Is SW:TOR a Failure?

SuperXero89

Partly because I can't post this on the official forums without an active subscription, I'm posting it here (equips flame retardant shield) among other locations.  The idea behind the video is exploring whether or not SW:TOR should be considered a failure. Personally, I think it has been a pretty big disappointment; but then again, so was EverQuest II yet it retained a sizable playerbase years after release.  I believe SW:TOR failed to meet many expectations, but as long as BioWare are still pumping out content updates for a playerbase which remains relatively stable over a long time period, I can't say it's a failure.  Obviously,  to achieve a relatively stable population like Rift and EQ2, the game has to be doing something right in order to keep those people pleased.  Ultimately, I think it's too early to say with 100% certainty either way.  I specifically site Warhammer Online as an example of a failed MMO, yet it took that game awhile to reach its horrid state.  Even though BioWare are still pumping out content updates, a couple years down the road, SW:TOR could also be sitting in maintenance mode with only a couple active servers.

Anyway, check out the video and let me know why you do or do not consider the game a failure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY6M4bxyXko

mgilbrtsn

Until an MMO shuts its doors, it's not a failure.  It didn't live up to expectations, so people call it a failure, but I believe it made money.  In the eyes of the company - Not a failure (If they did indeed make money), In the eyes of people playing and having a good time - Not a failure, To the rest - probably a failure.

 

Me, I had a good time, but I've moved on to GW2

 

RefMinor

Originally posted by SuperXero89

Partly because I can't post this on the official forums without an active subscription, I'm posting it here (equips flame retardant shield) among other locations.  The idea behind the video is exploring whether or not SW:TOR should be considered a failure. Personally, I think it has been a pretty big disappointment; but then again, so was EverQuest II yet it retained a sizable playerbase years after release.  I believe SW:TOR failed to meet many expectations, but as long as BioWare are still pumping out content updates for a playerbase which remains relatively stable over a long time period, I can't say it's a failure.  Obviously,  to achieve a relatively stable population like Rift and EQ2, the game has to be doing something right in order to keep those people pleased.  Ultimately, I think it's too early to say with 100% certainty either way.  I specifically site Warhammer Online as an example of a failed MMO, yet it took that game awhile to reach its horrid state.  Even though BioWare are still pumping out content updates, a couple years down the road, SW:TOR could also be sitting in maintenance mode with only a couple active servers.

Anyway, check out the video and let me know why you do or do not consider the game a failure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY6M4bxyXko

Let us know once the population has stabilised.

Karteli

In your video you ponder why BioWare no longer put's out perfect games.  Well EA bought BioWare in 2007, quality just went down from there.

 

So realize that now that the founding BioWare doctors have resigned recently (likely their post BioWare sale employment commitment expired), there is nothing left in BioWare to what it used to be.  The important employees & game designers either quit, resigned or got fired.  BioWare is just a company name now, filled with EA employees.  It's only going to get worse from here on out, since EA suits aren't even gamers - they are marketers and salesmen/women.  Sadly, these are the people calling the shots.

 

The overall video is just long winded.  You blow off many complaints and ramble on about your subjective opinions, without actually touching on why people got turned off with SWTOR.  Social dysfunctions of the game design .. linearity .. dead lifeless worlds .. shitty GTN .. flashpoints that don't relate to planet stories .. everything disconnected .. load times .. shitty graphics engine .. pre-mades constantly being put up against pugs .. etc etc .. 1000's of others reasons why people got pissed off.

 

I cut the video off when you said having chatbubbles would be silly.  It's just not going anywhere, and you are just rambling without any actual connection to real concerns from real gamers and SW fans.  I'm a roleplayer and I wanted chatbubbles, badly.

 

No hate on SW though .. I just think Lucas is behind the eight ball when it comes to MMO's.

WhiteLantern

I don't know about TOR being a failure (signs do increasingly point that way), but I do know TOR-failure threads are tired. Don't we have several going that you could add into?

CujoSWAoA

Damn dude.

DO something in your video.

Play the game first, record like an hours worth of video. (Or however long you plan to talk)

Then do the voice work, do the talking.

Then mix the tracks.

Don't just run in annoying circles

----

As the guy said, a game isn't a failure until it closes its doors.

solarine

I'd say it's surely a failure considering their expectations... The thing is, I don't really care about expectations. Sure, it does affect the game in terms of the time and resources the company will invest in the game, but it doesn't impact my thoughts on the game so much.

Ultimately the game is what it is. It's not that bad a game, if you go in knowing nothing about it. It's a game with really uninspired endgame but a story experience that in my mind is at the top of the game as far as MMOs go (I'd say only TSW is a serious competition in this regard). It's a good game to level a couple of characters and leave, and then maybe check back six months later to see if there's new content or even if you're ready to give another class story a go.

So, I can see it getting some future players. Even a steady stream of them. I guess it can maintain some good player activity.

The money, though. That's another problem. They've made the absolutely stupefying move to make their best content (i.e. class stories) free and charge for their sub-par content (i.e. endgame). I don't see how that's going to work. Maybe they're just hoping people will buy boosters and leveling gear.

superniceguy

SWTOR has killed Bioware. There will never be any awesome games by them ever again.

The main people of Bioware have bailed on the company, EA and SWTOR, therefore failure. Even if the game was half way decent - neither a failure or a success, they would still be with the company expanding it.

Unless F2P is a success, I do not expect SWTOR to see 2014, due to the high costs they expect players to pay for the game.

Sevenstar61

Trent Oster Thinks Fans Negativity and EA Drove Muzyka and Zeschuk from Bioware

Very interesting article on Forbes

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2012/09/28/trent-oster-thinks-fans-negativity-and-ea-drove-muzyka-and-zeschuk-from-bioware/

Edit: Why start new thread when there is one exactly the same on this forum running daily already?