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Friday, October 05, 2007
Aliens beat pirates
It is not the best of data, but it is the only data we got: Fileplanet has both a Tabula Rasa and a Pirates of the Burning Sea beta going on, and they display how many people downloaded the respective clients. The Tabula Rasa client got downloaded over 85,000 times, the Pirates of the Burning Sea client got downloaded 16,500 times (including the option to download it in parts). I would so love Pirates of the Burning Sea to succeed, but my vision might be clouded by my personal love for all things age of sail. On the mass market a pirate game doesn't appear to be as much in demand as an alien shooter.
And then there is Warhammer Online, who have a counter running on their homepage, displaying the number of beta applicants. It stands at 448,000 now. One of my readers in a comment redefined the acronym WoW as "Waiting on Warhammer", and that is what appears to be happening. And that is in spite of the fact that WAR only lets in a tiny fraction of those 448,000 applicants, while Tabula Rasa and PotBS are now open for anyone. Now certainly a part of the reason is that WAR is a much bigger budget game, with more polish. But why does everyone always want to play elves and orcs? Escapism is all fine and dandy, but you can escape by playing a pirate as well.
- posted by Tobold @ 6:12 AM Permanent Link
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Personally I am not that interested in another fantasy title with more elves, dwarves, orcs etc. Warhammer is not something I even consider playing. EA Mythic does a good job with marketing and hype though.
Pirates and old age sea warfare and trading - I like that the themes in MMOG space are expanding a bit, but feel a bit indifferent towards PotBS at the moment.
The SciFi near-future end-of-the-world theme of Tabula Rasa is more appealing to me.
I do like to see both PotBS and TR succeed though, since I think it would be good with more diversity in the themes provided to the market.
Pirates and old age sea warfare and trading - I like that the themes in MMOG space are expanding a bit, but feel a bit indifferent towards PotBS at the moment.
The SciFi near-future end-of-the-world theme of Tabula Rasa is more appealing to me.
I do like to see both PotBS and TR succeed though, since I think it would be good with more diversity in the themes provided to the market.
# posted by 
: 5/10/07 07:43
: 5/10/07 07:43
Initially I was very interested in Tabula Rasa. The different combat system was a major feature that peaked my interest as well as the idea of being in a war.
Unfortunately for me beta (pre-open) was disappointing. Combat was less interesting than it had seemed at first. Twitch skills mattered very little and the implementation of the controls was not my ideal.
As for the "war" I never really felt a part of it. It might have been the lack of a clear story line arc after the tutorial. Nothing really drew me in.
As for PotBS, it just doesn't hold any interest for me. I mostly played Cowboys and Indians as a kid and Pirates never cut it for me.
As for elves/orc MMOs I wish there was something else out there other than perhaps Huxley and Stargate nothing seems to be on the horizon.
Also, for me, ultimately when all MMOs are boiled down to their basics they are the same formula just with different skins. I am waiting for an MMO that can break the mold successfully and do it without succumbing to the "tried and true" (aka the WoW way).
Unfortunately for me beta (pre-open) was disappointing. Combat was less interesting than it had seemed at first. Twitch skills mattered very little and the implementation of the controls was not my ideal.
As for the "war" I never really felt a part of it. It might have been the lack of a clear story line arc after the tutorial. Nothing really drew me in.
As for PotBS, it just doesn't hold any interest for me. I mostly played Cowboys and Indians as a kid and Pirates never cut it for me.
As for elves/orc MMOs I wish there was something else out there other than perhaps Huxley and Stargate nothing seems to be on the horizon.
Also, for me, ultimately when all MMOs are boiled down to their basics they are the same formula just with different skins. I am waiting for an MMO that can break the mold successfully and do it without succumbing to the "tried and true" (aka the WoW way).
# posted by : 5/10/07 08:30
: 5/10/07 08:30
Couldn't it be just that PotBS is a smaller beta than TR? Fewer distributed keys that is, and therefore fewer downloaded clients.
# posted by : 5/10/07 09:28
: 5/10/07 09:28
Yes, I get reports of the number of beta keys for PotBS being capped somewhere around 15,000. But then, even the stress test is still under NDA and it is hard to get official information. Well, at least the fact that they couldn't get enough Fileplanet subscribers to fill all stress test slots and opened it up to everybody is suggestive of some lack of interest.
People choose games based on past experiences. Almost everyone has played a fantasy game of some kind, and probably a SF game, too.
Not many people will have played a pirates game, so there isn't the instant appeal the other 2 genres will have.
Despite your enthusiam for this game, I'm not feeling drawn towards it. Having no open beta isn't going to help with attracting people to the game, either.
Not many people will have played a pirates game, so there isn't the instant appeal the other 2 genres will have.
Despite your enthusiam for this game, I'm not feeling drawn towards it. Having no open beta isn't going to help with attracting people to the game, either.
# posted by : 5/10/07 11:21
: 5/10/07 11:21
For me the situation is such that I happened to start downloading TR before Pirates, and thus the statistics will tell for some hours that I have downloaded TR, but not Pirates.
I've also volunteered for Warhammer, but it seems that I -like so many other- am waiting in vain... I wonder who has gotten in anyhow, or is it just a stunt?
It's interesting to see how well they capture my interest, as I start the testing today... short shot, but it should give some indication on what to expect.
HARRR.
Copra
I've also volunteered for Warhammer, but it seems that I -like so many other- am waiting in vain... I wonder who has gotten in anyhow, or is it just a stunt?
It's interesting to see how well they capture my interest, as I start the testing today... short shot, but it should give some indication on what to expect.
HARRR.
Copra
I've just realised that the reason I'm sort of meh about everything I've read on PotBS, is the voice in the back of my head that keeps whispering 'EVE with boats, EVE with boats'.
And EVE is *so* not my sort of game, despite being very good at what it does, being all about the heavy political guild and inter-guild drama, mediated by resource acquisition, alliance building, and full bore PvP.
However, if it *is* EVE with boats, then I guess it might be pretty successful, in a 'long slow build of population' kind of way, as EVE doesn't really have a lot of competition at the moment for those that are into its kind of thing.
So my lack of interest is a reaction to the my expectations of the playstyle, not my expectations of the setting.
And EVE is *so* not my sort of game, despite being very good at what it does, being all about the heavy political guild and inter-guild drama, mediated by resource acquisition, alliance building, and full bore PvP.
However, if it *is* EVE with boats, then I guess it might be pretty successful, in a 'long slow build of population' kind of way, as EVE doesn't really have a lot of competition at the moment for those that are into its kind of thing.
So my lack of interest is a reaction to the my expectations of the playstyle, not my expectations of the setting.
# posted by : 5/10/07 12:33
: 5/10/07 12:33
PotBs seems like a console type game to me. I suppose I should review more screenshots and see how it truly is. The elf fantasy stuff appeals to me because I enjoy the exotic weapons & armor. I don't think I would get too excited to get a new feather in my at or upgrade to a new eye patch & hook.
# posted by : 5/10/07 12:37
: 5/10/07 12:37
'EVE with boats, EVE with boats'
While you wrote this, I wrote my next post without having seen this comment, and it is about space flight games, mentioning EVE, and the basic similarity of PotBS to that sort of game. Fantasy games don't have real distance (due to teleports), items often have no weight, and there is no such thing as buying low in one spot, transporting it somewhere else where that good is rarer, and selling at a profit.
Both EVE and PotBS have an economy that is based on trade and transport. And if you have transport, you need some kind of danger, otherwise it's too boring. Enter PvP and NPC pirates. But that is where the similarity ends. As far as we've been told, PvP in PotBS is much more limited, restricted to zones around contested ports. And the resource gathering in PotBS is much better than the boring asteroid mining of EVE. We'll have to see how heavy PotBS will be on political guild interaction.
The elf fantasy stuff appeals to me because I enjoy the exotic weapons & armor. I don't think I would get too excited to get a new feather in my at or upgrade to a new eye patch & hook.
In all ship-based games, space or sea, there is always the possibility to get better ships, or equip ships with better weapons & armor. The PotBS website has a whole section on different ships. But apparently your character also gets some personal equipment, the preorder pack promised a parrot. :)
While you wrote this, I wrote my next post without having seen this comment, and it is about space flight games, mentioning EVE, and the basic similarity of PotBS to that sort of game. Fantasy games don't have real distance (due to teleports), items often have no weight, and there is no such thing as buying low in one spot, transporting it somewhere else where that good is rarer, and selling at a profit.
Both EVE and PotBS have an economy that is based on trade and transport. And if you have transport, you need some kind of danger, otherwise it's too boring. Enter PvP and NPC pirates. But that is where the similarity ends. As far as we've been told, PvP in PotBS is much more limited, restricted to zones around contested ports. And the resource gathering in PotBS is much better than the boring asteroid mining of EVE. We'll have to see how heavy PotBS will be on political guild interaction.
The elf fantasy stuff appeals to me because I enjoy the exotic weapons & armor. I don't think I would get too excited to get a new feather in my at or upgrade to a new eye patch & hook.
In all ship-based games, space or sea, there is always the possibility to get better ships, or equip ships with better weapons & armor. The PotBS website has a whole section on different ships. But apparently your character also gets some personal equipment, the preorder pack promised a parrot. :)
I still wish that instead of fantasy Warhammer, they would have gone with Warhammer 40K. You would have gotten people who like elves and orcs, space and sci-fi, and it would have basically been a Starcraft MMO (warhammer and 40K being what Warcraft and starcraft were inspired by).
I think it could do well mainstream. 'Pirates!' did pretty well, but that was a different time, a simpler time... I don't think it is as 'hardcore' as eve. For example if you ship gets destroyed, it is not gone. Ships have 9 lives in the form of durability points.
Pirates is coming out January 22nd, so we will find out then :)
Pirates is coming out January 22nd, so we will find out then :)
# posted by : 5/10/07 14:36
: 5/10/07 14:36
Well, at least the fact that they couldn't get enough Fileplanet subscribers to fill all stress test slots and opened it up to everybody is suggestive of some lack of interest.
Well I don't know if that by itself says that. :) It seems like many betas at Fileplanet are released in the same way just to give the subscribers the first keys. In fact there are 3 levels of key releases at Fileplanet. Sometimes they release betas where only Founders (More expensive subscription) are able to join. Then the regular subscribers can join, and last everyone else. I'm not entirely sure how the TR beta was released, but wasn't that subscribers first also?
By that it doesn't really mean that I think you are wrong though. In the end you might very well be right. I just think that looking at downloaded clients at Fileplanet isn't the best way to measure it, but I can certainly understand that there aren't many other alternatives for that kind of information. :)
Well I don't know if that by itself says that. :) It seems like many betas at Fileplanet are released in the same way just to give the subscribers the first keys. In fact there are 3 levels of key releases at Fileplanet. Sometimes they release betas where only Founders (More expensive subscription) are able to join. Then the regular subscribers can join, and last everyone else. I'm not entirely sure how the TR beta was released, but wasn't that subscribers first also?
By that it doesn't really mean that I think you are wrong though. In the end you might very well be right. I just think that looking at downloaded clients at Fileplanet isn't the best way to measure it, but I can certainly understand that there aren't many other alternatives for that kind of information. :)
# posted by : 5/10/07 15:38
: 5/10/07 15:38
I'm a part of the statistic that did the Tabula Rasa beta but not Pirates. The stress test was just too short and came at a time that I knew I wouldn't have time to play.
If I were to actually buy one of the two, which I don't expect to do, I would be more interested in Pirates. Tabula Rasa is nice, but pretty underwhelming. I'd read this several places, and have confirmed it for myself over the last week. There's just not much to recommend that game over WoW or LOTRO, which TB looks startlingly similar to. The hype about starting from a blank slate in designing an MMO just seems to be a play on the title of the game, not its realization.
If I were to actually buy one of the two, which I don't expect to do, I would be more interested in Pirates. Tabula Rasa is nice, but pretty underwhelming. I'd read this several places, and have confirmed it for myself over the last week. There's just not much to recommend that game over WoW or LOTRO, which TB looks startlingly similar to. The hype about starting from a blank slate in designing an MMO just seems to be a play on the title of the game, not its realization.
# posted by : 5/10/07 18:27
: 5/10/07 18:27
I just quit WoW a few weeks ago after 2.5 years. I don't miss it one bit.
I am looking forward to spending the following months offline with single player games. The only sword and sorcery MMO I'll consider is Conan, because a) no bloody kiddies and b) Conan! Elves and Orcs? Had enough for one lifetime.
Gamespot members all got an invite to the Tabula Rasa beta about 2 months ago. This is how I got to beta test - and quickly got bored and uninstalled it. This may explain some of the disparity.
I am looking forward to spending the following months offline with single player games. The only sword and sorcery MMO I'll consider is Conan, because a) no bloody kiddies and b) Conan! Elves and Orcs? Had enough for one lifetime.
Gamespot members all got an invite to the Tabula Rasa beta about 2 months ago. This is how I got to beta test - and quickly got bored and uninstalled it. This may explain some of the disparity.
"On the mass market a pirate game doesn't appear to be as much in demand as an alien shooter."
I'm not so sure of that. PotBS has had quite a few people in beta already. Also, a good number of people were already in PotBS beta and they uploaded or installed through the new SOE Installer.
There's also the issue of how many pirate-themed MMOGs are out there already.
World of Pirates,
Voyage Century,
Tales of Pirates,
Puzzle Pirates, and
Pirate King Online,
and Bounty Bay Online are all currently out.
There's just tons of piratical MMO action out there right now and not really any Sci-Fi games other than EVE Online unless you delve into the obscure (Star Sonata), and EVE doesn't provide humanoid avatars that people really really seem to need to enjoy an MMOG (Horizons aside)... yet ;)
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I'm not so sure of that. PotBS has had quite a few people in beta already. Also, a good number of people were already in PotBS beta and they uploaded or installed through the new SOE Installer.
There's also the issue of how many pirate-themed MMOGs are out there already.
World of Pirates,
Voyage Century,
Tales of Pirates,
Puzzle Pirates, and
Pirate King Online,
and Bounty Bay Online are all currently out.
There's just tons of piratical MMO action out there right now and not really any Sci-Fi games other than EVE Online unless you delve into the obscure (Star Sonata), and EVE doesn't provide humanoid avatars that people really really seem to need to enjoy an MMOG (Horizons aside)... yet ;)
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