@Renfail - You've reached out to us on numerous occasions for stories. If you want something reported on, you're better off reaching out to us than coming into our forums and badmouthing the hardest working news editor in gaming.
I have never been unwilling to hear a request to correct information that can be better framed. However, that should properly come through email or some other form of direct contact rather than in a snarky forum post. sbford@mmorpg.com in case you need it.
@Renfail - You've reached out to us on numerous occasions for stories. If you want something reported on, you're better off reaching out to us than coming into our forums and badmouthing the hardest working news editor in gaming.
I have never been unwilling to hear a request to correct information that can be better framed. However, that should properly come through email or some other form of direct contact rather than in a snarky forum post. sbford@mmorpg.com in case you need it.
We actually have reached out (I've got 6 unanswered emails) over the past 18 months and never got replies.
Our community manager @Elloa has also reached out on multiple occassions
We've been looking to get info on our page here on MMORPG.com updated for nearly two years to no avail
@Renfail - You've reached out to us on numerous occasions for stories. If you want something reported on, you're better off reaching out to us than coming into our forums and badmouthing the hardest working news editor in gaming.
I have never been unwilling to hear a request to correct information that can be better framed. However, that should properly come through email or some other form of direct contact rather than in a snarky forum post. sbford@mmorpg.com in case you need it.
We actually have reached out (I've got 6 unanswered emails) over the past 18 months and never got replies.
Our community manager @Elloa has also reached out on multiple occassions
We've been looking to get info on our page here on MMORPG.com updated for nearly two years to no avail
Ok apparently you take hints like you take criticism. This conversation should be moved to a private email exchange. Instead of trying to 1-up them in their own forums.
@Renfail - You've reached out to us on numerous occasions for stories. If you want something reported on, you're better off reaching out to us than coming into our forums and badmouthing the hardest working news editor in gaming.
I have never been unwilling to hear a request to correct information that can be better framed. However, that should properly come through email or some other form of direct contact rather than in a snarky forum post. sbford@mmorpg.com in case you need it.
We actually have reached out (I've got 6 unanswered emails) over the past 18 months and never got replies.
Our community manager @Elloa has also reached out on multiple occassions
We've been looking to get info on our page here on MMORPG.com updated for nearly two years to no avail
I know Elloa via twitter as well, so have her reach out there. We're getting everyone's emails for gamelist@mmorpg.com, but yours could not be making it. Have Elloa DM me so I can give her my private gmail.
Again, there are ways to go about contacting us that don't involve insulting our editors that work for part-time pay and no benefits, including myself, to keep this site running.
Try to be excellent to everyone you meet. You never know what someone else has seen or endured.
I know Elloa via twitter as well, so have her reach out there. We're getting everyone's emails for gamelist@mmorpg.com, but yours could not be making it. Have Elloa DM me so I can give her my private gmail.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
@Renfail - You've reached out to us on numerous occasions for stories. If you want something reported on, you're better off reaching out to us than coming into our forums and badmouthing the hardest working news editor in gaming.
I have never been unwilling to hear a request to correct information that can be better framed. However, that should properly come through email or some other form of direct contact rather than in a snarky forum post. sbford@mmorpg.com in case you need it.
I'm sure you can appreciate how someone might feel after multiple emails have gone unanswered over a period of 18 months, after multiple team members have written in requesting that information be changed.
Furthermore, accept my public apology for my generalized comment (which was not pointed at any ONE person in particular); sometimes we all have moments where we snap out of frustration and say things that can be offensive.
Meanwhile, we've sent another email sent asking to get the information on our page updated (since it hasn't been since 2015), so hopefully this one doesn't sink through the cracks and we can get your site up to speed.
Also, I'd love a confirmation of receipt of said email so we can avoid such issues in the future @BillMurphy@SBFord
Edited to add: received an email reply back!!!! Woot!
It's always dangerous when topics derail, so I'll try to be a good example. (Unusual for me I know)
I'm not sure I agree with Renfails assertion theres a large audiance of gamers who are willing to log in to the same game for hours at a time, day after day for months on end.
I am one of the rare few who literally plays only one game at a time, but is true, if a game is engaging enough I'll stick around for years.
It is my observation most players are not like this, and enjoy playing a rotation of games, both single player and MMOS.
While this behavior baffles me I think it plays strongly into a couple of key market differences devs face today.
Gamers are not adverse to paying for good value, some even will spend small fortunes on content they desire but they are loath to spend even negligible amounts of money if it could be 'wasted"
MAany gamers are unwilling to pay a monthly sub and feel like they are wasting money if they aren't playing regularly.
It hasn't been done for a long time, but I always wondered why no company look the monthly log in time for the average player, and sold that number of hours (at say a 20% premium) and let players spend the time as they wish.
CCP does this somewhat, selling PLEX which some players buy and stockpile in extreme.
They fail however to let players spend the time in increments smaller than monthly which is a lost opportunity I feel.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
It's always dangerous when topics derail, so I'll try to be a good example. (Unusual for me I know)
I'm not sure I agree with Renfails assertion theres a large audiance of gamers who are willing to log in to the same game for hours at a time, day after day for months on end.
I am one of the rare few who literally plays only one game at a time, but is true, if a game is engaging enough I'll stick around for years.
It is my observation most players are not like this, and enjoy playing a rotation of games, both single player and MMOS.
While this behavior baffles me I think it plays strongly into a couple of key market differences devs face today.
Gamers are not adverse to paying for good value, some even will spend small fortunes on content they desire but they are loath to spend even negligible amounts of money if it could be 'wasted"
MAany gamers are unwilling to pay a monthly sub and feel like they are wasting money if they aren't playing regularly.
It hasn't been done for a long time, but I always wondered why no company look the monthly log in time for the average player, and sold that number of hours (at say a 20% premium) and let players spend the time as they wish.
CCP does this somewhat, selling PLEX which some players buy and stockpile in extreme.
They fail however to let players spend the time in increments smaller than monthly which is a lost opportunity I feel.
BURN THE HERETIC!!
That's where gaming actually started out many moons ago (as I'm sure you know). I do NOT want to go back to an hourly rate! A sub today is an incredible value... even if you login an hour a week.
At a high level I wouldn't care if this was offered in parallel with a sub but to me, that's just handing the key to Pandora's Box to the creatures inside. Before long we will be in cell phone hell with costs skyrocketing, unlimited plans that aren't unlimited and 500 fees tacked on which nobody could ever explain.
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
"I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator
Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017.
Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018
"Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018
I think sub is viable but only if that audience is large enough. And therein lies the conundrum. Its hard to keep sub if you never gain the audience. Instant grtification is what alot of gamers aim for today so its hard to establish a steady patch cycle before people start jumping ship. I think ESO and runescape do the best job of maintaining a primarily sub based game. They provide quality content for free and draw players in while giving enough incentives to push players toward the sub without being over bearing. Both are good models but its hard to find that balance without pushing towards what I call the GuildWars 2 zone. Which is were the game is good but any visual progression is a time sink that takes ages but has no involvement or genuine effort, but said time sink can be exorbitantly shortened or outright skipped with gratuitous amount of cash. That or no new items/skins are added to the game but are instead added to the cash shop with the excuse you can exchange in game cash for the premium currency.
Not to derail the thread again, but what Renfail describes as available for solo players sounds very very limited, not something that would hold those types that only want solo content.
It very much sounds like if you want to experience the majority of the game, grouping WILL be mandatory 90% of the time. That's fine there is a definite dearth of games that really try to bring social interaction back into MMO's. But to claim that sites get this wrong and that that the game is indeed solo friendly doesn't sound very honest. More like they are trying to shush that bit and bring in more people that wouldnt go looking for a grouping game in hopes they'll come to like it.
All fine... but probly not fine to get pissy about.
It's always dangerous when topics derail, so I'll try to be a good example. (Unusual for me I know)
I'm not sure I agree with Renfails assertion theres a large audiance of gamers who are willing to log in to the same game for hours at a time, day after day for months on end.
I am one of the rare few who literally plays only one game at a time, but is true, if a game is engaging enough I'll stick around for years.
It is my observation most players are not like this, and enjoy playing a rotation of games, both single player and MMOS.
While this behavior baffles me I think it plays strongly into a couple of key market differences devs face today.
Gamers are not adverse to paying for good value, some even will spend small fortunes on content they desire but they are loath to spend even negligible amounts of money if it could be 'wasted"
MAany gamers are unwilling to pay a monthly sub and feel like they are wasting money if they aren't playing regularly.
It hasn't been done for a long time, but I always wondered why no company look the monthly log in time for the average player, and sold that number of hours (at say a 20% premium) and let players spend the time as they wish.
CCP does this somewhat, selling PLEX which some players buy and stockpile in extreme.
They fail however to let players spend the time in increments smaller than monthly which is a lost opportunity I feel.
BURN THE HERETIC!!
That's where gaming actually started out many moons ago (as I'm sure you know). I do NOT want to go back to an hourly rate! A sub today is an incredible value... even if you login an hour a week.
At a high level I wouldn't care if this was offered in parallel with a sub but to me, that's just handing the key to Pandora's Box to the creatures inside. Before long we will be in cell phone hell with costs skyrocketing, unlimited plans that aren't unlimited and 500 fees tacked on which nobody could ever explain.
Oh god do you remember the original never winter nights through AOL? I miss it but I don't miss my mother yelling at me for playing for 6 hours every saturday and sunday.
(Kyleran said) Gamers are not adverse to paying for good value, some even will spend small fortunes on content they desire but they are loath to spend even negligible amounts of money if it could be 'wasted"
MAany gamers are unwilling to pay a monthly sub and feel like they are wasting money if they aren't playing regularly.
It hasn't been done for a long time, but I always wondered why no company look the monthly log in time for the average player, and sold that number of hours (at say a 20% premium) and let players spend the time as they wish.
CCP does this somewhat, selling PLEX which some players buy and stockpile in extreme.
I think a sub and its overall viability partially depends on the overall draw of the game. Many games such as swtor and lotro went f2p with a sub option with perks because the income was not producing the desired results due to overhead and costs. WOW, FFXIV and a couple of others tend to have large enough audience with addition of the cosmetic / pet cash shop to turn a profit and fund future development.
Niche games are a hard call such as this one. I suppose it depends on how quickly content is churned through and what the financial goals are of the team. I disagree there are 100m hardcore gamers out there just clamoring to pay a sub fee. FFXI had what? 500k at its peak and AC / EQ were about the same I believe.
SoL would be best going with a B2P if they do not want F2P scheme in my opinion with a cosmetic only cash shop. If they are going for the RP crowd then that could prove financially viable. Just not sure the interest will be there from a large community for sub model here. Could be wrong but time will tell.
Cosmetic only cash shops don't come off sounding as destructive as pay to win, and they aren't, and they are probably here to stay, but I think they are still bad for virtual worlds and MMO's. Bad for gameplay and bad for longevity when you take financials out of it.
Appearances used to be something that was earned and something to play/work for, cash shops take that part of the game out, and are in that way counter productive to the game's survival.
In a perfect world, cash shops in any form need to go away and games need to be a complete product or service again.
Gamers are not adverse to paying for good value, some even will spend small fortunes on content they desire but they are loath to spend even negligible amounts of money if it could be 'wasted"
MAany gamers are unwilling to pay a monthly sub and feel like they are wasting money if they aren't playing regularly.
This is the crux of the free-to-play gamer who only logs in 30 minutes here and there throughout the week, maybe logging in 4-6 hours todal in a given month.
It's not "worth it" to them to pay a monthly subscription because they don't play enough to warrant it.
Hell, I have this mobile pool game I play for like 30 minutes a day but I would never in a million years want to pay a monthly sub for it because it's a game I play when I'm waiting on a call, at the airport, and even when I'm taking a bio.
Meanwhile, I always sub my MMORPGs, because I play them for 10-15 hours a week, and that cost more than justifies getting ready of those annoying pay walls and giving me access to 100% of the game.
Going back to "gamers are not adverse to paying for good value" comes back to the studies we mention in the article; at the end of the day most gamers don't really care one way or another and will pay to play the game whether it's through a monthly sub OR through microtransactions, provided it's fun and immersive for them.
Appearances used to be something that was earned and something to play/work for, cash shops take that part of the game out, and are in that way counter productive to the game's survival.
In a perfect world, cash shops in any form need to go away and games need to be a complete product or service again.
We have had endless debates over the past year on the above.
Allowing players customization via cosmetics is a HUGE win in terms of keeping players in a game in the modern generation of streamers and gaming celebrities who focus on selfies and constantly tweaking the look of their toon.
But you completely lose the "earned" element, which means someone looking at you has no idea if you actually went out and spent time + effort to get that piece, or if you just paid for it with cash.
We're looking forward to tackle the appearance problem in our own unique way. We have nothing ready to announce publicly yet, but suffice to say we're looking into ways that we can include apperance options for players as part of their monthly subscription in a way that doesn't trivialize the items so that players will still be able to look at you and KNOW exactly where you got that armor, and that you earned it before you used it
Our world, our way. We aren't interested in names that break the immersion of our fantasy world.
Aren't you also basically developing around forced grouping as well?
You are severely limiting your already niche audience by creating these walls.
Nope, it's absolutely not forced grouping. That's a myth propogated by the misinformed.
As per our FAQ Page:
"If you make the decision to leave the safety of town and its guards, it’s not a decision you should be making lightly. While there are little things you can do on your own just outside of outposts and cities in micro-sessions of 30 minutes to 1.5 hours (gather pelts and harvesting supplies, take on small bandit outposts, etc.), the further you go afield, the less civilized the world is, and the more dangerous things become.
Think early EverQuest. You can head out, harvest a few things, craft a bit, kill a few mobs close to town within the safety of the guards if you need to run, but if you want to hit up Orc Hill you’ll need 3-4 other players, and if you want to head into Crushbone and handle the Throne Room, you’ll need a full group. You need a well-balanced group of adventurers to handle whatever you might come across in the wild. You need gear. You need supplies. Bandages. Potions. Scrolls. A pack mule. Rope. Never leave home without a good length of rope."
No offense, but it seems you may be the cause of the so-called "misinformation" about having to group, not the journalists at MMORPG.com...
1) "Our game is intended to be group-based. If someone finds a creative way
to use abilities to solo...good for them. That's great that they were
creative enough to find a loophole. But the moment we find out about it,
we'll quickly move to plug that hole and keep the core of our intended
gameplay intact: this is a game for groups, not hacks who want to use
loopholes to get around intended mechanics."
2) "Next, let’s analyze the “why would you want to play that kind of game?”
comment, which was in direct response to our game requiring you to rely
on other people to progress."
4) "There is no "end game" in Saga of Lucimia. There is only the journey.
How you choose to explore the world and live within it, is entirely up
to you! No solo content, but plenty you can do with 3-4 of your friends even if
you don't have a full group of 8 to explore dungeons, or if you don't
have the time/inclination to raid."
5) "Kiting is not planned, but we're sure some abilities will lead to
players finding creative ways to try and utilize this tactic to avoid
grouping. We'll be modifying abilities as needed to reduce this tactic
IF it affects the group-based gameplay component. Using it within a
group is one thing; leveraging it so that you can solo content is
another entirely."
With the exception of the Mondays In MMORPG episode on Group-Based Gameplay, 100% of your links are posts back from 2015.
Those posts were from 3+ years ago. Similarly, the MMORPG.com page for our game had/has information from 3+ years ago. We've updated a LOT of things since then.
Thankfully, the MMORPG staff seem to be working on it (based on the emails I've received today after the hoopalooza surrounding this post), so hopefully we should be able to get some better information out there to the public who prefer coming here for their information, as opposed to directly to our website (where our FAQ page has regular updates to keep folks up to speed).
Now, in regards to the Group-Based Gameplay post, let's not cherry-pick your quotes. Instead, let's talk about the WHOLE article, which revolves around this core aspect:
“It’s the tabletop scenario. Friends hanging out, socializing, overcoming overwhelming odds together, and ultimately experiencing a sense of accomplishment that can only happen when you achieve a goal alongside someone else, rather than on your own.”
That's not to say you can't do things on your own. But rather our preferred method of gameplay is group-based, and while you can do things on your own like in early Everquest, the majority of our gameplay is going to be for community-based players who enjoy grouping.
To me the best current community in an MMO is on LOTRO:Landroval which has a naming policy and while it doesn't force RP, you won't make many friends on Landroval if you are completely within the modern world. (I don't hardcore RP either, i would call my landroval characters light rp which is fine).
So I understand and don't particularly mind the naming rules. I do hope you guys' lore is deep enough to support different kinds of RP.
You got me interested
RIP Ribbitribbitt you are missed, kid.
Currently Playing EVE, ESO
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed.
Every time this game comes up in the forums it just makes me that much more confident that it's going to fail worse than anything to ever release (yes i'm including BLESS)
To me the best current community in an MMO is on LOTRO:Landroval which has a naming policy and while it doesn't force RP, you won't make many friends on Landroval if you are completely within the modern world. (I don't hardcore RP either, i would call my landroval characters light rp which is fine).
So I understand and don't particularly mind the naming rules. I do hope you guys' lore is deep enough to support different kinds of RP.
You got me interested
We haven't had any complaints so far
Lore-wise, it's been an interesting ride to this point. Book One is hitting shelves December 1st, and we've had great feedback from our alpha and beta readers.
The tabletop game is also in the works and we're spinning more stories up there.
So hopefully, yes, we should have plenty of lore for players to choose from.
And we're totally not against names like Raven Silkspinner or Artimus Ravenwood or things of this nature. What we're really against are the "cockznokers" and "rapeurmom" and "Mz1001" folks... and anyone who tries Drizzzt, Gandalffff, Legolaazz, etc.
With the exception of the Mondays In MMORPG episode on Group-Based Gameplay, 100% of your links are posts back from 2015.
Those posts were from 3+ years ago. Similarly, the MMORPG.com page for our game had/has information from 3+ years ago. We've updated a LOT of things since then.
Thankfully, the MMORPG staff seem to be working on it (based on the emails I've received today after the hoopalooza surrounding this post), so hopefully we should be able to get some better information out there to the public who prefer coming here for their information, as opposed to directly to our website (where our FAQ page has regular updates to keep folks up to speed).
Now, in regards to the Group-Based Gameplay post, let's not cherry-pick your quotes. Instead, let's talk about the WHOLE article, which revolves around this core aspect:
“It’s the tabletop scenario. Friends hanging out, socializing, overcoming overwhelming odds together, and ultimately experiencing a sense of accomplishment that can only happen when you achieve a goal alongside someone else, rather than on your own.”
That's not to say you can't do things on your own. But rather our preferred method of gameplay is group-based, and while you can do things on your own like in early Everquest, the majority of our gameplay is going to be for community-based players who enjoy grouping.
So you're saying the posts about grouping from 2015 are no longer accurate? Where was this announced? No where have I seen that "all posts about grouping before X date are no longer true".
It is not fair to read the newer articles and still think that everything else said before is valid?
Obviously the game is in development and things CAN change. But I guess I just missed the announcement where they DID change.
Anyways, it seems unreasonable to blame MMORPG for not keeping your page updated, when your own website isn't accurate.
Comments
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
We actually have reached out (I've got 6 unanswered emails) over the past 18 months and never got replies.
Our community manager @Elloa has also reached out on multiple occassions
We've been looking to get info on our page here on MMORPG.com updated for nearly two years to no avail
@BillMurphy @SBFord
(and yes that's all been via emails)
Ok apparently you take hints like you take criticism. This conversation should be moved to a private email exchange. Instead of trying to 1-up them in their own forums.
Again, there are ways to go about contacting us that don't involve insulting our editors that work for part-time pay and no benefits, including myself, to keep this site running.
Try to be excellent to everyone you meet. You never know what someone else has seen or endured.
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Follow me on Twitter if you dare.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Thanks for the redirect, @Kyleran
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Furthermore, accept my public apology for my generalized comment (which was not pointed at any ONE person in particular); sometimes we all have moments where we snap out of frustration and say things that can be offensive.
Meanwhile, we've sent another email sent asking to get the information on our page updated (since it hasn't been since 2015), so hopefully this one doesn't sink through the cracks and we can get your site up to speed.
Also, I'd love a confirmation of receipt of said email so we can avoid such issues in the future @BillMurphy @SBFord
Edited to add: received an email reply back!!!! Woot!
I'm not sure I agree with Renfails assertion theres a large audiance of gamers who are willing to log in to the same game for hours at a time, day after day for months on end.
I am one of the rare few who literally plays only one game at a time, but is true, if a game is engaging enough I'll stick around for years.
It is my observation most players are not like this, and enjoy playing a rotation of games, both single player and MMOS.
While this behavior baffles me I think it plays strongly into a couple of key market differences devs face today.
Gamers are not adverse to paying for good value, some even will spend small fortunes on content they desire but they are loath to spend even negligible amounts of money if it could be 'wasted"
MAany gamers are unwilling to pay a monthly sub and feel like they are wasting money if they aren't playing regularly.
It hasn't been done for a long time, but I always wondered why no company look the monthly log in time for the average player, and sold that number of hours (at say a 20% premium) and let players spend the time as they wish.
CCP does this somewhat, selling PLEX which some players buy and stockpile in extreme.
They fail however to let players spend the time in increments smaller than monthly which is a lost opportunity I feel.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
That's where gaming actually started out many moons ago (as I'm sure you know). I do NOT want to go back to an hourly rate! A sub today is an incredible value... even if you login an hour a week.
At a high level I wouldn't care if this was offered in parallel with a sub but to me, that's just handing the key to Pandora's Box to the creatures inside. Before long we will be in cell phone hell with costs skyrocketing, unlimited plans that aren't unlimited and 500 fees tacked on which nobody could ever explain.
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
"I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator
Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017.
Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018
"Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018
It very much sounds like if you want to experience the majority of the game, grouping WILL be mandatory 90% of the time. That's fine there is a definite dearth of games that really try to bring social interaction back into MMO's. But to claim that sites get this wrong and that that the game is indeed solo friendly doesn't sound very honest. More like they are trying to shush that bit and bring in more people that wouldnt go looking for a grouping game in hopes they'll come to like it.
All fine... but probly not fine to get pissy about.
Oh god do you remember the original never winter nights through AOL? I miss it but I don't miss my mother yelling at me for playing for 6 hours every saturday and sunday.
Gamers are not adverse to paying for good value, some even will spend small fortunes on content they desire but they are loath to spend even negligible amounts of money if it could be 'wasted"
MAany gamers are unwilling to pay a monthly sub and feel like they are wasting money if they aren't playing regularly.
It hasn't been done for a long time, but I always wondered why no company look the monthly log in time for the average player, and sold that number of hours (at say a 20% premium) and let players spend the time as they wish.
CCP does this somewhat, selling PLEX which some players buy and stockpile in extreme.
They fail however to let players spend the time in increments smaller than monthly which is a lost opportunity I feel.
Read more at https://forums.mmorpg.com/discussion/477553/saga-of-lucimia-on-subscriptions-the-more-options-you-provide-a-player-the-better-mmorpg-com/p2#Iv9F5gKVuBy2Ko2t.99
Appearances used to be something that was earned and something to play/work for, cash shops take that part of the game out, and are in that way counter productive to the game's survival.
In a perfect world, cash shops in any form need to go away and games need to be a complete product or service again.
This is the crux of the free-to-play gamer who only logs in 30 minutes here and there throughout the week, maybe logging in 4-6 hours todal in a given month.
It's not "worth it" to them to pay a monthly subscription because they don't play enough to warrant it.
Hell, I have this mobile pool game I play for like 30 minutes a day but I would never in a million years want to pay a monthly sub for it because it's a game I play when I'm waiting on a call, at the airport, and even when I'm taking a bio.
Meanwhile, I always sub my MMORPGs, because I play them for 10-15 hours a week, and that cost more than justifies getting ready of those annoying pay walls and giving me access to 100% of the game.
Going back to "gamers are not adverse to paying for good value" comes back to the studies we mention in the article; at the end of the day most gamers don't really care one way or another and will pay to play the game whether it's through a monthly sub OR through microtransactions, provided it's fun and immersive for them.
We have had endless debates over the past year on the above.
Allowing players customization via cosmetics is a HUGE win in terms of keeping players in a game in the modern generation of streamers and gaming celebrities who focus on selfies and constantly tweaking the look of their toon.
But you completely lose the "earned" element, which means someone looking at you has no idea if you actually went out and spent time + effort to get that piece, or if you just paid for it with cash.
We're looking forward to tackle the appearance problem in our own unique way. We have nothing ready to announce publicly yet, but suffice to say we're looking into ways that we can include apperance options for players as part of their monthly subscription in a way that doesn't trivialize the items so that players will still be able to look at you and KNOW exactly where you got that armor, and that you earned it before you used it
5) "Kiting is not planned, but we're sure some abilities will lead to players finding creative ways to try and utilize this tactic to avoid grouping. We'll be modifying abilities as needed to reduce this tactic IF it affects the group-based gameplay component. Using it within a group is one thing; leveraging it so that you can solo content is another entirely."
https://sagaoflucimia.com/forums/index.php?threads/questions.122/#post-639
Those posts were from 3+ years ago. Similarly, the MMORPG.com page for our game had/has information from 3+ years ago. We've updated a LOT of things since then.
Thankfully, the MMORPG staff seem to be working on it (based on the emails I've received today after the hoopalooza surrounding this post), so hopefully we should be able to get some better information out there to the public who prefer coming here for their information, as opposed to directly to our website (where our FAQ page has regular updates to keep folks up to speed).
Now, in regards to the Group-Based Gameplay post, let's not cherry-pick your quotes. Instead, let's talk about the WHOLE article, which revolves around this core aspect:
“It’s the tabletop scenario. Friends hanging out, socializing, overcoming overwhelming odds together, and ultimately experiencing a sense of accomplishment that can only happen when you achieve a goal alongside someone else, rather than on your own.”
That's not to say you can't do things on your own. But rather our preferred method of gameplay is group-based, and while you can do things on your own like in early Everquest, the majority of our gameplay is going to be for community-based players who enjoy grouping.
To me the best current community in an MMO is on LOTRO:Landroval which has a naming policy and while it doesn't force RP, you won't make many friends on Landroval if you are completely within the modern world. (I don't hardcore RP either, i would call my landroval characters light rp which is fine).
So I understand and don't particularly mind the naming rules. I do hope you guys' lore is deep enough to support different kinds of RP.
You got me interested
RIP Ribbitribbitt you are missed, kid.
Currently Playing EVE, ESO
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed.
Dwight D Eisenhower
My optimism wears heavy boots and is loud.
Henry Rollins
Lore-wise, it's been an interesting ride to this point. Book One is hitting shelves December 1st, and we've had great feedback from our alpha and beta readers.
The tabletop game is also in the works and we're spinning more stories up there.
So hopefully, yes, we should have plenty of lore for players to choose from.
And we're totally not against names like Raven Silkspinner or Artimus Ravenwood or things of this nature. What we're really against are the "cockznokers" and "rapeurmom" and "Mz1001" folks... and anyone who tries Drizzzt, Gandalffff, Legolaazz, etc.