EQN dead, Wildstar dying...swtor?

[ThnderHorse]

EA is known to shutdown IP's that aren't successful enough for their standards. So the fact this game is still running shows that EA has faith in the game to continue to be successful. I don't see it going anywhere in the next few years.

 

I feel bad for Wildstar because the game had a lot of potential and while it was fun it didn't live up to the hype. The direction of the characters and art probably turned a lot of people away as well. I just started playing again when I heard the announcement the game was going into maintenance mode. Sad day for all the people involved on the project.

 

EA shut down a fantastic little MOBA called Dawngate while it was still in open beta for less than a year. Was a great, simplified LOL with a dedicated community. EA must be making enough money off SWTOR otherwise they would've shut it down by now.

[ThnderHorse]

A developer can easily ignore one niche of the game, the problem is when they ignore every niche. The thing is, there is no majority in an MMO, you have numerous sub-groups of your population, from raiders to PvPers to roleplayers to casuals and so on, and often the groups overlap with some players enjoying different parts. And that's why any dev post will be met with criticism because some players like it, others are against it.

 

The only way to run an MMO is to support every niche a little bit so that no group is completely angry, just a little annoyed by changes they don't like. And that means adding an operation once in a while, adding a PvP map from time to time, adding a stronghold and whatever QoL features to make sure every group is pleased.

 

SWTOR decided to only focus on one group, the story players, so the other groups either already quit the game or are staying around, hoping for things to improve.

I'm not saying that WoW is the only way to run an MMO but it works. SWTOR is going an unknown path, so the chances of success are unknown. Personally, I'm thinking building a loyal fanbase is more important than catering to casual players who complain and overwhelm Customer Service for every single problem they face (like the puzzle in Chapter 11), and who will quit as soon as they lose interest in the story.

 

Well said! Maybe these story players spend hundreds of dollars on CC before they quit? But you can really see the decline in all servers since KOTFE. I wonder why they chose this path and tbh I would've just been content with more Republic versus Empire stories after SOR...

[Firolas]

Why a game with SW IP cannot produce an expansion each year with:

 

8-10 Operations bosses with 3 difficulty tiers

1 PvP map

1 new planet with a main story arc of ~ 6 hours + dailies

 

and charge us $50-60 bucks for it is beyond me.

 

Historically, this game has not had difficult acquiring new subscriptions. It has had enormous difficulty retaining them. Doing the above would solve this problem.

 

 

totally agree, why cant Bioware just produce this? seems like basic MMORPG expansion stuff.

 

Cant figure out the logic in not doing it. madness really.

 

''let the madness release you'' hmmmmmmmm

[horrorfaneightys]

Why a game with SW IP cannot produce an expansion each year with:

 

8-10 Operations bosses with 3 difficulty tiers

1 PvP map

1 new planet with a main story arc of ~ 6 hours + dailies

 

and charge us $50-60 bucks for it is beyond me.

 

Historically, this game has not had difficult acquiring new subscriptions. It has had enormous difficulty retaining them. Doing the above would solve this problem.

 

I would not pay $50-to $60 for an expansion like that. I don't pvp or do ops, so the only thing I would get out of that would be the 6 hours of story plus dailies. That's not happening.

[lightSaberAddiCt]

No, it was pretty much vaporware, as is Star Citizen.

 

And for the OP, 2 crappy games going belly up is not an industry trend, or whatever.

 

Oh I TOTALLY agree about Star Citizen. That game is going to end up demolishing crowd funded games in the future when it evaporates, and they have milked the last money out of people for ships lol

[Elly_Dawn]

Today's gamer is not a gamer, you have to keep that in mind gaming is main stream and that is the issue on why people don't stick to one title.

 

ok this is up for silliest thing i have read all day... a gamer is a hobbyist which can play many games, many genres,through various means, i.e. PC, Console, & Handheld and have no problem switching between them... if you play only one game you are not a gamer, you just happen to play a game...

Edited March 12, 2016 by Elly_Dawn

[Belegnole]

ok this is up for silliest thing i have read all day... a gamer is a hobbyist which can play many games, many genres,through various means, i.e. PC, Console, & Handheld and have no problem switching between them... if you play only one game you are not a gamer, you just happen to play a game...

 

rofl.....someone's trying to stroke their ego

[Codedrago]

ok this is up for silliest thing i have read all day... a gamer is a hobbyist which can play many games, many genres,through various means, i.e. PC, Console, & Handheld and have no problem switching between them... if you play only one game you are not a gamer, you just happen to play a game...

 

I hate it when people try to make it like a Gamer is some special, metaphorical concept. No, a Gamer is someone who plays many video games and is a fan of games in general. That. Is. All.

[AlrikFassbauer]

Well, I'm glad that old classics like Homeworld, HOMM III and DOTT are getting re-released.

[Elly_Dawn]

rofl.....someone's trying to stroke their ego

 

nope, no ego stroking here, it was just a counter to the claim that a gamer only plays one game and nothing else... which to me seems silly, it's like only ever eating Pizza and claiming to be a gourmand...

 

I hate it when people try to make it like a Gamer is some special, metaphorical concept. No, a Gamer is someone who plays many video games and is a fan of games in general. That. Is. All.

basically what i said but in different words...

Edited March 12, 2016 by Elly_Dawn

[gabigool]

I would not pay $50-to $60 for an expansion like that. I don't pvp or do ops, so the only thing I would get out of that would be the 6 hours of story plus dailies. That's not happening.

 

I wonder how many copies of SoR or RotHC were sold.

 

The fact that you would or wouldn't is irrelevant. Many people would.

 

Again, I am not sure why BW cannot provide this type of content for the people who would gladly pay it.

[branmakmuffin]

ok this is up for silliest thing i have read all day... a gamer is a hobbyist which can play many games, many genres,through various means, i.e. PC, Console, & Handheld and have no problem switching between them... if you play only one game you are not a gamer, you just happen to play a game...

"Gamer" is self-definded. If I play TOR 16 hours a day or 1 hour a week, or 10 different games 16 hours a day or 1 hour a week and I call myself a "gamer," I'm a "gamer."

 

According to you, how many games does a person have to pay to be a "gamer?" Apparently one is not enough, Is it two, then? If two is also not enough, what is the minimum, exactly? Also, is there a minimum number of hours per week a person has to play? If so, does it have to be that minimum every week, or can it be an average?

Edited March 12, 2016 by branmakmuffin

[Codedrago]

nope, no ego stroking here, it was just a counter to the claim that a gamer only plays one game and nothing else... which to me seems silly, it's like only ever eating Pizza and claiming to be a gourmand...

 

 

basically what i said but in different words...

 

I was agreeing with you...

[eriksarcasm]

"Gamer" is self-definded. If I play TOR 16 hours a day or 1 hour a week, or 10 different games 16 hours a day or 1 hour a week and I call myself a "gamer," I'm a "gamer."

 

According to you, how many games does a person have to pay to be a "gamer?" Apparently one is not enough, Is it two, then? If two is also not enough, what is the minimum, exactly? Also, is there a minimum number of hours per week a person has to play? If so, does it have to be that minimum every week, or can it be an average?

 

Agreed. It's not the kind of title that you have to qualify for. That said there are qualifying subtitles like "casual" and "hardcore" that more clearly define your commitment to the lifestyle.

 

My mom who plays Candy Crush and Words with Friends daily, is a gamer. My friend who competes in Starcraft tournaments, is a gamer. My 3 year old nephew who button mashes the fights in Arkham Knight and hands off the controller to me or his dad during the walking talking bits, is a gamer. To my Starcraft buddy who might and does get insulted by being in the same category as my mom, I say, tough, choose a different word for yourself then. Hence, hardcore gamer for him, casual gamer for mom.

[SilentKitty]

I think it is a little bit strange trying to put up rigid rules when trying to describes a person that enjoys something as varied as games. But then we do like to put titles on us and them, and gamer is one of the titles that I guess people prefer to put on the 'us'-team and then make the rules accordingly.

 

I have seen a few different versions

 

* you are not a gamer if you haven't played [ this specific game ]

* you are not a gamer if you haven't played on [ this specific device ]

* you are not a gamer if you haven't played [ this amount of games ]

* you are not a gamer if you don't enjoy [ this type of game play ]

* you are not a gamer if you can't [ master these skills ]

 

I guess that I am more interested in what people find interesting in a game. I like talking with people and hear about the things that they find exciting. Have so many friends who play different games and in different ways. Haven't heard a definition yet that I thought really encompassed the different ways people play and enjoyed games.

 

Hmmm... I think that the thing I dislike most about the rules that are so often about excluding people, for no other reason than just that. Making a us or them label. It's just seems like such a boring and sad thing to do. In the option between spending some time in chat with either :

 

a) "People that don't [ SPECIFIC RULE ] aren't real gamer", or

b) "I just found the coolest thing on the map, haven't seen it before. Wanna check it out and and have some fun?"

 

I am going to stick with b). Seems like a fun person to be around.

[Lendul]

I think it is a little bit strange trying to put up rigid rules when trying to describes a person that enjoys something as varied as games. But then we do like to put titles on us and them, and gamer is one of the titles that I guess people prefer to put on the 'us'-team and then make the rules accordingly.

 

I have seen a few different versions

 

* you are not a gamer if you haven't played [ this specific game ]

* you are not a gamer if you haven't played on [ this specific device ]

* you are not a gamer if you haven't played [ this amount of games ]

* you are not a gamer if you don't enjoy [ this type of game play ]

* you are not a gamer if you can't [ master these skills ]

 

I guess that I am more interested in what people find interesting in a game. I like talking with people and hear about the things that they find exciting. Have so many friends who play different games and in different ways. Haven't heard a definition yet that I thought really encompassed the different ways people play and enjoyed games.

 

Hmmm... I think that the thing I dislike most about the rules that are so often about excluding people, for no other reason than just that. Making a us or them label. It's just seems like such a boring and sad thing to do. In the option between spending some time in chat with either :

 

a) "People that don't [ SPECIFIC RULE ] aren't real gamer", or

b) "I just found the coolest thing on the map, haven't seen it before. Wanna check it out and and have some fun?"

 

I am going to stick with b). Seems like a fun person to be around.

My definition would be.

 

Gamer: someone that spends the majority of their leisure time playing games or someone who professionally plays games.

[dracmor]

I hate it when people try to make it like a Gamer is some special, metaphorical concept. No, a Gamer is someone who plays many video games and is a fan of games in general. That. Is. All.

 

This is a common perception usually from the younger crowd that is true nowadays but used to be patently false.

The term Gamer predates next-gen consoles, social media and to en extent even the internet. It comes from a time when video games (on a Commodore 64 or Nintendo or Sega) were a TINY part of the notion of being a "Gamer".

 

Probably won't make much sense to most nowadays, but back in the day finding someone who was willing and happy to say dedicate a Friday night to playing Dungeons and Dragons, a Saturday night to playing Star Fleet Battles, and a Sunday to playing maybe Euchre or Axis and Allies before social media and the internet was actually rare. Such people were indeed "Gamers" and it was a special title.

 

Nowadays everybody that picks up a game - eitehr on PC, console, cell phone or whatnot - and plays for more than four hous proudly claims themselves to be a "Gamer". So yeah, the term is NOW overused and has lost all meaning. But once, long ago.....

 

Just my two cents, from a Gamer fossil....

[dracmor]

Back on topic:

This game makes money and has the potential to still make money.

Even with little to no content updates I would see this game lasting a real long time.

Don't expect the plug to be pulled anytime soon.

[Codedrago]

This is a common perception usually from the younger crowd that is true nowadays but used to be patently false.

The term Gamer predates next-gen consoles, social media and to en extent even the internet. It comes from a time when video games (on a Commodore 64 or Nintendo or Sega) were a TINY part of the notion of being a "Gamer".

 

Probably won't make much sense to most nowadays, but back in the day finding someone who was willing and happy to say dedicate a Friday night to playing Dungeons and Dragons, a Saturday night to playing Star Fleet Battles, and a Sunday to playing maybe Euchre or Axis and Allies before social media and the internet was actually rare. Such people were indeed "Gamers" and it was a special title.

 

Nowadays everybody that picks up a game - eitehr on PC, console, cell phone or whatnot - and plays for more than four hous proudly claims themselves to be a "Gamer". So yeah, the term is NOW overused and has lost all meaning. But once, long ago.....

 

Just my two cents, from a Gamer fossil....

 

Okay, so... A person who is a fan and frequently plays games, then?

[horrorfaneightys]

I wonder how many copies of SoR or RotHC were sold.

 

The fact that you would or wouldn't is irrelevant. Many people would.

 

Again, I am not sure why BW cannot provide this type of content for the people who would gladly pay it.

 

Probably at a guess, because they don't think that many people would buy it. There has to be a reason for them concentrating on story content rather than raiding or PVP recently. Perhaps they think most of their players don't participate in those aspects.

 

I also love the fact that you dismiss my opinion as irrelevant because I disagree with your idea of what constitutes a great expansion. I guess I missed the memo where it was decided only your opinion matters.

[Isnogut]

Sad news but you have to offer something that the public is willing to pay for. I tried Wildstar and could not get past the cartoon characters. Totally destroyed it for me.

Wildstar is quite special. it simply feels strange for an MMO. But I can asure you, it is a heeluva game, if you like your blood pumping through your veins similar to a egoshooter. You simply can't play this game just casually. And this is all about a working MMO. You don't have to need all your energy on ne thing, but just let it flow.

 

SWTOR is doing by the way quite outstanding. The last I've read was, it is still nr. 2 on the MMO list and nr. 1 from the F2P MMO list. Sadly it lost it's momentun from the release of KotFE and never gained momentun from Star Wars Ep. 7. Two quite bovine decisions IMHO.

Edited March 13, 2016 by Isnogut

[Anishor]

SWTOR will be around for a while yet. Also SWG's main problem was that it's ground combat was in its various forms at best okay ( CU was my favorite, and Pre-CU was utter trash for ground combat imo. ). What made SWG special was its sandbox design and non-combat systems that gave players more reasons to log in than just the ground combat system.

 

I think a sandbox style game with SWG's overall design with a combat system that's as good as SWTOR's ( despite current balance issues ) combined with the developer team focused on providing story content would actually be a very successful MMO. The sandbox keeps player retention and investment in the game world high between story publishes. But you need a persistent world that players can affect - ie housing and player cities, some sort of war meta that involves both PVE and PVP, non-combat gameplay systems for social players ( entertainers, storyteller, chronicler, rich and complicated crafting system ) all with player interdependence designed into the world.

 

(Also Star Citizen is hardly Vaporware, most making those claims have not played it recently )

[branmakmuffin]

(Also Star Citizen is hardly Vaporware, most making those claims have not played it recently )

Played it? It's not even out yet.

[CKNORTH]

What I do find funny about this whole thread is, no one realizes EA is still running DAoC and UO in the Origin app..

 

Can get the latest UO updates and I think the sub for it is like $9.99. And DAoC is still around $14.99 but they do offer a 6 month sub. So to say will EA shut down SWTOR, not likely... I just wish Warhammer was still online. I would play it for sure!

[Khevar]

Played it? It's not even out yet.

I can't tell if you're deliberately being obtuse, or if you're actually unfamiliar with Star Citizen development.

 

You could go and play it right now, if you wanted to. And had you done so, you could then provide an informed opinion as to whether or not it is vaporware.

 

As it is, you're simply spouting stuff you read online, which is what I suspected from your first comment.

Edited March 13, 2016 by Khevar