
Yes, there is Guild Wars 2, Prime, Dust 514, Arche Age, Tera, Blade and Soul, Firefall, Wizardly and a few others that could potentially be "worth being excited for" but for me they all fell short, and all the ones I mentioned above seem very "style over substance" to me.
Plus I think the setting of Star Wars and even the Secret World are enough to be excited about, fantasy setting bore the crap out of me now, and shooters have never been my cuppa coffee, so all the games mentioned above fall short again for me as unoriginal (I believe setting to be one of the fundemental choices for me in selecting an MMO, yes once a fantasy setting would have been my number once choice, but now its just mehhh.)
Star Wars has a story, thank god for that, and it will be the first MMO where players are actually forced to care about the story, and not given the "easier" option of just skimming quest text or reading the quest overview! This is what the genre needs, not dynamic events (which becuase they happen so often are no longer really dynamic are they?) or realistic graphics (I've never liked them sorry, I'm into the more cartoony artsy kinda graphics, sorry.) or full focus on PvP (this is the worst, PvP and PvE should come equally in an MMO, not one or the other, again in my opinion anyway.)
MMO's should always follow this structure - Gameplay > Story > Community > Graphics. No other way around (again, in my personal opinion, before anyone bites me head off and calls my OPINION wrong, which it cannot be.)
So, to sum my rant up -
Bring on Star Wars: The Old Republic and The Secret World! Oooh yeah!
Funny how a few rabid fanbois quickly tried to changed the subject of the entire thread about how they hate sandboxs, trying to bait people into flames I guess. It was never a sandbox post its not even an anti Themepark post, its an anti WOW clone themepark post. Because what the world needs right now is another big budget wow clone to pollute commercial time between episodes of Family Guy.
SWTOR is just meh. It will be meh when its released, it will be meh when they close down the servers after its failure.
...
That would be because it is not being released in the spring. Bioware has said it WILL be released in 2011 spring would make that 2012 considering it is now summer ...
Anyone consider maybe they released info early to let the "rush to new gamers" rush in and then fall off as they always do leaving them with the group that actually wants the game? I have nothing to back this up or no source just a thought.
I actually hope that Bioware takes the path of STO, "this is a game for people that want and understand Star Trek, for those that don't this game is probaly not for you" those were the best words I EVER read in a game forum. STO weither you liked it or not is still going strong despite all those that say it was nothing. Long ago did the random comments about this or that fade into nothing and the remaining STO players were left to actually work on the things that matter.
Not every game has to apeal to everyone, In my eyes wow made everyone think that every game has to apeal to a mass market, the reality is that when you try to please a mass market you end up with SWG, a game that was soild and awesome turned to rubish to try to apease the mass market people that tend to have an attention span about 2 weeks long.
No I am not a "oh sand box is the only thing that is good" kinda guy although I long for a good sand box again, I also enjoy a good theme park, or a good fps, or whatever. Games for me are entertainment, I don't want them to bend and twist for my every whim and they shouldnt.
I get a kick out of the people that holler about the pre-order, " I am not gonna pay that to try a game!!" these very same people in many cases I have seen will go to a game like Combat Arms or Battlefield play for free and load up on the newest gear so they can go shot people, do the math that is kinda close to the cost of a pre-order. Granted you can play first and decide if you want to spend that money but, those of us that pre-ordered have already made that choice and if we get in early then so be it.
Most people that draw the compairisons this game is just like that, are not really fans of anything, they flitter from game to game and never seem to get into anything. There is nothing wrong with that but, these are exactly the kind of people the mmo company's should not listen to because they won't be around in a week or two and those that remain are left with there garbage.
Don't under estimate the Star wars fan base. I already have people I have not seen in years coming out of the wood work for this game, I am sure there are many more like us out there.
The article is a joke with weak arguments that panders to the jaded, burned out mmo gamers that frequent MMORPG.
1)It's too expensive. - It's the same price as any other Bioware game.
2)There is too much hype. - I guess Bioware isn't allowed to make a Star Wars mmo because it generates too much hype.
3)It's not SWG. - So because you are still mourning a game that has been dead for years we can't have another Star Wars mmo.
TBH I think most people are more upset that the article didn't even try to come up with legimate reasons to be "meh". It's like Isabelle couldn't be bothered to even try.
That doesn't really make much sense. Bioware would gain nothing from doing this. While it may be somewhat of a nuisance for players when people do this, for developers this is basically an easy first influx of revenue.
That would be where "just a thought" part came in.
I t would make sense if companys were interested in making a game for the fans of said game and not for the ones that come in and ALWAYS fall off. Sadly that source of revenue you mentioned is the driving force and not a quality game in most cases.
as much as i would like to endorse your comment about a founding member. i cannot.. you must know you will never be concidered as a founder of anything as far as mmo's go today. your just another subscription accepting the crap thats handed out to you wearing a pretty logo.
and i really dont see how it can be successful without having first stood the test of time. the game isnt even released yet. and when it is i fear we will just get yet another wow clone with a few minor diffrences just like rift!
and wiseing up is probably the more accurate thing in your comment.. because that is definately something the mmo community needs to do on a whole and fast. the online games of late are nothing but rubbish and rushed. they look nice sound nice and well play crap.
no game in the last 6 years has lived upto the hype. not one single game. swtor will be no diffrent.. over hyped rushed and not thought out very well.
you can tell without even playing the game.. just look how many planets there are, and how few playable classes and races there are. one might ask them selves what they have been spending the best part of 5 years doing ??? surely its not all on story and cosmetics ?? it certainly isnt on 4 classes they all look boreing and slow!! static combat!!! come one!! auto target auto hit!!! so when are we going to see something that isnt a direct wow copy ??
the only thing about this game that gets me excited slightly are the cenematic trailers which absolutely do not represent the game. so i cant even use that as a source of context to make the game sound pheasable and plausable enough to even concider trying.
i really doubt very much i will be playing swtor. why should ! ive played it before and i didnt like it the first time round.
Um, as far as I know, there's no auto-attack.
You're right about success and test of time, but launch numbers should give a pretty good indication, that and retention.
I'm taking the pre-order hype with a pinch of salt, even though I have pre-ordered, those numbers don't count for much really.
You're also right about there not being one single game in the past 6 years that was a success right out the gate and kept it up.
Six years is an awfully long time though, with SW:TOR and GW2 and TSW all coming up soon(ish), I'd hope that'll change.
well launch numbers are direct decendents of the pre-launch hype and silly cgi movies.. you wont know about success until the first year has passed. the game will be booming of life at day one. that indicates a successful advertiseing campaign nothing more.
well the trend is down in black and the number speaking the truth.. wow has certianly left its mark and we are all sufffering now for it. i dont think we will see a change in game creation philosophy any time soon. wow has 11 million subscribers and every single other developer out there wants a peice of that pie. and they think the only way to get a peice is to make a game thats similar and thats what we have been getting. wow clones or wow wannabee's.
all tthese devs are over looking the massive plea for more. the plea from gamers for something new fresh and diffrent. many people would like to step back in time. roughly ten years or so when mmo games where fresh and imaginitive. today they are all the same thing. and they are all overpriced.
The pre-launch numbers have less to do with their current marketing strategy and more to do with the Bioware brand. Bioware over the years has successfully built up a quality brand that a large group of gamers have grown to trust. Combine that with the Star Wars IP and you have a bonafide hit on your hands before it launches. The marketing campaign has yet to kick into high gear and pre-orders are setting a record pace for an mmo.
Wow is the best thing to happen to mmo's despite what many think. It brought a huge number of new players to the mmo market. With that came more money for development of new mmo's. If it hadn't been for Wow or a similiar Wow like game, mmo's would have remained a tiny niche. You would be lucky to have a tenth of the mmo's that are out on the market.
Developers have learned to ignore what player's scream and instead watch their actions. The reason why you get so many themepark's is because that's where the majority of the players are and therefore where the money is. There are sandboxes out there. Lots of them. I have played a few of them. They tend to end up with 1 server and struggle to maintain a playerbase of even 10,000 subscribers.
"As for SW:TOR… I want to be excited about it, I really do, and for a number of reasons. But I’m just not."
Funny thing is i,m not excited about cottage cheese, and yet I dont create endless posts about my said 'MEH' attuide to said dairy product, even when spruced up with pineapple chunks I am still not moved, so I find it strange that so many people with a MEH attiude post on the subject of this game, dont you get the irony at all?
To those that dont here is a clue, to not be bothered or intrested in something means you wouldnt post on said subject, now if you hate the game,(which you cant as its not out yet) or love the game (which you cant as not out yet) which sadly means this site would be somewhat silent huh?
Now I must go lie down as I have reached my logical quota for the day.
The point is that the author being 'meh' about SW:TOR would be a lot like a gynecologist coming home to find his super model wife waiting for him in her neglige(e). I'm sure he must be thinking 'Honey... If I have to look at one more....."
On one hand, I can see the point of the author/OP. I can. I mean, I'm sure that if I actually had to write articles about games/MMO's as a part of my career, then maybe I would become 'jaded'. I might develop a 'meh' attitude towards games.
As a gamer, I've tried such a wide variety of games. I do reach that point where I'm 'meh' about each of them. I have days where I don't log in. Days where I log in to a game for 5-10 minutes and just think... 'why am I doing this? is this really fun or am I doing this due to habit?' When I reach that point... I know I'm burned out on a game OR that it doesn't suit me.
We all have personal tastes.
For me... every game on the market so far has been nothing more than 'filler'... time-wasting fodder. They have done nothing for me other than span a gap in my personal gaming-history from the time when SWG was fun through when SW:TOR will launch.
If I have to look at another dwarf, elf, orc game... I will bleed from the eyes. FFS, it's been done... to death.
I have a 'meh' attitude about every WoW expansion.
I have a 'meh' attitude about every F2P game that launches.
I have a 'meh' attitude about every game that comes out that is unoriginal in their combat systems, doesn't provide high levels of character customization, and doesn't come with a MUTE-NEUTER/SPAY button to silence the kiddies and R-tards that infest gaming communities.
I'm excited to see one of the strongest IP's on the planet getting a 2nd go at life in the MMORPG world. My friends are excited about it. This is the first game since SWG that we all agreed on playing and showed a high level of interest. And honestly, SWG (preNGE/preCU(RB)) was the most fun I've EVER had in an MMO. The other MMO's haven't even come close... no, i'm not kidding or trying to over-hype here.
I look forward to having 15-20 friends that I've been gaming with for years together in a single game again.
I am interested but not excited. I will keep an open mind but a closed wallet... for now.
parrotpholk-Because we all know the miracle patch fairy shows up the night before release and sprinkles magic dust on the server to make it allllll better.
I'm not saying to get hyped about it because it's "Star Wars". I'm saying get hyped about it because it's a Bioware game. Bioware has a long history of making some of the greatest breakthrough RPG's of all time.
Grinding characters in MMORPG's literally made me hate single-player RPG's in general; until I played Mass Effect. That game left me thirsty for more; and was a welcome change to the RPG norm.
For me, and probably a lot of people, Bioware has always delivered.
The irony?
LOL! Well said my friend, well said.
This is completely untrue. Each class will have a unique storyline with over 300 hours of fully voiced. Within each classes' stories, there are choices that can be made that will completely alter the entirety of the story, as well as your companions and your person.
Meaning, both of us could be playing a Jedi Knight, and we can have two seperate stories because we've made different choices.
Just what I wanted in a MMO...300 hours of a single player game.....
Have you been playing themepark MMO's lately, or even the past few years?
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
Read better what I post next time, because 1) that post was about a specific group and that was not the one you think it is (yes, I think I know better what I was saying than someone who tries to interpret what I'm saying and misunderstands) , 2) some of that group literally agreed or stated what I was saying, 3) my argument was never about whether more choice would be a good thing or not. and 4) you're doing the same gross generalisation as you accuse me of doing, which I find rather disappointing.
At least I had the decency to say that I suspect that 'some', not all, would find that their jadedness runs deeper and that they won't just find some magical gaming fun cure when they play in non-themepark MMO's.
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
"I can’t be the only one, can I?"
Good column. The more I see of TOR the more meh I get, too. I haven't pre-ordered either. A recent combat video actually looked boring. It gave the impression that Jedi are going to be meditating all the time and that smugglers are going to be searching for cover all the time. Just say no to meditation! I've had more than enough of artificial MMO downtime. To this day I consider EQ to be a 3D chat room and not a game.
It makes me take stock of TOR. No day/night cycle. No housing. No true space. No this standard feature. No that standard feature. I'm getting an impression of TOR that defines it by what it doesn't have rather than what it does. Like with the Jedi meditation video, I sense warning bells. Even 2D, over-the-shoulder UO has a day/night cycle.
My biggest fear is that they're making a game where I sit around meditating and watching/listening to cut scenes all the time. It would be ironic if chronic cut scenes turned out to be the biggest turnoff of the game. What if TOR is a big cut scene player with a 3D back end whose only purpose is to take us to the next cut scene trigger? /shudder
Disclaimer: Dear Fanpersons, I'm not trashing TOR. The only true way to know if it's any good is to play it.
I'm looking forward to it. Can't wait actually... But I'm not about to spend that much cash on a Pre-Order when history has shown the mistake of doing so.
Plinket??
And for the third time ... MEH.
But to be fair .... almost all on GamesCom was meh.