28 people very well may be enough to run an MMO, but I'm not optimistic. Look how little content has been released for this game since it's launch - now picture the future with only 20% of the team remaining.
I hope that patch 1.4 generates more revenue and sales for FE, I really do. Still, I can't help but feel that they could have done so many things different. But hindsight is 20/20.
think SOE and what they did with SWG, sorry look like it's just BARELLY holding on and soon we might be saying goodbye to the ONE unique game in the universe that was left on the system
personally I'm feeling this is a warning to the end of fallen earth, and it's a shame, all the good games are pushed aside and the crappy ones that are just clone of the other clones out there are al that's left, why can't we have original unique games liek this stay and lose some of the stupid clone like games useing old tech and programing, LIKE the SOE verosn of SWG, when they droped the sandbox design, they became just anther clone, and no updates tot he graphics of anythign makes them not really worth paying money for ( but where ya gonna go for your Star wars fix )
this game Fallen earth was the one original feeling unique play syle game left on the system, and now they are being forced outta the runing, tis truelly a sad time for us all.
I played for a free month and found the game to be pretty great. I saw where the game needed some polish though and the framerate was kind of erratic. I also experienced the occasional crash now and then. Despite the flaws it was one of the more immersive experiences I've had in an MMO. The "spell"mutation effects were just stupid though, and the flies, and the weapon animations. 9 )
On second thought... I think they could use another year of developement haha
"I'm not cheap I'm incredibly subconsciously financially optimized" "The worst part of censorship is ------------------"
think SOE and what they did with SWG, sorry look like it's just BARELLY holding on and soon we might be saying goodbye to the ONE unique game in the universe that was left on the system
personally I'm feeling this is a warning to the end of fallen earth, and it's a shame, all the good games are pushed aside and the crappy ones that are just clone of the other clones out there are al that's left, why can't we have original unique games liek this stay and lose some of the stupid clone like games useing old tech and programing, LIKE the SOE verosn of SWG, when they droped the sandbox design, they became just anther clone, and no updates tot he graphics of anythign makes them not really worth paying money for ( but where ya gonna go for your Star wars fix )
this game Fallen earth was the one original feeling unique play syle game left on the system, and now they are being forced outta the runing, tis truelly a sad time for us all.
Well, frankly FE just isn't all that good. They kind of screwed up the best aspect of the game - crafting (by making evryone able to craft in all areas, and requiring grinding), and the game was too devoid of content to be a theme park, and not a sand box, either.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
It isnt a big issue that players can get every profession, the issue is that there is lack of pve content.
im maxed in allmost all professions except mutagenics. Ive canceled my subscription about 3 weeks ago i got bored of farming mats making stuff, heck i got over a gold and parts to make 7 interceptors xD.
And yea the worst stuff they did whas the fatique system, makes the game a mindless grindfest . And i dont see any point in nerfing the xp gain with crafting. Crafters arent going to be better in pvp then people that have their points spent in mutations and combat only.
And another thing that REALLY ruined the market whas that they put up quest npc's in the main city in s3 where you can easely get the most rare crafting mats.
I loved this game for a while until I began to realize that it had a Christian "Second Coming" theme. I finally cancelled my sub after a GM asked me if I had "Accepted Jesus Christ your personal savior".
I loved this game for a while until I began to realize that it had a Christian "Second Coming" theme. I finally cancelled my sub after a GM asked me if I had "Accepted Jesus Christ your personal savior".
Huh? What?
Are you serious?
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
Stupid decisions made the game fail - devs were foolish in that they listened to a very vocal minority that seemed determined to make sure FE became a niche game rather than a game with decent mechanics and reasonable conveniences.
I think FE suffered a lot of subs due to implementation of fatigue system and nerfing of crafting xp. Moreover, there is very vocal minority in game which does more harm then good to the game.
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty -- Mahatma Gandhi
Here's the thing. The fatigue system (basically the fatigue rates) implemented in the PTS (test server) were much more severe that what ended up in the live system. I can't say what effect that particular decision had on subscriptions, but long term it was a good decision for the ingame economy.
Similarly, the exp nerf on crafting was the right balancing decision. It was certainly a beneficial decision for those playing crafters as their mains, instead of leveling offline alts. By having less offline crafter alts around, those crafter mains become more important, since the people become less self sufficient.
A third step that I would have liked to see, but is not implemented, is the limit to the maximum craftin skills so people specialise into certain crafting lines. Right now, given time and materials, somebody can learn every crafting recipe available in the game. Hence there is little diversity between crafters, while the majority is autonomous.
Bottom line, those changes should have been made during launch. The same holds true for changes that are scheduled for the 1.4 patch. Some things maybe unpopular, but they are for the benefit of the game in the long term.
Crafting is one of the big selling features of this game.
What's next - elimination of offline crafting?
Well.. the game was first advertisied as a 'level anyway you like'. It gave players freedom to either lvl by PVE, PVP or just collecting materials and crafting stuff. But down the line the so called hardcore PVP players didn't like the idea that players can level purely through crafting and minimal PVE. PVE players had no problem with it since most of them had a crafting alt or some crafting skills if not all.
So words like carebear began to fly around, the vocal minority made a very big deal regarding carfting XP so it has been nerfed to ground now. They lost a lot of subs due to this since there are more PVE players then PVP players in game.
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty -- Mahatma Gandhi
Crafting is one of the big selling features of this game.
What's next - elimination of offline crafting?
The main reason was to hinder people who created crafting alts for the sole puprose of feeding them materials to craft while offline. It basically distorted the whole offline crafting system, when you had players with 2-3 crafting atls levelling and this way.
The decision was beneficial for those playing crafters as mains, since it's now a lot more difficult to level an offline crafting alt. It's still doable, it just takes a lot longer.
Well.. the game was first advertisied as a 'level anyway you like'. It gave players freedom to either lvl by PVE, PVP or just collecting materials and crafting stuff. But down the line the so called hardcore PVP players didn't like the idea that players can level purely through crafting and minimal PVE. PVE players had no problem with it since most of them had a crafting alt or some crafting skills if not all.
So words like carebear began to fly around, the vocal minority made a very big deal regarding carfting XP so it has been nerfed to ground now. They lost a lot of subs due to this since there are more PVE players then PVP players in game.
Wow. What a huge mistake. Crafting is the only reason I tried the game to begin with.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
Crafting is one of the big selling features of this game.
What's next - elimination of offline crafting?
Well.. the game was first advertisied as a 'level anyway you like'. It gave players freedom to either lvl by PVE, PVP or just collecting materials and crafting stuff. But down the line the so called hardcore PVP players didn't like the idea that players can level purely through crafting and minimal PVE. PVE players had no problem with it since most of them had a crafting alt or some crafting skills if not all.
So words like carebear began to fly around, the vocal minority made a very big deal regarding carfting XP so it has been nerfed to ground now. They lost a lot of subs due to this since there are more PVE players then PVP players in game.
It's all a matter of perception. Some people thought by reading the changes that the crafters were nerfed. Instead, the changes had the opposite effect. Those PvP players that you mentioned will not be able with the changes to make offline crafting alts that easily, thus becoming totally independant, thus undermining the pure main crafters.
Don't you find it rediculous when a player that has no crafting build whatsoever can just feed 2-3 alts with materials crafting stuff in parallel levelling them in parallel, thus becoming faster and totally independant than a pure crafter, especially regarding recipes that require tons of time?
Crafting is one of the big selling features of this game.
What's next - elimination of offline crafting?
Well.. the game was first advertisied as a 'level anyway you like'. It gave players freedom to either lvl by PVE, PVP or just collecting materials and crafting stuff. But down the line the so called hardcore PVP players didn't like the idea that players can level purely through crafting and minimal PVE. PVE players had no problem with it since most of them had a crafting alt or some crafting skills if not all.
So words like carebear began to fly around, the vocal minority made a very big deal regarding carfting XP so it has been nerfed to ground now. They lost a lot of subs due to this since there are more PVE players then PVP players in game.
It's all a matter of perception. Some people thought by reading the changes that the crafters were nerfed. Instead, the changes had the opposite effect. Those PvP players that you mentioned will not be able with the changes to make offline crafting alts that easily, thus becoming totally independant, thus undermining the pure main crafters.
Don't you find it rediculous when a player that has no crafting build whatsoever can just feed 2-3 alts with materials crafting stuff in parallel levelling them in parallel, thus becoming faster and totally independant than a pure crafter, especially regarding recipes that require tons of time?
Hi,
i disagree. There was hardly any reason to roll an alt in the game for carfting since you could craft almost anything on your main. if people were rolling alts it was because they want to be independent. The nerf was like adouble edges sword. In order to stop offline parallel leveling it discouraged players like me who had no alts and were pure crafting build. Since, players like me invested most point in crafting we are not as good in PVE or PVP like others.
So in a way it forces us to roll alts for PVE rather then encourage us to continue crafting.
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty -- Mahatma Gandhi
I am a crafter myself. PvE is not an issue. PvP is however, moreso without the changes that 1.4 patch will bring.
By devoting APs in a stat like Intelligence, which is needed for crafting, you're basically sacrificing either an extra skill line or an extra mutation line. Moreso if your crafter is melee, then you sacrifice APs for two stats lines, points that could have been spent in two mutation lines, two skill lines or alternatively raise anothe stat that would aid combat, like Willpower.
Basically what we're doing is to balance things to what we enjoy playing. You can make a pure crafter with minimal skills and maybe one mutation, but with charisma. You can make an all rounder, who can pick a bit of everything, but will miss specialisation. Or you can do a pure fighter, who will not have to compromise on anything.
Now imagine this. While you pick a crafter, which means that you're gimping your game in terms of PvP and secondary in some PvE, somebody else makes a pure fighter that can enjoy both PvP and PvE and create an offline alt crafter that he doesn't play but just feeds him with materials. So he's basically playing the part of the game that he enjoys the most, without compromising anything while at the same time undermining the necessity of your character as a crafter. You on the other hand, if you want to dable into PvP (and be competitive about it), you'll need to make another character and actively level them both.
In the end with the changes the crafters gain, despite the exp nerf. MMOs are supposed to be about choices down the character development process. As it was, people with pure PvP builds could have their cake and eat it too, while crafters were getting the short end of the stick.
I work in internet company that does a mere plugin. And we have over 40 staff. And thats after restructuring and is bare minimum.
There is no way a MMO could be anything except on life support with just 28 staff members.
Basically the truth is - game is on its way to die...
BUT What the hell happened ?
I thought Fallen Earth was a good and popular in the MMO community !
I mean it might not have WOW numbers , but it was doing good for Indy game..surely.
Actually, it sounds like your company is a bit bloated. A plug in (barring flash, but then again, when flash first started, it was probably only a few people) shouldn't require 40 people. I work for a company that does credit card processing and we're under 40 full timers and I'm sure a LOT more programming and sales goes on here.
WW2 Online has only about 13 full timers working on it.
As you well know, Jumpgate had only one person keeping it going for years (though that was/is "life support" I suppose).
The game was unfinished at realease and remains so today. That is the kiss of death. Hard core obsessive compulsive game addicts can apologize for bad code, bad graphics and bad mechanics, but the average part-time gamer cannot and should not see past them. One of the unspoken truths behind World of Warcraft's succes is the fact that it was released as a nearly bug-free game.
I work at a company that produces multimedia software and sells hundreds of thousands of copies of the software as well add-on products and we have just over 30 people.
I'll start of with telling you that I only read the first few posts but,just relax, people. Restructuring isn't always a euphemism for bad financials. During development orginizations have more work than when it's done. A lot of those devs will be very expensive and hard to justify after the heavy lifting is done.
Also, when you're on hard deadlines you'll keep people who know the project but may not fit the team for one reasn or another.
When you get to a stable code base and maintenance/update mode, you can clean up the team. It's possible that this is all there is. They can't say TOO much because there are people involved who have a right to privacy.
I'm rather certain that the massive layoff was due to financial issues not related to the Fallen Earth MMO or the feelings of Icarus's customer base. If anything, it is an indication that the individuals pumping capital into the company got cold feet or wanted to move their investments elsewhere.
I'm hoping that the skeleton crew is really there to weather out the turmoil until they see better days. It will be awful if those individuals are actually on hand to carry Icaurs through a liquidation.
Comments
They released 80% of their staff.
28 people very well may be enough to run an MMO, but I'm not optimistic. Look how little content has been released for this game since it's launch - now picture the future with only 20% of the team remaining.
I hope that patch 1.4 generates more revenue and sales for FE, I really do. Still, I can't help but feel that they could have done so many things different. But hindsight is 20/20.
Best of luck to them.
think SOE and what they did with SWG, sorry look like it's just BARELLY holding on and soon we might be saying goodbye to the ONE unique game in the universe that was left on the system
personally I'm feeling this is a warning to the end of fallen earth, and it's a shame, all the good games are pushed aside and the crappy ones that are just clone of the other clones out there are al that's left, why can't we have original unique games liek this stay and lose some of the stupid clone like games useing old tech and programing, LIKE the SOE verosn of SWG, when they droped the sandbox design, they became just anther clone, and no updates tot he graphics of anythign makes them not really worth paying money for ( but where ya gonna go for your Star wars fix )
this game Fallen earth was the one original feeling unique play syle game left on the system, and now they are being forced outta the runing, tis truelly a sad time for us all.
nothing worth saying =-)
I played for a free month and found the game to be pretty great. I saw where the game needed some polish though and the framerate was kind of erratic. I also experienced the occasional crash now and then. Despite the flaws it was one of the more immersive experiences I've had in an MMO. The "spell"mutation effects were just stupid though, and the flies, and the weapon animations. 9 )
On second thought... I think they could use another year of developement haha
"I'm not cheap I'm incredibly subconsciously financially optimized"
"The worst part of censorship is ------------------"
Well, frankly FE just isn't all that good. They kind of screwed up the best aspect of the game - crafting (by making evryone able to craft in all areas, and requiring grinding), and the game was too devoid of content to be a theme park, and not a sand box, either.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
It isnt a big issue that players can get every profession, the issue is that there is lack of pve content.
im maxed in allmost all professions except mutagenics. Ive canceled my subscription about 3 weeks ago i got bored of farming mats making stuff, heck i got over a gold and parts to make 7 interceptors xD.
And yea the worst stuff they did whas the fatique system, makes the game a mindless grindfest . And i dont see any point in nerfing the xp gain with crafting. Crafters arent going to be better in pvp then people that have their points spent in mutations and combat only.
And another thing that REALLY ruined the market whas that they put up quest npc's in the main city in s3 where you can easely get the most rare crafting mats.
And yea im playing WoW again.
I loved this game for a while until I began to realize that it had a Christian "Second Coming" theme. I finally cancelled my sub after a GM asked me if I had "Accepted Jesus Christ your personal savior".
Huh? What?
Are you serious?
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
Stupid decisions made the game fail - devs were foolish in that they listened to a very vocal minority that seemed determined to make sure FE became a niche game rather than a game with decent mechanics and reasonable conveniences.
The beginning of reasonable mechanics will see the light on the 7th of May, that's four days from now.
I think FE suffered a lot of subs due to implementation of fatigue system and nerfing of crafting xp. Moreover, there is very vocal minority in game which does more harm then good to the game.
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty -- Mahatma Gandhi
Why did they nerf crafting xp?
Crafting is one of the big selling features of this game.
What's next - elimination of offline crafting?
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
Here's the thing. The fatigue system (basically the fatigue rates) implemented in the PTS (test server) were much more severe that what ended up in the live system. I can't say what effect that particular decision had on subscriptions, but long term it was a good decision for the ingame economy.
Similarly, the exp nerf on crafting was the right balancing decision. It was certainly a beneficial decision for those playing crafters as their mains, instead of leveling offline alts. By having less offline crafter alts around, those crafter mains become more important, since the people become less self sufficient.
A third step that I would have liked to see, but is not implemented, is the limit to the maximum craftin skills so people specialise into certain crafting lines. Right now, given time and materials, somebody can learn every crafting recipe available in the game. Hence there is little diversity between crafters, while the majority is autonomous.
Bottom line, those changes should have been made during launch. The same holds true for changes that are scheduled for the 1.4 patch. Some things maybe unpopular, but they are for the benefit of the game in the long term.
Well.. the game was first advertisied as a 'level anyway you like'. It gave players freedom to either lvl by PVE, PVP or just collecting materials and crafting stuff. But down the line the so called hardcore PVP players didn't like the idea that players can level purely through crafting and minimal PVE. PVE players had no problem with it since most of them had a crafting alt or some crafting skills if not all.
So words like carebear began to fly around, the vocal minority made a very big deal regarding carfting XP so it has been nerfed to ground now. They lost a lot of subs due to this since there are more PVE players then PVP players in game.
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty -- Mahatma Gandhi
The main reason was to hinder people who created crafting alts for the sole puprose of feeding them materials to craft while offline. It basically distorted the whole offline crafting system, when you had players with 2-3 crafting atls levelling and this way.
The decision was beneficial for those playing crafters as mains, since it's now a lot more difficult to level an offline crafting alt. It's still doable, it just takes a lot longer.
I played the game through beta and then some, now when I log in I only see about 30 or 40 folks using the social function.
I am surprized that its not been shut down.
Wow. What a huge mistake. Crafting is the only reason I tried the game to begin with.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
It's all a matter of perception. Some people thought by reading the changes that the crafters were nerfed. Instead, the changes had the opposite effect. Those PvP players that you mentioned will not be able with the changes to make offline crafting alts that easily, thus becoming totally independant, thus undermining the pure main crafters.
Don't you find it rediculous when a player that has no crafting build whatsoever can just feed 2-3 alts with materials crafting stuff in parallel levelling them in parallel, thus becoming faster and totally independant than a pure crafter, especially regarding recipes that require tons of time?
Hi,
i disagree. There was hardly any reason to roll an alt in the game for carfting since you could craft almost anything on your main. if people were rolling alts it was because they want to be independent. The nerf was like adouble edges sword. In order to stop offline parallel leveling it discouraged players like me who had no alts and were pure crafting build. Since, players like me invested most point in crafting we are not as good in PVE or PVP like others.
So in a way it forces us to roll alts for PVE rather then encourage us to continue crafting.
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty -- Mahatma Gandhi
I am a crafter myself. PvE is not an issue. PvP is however, moreso without the changes that 1.4 patch will bring.
By devoting APs in a stat like Intelligence, which is needed for crafting, you're basically sacrificing either an extra skill line or an extra mutation line. Moreso if your crafter is melee, then you sacrifice APs for two stats lines, points that could have been spent in two mutation lines, two skill lines or alternatively raise anothe stat that would aid combat, like Willpower.
Basically what we're doing is to balance things to what we enjoy playing. You can make a pure crafter with minimal skills and maybe one mutation, but with charisma. You can make an all rounder, who can pick a bit of everything, but will miss specialisation. Or you can do a pure fighter, who will not have to compromise on anything.
Now imagine this. While you pick a crafter, which means that you're gimping your game in terms of PvP and secondary in some PvE, somebody else makes a pure fighter that can enjoy both PvP and PvE and create an offline alt crafter that he doesn't play but just feeds him with materials. So he's basically playing the part of the game that he enjoys the most, without compromising anything while at the same time undermining the necessity of your character as a crafter. You on the other hand, if you want to dable into PvP (and be competitive about it), you'll need to make another character and actively level them both.
In the end with the changes the crafters gain, despite the exp nerf. MMOs are supposed to be about choices down the character development process. As it was, people with pure PvP builds could have their cake and eat it too, while crafters were getting the short end of the stick.
Actually, it sounds like your company is a bit bloated. A plug in (barring flash, but then again, when flash first started, it was probably only a few people) shouldn't require 40 people. I work for a company that does credit card processing and we're under 40 full timers and I'm sure a LOT more programming and sales goes on here.
WW2 Online has only about 13 full timers working on it.
As you well know, Jumpgate had only one person keeping it going for years (though that was/is "life support" I suppose).
The game was unfinished at realease and remains so today. That is the kiss of death. Hard core obsessive compulsive game addicts can apologize for bad code, bad graphics and bad mechanics, but the average part-time gamer cannot and should not see past them. One of the unspoken truths behind World of Warcraft's succes is the fact that it was released as a nearly bug-free game.
I work at a company that produces multimedia software and sells hundreds of thousands of copies of the software as well add-on products and we have just over 30 people.
I'll start of with telling you that I only read the first few posts but,just relax, people. Restructuring isn't always a euphemism for bad financials. During development orginizations have more work than when it's done. A lot of those devs will be very expensive and hard to justify after the heavy lifting is done.
Also, when you're on hard deadlines you'll keep people who know the project but may not fit the team for one reasn or another.
When you get to a stable code base and maintenance/update mode, you can clean up the team. It's possible that this is all there is. They can't say TOO much because there are people involved who have a right to privacy.
-=[ Gaidin ]=-
well I didnt stay both thimes because they still havent corrected the many core flaws that cripple the growth and appeal of the game.
I see eallen earth as limping along for a few years and possibly closing up shop.
this is one of those games i almost want to play.
make a world, not a game, we dont want another game.
I'm rather certain that the massive layoff was due to financial issues not related to the Fallen Earth MMO or the feelings of Icarus's customer base. If anything, it is an indication that the individuals pumping capital into the company got cold feet or wanted to move their investments elsewhere.
I'm hoping that the skeleton crew is really there to weather out the turmoil until they see better days. It will be awful if those individuals are actually on hand to carry Icaurs through a liquidation.