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I am pretty sure this has been discussed, re discussed, rehashed, necrod etc at some point.. I am jsut not remebering where, if ever, I have seen this..
We all have read the bagillions of rumors that circulate the internet... We all saw the one that said LEC pulled the SWG liscence from SOE... SWG is still kicking, albeit on life support...
I wonder if its possible that they did loose the liscence, the liscence for the old code... If SOE persuaded LEC to go with the NGE (yeah ive seen all the pro / con arguments on whose to blame, but for this it doesnt really matter) maybe LEC kept the "old code" and let SOE do the new...
This woulld go with why SOE keeps saying they cant do pre NGE anything, citing the old code is not compatible or even there... Granted people are saying the code is there, and its not being used... Maybe we got the SWG2 game, with SOE taking the gamble on it working (and being as arrogant as they are) with the stipulation from LEC that if it works, great.. If it doesnt, dont plan on coming back to the prigional coding...
I think SOE gambled and lost, and LEC wont let them go back to the previous versions... This would open the door for a different company (or even LEC) to have be bale to develop the next generation of SWG...
No I dont have proff or anything like that.. I am just bored and was going through the forums and thought about this.. So again no flames.. jsut curiosity...
Xcathdra
Having access to a billion $ IP - Billions of dollars..
Having access to a massive fan base of said IP - Even more Billons...
Singly handedly alienating them due to stupidity - Priceless.
Comments
Interesting thought, would explain why they haven't put up at least a couple classic servers. I mean SOE is stupid but the reviews and hatred this has generated is unbelievable, anyone with half a brain would have caved by now yet they stand by the pile that is. If thats the case all the better as if a classic version is brought out it will be Sony free and might actually be worth playing.
stop trying to look for reasons to excuse SoE's terrible marketing please LEC owns the SW IP, SoE put together everything else, programmers, PR, etc. etc. SoE Austin programmers built the code, LEC never had official and/or legal ownership of it, though they do have quite alot of input as to which direction SoE will take it.
The devs on the SWG project will not do a rollback because they don't know how they'd ever improve upon such a radical new game, (no other MMO has the versility to mix n match 33 proffs...) they have no model to go after, and after failing to revolutionize the industry the 1st time, (this was felt like a ton of bricks after WoW soared past them in a month past its release) they fell back in line, and refuse to take the risk nessicary to keep this game alive.
They are however slowly implementing SWG:C features under the radar, but are far too reluctant to do away with the convention of iconic classes, and instant gratification.
***didnt mean to sound like a flame if it did... i suppose i'm tired... going to bed, but to sum up, i really wish you were right, that LEC would be able to just undo this partnership with the d*mn devil, but i don't think SoE is willing to detach its claws so easily.***
It's just a rumor, but it would explain somethings though.
But then, why would LEC pull the contract?
Starwars Galaxies, An Empier Diveded, That's what it says on my box anyway.
Seems reasonable to me that SOE is on its last leg of the SW license due to the NGE debacle.
SOE has admitted the NGE was their idea, Jeff Freeman being a major pusher of it, and that they pitched it to LEC, who apparently was wow'd enough (no pun intended) to approve the changes.
Another thing one must consider is that the NGE not only failed in its goal to attract more subscriptions, it was also probably the single biggest PR disaster in MMO history, if not video games in general (hmm, well there was E.T. for Atari 2600, tough choice, lol). I'd think the bad PR alone would be a big reason for LEC to want to pull the license from SOE.
No amount of subsriptions that SOE could gain back at this point will ever be worth the overwhelming amount of bad PR that the NGE generated. The NGE tainted SWG in the eyes of many, and it can never fully recover, as it will always have that skeleton in its closet. The NGE has also given a black-eye to SOE, who has now earned itself a bad reputation of sorts in the MMO community, and it'll take a lot of work for them to earn back gamers trust and respect.
LEC I think has the most to lose in this disaster, after all, it is the SW ip we're talkin about here. SW is one of the most successfully marketed and known ip's in the world, and a beloved icon in film history. There is really no reason for the SW ip to be drug through the mud like this, when it should easliy be a slam-dunk hit in the MMO market, if done right of course.
If I had to guess, based on what I've seen, I'd say that LEC probably decided to revoke the SW license from SOE around the NGE's 6 month mark. Corporate types arent very forgiving, and at 6 months SWG had probably hit a low point in subscriptions, possibly even a contractual low point, a performance clause in the license that would give LEC a way out of the contract if SOE failed to deliver.
I do think its LEC thats preventing SOE from making PreCU servers available, as its a no-brain money maker, bruised ego or not, I'd think SOE would have offered them by now. I also think LEC would retain the rights to any SWG code, PreCU or not. LEC/LA are fanatical about the ownership of the SW ip, and that makes me think they'd own anything created in the LEC/SOE partnership. SOE devs/publishes SWG, but I doubt they technically own it in any way shape or form. If a breakup were to occur, Id think LEC would own the code to SWG, and could thus do with it as they choose.
If LEC has decided to pull the license from SOE, both to distance itself from the bad joojoo created over the NGE, and to be free to give the MMO market another go with a fresh game and publisher, it would make a lot of sense to deny SOE the ability to make PreCU servers available. That mightve given SOE the ability to earn some money, and continue to dev the NGE at the same time, thus possibly saving SWG from the fate its suffering now. Im starting to think that at this point LEC actually wants SOE to tank SWG, and making them stick with the NGE will definitly help that along.
Could be that LEC did decide to pull the license from SOE around the NGE 6 month mark, and then gave SOE a year to wrap things up for sunset around summer 2007. This would give SOE some time to save face by fixing and bringing back as much as they could before the game was finally shut down, and give LEC time to prepare for whatever they have planned next. That would also make the upcomming release of "SWG:Complete" the last ditch effort for SOE/LEC to earn some money with this dying horse before they take it out back and shoot it.
My hope is that LEC has given the license to Bioware, who's working on adapting the PreCU style game play to another era in the SW timeline, one that has less cannon issues due to jedi players and such. We do know that the new Bioware team is made up of old SWG devs that quit SOE, and the old KoTOR devs, so I cant think of a better team to have create a brand new, precu style, SW MMORPG, to be that fresh start LEC has probably been dreaming about for the last year or so. And if they're using the precu game as a base for development, and have already been working with it for the last 6 months or so, bought a new engine (which they already did I believe), and continued to dev it for the next year, they might be able to have a replacement SW MMO available in record time for xmas 2007.
Hey, a guy can dream cant he?
"Uh, we had a slight weapons malfunction, but uh... everything's perfectly all right now.
We're fine. We're all fine here now, thank you. How are you?"
That has been my line of thinking. It also fits with Smedley griping about working with LA and praising the DC folks. Lucas does follow media coverage, internet sites, blogs, etc. His ILM studio did a whole Steven Colbert green screen for the shows "Not a Contest, Green Screen Challenge". I wouldn't doubt the upset nature of star wars fans over swg and the negative reviews it has brought to star wars genre games is not pleasing Lucas himself, however, I dont know how much of the issue the "marketing" factor is. Other star wars titles namely Star Wars Lego's II went off fine without any swg damage to that title. Clearly, there isn't a lot of support for swg right now by LEC. Hell they barely update there website relating to the game now.
On another note. I think it would be sad that swg dies that way. Pre-cu had a lot of potential and was a good game.
"That has been my line of thinking. It also fits with Smedley griping about working with LA and praising the DC folks. "
Well if you think about it.. Episodes 4, 5 and 6 were slightly redone.. at least once or was it twice? Many people that had watched them in the theaters complained about some of the changes.
Episode 1 comes out and most everyone hates Jarjar.. The whole focus of the movie seemed to be on a different age group.. than people who saw episode 4 in the theater.
I liked episodes 1, 2 and 3 alright but they felt really cheesy compared to 4, 5 and 6. Comcast put all 6 episodes up on "on demand". So I was watching A New Hope last night..
You know the rebels that die as the Stormtroopers bored the rebel ship.. They on average did a better job of acting then the entire crew of 1-3. Most of those actors have done really good roles else where.. so why did they suck so bad in 1-3 ? Even Anakin (I always forget how to spell his real full name Hayden Cris.. or whatever) played a great role in the movie "my life as a house".
Anyway SOE would obviously have to be as much at blame as anyone.. But the changes to SWG seemed to fit Lucas's thinking lately.
Also SOE did at least offer the progression server for EQ.
But turning from looking at LEC... just after the CU in SWG.. SOE did do a combat revamp in EQ2. That was the first time I notice a lot of my friends list vanish in that game.
So then again.. it could just be all SOE... most of the changes in EQ2 lately have pissed off a lot of people. They are much nicer on the forum there (the devs) but... it still doesn't change the fact they lost a lot of players to stupid changes.
If they now would have pulled the contract, it most have happend during the CU, since there was still players during pre-cu?
Now that there were still loads of players in CU compered to NGE ^^
Starwars Galaxies, An Empier Diveded, That's what it says on my box anyway.
I'll start my own SWG... with Black Jack... and Hookers!!!
In fact, forget the SWG!!!!
some major surprise will be revealed soon me thinks, or hopes
Soe may have Struck Back
but here comes, "The Return of the Vets"
Naw... your fine... I was tired when I posted the thoughts... Its not really a rumor or anything.. just looking at all the circumstances and applied some logic to see what I could come up with...
I just think they screwed up, and LEC is not letting em out of it.. hence the changes for the NGE (with them re adding old stuff, but calling it new stuff and tweaking it bit by bit)..
First CM and BE... now they are looking at the exterior design stuff (Can we say this is something that mayors have been screaming for since the inception of cities?)...
who knows..
Xcathdra
Having access to a billion $ IP - Billions of dollars..
Having access to a massive fan base of said IP - Even more Billons...
Singly handedly alienating them due to stupidity - Priceless.
"some major surprise will be revealed soon me thinks, or hopes
Soe may have Struck Back
but here comes, "The Return of the Vets""
I would like what was rumored to happen. However, I was in Gamestop and asked for the "Complete" release date. It is this Saturday. Two days away from this posting. There has been no official anouncement of a classic server that I am aware of. I would think if they intended to make servers available if this package is purchased, they would have announced it by now. Even if servers weren't immediatelly available but "coming soon," it would definately be announced before black friday when the holiday shopping kicks off in America. Perfect time to make money on vet resubs.
I have alot of hope that the rumors are true, but if black friday comes and goes without some sort of announcement or posting from people that bought "complete" stating they are up and running, I doubt classic servers will ever be done. It will fade into a rather large SWG rumor history.
Keep the faith, maybe this mountain will move.
"Suddenly, thousands of Trekies whose heads are full of facts of things like the stardate when the Cardassians farted on Deep Space nine are irrlelevant." - hardcoremoviecritic