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Tuesday, September 04, 2007
SOE - We try harder
In 1962 car rental company Avis adopted a corporate motto and advertising slogan that was so good that it is regularly mentioned in books about business and advertising: "We try harder". The reason why this has become so famous is that by admitting that they were not the biggest company, AVIS was able to tout that as an advantage over the much bigger Hertz. Well, the slogan is taken, but when I look at Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) nowadays it appears that the sentiment is there. SOE is trying harder.
Like most MMORPG players I used to be not a fan of SOE. For years it was them who were the market leaders, which lead to them not trying very hard. They had lousy customer service, and the quality of their games and expansions declined after the Ruins of Kunark EQ1 expansion. Hubris lead them to tackle World of Warcraft head on in November 2004, releasing a not-quite-finished EQ2 two weeks before WoW was released. With WoW ending up with over 20 times more subscribers than EQ2, it is safe to say that SOE lost that fight.
Being caught up in World of Warcraft, I lost track of SOE. Now looking again at them in 2007, I find the company has changed, and we might need to reconsider our old prejudices against them. The big market leader who is not trying very hard nowadays is Blizzard. Meanwhile SOE launched a whole bunch of new ideas, concepts, and business strategies full of innovation. Now some of these new ideas are controversial, but to me that is just a sign of how SOE dares to break out of the classic mold.
The most controversial new approach is opening up to real money trade (RMT), allowing the sale of virtual items and currency for real dollars on some EQ2 servers. By providing a secure trading platform the Station Exchange prevents much of the scamming going on in the black markets of other games. Of course some people hate RMT with all their heart, but I think offering servers with and without Station Exchange is a good compromise.
Similarily controversial is the introduction of "velvet rope" payment schemes, different from the monthly-fee-plus-expansions business model that everybody else has. This started small, with buyable Adventure Packs for EQ2. This week's release of Legends of Norrath, an online trading card game integrated into EQ1 and EQ2 is another big step. And SOE announced their spy MMO The Agency would be "free to play" in the basic version, with people buying virtual items and added content providing the income.
Another interesting development in SOE is that they are increasingly buying up or publishing smaller games from other developers. They took over Vanguard after it failed, otherwise it would have shut down. They are the publisher of the upcoming Gods & Heroes, and Pirates of the Burning Seas games, although apparently with different sorts of contracts and different degrees of integration. Some of these acquired games are part of the Station Access system, where for one monthly fee you get access to all the games on the list, including EQ1, EQ2, Planetside, SWG, Vanguard, and presumably PotBS.
Now I'm not saying that SOE is anywhere near catching up to Blizzard. I don't have numbers for revenues and profit, but my guess would be that SOE is third behind Blizzard and NCSoft. Not quite sure where Turbine fits in that order, they recently claimed second place behind WoW, but only on a limited market. Some of the new business models SOE is proposing simply won't work. And all the games on the Station Access together still have only a fraction of the subscribers of WoW. But I do give SOE credit for trying harder, and especially for trying some new things. As much as we are used to it, the monthly fee business model has it's disadvantages, and having some alternatives to that would be a good thing. At the very least one company aggressively pushing new ideas forces all the other companies to stay awake, instead of just milking their cash cows to the detriment of the players.
- posted by Tobold @ 8:13 AM Permanent Link
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Here is a linky for anyone who wants to know more about the Avis campaign but is too lazy to google.
Not sure if I put SOE in the Avis role though. NCSoft have shown themselves to be very agile and creative 2nd place followers to Blizzard.
Not sure if I put SOE in the Avis role though. NCSoft have shown themselves to be very agile and creative 2nd place followers to Blizzard.
Tobold, seriously... SOE games are not fun and poorly thought out. Planetside was great while it lasted but frankly it died pretty quickly with poor new content implementation. SOE never cared for the customer base. I was there and I got burned too.
Blizzard is not trying hard? They are at the top of the class and you know that. The artists working with Blizzard deliver great concepts always in great mastery of the trade. Blizzard has been keeping WoW alive with constant vigilance and content implementation. I have not seen many game with so much continued efforts backed by devoted teams. I wonder if you are still sore of the Paladin woes? They are bringing changes to the class like they have always done. Every single time, Blizzard has pulled through with great games at the top of what is offered in the market with continued support.
SOE is pale in comparison. Blizzard is not done yet in surprising the online player base as you know they have other projects under the hood.
Quite frankly, SOE's efforts appear more to be a gesture of desperation to attract a few more subscriptions before the management axe comes slashing down. The Sony PS3 fiasco is an indication in my opinion of the oddly improvised vision going on in Sony's ranks.
But time will tell.
Blizzard is not trying hard? They are at the top of the class and you know that. The artists working with Blizzard deliver great concepts always in great mastery of the trade. Blizzard has been keeping WoW alive with constant vigilance and content implementation. I have not seen many game with so much continued efforts backed by devoted teams. I wonder if you are still sore of the Paladin woes? They are bringing changes to the class like they have always done. Every single time, Blizzard has pulled through with great games at the top of what is offered in the market with continued support.
SOE is pale in comparison. Blizzard is not done yet in surprising the online player base as you know they have other projects under the hood.
Quite frankly, SOE's efforts appear more to be a gesture of desperation to attract a few more subscriptions before the management axe comes slashing down. The Sony PS3 fiasco is an indication in my opinion of the oddly improvised vision going on in Sony's ranks.
But time will tell.
# posted by 
: 4/9/07 11:53
: 4/9/07 11:53
Blizzard is not trying hard? They are at the top of the class and you know that. The artists working with Blizzard deliver great concepts always in great mastery of the trade.
Top of the class in what? I give you polish, execution, even art (I like WoW art better than EQ2 art, but not everyone agrees on that). But Blizzard is not top of the class in every single aspect of their game. For example the web-based EQ2 guild and character features blow the WoW Armory out of the water. Player housing is present in SWG, EQ2, and Vanguard, but absent in WoW. The EQ2 tradeskill system is better than the WoW one.
But what I'm talking about is not the status quo, but the way forward. And sorry, if the announcement of the Wrath of the Lich King had you think that Blizzard is trying hard to improve their game, you've been watching a different announcement than I did. Except for the first hero class WotLK is just more of the same.
And where are Blizzard's innovation in payment models? Why can a Chinese player pay for WoW by the hour, but I can't? Why are people who play few hours per month effectively subsidizing those who play a lot? Where is the option of a lifetime subscription? Where is the server with secure RMT? Why aren't raid dungeons that only 2% of the players use sold as adventure packs for extra income?
And where are all the other Blizzard MMORPGs? Okay, so you didn't like Planetside. But the more games SOE has, the higher is the chance for everyone to find a game he likes among them. Blizzard is so slow, they took over 2 years for the first expansion, and the second one will come more than one year after the first. Everquest has more than 1 expansion per year of existence, and EQ2 will bring out it's 4th expansion before WoW's second. And no, the WoW content patches aren't a good excuse for that, because EQ2 had those too, plus the adventure packs. SOE announces several new games every year, and you want me to get excited by the fact that Blizzard is maybe planning some yet unannounced game for 2010?
It is the very fact that Blizzard is top of the class in subscription numbers that leaves many people with the impression that they have stopped trying to improve. They just sit there and watch their money printing machine, not daring to touch anything lest it might stop.
Top of the class in what? I give you polish, execution, even art (I like WoW art better than EQ2 art, but not everyone agrees on that). But Blizzard is not top of the class in every single aspect of their game. For example the web-based EQ2 guild and character features blow the WoW Armory out of the water. Player housing is present in SWG, EQ2, and Vanguard, but absent in WoW. The EQ2 tradeskill system is better than the WoW one.
But what I'm talking about is not the status quo, but the way forward. And sorry, if the announcement of the Wrath of the Lich King had you think that Blizzard is trying hard to improve their game, you've been watching a different announcement than I did. Except for the first hero class WotLK is just more of the same.
And where are Blizzard's innovation in payment models? Why can a Chinese player pay for WoW by the hour, but I can't? Why are people who play few hours per month effectively subsidizing those who play a lot? Where is the option of a lifetime subscription? Where is the server with secure RMT? Why aren't raid dungeons that only 2% of the players use sold as adventure packs for extra income?
And where are all the other Blizzard MMORPGs? Okay, so you didn't like Planetside. But the more games SOE has, the higher is the chance for everyone to find a game he likes among them. Blizzard is so slow, they took over 2 years for the first expansion, and the second one will come more than one year after the first. Everquest has more than 1 expansion per year of existence, and EQ2 will bring out it's 4th expansion before WoW's second. And no, the WoW content patches aren't a good excuse for that, because EQ2 had those too, plus the adventure packs. SOE announces several new games every year, and you want me to get excited by the fact that Blizzard is maybe planning some yet unannounced game for 2010?
It is the very fact that Blizzard is top of the class in subscription numbers that leaves many people with the impression that they have stopped trying to improve. They just sit there and watch their money printing machine, not daring to touch anything lest it might stop.
Most of SOE's recent innovations appear to be nothing more than money making schemes. One of SOE's big criticisms is that they're more obsessed with increasing quarterly profits than they are in maintaining a high standard of quality.
Your earlier post on EQ3 garnered less than ten post. I bet a post on WoW2 would create five times that many. That's SOE's biggest problem; getting out from under a well deserved aura of fatigue that surrounds everything they touch. People have labeled them (correctly) and now have tuned them out, and I know people (as I'm sure most of you do) that have sworn off SOE games permanently and won't even read or talk about them.
Simply put; SOE has two huge problems. People associate them with crummy products and crummy business practices, and the exec in charge of fixing this is the same person that most people blame for it happening in the first place.
Your earlier post on EQ3 garnered less than ten post. I bet a post on WoW2 would create five times that many. That's SOE's biggest problem; getting out from under a well deserved aura of fatigue that surrounds everything they touch. People have labeled them (correctly) and now have tuned them out, and I know people (as I'm sure most of you do) that have sworn off SOE games permanently and won't even read or talk about them.
Simply put; SOE has two huge problems. People associate them with crummy products and crummy business practices, and the exec in charge of fixing this is the same person that most people blame for it happening in the first place.
# posted by : 4/9/07 14:04
: 4/9/07 14:04
Is it fair to compare one development house with a company that not only develops its own but publishes other Dev's games? Are we supposed to be disappointed that Blizard doesn't buy flailing MMO's and slap their logo on it? If Blizzard did business that way, we'd all associate them with crummy products too.
It's more than fair to criticize the pacing of Blizzard's content releases, but there is no arguing with how they protect their brand as a model for how to do business right. In a business where reputation is everything, your brand is your biggest asset.
As for trying hard, Tobold and =##= seem to constantly equate their displeasure with the fact that Blizzard isn't trying hard. They don't tote the same "casual" banner that I do apparently. Sticking to a formula that has been wildly popular is not bad business where I'm from.
Tobold points out lots of great things that could improve the game, but doesn't mention any of the things they have done to try to improve the game already. I can't think of anything that is more casual-friendly than the Arena System, Heroic Dungeons and the access to easy gold via Daily quests. But from reading this blog, Tobold loathes PvP, and would rather Blizzard sell us Gold themselves via Dev sanctioned RMT, so I'm not sure there is even any common ground from which to share a debate.
It's more than fair to criticize the pacing of Blizzard's content releases, but there is no arguing with how they protect their brand as a model for how to do business right. In a business where reputation is everything, your brand is your biggest asset.
As for trying hard, Tobold and =##= seem to constantly equate their displeasure with the fact that Blizzard isn't trying hard. They don't tote the same "casual" banner that I do apparently. Sticking to a formula that has been wildly popular is not bad business where I'm from.
Tobold points out lots of great things that could improve the game, but doesn't mention any of the things they have done to try to improve the game already. I can't think of anything that is more casual-friendly than the Arena System, Heroic Dungeons and the access to easy gold via Daily quests. But from reading this blog, Tobold loathes PvP, and would rather Blizzard sell us Gold themselves via Dev sanctioned RMT, so I'm not sure there is even any common ground from which to share a debate.
But from reading this blog, Tobold loathes PvP, and would rather Blizzard sell us Gold themselves via Dev sanctioned RMT
Well, actually the options in order of my preference are:
BEST: No RMT at all, by making asymmetrical transfers of gold or items in the game impossible.
COMPROMISE: Dev-sanctioned and -secured RMT.
WORST: Hypocrytical situation where RMT is "forbidden" in name only, but Devs just ban a couple of bots every few months for publicity, who are all back a week later. Meanwhile scamming, spamming, and other negative effects of illegal RMT dominate the game.
I'm not saying that the SOE way is perfect, I'm just saying that it prevents some of the worst excesses of RMT. Are you telling me that you are happy with the RMT situation in WoW?
Well, actually the options in order of my preference are:
BEST: No RMT at all, by making asymmetrical transfers of gold or items in the game impossible.
COMPROMISE: Dev-sanctioned and -secured RMT.
WORST: Hypocrytical situation where RMT is "forbidden" in name only, but Devs just ban a couple of bots every few months for publicity, who are all back a week later. Meanwhile scamming, spamming, and other negative effects of illegal RMT dominate the game.
I'm not saying that the SOE way is perfect, I'm just saying that it prevents some of the worst excesses of RMT. Are you telling me that you are happy with the RMT situation in WoW?
After what they did to me in SWG I will never give SOE any of my money. They basically dumped the veteran players so they could attract some new players to the game with their 'new game enhancements'.
I have to hand it to Blizzard in that they seem to be 'trying harder' to retain their veteran players than the rest of the MMO's out there.
SOE's business model seems to be to keep slapping "new and improved" labels on their products hoping to extract some money out of unsuspecting suscribers for a couple of months before they realize there are better games out there.
I have to hand it to Blizzard in that they seem to be 'trying harder' to retain their veteran players than the rest of the MMO's out there.
SOE's business model seems to be to keep slapping "new and improved" labels on their products hoping to extract some money out of unsuspecting suscribers for a couple of months before they realize there are better games out there.
don't forget the chinese market is 15% of blizzards income. When you look at it that way what are sony's total subscriber base. Even a million subscribers is probably 1/4 of blizzards total revenue in EU and US maybe more. I'm not saying they'll unseat blizzard but in the current environment they are still bringing in a lot more money than most people think. That magical 9 million number sounds really good but I think the fact that blizzard refused to give us detailed subscriber numbers by Regional area is a good indicator that they are slipping in thier most profitable markets. Not dieing but just beginning to get stale. And I haven't seen anything from them that looks innovative since NAXX. Doing what worked in the past is a good way to make money for awhile. But it won't get you by forever.
Honestly, it's better now than it has ever been. An occassional spammer in Org is tolerable. But more importantly, the game is such now that I don't even need to consider buying gold. I can't say whether that's true for the majority of players though.
Aside from a stupidly pointless 5000g money grind, there is little incentive for anyone to buy gold and therefore no need to offer any sort of compromise on this issue. If there had been a quest chain that took as long to complete as my 5k money grind, we wouldn't be talking about this at all.
So to answer you simply: Yes, I'm happy. There are always tweaks that could be made though. But I'm firmly against the idea of being micro-transactioned to death.
Aside from a stupidly pointless 5000g money grind, there is little incentive for anyone to buy gold and therefore no need to offer any sort of compromise on this issue. If there had been a quest chain that took as long to complete as my 5k money grind, we wouldn't be talking about this at all.
So to answer you simply: Yes, I'm happy. There are always tweaks that could be made though. But I'm firmly against the idea of being micro-transactioned to death.
2008 will define the direction of mmorpgs for the next several years.
If Warhammer Online or Age of Conan or Tabula Rasa fail to crack into WoW's player base, it will be interesting to see how publishers respond to that.
If WoW's next expansion sells fewer copies then the last expansion, it will be interesting to see how Blizzard interprets that and how the respond to it.
If SOE's new projects all flop, it will be interesting to see just how Sony responds to that and whether SOE gets a change in leadership.
Yes, 2008 will be a fateful year for the mmorpg genre.
If Warhammer Online or Age of Conan or Tabula Rasa fail to crack into WoW's player base, it will be interesting to see how publishers respond to that.
If WoW's next expansion sells fewer copies then the last expansion, it will be interesting to see how Blizzard interprets that and how the respond to it.
If SOE's new projects all flop, it will be interesting to see just how Sony responds to that and whether SOE gets a change in leadership.
Yes, 2008 will be a fateful year for the mmorpg genre.
# posted by : 4/9/07 17:16
: 4/9/07 17:16
I am slightly new to the SOE fiasco...
I never could get into EQ2..I have played WoW (its good..not great)(, Guild Wars (excellent...well done, and great platform .. buy, then free), and recently LOTRO (hated it horribly after 3 months...well, less, did not play my last month...boring interface, controls, quests)..
When I went and tried WoW even after a year...it was ok...but just did not make me want to buy BC..
So, looking for something, I tried the demo for EQ2 again...but now with a highly powered system...
I was impressed. The tools of the game, utter control of the interface, some great options (like spam filtering of gold selling)...the fact that there is SO much to do in this title..the cost is good for the complete all in one...
And then mentioning the capability to use the launcher to review your stats, guild controls.
Finally, this past Friday (holiday weekend in the US), the servers had issues, yet SOE was on it to try and rectify the situation, and were communicative about the issues..
Well hurray for them.
I plan to be here for a while...and then watch what they do for Vanguard, and the Legends card game...what a nice added bonus (love TCG's by the way)...
Cheers!
I never could get into EQ2..I have played WoW (its good..not great)(, Guild Wars (excellent...well done, and great platform .. buy, then free), and recently LOTRO (hated it horribly after 3 months...well, less, did not play my last month...boring interface, controls, quests)..
When I went and tried WoW even after a year...it was ok...but just did not make me want to buy BC..
So, looking for something, I tried the demo for EQ2 again...but now with a highly powered system...
I was impressed. The tools of the game, utter control of the interface, some great options (like spam filtering of gold selling)...the fact that there is SO much to do in this title..the cost is good for the complete all in one...
And then mentioning the capability to use the launcher to review your stats, guild controls.
Finally, this past Friday (holiday weekend in the US), the servers had issues, yet SOE was on it to try and rectify the situation, and were communicative about the issues..
Well hurray for them.
I plan to be here for a while...and then watch what they do for Vanguard, and the Legends card game...what a nice added bonus (love TCG's by the way)...
Cheers!
Aside from a stupidly pointless 5000g money grind...
The Flying Mount is, imo, the best example of Blizzard totally screwing over most of their player base.
In order to obtain the 70 Flying Mount (Non-Epic) you must have learned the 60 Epic Riding Skill. With a 60 Epic Mount costing less than 100g or under 1 hour of Outland grinding, only the most miserly of players would not buy one on their way to getting a Flying Mount, but then the same miser would also not buy a 70 Flying Mount because they'd be saving every copper piece on the grind to get their Epic Flying Mount.
So here's my personal gripe with the Flying Mount, and it's probably a gripe many have but don't dare complain about.
Only the blindest of WoW Fanbois would view the 70 Flying Mount as an upgrade from the 60 Epic, because it's inferior to the 60 Epic in every way but flight. You cannot use it anywhere but the Outland, and you wouldn't want to because it's slower than the 60 Epic. In fact the only reason you get the 70 Flying Mount is to fly and farm, otherwise you ride around on your 60 Epic or use the in-game Taxis because they're both faster.
The 70 Flying Mount should have provided the same speed boost as the 60 Epic; to make it slower was asinine at best.
The Flying Mounts should have also been able to be used outside Outland, just as regular ground-only Mounts.
If the regular 70 Mount really had been the 60 Epic + Flying, few people would have committed to the 5000g grind, but Blizzard pretty much threw you a meatless bone with the first Flying Mount, watched you grab it with glee, then sat back and laughed as you spent the next month or two digging up the rest of the yard searching for a meatier bone.
A wise move, financially, but one that shows total disdain for a majority of their player base who already did the grind for the first 70 Mount. Yeah, I like my Flying Mount, but I'm pissed that it's not the upgrade it should have been. And fanatic that I am I'm still going to grind out the 5000+ for my Epic. And I'll probably get it just before Blizzard cut the price in half.
The Flying Mount is, imo, the best example of Blizzard totally screwing over most of their player base.
In order to obtain the 70 Flying Mount (Non-Epic) you must have learned the 60 Epic Riding Skill. With a 60 Epic Mount costing less than 100g or under 1 hour of Outland grinding, only the most miserly of players would not buy one on their way to getting a Flying Mount, but then the same miser would also not buy a 70 Flying Mount because they'd be saving every copper piece on the grind to get their Epic Flying Mount.
So here's my personal gripe with the Flying Mount, and it's probably a gripe many have but don't dare complain about.
Only the blindest of WoW Fanbois would view the 70 Flying Mount as an upgrade from the 60 Epic, because it's inferior to the 60 Epic in every way but flight. You cannot use it anywhere but the Outland, and you wouldn't want to because it's slower than the 60 Epic. In fact the only reason you get the 70 Flying Mount is to fly and farm, otherwise you ride around on your 60 Epic or use the in-game Taxis because they're both faster.
The 70 Flying Mount should have provided the same speed boost as the 60 Epic; to make it slower was asinine at best.
The Flying Mounts should have also been able to be used outside Outland, just as regular ground-only Mounts.
If the regular 70 Mount really had been the 60 Epic + Flying, few people would have committed to the 5000g grind, but Blizzard pretty much threw you a meatless bone with the first Flying Mount, watched you grab it with glee, then sat back and laughed as you spent the next month or two digging up the rest of the yard searching for a meatier bone.
A wise move, financially, but one that shows total disdain for a majority of their player base who already did the grind for the first 70 Mount. Yeah, I like my Flying Mount, but I'm pissed that it's not the upgrade it should have been. And fanatic that I am I'm still going to grind out the 5000+ for my Epic. And I'll probably get it just before Blizzard cut the price in half.
Yes, Tobold they are at the top of the class. You can't reduce the success WoW has to this feature or that. Overall, WoW is a phenomenon and has pushed the boundaries of online gaming. The game is great as an overall experience and is still, last I checked, the MMO the most payed in an unprecedented way. So what if EQ2 has a better trade system? It doesn't change a thing in that WoW is a hugely more popular game (and more fun). They have done their homework.
All the things you mention are money making schemes and I definitely don't wish Blizzard to try and milk more money out with dungeons packs content. We got Naxx free and that is fine. Not everyone wants to raid and Blizzard is addressing the casuals as well.
Ok, you don't like the expansion WotLK. I'm sure it will get great reviews though and a lot will have fun with it. I know I will but I'd rather wait to see for my self before throwing the towel.
You seem to think that the way forward is not going well for Blizzard and their player base. I can't disagree with you more about this. I think it has been great so far and let's not forget WoW has had a good few years. All things must come to an end and we will move on to something else eventually.
Paying by the hours ? I don't think that too many people would care about that. Seriously.
Real money transfer ? If you want to play a game that is more real estate online or Gambler online and over ambitious moneymakers online then good for you. I want to play a game with no RMT involved. I applaud Blizzard for not going down that road.
Let's see who come out the winner in a year: Blizzard or SOE. Then we will know if you were right.
All the things you mention are money making schemes and I definitely don't wish Blizzard to try and milk more money out with dungeons packs content. We got Naxx free and that is fine. Not everyone wants to raid and Blizzard is addressing the casuals as well.
Ok, you don't like the expansion WotLK. I'm sure it will get great reviews though and a lot will have fun with it. I know I will but I'd rather wait to see for my self before throwing the towel.
You seem to think that the way forward is not going well for Blizzard and their player base. I can't disagree with you more about this. I think it has been great so far and let's not forget WoW has had a good few years. All things must come to an end and we will move on to something else eventually.
Paying by the hours ? I don't think that too many people would care about that. Seriously.
Real money transfer ? If you want to play a game that is more real estate online or Gambler online and over ambitious moneymakers online then good for you. I want to play a game with no RMT involved. I applaud Blizzard for not going down that road.
Let's see who come out the winner in a year: Blizzard or SOE. Then we will know if you were right.
# posted by : 5/9/07 00:33
: 5/9/07 00:33
Not everyone wants to raid and Blizzard is addressing the casuals as well.
negative
negative
# posted by : 5/9/07 01:55
: 5/9/07 01:55
"They just sit there and watch their money printing machine, not daring to touch anything lest it might stop."
Now really. Do you really mean to say after reading the detailed panels that came out of Blizzcon, that Blizzard doesn't care about its players? That they sit around and count money and thumb their noses at their subscribers? Sorry, but you're a bit out of touch. Blizz is very aware of the feelings of their player base and they work hard to meet everyone's needs.
When I read your comments, I really get the feeling you're wanting WoW to fail. You come across as very hypocritical in your critique of WoW and what it does for casual players. You were never really a casual player. You wanted to pretend to be, but also experience everything in the game. And when you couldn't have it both ways, you started getting very negative on WoW.
The masses that play WoW are not idiots. Ever hear of the Wisdom of Crowds? People play WoW because it is superbly entertaining. There no other MMO that is nearly as fun. Why? Because of attention to detail. What other game has 9 fully fleshed out classes with multiple, and more importantly, viable talent specs?
WoW is far from perfect, but it does so much right that it stands very high above the competition. There are things they need to improve on, but they will over time. Should they be faster on xpacs? Of course. But quality takes time. It also equates to success.
Now really. Do you really mean to say after reading the detailed panels that came out of Blizzcon, that Blizzard doesn't care about its players? That they sit around and count money and thumb their noses at their subscribers? Sorry, but you're a bit out of touch. Blizz is very aware of the feelings of their player base and they work hard to meet everyone's needs.
When I read your comments, I really get the feeling you're wanting WoW to fail. You come across as very hypocritical in your critique of WoW and what it does for casual players. You were never really a casual player. You wanted to pretend to be, but also experience everything in the game. And when you couldn't have it both ways, you started getting very negative on WoW.
The masses that play WoW are not idiots. Ever hear of the Wisdom of Crowds? People play WoW because it is superbly entertaining. There no other MMO that is nearly as fun. Why? Because of attention to detail. What other game has 9 fully fleshed out classes with multiple, and more importantly, viable talent specs?
WoW is far from perfect, but it does so much right that it stands very high above the competition. There are things they need to improve on, but they will over time. Should they be faster on xpacs? Of course. But quality takes time. It also equates to success.
# posted by : 5/9/07 02:02
: 5/9/07 02:02
What it may also boil down to is...taste..
I enjoyed WoW, while I played. But, it did seem rather boring once you get up to 30 or 40...the same thing over and over...
But some people like that type of gameplay.
My wife for example...milked the crafting in WoW...but just got oo bored of the overall grind.
I hated the crafting, but could grind for quite a while.
In the EQ2 instance, I have crafting that does not bore me silly (the collection side...at least), I have housing which no other game I have played has...yet (LOTRO is planning to have it...but LOTRO is just watered down WoW)...and the combat keeps me watching what I am doing, how to play my skills, etc..
I do not think WoW will fail...but neither will EQ2 either...as it all boils down to a players "tastes"
Cheers!
I enjoyed WoW, while I played. But, it did seem rather boring once you get up to 30 or 40...the same thing over and over...
But some people like that type of gameplay.
My wife for example...milked the crafting in WoW...but just got oo bored of the overall grind.
I hated the crafting, but could grind for quite a while.
In the EQ2 instance, I have crafting that does not bore me silly (the collection side...at least), I have housing which no other game I have played has...yet (LOTRO is planning to have it...but LOTRO is just watered down WoW)...and the combat keeps me watching what I am doing, how to play my skills, etc..
I do not think WoW will fail...but neither will EQ2 either...as it all boils down to a players "tastes"
Cheers!
"There no other MMO that is nearly as fun. Why? Because of attention to detail. What other game has 9 fully fleshed out classes with multiple, and more importantly, viable talent specs"
Guildwars, Lineage 2 (specs are actually turned in to classes, ie human mystic can then specialize into sorc/necro/prophet/bishop), even diablo 2 had skill trees lol. Now WoW does do pretty well with letting people make "different" speced chars, but doesnt do well letting those specs participate as well as other classes ingame (ie ret pallies, enhancementshamans, BM hunters, non-shadow priests pve, prot warrios, and many more etc etc).
I share a similair meloncholy towards Blizzards more recent efforts to vitalize WoW as the content they sell just isnt content Id pay for or want to participate in. This doesnt mean it can be fun for say 4 million people, just a casual gamer like myself I think their 60+ content really went downhill and was about as tasty as flavorless vanilla oatmeal.
Guildwars, Lineage 2 (specs are actually turned in to classes, ie human mystic can then specialize into sorc/necro/prophet/bishop), even diablo 2 had skill trees lol. Now WoW does do pretty well with letting people make "different" speced chars, but doesnt do well letting those specs participate as well as other classes ingame (ie ret pallies, enhancementshamans, BM hunters, non-shadow priests pve, prot warrios, and many more etc etc).
I share a similair meloncholy towards Blizzards more recent efforts to vitalize WoW as the content they sell just isnt content Id pay for or want to participate in. This doesnt mean it can be fun for say 4 million people, just a casual gamer like myself I think their 60+ content really went downhill and was about as tasty as flavorless vanilla oatmeal.
Seeing how the last comment was 5 months ago, alot has gone on with SOE since this was debated. Most importantly, their NAZI tactics towards all players on their official game forums. This has alienated a huge player base that previously would of stood by SOE. SOE was heavy handed handed across the board on all products- mention dislike of our policies, csr's, etc. get banned. They even ban people if they can track down other websites they have posted their disgust on. God forbid you host one. No matter what you may think of SOE these tactics have had a huge and dramatic impact on in-game populations of their products. Over 3 thousand gone in under two months on one of their games alone. That's a huge negative impact. For the record, yes, I am one of those people who will NEVER buy any Sony or SOE product again because of their abuse of their customers. I played Everquest Online Adventures (playstation2) as Marinia of Proudpine Outpost server, and they actually changed their Terms of Service to get rid of me. Frankly, I am proud. I've never been so revolted by a company's treatment of long time customers before. It's a first, but SOE is total scum.
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# posted by : 13/11/07 05:36
: 13/11/07 05:36<< Home
