Armorsmith Archive
Thread: The future of AS and all crafting professions (repost)
pykescylla
Mon Apr 18, 2005 6:09 am
#16
It's easier to keep an existing customer than it is to get a new one. That is another one of the basic rules of business. SOE has a dedicated group of players, paying $15 to $60 (or more) a month each, that has been more than willing to tell Sony EXACTLY what the company needs to do to keep their business. And yet we see them rushing out the CU to coincide with episode III, apparently hoping for a rush of new subscribers while alienating their existing player base. I don't quite understand this.
Of course if we all just gripe and moan without cancelling our accounts, SOE's thinking is vindicated. I have three accounts, and I would have no problem shutting down two of them after I've actually seen the CU in action. My only regret would be that my armorsmith main is also the mayor of our city, but hey, those are the breaks. Ranger, master rifle or swords, with survey 4 thrown in seems like a good template for one of my other toons if I decide to stick around. At least I could help out any remaining smiths by placing hides and harvies.
Of course if we all just gripe and moan without cancelling our accounts, SOE's thinking is vindicated. I have three accounts, and I would have no problem shutting down two of them after I've actually seen the CU in action. My only regret would be that my armorsmith main is also the mayor of our city, but hey, those are the breaks. Ranger, master rifle or swords, with survey 4 thrown in seems like a good template for one of my other toons if I decide to stick around. At least I could help out any remaining smiths by placing hides and harvies.
FishDoc
Mon Apr 18, 2005 8:22 am
#17
Keeper32 wrote:
In the immortal words of Metallica... Sad but true...
hehe my AS name is Larz-Ulrich haha
I am not happy about this, I guess the only thing to do is use the cancel button on my subscription.
You know the sad thing is, most that were complaining about the unbalance of combat in the game, have gone on to play the other MMORPG. You really think their going to come back after seeing all this? The ones that stayed were pretty much happy with game other than a few tweaks here and there that needed to be fixed.
The Devs are tearing the whole house down instead of fixing the sink, which is sad.
I say, make two sets of servers, those for the CU and otherfor the orginal build. I have 3 accounts, which will be one after this and maybe none. I play at different times than most. Mosltyin themornings, you think anyone is going to be around to group with me? NOT! So that pretty much kills combat and crafting for me.
I can say one thing, least they did it towards summer, I will be enjoying the outdoors a little more this year. haha
UmmonPrime
Mon Apr 18, 2005 9:10 am
#18
FishDoc wrote:
Keeper32 wrote:
In the immortal words of Metallica... Sad but true...
hehe my AS name is Larz-Ulrich haha
I am not happy about this, I guess the only thing to do is use the cancel button on my subscription.
You know the sad thing is, most that were complaining about the unbalance of combat in the game, have gone on to play the other MMORPG. You really think their going to come back after seeing all this? The ones that stayed were pretty much happy with game other than a few tweaks here and there that needed to be fixed.
The Devs are tearing the whole house down instead of fixing the sink, which is sad.
I say, make two sets of servers, those for the CU and otherfor the orginal build. I have 3 accounts, which will be one after this and maybe none. I play at different times than most. Mosltyin themornings, you think anyone is going to be around to group with me? NOT! So that pretty much kills combat and crafting for me.
I can say one thing, least they did it towards summer, I will be enjoying the outdoors a little more this year. haha
There is my problem too. I play at weird times and rarely see my friends on. If I do, it's usually for a brief time only. I'm not looking forward to having to group at all and they are tearing my favorite profession apart also, AS... what to do....
sddobrzy
Mon Apr 18, 2005 3:45 pm
#19
I am in the process of showing SOE what i think of the CU. I am moving all items, credits to 1 account and will cancel/let lapse the other 5. I will keep the 1 account active for a few months to see if things change or get tweaked a bit. Else I will just let the accounts die out. There are plenty of games out there to take up my time than this clone of other games. At least this game was originallyunique in crafting/combat and they have all but taken this away and replaced it with vanilla style gameplay like other online games. If I wanted that playstyle i would be playing EQ2 or WOW.
I agreed the game needed some tweaking, but from my standpoint, have taken a lot of the fun and uniqueness out of the game.
EdOWar
Mon Apr 18, 2005 4:38 pm
#20
I played WoW for a couple of months, and after a while I started to develop this vague feeling of 'sameness' about the game. I couldn't put my finger on it before, but after I read this thread it occurred to me. The 'sameness' I experienced with WoW was because ultimately the equipment didn't matter much. Only relative levels mattered.
Sure, a sword with better damage allowed me to kill a mob faster, but if the mob was the same level or lower than me, the outcome of the battle was never really in doubt. Likewise, if a mob was more than 2 levels higher than me, I was guaranteed to die, no matter how good my weapons/armor were.
Also, I'd frequently be playing and then suddenly realized that a few levels ago I qualified to use a more powerful weapon...but I was still doing very well without that improved weapon. Constantly updating your equipment definitely increases your efficiency in WoW, but itisn't vital.
However, all that said, many people were still willing to pay huge sums of money to buy 'the best' weapons and armor (usually looted stuff). Nevermind that 'the best' didn't allow them to kill more powerful creatures...they'd still die if they fought something that was just a few levels higher than them. But they were still willing to pay through the nose for either the increased efficiency or the prestige of having'the best'. So maybe all hope isn't lost...yet.
Slim Vargo, Corbantis
Kaullad
Mon Apr 18, 2005 10:47 pm
#21
While I am no longer a crafter, I was a Master Armorsmith/Master Merchantin a previous incarnation and can completely sympathize with what seems to be in store for you guys.
I wonder if it would be too far fetched for the developers to drop the skill point requirements for an elite crafting profession (like for the pilot professions) in order to free up some points for you guys to pick up a combat profession while still affording you to be able to do what you enjoy. Is that idea too far out in left field to even be viable? I know that crafters tend to be a stubborn group, but even if it was bent in your favor just a little bit would it work for you? I know that something like this is doubtful to be seen in game but you never know.
Morwen
Mon Apr 18, 2005 11:01 pm
#22
It's apparent they don't value their current customer base, or at least consider a large part of it expendable in favor of potential new customers brought in by all the Episode III publicity and other whoopla. Now, even if they get all these new bright eyed, bushy tailed customers, what are they all going to do? They've already admitted the cu will be months in bugfixing and balancing.
So, then we have an influx of new players into an unfinished, unbalanced, and extremely buggy game. Much like what occurred at launch, and for the same basic reasons. They'll run out into the world and proceed to loot broken electrobinoculars, or part 367 of 500 of some odd and ultimately useless contraption, or 20 copies of some ugly painting.
Content, you say? Engaging and immersive story arcs? Nope, we don't have any of that. Sorry.
Wallid
Mon Apr 18, 2005 11:40 pm
#23
Kelloch wrote:
Last night, after reading Thula's post about the conversation with Blixtev, I was trying to figure out what was the logic behind changing the resources needed, significanltly increasing the amounts, and adding so many different resources. That was the frustrating part......why can't they at least tell us why they chose to do this along with the other changes? At least then, we might be able to understand their motivations and where they are coming from. Would go a long way in easing tension I think.
But, I digress. While I was trying to figure out why they would make all these changes to the resources, I wondered...'What if its their intention to reduce the amount of armor out there totally?' I've read some posts where people stated that the Devs have said they never intended crafters to horde so many resources and churn out armor in factories. I haven't seen those statements myself, but if true, maybe that explains some of these changes.
Anyway, this is a great post and well thought out. I've passed this on to as many people as I could. I think it goes a long way to helping the non-crafter types understand some of our concerns.
Well it would most probably, for a short time, put us all at a ground zero, and we'd all be somewhat at equal footing. like the starting of a dodgeball game where we all run at once for the balls.
"
For all your Field Protections needs (as well as Reb Master Munitions Crafter ).
Implementor
Tue Apr 19, 2005 5:52 am
#24
weaponsmiths and armoursmiths, fubar'd post-cu. it's very sad, nobody much talking about it in WS forum. But i linked a the above post and a few others in various threads.
sad 
SiNNaTaS
Tue Apr 19, 2005 9:27 am
#25
I don't think they'll come out and expose their intentions. It seems clear to me that they'd mostly like to cater to people opening new accounts regardless of the effects on current players. We're already paying, they are not. Of course they'll work harder to please them than us. The goal for them is increased profits not rewarding loyalty... well, maybe rewarding is the wrong word, let's say, "not screwing over loyalty".
As for resource stockpiles not being intended, are you kidding me? How was that not supposed to happen again? If there was concern for too many high quality resources around why increase the spawns?
I agree with you totally but in reallity with what I have read on all the profession forums and the test forums is that a good majority of the vets will be cancelling at least one account if not all. So SOE's marketing department does not seem to be counting our reaccuring income as part of their master plan.
I understand from a marketing stand point of "oh well we know some people will quit but we will get a bigger player base with our new players that will sign on". The issue with that thinking is that their are so many games out there that seem to be better. For example I have checked out Matrix online oh and guess what the CU and the matrix have very simular formats. The GUI is the same the leveling is the same dam even the default setting for your toon when you first log into SWG on TC is the same.
So why would anyone continue playing something that is about to get totally changed to something that a good majority of the current player base can not stand.
So I guess my point to this small rant is that SOE I think you have under estimated the amount of players you are going to loose and over estimated the number of new players you are going to get.
Stratege
Tue Apr 19, 2005 12:24 pm
#26
I agree with it point, such big changes to combat system much be good at game start, but now it can do good only for new player who never played that game before, but for old player and for all who love craft it will be killing blow.
.