Just comes to show that a game cannot thrive on innovative combat alone.
Has to actually be innovative first I guess. Tera isn't new and isn't revolutionary.. Games have been doing this for a long while now and some games have been doing it better even.. Tera has just had the best advertising thus far.
There was a thread around a month ago which I did start, reading about big server merges and that financials aims did not met in Asia. Even people claimed the game would been in the top 5, actually the game was lower already and had a steady decrease in subscribtion.
But the new mesage from this thread seems to be quiete serious...this is really a big drop when you watch the % numbers.
Well bad or K-Tera although idk how it really effect us.
Aion and Lineage 2 were kept running in US/EU solely because of the korean subs. Theres little reason to think TERA ultaimtely will do any better here (and both Aion and L2 before f2p were doing numbers less than a game like SWG was doing when it closed). Without Korean subs, TERA does not get developed.
Pretty much. Has a South Korean game ever done much better outside of... well South Korea for the long term? The last time a South Korean game was embraced for the long term and followed a P2P model was Lineage II here in the States, but that game was released in 2004. Aion didn't do so hot considering they went F2P in under 3 years and had a really small population before going F2P. Aion (although it had way more problems when it launched here in the States) fared better for quite some time because it was doing extremely well in South Korea. The money kept flowing in, so they were able to make updates.
The overall trend is that populations have dropped here for NA folks as well. As you know the channels got reduced from 8 to 4 down to 2, although I think the heavier populated servers have 3 channels. I'm pretty sure the 3 PVP servers labeled high are still well populated, but not so for the PVE side. From recent threads and major guilds moving to DragonFall, I think the majority of the PVE servers are on the very light side.
I'm on DragonFall server and I can tell you that last weekend was the first time that channel 1 went down to Light/Medium status; channel 2 and 3 are always on light status. We used to have full and even heavy traffic on our 8 channels but they got reduced drastically. From the past couple of weeks I have seen an influx of guilds as well as dozens of comments from transfers saying stuff within the lines "Wow this server seems much more populated than the one I came from." And this is considering that our server is still labeled high.
Blade & Soul's CBT and OBT did have a direct impact on the South Korean populations. They have literally been cut in half within the past couple of months. The game doing poorly globally (Japan and especially in South Korea) has a direct impact to everyone else since BHS is at the helm in releasing considerable amount of content for the future.
I feel bad for Tera in Korea, not sure what this has to do with the NA version of Tera.
No subs in its own country = no money = no investors = no futher games or updates
Not a single korean game has been more successful outside KR than in its own country.
~and something tells me that any game that can seemingly be made to "cater to Westerners" is met with "Rabble! Rabble, Rabble!". There is no way that people in the west complain about "Korean grinders" and those in the east don't have some equal argument to state about the kind of games *we* play.
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I feel bad for Tera in Korea, not sure what this has to do with the NA version of Tera.
No subs in its own country = no money = no investors = no futher games or updates
Not a single korean game has been more successful outside KR than in its own country.
~and something tells me that any game that can seemingly be made to "cater to Westerners" is met with "Rabble! Rabble, Rabble!". There is no way that people in the west complain about "Korean grinders" and those in the east don't have some equal argument to state about the kind of games *we* play.
As I see it BHS was trying to design a game that would be successful both in S Korea and western markets and failed badly. You may think that it's an issue with players but it's indeed a design issue.
As I see it BHS was trying to design a game that would be successful both in S Korea and western markets and failed badly. You may think that it's an issue with players but it's indeed a design issue.
I don't think that's a correct conclusion.
The lack of endgame battlegrounds, the massive gear grind at level cap, RNG enchanting, lack of raids, and the inclusion of what can only be called a pedophile-friendly playable race means the game is really not suitable for western audiences at all, regardless of what a tiny proportion of anime fans might think.
It lacks pretty much all the things that seem to drive western MMOs, by which one can really only mean WoW.
Personally, I had great fun in Tera, and I think it's a great game. I love the graphics, the combat, and I even enjoyed the PVE and PVP I did. It did get too grindy and RNG, and I did miss doing battlegrounds PVP, but hey, it had such a promising foundation.
But was it ever going to be successful in the west in its present form? Of course not.
I hope TERA is always remembered for the combat. It's too bad they phoned it in on questing and end-game because a game with a good story, good end-game, and TERA's combat might actually be something huge.
One of the things that irritated me in OB was the sound-bytes from NPCs. Questgivers would say things like "This ain't my first rodeo.". It was... it was so out of place lol.
Seriously though, even if TERA fails or performs poorly (but still lives on), I'd love to see more games with combat like this.
Spec'ing properly is a gateway drug. 12 Million People have been meter spammed in heroics.
I expect Tera to go f2p eventually. If it does, it will probably be very popular. This game just feel made for f2p.
I think TERA at least in the west will trive once it becomes f2p, I sure know I might play it if it does. Sadly, my main interest in the game has more to do with character designs than any thing else really.
The last time a South Korean game was embraced for the long term and followed a P2P model was Lineage II here in the States, but that game was released in 2004.
Lineage II was never embraced for the long term in the US. Id be shocked if it ever broke the 100k sub mark.
With it going F2P I don't envision much added content and revisions? It's my understanding En Masse works with BHS to westernize the game, but BHS is the one that does the coding and such?
Not sure how a PvP-favored game will do as F2P in a western market, if it comes to that.
The last time a South Korean game was embraced for the long term and followed a P2P model was Lineage II here in the States, but that game was released in 2004.
Lineage II was never embraced for the long term in the US. Id be shocked if it ever broke the 100k sub mark.
No considering that L II was so diffrrent design wise, grindy and had upopular mouse-click control (WSAD even now still does not work as good as in major western WSAD only titles) was quite popular.
Imho it easily break 100 k mark, If I had to shoot it was at least 200-300 k US+EU wise.
Heck even L I servers were operating for few years in US afair.
Taking all that in consideration L II was moderately succesful in it's own niche in western markets.
Imho it easily break 100 k mark, If I had to shoot it was at least 200-300 k US+EU wise.
Sorry, there is NO WAY it had that many. Thats what SWG had, thats more than EQ2 had. And while its not exactly a scientific method, go take a survey ingame of WoW or Rift or GW2 and see how many people played L2 vs. SWG or EQ2.
Imho it easily break 100 k mark, If I had to shoot it was at least 200-300 k US+EU wise.
Sorry, there is NO WAY it had that many. Thats what SWG had, thats more than EQ2 had. And while its not exactly a scientific method, go take a survey ingame of WoW or Rift or GW2 and see how many people played L2 vs. SWG or EQ2.
You look for L II playerbase on wrong forums and in wrong games.
My guess would be that L II western population was on par with EQ2 population. More or less.
Both populations fallen out of peak quite fast though.
ALOT of L2 playerbase went to either:
- F2P Asian games
- Aion
- currently TERA
Asking Rift playerbase how many of them played L2 is like asking EvE Online population how many of them played DCUO.
Or Swtor one how many of them play TERA.
Go on diffrent forums than mmorpg.com in example like mmosite or onrpg and you would be surprised that game popularities there are tad diffrent than here.
I was on for a shock few years ago when I realized that as well.
Imho it easily break 100 k mark, If I had to shoot it was at least 200-300 k US+EU wise.
Sorry, there is NO WAY it had that many. Thats what SWG had, thats more than EQ2 had. And while its not exactly a scientific method, go take a survey ingame of WoW or Rift or GW2 and see how many people played L2 vs. SWG or EQ2.
it reached it max population around 124400 something subscribers around C2 way back, counting USA, and Eu servers, released bye ncsoft themselves, and no i don't care to look for it the info, then it went to the ......
At its golden era outside S Korea (C6, Interlude) Lineage II had 11 servers, 7 in NA and 3 in EU and they got merged down to 1 NA and 1 EU before going F2P.
At its golden era outside S Korea (C6, Interlude) Lineage II had 11 servers, 7 in NA and 3 in EU and they got merged down to 1 NA and 1 EU before going F2P.
thats not the golden era, it had way less subscribers then around the C2 era, might have had more servers but most off em where lacking in population compared to long ago
Because of the massive losses, BHS has announced that starting on June 28th there will be server merges across the board. All 13 servers will be affected. *BHS hasn't given exact details at this time, but it looks like it's gonna be big.
BHS has also announced that they will be opening up a Free to Play server starting on July 4th. The lvl cap will be lvl 50 only. BHS has stated that this is only an test, so the server will only be up for 4 weeks, ending on July 26 th. This Free to play server will have different rules and items. *My guess is they are trying to see if Tera can work as a FTP game.
Lastly the QOA part 2 patch that was suppose to come out at the end of summer will now get pushed ahead and will release on July 4th in K-TERA. *Actually this is good news if your a Tera fan, but I worry that this is a desperate move to save the game, and the patch might be buggy.
I like Tera but things are not looking good right now...:(
Will Tera make it into 2013 ? Will it be FTP by then ?
Another massively multiplayer online VIDEO GAME nose dives, following SW:ToR, Rift, and so forth. These are not in depth mmorpgs that folks ten years from now will be talking about with nostalgia. This isn't Ultima, or Dark Age of Camelot. Sorry to remind you, but this is therefore, to be expected.
Quality game = quality community = loyal fanbase.
Same 5 race class cut and paste = community of children and robots = gone when next copy paste 5 race and class title releases.
Imho it easily break 100 k mark, If I had to shoot it was at least 200-300 k US+EU wise.
Sorry, there is NO WAY it had that many. Thats what SWG had, thats more than EQ2 had. And while its not exactly a scientific method, go take a survey ingame of WoW or Rift or GW2 and see how many people played L2 vs. SWG or EQ2.
it reached it max population around 124400 something subscribers around C2 way back, counting USA, and Eu servers, released bye ncsoft themselves, and no i don't care to look for it the info, then it went to the ......
Yup, that makes sense to me, 125k US and EU combined.
Because of the massive losses, BHS has announced that starting on June 28th there will be server merges across the board. All 13 servers will be affected. *BHS hasn't given exact details at this time, but it looks like it's gonna be big.
BHS has also announced that they will be opening up a Free to Play server starting on July 4th. The lvl cap will be lvl 50 only. BHS has stated that this is only an test, so the server will only be up for 4 weeks, ending on July 26 th. This Free to play server will have different rules and items. *My guess is they are trying to see if Tera can work as a FTP game.
Lastly the QOA part 2 patch that was suppose to come out at the end of summer will now get pushed ahead and will release on July 4th in K-TERA. *Actually this is good news if your a Tera fan, but I worry that this is a desperate move to save the game, and the patch might be buggy.
I like Tera but things are not looking good right now...:(
Will Tera make it into 2013 ? Will it be FTP by then ?
wonder why the suprise it coming sooner or later all kor game in NA alwais is a fail and dont last long it alwais going to happen alwais.
wonder why the suprise it coming sooner or later all kor game in NA alwais is a fail and dont last long it alwais going to happen alwais.
That's quite the selective memory. It's like every mmorpg produced in the west is a stellar success and the korean ones aren't? The latest game to nose dive in subscriptions was SW:TOR, and that had a huge backing, both financial and from a major developer. If you take a look a bit at the past, you'll see similar disheartening results from other western mmorpgs as well.
On the other hand, lets name one western mmorpg that does well in Korea, or asia in general.
Slap a little carpal tunnel combat onto an otherwise redundant and vanilla MMO, and you think its going to make it a hit?
Didn't even have to play it. Saw a couple of hours on twitch.tv and wrote it off.
'Sandbox MMO' is a PTSD trigger word for anyone who has the experience to know that anonymous players invariably use a 'sandbox' in the same manner a housecat does.
When your head is stuck in the sand, your ass becomes the only recognizable part of you.
No game is more fun than the one you can't play, and no game is more boring than one which you've become familiar.
How to become a millionaire: Start with a billion dollars and make an MMO.
Comments
Has to actually be innovative first I guess. Tera isn't new and isn't revolutionary.. Games have been doing this for a long while now and some games have been doing it better even.. Tera has just had the best advertising thus far.
Tera did flop in Asia
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/post/4978075#4978075
There was a thread around a month ago which I did start, reading about big server merges and that financials aims did not met in Asia. Even people claimed the game would been in the top 5, actually the game was lower already and had a steady decrease in subscribtion.
But the new mesage from this thread seems to be quiete serious...this is really a big drop when you watch the % numbers.
~and something tells me that any game that can seemingly be made to "cater to Westerners" is met with "Rabble! Rabble, Rabble!". There is no way that people in the west complain about "Korean grinders" and those in the east don't have some equal argument to state about the kind of games *we* play.
Writer / Musician / Game Designer
Now Playing: Skyrim, Wurm Online, Tropico 4
Waiting On: GW2, TSW, Archeage, The Rapture
As I see it BHS was trying to design a game that would be successful both in S Korea and western markets and failed badly. You may think that it's an issue with players but it's indeed a design issue.
I don't think that's a correct conclusion.
The lack of endgame battlegrounds, the massive gear grind at level cap, RNG enchanting, lack of raids, and the inclusion of what can only be called a pedophile-friendly playable race means the game is really not suitable for western audiences at all, regardless of what a tiny proportion of anime fans might think.
It lacks pretty much all the things that seem to drive western MMOs, by which one can really only mean WoW.
Personally, I had great fun in Tera, and I think it's a great game. I love the graphics, the combat, and I even enjoyed the PVE and PVP I did. It did get too grindy and RNG, and I did miss doing battlegrounds PVP, but hey, it had such a promising foundation.
But was it ever going to be successful in the west in its present form? Of course not.
I expect Tera to go f2p eventually. If it does, it will probably be very popular. This game just feel made for f2p.
I hope TERA is always remembered for the combat. It's too bad they phoned it in on questing and end-game because a game with a good story, good end-game, and TERA's combat might actually be something huge.
One of the things that irritated me in OB was the sound-bytes from NPCs. Questgivers would say things like "This ain't my first rodeo.". It was... it was so out of place lol.
Seriously though, even if TERA fails or performs poorly (but still lives on), I'd love to see more games with combat like this.
Spec'ing properly is a gateway drug.
12 Million People have been meter spammed in heroics.
I think TERA at least in the west will trive once it becomes f2p, I sure know I might play it if it does. Sadly, my main interest in the game has more to do with character designs than any thing else really.
Just an update...
BHS has posted more info on the upcoming server merges. It looks like 13 servers will merge into 4 servers.
Shara, Paw Paw, and Ellion will be merged into 1 server.
Kayidun, Tamureu, and Calas will be merged into 1 server.
Serena, Serion, and Serabi will be merged into 1 server.
Archaea, Juraseu, Yurian, and Graham will be merged into 1 server.
So starting on July 4th K-Tera will have 3 pvp servers, 1 pve server and one Test FTP server.
http://tera.hangame.com/news/notice.nhn?bbsid=942&docid=4652758
WOW down from 37 servers to 4 in 1 year and half. What a disaster.
Diablo 3 hit pretty hard
Blade and Soul was the killing blow
It's interesting that the servers are now 4 cause 4 was the number of servers involved in the forever rumored server vs server battles.
But i guess it's pretty clear now that Tera will go F2P in the near future.
There was hints when they opened the recent p2w cash shop (involving t-cat coins) and now they are doing a 4 weeks F2P server in July.
Lineage II was never embraced for the long term in the US. Id be shocked if it ever broke the 100k sub mark.
With it going F2P I don't envision much added content and revisions? It's my understanding En Masse works with BHS to westernize the game, but BHS is the one that does the coding and such?
Not sure how a PvP-favored game will do as F2P in a western market, if it comes to that.
No considering that L II was so diffrrent design wise, grindy and had upopular mouse-click control (WSAD even now still does not work as good as in major western WSAD only titles) was quite popular.
Imho it easily break 100 k mark, If I had to shoot it was at least 200-300 k US+EU wise.
Heck even L I servers were operating for few years in US afair.
Taking all that in consideration L II was moderately succesful in it's own niche in western markets.
Sorry, there is NO WAY it had that many. Thats what SWG had, thats more than EQ2 had. And while its not exactly a scientific method, go take a survey ingame of WoW or Rift or GW2 and see how many people played L2 vs. SWG or EQ2.
You look for L II playerbase on wrong forums and in wrong games.
My guess would be that L II western population was on par with EQ2 population. More or less.
Both populations fallen out of peak quite fast though.
ALOT of L2 playerbase went to either:
- F2P Asian games
- Aion
- currently TERA
Asking Rift playerbase how many of them played L2 is like asking EvE Online population how many of them played DCUO.
Or Swtor one how many of them play TERA.
Go on diffrent forums than mmorpg.com in example like mmosite or onrpg and you would be surprised that game popularities there are tad diffrent than here.
I was on for a shock few years ago when I realized that as well.
it reached it max population around 124400 something subscribers around C2 way back, counting USA, and Eu servers, released bye ncsoft themselves, and no i don't care to look for it the info, then it went to the ......
At its golden era outside S Korea (C6, Interlude) Lineage II had 11 servers, 7 in NA and 3 in EU and they got merged down to 1 NA and 1 EU before going F2P.
thats not the golden era, it had way less subscribers then around the C2 era, might have had more servers but most off em where lacking in population compared to long ago
Another massively multiplayer online VIDEO GAME nose dives, following SW:ToR, Rift, and so forth. These are not in depth mmorpgs that folks ten years from now will be talking about with nostalgia. This isn't Ultima, or Dark Age of Camelot. Sorry to remind you, but this is therefore, to be expected.
Quality game = quality community = loyal fanbase.
Same 5 race class cut and paste = community of children and robots = gone when next copy paste 5 race and class title releases.
Yup, that makes sense to me, 125k US and EU combined.
wonder why the suprise it coming sooner or later all kor game in NA alwais is a fail and dont last long it alwais going to happen alwais.
Even if Leage of Legends is not a mmo, it still shows that a PvP favored game can do well as F2P in western market.
As indicated before, this will effect the EU/NA version as well. If Blue Hole Studio get less money they also have less money to make new content.
That's quite the selective memory. It's like every mmorpg produced in the west is a stellar success and the korean ones aren't? The latest game to nose dive in subscriptions was SW:TOR, and that had a huge backing, both financial and from a major developer. If you take a look a bit at the past, you'll see similar disheartening results from other western mmorpgs as well.
On the other hand, lets name one western mmorpg that does well in Korea, or asia in general.
Not sure how this was a surprise.
Slap a little carpal tunnel combat onto an otherwise redundant and vanilla MMO, and you think its going to make it a hit?
Didn't even have to play it. Saw a couple of hours on twitch.tv and wrote it off.
'Sandbox MMO' is a PTSD trigger word for anyone who has the experience to know that anonymous players invariably use a 'sandbox' in the same manner a housecat does.
When your head is stuck in the sand, your ass becomes the only recognizable part of you.
No game is more fun than the one you can't play, and no game is more boring than one which you've become familiar.
How to become a millionaire:
Start with a billion dollars and make an MMO.