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SWG is the BEST game ever!!!
longbow32
Member Posts: 14
Ok, so not really. Just wanted to let everyone know that you all are the topic of conversation in one of my college courses. I just finished up a semester in Computer Game Software Development and one of the big converstation pieces was how SOE has turned the SWG world upside down. In essence, if you want to succeed in the business of video game development then don't operate like SOE. The consensus seemed to agree that SOE made fallible promises, used questionable tricks to keep the game going and cared little for the customer base. Bottom line was...well, the bottom line. If it turns to that for a company and nothing else, the creativity and the fun is gone and that will in turn affect the gameplay.
Some of the demographics of those in my class who played the game, all with a varying degree of skills in programming or game art and design:
4 Females (all 30+ with kids) 2 with previous degrees
4 Males (all 30+) 1 with previous degree
3 Males (all 20+) all working on first degree
Myself, 32 years old, 1 previous degree in History (but I am a pilot in the military) and some hobby skills in computer programming.
Point is we have all been around and seen a lot. What we all had in common is we love games and want to create them in the business either as a hobby or as a career. We all came from different backgrounds and different cultures, from one end of the spectrum to the other. Every single one of those people had played SWG and quit due to the way they were treated by the game. It wan't fun anymore was the predominate excuse of everyone.
A lot of you need to remember that and quit defending the game just to defend it. If you like, so be it. I don't know how the NGE is, never played it but I do see the strife it has created. Make no bones about it, this game isn't what it should be. With the name of Star Wars, it should be out selling WOW by leaps and bounds (it's Star Wars for PETE's SAKE!!, I think a few bucks were made off SW). The major points of contention shouldn't be so prevalent. But the contention is there, and there is lots of it.
Me personally, I played the game for about 1.5 years up until the CU. Loved it!!! Became a Jedi Pre CU and then quit a few weeks after that since it wasn't my bag anymore. I recently started playing WOW and surprisingly, I like it a lot (although due to time constraints I am not on very much). Started on a brand new server and I having a blast. It's a simple game but it is just downright fun. Fun, try to remember that is the point of a game. That's why I and others in my class want to design games, because we love to see people having fun. Seems like SOE lost sight of that somewhere.
Well, was just trolling the forums and wanted to let you all know that we see your plight!! It's great to see all the passion involved with this game, too bad it's mostly negative. Ciao.
I forgot to mention, I am looking forward to a few games....LOTR Online and POTBS. Hopefully the former doesn't fall into the same pit as SWG (good name but poor <insert numerous problems here> and the latter should be quite different from the rest of those MMORPG's.
Comments
You sound nice.
Design us SWG2.
Thanks.
NGE Refugee.
Just remember that fun is a highly subjective thing. I believe that not all mind you, but many of those who enjoyed SWG belonged to the complex=fun crowd.
Right now I am on the verge of cancelling but what holds me back is that a lot of the games out there seems no better than the NGE version of SWG. I am not talking about bugs but the game concept itself.
If I do quit it'll be EVE for me.
Oh Art.. you know that is a load of crap. You really think 80-90% of the people who hate the nge HAVEN'T TRIED IT?!?!?!?
Get off that delusional horse, babe. I gave you MUCH more credit than that. You're starting to sound like Torres... or even smed. "If you don't like it, you haven't tried it"
Come on man. I thought better of you.
Shayde - SWG (dead)
Proud member of the Cabal.
It sounds great, so great in fact, I pitty those who canceled
I don't like it when you say things. - A Vanguard fan who does too.
09f911029d74e35bd84156c5635688c0
Amen. Thats what I have been saying all over the place, and ducking all the sh*t that gets flung at me for it. I don't know about the percentages. Actually I think most vets probably tried it, but not for a very long time, just a first impression kind of thing. You don't put 2+ years in a game and not even try the new version. But as for the strife thing, I am in complete agreement.
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Everything born must die. All that is, will come to ruin. This is the essence of Doom. So sayeth the Doomsayer.
Definition of Strife: bitter conflict or rivalry: bitter and sometimes violent conflict, struggle, or rivalry (SWG equals bitter not violent)
Here's a tip: Why don't you try not insulting everyone who comes on here and makes an objective comment about a game (I have read some of your great post and your blind defense of the game gets rather boring). I never said I didn't like the NGE, I was only making an observation of what I have seen from the forums and within my own school course. Get a grip will ya!
You are right, I know little about strife especially since I have spent about 2 years of my life in combat zones. Maybe you could teach me about strife hero.
________________________________
Everything born must die. All that is, will come to ruin. This is the essence of Doom. So sayeth the Doomsayer.
Just saw a comercial for SWG. It was about five minutes long. It said I could have all the disks I broke, BACK, for 19.95 when it is actually a 30 or 40 dollar I didn't pay enough attention.
Kinda hard to pay attention when your screaming at the tv.
Neptus - FFXI - Pandemonium
Neptus - WoW - Detheroc
Art..
I would guarantee 90% of the vets TRIED THE NGE before they quit. Why? BECAUSE THEY LOVED THAT GAME. They wanted to keep playing, just not in the horrible form it is now.
Then there has been a GREAT percentage of that 100k "trial people" who weren't new.. but were vets who weren't going to resubscribe to try it. D-load the free trial and see.. save 15 bucks. Hell, I d-loaded it and tried it again, so you have to count me towards that 100k.
The only question left is when will they pull the plug.
Shayde - SWG (dead)
Proud member of the Cabal.
It sounds great, so great in fact, I pitty those who canceled
I don't like it when you say things. - A Vanguard fan who does too.
09f911029d74e35bd84156c5635688c0
In the last EQLive Newsletter the Producer pointed out that SOE plans to let EQLive run for a long time, that they would care very much about the playerbase, and while they where working on improvements they would not touch the core game.
Since SOE felt the need to point this out, the SOEs treatment of SWG must have hurt them badly.
I reckon the different games are developed in different departments (I ignore the connection to LA here on purpose). And not all department heads are bright, as you can validate in every given company.
@Anarchy
Why would vets not try the NGE ? The subscribtion was running anyhow. According to SOE 80 pct of the players at the moments are vets (there is another thread in the forum about that) one might assume that a lot of 3, 6 or 12 month subscribtions will run out soon.
And since new players are not a common breed at the moment, the NGE can not exactly be said to be a success.
@Doomsayer
If you feel good about treated badly from a company you paying monthly fees to, be my guest. Of course it is only a game. But as long as a pay for it on a monthly base, i expect to be treated as a custumer. And if I am offered a 6 or 12 months contract I expect to be able to play the SAME game for this time.
Imagine you subscribe to a computer magazine, and after 2 or 3 months your subscribtion is changed to a magazine about collecting stamps. You receive a letter that according to research most gardeners would be more happy with collecting stamps, and because of the favour the publisher is doing you, a refund for your subscribtion time is not possible. Do you really believe this would make a lot of happy gardeners ?
Not for a while in my opinion. If SOE gets rid of any games in the near future, it will be either MxO or EQOA (as someone in another thread pointed out).
SWG had a pretty decent population count, and I would think it would take a lot more than just the NGE to bring the number of players down to MxO or (worse yet) EQOA levels.
*Shrug* That's what makes sense to me anyway...
Not for a while in my opinion. If SOE gets rid of any games in the near future, it will be either MxO or EQOA (as someone in another thread pointed out).
SWG had a pretty decent population count, and I would think it would take a lot more than just the NGE to bring the number of players down to MxO or (worse yet) EQOA levels.
*Shrug* That's what makes sense to me anyway...
While this is true to some extent, there's one thing that must be considered and has been brought up before on other threads. SOE must be paying a huge licensing fee to LA for using the Star Wars name. I don't claim to know what's the nature of their deal, but I'm pretty sure that the minute LA feels that SWG is not profitable, they'll drop SWG.
Entertain this for a minute, if you were George Lucas or anyone on his board of directors, you look at WoW and it's 5 million subscribers and wonder... "I wonder what would happen if I gave them the SW license to make a MMORPG..." Would you take your license and give it to them? Would you play a Star Wars MMORPG made by Blizzard?
SOE knows what you like... You don't!
And don't forget... I am forcing you to read this!
Ok I'll agree with that % as a "log in, my character sucks now, I quit" type of deal. But how many vets gave it a good try? Better still, how many vets have played since publish 26? I think my 80-90% didn't try figure makes more sense in that light. I know damn well so many of the people who quit were so incensed that SOE dare try and fix their broken fantasy world that they tried for about 10 minutes and quit forever. That isn't giving it a chance.
Fact is, even the NGE has improved a great deal since then, and will continue to improve as they never said it was fully implemented or complete. It is, however, a great deal more fun now in my saintedly humble opinion.
Oh, and it's not going to close down any time soon. My guess is your sig will be wrong for at least another 4 years.
I belive the best thing the players got out of this is that SOE woke up and realized that they players pay their wages. Times have changed, no longer does players tolerate what EQ players had to endure at times. SOE just woke up out of a bad dream and found out the reality wasnt very mutch different. SOE is no longer king of the hill, and now they know it.
The devs now has torches up their behinds, you better belive it. Se how powerful the cancellation button is?
First off, I never insulted you or anyone else, lately. I'm a happy guy despite what happened this christmas. See, my dad died. Now don't feel bad or anything, he's in a better place, but it does bring a lot of perspective to life. You stated you never even tried the NGE, and yet are here pounding the drum like this wasn't a video game but some revolutionary clash against apartheid. It's just a game, and it has nothing to do with strife as there are no lives at stake, that was my point. I get a little perturbed when someone compares this little episode in the history of video games to something that actually hurts people, because I have that kind of hurt fresh on the brain. This ain't shit compared to that.
Now as far as your combat experience, I salute and respect you, but I never tried to be a hero or to school you in any way, except that you compared a video game to actual strife. A bunch of angsty Star Wars fans pissed off because SOE decided to try and fix their borked game does not equal strife. I would think you would have some perspective on that.
First off, I never insulted you or anyone else, lately. I'm a happy guy despite what happened this christmas. See, my dad died. Now don't feel bad or anything, he's in a better place, but it does bring a lot of perspective to life. You stated you never even tried the NGE, and yet are here pounding the drum like this wasn't a video game but some revolutionary clash against apartheid. It's just a game, and it has nothing to do with strife as there are no lives at stake, that was my point. I get a little perturbed when someone compares this little episode in the history of video games to something that actually hurts people, because I have that kind of hurt fresh on the brain. This ain't shit compared to that.
Now as far as your combat experience, I salute and respect you, but I never tried to be a hero or to school you in any way, except that you compared a video game to actual strife. A bunch of angsty Star Wars fans pissed off because SOE decided to try and fix their borked game does not equal strife. I would think you would have some perspective on that.
Well said.
I'm not stating whether I'm pro-NGE or con, but I don't think it really matters. There was definitely some reason for serious complaint, I will admit, toward the beginning, but this whole forum has become the epitome of "beating a dead horse".
Vets have every right in the world not to like the NGE, but many of them feel the need to come on here and try and convince those that DO like it that they are somehow wrong. So they like it..who cares? As anarchy said, there are much more important things in life to get worked up about (and STAY worked up about--that's the key part) than a video game you can simply stop playing.
Anarchy: Very sorry about your dad. Hope everything is all right.
I agree with you, but you missunderstood me. I would never play WoW with a Star Wars coat. What I'm saying is basically the same thing you are. The reason for me thinking that SWG will close soon if something radical doesn't happen is that, looking from a monetary perspective, a company with a stellar record like Blizzard could make much more money than SOE ever could with the Star Wars license.
AA- Sorry about your loss bud! My condolences!
SOE knows what you like... You don't!
And don't forget... I am forcing you to read this!
I expect that designing games is a good deal trickier than criticizing them. You don't need to study game development to see what SOE did wrong. But as you and your classmates want to be games designers and as you've been studying the subject, what ideas would you have if you were given the task of designing SWG2? Imagine you were given the brief to make it accessible yet involving, innovative but not too radical, appealing to all age-groups, and dynamic yet respectful of the established lore. What would you come up with?
I understand the vets position. I wasn't treated badly by the NGE cause I didn't play SWG past 2 months after initial release. I like what they turned it into. I am sure my day is coming. When SOE will screw over the SWG I have grown to like, then i'll leave. And play another game.
I can see where you would like the game to stay the same for whatever length of contract you sign. That would be nice. But thats not even what it says on the box. Says, "Gameplay may experience change during online play." That doesn't mean just cause of all the other players. To me, that means they can change the game at any time in any direction. And I may not agree with it. That's why I never sign up for more than a month at a time. It may cost a little more. But I have the peace of mind to cancel and only lose whats left on my month.
And you analogy is flawed. They didnt change SWG to an MMORPG about the wild west, or something drastically different. Its still a Star Wars game. And I havent heard of any magazine subscriptions with an option to pay only monthly.
________________________________
Everything born must die. All that is, will come to ruin. This is the essence of Doom. So sayeth the Doomsayer.
Ok, maybe I came off a little harsh as well. So I apologize. You probably struck a nerve with me saying I know nothing about strife. Water under the bridge.
I am not beating a drum saying the game sucks or is wonderful, I am simply stating that I see a lot of ocnflict within this gaming community. Even you have to admit there is bitterness and conflict. I consider myself somewhat of an objective poster since I haven't played the NGE and can only comment on what I have seen in the forums, heard from friends and heard from others in my classroom.
To be perfectly honest, SWG was once a GREAT game in my opinion. I loved it and couldn't get enough of it. It was fun and I couldn't wait to play it. I think a lot of people felt that way at one time but now they feel the powers that be betrayed them. I think that is the reason why a lot of people, including myself, still read the forums. To find out what is that state of one of their favorite (or used to be favorite) games. What you have to understand is that those people have every right to do so. Maybe it makes them feel better, I don't know. I read the forums to keep up and rarely post. I just think it makes for an interesting read.
Sorry for you loss. I know in more ways than one how tough that is.
For one, disseminate information as accurately and timely as possible. Stay in touch with your customer base. That is the VERY short answer.
I wrote a few papers on this and SWG was actually mentioned a couple of times (again, on what not to do).
One thing I noticed in your comment below was appealing to all age groups. Is that way SWG does now? Did it ever? You have to think about that. Is SWG appealing to Gen X or the Millinneum Gen? IMO I think it really appealed to the GEN X at first....then they tried to change it up and that is where they lost a lot of customers.