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The MMORPG industry, where delays are OK
havocthefirs
Member Posts: 229
Apparently the online gaming industry seems to be immune from the rules of the working world that the rest of us must abide by. They are constantly and consistently late and short on promises as if this was not only expected of them but required.
I'm a designer for a small automated equipment company, last year we had 2 systems to build both worth roughly a quarter million dollars each, towards this time last year everyone in the place worked 12 hour days 7 days a week for 3 months in order to finish on time. Since we're all on salary we were none to happy about it but we did what had to be done, admitedly I walked around like a zombie uttering 3 words, work, eat, sleep. If the job was'nt finished on time there was a cash penalty. I'm sure many of you have had the same expierence.
Over the years I've been a carpenter, machinist, welder, tin knocker, designer and more low skill jobs then I can count. Every job I've ever held had two defining aspects, you had a budget and a deadline. Failure to meet either meant a loss of money for the company, bad reputation, lay-offs or possibly closure.
Can you imagine going into a dunkin doughnuts on your way to work and being served raw sugar dough and cold water with a few coffee beans in it? I seriously doubt they'd be in bussiness next month. Yet this is exactly what the online gaming industry does every year. Look at DnL as an example, 5 or 6 years in the making, consant delays and empty promises.
My solution is simple, kick the cash cow where it hurts the most. All money will be refunded if the product is late or less than promised. If they promise say, 50 crafting skills and there are 2 thats a breech of contract, if it was promised in november and is late thats a breech of contract and all preorders will be refunded but also allowed to keep the game to play. Beta players will also be repatriated the price of a preorder because your doing them a favour, in essence working for them.
If this sounds harsh keep in mind these are the same penalties every other industry faces. Uncle sam needs to step up to the plate and regulate this industry from ripping off the consumer.
Comments
You really don't know mucha bout the gaming industry, do you?
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Lend a hand and break the chains of regularity you lean so closely upon
About delays, any industry were the client is the population they do not care about the delays because we will not do any charge back. Movies are a good exemple, how many times they change the release date of a movie because it was at the same time as another blockbuster, I am not asking a rebate, all those Directors cut DvD, no one scream because they paid full price at the theatre for less running time and now they have more on the DvD.
If you prefer the game on time but incomplete, be my guess but you will be the first to whine about it.
Get a life you freaking Gamer.....no no, you don't understand, I'm a Gamer, I have many lives!!
QFT!
I couldn't say it any better. And if I did, I'd just be saying the same thing over. Games need the extra time to produce, and sometimes it's released on time and sometimes it's not. I'd rather have the game delayed for a few months so it's a less bugged piece of software.
You really don't know mucha bout the gaming industry, do you?
Maybe not, but I do know if you bought a pair of jeans with no buttons or zipper and it was late you would get a refund, or gasoline that does'nt burn, a plane ride to almost there thats late, two different size shoes without laces, a car with 3 tires no seats and half the cylinders, chocolate chip cookies without the chips, a top end comp thats slow and has no power. Basically everything else in the world except for online games.
Do you ask for a refund at the movie theatre when the movie wasn't as good as the reviews said it was?
Do you demand your money back at the box office when your team didn't perform as well as they should have at the sporting event?
Do you send in letters and petitions to the music publisher when your favorite band releases a crappy album?
What about the television show's latest season which has declined in quality?
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Comparing manufactured goods, where parameters are known and highly predictable, to an entertainment product is already a preposterous analogy. Movies are frequently over budget, and often fail. Albums often are recorded at many months beyond the initial estimate. Television shows can cost a fortune to make and fall on deaf ears and blind eyes.
The entertainment industry, where creativity is the coin of the realm, does not operate like a manufactured commodity good. Educate yourself in this area before you open your mouth to make such absurd claims, because you're not making a healthy argument at all.
1) The Software industry in general is notorius for delays. Note the fact that Windows 95 didn't release till almost 96... Windows 98 was supposed to be 97.... etc.
2) The Game industry in general is prone to delays as well. The most famous one I can remember was: MechWarrior II. The game was delayed, after all was said and done, by over 3 years from the time it was originally supposed to release. A LOT of Video games are released late.
Personally, when it comes to a game: I'd much rather see a game, ANY GAME, released LATE than rushed to release bug-filled.
Too many MMORPG's have been utterly ruined due to releasing too early. AO did it to themselves by trying to beat DAOC to market. EQ2 did it to themselves by rushing to beat WoW to market. the list goes on endlessly. While I don't really ENJOY delays I'd rather see the developer take the time and put forth the effort to make it bug free on release. Even if it means delays.
Currently Playing: Dungeons and Dragons Online.
Sig image Pending
Still in: A couple Betas
working over time have to be payed. it's not your problem that your boss had made a promise for which his employees have to pay.
and besides, the more buzz you make around a title, the more free advertisement you have
Single Player Games!
MMOGs are an enormous undertaking -- By all rights, they actually should be much bigger projects than they are now, given the intended goal, which is to build "a living, breathing, synthetic world"!
Volumes could be written about this subject...but the long and short of it is is that when you're talking about the lack of quality and innovation in this genre....It's the money-men who finance many of these MMOG projects, they are almost always the culprits! They're greed has been the ruin of many, many games.
So, if you want to single out a group for punishment, you needn't look any further than the so called Venture Capitalists!
Do you ask for a refund at the movie theatre when the movie wasn't as good as the reviews said it was?
Do you demand your money back at the box office when your team didn't perform as well as they should have at the sporting event?
Do you send in letters and petitions to the music publisher when your favorite band releases a crappy album?
What about the television show's latest season which has declined in quality?
--
Comparing manufactured goods, where parameters are known and highly predictable, to an entertainment product is already a preposterous analogy. Movies are frequently over budget, and often fail. Albums often are recorded at many months beyond the initial estimate. Television shows can cost a fortune to make and fall on deaf ears and blind eyes.
The entertainment industry, where creativity is the coin of the realm, does not operate like a manufactured commodity good. Educate yourself in this area before you open your mouth to make such absurd claims, because you're not making a healthy argument at all
I would demand my money back if I only saw half the movie or only 2 of the 50 players showed up or the cd was a partial. Who would'nt? Thats exactly what the gaming companies are giving. Just ask any of the settlers from DnL, luckily I was'nt one of them, but I'd bet they sure would be happy with a refund.
Though a golden tip for the developers, have some kind of progress thing for the expansion packs instead of having set released date.
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Give me lights give me action. With a touch of a button!
on a side note, is that game still under development, or was it canned?
C
eye dun haf sig
Yo
Or other industries! No government projects are late or have cost overruns.
BTW: Whatever happened to the spaceplane we spent Billions of tax dollars on?
*Completely sincere sob* Poor Knights of the Old Republic II. It isn't an MMO, but its such a great example of getting rushed out the door.
Also... I don't get your regulation idea. Are you talking about refunding preorders or something? If the box says '50 crafting skills' or something and it doesn't have it, then yeah they were lying through their teeth. If they say "We're cutting these skills from the game: ..." prior to it's release then I don't know who'd need a refund?
-----Zero Punctuation Eve Online Review-----
If you know enough about MMO's to know that many are released far from finished, then you should know enough to never be a victim.
Software creation is way different then manufactured goods, commodities and services (but some people already said that)
So, here is some tips to never worry about this agian....
1. Don't pre-order.
This should be obvious. If you preorder a game the same day you make this thread, for example, then you deserve to get scammed.
2. Wait for reviews from the community.
Yes, some people buy an MMO on day one. Let them find out how good a game is, and take what you like and leave the rest.
3. Never believe everything you hear.
This is just common sense. It even states on every MMO box that gameplay may change during online play. If you hear about a feature and it doesn't make it in.. don't cry about it. Just don't buy if you won't be satisfied. Of course you'll have to practice tips one and two first.
Remember this is a consumer society. Our wallets vote for us. Buying every crappy game that releases will only hinder the evolution of games. So, shop smart and don't frett over things you can't control.