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Why don't we see a re-release of older games like UO, star wars, EQ, etc.
stux
Member Posts: 462
I have read SO many posts asking for a game like the first star wars game before some expansion OR UO before some expansion, etc.
Why don't developers release an older game (maybe with some freshening up?) based on the most popular version of the servers?
On a SECOND TOPIC, I think there are several games that need to simply close most of their servers and go down to one or new two servers (second for a pvp if the game would need that). That would increase server populations and at least have a CHANCE of bringing in new/returning players to the game. I know they run the risk of running off their existing players but there are plenty of games with such small populations it is only a matter of time before they can't make money anyway. So, they might as well give it a shot to bring back more people before the inevitable happens while they still have the cash to give it a shot.
Comments
There are 3 kinds of re-releases that I see in the MMO market;
1. The Game Portal Re-Release
Where a game has been in Asia for years and gets called a new name or the sequel when it hits the west. Nothing changes and updates are few, if any.
2. The Graphic Update
EVE did it, and it's ready for 4-5 more years of play before looking retro again. UO had a complete 2d graphic revamp and it did jack to get people up and playing again. Runescape too, and I don't think it changed a thing when it comes to people playing it. After seeing all that, and the requests that these games be redone with better graphics... will people even give a shit when it happens?
3. The complete sequel
Everquest 2 did it, and FFIV is looking to. I think we all agree that every huge EQ fan didn't jump into EQ 2 as planned, and FFIV is going to face the same issues where it becomes a whole new crowd.
The thing is, the UO/SWG of yesteryear can only be given a graphic overhaul and reset to nostalgic playstyles - but if they did - who is really going to care to do it again?
People swear it's what they want - but once they get their hands on it they quickly realize they have been over it for a long time. Then look for a new MMO that won't fill the void, again.
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Because to today's console-tard generation Graphics > Gameplay.
I remember reading a while back that UO was supposed to have a graphic enhancement.... I don't know what came of it though.
I would love to see the old games get re-released with complete new engines. Like Fallout 3. They would never be as good as the originals like F3, but still pretty damn good.
Except, SWG. That would just be WoW in space, if it wouldn't be then they would have released classic servers a long time ago.
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I played all of those games already.
Do I want to spend another 5+ years playing EQ or UO? EQ has had revamps and a sequel, UO has had two revamps.
SWG? Maybe two or three years ago.
Would I like New Sandbox games with New IPs? Yes.
I look forward to CCPs next sandbox. Other games like MO and Earthrise and to see what Bethesda has up it's sleeve.
Lets look forward to the new not the old.
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Games represent a snippet in time. They may have worked great in the day, but the market and consumer expectation is continuing to evolve. So releasing an old game, while great for nostalgia would be taking a step backward. Also it might be hard to sell an old game to investors, realizing that the allure of gaming for many is playing the next big thing.
That being said, I still would like to see a PreCu SWG server. The only problem is I'm playing Fallen Earth now, and there will be some competition in 2010 for my dollars.
I vote a NEW ASHERONS CALL 1 !!!!!
I miss the good ol Darktide days....
We need a real freakin AC sequel!
Jus would like to note - when it comes to your #2, I would definately say the Eve graphic updates made the game appeal to more people - the game been slowly growing for years and graphics are of course a part of it. The UO graphic upgrade was crap,and I never played Runescape but the graphics were still crap as well - if you are going to do a graphic update, it needs to actually be a "good" one such as Eves, the rest were just crap.
On #3 , EQ2 was a complete sequel, but lost alot of what made EQ really EQ. FFIV is far far different from FFXI as well. This typically isnt the best move. Heck AC2 was a sequel that was much more similar to EQ or WoW then AC - another stupid move. AC2 died and AC1 is still going strong... if games are going to make a sequel they should really attempt to appeal to the core crowd of the fans of the game, rather then trying to appeal to a broader range of individuals - that only alienates the true fans who stay on the real game and makes people who did not play the first more hesitant to try. It seems that with the claims that GW2 will play far different from GW1, they may be going the same route as well.... just stupid. If your going to name it a sequel, make it a real sequel - dont base it on other games, base it on the original and expand it. You typically dont see other genres doing that type of thing, so why do MMO sequels?
I think you hit the nail on the head.
There are graphics overhauls and "graphic overhauls".
If people are into a game they can go quite some time if forever playing. One gets used to how the game is and it reall isn't too big a deal to play somethign that you like, gets good content but has the same graphics.
that's why when i saw the UO update all I could think of was "but it's still in 2d and I don't believe that will tempt players who are used to 3d". It certainl won't get many old school UO players playing because they are looking for old school UO but with new content.
As far as EQ 2 the reason players didn't rush to it was because it wasn't really a successor to EQ. At least from what I have read and been told by a friend who was an avid EQ player.
EQ 2 would have had to have been an amazing game in order for it to garner many players. As it turned out it had issues at launch and for a small bit.
Final Fantasy "might" be able to get a lot of players but it's going to be a hard road. Some old FF vets are going to expect FF IX but with better graphics and up to date systems. New players might come from WoW and expect the game to be WoW.
Graphics updates keep things fresh but the game has to be of interest to players. A fresh coat of paint only goes so far.
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{mod edit}
World of WarCraft's graphics are inferior to EQ2s. EQ2's gameplay is complete and utter overly complex garbage, lacking so many features. True, we see the graphics vs. gameplay proven true in WOW vs. Ultima Online, but most modern MMOs that are mainstream have excellent graphics.
{mod edit}
World of WarCraft's graphics are inferior to EQ2s. EQ2's gameplay is complete and utter overly complex garbage, lacking so many features. True, we see the graphics vs. gameplay proven true in WOW vs. Ultima Online, but most modern MMOs that are mainstream have excellent graphics.
I'm confused now..."Overly complex garbage, lacking so many features"?
The market for a new EQ or a new UO is HUGE.
The problem is, the developers always screw up. Asheron's Call 2 was nothing like AC1, EverQuest 2 was nothing like EQ1, ect ect
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Companies can't justify the cost.
It costs a company far less to keep a game a live then to rebuild and rerelease it. To rerelease it would be at least 60 mil but probably more.
So now they have to get enough people to both cover that 60 million and make a profit which is a risk. Where as by keeping the game running they are continuing to make a profit off of it (as soon as it isn't profitable it gets the axe). Companies don't like risk.
Also you risk alienating your fans of the game, they've played a game (UO, AC, EQ) for a decade. When you rerelease it you are clearly going to tweak systems to fix all the broken aspects that never worked right, you're going to tweak quests, and since you are doing all new art and rendering engine you may inadvertantly change the whole art style from what they were familiar with. So now you might lose all those loyal customers who are the type to stick with a game until the day it dies. Replacing those types of players is difficult.
These games are also a more involved game style. You have to learn all the aspects to maximize a character. There's a lot of lore and story to learn. It's not the more simplified modern style of here's the information right in front of you and a piece of that information flat out says (this weapon is better). Asheron's Call has so many factors effecting weapon damage that unless you know the systems, you wouldn't be able to tell that weapon x is better then weapon y. A lot of people don't like that level of complexity. So these games would end up with 50-100k steady subs.
So not including box sales and having 100k steady subs and a 60 million dollar investment, it would take 40 months to make back that money assuming there was no upkeep costs so every sub dollar went to profits. So it would really take a minimum of 4-5 years to start making a profit. Big risk to hope a game will do that well when you are already making profit from it.
Vanguard's initial sales numbers is proof that the market for rereleased classic games like EverQuest is a profitable market.
The problem is, old MMOs were so much larger, had so much more depth, complexity, and large amount of game mechanics, that it's much much easier to just plop out a WoW clone for some instant cash before it fizzles out into obscurity.
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{mod edit}
World of WarCraft's graphics are inferior to EQ2s. EQ2's gameplay is complete and utter overly complex garbage, lacking so many features. True, we see the graphics vs. gameplay proven true in WOW vs. Ultima Online, but most modern MMOs that are mainstream have excellent graphics.
I'm confused now..."Overly complex garbage, lacking so many features"?
Agreed. EQ2 is not "overly complex garbage" and it absolutely positively is not "lacking so many features." Gargantroo apparently has no idea what EQ2 is like. It's perhaps the most immersive and deep MMO on the market today.
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What a strange notion. Console gamers are not in a position to be graphics snobs. That's where we come in.
What a strange notion. Console gamers are not in a position to be graphics snobs. That's where we come in.
Yes they are, hence why the "hardcore" shun the Wii, despite having some of the best games of the last 3 years on it.
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And we all know how big MMORPGS are on consoles....
Also SignusM, Hardcore gamers shun the Wii because of it's lack of hardcore games. There just aren't enough of them and the ones that are there offer no replay value like online multiplayer.
What a strange notion. Console gamers are not in a position to be graphics snobs. That's where we come in.
Yes they are, hence why the "hardcore" shun the Wii, despite having some of the best games of the last 3 years on it.
I must have missed something, the Wii has the best games of the last three years? Really? Could you tell me what they were so I can add them to my library?
What a strange notion. Console gamers are not in a position to be graphics snobs. That's where we come in.
Yes they are, hence why the "hardcore" shun the Wii, despite having some of the best games of the last 3 years on it.
I must have missed something, the Wii has the best games of the last three years? Really? Could you tell me what they were so I can add them to my library?
I've kept up on every Wii game of note that interests me in the last 3 years, and I do believe I now have about 9 games in total >_>
RE4 was the last "hardcore" game worth buying, last game I got in general was the latest Silent Hill, before that the Vanillaware game. Wii has terrible selection if it's not amongst nintendo IPs, then half of those are meh.
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Dark Age of Camelot opened servers without the latest expantion because there were so many complaints that it had ruined the game and people were leaving in droves.
It still had the new graphics and some of the well liked changes since the hated expantion..
Didnt help much though, as most people had already moved on to WoW.
What a strange notion. Console gamers are not in a position to be graphics snobs. That's where we come in.
Yes they are, hence why the "hardcore" shun the Wii, despite having some of the best games of the last 3 years on it.
I must have missed something, the Wii has the best games of the last three years? Really? Could you tell me what they were so I can add them to my library?
I said SOME, but sure.
The Metroid prime trilogy, Twilight Princess, Super Smash Brawl, Super Mario Galaxy, New Super Mario Bros Wii, Okami, Zack and Wiki, Super Paper Mario, de Blob, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Dead Space Origins, ect ect.
Anyway, as for THIS discussion. If someone remade EQ, hundreds of thousands would buy it. Developers DON'T remake EQ, because EQ is actually a really complex game and would take some actual effort, when ripping off WoW is much easier.
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What a strange notion. Console gamers are not in a position to be graphics snobs. That's where we come in.
Yes they are, hence why the "hardcore" shun the Wii, despite having some of the best games of the last 3 years on it.
I must have missed something, the Wii has the best games of the last three years? Really? Could you tell me what they were so I can add them to my library?
I said SOME, but sure.
The Metroid prime trilogy, Twilight Princess, Super Smash Brawl, Super Mario Galaxy, New Super Mario Bros Wii, Okami, Zack and Wiki, Super Paper Mario, de Blob, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Dead Space Origins, ect ect.
Anyway, as for THIS discussion. If someone remade EQ, hundreds of thousands would buy it. Developers DON'T remake EQ, because EQ is actually a really complex game and would take some actual effort, when ripping off WoW is much easier.
I liked Dead Space better without the "Origins", all the Super Games are great, I agree. RE and SH are kinda lame, plus the PS3 or XB360 versions control better, imo. Zack and Wiki, I never heard of, I'll check it out. Okami...iritated me with the motion controls. Okami on PS2 was good though.
I liked MadWorld for the Wii.
But to this topic, I'd buy a remake of Asheron's Call. Maybe one of EQ...but definitely AC. Anyways, I'd rather look to the future than the past. Games like World of Darkness have my hopes up.
Oh?
Im 100% pc gamer i dont even have a console in my house but i dont wanne play a ancient game like UO it sucks and 2D.
Then i rather see a AC1 made into a todays generation mmo but as i see turbine now they prolly make it so it also fits into a console and with cashshops hehe.
UO/SWG/AC/EQ its all in past new generations and they are far greater numbers dont want games like that anymore they want a new WoW or silly games like runes of magic.
GW2 will also fail btw.
I dont see getting that first feeling back when i first started playing mmo's back in 90's
Games played:AC1-Darktide'99-2000-AC2-Darktide/dawnsong2003-2005,Lineage2-2005-2006 and now Darkfall-2009.....
In between WoW few months AoC few months and some f2p also all very short few weeks.
Mostly because there's no evidience that such a re-release would be profitable enough to justify the expense. UO, EQ1, DAOC all went the route of classic or fresh start servers, and while it brought people back for a short time, there was little in terms of long term subcscription gains.
Even making sequels has not worked out well, with the failures of AC2, UO2/3, (never launched), and even EQ2 can only be considered a marginal success.
I'd venture to say that since WOW MMORPG developers haven't figured out what to do to ensure a big subsciption success, pretty much all games have tanked a few months post release regardless what IP they use. (assuming the yardstick for success is 500K long term subs).
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