They’re the company that helped make this whole industry into something more than MUDs and it’s time people remembered that over the NGE of Star Wars Galaxies.
You are absolutely correct on this, Bill. It is time to people remember SOE for promising DCUO subscribers to fix bugs, hacks and exploits as well as MONTHLY content to justify their monthly subscription rates. Oh and then selling them content as addons most likely paid for by those subs. Much WIN to be found there.
Seriously, I was an EQ beta tester. They have that game and moment in history as a jewel in their crown. But that crown doesn't belong to this modern day SOE. This one is known for shoddy updates, terrible customer service, buggy games and well damn near contempt for the customer. And yes, they are laughed at by their rivals. All of which would be jealous as hell for the titles and opportunities that SOE has had a chance with. SOE squandered those chances and seemingly continues to inflict punishment on their fanbase.
As for this game, I'd wager it is the last chance SOE has to right its ship before there is a changeup. Screw this one up, SOE and there will be much rebuilding. Assimilated with SCEA perhaps... who knows. Hopefully, SOE knows this and puts its honest and true effort into it from start to publish and beyond. This isn't their track record but hey, the stakes have changed.
Im looking forward to this game as i have grown bored of the regular mmo games.
SoE have made some of the best mmo games i have playd over the years, sure they stumble some but thats how this work.
All game creators mess up, how much they mess up is personal prefferance. I think COD missed the target on modern warfare2 it was inferior to warfare1 but millions obvious disagree with me on this part.
I personally believe SOE fall into the latter in their approach to their games.
You're naturally entitled to that belief, of course, but consider this:
Isn't every individual or company guilty of profiteering, considering the definition of profiteering is making money using methods that could be deemed to be unethical? There will always be someone who disagrees with your ethics.
I don't believe SoE are unethical in their business practises. I just don't think they're doing a particularly good job at what they made they were set up for, and what they made their name from.
I believe that SOE have made promise and broken them repeatedly, especially concerning their cash shop. This is unethical behaviour to me.
I personally believe SOE fall into the latter in their approach to their games.
You're naturally entitled to that belief, of course, but consider this:
Isn't every individual or company guilty of profiteering, considering the definition of profiteering is making money using methods that could be deemed to be unethical? There will always be someone who disagrees with your ethics.
I don't believe SoE are unethical in their business practises. I just don't think they're doing a particularly good job at what they made they were set up for, and what they made their name from.
I believe that SOE have made promise and broken them repeatedly, especially concerning their cash shop. This is unethical behaviour to me.
Fair enough, mate. But as customers, we don't really know the reason for changes to those 'promises'. Most of those have probably been plans, not specific promises.
Either way, I'm sure we agree that they're not on top of their game, as we see it. So let's not quibble about terms and definitions.
I personally believe SOE fall into the latter in their approach to their games.
You're naturally entitled to that belief, of course, but consider this:
Isn't every individual or company guilty of profiteering, considering the definition of profiteering is making money using methods that could be deemed to be unethical? There will always be someone who disagrees with your ethics.
I don't believe SoE are unethical in their business practises. I just don't think they're doing a particularly good job at what they made they were set up for, and what they made their name from.
I believe that SOE have made promise and broken them repeatedly, especially concerning their cash shop. This is unethical behaviour to me.
Fair enough, mate. But as customers, we don't really know the reason for changes to those 'promises'. Most of those have probably been plans, not specific promises.
Either way, I'm sure we agree that they're not on top of their game, as we see it. So let's not quibble about terms and definitions.
I am sorry but I don't subscribe to the perspective at all.
I go into every situation with respect for the other party as a given, they can then lose it based on what they say or do. Initially though, everyone gets respect. It's a alien way of thinking to me to consider strangers who have 'not earned it' not worthy of respect.
SOE, though, lost mine a long time ago as a company, though they accidentally get it right sometimes. If PS2 is good,and I mean GOOD, then great, SOE may well restore some of that lost respect in my eyes.
Sorry I was responding to earlier statements that SOE is somehow deserved more respect for something they did 10 years ago. Respect is most certainly something that can be lost and that is the situation SOE is in.
I totally agree with what you say even if it might not have come out that way.
Planetside was a decent game. Will Planetside 2 redeem SOE? No. EQ Next will make or break SOE. I'm surprised they have yet to say more about it, especially since they JUST had a fan faire. Everquest is where most of the SOE customer loyalty comes from. It's really the only title that SOE didn't COMPLETELY shit on. I say completely because most of us know that EQ was a better game back when Verant had the rights and called all the shots. SOE shit on SWG, Vanguard, blah blah blah, so on and so forth.
I am sorry but I don't subscribe to the perspective at all.
I go into every situation with respect for the other party as a given, they can then lose it based on what they say or do. Initially though, everyone gets respect. It's a alien way of thinking to me to consider strangers who have 'not earned it' not worthy of respect.
SOE, though, lost mine a long time ago as a company, though they accidentally get it right sometimes. If PS2 is good,and I mean GOOD, then great, SOE may well restore some of that lost respect in my eyes.
Sorry I was responding to earlier statements that SOE is somehow deserved more respect for something they did 10 years ago. Respect is most certainly something that can be lost and that is the situation SOE is in.
I totally agree with what you say even if it might not have come out that way.
Sorry Mr Murphy, but the revolutionary company you remember doesn't exist anymore. So that argument is a moot point. It would make as much sense for me to say that the Chicago Bears will make it to the superbowl this year based only on how well they did back in 1985. So please stop trying to wrangle guilt and sympathy for this company from those of us who watched them turn their company from a dream factory into a crap factory.
SOE remains a company with creative talent with good ideas, but said creative talent is contuinually hamstrung by the mysteriously handy capable managment team. Until SOE chops some dead wood out of the top of the tree I cannot get excited about any project they announce. Until they prove with their actions that they can make a good game without chopping its feet off the second they release it into the wild, I'm going to continue to take their "We have a new game" announcements with about the same seriousness as Blackadder did Baldric every time he announced "I have a cunning plan".
"Gypsies, tramps, and thieves, we were called by the Admin of the site . . . "
I still hold their IP, Planetside, above the rest of the crop, Dust 514, firefall, defiance, tribes universe, earthrise, world war 2 online, Mars war, Global Agenda, APB and the rest of the "So called" MMOFPS' that boil down to nothing more than a Cash shopped, Arena Base 16 v 16 lobby match product, which i dare say, SOME of the next so-called mmofps's will continue with their Cash shopped, Arena Base 16 v 16 lobby match product.
Try those games, and then try PS 1 to see a difference in formula and scale.
Not going to sit here waving a I hate SOE flag while ignoring their continued attempt to venture into things that dont involve a wizard robe/ wizard hat and a epic rod of Forsoothe +5.
"They’re the company that helped make this whole industry into something more than MUDs and it’s time people remembered that over the NGE of Star Wars Galaxies."
Sometimes, I wish more people would remember this, and give them a little more respect.
Perhaps because it's difficult to "remember" revisionist history.
UO and Meridian59 would both like to have a word with the author about getting his timeline straight.
I think it's naive to suggest that SoE's abyssmal reputation stems entirely from SWG/NGE. The Ca$h $hop had a lot to do with the first major exodus of customers from SoE, for example.
But sure, SoE could repair their rep. Just deliver what's promised, every once in a while. You might start with DCUO, I hear that that content isn't being delivered in either quality or quantity or on schedule as promised in May.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
Can P2 redeem SOE? Yes, I think so. It would have to be a freaking amazing game and they'd need to funnel ALL of their development efforts towards this as well as keeping the ball moving post-launch.
Will P2 redeem SOE? I doubt it. I don't think SOE has shown that sort of committment to most of their games. I think P2 will be mediocre with a small harcore group of fans.
They are has beens. Arrogant, misguided/misdirected has beens. That's why they are where they are today. I owe them nothing, having paid them over a $1 thousand dollars and then being told they didn't want my business. So it's a little hard to appreciate their contributions when they do not appreciate the people that made it happen.
I would not be so quick to dismiss the NGE either. It epitomizes just what SOE thinks of their customers, and nothing they have done has disproven this since.
I still hold their IP, Planetside, above the rest of the crop, Dust 514, firefall, defiance, tribes universe, earthrise, world war 2 online, Mars war, Global Agenda, APB and the rest of the "So called" MMOFPS' that boil down to nothing more than a Cash shopped, Arena Base 16 v 16 lobby match product, which i dare say, SOME of the next so-called mmofps's will continue with their Cash shopped, Arena Base 16 v 16 lobby match product.
Try those games, and then try PS 1 to see a difference in formula and scale.
Not going to sit here waving a I hate SOE flag while ignoring their continued attempt to venture into things that dont involve a wizard robe/ wizard hat and a epic rod of Forsoothe +5.
These 3 games and maybe some of the other ones(not familiar with tribes or Mars wars) aren't out and we have NO full info on how they play yet let alone resigning them to Arena Base 16v 16 lobby matches. So your touting PS1 as better than those loses all credibility.
I like how the author forgets the MMOs that came before Evercrap. If anyone kick-started the industry, it was Origin. If anything, SOE came along and made the experience more generic and less fun. They set the standard for all "on rails" mmos to come. Their popularity came from being the only modern 3d mmo in town. (Sorry but m59 was like colored blocks rubbing together.)
Can Planetside 2 fix SoE? I doubt it. It doesn't look like they learned from their mistakes in PS1. There still doesnt seem to be anything to the Planetside world other than capturing random buildings (that all look almost identical)over and over again. I got bored of capturing random building X after a dozen times. I'm going to use an old school word here. Planetside lacks immersion, and Planetside 2 is going down the same road.
Although I would desperately hope that SOE can capture the scale and feel and absolute awe-inspiring gameplay and experience of the beta and early PlanetSide, I'm unable to feel unrestrained anticipation....I just have to wait and see and hope.
I've been gaming online since the original Air Warrior on GEnie in 1987 (at 6 bucks an HOUR!) and without hesitation I can state that the original PlanetSide was the absolute most stunning and fun game I ever played online..Nothing else has ever come close....I mean, originally, if memory serves, there was a 450-player-per-empire population size...Which allowed well over 1,000 people to be on-screen at one time...Armor, aircraft, soldiers, as far as the eye could see, all merrily murdering each other with abandon...I'd give anything to experience that again...
$OE is pretty much dead to me, i will watch PS2 from the sideline because i really dislike the corporate structure and decision making of this insidious publisher...
They were once on top of their game but the scene changed and $OE failed to acknowlege it then and still fails to acknowlege it now..
Any publisher that will let games like SWG and eventually EQ1 die instead of going with some kind of preventive F2P model to revive them does not deserve my business..
SWG cannot be turned into a F2P game because of the license. Lucas Arts would charge a lot of money for renewing the license, specially with SWTOR on the way. Turning SWG into F2P would make SOE loose money on it, short and long term. F2P is not a practical solution for every dying game.
The first MMO since DAoC to have a 3 faction PvP system. Holy f*ck. I bet nobody thought SoE was going to be the one to finally make a game with that.
I'm definitely a little hyped. Vehicles, tactical decisions, hit boxes, Sci-fi? YES PLEASE
DAoC 2001, Planetside 2003. I guess Planetside 2 would be the first MMO(FPS) to have a 3 faction PvP system, with vehicles, tactical decisions, hit boxes and a sci-fi theme since...Planetside
Bring on Planetside 2 asap, nothing yet has come close to the awesomeness of the original in my eyes
I still hold their IP, Planetside, above the rest of the crop, Dust 514, firefall, defiance, tribes universe, earthrise, world war 2 online, Mars war, Global Agenda, APB and the rest of the "So called" MMOFPS' that boil down to nothing more than a Cash shopped, Arena Base 16 v 16 lobby match product, which i dare say, SOME of the next so-called mmofps's will continue with their Cash shopped, Arena Base 16 v 16 lobby match product.
Try those games, and then try PS 1 to see a difference in formula and scale.
Not going to sit here waving a I hate SOE flag while ignoring their continued attempt to venture into things that dont involve a wizard robe/ wizard hat and a epic rod of Forsoothe +5.
These 3 games and maybe some of the other ones(not familiar with tribes or Mars wars) aren't out and we have NO full info on how they play yet let alone resigning them to Arena Base 16v 16 lobby matches. So your touting PS1 as better than those loses all credibility.
People have more than once asked about "will it rival Planetside in combat and scale" or "will their be massive battles"
Show me a video or Article where any of those games ive listed they have stepped up and said they are going for massive scale infantry,air and ground vehicle combat where hundreds of players will fight each other in a persistant world.
at this time, Tribes Universe: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribes_Universe is the closet game among the crop that has stepped up and imo the most likely challenger towards SOE and planetside.
Dont get me started with Mars War, really...
as of now PS1 is above the current list of games; the Benchmark if you will.
PS2 is the game to beat and SOE is already looking to throw the first punch at all contenders with their recent panel.
Comments
They’re the company that helped make this whole industry into something more than MUDs and it’s time people remembered that over the NGE of Star Wars Galaxies.
You are absolutely correct on this, Bill. It is time to people remember SOE for promising DCUO subscribers to fix bugs, hacks and exploits as well as MONTHLY content to justify their monthly subscription rates. Oh and then selling them content as addons most likely paid for by those subs. Much WIN to be found there.
Seriously, I was an EQ beta tester. They have that game and moment in history as a jewel in their crown. But that crown doesn't belong to this modern day SOE. This one is known for shoddy updates, terrible customer service, buggy games and well damn near contempt for the customer. And yes, they are laughed at by their rivals. All of which would be jealous as hell for the titles and opportunities that SOE has had a chance with. SOE squandered those chances and seemingly continues to inflict punishment on their fanbase.
As for this game, I'd wager it is the last chance SOE has to right its ship before there is a changeup. Screw this one up, SOE and there will be much rebuilding. Assimilated with SCEA perhaps... who knows. Hopefully, SOE knows this and puts its honest and true effort into it from start to publish and beyond. This isn't their track record but hey, the stakes have changed.
Im looking forward to this game as i have grown bored of the regular mmo games.
SoE have made some of the best mmo games i have playd over the years, sure they stumble some but thats how this work.
All game creators mess up, how much they mess up is personal prefferance. I think COD missed the target on modern warfare2 it was inferior to warfare1 but millions obvious disagree with me on this part.
I believe that SOE have made promise and broken them repeatedly, especially concerning their cash shop. This is unethical behaviour to me.
Fair enough, mate. But as customers, we don't really know the reason for changes to those 'promises'. Most of those have probably been plans, not specific promises.
Either way, I'm sure we agree that they're not on top of their game, as we see it. So let's not quibble about terms and definitions.
Here, have a Thursday beer!
Cheers
I think planetside 2 has excellent potential to be a game I could play and many others would enjoy
I just hope they stick to the original set up of planetside and stay away from metagamer features like orbital strikes or what have you.
I'd rather be able to fight my enemy than worry about some orbiting "space ship" / "rail gun" i am unable to attack.
Sorry I was responding to earlier statements that SOE is somehow deserved more respect for something they did 10 years ago. Respect is most certainly something that can be lost and that is the situation SOE is in.
I totally agree with what you say even if it might not have come out that way.
Edit: @vesavius below
It was my poor wording, not you misreading anything. My apologies.
Planetside was a decent game. Will Planetside 2 redeem SOE? No. EQ Next will make or break SOE. I'm surprised they have yet to say more about it, especially since they JUST had a fan faire. Everquest is where most of the SOE customer loyalty comes from. It's really the only title that SOE didn't COMPLETELY shit on. I say completely because most of us know that EQ was a better game back when Verant had the rights and called all the shots. SOE shit on SWG, Vanguard, blah blah blah, so on and so forth.
ok sorry, sorry to have misread you
Sorry Mr Murphy, but the revolutionary company you remember doesn't exist anymore. So that argument is a moot point. It would make as much sense for me to say that the Chicago Bears will make it to the superbowl this year based only on how well they did back in 1985. So please stop trying to wrangle guilt and sympathy for this company from those of us who watched them turn their company from a dream factory into a crap factory.
SOE remains a company with creative talent with good ideas, but said creative talent is contuinually hamstrung by the mysteriously handy capable managment team. Until SOE chops some dead wood out of the top of the tree I cannot get excited about any project they announce. Until they prove with their actions that they can make a good game without chopping its feet off the second they release it into the wild, I'm going to continue to take their "We have a new game" announcements with about the same seriousness as Blackadder did Baldric every time he announced "I have a cunning plan".
"Gypsies, tramps, and thieves, we were called by the Admin of the site . . . "
Despite my negative Stance towards SOE
I still hold their IP, Planetside, above the rest of the crop, Dust 514, firefall, defiance, tribes universe, earthrise, world war 2 online, Mars war, Global Agenda, APB and the rest of the "So called" MMOFPS' that boil down to nothing more than a Cash shopped, Arena Base 16 v 16 lobby match product, which i dare say, SOME of the next so-called mmofps's will continue with their Cash shopped, Arena Base 16 v 16 lobby match product.
Try those games, and then try PS 1 to see a difference in formula and scale.
Not going to sit here waving a I hate SOE flag while ignoring their continued attempt to venture into things that dont involve a wizard robe/ wizard hat and a epic rod of Forsoothe +5.
Perhaps because it's difficult to "remember" revisionist history.
UO and Meridian59 would both like to have a word with the author about getting his timeline straight.
I think it's naive to suggest that SoE's abyssmal reputation stems entirely from SWG/NGE. The Ca$h $hop had a lot to do with the first major exodus of customers from SoE, for example.
But sure, SoE could repair their rep. Just deliver what's promised, every once in a while. You might start with DCUO, I hear that that content isn't being delivered in either quality or quantity or on schedule as promised in May.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
Can P2 redeem SOE? Yes, I think so. It would have to be a freaking amazing game and they'd need to funnel ALL of their development efforts towards this as well as keeping the ball moving post-launch.
Will P2 redeem SOE? I doubt it. I don't think SOE has shown that sort of committment to most of their games. I think P2 will be mediocre with a small harcore group of fans.
They are has beens. Arrogant, misguided/misdirected has beens. That's why they are where they are today. I owe them nothing, having paid them over a $1 thousand dollars and then being told they didn't want my business. So it's a little hard to appreciate their contributions when they do not appreciate the people that made it happen.
I would not be so quick to dismiss the NGE either. It epitomizes just what SOE thinks of their customers, and nothing they have done has disproven this since.
These 3 games and maybe some of the other ones(not familiar with tribes or Mars wars) aren't out and we have NO full info on how they play yet let alone resigning them to Arena Base 16v 16 lobby matches. So your touting PS1 as better than those loses all credibility.
I like how the author forgets the MMOs that came before Evercrap. If anyone kick-started the industry, it was Origin. If anything, SOE came along and made the experience more generic and less fun. They set the standard for all "on rails" mmos to come. Their popularity came from being the only modern 3d mmo in town. (Sorry but m59 was like colored blocks rubbing together.)
Can Planetside 2 fix SoE? I doubt it. It doesn't look like they learned from their mistakes in PS1. There still doesnt seem to be anything to the Planetside world other than capturing random buildings (that all look almost identical)over and over again. I got bored of capturing random building X after a dozen times. I'm going to use an old school word here. Planetside lacks immersion, and Planetside 2 is going down the same road.
Although I would desperately hope that SOE can capture the scale and feel and absolute awe-inspiring gameplay and experience of the beta and early PlanetSide, I'm unable to feel unrestrained anticipation....I just have to wait and see and hope.
I've been gaming online since the original Air Warrior on GEnie in 1987 (at 6 bucks an HOUR!) and without hesitation I can state that the original PlanetSide was the absolute most stunning and fun game I ever played online..Nothing else has ever come close....I mean, originally, if memory serves, there was a 450-player-per-empire population size...Which allowed well over 1,000 people to be on-screen at one time...Armor, aircraft, soldiers, as far as the eye could see, all merrily murdering each other with abandon...I'd give anything to experience that again...
How much is SoE charging to read this article? Is this a mini article or a full fledged article? Any articles included with the price of a sub?
That is what i hear when i read about SoE atm.
"I swear -- by my life and my love for it -- that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine."
- John Galt
SWG cannot be turned into a F2P game because of the license. Lucas Arts would charge a lot of money for renewing the license, specially with SWTOR on the way. Turning SWG into F2P would make SOE loose money on it, short and long term. F2P is not a practical solution for every dying game.
The first MMO since DAoC to have a 3 faction PvP system. Holy f*ck. I bet nobody thought SoE was going to be the one to finally make a game with that.
I'm definitely a little hyped. Vehicles, tactical decisions, hit boxes, Sci-fi? YES PLEASE
He who keeps his cool best wins.
Don't worry, even if planetside 2 is great, SOE will find a way to destroy it. It's their gaurenteed kiss of death
also are there literally SOE white knights in this topic? lmao
no doubt
DAoC 2001, Planetside 2003. I guess Planetside 2 would be the first MMO(FPS) to have a 3 faction PvP system, with vehicles, tactical decisions, hit boxes and a sci-fi theme since...Planetside
Bring on Planetside 2 asap, nothing yet has come close to the awesomeness of the original in my eyes
Fine with me,
in regards to info
Firefall being Pve persistant world, pvp arena combat, http://feature.mmosite.com/firefall/feature.shtml,
http://www.firefallthegame.com/community/threads/frequently-asked-questions-updated-1-11-2011.2/
Dust 514, Ps3 exclusive /no PC, with a cash shop, and "no less than 64 players" as their cap at launch.
http://www.dust514.org/component/content/article/34-news/54-dust-514-what-do-we-know-so-far
People have more than once asked about "will it rival Planetside in combat and scale" or "will their be massive battles"
Show me a video or Article where any of those games ive listed they have stepped up and said they are going for massive scale infantry,air and ground vehicle combat where hundreds of players will fight each other in a persistant world.
at this time, Tribes Universe: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribes_Universe is the closet game among the crop that has stepped up and imo the most likely challenger towards SOE and planetside.
Dont get me started with Mars War, really...
as of now PS1 is above the current list of games; the Benchmark if you will.
PS2 is the game to beat and SOE is already looking to throw the first punch at all contenders with their recent panel.
This is my worry... there are 2 different goals involved in game making.. making a fun game and making a profitable game
most large game corporations aim for a profitable game.. (quick fire expansions.. unbalanced gameplay etc) at the expense of fun and their reputation.
Hopefully a developer comes along that has fun as their number one priority.. not that a healthy profit shouldn't be involved ;p