Creature Handler Archive

Message Edited by Dariane_Kamutsovy on 11-10-2005 10:30 AM

I saw this story yesterday, pretty much mademy blood boil.

Smedley says about the game needing more diversity, so to do that they cut profession from 30 to 9. Then he says that everyone who has played it likes it, which clearly isn't so if you read the NGE forums. At the moment I'd say it seems to be 50/50 on those who are really happy with it, and those who find it lacking in one way or another.

Anyway, I emailed the editor:

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Dear Sir/Madam,
I have just read the following interview on your website:
"Smedley Explains Galaxies Overhaul" (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1557&Itemid=2)

In this article John Smedley makes some defamatory remarks about his own customer base. In the interest of presenting both sides of the story, I would like to invite you to take an independent look at the official Star Wars Galaxies forums, and talk to the players who have tested the new version of the game.

The bulk of the outcry in the SWG community is not at the actual changes to the game. As you can expect, some like them, some do not (and I am speaking of the people who have tested it). However, a universal opinion across the player base is the questionable way that SOE seems to have gone about "marketing" this new version of the game. Most notably, withholding all information about it, even from the community correspondents, until they had released the latest expansion "Trials of Obi-Wan". I personally find this a very questionable way of business, that they withheld information that would have influenced people's purchasing decisions.

I go into more examples of questionable treatment of the player base and the game in general, but I would hope you can discover these for yourselves.

I look forwards to hearing from you,
King regards,

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lol

what a liar

he should actually try going to a couple of servers I'm on they have been dead since the cu lol

now they're going to be a ghost town. hope he can smile while he stands in the unemployment line.

Could he be refering to Station pass subscibtions? Maybe they no longer count subsbtions to just SWG anymore?

Just a thought who knows. For me I watched a bunch of people leave after CU and looks like more this time.

Will the last person out the door please turn the light out and don;t forget to give the hamster a treat to

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Indene wrote:

"The combat changes to the game went live some months ago and as with most MMOG changes, there was much public outcry on the forums. But SOE didn't experience any drop off subscriber numbers. On the contrary, Galaxies continued to grow faster than any other title run by SOE."

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It's damage control. Just like the vague promise of "Oh, we're going to give everyone a second character slot...sometime in the coming months...until you all forget we said that, and we can keep ignoring you..."

I'm getting more cynical in my old age.

I can't point to the exact thread where this came up (I am sure someone can find it), but in the past, other devs have said the same thind...basiclly that the forum community doesn't know anyhting and are whiny babies.

Hmm...I need to go find that.

I imagine you'll find it about the time of the Combat Upgrade. Might not have been an actual thread as much as another interview.

thatis why MBA's are a joke

Edit: curses the return key.

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Calculus_Entropy wrote:
I can't point to the exact thread where this came up (I am sure someone can find it), but in the past, other devs have said the same thind...basiclly that the forum community doesn't know anyhting and are whiny babies.

Hmm...I need to go find that.

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Yes, that one the post made by the lead CSR who Tiggs brought in to clam the masses... I actuarially think that topic ended up being deleted due to the "heated" responses he got.

Anyway one thing to consider ... how do they count cancelled accounts? If someone with 3 or 6 months of gaming time stops thair payment plan, do then count the cancellation now, or when the subscription runs out.
And then do they substrate the reopened accounts for thoughts coming back to give to new system a try or just to be with thair beloved community throe the last few days.

If the account cancellation are counted when the paid time runes out, then they might not have reached the monthly output level produced by the CU yet, even more so if they subtract the reopened ones from ToOW.

Also it is more then likely that SOE counts all thair paying customers as "happy" under the assumption that they would quit if they was unhappy.



Anyway I never trust interviews or reports I read on gaming sites or in gaming magazines. They have to much of an interest in keeping a good relation ship with the publishers, to ever call the publishers integrity in to questioning or label the company speech as advertisement/propaganda.
Edit: got back and checked and aperntly part of my reply got lost when i copyed it in... fixed now.

Message Edited by Tarnak_Archvold on 11-10-2005 06:05 PM

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Indene wrote:

"The combat changes to the game went live some months ago and as with most MMOG changes, there was much public outcry on the forums. But SOE didn't experience any drop off subscriber numbers. On the contrary, Galaxies continued to grow faster than any other title run by SOE."

Point 1. If your subscriberbase is growing so fast why are you trying to break it like this.

Point 2. Faster than any other title run by SOE. Meaning less statement. all other titles are shrinking and SOE gets an increase of 1 and that statement is true but highly misleading.

"In a sense that was one of the strengths of the game because you could be just about anything in the world, but it also had an impact on our ability to balance these professions and make them fun and unique. The feedback told us that there wasn't enough diversity and that people's choices [with regard to their professions] should mean something."

Now we have proof that whoever said this is an idiot.

-Indene-

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Message Edited by Hardley on 11-10-2005 08:38 AM

he's blowing smoke up our buts