Commando Archive
Thread: Expansion/CU announcement to come...
Novock wrote:
LOL yeah thats why I said just so I could throw a conspiracy out there. Yeah there you go. If they came out tomorrow and said we delayed it so we could market in a better time window you would still say that was not the case. I don't why it is that you are so bound and determine to prove me wrong but there you go... its releasing in May and Its being marketed in conjunction with Episode 3. Thats what I have said for months was flamed for saying it,told no way it would happen, they wouldn't do that to many game title coming out to compete with blah blah blah yadda yadda yadda. Its all coincidence.
Again all I have to say is I TOLD YOU SO /raspberry
The thing that you are missing is that the CU and the Expansion, while coming out together, are still seperate entities...the Expansion will cost $24.95 if you pre-order it...the CU will be free to download if you currently have live service. The Expansion will likely be marketed towards new, current and old players. the CU will be really on beneficial to current players and those players who might return. I don't see how timing the release of the CU is impacted by the release of Episode III so much that it would increase it's desirability. Current players will show their acceptance of the CU by staying and Old players will show it's working by coming back...they don't need the hoopla of Episode III to market to Current and Old players...New players won't even notice the CU as it will be the standard for them when they start playing...
That's why you conspiracy theory confuses me...Now...if the theory is that the Expansion Is the CU, then that would make more sense...but then again, how would TH be able to say that the CU was downloadable for free while the Expansion will cost money...hmmmm....
If I had a Marketing team that came to me and said "Hey, let's hold off on releasing a ton of needed fixes, upgrades, and profession enhancements until the next movie launches in May so we can ride the wave...sure, we'll lose a lot of our older playerbase...and it will upset our current playerbase...but look at all we'll gain by waiting..." I'd fire them...it's a horrible marketing scheme...The Current and Old Playerbase doesn't need that type of marketing strategy to be into the Combat Upgrade...the Expansion on the other hand makes perfect sense for the perfect timing.
So please...elighten us on how releasing the Combat Upgrade with Episode III hitting the theaters is a cleaver marketing strategy, and something that would have seemed like a great idea to SOE way back in August,when we first heard about the bigger plans, or November when you first reported your theory...How does purposefully waiting on important changes that directly effect the current playerbase as well as those who have left just so you can launch it with the movie release, seem like a sound strategy?
That's where the pieces aren't clicking together for me...I think we all can agree, delaying the CU has done nothing but harm to SWG. If they had released the CU a long time back, they could have possibly (1) prevented a lot of folks from leaving, and(2) brought back older players who already left...this would be combined with their ever growing new subscription rates...I would have believed this type of theory back when games like WoW launched, release the CU then to try and stop people from leaving...or I could understand a theory of waiting on the CU until other MMO's are starting to really get boring to the average player base (when you can draw folks back with new content)...but timing it with the movie release...a time when you'd think they'd be marketing SWG to possible new players? That doesn't make sense...why would new players, those who won't have to experience the old system, care about the CU...they won't likely know any different.
The timing works out for SOE, but I still believe (if not from what I know) that the CU being released with the Expansion is all a matter of delays making that work...I don't see it being the original game plan because it doesn't sound like a feasible selling point if they are giving the CU away for free...think of how much profit SWG could have made if they released the CU awhile back and retained many if not most of those who left due to frustrations over waiting...
Message Edited by garvin on 03-09-2005 02:58 PM
am thinking something else must be in the expansion that they haven't revealed yet. $25.00 seems a bit pricey for:
If I had to make any guesses...there will likely be some type of "expansion pre-order exclusive" or just and "expansion exclusive" item. They will be adding space mining (which makes me wonder if there will be a new profession). There might even be a new species or two. I think we've only heard the basics of the new expansion. I'm sure they have more planned to leak out over the next couple of months.
StarNick wrote:
am thinking something else must be in the expansion that they haven't revealed yet. $25.00 seems a bit pricey for:
1 new planet (ground and space), cybernetics (equivalent to a new weapon?), 2 new ships.
For $30.00 we got 10 space zones, 4 new professions, 2 enw species, and all the goodeis that went along with this.
For $50.00 we got 10 planets, adn all teh goodies from the original game.
To justify this $25.00 (about the price of JtL) I expect there will bemore revealed, unless they are relying on the movie to generate interest, and feel the price is low enough to get decent revenue.
Aye, dont forget the 100 new missions tho...
Still, thats not enough in my opinion...combat vechs, new war goodies, etc should be in there too. Besides, we already technically have the cybernetics! Lets hope more stuff gets announced...
Novock wrote:
OK i don't have much time I have to be somehwere tonight so heres that short and sweet version.
Never said they had May in mind back in August. They thought JTL would be the answer to their problems back then and buy them time to get the revamp completed.
Upon seeing the JTL was not going to solve the problems with potential player loss they began a string -out campaign to buy the time needed to get the now CU coded and completed.
Realizing the CU wouldn't be ready for live until late winter early spring marketing suggests to role all for nothing and delay it till May. Use Episode 3 to revitalize the interest in "living the saga" bringin in new players and the CU hopefully brining back older members who left.
Reason: One marketing campaign looks better and is more efficient. They market all at once and its more to look at more to offer to a larger audience.
The only problem I had before with my conspircay theory as you have entitled it was what they were going to use to bring in new players other than "living the saga." I figured they do a promotional packaging with JTL (which they probably still will do) or maybe even slide Hoth into the CU. I had no idea they had this expantion on the same time slot but seeing it now only strengthens my original thoughts.
But this a pointless argument, as you have already stated you are much wiser and in the know than I am. I'm just a lonely peasantwho has to call things the way I seem em. My whole grief was not about them doing things in respect to making the most profit thats what they are in it for. My grief was them doing things for profit sake and wrapping it up in excuses and silence and acting as you are now that its not about money. You can't expect a community to respect you if you don't have respect for the community. And not just the choosen children all the community. We can expect more of this in the future as they paid no price for doing it.
Anyway I'm wrong though the outcome is just what I said /shrug
I guess if it doesn't meet your approval its not worthy of speech but anyway its being published in May and being promoted with the Episode 3 movie, you believe its all coincidence I believe they decided it atleast in November if not in October. I can't prove it other than to look at the dates and look at what SOE has said and look at their track record that sure looks like a string along campaign to me. I'm not priviliedged enough to be in ALPHA so anything thats said there I can't see. So if they told you something more well they told you something more but they didn't see fit to tell the rest of us, but thats just what makes me mad so oh well
Again its being published in May already being advertised in conjunction with the movie.. coincidence or planned ? Atleast this nightmare is coming to end and we don't have to listen to "soon" "a few weeks" and "any day" any more... lol atleast in regards to the CU.
Last time I'm going to reply to this so I'll try to keep it short (since it's just going around in circles...you are obviously taking the discussion way to seriously and to the point that you are trying to make yourself appear as a martyr..the lonely peasant comment especially).
1) I never said I was more intelligent then you or anyone else...I said (and I quote) I have UNFORTUNATELY more access to more information then you...information that I wish YOU ALL had access to...and information I keep trying to get YOU ALL access to (and will keep trying)....I work for a cell phone company...I know a lot more about the cell phone industry then someone who doesn't work in cell phone industry...does that making me smarter then those folks?
2) I call it a conspiracty theory because that's what it is...What do you call a "theory" that says a company purposefully has been lying to it's customer base in order to "string them along"...When people make claims like that about the government, they call those theories "Conspiracty Theories" until there is proof...I see coincedence, not proof...What do you call a theory that bases itself on speculationbased on a person's interpretion of "connecting the dots" instead ofactual proof? And I've stated that I'd totally be behind your theory if I didn't know what I know...again...not more intelligent then you...just access to more information...
3) I don't see how SWG stands to make more of a profit by timing the release with Episode III then if they had released in January...or February...or Today...The earlier they release the CU, the better chance they have to hold onto subscribers and the earlier they might bring back old subscribers who left. That combined with all the new folks coming aboard everyday PLUS all those that will join when the Expansion and Movie is released spells more profit then waiting. The Devs don't need to Market the CU like they will the Expansion...They just need to make sure the Current player base knows about it and then just e-mail and/or direct mail all those who left to invite them back. Sure, doing one big mail might save time and money, but I doubt it would be as much as they would have made in subscriber revenew if they had launched on the CU on March 1st or even April 1st. That's why I don't follow your theory, because the profit will be less. In fact, it's a game industry standard to "space things out". You never want to release things together because, by releasing them seperately, you look like you are making updates and improvements more often and you double your marketing exposure. I'm surprised they are releasing the CU and the Expansion at the same time.It's anti-everything I learned when I worked in Marketing...
and finally...
4) "I guess if it doesn't meet your approval its not worthy of speech"...where the heck are you pulling that out of...Martyr yourself much? Did I or anyone else ever tell you that your opinion didn't count or not to share it? Did anyone tell you to keep quiet? Did I say that?Just because I disagree with you, that doesn't mean that you are "not worthy of speech"...Have I ever told anyone (beyond a troll) to go share their opinion elsewhere? All I have said is that I disagree with your opinion of the situation due to what I know and that I don't expect you to agree based on the information you are working with. That isn't meant to be belittling...That isn't meant to sound superior...It's meant to say that I think it's crappy that you don't have the same information access I do as I know your opinions might very likely be different regarding your theory and that you might have been saved some undo stress and frustration by knowing more of what's going on.
So take a step back...take a few deep breathes...remember it's just a game...and remember that, just because someone disagrees with you, you don't have to take it so personally...
....ok, so that didn't end up so short...either way, I can see it's doing you no good to continue the discussion, so I'll leave it at that...Time will tell...and if and when the CU does actually release with the Expansion in May, you'll definitely have fuel to say you were Right and everyone else was wrong, but it'll still lack proof beyond coincidence and timing...there won't be any proof that way back when the Devs decided to purposefully stall...Of course, when the NDA is lifted and we can reveal the reasons for each delay, your opinion might change...that is of course, if you choose to believe it...we are all, after all, entitled to our own opinions...and nobody is denying you yours...just disgreeing with it...
Message Edited by garvin on 03-09-2005 04:28 PM
Yeah this my last post.....
Message Edited by Duragoth on 03-09-2005 08:32 PM
Message Edited by Knightcrest on 03-09-2005 02:06 PM