You are delusional if you think internet forums are powerful enough to "destroy" games.
The amount of false and unwarranted bullshit being spread about WoW is MAGNITUDES more than that of AoC, but 10+ million subscribers speak for themselves.
Case in point, if your game is truly fun and polished enough, no amount of negative propaganda and false information will bring it down because they will be swamped by the positive words-of-mouth that are deservingly spread.
Anyone is delusional if they do not believe forums make and break games. You being on these forums is proof. How do you learn about games? Get info about new games? Forums.
Has it ever occurred to you that AoC actually deserved all the shitstorm that unhappy customers unleashed on it?
What shit storm? That some people crashed while playing? That it needed some tweaking? That DX10 wasn't available? The only unhappy customers were the ones that expected a shiny diamond, like a mmorpg that has been out for years.
Funcom ruined AoC, the forums helped people make the right decision before wasting their hard-earned cash imo.
Trying the game is the best way to test it and AoC isn't very trial friendly, so people do the next best thing, use the forums and opinions of others and their own past experiances to evaluate the game.
In AoCs case it led to alot of people not even trying the game out.
Other people just got super-pissed and quit the game after relising how full of crap Funcom were.
The rest are still playing it and are enjoying what Funcom has to offer.
So no, forums definately did not destroy this game.
Currently Playing: Everything but MMORPGs Cancelled: L2, FFXI, VSoH, LotRO, WAR, WoW Looking Forward To: SW:TOR
The company promised a bunch of features and kept information secret. They release and it's a disappointment, gamers discuss it online, like every other product out there. How do you possibly blame players for the bad release? Because that is why so many people don't like it, disappointment. You know that people complained or praised everything before the internet too, right? Forums destroyed the game? So man A shoots man B dead. Man C witnesses it and runs to tell everyone, it's man C's fault it happened?
No, your not understanding my point. My point is people have extremely critical views. 1 person says the game sucks ass and do not play. That person posts on the forums. 100 people read his review, and believe what he says. I understand your metaphor, but unlike your metaphor these are peoples opinions, not facts.
Don't you see the fault in your logic? Why do you think there is so much negative views "destroying" the game? Because the game / FC did a good job, or a bad job?
You are putting the blame of the game tanking on players discussing what a bad game it is. So what's your solution? Ban all forums? Or release a game with the promised features and provide excellent communication and service?
Also, "1 person says the game is awesome and plays. That person posts on the forums. 100 people read his review, and believe what he says." works to. Then you would credit the forums for the game's success?
For the OP, Forum Posters aren't THE cause for destroying any game due to ONE major reason: The run-of-the-mill forum posters are not the ones working on the game, i.e. the monkeys at Failcom mashing on the keys and pushing out patches. Now, think of it like this: Have you **ever** considered **why** there are a bunch of angry paying / formerly-paying posters for AoC? **Especially** when they point out cold, hard facts? There's no denying there are malcontents anywhere you go. However, when you have alot of angry customers (or former customers) ranting about the same things... IS there a cause of concern?
Whats the majority of malcontent? It was that there was no endgame within a week of playing. I don't want to hear about game crashes, I've had 4 game crashes with AoC, and i still get game crashes from any game i play. Thats just the way PC gaming is. People rushed as fast as they could, exploiting to level 80, (and then bitched when they got banned which is yet another negative post towards funcom and the game) only to find there was very limited content at 80. I don't know what people expected. Maybe some people just assumed it would be like mmorpgs with years already under their belt.
My point is people have extremely critical views. 1 person says the game sucks ass and do not play. That person posts on the forums. 100 people read his review, and believe what he says.
That doesn't make any sense. So any game can be 'destroyed' by forums, and WoW, LOTRO, Eve, etc just got lucky, and poor AoC got the short straw? Because we all now no one posts shit about Blizzard!
Hey I'm gonna make a post that Halo 3, GTA IV and Rock Band suck ass, 100 people will believe me and post too, and in about 1 month sales of those games will be a big fat zero. LOL.
I don''t really know when Humankind will die out but i''m guessing about 6 years before WOW. -BarCrow
You are delusional if you think internet forums are powerful enough to "destroy" games.
The amount of false and unwarranted bullshit being spread about WoW is MAGNITUDES more than that of AoC, but 10+ million subscribers speak for themselves.
Case in point, if your game is truly fun and polished enough, no amount of negative propaganda and false information will bring it down because they will be swamped by the positive words-of-mouth that are deservingly spread.
Anyone is delusional if they do not believe forums make and break games. You being on these forums is proof. How do you learn about games? Get info about new games? Forums.
Has it ever occurred to you that AoC actually deserved all the shitstorm that unhappy customers unleashed on it?
What shit storm? That some people crashed while playing? That it needed some tweaking? That DX10 wasn't available? The only unhappy customers were the ones that expected a shiny diamond, like a mmorpg that has been out for years.
Well, I guess your post solves the problem. It all depends on your PoV, really, I guess.
Option A: You have low expectations on what your money is spent on.
or
Option B: You actually give 2 shits for the quality of something you're paying for.
Have fun blindly throwing money at a company HOPING they fix the game. Because not all companies unbork their MMO after release.
"I have only two out of my company and 20 out of some other company. We need support, but it is almost suicide to try to get it here as we are swept by machine gun fire and a constant barrage is on us. I have no one on my left and only a few on my right. I will hold." (First Lieutenant Clifton B. Cates, US Marine Corps, Soissons, 19 July 1918)
For the OP, Forum Posters aren't THE cause for destroying any game due to ONE major reason: The run-of-the-mill forum posters are not the ones working on the game, i.e. the monkeys at Failcom mashing on the keys and pushing out patches. Now, think of it like this: Have you **ever** considered **why** there are a bunch of angry paying / formerly-paying posters for AoC? **Especially** when they point out cold, hard facts? There's no denying there are malcontents anywhere you go. However, when you have alot of angry customers (or former customers) ranting about the same things... IS there a cause of concern?
Whats the majority of malcontent? It was that there was no endgame within a week of playing. I don't want to hear about game crashes, I've had 4 game crashes with AoC, and i still get game crashes from any game i play. Thats just the way PC gaming is. People rushed as fast as they could, exploiting to level 80, (and then bitched when they got banned which is yet another negative post towards funcom and the game) only to find there was very limited content at 80. I don't know what people expected. Maybe some people just assumed it would be like mmorpgs with years already under their belt.
I quit around level 32 so I didn't run out of content. I quit because its a poorly designed game. Overly instanced, boring combat, bad class design, inane AI and so on...it's just a run of the mill game at best and there are other average quality games out there already that run better for people so why waste time on this one?
My point is people have extremely critical views. 1 person says the game sucks ass and do not play. That person posts on the forums. 100 people read his review, and believe what he says.
That doesn't make any sense. So any game can be 'destroyed' by forums, and WoW, LOTRO, Eve, etc just got lucky, and poor AoC got the short straw? Because we all now no one posts shit about Blizzard!
Hey I'm gonna make a post that Halo 3, GTA IV and Rock Band suck ass, 100 people will believe me and post too, and in about 1 month sales of those games will be a big fat zero. LOL.
I understand where you are coming from. But you have to understand that the whole "funcom sucks" started within a week of release because a very small minority of vocal players (via the forums) spoke out saying how bad the game sucks. While the vast majority of players actaully enjoyed the game. Thus keeping AoC from gaining any new subscribers. And you cannot compare a console game to an mmorpg. At all.
Where the hell do you "its the customers fault not the company" people come from? Are you seriously this delusional? I mean wtf frame of mind do you have to be in to actually believe this crap? FUNCOM DROPPED THE BALL plain and simple and guess what, when people see that a product is shit they tend to try to warn others so they don't have to go through the same crap.
For the OP, Forum Posters aren't THE cause for destroying any game due to ONE major reason: The run-of-the-mill forum posters are not the ones working on the game, i.e. the monkeys at Failcom mashing on the keys and pushing out patches. Now, think of it like this: Have you **ever** considered **why** there are a bunch of angry paying / formerly-paying posters for AoC? **Especially** when they point out cold, hard facts? There's no denying there are malcontents anywhere you go. However, when you have alot of angry customers (or former customers) ranting about the same things... IS there a cause of concern?
Exaclty. You may not like it. I hated WoW for its awful graphics/art design and horrible generic quests. But you do not have to go about discouraging everybody interested in the game. Thats like someone standing outside a burger king saying there burgers taste bad. Lets all believe him? Or try it themselves.
Whats the majority of malcontent? It was that there was no endgame within a week of playing. I don't want to hear about game crashes, I've had 4 game crashes with AoC, and i still get game crashes from any game i play. Thats just the way PC gaming is. People rushed as fast as they could, exploiting to level 80, (and then bitched when they got banned which is yet another negative post towards funcom and the game) only to find there was very limited content at 80. I don't know what people expected. Maybe some people just assumed it would be like mmorpgs with years already under their belt.
I quit around level 32 so I didn't run out of content. I quit because its a poorly designed game. Overly instanced, boring combat, bad class design, inane AI and so on...it's just a run of the mill game at best and there are other average quality games out there already that run better for people so why waste time on this one?
It's like going to the movies. If you read reviews that say a particular movie is not worth seeing, you don't feel compelled to go. I never did buy AoC because I figgured I'd wait and see what people think of it or until there's a free trial. Guess what? I saved 50 smackers.
Where the hell do you "its the customers fault not the company" people come from? Are you seriously this delusional? I mean wtf frame of mind do you have to be in to actually believe this crap? FUNCOM DROPPED THE BALL plain and simple and guess what, when people see that a product is shit they tend to try to warn others so they don't have to go through the same crap.
Ever heard of battered spouse syndrome? I think this is similar, related manifestation. Some of the things they say are disturbingly similar if you've ever known someone who has been victimized in an abusive relationship but had trouble breaking it off. Give it one more chance, things will change...they didn't mean it, it's my fault, etc. etc.
If anything, forum negativity and poor reviews only give validation to what someone who is 'swayed' by them is already feeling and internalizing. I don't buy into the brainwashing defense, not one bit. Funcom's forum wouldn't have erupted if Age of Conan was a decent game. Simple as that.
It's like going to the movies. If you read reviews that say a particular movie is not worth seeing, you don't feel compelled to go. I never did buy AoC because I figgured I'd wait and see what people think of it or until there's a free trial. Guess what? I saved 50 smackers.
Haha. Actually I don't get upset ad some people do about it, the 50 bucks was worth it. I did enjoy the game until I hit the high 60's and content went splat. But what 80 bucks total wasn't bad for 2 months medicore entertainment.
What erks me is the lack of interest shown by the company.
The company promised a bunch of features and kept information secret. They release and it's a disappointment, gamers discuss it online, like every other product out there. How do you possibly blame players for the bad release? Because that is why so many people don't like it, disappointment. You know that people complained or praised everything before the internet too, right? Forums destroyed the game? So man A shoots man B dead. Man C witnesses it and runs to tell everyone, it's man C's fault it happened?
No, your not understanding my point. My point is people have extremely critical views. 1 person says the game sucks ass and do not play. That person posts on the forums. 100 people read his review, and believe what he says. I understand your metaphor, but unlike your metaphor these are peoples opinions, not facts.
And you're not understanding MY point. If it weren't for forums, then games wouldn't have any hype at all and barely anyone would know about them. So, if a game is truly good, the forums will reflect that and spread the news. If not, the game is butchered by its own people. Its a double edged blade.
My point is people have extremely critical views. 1 person says the game sucks ass and do not play. That person posts on the forums. 100 people read his review, and believe what he says.
That doesn't make any sense. So any game can be 'destroyed' by forums, and WoW, LOTRO, Eve, etc just got lucky, and poor AoC got the short straw? Because we all now no one posts shit about Blizzard!
Hey I'm gonna make a post that Halo 3, GTA IV and Rock Band suck ass, 100 people will believe me and post too, and in about 1 month sales of those games will be a big fat zero. LOL.
I understand where you are coming from. But you have to understand that the whole "funcom sucks" started within a week of release because a very small minority of vocal players (via the forums) spoke out saying how bad the game sucks. While the vast majority of players actaully enjoyed the game. Thus keeping AoC from gaining any new subscribers. And you cannot compare a console game to an mmorpg. At all.
Actually the whole "Funcom Sucks / AoC performance Sucks / AoC Bugs all over!" posts started during Open Beta. But all that negativity didn't seem to hurt AoCs launch sales now did it?
Do you honestly think things would be this bad had Funcom come out a month before the game and gave us all a "Sorry but the following will not be included at launch" announcement?
And don't even get me started on those "Patches" ... those have done FAR more damage to AoC than 5000 negative threads could do.
And if the VAST majority of players enjoy AoC then why is there such a population decline? is that the fault of negative forum posts? Are people really so weak minded that they would throw out something they honestly love and enjoy just because a "handful" of people are having issues?
My point is people have extremely critical views. 1 person says the game sucks ass and do not play. That person posts on the forums. 100 people read his review, and believe what he says.
That doesn't make any sense. So any game can be 'destroyed' by forums, and WoW, LOTRO, Eve, etc just got lucky, and poor AoC got the short straw? Because we all now no one posts shit about Blizzard!
Hey I'm gonna make a post that Halo 3, GTA IV and Rock Band suck ass, 100 people will believe me and post too, and in about 1 month sales of those games will be a big fat zero. LOL.
I understand where you are coming from. But you have to understand that the whole "funcom sucks" started within a week of release because a very small minority of vocal players (via the forums) spoke out saying how bad the game sucks. While the vast majority of players actaully enjoyed the game. Thus keeping AoC from gaining any new subscribers. And you cannot compare a console game to an mmorpg. At all.
Guess we'll have to agree to disagree. I think that while the game was not TOTAL crap, Funcom totally messed up several key things that generated a disproportionate hurricane of negative publicity. Like lying about DX10, that WOULD make people angry enough to make bringing down Funcom their temporary career. Its not like just some quest drop was bugged, here people genuinely felt ripped off.
Though I DO think you can compare MMOs to console games, as far as the 'forum effect' goes. Cause basically gamers trust the opinions of other gamers more than the company line, imo.
I don''t really know when Humankind will die out but i''m guessing about 6 years before WOW. -BarCrow
Whats the majority of malcontent? It was that there was no endgame within a week of playing. I don't want to hear about game crashes, I've had 4 game crashes with AoC, and i still get game crashes from any game i play. Thats just the way PC gaming is. People rushed as fast as they could, exploiting to level 80, (and then bitched when they got banned which is yet another negative post towards funcom and the game) only to find there was very limited content at 80. I don't know what people expected. Maybe some people just assumed it would be like mmorpgs with years already under their belt.
See, now you went and exposed the truth behind this silly "Blame the players" OP.
So lets go through the checklist shall we:
Players fault for rushing to 80? Check!
I don't get crashes often, MUST be an exaggeration? Check!
Players who did rush to 80 exploited? Check!
Players fault for getting banned for rules they "should" have known? Check!
Exaggerate the fact people simply expected what they bought to be in game? Check!
I have to say that the forums may have helped get people together that apparently hate the game, but I doubt that it had anything to do with its presumed demise. The game isn't dead, nor is it going to die out. It will continue along for some time, just as most other games have before it.
The problem is that it couldn't rise above mediocrity. Every patch they fixed bugs but broke something else that had worked previously. There was no real content above 50+ as the progression you followed up to that point simply disappeared so you had to grind. A lot of the core stuff was broken, such as alchemy and PvP seiges.
Personally, the game was alright. It provided some entertainment, but not enough to keep me for more than a couple of months before I got bored with it.
For those saying it was the worst ever, you forget the joke that was Mourning or the pathetic pile that Dark and Light turned out to be. AoC simply couldn't live up to its hype.
Anyone is delusional if they do not believe forums make and break games. You being on these forums is proof. How do you learn about games? Get info about new games? Forums.
Well I can not answer for the one you reply to, but I will answer for myself and say that NO I learn NOTHING from forums about games, I learn about games by my own experience with the game, meaning by playing it, testing it.
Yes forums are for information, unfortunately most people who dislike these games are hardly able to share valid information as most only seem able to re-hash what others already have said, and it doesn't really matter if a game really improves or not people will always find something to bash. Thats the nature of people who are new to these games/forums. I mean the meaning of being constructive is completely lost on forms like this, even when you ask people to be constructive they say okay lets be constructive yet I see them being again very nonconstructive, mainly cause most seem to totally have forgotten what constructive means.
If we would indeed see constructive post we would see this genre change, but instead people choose to NOT be constructive which keeps turning these games into more handhold games as most complainers are not able to clearly speak about their issue but only are able to bash things they simply do not understand.
For the OP, Forum Posters aren't THE cause for destroying any game due to ONE major reason: The run-of-the-mill forum posters are not the ones working on the game, i.e. the monkeys at Failcom mashing on the keys and pushing out patches. Now, think of it like this: Have you **ever** considered **why** there are a bunch of angry paying / formerly-paying posters for AoC? **Especially** when they point out cold, hard facts? There's no denying there are malcontents anywhere you go. However, when you have alot of angry customers (or former customers) ranting about the same things... IS there a cause of concern?
Whats the majority of malcontent? It was that there was no endgame within a week of playing. I don't want to hear about game crashes, I've had 4 game crashes with AoC, and i still get game crashes from any game i play. Thats just the way PC gaming is. People rushed as fast as they could, exploiting to level 80, (and then bitched when they got banned which is yet another negative post towards funcom and the game) only to find there was very limited content at 80. I don't know what people expected. Maybe some people just assumed it would be like mmorpgs with years already under their belt.
I was HOPING you'd come up with a reply like this, since I have boxes of ammo lined up already from previous posts like yours.
1) In your own words: "Whats the majority of malcontent? It was that there was no endgame within a week of playing" --- By your own words, there is no endgame content within a week of playing... and 2 months AFTER release, there still ISN'T.
2) From your own words: "I don't want to hear about game crashes, I've had 4 game crashes with AoC, and i still get game crashes from any game i play." --- Do keep in mind that even though the game runs reliably on your rig, there are alot of widespread technical issues. My favorite, the Out of Memory issue. To recycle a bunch of my own words and such:
It is **by far** the single largest, most widespread technical issue AoC has. The thread was initiated on May 24, 2008... essentially right when the game came out. Since then, it has garnered 2,591 replies and 212,269 views. NO OTHER ISSUE with AoC comes close to that. Lots of players have griped **a long time ago** that this problem makes the game unplayable for them. And it was only maybe 2 weeks ago tops, that Failcom finally acknowledged that this is a big issue and will be looked at.
/boggled
Excuse me? FC's own paying customers have been telling them since day 1 that this is a big issue that keeps them from playing. And only NOW after 2 months of release they think it's an issue?
Freakin' idiots...
3) Getting to Level 80 fast. When I first started the game after it going live, and seeing a growing number of 80s, I thought there was exploiting going on. But then after playing my character and achieving the same levels and seeing just how fast advancement comes in AoC, it no longer surprised me. It is an undeniable fact that level progression in AoC is fast. I've played single-player console / PC RPGs that have slower progressions.
It is NO FAULT to the players if they legitimately attain Lv80 in a very quick manner. Because the game allows it.
It is NO FAULT to the players that get to those high levels, to the "endgame" and then they realize that there is no "endgame"... well, no *working* endgame at least.
You are right in your own statement that you don't know what people expected. Again, some people expect certain standards for what they pay for.
Also your statement of: "Maybe some people just assumed it would be like mmorpgs with years already under their belt."
Like I said before, some of us have standards for things we spent money on. We know MMOs at release will have issues. But with the total amount of BS involved with AoC, we weren't happy with the product. Especially with the lack of results 2 months AFTER the game went live.
Classes aren't being fixed, but they're being nerfed with no hesitation. There entire Feat segments that are STILL broken since day 1. Ranger I know is a shining example of this.
Sieges? Nope, not working STILL.
Out Of Memory? Nope, FC only recently realized it was an issue, and still hasn't fixed it.
Piss-poor communication with its paying customers.
Patches that continually break things that weren't broken before. Kind of sucks for a class that already has alot of broken Skills / Feats to find out after a certain patch that one of the few things that worked before is now busted.
Those are the main gripes that I know are widespread, that are frequently thrown at Failcom's face. Most of it has been a problem since Day 1, but the issues grew bigger when they weren't being fixed or addressed over the course of time.
"I have only two out of my company and 20 out of some other company. We need support, but it is almost suicide to try to get it here as we are swept by machine gun fire and a constant barrage is on us. I have no one on my left and only a few on my right. I will hold." (First Lieutenant Clifton B. Cates, US Marine Corps, Soissons, 19 July 1918)
Lack of communication on Funcoms part is what is destroying the game.
They can still salvage their game and reputation, they just need to communicate with their players more, and acknowledge the mistakes that have been made.
If you look at the test server forums, you can see that the test players are warning the devs about issues, yet Funcom has ignored the warnings and is paying the price. I honestly hope Funcom can turn things around, the game has huge potential, but Funcom has put all their eggs in one basket, Conan will make or break Funcom.
I purchased two copies of AoC, I have only activated one (and canceled after 2 months), I'm saving the second copy until I can see that Funcom has made significant improvements to the game
I understand where you are coming from. But you have to understand that the whole "funcom sucks" started within a week of release because a very small minority of vocal players (via the forums) spoke out saying how bad the game sucks. While the vast majority of players actaully enjoyed the game. Thus keeping AoC from gaining any new subscribers. And you cannot compare a console game to an mmorpg. At all.
no... It started because people that PLAYED the game and have the ability to THIK for THEMSELVES realized that FunCom developed a big fat shiny, really expensive looking TURD.
"small minority of players?!?!?" at this point in the discussion, I am going to go out on a limb here and say that based on your statements and your forum join date, you are someone either employed by FunCom, or are one of those delusional player mods who likes to abuse their powers on the AoC forums.
Is this you Lufkin? HackThorr?
Forget NEW subscribers!!! deal with the fact that you lost like 70% of your EXISTING subscribers!!! Think Im wrong?.... lets wait until the 15th when Funcom announces their Q2 2008 earnings...
How in the WORLD can you blame players for the FAILURE of FunCom?
Are you capable of having one (and I mean JUST ONE) truly individual thought? WE (your so called BAD forum posters) have given REASONS why we dont trust FunCom. We have given REASONS why FunCom is shady. REASONS why FunCom lied. REASONS why FunCom STOLE. REASONS why AoC is a VERY bad game.
and all you can say is that it is the players fault?? You sir FAIL>.... and in a big way!No then... if you would like, I would be HAPPY to debate you on why AoC is a good/bad game.
Actually, I hereby CHALLENGE you to a debate on why AoC is a good/bad game Simply post a NEW thread called "Debate with Mscouts on why AoC is a good game." Then ask one of the MMORPG.com mods to see if they can lock it...and only allow you and me to post....
Personally, I think you know you dont have a leg to stand on....
that the dumbest thing ive ever heard. i played my free month and stopped, then i went to the forums to see what people where saying, so how did the forums ruin the game for me?
Comments
You are delusional if you think internet forums are powerful enough to "destroy" games.
The amount of false and unwarranted bullshit being spread about WoW is MAGNITUDES more than that of AoC, but 10+ million subscribers speak for themselves.
Case in point, if your game is truly fun and polished enough, no amount of negative propaganda and false information will bring it down because they will be swamped by the positive words-of-mouth that are deservingly spread.
Anyone is delusional if they do not believe forums make and break games. You being on these forums is proof. How do you learn about games? Get info about new games? Forums.
Has it ever occurred to you that AoC actually deserved all the shitstorm that unhappy customers unleashed on it?
What shit storm? That some people crashed while playing? That it needed some tweaking? That DX10 wasn't available? The only unhappy customers were the ones that expected a shiny diamond, like a mmorpg that has been out for years.
Another "Anyone other than FunCom's fault", I know FC loves to pass the buck, do we really need to help them???
Funcom ruined AoC, the forums helped people make the right decision before wasting their hard-earned cash imo.
Trying the game is the best way to test it and AoC isn't very trial friendly, so people do the next best thing, use the forums and opinions of others and their own past experiances to evaluate the game.
In AoCs case it led to alot of people not even trying the game out.
Other people just got super-pissed and quit the game after relising how full of crap Funcom were.
The rest are still playing it and are enjoying what Funcom has to offer.
So no, forums definately did not destroy this game.
Currently Playing: Everything but MMORPGs
Cancelled: L2, FFXI, VSoH, LotRO, WAR, WoW
Looking Forward To: SW:TOR
No, your not understanding my point. My point is people have extremely critical views. 1 person says the game sucks ass and do not play. That person posts on the forums. 100 people read his review, and believe what he says. I understand your metaphor, but unlike your metaphor these are peoples opinions, not facts.
Don't you see the fault in your logic? Why do you think there is so much negative views "destroying" the game? Because the game / FC did a good job, or a bad job?
You are putting the blame of the game tanking on players discussing what a bad game it is. So what's your solution? Ban all forums? Or release a game with the promised features and provide excellent communication and service?
Also, "1 person says the game is awesome and plays. That person posts on the forums. 100 people read his review, and believe what he says." works to. Then you would credit the forums for the game's success?
Whats the majority of malcontent? It was that there was no endgame within a week of playing. I don't want to hear about game crashes, I've had 4 game crashes with AoC, and i still get game crashes from any game i play. Thats just the way PC gaming is. People rushed as fast as they could, exploiting to level 80, (and then bitched when they got banned which is yet another negative post towards funcom and the game) only to find there was very limited content at 80. I don't know what people expected. Maybe some people just assumed it would be like mmorpgs with years already under their belt.
Maybe ?
My point is people have extremely critical views. 1 person says the game sucks ass and do not play. That person posts on the forums. 100 people read his review, and believe what he says.
That doesn't make any sense. So any game can be 'destroyed' by forums, and WoW, LOTRO, Eve, etc just got lucky, and poor AoC got the short straw? Because we all now no one posts shit about Blizzard!
Hey I'm gonna make a post that Halo 3, GTA IV and Rock Band suck ass, 100 people will believe me and post too, and in about 1 month sales of those games will be a big fat zero. LOL.
I don''t really know when Humankind will die out but i''m guessing about 6 years before WOW.
-BarCrow
You are delusional if you think internet forums are powerful enough to "destroy" games.
The amount of false and unwarranted bullshit being spread about WoW is MAGNITUDES more than that of AoC, but 10+ million subscribers speak for themselves.
Case in point, if your game is truly fun and polished enough, no amount of negative propaganda and false information will bring it down because they will be swamped by the positive words-of-mouth that are deservingly spread.
Anyone is delusional if they do not believe forums make and break games. You being on these forums is proof. How do you learn about games? Get info about new games? Forums.
Has it ever occurred to you that AoC actually deserved all the shitstorm that unhappy customers unleashed on it?
What shit storm? That some people crashed while playing? That it needed some tweaking? That DX10 wasn't available? The only unhappy customers were the ones that expected a shiny diamond, like a mmorpg that has been out for years.
Well, I guess your post solves the problem. It all depends on your PoV, really, I guess.
Option A: You have low expectations on what your money is spent on.
or
Option B: You actually give 2 shits for the quality of something you're paying for.
Have fun blindly throwing money at a company HOPING they fix the game. Because not all companies unbork their MMO after release.
"I have only two out of my company and 20 out of some other company. We need support, but it is almost suicide to try to get it here as we are swept by machine gun fire and a constant barrage is on us. I have no one on my left and only a few on my right. I will hold." (First Lieutenant Clifton B. Cates, US Marine Corps, Soissons, 19 July 1918)
Whats the majority of malcontent? It was that there was no endgame within a week of playing. I don't want to hear about game crashes, I've had 4 game crashes with AoC, and i still get game crashes from any game i play. Thats just the way PC gaming is. People rushed as fast as they could, exploiting to level 80, (and then bitched when they got banned which is yet another negative post towards funcom and the game) only to find there was very limited content at 80. I don't know what people expected. Maybe some people just assumed it would be like mmorpgs with years already under their belt.
I quit around level 32 so I didn't run out of content. I quit because its a poorly designed game. Overly instanced, boring combat, bad class design, inane AI and so on...it's just a run of the mill game at best and there are other average quality games out there already that run better for people so why waste time on this one?
My point is people have extremely critical views. 1 person says the game sucks ass and do not play. That person posts on the forums. 100 people read his review, and believe what he says.
That doesn't make any sense. So any game can be 'destroyed' by forums, and WoW, LOTRO, Eve, etc just got lucky, and poor AoC got the short straw? Because we all now no one posts shit about Blizzard!
Hey I'm gonna make a post that Halo 3, GTA IV and Rock Band suck ass, 100 people will believe me and post too, and in about 1 month sales of those games will be a big fat zero. LOL.
I understand where you are coming from. But you have to understand that the whole "funcom sucks" started within a week of release because a very small minority of vocal players (via the forums) spoke out saying how bad the game sucks. While the vast majority of players actaully enjoyed the game. Thus keeping AoC from gaining any new subscribers. And you cannot compare a console game to an mmorpg. At all.
Where the hell do you "its the customers fault not the company" people come from? Are you seriously this delusional? I mean wtf frame of mind do you have to be in to actually believe this crap? FUNCOM DROPPED THE BALL plain and simple and guess what, when people see that a product is shit they tend to try to warn others so they don't have to go through the same crap.
The Brave Do Not Fear The Grave
Exaclty. You may not like it. I hated WoW for its awful graphics/art design and horrible generic quests. But you do not have to go about discouraging everybody interested in the game. Thats like someone standing outside a burger king saying there burgers taste bad. Lets all believe him? Or try it themselves.
Whats the majority of malcontent? It was that there was no endgame within a week of playing. I don't want to hear about game crashes, I've had 4 game crashes with AoC, and i still get game crashes from any game i play. Thats just the way PC gaming is. People rushed as fast as they could, exploiting to level 80, (and then bitched when they got banned which is yet another negative post towards funcom and the game) only to find there was very limited content at 80. I don't know what people expected. Maybe some people just assumed it would be like mmorpgs with years already under their belt.
I quit around level 32 so I didn't run out of content. I quit because its a poorly designed game. Overly instanced, boring combat, bad class design, inane AI and so on...it's just a run of the mill game at best and there are other average quality games out there already that run better for people so why waste time on this one?
It's like going to the movies. If you read reviews that say a particular movie is not worth seeing, you don't feel compelled to go. I never did buy AoC because I figgured I'd wait and see what people think of it or until there's a free trial. Guess what? I saved 50 smackers.
Ever heard of battered spouse syndrome? I think this is similar, related manifestation. Some of the things they say are disturbingly similar if you've ever known someone who has been victimized in an abusive relationship but had trouble breaking it off. Give it one more chance, things will change...they didn't mean it, it's my fault, etc. etc.
If anything, forum negativity and poor reviews only give validation to what someone who is 'swayed' by them is already feeling and internalizing. I don't buy into the brainwashing defense, not one bit. Funcom's forum wouldn't have erupted if Age of Conan was a decent game. Simple as that.
Haha. Actually I don't get upset ad some people do about it, the 50 bucks was worth it. I did enjoy the game until I hit the high 60's and content went splat. But what 80 bucks total wasn't bad for 2 months medicore entertainment.
What erks me is the lack of interest shown by the company.
No, your not understanding my point. My point is people have extremely critical views. 1 person says the game sucks ass and do not play. That person posts on the forums. 100 people read his review, and believe what he says. I understand your metaphor, but unlike your metaphor these are peoples opinions, not facts.
And you're not understanding MY point. If it weren't for forums, then games wouldn't have any hype at all and barely anyone would know about them. So, if a game is truly good, the forums will reflect that and spread the news. If not, the game is butchered by its own people. Its a double edged blade.
Darkfall Travelogues!
My point is people have extremely critical views. 1 person says the game sucks ass and do not play. That person posts on the forums. 100 people read his review, and believe what he says.
That doesn't make any sense. So any game can be 'destroyed' by forums, and WoW, LOTRO, Eve, etc just got lucky, and poor AoC got the short straw? Because we all now no one posts shit about Blizzard!
Hey I'm gonna make a post that Halo 3, GTA IV and Rock Band suck ass, 100 people will believe me and post too, and in about 1 month sales of those games will be a big fat zero. LOL.
I understand where you are coming from. But you have to understand that the whole "funcom sucks" started within a week of release because a very small minority of vocal players (via the forums) spoke out saying how bad the game sucks. While the vast majority of players actaully enjoyed the game. Thus keeping AoC from gaining any new subscribers. And you cannot compare a console game to an mmorpg. At all.
Actually the whole "Funcom Sucks / AoC performance Sucks / AoC Bugs all over!" posts started during Open Beta. But all that negativity didn't seem to hurt AoCs launch sales now did it?
Do you honestly think things would be this bad had Funcom come out a month before the game and gave us all a "Sorry but the following will not be included at launch" announcement?
And don't even get me started on those "Patches" ... those have done FAR more damage to AoC than 5000 negative threads could do.
And if the VAST majority of players enjoy AoC then why is there such a population decline? is that the fault of negative forum posts? Are people really so weak minded that they would throw out something they honestly love and enjoy just because a "handful" of people are having issues?
My point is people have extremely critical views. 1 person says the game sucks ass and do not play. That person posts on the forums. 100 people read his review, and believe what he says.
That doesn't make any sense. So any game can be 'destroyed' by forums, and WoW, LOTRO, Eve, etc just got lucky, and poor AoC got the short straw? Because we all now no one posts shit about Blizzard!
Hey I'm gonna make a post that Halo 3, GTA IV and Rock Band suck ass, 100 people will believe me and post too, and in about 1 month sales of those games will be a big fat zero. LOL.
I understand where you are coming from. But you have to understand that the whole "funcom sucks" started within a week of release because a very small minority of vocal players (via the forums) spoke out saying how bad the game sucks. While the vast majority of players actaully enjoyed the game. Thus keeping AoC from gaining any new subscribers. And you cannot compare a console game to an mmorpg. At all.
Guess we'll have to agree to disagree. I think that while the game was not TOTAL crap, Funcom totally messed up several key things that generated a disproportionate hurricane of negative publicity. Like lying about DX10, that WOULD make people angry enough to make bringing down Funcom their temporary career. Its not like just some quest drop was bugged, here people genuinely felt ripped off.
Though I DO think you can compare MMOs to console games, as far as the 'forum effect' goes. Cause basically gamers trust the opinions of other gamers more than the company line, imo.
I don''t really know when Humankind will die out but i''m guessing about 6 years before WOW.
-BarCrow
Whats the majority of malcontent? It was that there was no endgame within a week of playing. I don't want to hear about game crashes, I've had 4 game crashes with AoC, and i still get game crashes from any game i play. Thats just the way PC gaming is. People rushed as fast as they could, exploiting to level 80, (and then bitched when they got banned which is yet another negative post towards funcom and the game) only to find there was very limited content at 80. I don't know what people expected. Maybe some people just assumed it would be like mmorpgs with years already under their belt.
See, now you went and exposed the truth behind this silly "Blame the players" OP.
So lets go through the checklist shall we:
Not bad for a paragraph.
I have to say that the forums may have helped get people together that apparently hate the game, but I doubt that it had anything to do with its presumed demise. The game isn't dead, nor is it going to die out. It will continue along for some time, just as most other games have before it.
The problem is that it couldn't rise above mediocrity. Every patch they fixed bugs but broke something else that had worked previously. There was no real content above 50+ as the progression you followed up to that point simply disappeared so you had to grind. A lot of the core stuff was broken, such as alchemy and PvP seiges.
Personally, the game was alright. It provided some entertainment, but not enough to keep me for more than a couple of months before I got bored with it.
For those saying it was the worst ever, you forget the joke that was Mourning or the pathetic pile that Dark and Light turned out to be. AoC simply couldn't live up to its hype.
Well I can not answer for the one you reply to, but I will answer for myself and say that NO I learn NOTHING from forums about games, I learn about games by my own experience with the game, meaning by playing it, testing it.
Yes forums are for information, unfortunately most people who dislike these games are hardly able to share valid information as most only seem able to re-hash what others already have said, and it doesn't really matter if a game really improves or not people will always find something to bash. Thats the nature of people who are new to these games/forums. I mean the meaning of being constructive is completely lost on forms like this, even when you ask people to be constructive they say okay lets be constructive yet I see them being again very nonconstructive, mainly cause most seem to totally have forgotten what constructive means.
If we would indeed see constructive post we would see this genre change, but instead people choose to NOT be constructive which keeps turning these games into more handhold games as most complainers are not able to clearly speak about their issue but only are able to bash things they simply do not understand.
Whats the majority of malcontent? It was that there was no endgame within a week of playing. I don't want to hear about game crashes, I've had 4 game crashes with AoC, and i still get game crashes from any game i play. Thats just the way PC gaming is. People rushed as fast as they could, exploiting to level 80, (and then bitched when they got banned which is yet another negative post towards funcom and the game) only to find there was very limited content at 80. I don't know what people expected. Maybe some people just assumed it would be like mmorpgs with years already under their belt.
I was HOPING you'd come up with a reply like this, since I have boxes of ammo lined up already from previous posts like yours.
1) In your own words: "Whats the majority of malcontent? It was that there was no endgame within a week of playing" --- By your own words, there is no endgame content within a week of playing... and 2 months AFTER release, there still ISN'T.
2) From your own words: "I don't want to hear about game crashes, I've had 4 game crashes with AoC, and i still get game crashes from any game i play." --- Do keep in mind that even though the game runs reliably on your rig, there are alot of widespread technical issues. My favorite, the Out of Memory issue. To recycle a bunch of my own words and such:
http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=29257
It is **by far** the single largest, most widespread technical issue AoC has. The thread was initiated on May 24, 2008... essentially right when the game came out. Since then, it has garnered 2,591 replies and 212,269 views. NO OTHER ISSUE with AoC comes close to that. Lots of players have griped **a long time ago** that this problem makes the game unplayable for them. And it was only maybe 2 weeks ago tops, that Failcom finally acknowledged that this is a big issue and will be looked at.
/boggled
Excuse me? FC's own paying customers have been telling them since day 1 that this is a big issue that keeps them from playing. And only NOW after 2 months of release they think it's an issue?
Freakin' idiots...
3) Getting to Level 80 fast. When I first started the game after it going live, and seeing a growing number of 80s, I thought there was exploiting going on. But then after playing my character and achieving the same levels and seeing just how fast advancement comes in AoC, it no longer surprised me. It is an undeniable fact that level progression in AoC is fast. I've played single-player console / PC RPGs that have slower progressions.
It is NO FAULT to the players if they legitimately attain Lv80 in a very quick manner. Because the game allows it.
It is NO FAULT to the players that get to those high levels, to the "endgame" and then they realize that there is no "endgame"... well, no *working* endgame at least.
You are right in your own statement that you don't know what people expected. Again, some people expect certain standards for what they pay for.
Also your statement of: "Maybe some people just assumed it would be like mmorpgs with years already under their belt."
Like I said before, some of us have standards for things we spent money on. We know MMOs at release will have issues. But with the total amount of BS involved with AoC, we weren't happy with the product. Especially with the lack of results 2 months AFTER the game went live.
Classes aren't being fixed, but they're being nerfed with no hesitation. There entire Feat segments that are STILL broken since day 1. Ranger I know is a shining example of this.
Sieges? Nope, not working STILL.
Out Of Memory? Nope, FC only recently realized it was an issue, and still hasn't fixed it.
Piss-poor communication with its paying customers.
Patches that continually break things that weren't broken before. Kind of sucks for a class that already has alot of broken Skills / Feats to find out after a certain patch that one of the few things that worked before is now busted.
Those are the main gripes that I know are widespread, that are frequently thrown at Failcom's face. Most of it has been a problem since Day 1, but the issues grew bigger when they weren't being fixed or addressed over the course of time.
"I have only two out of my company and 20 out of some other company. We need support, but it is almost suicide to try to get it here as we are swept by machine gun fire and a constant barrage is on us. I have no one on my left and only a few on my right. I will hold." (First Lieutenant Clifton B. Cates, US Marine Corps, Soissons, 19 July 1918)
Lack of communication on Funcoms part is what is destroying the game.
They can still salvage their game and reputation, they just need to communicate with their players more, and acknowledge the mistakes that have been made.
If you look at the test server forums, you can see that the test players are warning the devs about issues, yet Funcom has ignored the warnings and is paying the price. I honestly hope Funcom can turn things around, the game has huge potential, but Funcom has put all their eggs in one basket, Conan will make or break Funcom.
I purchased two copies of AoC, I have only activated one (and canceled after 2 months), I'm saving the second copy until I can see that Funcom has made significant improvements to the game
no... It started because people that PLAYED the game and have the ability to THIK for THEMSELVES realized that FunCom developed a big fat shiny, really expensive looking TURD.
"small minority of players?!?!?" at this point in the discussion, I am going to go out on a limb here and say that based on your statements and your forum join date, you are someone either employed by FunCom, or are one of those delusional player mods who likes to abuse their powers on the AoC forums.
Is this you Lufkin? HackThorr?
Forget NEW subscribers!!! deal with the fact that you lost like 70% of your EXISTING subscribers!!! Think Im wrong?.... lets wait until the 15th when Funcom announces their Q2 2008 earnings...
How in the WORLD can you blame players for the FAILURE of FunCom?
Are you capable of having one (and I mean JUST ONE) truly individual thought? WE (your so called BAD forum posters) have given REASONS why we dont trust FunCom. We have given REASONS why FunCom is shady. REASONS why FunCom lied. REASONS why FunCom STOLE. REASONS why AoC is a VERY bad game.
and all you can say is that it is the players fault?? You sir FAIL>.... and in a big way!No then... if you would like, I would be HAPPY to debate you on why AoC is a good/bad game.
Actually, I hereby CHALLENGE you to a debate on why AoC is a good/bad game Simply post a NEW thread called "Debate with Mscouts on why AoC is a good game." Then ask one of the MMORPG.com mods to see if they can lock it...and only allow you and me to post....
Personally, I think you know you dont have a leg to stand on....
The Challenge is issued..... what say you?
that the dumbest thing ive ever heard. i played my free month and stopped, then i went to the forums to see what people where saying, so how did the forums ruin the game for me?