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Pathfinder Online: Head Start Access Announced, Begins April 1st

SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
in News & Features Discussion

Ryan Dancey has posted on the Pathfinder Online site that a new phase of Early Enrollment will begin on April 1st. Called "Head Start", players can access the game for a $30 price tag that also includes a month of game time. Dancey clarifies that this is not the beginning of Open Enrollment, but is a new phase of the Early Enrollment program. Head Start was added due to server capacity exceeding expectations that allows more players to take part.

Backers at the $35 mark have been granted Head Start access and no further action is required to begin playing Pathfinder on April 1st. Players can log into their accounts and check the "Rewards" tab to ensure that Head Start is correctly activated.

Beginning April 1st, the Head Start program will be placed in the Pathfinder Shop at $30 for those who did not have an opportunity to back the game during KickStarter.

Read more about Head Start on the Pathfinder Online site.

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Comments

  • CopperfieldCopperfield Member RarePosts: 654

    i dont get the people from pathfinder online..

     

    I played the game with a key.. and the game is @ pre-alpha stage..

     

    Everything is very glunky.. from visuals to movements of mobs and players.

     

    I have a free hint for the developers of this company:

    If your kickstarter failed.. and are short on money.. but are convinced that you can make the game work delay the game.. because its not a playable game atm.

     

    Stop handing out free keys.. to a unfinished game.. people will get a wrong impression of the game.

     

    Delay your game and start polishing it.. it dont matter. 

  • goboygogoboygo Member RarePosts: 2,141

    I have backed them and play occasionally but like the previous poster said this game even for alpha is unplayable from a performance stand point.  I wont give companies a pass with the pre-alpha tag, if its pre-alpha NO ONE should be playing your game.

    I check the patch notes monthly and there is nothing going on with regards to optimization not even a mention of it, which tells me they really don't have a handle on it.

    I will sit back and wait for them to bring the game to a state where you can at least get over 30FPS on high end gaming rigs like mine.  I can only imagine what people with older rigs are going through while testing this game.

    I wish them luck and are pulling for them but they have a long long road to hoe.

  • crysentcrysent Member UncommonPosts: 841
    I like their play on words "early enrollment" "head start"...hmmm
  • BlinkennBlinkenn Member UncommonPosts: 166
    Next month itll be premature or primal headstart
  • RemyVorenderRemyVorender Member RarePosts: 4,006
    Interesting concepts aside, after getting a buddy key to try this out, I have to say that in its current form PFO is pretty much unplayable. It's just SO chunky, clunky and hard to move. I gave up after maybe 30 minutes as it was giving me a headache and making me a bit nauseous. 

    Joined 2004 - I can't believe I've been a MMORPG.com member for 20 years! Get off my lawn!

  • PixelPersonaPixelPersona Member UncommonPosts: 23

    Are they seriously charging a monthly sub for a game in "pre-alpha"?

    *sigh*

  • GolbezTheLionGolbezTheLion Member UncommonPosts: 347

    The CEO from GoblinWorks came on the site recently to answer questions.

    Of the forum users who responded, the majority made it very clear that this whole early enrollment fiasco was just wordsmithing to avoid the alpha tag, and that they should seek proper investors rather than relying on the userbase to pay a subscription during what is essentially the pre-alpha/alpha phase of development.

    This is how the company responds less than a week later...

    Sorry GoblinWorks, but I'm personally not interested in being bilked for my hard earned cash simply because you can't be bothered to seek out actual investors rather than being entirely reliant on the playerbase for your funding. The product you are offering currently is not worth the price of a monthly subscription, that is the bottom line.

     

     

  • JamesGoblinJamesGoblin Member RarePosts: 1,242
    Originally posted by GolbezTheLion

    The CEO from GoblinWorks came on the site recently to answer questions.

    Of the forum users who responded, the majority made it very clear that this whole early enrollment fiasco was just wordsmithing to avoid the alpha tag, and that they should seek proper investors rather than relying on the userbase to pay a subscription during what is essentially the pre-alpha/alpha phase of development.

    This is how the company responds less than a week later...

    Sorry GoblinWorks, but I'm personally not interested in being bilked for my hard earned cash simply because you can't be bothered to seek out actual investors rather than being entirely reliant on the playerbase for your funding. The product you are offering currently is not worth the price of a monthly subscription, that is the bottom line.

     

     

     

    It might be interesting to compare your (and many other`s) words with CEO`s, spoken a couple of days earlier:

     

    Originally posted by rsdancey

     

    Originally posted by JamesGoblin
    1) What is your total budget so far?

     

    We've spent more than $4 million, and we'll likely spend $2 - $3 million more before we get to Open Enrollment.

     

    2) How many players/subscribers you have at this very moment?

     

    3) What is the total number of players that subscribed since the beginning of early enrollment?.

     

    A lot. :) We are following the industry standard and not disclosing subscriber numbers.

     

    4) How many players approximately you need in the long run for the game to at least return the investment?

     

    We need 10,000 active accounts to achieve positive cashflow. We believe we'll have more than 100,000 active accounts in 3-4 years, similar to what CCP achieved early in EVE's lifecycle. That would be sufficient to generate a meaningful return on invested capital.

     

    5) Will we see any significant (or any at all) improvements/revamps of animations and/or graphics anytime soon (say, this year)?

     

    Yes. We continuously improve all that stuff. Every update includes some progress.

     

       I wonder what were these supposed $4m+ spent on?

     W...aaagh?
  • BluddwolfBluddwolf Member UncommonPosts: 355

    As for Ryan Daney's claim of "Industry Standards of not disclosing sub numbers", he often claims to be following the EvE Online model of slow but persistent growth.  BUT WAIT A TIC! 

    EvE Online openly displays their subscribers currently online, and the high amount for the month.  Not sure what industry standard he is talking about.  

    Also, if keeping to industry standards is so important to Ryan, than why is the is Buy-to-Play AND and Subscription based Alpha?  That is not an industry standard, from what I have seen in over a decade and across multiple dozens of MMOs.

    Another industry standard that apparently is overlooked is that when a game has a test server, new patches are actually tested there before they go live.  This does not seem to be the case, because every patch has brought with it new bugs and stability issues.  Now this is expected for a non test server using alpha, but then again.....  Ryan Dancey tries ever so hard to avoid calling PFO's stage of development for what it really is.....  Early Alpha.

    What he fails to realize is, the MMO community have Bullshit and Money Grab detectors, and his snake oil salesmenship is falling on the ears of disinterested parties.

     

     

     

     

    Played: E&B, SWG, Eve, WoW, COH, WAR, POTBS, AOC, LOTRO, AUTO.A, AO, FE, TR, WWII, MWO, TSW, SWTOR, GW2, NWO, WoP, RUST, LIF, SOA, MORTAL, DFUW, AA, TF, PFO, ALBO, and many many others....

  • Slapshot1188Slapshot1188 Member LegendaryPosts: 17,653

    April 1st...  perfect timing!

     

    So much for the robust population of "Crowdforgers"...

     

    All time classic  MY NEW FAVORITE POST!  (Keep laying those bricks)

    "I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator

    Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017. 

    Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018

    "Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018

  • OzmodanOzmodan Member EpicPosts: 9,726

    I don't want to bash indie developers that are trying to improve their game, but they have to let people know that the game is in a very rudimentary stage at the moment and not to expect much.

    I think they need to be honest with their advertising.

  • SunwolfNCSunwolfNC Member UncommonPosts: 188

    The game concept is amazing. I'd love to play it.

    *WHEN* it's ready... I don't get them trying to funnel paying people through their test builds. All it'll do is lead to a signal to noise ration of 90:10 on their forums. If they're looking for helpful feedback, there'll be so much trash to filter through to find it.

    Expand the closed Beta and get dedicated, hardcore, gamers, grinding through your code and testing it for you. Keep it off the general market.

    Then again, if money is the actual problem which is what's driving this decision, well, then.... things are much worse than I think they are...

  • BruceYeeBruceYee Member EpicPosts: 2,556
    Combat is why I stopped playing. If they improve that I might consider playing again.
  • F0URTWENTYF0URTWENTY Member UncommonPosts: 349

     

    They are still expecting people to pay a subscription for a game that looks like some student project made in a free game engine Unity. Ugliest graphics, worst combat. They basically made a ui that has eve online time skill progression, and expected people to park characters gaining xp and to pay a sub fee for it.

     

    Do not pay for a game that is not fun, and path finder is not fun. Who cares about gaining xp in a game that is not fun.

  • VorthanionVorthanion Member RarePosts: 2,749
    What is the payoff for the players other than a game that will want more money from them after it is made.  These companies need to come up with good ideas and sell them to investors and stop fleecing the very audience that would financially support a good released game.

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  • borghive49borghive49 Member RarePosts: 493

    I bought this game last week and after 2 hours of play I was wtf is this garbage? Got my refund asap. 

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