Dec 8th 2005 will be Horizons 2 year anniversary. It has made no significant impact on the MMO world other than an example of what an MMO developer should not be and who you shouldn't have as your CEO.
The graphics engine was outdated when it was released and is even more so now.
Client performance is still a SEVERE issue and the only real progress made there was reducing the portal memory leak which has been reduced though not eliminated. IMO the evolution engine itself is broken and needs to be replaced because it cannot handle any kind of mass placements like is required of an invasion.
Either way its going to be 2 years and we haven't even seen an expansion or upgrades. They are already behind the 8 ball for making any kind of impact in making horizons a premiere successful game. So it comes down to Horizons settling in and becoming a small niche game with its few loyal supporters. But never ever moving past that. Not at least with Tulga still at the controls and without a substantion investment of funds... which will not happen.
Originally posted by boeskyle Horizons is not about dragons - certainly not Dec. 2003, the content being "added" now is long overdue. Horizons is about multiclassing to build an optimal combat (or crafting) character (or group) and having fun in a land full of player conveniences. <-- non dragon character of course. AE --> TulgAE has made significant changes, such as revamping the biped plot construction Oct. 2004 (after the server merge Sep. 2004), tier V/VI "added" content, and steps toward completing the "after thought" race called dragons. As David Bowman (DB) has admitted, Horizons was released a year too early, perhaps more than a year. Their small staff is working on adding content (new and missing at release) and soon their quest editor will be finished for players to submit quests. Dragon lairs may actually be finished (or mostly) by December (2005, not 2004 as DB indicated Sep. 2004). And they are slowly improving the Evolution Engine (server/client). Level 120 and 120/120/120/..... characters should be coming soon along with Ancient only content. Hz powergamers will just need to wait more.
Boes,
Everybody loves their own game. But I find it extremely hard to understand your point. Horizons has already failed..! Updates or not, it's a failure.
Every game has updates... every game gets better, month by month, Patch by Patch. Artifact Entertainment did 3 major patches before it went bankrupt. At the same time Everquest did 19 Patches. (7 months)
Since Horizons has gone live... every game out there has updated. Some have doubled or tripled in size. David Bowman is eating his words because he has no choice, but Tulga (or AE) does not support their game.
Take a look at just a few patches made within just 1 month of EQ, EQ2 or even Saga of Ryzom. They are far more in depth and plentiful... and more to the core of problems, not superficial like wrond hair graphic on a Satyre..!
My point being, why are you so inpressed by what little Tulga has done to their game this year, let-alone the last 2 years...?
In that same time, SoR has had 22 Major patches in 2005. And these werent trying to fix a broken outdated engine... alot of them was adding massive content.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the Tulga DEV teams isn't trying, they are just sorely misguided and are trying to keep a sinking ship afloat. Their efforts are wasted.
Due yourself a favor and look at the work gone into some of the other games Development Patches, some of them are 6 pages long..! DB has promised alot over the last 3 years, the rest of the community has learned to ignore his lies.
Sorry, don't mean to troll or jump all over anyone, but your post just seemed empty in lue of the fact every game get better... HZ is just not worth $5/month for what you get.
Zvorak, I know. I'm just trying to present another viewpoint of what they did relative to sizes - subscribers and number of developers. You can't compare patch/content additions between Hz and major games like EQ2 and WoW (well unless they are scaled such as per developer or subscriber). Besides, most of the patch notes are database fixes and content "additions" missing at release.
It's kind of funny that the folks who live to bash Horizons seem to know all about how the game used to be but either ignore or downplay the changes and improvements that have been made since launch. That's fine; it doesn't change the fact that the game has improved significantly.
In beta, the bashers said the game would never launch. Right after launch, they said that the servers would be shut down in a month or two. Six months later, when AE went into Chapter 11, the bashers danced and sang that the end was near. A year later, here we are. The game is still running, some much-needed headcount is being added to the live team, and there is a steady influx of new and returning players to the subscriber base.
lol Klaus does that make you feel better in that little tiny world you live in ?
Fact is the game is still around because its CEO is a cro.... well he isn't honest and did manipulate legal proceedings. Sorry there is just no other way to put it. They have people working for them for free with the understanding they will get paid when they game makes money. Direct quote from one such person on the OFFICIAL boards. This isn't good whether you beleive it or not.
Regardless... Horizons will continue as a small game. But its leader has used his last wild card and 4 ACE hand. Now the game still has to continue on through legit and real hard work.
Will it be here ina year ? probably. But its never going to get any bigger player wise than it is now. Nescessary upgrades and enhancements won't happen unless it attracts 30,000 plus active subscribers. Right now you will be extremely lucky if it even has 15K IF THAT world wide.
So yes here you still are.... barely that is. Play the game enjoy it. But know the bashers or whatever have always been correct because Horizons never did become successful and never will. Being in the company of games like WWIIOnline and Shadowbane is hardly something to be proud of. Just goes to show you can indeed run an MMO using bubble gum and duct tape ( seen the specs on the servers that Horizons uses ? you would understand that comment then )
In the end it is indeed really sad. Horizons had the potential to be so much more. But it doesn't anymore at least not in the hands of Tulga.
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Why in the world would you troll a board for a game that you dont play? Bashers like you predicted the game would be dead and buried long ago. Some were so disappointed that it didnt happen when they said it would that they actively trolled multiple HZ boards trashing anyone who still played the game. So bent on being right that they made it their lifes work.
Well, its still here, and people no matter how few are still playing. I guess all that matters in the end is if you enjoy playing. If so, great, have fun. If not, then find something else to play and move on. Seems pointless to continue banging your head against the wall because people continue to play a game you despise.
Horizons is just a play ground for a few investors. Check every Horizons forum. You will figure out who they are. They probably set up some sort of LLC with profit sharing based on investment amounts. Some investors get mad as hell and leave and try and start their own game. DANGIT comes to mind. I would imagine even Dozer had some cash in this fiasco, thats why he is still so bitter about it. It really is a joke. Basically the paying $13 bucks a month customer is just content for the investors.
If you have played this game or have followed it long enough, its obvious. Changes made in the game, all the professional types that used to work on Horizons, gone. They have a skeleton crew and hire contract artist etc from time to time. A few interns, people like Ophelea who try and sale the game to dummies. And of course, the investors who try to deny it all.
The staff they do have working on the game are trying hard and do the best job they can with the tools they have. Just no direction or even worse directed by the investors(who dont know crap about gaming) and not enough experience.
Of Course Horizons could go on forever! Its a tax right off. The shards are empty with less than 300 folks playing at a time. Who knows how many people pay but dont play(either to lazy to cancel account or dont want to lose their plot etc) They have probably figured out their break-even point by now. Have the payroll and expenses under control and can just coast. They are not going to sink any major money into this game. Hire experts. It would make no sense. A new engine! hahaaaa Smoke another one, if you believe this.
NimKhazad still waiting for his $100 refund and permanently banned from Horizons Official Forums.
Originally posted by Dragonboy79 Maybe it is a surprise to some of you whiners, but some people actually like this game... If you cannot respect this please go troll some other forum...
What's your point exactly?
That some people like the game so by definition it is NOT a bad game, as the title of this thread implies? I like my football team, and supported them for years, through thick and thin, but I will not delude myself when I know they a playing badly.
Comments
Problem is this.
Dec 8th 2005 will be Horizons 2 year anniversary. It has made no significant impact on the MMO world other than an example of what an MMO developer should not be and who you shouldn't have as your CEO.
The graphics engine was outdated when it was released and is even more so now.
Client performance is still a SEVERE issue and the only real progress made there was reducing the portal memory leak which has been reduced though not eliminated. IMO the evolution engine itself is broken and needs to be replaced because it cannot handle any kind of mass placements like is required of an invasion.
Either way its going to be 2 years and we haven't even seen an expansion or upgrades. They are already behind the 8 ball for making any kind of impact in making horizons a premiere successful game. So it comes down to Horizons settling in and becoming a small niche game with its few loyal supporters. But never ever moving past that. Not at least with Tulga still at the controls and without a substantion investment of funds... which will not happen.
Boes,
Everybody loves their own game. But I find it extremely hard to understand your point. Horizons has already failed..! Updates or not, it's a failure.
Every game has updates... every game gets better, month by month, Patch by Patch. Artifact Entertainment did 3 major patches before it went bankrupt. At the same time Everquest did 19 Patches. (7 months)
Since Horizons has gone live... every game out there has updated. Some have doubled or tripled in size. David Bowman is eating his words because he has no choice, but Tulga (or AE) does not support their game.
Take a look at just a few patches made within just 1 month of EQ, EQ2 or even Saga of Ryzom. They are far more in depth and plentiful... and more to the core of problems, not superficial like wrond hair graphic on a Satyre..!
Everquest patch notes (3 in October alone)
Everquest 2 patch notes (12 in October alone)
Saga of Ryzom patch notes (3 in October alone)
My point being, why are you so inpressed by what little Tulga has done to their game this year, let-alone the last 2 years...?
In that same time, SoR has had 22 Major patches in 2005. And these werent trying to fix a broken outdated engine... alot of them was adding massive content.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the Tulga DEV teams isn't trying, they are just sorely misguided and are trying to keep a sinking ship afloat. Their efforts are wasted.
Due yourself a favor and look at the work gone into some of the other games Development Patches, some of them are 6 pages long..! DB has promised alot over the last 3 years, the rest of the community has learned to ignore his lies.
Sorry, don't mean to troll or jump all over anyone, but your post just seemed empty in lue of the fact every game get better... HZ is just not worth $5/month for what you get.
Thanks, but please read those links...
It's kind of funny that the folks who live to bash Horizons seem to know all about how the game used to be but either ignore or downplay the changes and improvements that have been made since launch. That's fine; it doesn't change the fact that the game has improved significantly.
In beta, the bashers said the game would never launch. Right after launch, they said that the servers would be shut down in a month or two. Six months later, when AE went into Chapter 11, the bashers danced and sang that the end was near. A year later, here we are. The game is still running, some much-needed headcount is being added to the live team, and there is a steady influx of new and returning players to the subscriber base.
And there's nothing the bashers can do about it.
Guildleader, Mithril Council, Chaos
lol Klaus does that make you feel better in that little tiny world you live in ?
Fact is the game is still around because its CEO is a cro.... well he isn't honest and did manipulate legal proceedings. Sorry there is just no other way to put it. They have people working for them for free with the understanding they will get paid when they game makes money. Direct quote from one such person on the OFFICIAL boards. This isn't good whether you beleive it or not.
Regardless... Horizons will continue as a small game. But its leader has used his last wild card and 4 ACE hand. Now the game still has to continue on through legit and real hard work.
Will it be here ina year ? probably. But its never going to get any bigger player wise than it is now. Nescessary upgrades and enhancements won't happen unless it attracts 30,000 plus active subscribers. Right now you will be extremely lucky if it even has 15K IF THAT world wide.
So yes here you still are.... barely that is. Play the game enjoy it. But know the bashers or whatever have always been correct because Horizons never did become successful and never will. Being in the company of games like WWIIOnline and Shadowbane is hardly something to be proud of. Just goes to show you can indeed run an MMO using bubble gum and duct tape ( seen the specs on the servers that Horizons uses ? you would understand that comment then )
In the end it is indeed really sad. Horizons had the potential to be so much more. But it doesn't anymore at least not in the hands of Tulga.
LMAO
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Why in the world would you troll a board for a game that you dont play? Bashers like you predicted the game would be dead and buried long ago. Some were so disappointed that it didnt happen when they said it would that they actively trolled multiple HZ boards trashing anyone who still played the game. So bent on being right that they made it their lifes work.
Well, its still here, and people no matter how few are still playing. I guess all that matters in the end is if you enjoy playing. If so, great, have fun. If not, then find something else to play and move on. Seems pointless to continue banging your head against the wall because people continue to play a game you despise.
Hmm..is it good now?
My friend brought this game and he stopped played after 2 days...so i didnt bought it...
He and I are played Online based games include MUD games...and he said "OMFG this is worst game he ever played in his lifetime.."
Question is is it good now?
Horizons is a great game imo,
unfortunately the b.net kiddies fail to see that
granted at launch horzions wasnt up to par, i played it from launch till 9 months in then canceled
im going back to it after AC2 gets the axe
Horizons is just a play ground for a few investors. Check every Horizons forum. You will figure out who they are. They probably set up some sort of LLC with profit sharing based on investment amounts. Some investors get mad as hell and leave and try and start their own game. DANGIT comes to mind. I would imagine even Dozer had some cash in this fiasco, thats why he is still so bitter about it. It really is a joke. Basically the paying $13 bucks a month customer is just content for the investors.
If you have played this game or have followed it long enough, its obvious. Changes made in the game, all the professional types that used to work on Horizons, gone. They have a skeleton crew and hire contract artist etc from time to time. A few interns, people like Ophelea who try and sale the game to dummies. And of course, the investors who try to deny it all.
The staff they do have working on the game are trying hard and do the best job they can with the tools they have. Just no direction or even worse directed by the investors(who dont know crap about gaming) and not enough experience.
Of Course Horizons could go on forever! Its a tax right off. The shards are empty with less than 300 folks playing at a time. Who knows how many people pay but dont play(either to lazy to cancel account or dont want to lose their plot etc) They have probably figured out their break-even point by now. Have the payroll and expenses under control and can just coast. They are not going to sink any major money into this game. Hire experts. It would make no sense. A new engine! hahaaaa Smoke another one, if you believe this.
NimKhazad still waiting for his $100 refund and permanently banned from Horizons Official Forums.
Maybe it is a surprise to some of you whiners, but some people actually like this game...
If you cannot respect this please go troll some other forum...
=> Horizons : Empire of Istaria <=
Rvlion, Dralion, Sslion. (Retired due to bad management and service of GN)
=> Star Wars Galaxies <=
Dralion the Human (Cancelled 2 hours after playing the "improved game")
What's your point exactly?
That some people like the game so by definition it is NOT a bad game, as the title of this thread implies? I like my football team, and supported them for years, through thick and thin, but I will not delude myself when I know they a playing badly.