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Some honest questions for Smed
ArcAngel3
Member Posts: 2,931
I'm wondering a few things about decisions and statements that have been made over the course of SWG.
If I could talk to John about the game, this is what I'd ask him:
Would you acknowledge that people paid sub fees after dev chats promised profession revamps, and that these professions were then deleted rather than revamped?
If so, would you be willing to apologize for that specifically, and refund the sub fees paid by rangers, squad leaders and creature handlers based on information that didn't prove to be accurate? Any time paid for before Nov. 15 that went beyond Nov. 15 2005 would be refunded. This would be for people that paid sub fees during the months of Sept.-Nov. 2005, since this is when the profession revamp marketting was done.
Would you acknowledge that you promised to fast track server mergers, and that this never in fact took place? Would you apologize for the lack of follow through? Once again, people may have heard this promise from you, and paid subscription money on that basis. Is there a way they can be compensated?
Would you change some of the statements in the SWG EULA? Saying that SOE can change the terms of the agreement anytime at their sole discretion is one example that comes to mind. Would you remove clauses from the EULA that ask customers to basically hand over their money with no assurance that they will get a functional product, or that they will get the product that was advertised to them?
Would you acknowledge that complete game revamps shouldn't ever be done to a live game? Would you admit doing this two (perhaps three) times to SWG? Would you make it an SOE policy not to do that? Would you put that in the EULA?
If you would acknowledge some of these things, and agree to make changes, could you highlight when we could expect some of these things to actually take place? Then, of course, it would be nice to see some follow through.
These things have been on my mind for some time now, and I'd honestly be thrilled if Smed would be kind enough to answer them in a public forum.
Comments
Good questions to be sure.
I think is this is also a good question to ask.
"Would you please ask Smede these questions instead of just letting him promote himself and SOE's products in the disguise of an interview? Maybe do some real jouralism instead of a commercial?"
Of course this isn't a question for Smede. It is for every magazine, blog, or other media outlet that portray themselves as journalists but never seem to ask any hard questions, but just run commercials.
"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
Problem with asking Smed honest questions is that he's the most DISHONEST person in the MMO industry.
Are you suggesting I'm setting myself up for disappointment? lol
Well, I like to be open to pleasant surprises.
Also, I'd want timelines regarding refunds and EULA changes. Then we'd see if we had been given a pleasant surprise, or more broken promises.
Hey GrandAm, have you ever read this? http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/star-wars-galaxies-2005/667893p1.html
It's a gem.
Hey GrandAm, have you ever read this? http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/star-wars-galaxies-2005/667893p1.html
It's a gem.
Thanks for the link. You are right; it was a gem.
I can comment so much on what Julio said. My intelligence is so insulted I don't know where to begin.
All I can say is if you spin poo, all you get is dizzy poo.
Miguel Lopez is now my favorite Journalist.
The whole thing reminds me of this article. (I'm sure you have already seen it)
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/21/tech/gamecore/main1335511.shtml
Here is another great quote from Smede clearly showing his dishonesty from the article.
"There has never been a release by Sony Online Entertainment that has been incomplete," Smedley said.
Thanks again for the read Arc.
"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
Good luck with that! The Smeder im sure is way too busy making Idols of the Enron COE and COE's of some Major banks so he can worship in is little private dark closet....
-------
GameSpy: Another overwhelming theme in readers' responses was the feeling that veteran players' accomplishments are being nullified in order to potentially garner new users. What is your response to this?
JT: Our goal is to make Star Wars Galaxies as fun, exciting, and accessible to all current, new, and prospective players as possible. When developing these new enhancements, our focus was on making the game more fun for everyone, including our veteran/current players.
---------
retrospectively reviewed Julio you sucked reaching your goals at all fronts hahaha.
Either fun, or exciting or even accessible "enhancements" lol
Not only lost 70%+ of you customers but not gained much of the prospective ones lol
JT you are a joke and i like making a big poster with your goals and your picture aboveit and give it the title big LOOSER ..lol
maybe i can sell it as artwork with more success then you Julio Torres selled you crappy NGE lol
-----MY-TERMS-OF-USE--------------------------------------------------
$OE - eternal enemy of online gaming
-We finally WON !!!! 2011 $OE accepted that they have been fired 2005 by the playerbase and closed down ridiculous NGE !!
"There was suppression of speech and all kinds of things between disturbing and fascistic." Raph Koster (parted $OE)
Sad thing is there really isn't such a thing as "journalism" anymore. And in the gaming press, I think it's been deader longer than in other venues.
It's all a matter of laziness vs the software publisher's desire to get their marketing spin out there. Why do hard work, ask tough (but fair) questions when you can simply take, for example, SOE's PR, add a couple paragraphs, then put your name on it? Also, there is a fear in the gaming industry that giving bad reviews or bad press leads to being cut off by the publishers.
This is why you almost never see a truly bad review in a magazine or on a website. And we all know there are some truly atrocious games out there, SWGNGE being one of them. Yet MMORPG gives it a 6.5? 6.5?! Any score above a 2 and the comment "unacceptable" is dishonest, or worse, proof that the reviewer didn't really review the game.
First off, you need to understand what an interview is. An interview is when a person is asked questions in a live setting, the interviewer takes notes, and asks follow up questions. These SOE "interviews" consist of the "interviewer" sending questions and then getting Smed's carefully crafted answers to the ones he wants to answer, with no follow ups. Indeed, Smed probably doesn't author half the "answers" he gives in these "interviews", they come from marketing and PR.
MMORPG and other sites who call such crap an "interview" are being disingenuous to their readership. Follow up questions are NEVER asked of these people, they have been allowed over and over to state blatant lies about SWG post NGE, for example, without ever being challenged by the so-called gaming "press". Such stories should be labeled as "we sent Smed these questions and these are his answers, there was no actual interview". Also, authors of these "stories" should also publish the questions that Smed or SOE opted NOT to answer.
Or better yet, why not have a policy whereby you don't accept such "interviews" unless a live conversation can take place between the reporter and the subject, where the reporter can do the job of... wow, a REPORTER and ask follow up questions to get the story?
Fact of the matter is that John Smedley is literally the most hated single figure in the MMORPG industry. There are few who would dispute this. There are some very concrete reasons why this is the case, and by the way, it's about a lot more than what he did to SWG, there are plenty of people playing WOW these days who would have played EQ2 had it not been for Smed and his shennanigans done to the EQ player base as well.
I'd like to ask whether the EULA will change if SoE's new focus is shifting towards console games and RMT's? Also, will the EULA be printed on the box and be viewable before purchasing these console games?
If it is truth you seek, only lies will you find.
The Smedster couldn't care less, unless there is a nickle he can grab. He will say or do anything if there is some sort of perceived pay-off for him.
Other than the fact that he's almost universally despised by MMORPG players, Smed really has no relevance in the industry anymore. Neither does SOE really. Does SOE even have 200K subs across all it's games anymore? Is SOE even in the top 10 in total subscribers these days?
Does anyone seriously think with the neverending stream of ex-NGE developer waste being swallowed and passed through the DCMMO project that it's even going to be minimally decent, much less a major hit?
Other than the fact that he's almost universally despised by MMORPG players, Smed really has no relevance in the industry anymore. Neither does SOE really. Does SOE even have 200K subs across all it's games anymore? Is SOE even in the top 10 in total subscribers these days?
Does anyone seriously think with the neverending stream of ex-NGE developer waste being swallowed and passed through the DCMMO project that it's even going to be minimally decent, much less a major hit?
DC MMO....
Well considering SWG expansions were usually timed with movies, this presents a problem for DC. The last Batman movie just came out. A new one won't come for at least two years. The last Superman was overall considered a flop. I haven't heard of any follow up plans for a sequel. So there are no product tie-ins in the near future. If it releases without one to create a buzz SOE will have to rely on DC comics fanbase and quality of their product. The SW fanbase wasn't enough to turn the NGE into a WOW killer. Neither was product movie hype tie-in. All that was left was its quality. Quality is subjective, but IMO most including myself would say the NGE quality was inferior at launch.
I have seen the DCMMO page on MMORPG.COM. I does not impress me. So to finally answer question.
I do not believe DCU will be a success. The producing company has serious quality problems. There are no products (movies) to tie it to at probable time of launch. The development team has constant turn over. While a strong IP it just doesn't have the rabid fanbase of other IPs that will have a new MMO next year (and have to compete with). SOE has pissed off so many people that much of the MMO community won't give them a break. It will have a hard time in my opinion. When it does SOE will panic and change everything out of desperation at the expense of people that do play it. Nothing will save it if it isn't an immediate success.
All my opinion.
"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
It's completely unreasonable to ask honest questions of Smed, and expect an honest answer since Smed has long proven himself a completely dishonest man. He's never told the truth to the SWG player base, and he never will.
No, GTFO
Got ya money suckers
You know, I like this kind of thinking. I've always thought you should see the EULA before purchase, because in most places you can't get a refund after you open and install the software, then realize that the EULA is awful.
This also led me to another thought. You know how Smed has said things like, "we've learned from the NGE, and we're not going to do anything like that again." Well, if he means this, it should show up in the EULA of all the SOE games shouldn't it?
Something about not changing the core game mechanics (e.g. changing from rpg to fps, changing from skill system to levels, going from 30 plus mix and match professions to 9 that you're locked into) would be great in a EULA and lend credibility to Smed's claim.
Players should also be assured of accurate information regarding game development (e.g. we'll fast track server mergers, we'll give you collision detection, the new expansion will include new creatures etc.). Accurate information should have times lines. Missed time lines or inaccurate information should make customers eligible for refunds.
Advance warning about minor modifications and game additions should also be in the EULA. 45 days would give people enough time to make decisions about monthly subs, for instance.
Yeah, if you've really learned from the NGE, I think it would show up in these kinds of changes to SOE EULAs, and in how SOE deals with consumers. Willing to match words with actions John?
The thing about the gaming press, like the press in general, is that the readers of it are not the customers.
They're the product that is being delivered to the true customers, the advertisers.
The content is the way of getting you to be positioned to see the advertisements.
It's bad enough in newspapers and straight news magazines, but specialized magazines, such as the gaming magazines, exist to promote games, and to advertise them.
MMORPG.COM and other gaming sites on the 'Net are no different. They depend on the largess of the game publishers seeking to advertise their product to keep going.
This isn't a criticism, it's a statement of what the business model is. As long as one is aware of this, it's pretty much OK. It's when one loses sight of this truth that one gets into trouble.
CH, Jedi, Commando, Smuggler, BH, Scout, Doctor, Chef, BE...yeah, lots of SWG time invested.
Once a denizen of Ahazi
This also led me to another thought. You know how Smed has said things like, "we've learned from the NGE, and we're not going to do anything like that again." Well, if he means this, it should show up in the EULA of all the SOE games shouldn't it?
Excellent point!
This also led me to another thought. You know how Smed has said things like, "we've learned from the NGE, and we're not going to do anything like that again." Well, if he means this, it should show up in the EULA of all the SOE games shouldn't it?
Excellent point!
Won't happen. If Smed had learned from the NGE, he'd have taken it down and reinstated the old game.
About all he's done is SAY that he learned from the NGE. Talk is cheap. He's not put any action at all behind his words.
Oh, and when he said that it was with regard to Vanguard. Which SOE has made major changes to. Not on the NGE kind of scale, but enough so that there actually was at one time serious discussion of putting the original version of it on certain servers as I recall...
i thought half the problem is that they just couldnt take it back, they lost whole portions of the code or sommat, hence why they've spent the following years getting diffrent teams to try and 'undo' the work. ive heard from a technical PoV tho that largely a lot of the sandbox style game is still present in the code, but masked as it were
If SOE doesn't retain in a vault somewhere at least every major version of SWG server and client code they have deployed, then they are the most irresponsible and unprofessional software house there is.
They have even admitted in the past that they could have done classic servers, they chose not to.
If SOE doesn't retain in a vault somewhere at least every major version of SWG server and client code they have deployed, then they are the most irresponsible and unprofessional software house there is.
They have even admitted in the past that they could have done classic servers, they chose not to.
I think LA/LEC prevents the release of SWG Classic servers because they would be more of a conflict of interest with the new Bioware game. Classic servers would easily triple the number of current SWG subscriber numbers overnight, but that would still be a relatively low player number for an mmo.
If SOE doesn't retain in a vault somewhere at least every major version of SWG server and client code they have deployed, then they are the most irresponsible and unprofessional software house there is.
They have even admitted in the past that they could have done classic servers, they chose not to.
I think LA/LEC prevents the release of SWG Classic servers because they would be more of a conflict of interest with the new Bioware game. Classic servers would easily triple the number of current SWG subscriber numbers overnight, but that would still be a relatively low player number for an mmo.
The ironic thing is that they could have recovered completely from the NGE and then some if after the initial backlash (say they'd done it no later than January `06) had they offered not CU, but Pre-CU classic servers...
They had to know by then that it was hopeless. But yet they still decided to plow forward "improving" the NGE (which could not be improved without replacing it completely to the point it'd satisfy those who quit).
The rest is history... 230-240K subs under the bridge.
If SOE doesn't retain in a vault somewhere at least every major version of SWG server and client code they have deployed, then they are the most irresponsible and unprofessional software house there is.
They have even admitted in the past that they could have done classic servers, they chose not to.
I think LA/LEC prevents the release of SWG Classic servers because they would be more of a conflict of interest with the new Bioware game. Classic servers would easily triple the number of current SWG subscriber numbers overnight, but that would still be a relatively low player number for an mmo.
That's a very interesting point. I wonder if things right after NGE went something like this:
LEC: to Smed on Line 1-"You told us this would save the game, and we trusted you guys. Now you want to go back to the pre-cu game? Ha! not bloody likely. You guys made this mess, you live with it, and make the best out of it."
LEC: to Bioware on Line 2-"Well we've had some problems with the SOE game. We wanted them to make it successful and they broke it and alienated most of their players with their attempts, twice. We'd like you guys to start working on a StarWars MMO, and this time we want to do it right from day one."
Out of curiosity, did any SWG devs jump ship and go to Bioware out of frustration with the way SWG was managed?
I also wonder what it is that Smed has learned from the NGE. He talks about learning from it, but what conclusions has he come to?
Helpful conclusions in my mind would be:
-don't change the core mechanics of a live game,
-don't eliminate player progress in a live game,
-don't market one thing while you're planning to deliver something else,
-follow through on what you tell your players, don't say one thing and do the opposite,
-don't release a game with serious bugs, thinking that people will accept that because of the IP, or because that's the industry standard,
-if something's incomplete, just say so, don't string people along with lines like "working as intended"
-doing something well takes a lot more time than SWG devs were often given (e.g. jedi system and game revamps).
-if you treat customers with respect, it will likely be reciprocated, but if you treat them with disdain or indifference, you can expect a very negative response
-work with your customers as you add to a live game, not against them.
When I look at recent SOE directions, however, this is what I fear Smed may have concluded:
-PC games are dead, we should focus on consoles (tell that to Blizzard)
-the subscription model is out of date, we should focus on RMT (again tell that to Blizzard)
-MMO gamers are impossible to please, we should focus on the console market (see above re. Blizzard)
-we can't get money via empty promises and poorly functioning games, so we need to introduce mechanics like gambling for loot to increase revenues.
Remember, Koster said data mining was a real problem for SOE. Is this still the case? When I look up at the above lists, I fear that it may be.
If you have ever been to Raph Koster's site and read his blogs on game design, one of his fundamental rules is, to paraphrase : "Never take anything away from players, add something new in to gain the desired effect."
Instead SOE swung the nerf bat constantly over the years, or took things out, instead of adding other stuff to mitigate the power of some things.
For instance, one of things that critics of the early game criticize most was that Jedi were the alpha class at the beginning and were very powerful and the holo grind ruined everything and there were too many jedi etc. etc. Instead, under the Kosterian model, they could have added OTHER "prestiege" classes, like Crime Lord, Rebel/Imperial Officer, Jedihunter, whatever. Some of those things could have mitigated a lot of the weaknesses that alpha jedi brought to the overall system of the game. Instead, SOE nerfed and changed the Jedi class unendingly, finishing with NGE and continuing to this day, appparently, with changes to expertise. The end result of all that, was a lot of tension, aggravation, and unhappiness of the entire playerbase over the whole issue.
SOE couldn't manage a game well if the tried, and they haven't.