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3 strikes for Turbine?
Blurr
Member UncommonPosts: 2,155
Hi, I was gonna put this all in a reply in another thread, but the thread started with basically just a troll so I figured I'd set this up all nice so we could have a discussion instead of a flame fest.
But my question basically is:
Is Turbine letting us down?
I'd say Asheron's Call 1 was a marginal success at best. It succeeded I think because it was one of two or 3 choices for MMOs at the time. Asheron's Call 2 tanked, and honestly it wasn't that great a game. It had some good points but really it seemed they just didn't follow through and polish it enough. I'd say the same thing is happening to DDO, it's a good basis for a game, but they're not putting enough polish into it.
After 1 minor success, a major tanking, and another game that now may (or may not) tank badly (based on what I see people saying about the game). Does this mean that we can no longer put any faith in a Turbine game? Maybe they just aren't that great at developing MMOs.
Do we deserve to give Turbine another chance? Should we count DDO as their last chance to prove they are a good MMO company? If DDO tanks, should that be their 3rd strike?
Personally I will be very skeptical about trying another Turbine game. I bought the DDO preorder but I'm gonna wait on purchasing the full version until I hear what more people say after launch day.
How do you all feel about turbine as a company and their ability to make MMOs? Good, Bad, or 3-strikes and you're out?
"Because it's easier to nitpick something than to be constructive." -roach5000
Comments
I thought AC was an excellent game... AC2 was not good at all... it was more like Diablo MMO than AC (and yes, I want to offend all the Diablo fans).
Since DDO is using the AC2 engine (so is LotRO) Turbine had a lot more time to polish it up.
Anyway, DDO is doing pretty darn well in pre-order sales. Although that could be deceptive I imagine their revenue from box sales will be enaugh to keep them around for a while.
Since they are developing LotRO as well they will get another giant cash boost when it releases.
Turbine is here to stay wether we like it or not.
They must have learned something after developing 2 MMos, and being in development of 2 more. Although if you look at the current trend with MMO developers only the first MMO is any good.
EQ1 - good / SWG EQ2 - bad
AC1 - good / AC2 - bad
AO, DAOC were good games, we will see how their follow ups(Conan, Warhammer) do.
AC 1 is my favorite MMO ever, and I think we would probably have a better genre if it had become the most popualr of the 3 big original MMO's(EQ, UO, and AC).
Hell, AC 2 would've probably been a better game if AC 1 had become more popular.
That said, I appreciate Turbine for sticking to their guns and having a real vision for their game. A tiny bit of originality in an extremely stagnant genre full of clones doesn't hurt.
HELLO WORLD
You're bringing this up now? This is something to bring up two years ago. Most of us are well aware of Turbine's track record and question DDO and LotRO.
As for AC2, it wasn't that bad in the final year. It had a horrible launch and let's hope Turbine learned from that.
Also on pre-orders, it doesn't matter how many Turbine gets. It doesn't dictate a successful game. AC2 shot up to 50,000 in its first month and dropped quickly after that because it just wasn't finished.
The thing that will save DDO is the name. I never played SWG but I always hear about the horrible launch it had yet they remained strong because of the fanboys. AC2 didn't have the fanboys to keep it going.
I personally won't be playing DDO because of the engine lag. I feel like I'm alone in my crusade agaisnt the AC2/DDO engine. It sucks. I talked to people in game and asked "Are you getting FPS drops and stutters?" They all say yes in game, yet when I goto the forums no one is talking about it or some others deny it. Perhaps I expect too much. I like to play a smooth running game and a nice engine like Doom 3 and Half-Life 2. I hated playing AC2 because the engine would pause or freeze for split seconds while objects loaded. The same exact problem exists in DDO and I highly suspect it will in LotRO.
"Is turbine letting us down?" - Well, I'd say speak for yourself instead of "us". We are all individual and hey, I think there are still people who say EQ2 is good LMAO! IF there are people out there wasting their time with that - then this game stands a good chance.
I hope they advertise this one properly - after release so they have time to work out more of the innevitable bugs. Everytime a game first comes out - it's usually full o' bugs - can't be helped.
I hope to see allot of old school DnD'rs pick this up if it turns out to be good.
I don't remember a time in DnD that I dueled or pvp'd so - I agree with the Devs at this point. Although I bet they add some sort of arena in the future.
AC1 is generally considered one of the best MMO's ever released, and stay on top still.
Most "best game EVER" threads have ac1 at or near the top, it still have a loyal following and the only thing it suffers from is age, everything goes away with time.
I am pretty confident DDO will be a success, it is a pretty polished game, a lot of people may not agree with the system but that is a matter of taste and the 3 beta servers running now are all pretty full of people who enjoy it at least enough to continue to log in.
Middle earth online will, regardless of how it looks or plays, be a financial success, they could release pacman, slap a lord of the rings logo on it and break most sales figures.
They have AC1, wich at this point is a money cow.
They have 2 of the most valuable IP's on the market in their stable.
They bombed with ac2, and I am sure that cost them a lot, but nothing they can not afford.
Turbine will be around for a long time if I had to guess.
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Originally posted by Jerek_
I wonder if you honestly even believe what you type, or if you live in a made up world of facts.
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I may have posted per say the same thing im going to post here in my topic, but i have to say it here just in case lol. Turbine is crap, they have had more then enough chances ddo is going to flop, lotro is going to flop both being 2 crap looking/playing games. As i said befor ive seen free mmos that are better then these. Do not waste your money pre ordering it. Wait till some one you know buys it if any one does lol. Try it at there house see if you like it. I realy think the only people that like ddo and lotro is die hard fans of dnd and lotr series. I hope that is not the truth but its got to be the only reason. I will bet money they bomb this game on extended play!! You mark my words!!!
Thanks i hope this helps some people im sorry if i made any one mad but its how i feel and i just dont want to see poeple get tricked in to buying a game because it has a dnd or lotr slapped on it!!
thanks my 2cents!
Actually I thought this was a perfect time to bring this stuff up, what with the imminent launch of DDO and the big backlash of people saying they don't like the game, while Turbine touts how many preorders it has had.
I'm seeing alot of people thought AC1 was great, I played it mostly during the beta test, so I didn't see alot of what happened after 1 month or so of launch. I suppose it was a decent game as far as the game itself goes (perhaps I was too harsh on it originally). Personally I didn't find it had enough depth or variety for myself.
As far as DDO goes, I think it's got a good core, but perhaps it just doesn't have enough depth, similarly to how I felt about AC1. (and AC2 actually) As someone who plays DnD regularly, I really feel they captured the essence of DnD in the dungeons within the game. However, nobody wants to play DnD with a DM (guy who runs the game) who just puts you in dungeon after dungeon after dungeon all the time, it gets repetitive and boring. I think maybe that's where DDO is sitting too much. Far too many dungeons for everything. Mind you, I only got up to level 3 (about half way to 4) in my time in DDO, but in playing through theoretically 1/3rd of the way through the game, I only ever saw 1 quest that was outside, and it was actually meant for people level 4 or 6 or something (so my group couldn't finish it).
I must say I applaud them for doing things like the secret doors, and puzzles and stuff like that. That's what MMOs need these days (more than token interactivity). It lets us really feel like we're more immersed in the game.
But honestly I think the repetitive dungeoneering is just a little too one-dimensional for me, and I'm guessing alot of other people.
What I'm worried about as far as LotRO, is that Turbine has decided to set it during the trilogy/movies, which is what I think one of the major mistakes that was made with SWG. You can't side with Mordor and hope to win can you? (atleast, last I heard you could play on mordor's side) I don't know, I could be wrong. It seems though that that's the time in the setting where specific things can and cannot happen, and I think that maybe Turbine might be limiting themselves with it. Another question I would wonder about is the progressing storyline. Last I heard the fellowship would be progressing on its journey slowly. Lets say, for example, that the fellowship goes through the Battle of Helms Deep, does that mean that anyone who picks up the game after that will never be able to participate or even see the battle?
My faith in Turbine is a little shaky, so I'm not quite sure whether to put my trust in them to make these games right, or whether I should mourn the loss of a good franchise.
"Because it's easier to nitpick something than to be constructive." -roach5000
I think Turbine need to stop looking through SOE's garbage for ideas.
If they keep this up I think that is where they will be headed. I hope they are not going to walk the path of getting a good name and slapping it on a package hoping to get good early sales while actually passing out a mmorpg that a few college students could make in their basement part time. I am seeing a trend here and I hope it will soon end.
I really don't understand why people with big and respectable names would hand it over to mmorpg makers who seem to drag it through the mud or worse. I guess being caught up in the success of other games and the possibilities of making large amounts of money cuts the blood flow from the brain but please try and get a grip on yourselves. Even though names do bring the people in early and sale boxes, in the long term, if the game is not good it will just crash and burn.
"while actually passing out a mmorpg that a few college students could make in their basement part time"
I'd love to play this game of equal quality to DDO that a few college students could make in their basment part time. Tell you what, I'll even pay a monthly fee for it if I like it.
Show me the link...
AC1 was a fabulous game (missing only a quest journal and real crafting). The quests were vivid, the dungeons realise in great form (puzzles, interactivity, design -- excellent). AC2, in my opinion, stank -- they did, ironically, exactly what EQ2 did, right down to the "the world was destroyed and this is the aftermath" BS so they could "distinguish" between the two (though EQ2 did it much more successfully than they did). AC2 wasn't a game designed to convince any AC1 players to play -- and if you automatically p*** off the players of the original, you're limiting your fanbase already. Stupid decision #1: AC2 and its design and execution (also loved all the buildings that you couldn't go into, way to build immersion).
Stupid decision #2: release expansion, cancel game, and offer NOTHING to the players who put the time and effort into playing. Not even a free month of AC1 (which would have been smart marketing).
Stupid decision #3: deciding that DDO should be fully instanced. D&D is more than dungeons -- it's RPing in a vibrant fantasy world, where your actions matter, where your TRAVELS take you places new and fun and demanding. DDO is literally just one city plus instances -- repeat, wash, repeat, wash, repeat. By not having a full world to explore and in whose reality your actions matter, they've gone in the wrong direction.
Three strikes, Turbine. I hate the thought that they are the ones who are also doing LOTR online. Scares me. If the Turbine who created AC1 shows through in LOTR online, I'll be there -- if the Turbine of literally EVERYTHING ELSE Turbine has done comes through, I won't be, and that'll suck.
I'm still playing AC1, for crying out loud. Doing DDO should have been a no-brainer (which after AC2 should be right up their alley -- the no-brain part, that is).