It will not beat Warhammer, LotRO and WoW subscriptionwise. Nor do I think that the 8 million WoW players are actually people that change to different MMOs when leaving WoW... I think WoW will remain a standalone success for years to come. Games with strong license and solid programming like LotRO may have large amounts or newly recruited players or changers from WoW, but they both server a different target-segment than classig-MMORPGs... So classic titles will still be at >500k subscriptions, while mass market MMOs (polished, low bugs, high performance, easy to go, hard to master-systems) will approach single-player sale-numbers (>500k - skys the limit)...
...Note -> Only in the western world. Asian MMOs will most assuredly follow the same path as ever and have large audiences (because of the darn lot of young people that live and play there)...
A huge fanbase does not a good game make, but is rather an indication that the production company has managed to cater to the lowest common denominator.
Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing something innovative on the MMORPG scene.
"Target - press 3 to throw fireball - repeat" has lost it's appeal, as has Diablo-style grinding (i.e. raiding the same dungeon 400 times to get a loot drop that will enable you to raid the same dungeon marginally more effectively next time...).
All I have to say is WOW isn't the only game out there and as stated isn't really a very good MMO. It is a grind fest that is all. Yes they have a large number of players but that is because of how easy the game is and it doesn't requrie and true gaming skill. WOW was a lot better when it first came out than it is now since it is all about the numbers now. BC totally ruined that game. There are alot of games out there you could compare AoC too; AU, AC, EQ, EQII. The games that have lasted through the years because of game content.
I hope AoC is nothing like WOW, LOTR already did that and is worse. I think WOW will crash as fast as it grew.
AoC wont have as much subscribes as WoW, thats for sure. 1-2 milions maybe. But amount of subscribers doesnt define quality of the game. Look at EvE Online. Im sure AoC will be a better game then World of Farmcraft, but wont be as commercially succesfull.
Who knows what could happen between WoW, AoC, and maybe any other gamers that can compete with WoW. I am exited myself for AoC to come out and quit WoW for it (AoC looks better suited for me). It may happen, but most likely will not. Population doesne represent the game, the community and the experience in the game represents it. A small community is perfect, not overcrowded and people will be willing to let you into their guilds if they are short on your archetype/class.
The system requirements alone will make it very difficult for the game to reach WoW subscription numbers. If the game is a hit on the 360 then it will most definitely get close to WoW numbers.
The system requirements alone will make it very difficult for the game to reach WoW subscription numbers. If the game is a hit on the 360 then it will most definitely get close to WoW numbers.
No, Funcom said the requirements are going to be around the requirements of Oblivion, the max requirements are the difficult and expensive parts to get.
If AoC proves itself worthy on the XBox 360 AND PC it will EASILY beat WAR and LoTRO. Out of all the people I know, there is a lot more with an XBox 360 and/or good PC than play WoW......
The system requirements alone will make it very difficult for the game to reach WoW subscription numbers. If the game is a hit on the 360 then it will most definitely get close to WoW numbers.
No, Funcom said the requirements are going to be around the requirements of Oblivion, the max requirements are the difficult and expensive parts to get.I was meaning their requirements compared to WoW. You can dl WoW onto just about any home/office PC in the US and be playable, not necessarily the case with Oblivion.
I always see the 8 million subscriber number thrown around. I do believe it include the asian market. You cannot compare the WoW figure which includes asia with north american numbers. Granted WoW numbers are very successful in the NA/EU market which far exceeds titles like EQ2 which was released pretty much only for NA/EU market. All the titles coming out this year will be competing for the few million wow subscribers and other older titles. Its only Blizzards market to lose now.
AoC is probably targeting a different demographic for it's core audience than a game like WoW is. That's not to say it's not trying to be mainstream, but it''ll appeal to different folks, for different reasons.
I wish I could find a link for the results of a survey that someone had posted on the VG fourms. It was acutally done, I think summer of '06, with a random sampling of WoW players, and believe it or not, the highest density age group was males 25-34, in fact, the under 18 group was smaller than the 19-24, and 35-44 age brackets. So saying that WoW is made up of nothing but kiddies would be fairly far from the truth. What I think it is though, is even though they have a smaller percentage, they are more noticeable, because with such a huge player base, that number doesnt stick out. For instance, 2 people out of 100 might not be noticeable, but when you make it 200 people out of 10,000, you notice that effect, even if the ratio isnt changing.
Also, I'm not going to slam WoW. It brought 8 million subscriptions to the MMORPG genre, and in doing that, they heavily influenced investors to pour money into a genre that was decidedly stagnant, because they showed it COULD be profitable. They also took things that had been done in other MMO's, and simply did them better that the originals, and they packaged it so that just about anyone could play it. Savvy marketing and design. Is it a great, or deep game? That's another debate.
I like what AoC is offering, so yeah, right now, I'm excited about it. I like the idea of getting away from whack-a-mole combat, I like the idea of adding value to PvP with the siege combat system, I like that the game has a PvP flavor, and I like the Hyborian world. So really, how do I compare it? AoC is still an embryo, and never been played, and WoW has.....
Millions of people are using seatbelts, does that mean that driving is dumbed down and caters only to carebears now??
I just hope that AoC is harder, more complex, darker and generaly more demanding game than WoW by just the ammount not to be fun for the kiddiest and most annoying people from WoW. If they don't think it's fun, or if they think it's too hard, they won't play, period. Regardless of M rating or without it.
i don't see anything about this game that you should even be trying to compare to WOW, except that they are RP games that you play online...neither better than one another or otherwise, Wow is Disney, Conan is Bloodsport, Gnomes or Guts, it's whatever floats your boat more.
Personally i rather stomp gnomes guts, but that's just me
[quote]AoC is probably targeting a different demographic for it's core audience than a game like WoW is. That's not to say it's not trying to be mainstream, but it''ll appeal to different folks, for different reasons.[/quote]
Hopefully it won´t be that mainstream, because there are lots of "mainstream" people (or fanboi kiddys) I´d like to pass on.
Comments
...Note -> Only in the western world. Asian MMOs will most assuredly follow the same path as ever and have large audiences (because of the darn lot of young people that live and play there)...
Meridion
Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing something innovative on the MMORPG scene.
"Target - press 3 to throw fireball - repeat" has lost it's appeal, as has Diablo-style grinding (i.e. raiding the same dungeon 400 times to get a loot drop that will enable you to raid the same dungeon marginally more effectively next time...).
All I have to say is WOW isn't the only game out there and as stated isn't really a very good MMO. It is a grind fest that is all. Yes they have a large number of players but that is because of how easy the game is and it doesn't requrie and true gaming skill. WOW was a lot better when it first came out than it is now since it is all about the numbers now. BC totally ruined that game. There are alot of games out there you could compare AoC too; AU, AC, EQ, EQII. The games that have lasted through the years because of game content.
I hope AoC is nothing like WOW, LOTR already did that and is worse. I think WOW will crash as fast as it grew.
AoC wont have as much subscribes as WoW, thats for sure. 1-2 milions maybe. But amount of subscribers doesnt define quality of the game. Look at EvE Online. Im sure AoC will be a better game then World of Farmcraft, but wont be as commercially succesfull.
Warhammer Online could compete with WoW though.
Who knows what could happen between WoW, AoC, and maybe any other gamers that can compete with WoW. I am exited myself for AoC to come out and quit WoW for it (AoC looks better suited for me). It may happen, but most likely will not. Population doesne represent the game, the community and the experience in the game represents it. A small community is perfect, not overcrowded and people will be willing to let you into their guilds if they are short on your archetype/class.
If AoC proves itself worthy on the XBox 360 AND PC it will EASILY beat WAR and LoTRO. Out of all the people I know, there is a lot more with an XBox 360 and/or good PC than play WoW......
Triston Master Carbine/Master Swords (SWG Eclipse)
Triston 29 Warden (EQ2 Permafrost)
Weland 70 Hunter (WoW Hellscream)
Suidan 36 Cleric (Vanguard Flamehammer)
Suidan 50 Champion (LOTR Gladden)
AoC is probably targeting a different demographic for it's core audience than a game like WoW is. That's not to say it's not trying to be mainstream, but it''ll appeal to different folks, for different reasons.
I wish I could find a link for the results of a survey that someone had posted on the VG fourms. It was acutally done, I think summer of '06, with a random sampling of WoW players, and believe it or not, the highest density age group was males 25-34, in fact, the under 18 group was smaller than the 19-24, and 35-44 age brackets. So saying that WoW is made up of nothing but kiddies would be fairly far from the truth. What I think it is though, is even though they have a smaller percentage, they are more noticeable, because with such a huge player base, that number doesnt stick out. For instance, 2 people out of 100 might not be noticeable, but when you make it 200 people out of 10,000, you notice that effect, even if the ratio isnt changing.
Also, I'm not going to slam WoW. It brought 8 million subscriptions to the MMORPG genre, and in doing that, they heavily influenced investors to pour money into a genre that was decidedly stagnant, because they showed it COULD be profitable. They also took things that had been done in other MMO's, and simply did them better that the originals, and they packaged it so that just about anyone could play it. Savvy marketing and design. Is it a great, or deep game? That's another debate.
I like what AoC is offering, so yeah, right now, I'm excited about it. I like the idea of getting away from whack-a-mole combat, I like the idea of adding value to PvP with the siege combat system, I like that the game has a PvP flavor, and I like the Hyborian world. So really, how do I compare it? AoC is still an embryo, and never been played, and WoW has.....
Millions of people are using seatbelts, does that mean that driving is dumbed down and caters only to carebears now??
I just hope that AoC is harder, more complex, darker and generaly more demanding game than WoW by just the ammount not to be fun for the kiddiest and most annoying people from WoW. If they don't think it's fun, or if they think it's too hard, they won't play, period. Regardless of M rating or without it.
i don't see anything about this game that you should even be trying to compare to WOW, except that they are RP games that you play online...neither better than one another or otherwise, Wow is Disney, Conan is Bloodsport, Gnomes or Guts, it's whatever floats your boat more.
Personally i rather stomp gnomes guts, but that's just me
[quote]AoC is probably targeting a different demographic for it's core audience than a game like WoW is. That's not to say it's not trying to be mainstream, but it''ll appeal to different folks, for different reasons.[/quote]
Hopefully it won´t be that mainstream, because there are lots of "mainstream" people (or fanboi kiddys) I´d like to pass on.
MMO wish list:
-Changeable worlds
-Solid non level based game
-Sharks with lasers attached to their heads