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2012 Reflections
grimal
Member UncommonPosts: 2,935
Thought it would be nice to sum up what the genre has learned this year. Please add anything you find missing.
1) A popular well-esblished IP with a HUGE budget does not guarantee player retenton (SWTOR).
2) EA is quickly becoming the most despised company in the MMO landscape.
3) A unique theme and wheel skillset do not guarantee success (TSW)
4) Don't use the word "Dynamic" unless you really mean it (GW2).
5) If you put out a manifesto, don't go back on it...or even leave it up to too wide of interpretation (GW2).
6) A 90% from PCGamer will not keep the hackers away (PS2)
7) The third in a trilogy usually sucks (D3)
8) Combat and combat alone does not a good MMO make (Tera).
9) Hype......AVOID IT!
10) One game alone will not save or destroy the genre (GW2, SWTOR, and many others).
Comments
- good online combat & progression game is not necessarily a MMO (D3)
- every successful game has its hater, and if you enjoy a game, ignore the haters (D3, GW2, ....)
- big world pvp made a come-back (PS2)
- sub game is a thing of the past (TOR going F2P, MH built for F2P from ground up .. sub game like TSW not doing well)
- more non-MMO but MMO like games (MH is more like Diablo, Mechwarrior Online instanced and no world, MOBA very successful)
Playing: FFXIV, DnL, and World of Warships
Waiting on: Ashes of Creation
Couldn't agree more, great post.
Agree with your points, except maybe 3) because TSW lack of advertising clearly shows it never was intended for the mass market, just like EvE.
TSW is an amazing and unique game and definitely a success for the specific audience, but not for the average MMO-Joe market - also the pre-release hype of GW2 leads me to another point regarding TSW
11) Never release a new MMO when a competitor with a massive marketing campaign releases at the same time
Secrets of Dragon?s Spine Trailer.. !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwT9cFVQCMw
Best MMOs ever played: Ultima, EvE, SW Galaxies, Age of Conan, The Secret World
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2X_SbZCHpc&t=21s
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The Return of ELITE !
I disagree. Sub forces a level of commitment, and prevent gamers from dabbling in a game. F2P obviously attract a lot more people to play test. So business model does change behaivor.
But didn't Funcom come out and say that they should not have made some a niche game?
Edit: or at least, by creating such a game as TSW, it limited their marketabilty?
Thanks!
Somehow I feel #9 is going to be on 2013's list as well.
The business model wasnt the problem with all these converted f2p games. Poor design choices were. Swtor had no endgame and the endgame it did have was unfinished, AOC buggy no endgame, aion grindy, WAR buggy, VG buggy as all hell, list goes on and on. IF SWtor was amazing you would see sub numbers near wow. The sub isnt going anywhere poor design choices are.
Playing: FFXIV, DnL, and World of Warships
Waiting on: Ashes of Creation
But the statement that "business model makes little difference" is clearly wrong. If by moving from p2p to f2p, player population increases 10x ... the business model is having an effect.
Don't tell me increase a player base and revene is "making little difference".
Well for the most part i have to agree but 1/8 are iffy.
1 That is a great IP no question however HUGE budget i am not so sure,matter of fact i doubt it.
8 great combat imo does make a great game.I am not so sure i would say TERA has great combat,i did not like any part of that game.Combat is 85% the reason why i liked/loved FFXi.
Combat does have a lot to it however,more so than simply killing.So much of a game can tie into combat,that is what does it for me.
Truth of course is that ONE aspect does nopt make a great GAME,it is however a VERY important piece of the pie.IMO it is like the pie filling,the crust is al lthe other little things.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
F2P provides BOTH.
For example:
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/27416/Going_Free_Boosts_Turbines_DDO_Revenues_500_Percent.php#.UMJiQXc-Oa8
"Going free-to-play is paying off for Turbine, which says its Dungeons and Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited has gained over one million new players" ... huge increase in population
"Going Free Boosts Turbine's DDO Revenues 500 Percent" ... huge increase in revenue
BOTH is possible.
2012 was rough. After 8 years of having swg, i found myself struggling to connect with the new style of mmos.
It is interesting, and I suspect relevant, that we still constantly hear about that news report from nearly three years ago. Has anyone heard any announcements more recently than early 2010 about how well D&DO was doing? All the signs point to an initial burst of enthusiasm when they first made it free to play.. followed by a rapid dropoff back to where it was previously.
DDO just released an expansion in 2012, so i doubt they are doing badly.
However, the point is that F2P does change behavior, and increase population/revenue. You can look up other reports. I believe F2P also improve on LOTRO.
It is not a accident that F2P has increased its market share against p2p in 2011.
Increasing it for how long? Its clear you have an agenda here but you failing to address a serious topic, Player Retention.
So you have 30 f2p games but there all crap. Sure youll get an influx of players but for how long? A few days? A few weeks? You cant keep players playing those games. You give us one great game with a sub and not only will you fill the world with players, but those same people will be there 6 months to a year later.
Maybe you want to float from game to game and thats your right. Console games alow you to do that just fine. But a trully epic MMO will keep you in that game world for a very very long time. And that game has been missing from the MMO market.
So yes F2P may increase the player base of a failing game but for how long? A failing game is just that. The Payment model has little to do with that. It has to do with the game its self.
I like shooting things more than taming turtles
PS2>WoW
"True epic MMO"? I dont' need a game to keep me for very very long time. Everything gets boring for very very long time. F2P is fine .. just hop from game to game.
And if that game is missing from the MMO market, there is a reason. May be there is few players who want such a game. Personally i don't miss it.
As far as the trend is concern:
http://www.newzoo.com/press-releases/free-to-play-mmo-game-spending-increases-24-to-1-2bn-dollar-in-u-s/
And i quote
"Free-to-play share of total U.S. MMO spending increases from 39% to 47%."
BTW, this is 2011 .. just last year.
Seems like f2p is really helping business...
http://www.gamesradar.com/mmo-developer-turbine-hit-layoffs/
I agree. I am also playing PS2, and not WOW anymore.
no offense but honestly it's people like you that are the problem with the mmo genre. Yes there are huge issues with companies rushing unfinished products out of the gate and them going down in flames. But people who never even intend on sticking around passed a month or two are to blame as well.
MMO's are not console games, they are not meant to be consumed and then thrown away for the next new thing. Originally mmo's were games that people would play for years on end. I played EQ1 for 5 years straight and loved it. Now we have games come out, even as broken as some are, that people just rush through and then ditch.
If you never intend to actually be a loyal customer to this mmo then why do you even bother playing it? MMo's are dependent on their communities along with their revenue.
Playing: Smite, Marvel Heroes
Played: Nexus:Kingdom of the Winds, Everquest, DAoC, Everquest 2, WoW, Matrix Online, Vangaurd, SWG, DDO, EVE, Fallen Earth, LoTRo, CoX, Champions Online, WAR, Darkfall, Mortal Online, Guild Wars, Rift, Tera, Aion, AoC, Gods and Heroes, DCUO, FF14, TSW, SWTOR, GW2, Wildstar, ESO, ArcheAge
Waiting On: Nothing. Mmorpg's are dead.
Thats why i said console games alow you to do that just fine. That being jump from game to game to game to game to game to game to game to game to game to game to game.......
You right there is a reason why that game is missing from the market. That reason is called WoW. Blizzard made millions and millions and every ip that came after wanted a piece of that pie. So it has to do more with the suites calling the shots then the standered MMOer. Not a gamer but a MMOer.
Just look at the games that have released in the last 3 years. And you wonder why there goin f2p? Cause the qualty of games arent worth a sub.
Theres a saying i heard that i would like to say now in lew of your %... "Numbers never lie. But they dont tell the truth eather."
Well as for #1, huge budget in terms of the market. It was reportedly the biggest budget for any video game ever made.
#8 Applies to Tera but it is also a lesson that should have been learned from AoC. Both put combat in the forefront but focused on little else. I never tried FFXI, so I can't comment...but I think the lesson is to not forget the rest of the game just because of one feature.