Star Wars Galaxies has to be THE most mismanaged game in the history of MMORPG's.
The history of this game is filled with drama, and heartbreak, and as another poster stated, the only reason it's still around, is the Star Wars franchise name.
The Star Wars universe is an IDEAL setting for an MMO, really a nice break from the fantasy genre. The real problems with SWG could probably all be attributed to the Jedi character class.
Implementing a single Alpha class, and then trying to "balance" gameplay for all other 32 professions around this single abnormality (which should have NEVER been introduced to the game), pretty much single handly has cuased every major problem that game has suffered through.
The worst thing about it is, the developers of the game have spent two years trying to fix one profession (Jedi), instead of everything else in the game.
If they had devoted as much time to thier inovative Combat Upgrade (which was nothing more than transferring pre-exsisting code over from EQ2), as they did "fixing" (neutering) Jedi, this would probably be a great game today.
As it stands now, SWG will probably long be the model for the MMO industry as a whole, of exactly how NOT to design, and run, an MMO.
I for one hope Lucas Arts see's the error of it's ways in giving SOE this franchise, and allows another company a chance to build a REAL Star Wars MMO.
Face it, it would take another company alot of WORK to screw it up any more than SOE already has.
Sad, becuase Star Wars is loved by so many gamers, and SOE used that love to drag them all down a briar path, with a carrot on a stick, but has never delivered on creating a true Star Wars gaming experience.
Don't believe me, just log in to any server, and look at the plethora of immersion breaking Jedi running around yelling, "I wil PWN JOO!".
Anyway, I really hope they DO make another Star Wars MMO, becuase SOE's version is plain and simply, a pathitc mess.
signed:
EX-swg player
P.S. There may seem to be a little higher than average server traffic right now, but after all the Episode 3 noobs the movie brought in, get bored with the fugly combat system, and tired of SOE's non-exsistant customer service, they'll be leaving in the droves they arrived with.
I'd say by the end of the year, SWG will be in the throes of it's death spiral.
If it were a horse, someone would have already shot it by now.
Originally posted by nuttinpop SWG is a flop. Anyone that believes it is alive and well just isn't paying attention to the ex-customers. I think it will take a major effort to revitalize it. It is boring. *yawn*
Lemme see. Anywhere between 250 and 300 k paying subscribers (a MMORPG is usually called "successful" when it passes 50k) . Anywhere between 500k and a million boxes sold since summer 2003. Generates pure profit for SOE since early 2004. Has satisfied SOEs marketing expectations in 2003. That does NOT sound like a flop.
From an economical point of view SWG is a resounding success for SOE. For the players it could have been better and I think management is to blame, but thats another story. Sony and Lucas Arts should leech less money out of it and invest more into quality control and innovation.
That WoW has set a new standard for the other games ... THAT happened in late 2004 and now in 2005 .... and was the best thing that could have happened to SOE and all the other companies because it forces them to make their games BETTER. Keep in mind that Blizzard has set new standards for accessability and number of subscribers, not necessarily for bug-freeness, customer service, server stability, balance or innovation ... they are learning
If you think SWG is boring then usually it is .. because YOU make it so (have ya been grinding for Jedi the last 6 months maybe ??). For the rest of us ... with some creativity and team spirit, SWG is a great game because WE make it so.
Not been paying attention to player demands ... well, they DID change combat because many players wanted them too (they maybe changed too much, but thats another story). They DID add space, and quests, and new planets and more loot and a reason to fight PvP and removed TEF and balanced professions ... all because players asked them to do it. Alas, they also added too many Jedi because the players asked them to do it (even if people like me and others think they have introduced too many). If you are a MMORPG developer you can NEVER satisfy ALL player demands by definition ... because they are so diverse AND contradictory.
Originally posted by freethinker i logged on to the eclipse server and started lagging because there were a ton of people playing the game. there was an abundance of vendors and i went to dantooine and got a hunting group right away. what servers are YOU people playing on?? maybe you should move to one of the more populated servers. or maybe you're just trying to dog swg because you don't like it. i'm placing my credits on the latter
Tarquinas server, city of Atlantia on Naboo. I also played my old character on Valcyn, which had alot less people than it did in the old days. I don't spew out BS like some people, you can go ahead and ask the mayor yourself, my usernames were Dinion and Gallient(I have 2 accounts). I also got my 1-year veteran reward, ADK.
Probably should mention I also attended the first fan fest, 800 miles from my home city.
edit: seriously though, if the game is doing so great and there are so many more people playing why hasn't SOE released any numbers?
---------------------------------- MMOs Retired From: Earth and Beyond, Project Entropia, There, A Tale in the Desert, Star Wars Galaxies, World of Warcraft, Eve Online, City of Heroes/Villains.
Originally posted by Dinion edit: seriously though, if the game is doing so great and there are so many more people playing why hasn't SOE released any numbers?
Because any number that would have started serious partying in upper level management one year ago (like 300k+) now pales compared to 2-3 million WoW subscribers.
Originally posted by Dinion edit: seriously though, if the game is doing so great and there are so many more people playing why hasn't SOE released any numbers?
Because any number that would have started serious partying in upper level management one year ago (like 300k+) now pales compared to 2-3 million WoW subscribers.
Have fun
Erillion
Yeah that makes sense.
Though...
With all the "SWG is dieing" threads and rumors going around and if SWG subscriptions were really rising I think SOE would want to put that rumor to rest. EVEs been posting new server records for people online simultaneously, it seems to be working because that number keeps rising. SOE is the king of advertising, from my experience they avoid talking about negative things and stick to the exagerated positive. If subscriptions were really up I can't imagine why they wouldn't make that public, even if its just to say exactly that and not post numbers.
---------------------------------- MMOs Retired From: Earth and Beyond, Project Entropia, There, A Tale in the Desert, Star Wars Galaxies, World of Warcraft, Eve Online, City of Heroes/Villains.
You (being a fellow EVE player if your avatar picture is any indication) know as well as I do that the new server record announcement is a joke. Some 200-300 more simultanously than before does not interest anyone ... again compared to another press release that Blizzard will get 500.000-1.000.000 more players from the WoW release in China. If they break 13k on one shard, that may be worth a footnote in the history of MMORPGS, but nothing more.
EVE is growing because its a very good game and CCP (or should I say Vivendi) is managing it better than Sony does with SWG. But it IS a niche product that FINALLY has broken into the range where you can call it a financial success (50k+ players) ... and that after 2 years. What IS noteworthy is that contrary to almost EVERY other MMORPGs it has a steady growth and not your typical peaking, followed by a slow decline.
Originally posted by Erillion You (being a fellow EVE player if your avatar picture is any indication) know as well as I do that the new server record announcement is a joke. Some 200-300 more simultanously than before does not interest anyone ... again compared to another press release that Blizzard will get 500.000-1.000.000 more players from the WoW release in China. If they break 13k on one shard, that may be worth a footnote in the history of MMORPGS, but nothing more. EVE is growing because its a very good game and CCP (or should I say Vivendi) is managing it better than Sony does with SWG. But it IS a niche product that FINALLY has broken into the range where you can call it a financial success (50k+ players) ... and that after 2 years. What IS noteworthy is that contrary to almost EVERY other MMORPGs it has a steady growth and not your typical peaking, followed by a slow decline. have fun Erillion
Only played the 2 week trial, really liked the game but I just couldn't stand the slow pace . Have nothing else to use as an avatar so I just screenshoted my eve portrait .
---------------------------------- MMOs Retired From: Earth and Beyond, Project Entropia, There, A Tale in the Desert, Star Wars Galaxies, World of Warcraft, Eve Online, City of Heroes/Villains.
In my opinion Star wars is getting a bit boring....
NOw face the facts Star wars 3: Revenge of the Sith video game was not good it was to short and LEGO Star Wars was boring, i got 100 percent complete within 2 days.
Most off the others were boring as well.
The only one that i am going to rent out is.......... Star Wars Battlefront 2.
Originally posted by Chris:) In my opinion Star wars is getting a bit boring.... NOw face the facts Star wars 3: Revenge of the Sith video game was not good it was to short and LEGO Star Wars was boring, i got 100 percent complete within 2 days. Most off the others were boring as well. The only one that i am going to rent out is.......... Star Wars Battlefront 2.
SW: battlefront was such a dissapointment to me.
---------------------------------- MMOs Retired From: Earth and Beyond, Project Entropia, There, A Tale in the Desert, Star Wars Galaxies, World of Warcraft, Eve Online, City of Heroes/Villains.
ok im a novice member but when it comes to swg im defenantly not a novice ok if the game sucks flush your player. thats why all the servers are full people arnt actualy deleting there players and before you go and throw the game away i herd they are making another exspanshion pack but there going to let people on before hand so we do all!!!! the building.
i come in paece untill i shoot lol i do come in peace
You know, I had an idea. Why don't all of us make a petition to get rid of billing fees and other problems in the game. As you keep saying they are in need of new members and we can make the point that not having subscription charges will help them get more members. Instead of waiting for a new star wars mmorpg to come oout why not take action and change the current one so it is better. So I say get moving or stop complaining!
I think the problem with the first SWG (and i did play it) was everyone had already knew so much about star wars and the world that SWG focsed around it got boring. The guilds keep it interesting but the updates screwed that up. With a KOTOR mmorpg it pretty much all new and alot more exciting.
Comments
Star Wars Galaxies has to be THE most mismanaged game in the history of MMORPG's.
The history of this game is filled with drama, and heartbreak, and as another poster stated, the only reason it's still around, is the Star Wars franchise name.
The Star Wars universe is an IDEAL setting for an MMO, really a nice break from the fantasy genre. The real problems with SWG could probably all be attributed to the Jedi character class.
Implementing a single Alpha class, and then trying to "balance" gameplay for all other 32 professions around this single abnormality (which should have NEVER been introduced to the game), pretty much single handly has cuased every major problem that game has suffered through.
The worst thing about it is, the developers of the game have spent two years trying to fix one profession (Jedi), instead of everything else in the game.
If they had devoted as much time to thier inovative Combat Upgrade (which was nothing more than transferring pre-exsisting code over from EQ2), as they did "fixing" (neutering) Jedi, this would probably be a great game today.
As it stands now, SWG will probably long be the model for the MMO industry as a whole, of exactly how NOT to design, and run, an MMO.
I for one hope Lucas Arts see's the error of it's ways in giving SOE this franchise, and allows another company a chance to build a REAL Star Wars MMO.
Face it, it would take another company alot of WORK to screw it up any more than SOE already has.
Sad, becuase Star Wars is loved by so many gamers, and SOE used that love to drag them all down a briar path, with a carrot on a stick, but has never delivered on creating a true Star Wars gaming experience.
Don't believe me, just log in to any server, and look at the plethora of immersion breaking Jedi running around yelling, "I wil PWN JOO!".
Anyway, I really hope they DO make another Star Wars MMO, becuase SOE's version is plain and simply, a pathitc mess.
signed:
EX-swg player
P.S. There may seem to be a little higher than average server traffic right now, but after all the Episode 3 noobs the movie brought in, get bored with the fugly combat system, and tired of SOE's non-exsistant customer service, they'll be leaving in the droves they arrived with.
I'd say by the end of the year, SWG will be in the throes of it's death spiral.
If it were a horse, someone would have already shot it by now.
RIP SWG
/rantoff
Lemme see. Anywhere between 250 and 300 k paying subscribers (a MMORPG is usually called "successful" when it passes 50k) . Anywhere between 500k and a million boxes sold since summer 2003. Generates pure profit for SOE since early 2004. Has satisfied SOEs marketing expectations in 2003. That does NOT sound like a flop.
From an economical point of view SWG is a resounding success for SOE. For the players it could have been better and I think management is to blame, but thats another story. Sony and Lucas Arts should leech less money out of it and invest more into quality control and innovation.
That WoW has set a new standard for the other games ... THAT happened in late 2004 and now in 2005 .... and was the best thing that could have happened to SOE and all the other companies because it forces them to make their games BETTER. Keep in mind that Blizzard has set new standards for accessability and number of subscribers, not necessarily for bug-freeness, customer service, server stability, balance or innovation ... they are learning
If you think SWG is boring then usually it is .. because YOU make it so (have ya been grinding for Jedi the last 6 months maybe ??). For the rest of us ... with some creativity and team spirit, SWG is a great game because WE make it so.
Not been paying attention to player demands ... well, they DID change combat because many players wanted them too (they maybe changed too much, but thats another story). They DID add space, and quests, and new planets and more loot and a reason to fight PvP and removed TEF and balanced professions ... all because players asked them to do it. Alas, they also added too many Jedi because the players asked them to do it (even if people like me and others think they have introduced too many). If you are a MMORPG developer you can NEVER satisfy ALL player demands by definition ... because they are so diverse AND contradictory.
Have fun
Erillion
Tarquinas server, city of Atlantia on Naboo. I also played my old character on Valcyn, which had alot less people than it did in the old days. I don't spew out BS like some people, you can go ahead and ask the mayor yourself, my usernames were Dinion and Gallient(I have 2 accounts). I also got my 1-year veteran reward, ADK.
Probably should mention I also attended the first fan fest, 800 miles from my home city.
edit: seriously though, if the game is doing so great and there are so many more people playing why hasn't SOE released any numbers?
----------------------------------
MMOs Retired From: Earth and Beyond, Project Entropia, There, A Tale in the Desert, Star Wars Galaxies, World of Warcraft, Eve Online, City of Heroes/Villains.
MMOs Currently (worth) Playing: None.
MMO hopefuls: Age of Conan.
Because any number that would have started serious partying in upper level management one year ago (like 300k+) now pales compared to 2-3 million WoW subscribers.
Have fun
Erillion
Because any number that would have started serious partying in upper level management one year ago (like 300k+) now pales compared to 2-3 million WoW subscribers.
Have fun
Erillion
Yeah that makes sense.
Though...
With all the "SWG is dieing" threads and rumors going around and if SWG subscriptions were really rising I think SOE would want to put that rumor to rest. EVEs been posting new server records for people online simultaneously, it seems to be working because that number keeps rising. SOE is the king of advertising, from my experience they avoid talking about negative things and stick to the exagerated positive. If subscriptions were really up I can't imagine why they wouldn't make that public, even if its just to say exactly that and not post numbers.
----------------------------------
MMOs Retired From: Earth and Beyond, Project Entropia, There, A Tale in the Desert, Star Wars Galaxies, World of Warcraft, Eve Online, City of Heroes/Villains.
MMOs Currently (worth) Playing: None.
MMO hopefuls: Age of Conan.
You (being a fellow EVE player if your avatar picture is any indication) know as well as I do that the new server record announcement is a joke. Some 200-300 more simultanously than before does not interest anyone ... again compared to another press release that Blizzard will get 500.000-1.000.000 more players from the WoW release in China. If they break 13k on one shard, that may be worth a footnote in the history of MMORPGS, but nothing more.
EVE is growing because its a very good game and CCP (or should I say Vivendi) is managing it better than Sony does with SWG. But it IS a niche product that FINALLY has broken into the range where you can call it a financial success (50k+ players) ... and that after 2 years. What IS noteworthy is that contrary to almost EVERY other MMORPGs it has a steady growth and not your typical peaking, followed by a slow decline.
have fun
Erillion
----------------------------------
MMOs Retired From: Earth and Beyond, Project Entropia, There, A Tale in the Desert, Star Wars Galaxies, World of Warcraft, Eve Online, City of Heroes/Villains.
MMOs Currently (worth) Playing: None.
MMO hopefuls: Age of Conan.
OK, tell me why after 2 years i canceled 3 account's 2 being 2 years old, 1 being my origonal beta account.
SOE has thee poorest customer service, Most bug's in live servers, Not to mension new DEV's that no nothing about star wars...
WOOT! I am a rebel, for my 2 year award i got a star destroyer holo! ??????? for a rebel?
In my opinion Star wars is getting a bit boring....
NOw face the facts Star wars 3: Revenge of the Sith video game was not good it was to short and LEGO Star Wars was boring, i got 100 percent complete within 2 days.
Most off the others were boring as well.
The only one that i am going to rent out is.......... Star Wars Battlefront 2.
----------------------------------
MMOs Retired From: Earth and Beyond, Project Entropia, There, A Tale in the Desert, Star Wars Galaxies, World of Warcraft, Eve Online, City of Heroes/Villains.
MMOs Currently (worth) Playing: None.
MMO hopefuls: Age of Conan.
i come in paece untill i shoot lol i do come in peace
You know, I had an idea. Why don't all of us make a petition to get rid of billing fees and other problems in the game. As you keep saying they are in need of new members and we can make the point that not having subscription charges will help them get more members. Instead of waiting for a new star wars mmorpg to come oout why not take action and change the current one so it is better. So I say get moving or stop complaining!
SCREW THE SYSTEM!
Not a sequel, but potentially, with Bioware and LA's agreement, it will be a KOTOR MMO
I think the problem with the first SWG (and i did play it) was everyone had already knew so much about star wars and the world that SWG focsed around it got boring. The guilds keep it interesting but the updates screwed that up. With a KOTOR mmorpg it pretty much all new and alot more exciting.