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Aion is done for me after seeing the MT now introduced
First things first... I am not a troll.
In fact i have supported Aion on these forums before many times. I am a day 1 adopter that had suspended their account for the time being while NCS got more content into this potentiol gem of a game. That suspension is now definitly a termination though. NCS can go ....
Btw, for those a little too dense or with a childishly short attention span who don't like reading a lot of words, best move on now. This won't be for you. Just a fair warning. This is for people that can process more then a paragraph of text.
I posted here on these forums earlier saying that if Aion 2.0 was good I would prbably resub to Aion, despite my negative thoughts on;
- the lack of content and linear 1 path prgression in general
- the lamest events I have ever seen in a mmo
- the extremely weak ingame protection vs bots, sellers, and hack apps
- the lack of GMs and poor CS in general
- the official forums being so broken and buggy that most won't even use them
- the core play systems (forts, drops, XP, crafting etc) being still in a beta state being tested and tweaked
- NCS moving at a mind numbingly glacial speed on everything
Despite all this I was willing to give NCS another chance with no bad feeling. I still believed that Aion could be fixed, that NCS actually cared, that they would come good with free content updates. I wanted to give then a chance to improve on the half a game they sold me at launch and relight the fun I had in the game for a while and regain me as a long term sub.
They showed me the Aion trailor, and half of me was just sad at what it showed me that Aion didnt have (and should have had at launch as a AAA title), but half of me was excited for it and wanted to see it badly. The fact that it got released just in time for the Xmas market didnt escape me, but I let it slide in the interests of the longer game.
Then I saw, firstly, the profit reports.
Something jarred me here... How could a game like Aion, that had been live from the end of 2008 (yes, I DO count the Korean time in terms of development) that showed SO much profit and was doing SO well show so LITTLE investment in terms of game progress and CS in general?
Why didnt the investment seem to reflect the revenue? Why, with so much profit, wernt there even GMs on my server?
Then I saw the new account services listed on the official front page...
Ok, I thought... account services are tolerable in theory I guess (see my sig). They are not ideal in a sub game, but they have the right to charge extra due to them not being part of the core game. They are 'extras' that don't effect my gameplay directly or indirectly, so fine.
The fact that they found time to implement these services before delivering value for money on the core game bothered me though. Here they were with half a game (and a pretty broken half at that), which they themselves pretty much recognised in the 'vision' movie, and they wanted to sell us more before filling ot out or fixing it?
This jarred me again. I don't like a company that chooses to focus on milking it's playerbase over delivering on what had already been paid for. While account services can be tolerated by me, their timing and obvious priorities were harder to stomach. Their greed was showing through.
Despite this, I would still give them a chance, though I doubt any dev that charges £8.99 for an automated in game gender change (!!), or £5.99 for a restyle (!!) deserved it.
(Why the high price anyhow? How is it even justified? The game is making massive profits already. It wasnt needed, and why is a gender change more expensive then a name change or restyle anyhow?? What, in a real sense, is the difference in process? An overwhelming feeling of raw profiteering was coming over me.)
Then, and this was the nail in the game's (and NCS's) coffin for me, I saw the MT event packs in the store...
I mean, they deliver poor poor poor halloween and Xmas events, and then want to CHARGE us £5.99 (!!) for the valentine one? WTF?
£5.99 for...
•Five True Red Dyes
•Ten Love Potions
•One Sunflower Headband
•One Heart emote
Unbelievable to me, honestly.
Now, I don't want to get into a debate on whether in game MT is good or not, thats for another day, but when I started Aion I started it as a NON MT game. As someone who hates in game rewards being sold as MT that' was very important to me. I was sold one thing, and now that want to start sneaking in game crap like this in? On top of my sub?
No. They can ..... off tbh. I'm done.
So, whats this post? Well, part closure for me, I guess, to say goodbye to Aion and part warning to others. My advice is simply don't touch this profit whoring shell of a game.
Noone bregrudges a fair profit to a dev, but thats NOT the same as profiteering, and NCS have joined Cryptic on the wrong side of the line to me.
Comments
Well, I can't really blame ya. Although I never bought and subbed to Aion, I was always curious and it looked like it had lots of potential. But I refuse to pay a sub and RMT at the same time. Right now I'm playing DDO and Lotro, one's a sub, and one's a RMT, and they don't confuse the two. The only way things will change is by voting with our wallets on principle.
Well written OP. Alot of mmo'ers feel your pain, seems like now-a-days profits come before quality product.
WOW, what a truly useless store, bunch of total fluff items that have zero impact on the game.
Now if they had some +exp leveling potions we'd be talking.
Move along, nothing to see here.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Well written, NCsoft should stick to publishing and not developing.
Actually Guild Wars 2 would be better off with a different publisher these days.
Played: World of Warcraft (5Y), WarHammer (3M), Anarchy Online, Runescape (5+Y), Lord of the Rings Online, Runes of Magic, City of Heroes/Villains, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Fallen Earth (1M)
Currently Playing: Guild Wars
Currently Trying: None
Taking a Break From: EVE Online
This^^ basically
Some cosemetic items big deal
March on! - Lets Invade Pekopon
Get used to it, pretty much every mmorpg from now on will be adding some sort of cash shop ...it is the DLC of mmorpg.
March on! - Lets Invade Pekopon
I have stated that this isnt a debate on my part about MT, if you guys want to play dress up in http://www.imvu.com/ type 'games' then go for it. I couldnt care. I will just avoid your 'games' like the plague as you are milked for your nickels and dimes with sheep like compliance.
If you and Kyl had read the OP you would have seen it was just the final straw for me, and the warning I was giving was far larger then just that.
btw, Frog, are you actually playing Aion right now?
*edit in the interests of being a little less rude and avoiding a flame war...* :P
Yeah I am but have not played in a couple weeks though heh, been busy with LOTRO and MW2 :P
I think the last time I played was when they had the double xp weekend...I still have 4 months left to my sub though.
March on! - Lets Invade Pekopon
Yeah I am but have not played in a couple weeks though heh, been busy with LOTRO and MW2 :P
I think the last time I played was when they had the double xp weekend...I still have 4 months left to my sub though.
Really? Why LotR over Aion?
Yeah I am but have not played in a couple weeks though heh, been busy with LOTRO and MW2 :P
I think the last time I played was when they had the double xp weekend...I still have 4 months left to my sub though.
Really? Why LotR over Aion?
That's a pretty easy question to answer given the complete opposite directions the games go, haha.
Good read, tho. I unsubbed a month and a half ago due to school leaving me completely swamped for a while. Was thinking of resubbing, but I honestly think I'll head back to Darkfall or try out some new(er) titles or something. I really was hoping Aion would shape up different. A good game isn't much unless it's ran as so.
Really a shame, too, because it had a lot of potential.
The most recent community blog touches on some of the issues of the OP. As I said there, I've gone F2P until there is an MMO game that is clearly worth the box price, let alone a subscription and let alone anything in the way of MT. Profiteering is the right word for much of what is currently going on, and companies are learning that the MMO market and MMO players can be easily exploited.
Not nice to see...
Yeah I am but have not played in a couple weeks though heh, been busy with LOTRO and MW2 :P
I think the last time I played was when they had the double xp weekend...I still have 4 months left to my sub though.
Really? Why LotR over Aion?
Well as much as I like Aion and PVP, i have always been a PVEer at heart :P and LOTRO does outshine Aion in that aspect.
.
And also because i have been playing with a couple friends
March on! - Lets Invade Pekopon
Yeah I am but have not played in a couple weeks though heh, been busy with LOTRO and MW2 :P
I think the last time I played was when they had the double xp weekend...I still have 4 months left to my sub though.
Really? Why LotR over Aion?
That's a pretty easy question to answer given the complete opposite directions the games go, haha.
Good read, tho. I unsubbed a month and a half ago due to school leaving me completely swamped for a while. Was thinking of resubbing, but I honestly think I'll head back to Darkfall or try out some new(er) titles or something. I really was hoping Aion would shape up different. A good game isn't much unless it's ran as so.
Really a shame, too, because it had a lot of potential.
I guess, though I was interested why Frog subbed for 6 months (I guess?) and wasnt playing.
Howdy btw Syn, been a while.
Yeah I am but have not played in a couple weeks though heh, been busy with LOTRO and MW2 :P
I think the last time I played was when they had the double xp weekend...I still have 4 months left to my sub though.
Really? Why LotR over Aion?
Well as much as I like Aion and PVP, i have always been a PVEer at heart :P and LOTRO does outshine Aion in that aspect.
.
And also because i have been playing with a couple friends
ahh ok, thats cool.
What i need you and other Aion guys to take from my OP though is that I WANTED aion to be a success. It's just the way NCS have handled it that has soured me.
Yeah I am but have not played in a couple weeks though heh, been busy with LOTRO and MW2 :P
I think the last time I played was when they had the double xp weekend...I still have 4 months left to my sub though.
Really? Why LotR over Aion?
That's a pretty easy question to answer given the complete opposite directions the games go, haha.
Good read, tho. I unsubbed a month and a half ago due to school leaving me completely swamped for a while. Was thinking of resubbing, but I honestly think I'll head back to Darkfall or try out some new(er) titles or something. I really was hoping Aion would shape up different. A good game isn't much unless it's ran as so.
Really a shame, too, because it had a lot of potential.
I guess, though I was interested why Frog subbed for 6 months (I guess?) and wasnt playing.
Howdy btw Syn, been a while.
Yeah it has been a while. Actually jumped in Spellborn the other day to look around before they end up taking the cash-shop model live. Still jumping from title to title trying to find something I can stick with. Waiting for FFXIV and Heroes of Telara, I guess.
In other words, I guess I'm waiting for company's to quit coming up with titles full of potential and running them into the ground from absolutely horrible management in terms of support, advertisement, you name it. Getting tired of the game itself not being the reason, instead the company does it. And they do it because it's now quantity of titles instead of quality. And who wants to support a title when you can goto working on the next one to blow up? -,-
Yeah I am but have not played in a couple weeks though heh, been busy with LOTRO and MW2 :P
I think the last time I played was when they had the double xp weekend...I still have 4 months left to my sub though.
Really? Why LotR over Aion?
That's a pretty easy question to answer given the complete opposite directions the games go, haha.
Good read, tho. I unsubbed a month and a half ago due to school leaving me completely swamped for a while. Was thinking of resubbing, but I honestly think I'll head back to Darkfall or try out some new(er) titles or something. I really was hoping Aion would shape up different. A good game isn't much unless it's ran as so.
Really a shame, too, because it had a lot of potential.
I guess, though I was interested why Frog subbed for 6 months (I guess?) and wasnt playing.
Howdy btw Syn, been a while.
Yeah it has been a while. Actually jumped in Spellborn the other day to look around before they end up taking the cash-shop model live. Still jumping from title to title trying to find something I can stick with. Waiting for FFXIV and Heroes of Telara, I guess.
In other words, I guess I'm waiting for company's to quit coming up with titles full of potential and running them into the ground from absolutely horrible management in terms of support, advertisement, you name it. Getting tired of the game itself not being the reason, instead the company does it. And they do it because it's now quantity of titles instead of quality. And who wants to support a title when you can goto working on the next one to blow up? -,-
Trust me, I get that.
WTB a dev company with imagination, business sense, and more then a little integrity
Yeah I am but have not played in a couple weeks though heh, been busy with LOTRO and MW2 :P
I think the last time I played was when they had the double xp weekend...I still have 4 months left to my sub though.
Really? Why LotR over Aion?
Well as much as I like Aion and PVP, i have always been a PVEer at heart :P and LOTRO does outshine Aion in that aspect.
.
And also because i have been playing with a couple friends
ahh ok, thats cool.
What i need you and other Aion guys to take from my OP though is that I WANTED aion to be a success. It's just the way NCS have handled it that has soured me.
No I understand heh, you mentioned what you did not like about the game which is fair enough...I just did not see a big problem with the CS cosmetic items ^^
March on! - Lets Invade Pekopon
Yeah I am but have not played in a couple weeks though heh, been busy with LOTRO and MW2 :P
I think the last time I played was when they had the double xp weekend...I still have 4 months left to my sub though.
Really? Why LotR over Aion?
Well as much as I like Aion and PVP, i have always been a PVEer at heart :P and LOTRO does outshine Aion in that aspect.
.
And also because i have been playing with a couple friends
ahh ok, thats cool.
What i need you and other Aion guys to take from my OP though is that I WANTED aion to be a success. It's just the way NCS have handled it that has soured me.
No I understand heh, you mentioned what you did not like about the game which is fair enough...I just did not see a big problem with the CS cosmetic items ^^
It's just a personal thing for me... I just hate Pay to Achieve in my gaming, especially when it impacts on the content I have access to as a gamer who wants to 'win' his reward.
Would i have left Aion for good if NCS hadnt sneaked (and sneaked is an important word as well here... they went the ninja SOE way with introducing this) MT in? I don't know tbh, would have depended on 2.0
All I know right now is that Aion was sold to me as one thing (non MT) and today became something else (sub & MT), and the fact that it happened before the core game was filled out/ fixed was my personal breaking point on top of all my other issues.
This^^ basically
Some cosemetic items big deal
MT that give a player an advantage is one thing, but this is purely cosmetic. I think its actually a good business tactic to have these kind of MT. People complain about paying for this kind of thing, but how much stuff do you guys want for that 15 bucks a month your paying. They have to pay employees to develop your content, fix bugs and pay for servers and bandwidth.
I recently read an article about how sub costs have changed and I think they were right. It seems 15 bucks a month just ain't cutting it anymore. Id still be willing to pay 20 bucks a month for a game that is actually worth playing.
I can't see getting worked up over fluff items in a store, you couldn't get me to purchase any of it, and I certainly don't care if others do.
I'm actually playing Aion right now, and I was quite serious when I said I'd play them for an exp gain item, the grind now at level 36 is somewhat wearying.
But then I remember, there's not much to do at 50, and that definitely will probably be the end of my time in Aion.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Your actually their wet dream of a suck... I mean 'customer' Kyl ;P
The thing is thatis somewhat opinion. I'm sure they feel that you have gotten a full game for your money. I can't say that I disagree with this because for a newly released game it has quite a bit when compared to other games. you may not like how they have implemented these things and that is fair but I think saying that they implemented a "half game" is going a bit too far. I don't see their vision trailer as an admission that they gave players a broken game but more of a "this is where we want the game to go".
Especially when there have been other games that have delivered less. Heck, Lineage 2 didn't even have sieges when it was launched nor did it have mounts which were also promised.
Since there are going to be two large updates to the game in the first hafl of this year I would say that they are commited to updating the game.
And since these account service are very similar to what other games have I can't see what the huge deal is.
Sex chance, name change, legion change and character look.
WoW has paid character look changes so it's not unheard of. Though to be fair, LOTRO just has in game changes with in game money.
Personally I would be more worried about games that allow players to buy actual advantages.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
The emotes are available in game, although in a generally untraveled area of the capital cities, for 10k each. The dyes are pretty much the same as the petals in game as well. The chocolates are aether jellies and the love potions are health potions. This is a huge rip off and scam.
The thing is that that is somewhat opinion. I'm sure they feel that you have gotten a full game for your money. I can't say that I disagree with this because for a newly released game it has quite a bit when compared to other games. you may not like how they have implemented these things and that is fair but I think saying that they implemented a "half game" is going a bit too far.
Especially when there have been other games that have delivered less. Heck, Lineage 2 didn't even have sieges when it was launched nor did it have mounts which were also promised.
Since there are going to be two large updates to the game in the first hafl of this year I would say that they are commited to updating the game.
And since these account service are very similar to what other games have I can't see what the huge deal is.
Sex chance, name change, legion change and character look.
WoW has paid character look changes so it's not unheard of. Though to be fair, LOTRO just has in game changes with in game money.
Personally I would be more worried about games that allow players to buy actual advantages.
ofc it's all just opinion Sov, thats all my OP is really. Some will find how they behave, and the current state of the game, acceptable, but I just don't.
I said half a game because.. well, because to me it was. I mean, look at whats in Vision.. all that should be in place in a AAA title MMORPG at launch, and thats without the ongoing live beta of the fortress tweaks, abyss crashes, double XP weekends while they fix drops and XP... it's all half done to me and the focus on getting MT into the game before making it whole bothers me deeply enough to say bye bye to it.
I said the account services wernt the deal breaker to me, they just added more straw to the camel's back. I have never attacked additional service charges in any game. Look at my sig even
The lame events didn't bother me so much but the linear design was kinda getting to me after three months. The Open world was the one thing they should have taken for L2 and the game woulda been perfect for me. I mean even WoW with it linear gameplay has multiple paths you can take.. Aion has one that branches to two and then you get the Abyss which is 5 lvls too late and the split paths at 20 are ten lvls too late. I never made it too much farther then the Abyss but the gmae was seriously lacking different options...I might go back with the next big patch and hopefully they will make crafting less of a money sink.
Make games you want to play.
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