Creature Handler Archive
Thread: Next best thing?...Don't hold your breath
I agree, the new crop of games arnt going to be any better than the curent ones. I started online gameing back in the old MUD's and my first graphical online RPG was Asherons call. To be honest AC has been the only MMORPG that started out well. It had a few bugs but they were squashed quickly and their monthly updates and story set the tone for this generation of games, one that has yet to be matched to this day. over the corse of several years MS managed to run AC into the dirt through mismanagement but that may turn around now that turbine is back in control. Still the fact remains that AC is the only MMORPG I'v seen to date that started good and unfortunatly went down from there.
Sence AC every MMORPG that has been put out (includeing the sequel) has been driven by the back room beancounters and pushed out way too soon. what we are left with is imbalenced games full of bugs that cant be fixed in retail quickly as they require sweeping changes that devs can only do in a beta without pissing off their playerbase. Now the new games look stunning visualy, theres no doubt about that, however there is nothing there to back up the prety pictures. Mostly the player base ends up spending a year + of paying to beta test. The changes that happen over the corse of that year could have been acomplished in a few months of a true beta because in beta the devs have much more leway on what they can change. In retail small steps are required wich leaves players feeling like nothing is happening to adress the issues. to quell the outrage devs try to show they are working by makeing sweeping changes and end up overcompensating 90% of the time wich usaly is or results in a swing of the nerf bat. AO DAOC Shadowbane SWG (AC2 didnt even deserve my sticking around long enough to see if the bat was ever pulled) have all gone down this path and I see no change in site for the new games on the horizen.
To all that are waiting for the next new game I offer myself as an example. First I was waiting for AC2, that bomed do hard I went back to DAOC for a bit(was jaded on AC at the time) then I was waiting for SWG. That you all know how it turned out. None of the new games will be any different, your best bet will be to stick with a game that has been out for a time and has had a chance to grow more stable and compleat as hopeing for the next best game will set you up for disapointment.
I've been around with MMORPG's since UO (Ultima Online 1997)(I even played The Realm Online for awhile for those that remember it - heck it's even still around, only about 10,000 subscribers though). I haven't seen an online forum yet that didn't tout how "soon-to-be-released-game-x" was going to be so much better than the game we were playing.
Then when "game-x" was released and you visited that board there were just as many posts about the next "soon-to-be-released-game-x" and how it would be so much better than "game-x".
It's been this way for at least the last 7 years in the MMORPG genre. I don't expect it to change for at least that many more.
Here's a good link for those that want some MMORPG history:
http://pw1.netcom.com/~sirbruce/Subscriptions.html
ID Software inc. revolutionized the online gaming world with Quake and their other FPS's. Their graphics engine was made by a handfull of kids, in an actualgarage no less.
Verante Interactive. futher revolutionized the online gaming world with Everquest. More than a handfull of people (but not much) and a nicer workspace than a garage. No way even close to the $$s spent that the poster thinks needs to be spent to create a success. (and i HATE it when people say that SOE made EQ. SOE BOUGHT EQ from VIover a yearafter release - the message boards at the time were like "uh oh")
What I am trying to say here is that it does not take a billion dollar company to create, design, and implement a billion dollar idea. Get that out of your heads right now. Kids today scare me.
yes, you CAN DO IT!
PostingAsIntended wrote:
ID Software inc. revolutionized the online gaming world with Quake and their other FPS's. Their graphics engine was made by a handfull of kids, in an actualgarage no less.
Verante Interactive. futher revolutionized the online gaming world with Everquest. More than a handfull of people (but not much) and a nicer workspace than a garage. No way even close to the $$s spent that the poster thinks needs to be spent to create a success. (and i HATE it when people say that SOE made EQ. SOE BOUGHT EQ from VIover a yearafter release - the message boards at the time were like "uh oh")
What I am trying to say here is that it does not take a billion dollar company to create, design, and implement a billion dollar idea. Get that out of your heads right now. Kids today scare me.
yes, you CAN DO IT!
My point was looking forward, not back. For one, venture cap has dried up. When a company like SOE puts out a bid for an OC48, companies come running with contracts. If you, me, and six other people with a great idea do the same thing, we get some polite replies, accompanied by a four page financial application.
I'm not going to argue about creating ideas; been there, done that. And sold a few too. Implementation is a whole other thing in 2004 vs the 90's. Maybe I'm just gettin old
Five, Ten years ago I spent a lot of time working on speculative stuff as did a lot of the people I worked with. Or maybe times have just changed.
Yea I have to agree, I have been playing online games since UO's release day, and so far Ultima Online was the only one I didn't feel was broken at the start (possibly because I was a newb for a long while in that game.) I have gone to DAOC, which I loved and the feedback that was given to the players from the Dev's was GREAT and eventually I left because the engame content was just not there, to SWG which I started at launch, played for 3 months then decided to revisit it after the bugs were rolled out, and then to FFXI, which I think would have been a great game for me if I had the time to powergame it but I didn't so it wasn't. Now I am back to SWG and I love most of the changes that have been made. The "buggy" feeling is gone and most of the content is good. I am having a great time at this and don't belive there will be any "SWG killer" as everyone seems to think. Now Iwon't be a hippocrit, I am really looking forward to trying WOW when it comes out, and probably will give that a go when it finally does get released, but that game has been pushed back for over 2 years now, and I'm not holding my breath for it. It makes me laugh whenever a new game comes out and everyone says its gonna kill the last one...if that were true where would EQ be now...or AC...or UO...those games were pioneers in the genra and they are going to remain standing for a long time, as is SWG.