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1. Star Wars Galaxies was released at least 6 months too early. This was 100% Lucas Art's decision as the publisher of SWG. This is not speculation as most things NGE are, this is fact.
2. Lucas Arts did a terrible job of marketing SWG. This looks to be a non issue as less advertisibng is even needed these days, but they are getting SWTOR out there. will they continue to do it after launch?
3. Lucas Arts handcuffs SoE's development. Every last thing SoE wants to do they need to get approval from SWG. Even for bug fixes and such.
4. This goes big with #3. We dont know for sure how much of the NGE LA demanded. As much as the signs point tot hem at the very least beign responsible for the 'iconic classes', we dont know for sure. We do know this: LUCAS ARTS APPROVED THE NGE. They let it go in immediately after an expansion. they did not inform the customers it was coming. All the petty things that LA denied SoE over the years but this they allow?
Now its doubtful that SWTOR would need to be NGE'd, but Lucas Arts was very impatient last time. If this game doesnt have good retention will they panic again? I think the game will do well so a lot of this will be moot, but anyone who isnt at least a bit skeptical is nuts.
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Not that I disbelieve you, but I would like to know where you get your facts from. Until then I will have to assume it is nothing more than speculation.
Also, before you are so quick to defend SOE, you might want to ask the million of their customers, whose personal information was recently stolen how they feel about SOE. It was done very easily by hackers because of that companies negligence for the past few years now. Personally, I won't be buying ANYTHING that is made by any part of the SONY corporation for a long time because of that.
Now maybe SWG was released by SOE too early, but I am not convinced that Lucas Arts was responsible for that now. The company is showing a history of negligent behavior and so I am having a hard time trusting anything good (or even neutral) said about them.
"If half of what you tell me is a lie, how can I believe any of it?"
Not really speculation at all. Lucas Arts is 100% the publisher of Star Wars Galaxies. SoE publishes most of their games, but not SWG. The publisher is the one that determines release dates and does the marketing. There is no doubt SWg was released at least 6 months too early and a lot of people would agree that the early release is the prime reason it went from 500k users to the less than 200k users it had at the time of the NGE's release.
And this was also confirmed by one of SWG's developers that posted on this site a few years back.
And the bit about Lucas Arts having full control over every little detail that goes into SWG is widely known, at least by SWG players.
And I didnt defend SoE at all. If people want to not buy their prodcuts because Sony doesnt think security was worth heavily investing in, thats fine (however if you think they are the only major corporation that does this you are incredibly naive). if you want to boycott SoE games because of the NGE thats fine too. It was absolutely dispicable to put it in unannounced right after an expansion, and even if it was LA's call entirely to do it SoE should have stood up for their customers more. However, it is 100% hypocritical to boycott SoE because of the NGE and be gung ho about playing SWTOR
There is no proof that any data was actually taken. The database was accessed, but since it was 4chans anonymous morons that hacked it, i'd say that no data was actually taken.
Everything the FBI, and SOE did was precautionary as required by federal law, should something like this happen.
It was stated by a SWG developer that LA was repsonisble for the marketing of SWG 100%
However, SoEs track record with marketing is abysmal so it wouldnt have mattered much most likely. SoE's biggest marketing bit that i can remember was /pizza.
However Sony's parent corporation obviously did have data taken, and published. i dont blame people for assocating that with SoE, because its obviously where SoE's lax security ideals came from. Again though, I dont think most major corporations, at least ones that predate the internet age, are really much better.
I dont give my real info out anyway because I believe my data isnt fully safe anywhere. the list of things that has been hacked this year is pretty staggering. Sony made it easy, but they liekly would have gotten what they wanted anyway.
All of the points about if it was SOE or Lucas Arts who screwed up SWG is moot. SWTOR is being developed by Bioware, and EA is the publisher. They licensed the IP from Lucas Arts but Lucas Arts can't tell them when to release and how to build the game. They can limit how much freedom they have with the IP, but that is about it. Even the freedom is moot. It is Star Wars. As long as they make it witht he Star Wars setting and history, they are fine. They can even create new history, as they are currently doing, as long as it doesn't already tread upon existing history.
I have no doubt that Lucas Arts will not be able to screw this up, even if it was them that screwed up SWG. Sure they have some Lucas Arts people working closely on the project, but it is to make sure they are making an iconic Star Wars game. Since this game is not set during the films, Bioware seems to have tons of freedom.
[1]
SOE wasn't forced to release early. SWG wasn't finished on time and released unfinished. You might have a point if SOE didn't have a long history of releasing most of their mmos in similar poor shape. For example SOE intentionally released EQ2 in poor condition just to beat WoW to market and it is still suffering from problems directly related to that choice.
[2]
SWG was the second largest MMO at its release. The NGE had television commercials and a very heavy media blitz. Marketing was never ever the problem for SWG.
[3]
Just how has SOE been handcuffed? They were allowed to add pink cherub ewoks, zombies and vampires for fucks sake. SOE was allowed to revamp the entire gameplay not once, but TWICE! There is nothing to support the claim that SOE was limited in what they could or could not do. Most statements by SOE have reinforced how easy it has been to work with Lucas Arts. More wild speculation on your part or do you have anything substantial to add to your claims?
[4]
To date several SOE developers have openly stated how they conceived and developed the NGE and that it was born internally at SOE.
To date not one single Lucas Arts employee or SOE employee has stated that SOE was forced to do anything in regards to the NGE.
Lucas Arts doesn't screw games up, the developers they hire to create their games do.
Do you credit Lucas Arts with the success of KOTOR or do you credit Bioware since they were the developer of the game? Why then would you blame Lucas Arts for the failures of SWG when SOE was the developer?
See the trend there.
Bioware make awesome games, KOTOR was awesome even though Lucas Arts was involved.
SOE makes poor quality games and SWG was a poor quality game even though Lucas Arts was involved.
I suppose you blame warner brothers for the failure of DCU?
The big fear is how much influence Electronic Arts is going to have and all the former SWG developers working on SWTOR. With the amount of money being invested odds are they try to play things to safe and make a boring game that emulates existing games to much, but with a star wars skin pasted on top of it.
Bad choice of word there lol. I do hope you are right though.
Yes, I was cringing as I put that word in there. I hope it is iconic Star Wars, but even if it isn't I will still give it a try. It is Bioware after all. I have yet to play a Bioware game that I didn't love. Until they make a bad game I will always stick by them.
I'm not worried about Lucas Arts at all. I'd be more worried if they listened to those in these forums who want a niche Sandbox SWG 2.0. Then the game would really be in trouble.
There Is Always Hope!
Here we go again. Another disgruntled whoever, that still thinks LA was responsible for what happened to SWG, when there's pure 100% evidence and proof that SOE screwed that game up from the beginning as well as the debacle known as the NGE.
You do realize that LA is not handing the publishing, marketing and distribution for The Old Republic right? So that's a big difference right there.
Last November EA and LA made a new deal where EA is taking over those responsibilities.
Sourcing
How can LA mess up? I think BW has to get their consent on story and maybe few other minor things.
Guild Wars 2's 50 minutes game play video:
http://n4g.com/news/592585/guild-wars-2-50-minutes-of-pure-gameplay
Everything We Know about GW2:
http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/287180/page/1
I dont think it was LA at fault with SWG it was SOE they never listend to what thier customers had to say they ignored every comment and hense ruined what was a great game. I also blame them for the what happend to EQ 1 once again they got greedy pumping out rubbish addons it lost its fun.
Link your proof that the early release was SoE's decision and that SoE was behind anything in the NGE other than the fast combat system (might as well link proof that it was SoE's decision to ask for a change to the combat sytem too)
Youd have to be pretty dense to think LA didnt play a huge role in the NGE.
I don't see proof to support your claims against LA.
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https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos?&sort=-downloads&page=1
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you playing an MMORPG?"
look up the user Dundee on this site.
I think we have a bitter and twisted pre NGE SWG player here; Awful post that really doesn't warrant reply because it is so far off track it beggars belief.
"Lucas Arts Screwed nothing Up"
Bioware and Lucas Arts have a great working relationship just look to all the new cannon they have developed together. The need to reply is just to state a couple of things ; SWTOR is a different beast to SWG it has been developed by the Masters of the RPG , and to be honest not really sure they should be compared.
A fantastic all round development nopt to be compared witha legacy MMO which is all but dead.
Whatever come of SWTOR will be but failure is not in the mix. ......
One question did Lucas Arts loose money on SWG ? Because thats the benchmark and I am not sure money was lost...
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Sorcery must persist, the future is the Citadel
Why don't you post some proof instead of treating your baseless speculation as if it is some fact filled statement and at the same time demanding proof from other people? How about you practice a little of what you are preaching.
What varifiable information have you ever brought to your claims that would make anyone look like a fool for not agreeing with you? Really what information have you given that could possibly validate this topic?
So far you just seem to keep repeating the same misinformation and baseless speculation as if saying it over and over will validate it. It doesn't work that way.
Why don't you pony up a few links to support your claims? That sure would be refreshing.
Did you mean to quote a different post?
If LA was to blame, then why SOE, has not been given an ok to make a SWG2.0. Why did LA go with Bioware to make a new MMORPG. i mean, if they were to blame and SOE just went along with them, full knowing it would kill the game, why didn't they get that second chance. Hell, If LA was to blame, then why didn't they automatically tell SOE to convert back to the old code.
Long as Smedly* is not involved I'm ok
No he doesn't and your link pretty much invalidates the need for this entire posts random speculation, so I assume the information you link will get ignored.