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8 years of broken promises

octaocta Member UncommonPosts: 245
edited July 2016 in Age of Conan: Unchained

May 20, 2008 was a day that will live in infamy.  Age of Conan was released broken, bereft of many features promised.  The company went on to blame its customers for many of these problems; I believe it was Gaut himself that claimed the lack of participation in the beta server was the cause of so many bugs making it through THEIR QA onto production.  It was a galling accusation that left me dumbstruck.  Were these developers so disconnected from reality? 

My view of the gaming industry and MMOs was forever changed for the worst.  I spiraled into a depressive realization that my industry heroes, the champions at Funcom that claimed they were flipping the MMO genre on its head and making a WoW killer, were nothing but charlatans.  Funcom was more interested in their bottom line than meeting their promises.  Innocence was lost that day.

I learned that year:

  • Erling Ellingsen is a liar.
  • MMOs are released blatantly unfinished with no apologies to that fact
  • Little is learned at Funcom when they repeat their launch failures two games in a row.
  • History tends to repeat itself when bad management is involved.
  • Beta tests are a marketing tool and have little to do with balancing and finding issues. 

There was a glimmer of hope for a time.  The game was a visual splendor and the skill based melee combat was a breath of fresh air.  But where was the blood coins? The sieging? The mounted combat? The bar room brawls? The DX 10 support?  

3 months? Then 6 months? The next expansion? When would the failed promises end? 

They abused and misused our trusts.  For the most part we let them.  Now we pay the price; the industry was changed forever.  The consumers are no longer in control. 

But, I do hope the current state of Age of Conan is a lesson learned for any others wishing to sell us their snake oil.  This company continues to be a tumor in the industry.  Limping along with bad licensed properties.  I look forward to their eventual demise.  This is the result of a business objective solely concerned with short term gains.

I will never forget what they did.  I will never forgive what they did.

Post edited by octa on
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Comments

  • SalmonManSalmonMan Member UncommonPosts: 192
    Yeah, they fucked it up royally alright.
  • fatearsfatears Member UncommonPosts: 86
    Why? Why Funcom? For the love of all things Holy, why? 
    You received 25 LOLs. 
    You are posting some laughably bad content, please desist. 
  • octaocta Member UncommonPosts: 245
    fatears said:
    Why? Why Funcom? For the love of all things Holy, why? 
    It perplexes me to this day. They had a sure fire hit on their hands and a mountain of good will from their fans.  Gaute's mismanagement seems like the most obvious scapegoat but I am sure it is even deeper rooted than that.
  • GeezerGamerGeezerGamer Member EpicPosts: 8,855
    edited July 2016
    Dude!
    That was eight freaking years ago? Find a game with an Engineer class and play that. Maybe it can help you build a bridge...........And get over it.
  • SovrathSovrath Member LegendaryPosts: 31,937
    octa said:


    I will never forget what they did.  I will never forgive what they did.

    This is a "joke post" right?

    Because it feels like you are really hanging a lot on a "video game".
    Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb." 

    Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w


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    Try the "Special Edition." 'Cause it's "Special." https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/64878/?tab=description

    Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo 
  • octaocta Member UncommonPosts: 245
    Dude!
    That was eight freaking years ago? Find a game with an Engineer class and play that. Maybe it can help you build a bridge...........And get over it.
    What is the statute of limitations on injustice? 

    We must remember so that the suffering of thousands of people wasn't in vain - so we can make this a better world, one game at a time.
  • filmoretfilmoret Member EpicPosts: 4,906
    Dude there's a game called Age of Conan?
    Are you onto something or just on something?
  • fatearsfatears Member UncommonPosts: 86
    octa said:
    Dude!
    That was eight freaking years ago? Find a game with an Engineer class and play that. Maybe it can help you build a bridge...........And get over it.
    What is the statute of limitations on injustice? 

    We must remember so that the suffering of thousands of people wasn't in vain - so we can make this a better world, one game at a time.
    Generally 6 years if signed underhand or 12 if a deed.
    You received 25 LOLs. 
    You are posting some laughably bad content, please desist. 
  • BajsN3rdBajsN3rd Member UncommonPosts: 41
    Basement people are coming online.
  • SevalaSevala Member UncommonPosts: 220
    octa said:
    What is the statute of limitations on injustice? 

    There is no statute of limitations in the MMORPG world. "Remember the Combat Upgrade!!!"

    Yeah...SOE/Smedley can still suck it, and by association so can DayBreakGames.

    ~I am Many~

  • octaocta Member UncommonPosts: 245
    edited July 2016
    Sevala said:
    octa said:
    What is the statute of limitations on injustice? 

    There is no statute of limitations in the MMORPG world. "Remember the Combat Upgrade!!!"

    Yeah...SOE/Smedley can still suck it, and by association so can DayBreakGames.
    Coincidentally the NGE made me swear off MMOs altogether.  It was Age of Conan and its hype master Erling that made me open my heart and give the genre another chance.  You can imagine how much it stung to see a soulless corporation throw its customers under a bus yet again.
  • cronius77cronius77 Member UncommonPosts: 1,652
    lol you guys are really holding grudges like that over video games?? Why bother? did not all those guys get what they deserved when the sales fell flat ? Every game that has ever put wow killer in its infomercials or forum bragging has failed miserably. I do not understand why people have such a deep connection with a game and then get butt hurt when its not up to their expectations. Just move on if you do not like it and be weary of any new games said company makes. Like all the people drooling here over their new survival game from the conan IP. Everyone here forgets how bad funcom really is about bugs and broken crap months and months after release. I expect nothing but a big ass nightmare for awhile when that game releases and judging by the secret worlds animations team Im expecting indie devs to release a better looking survival game to be honest. Just get over it all and move on geesh... 
  • GeezerGamerGeezerGamer Member EpicPosts: 8,855
    octa said:
    Dude!
    That was eight freaking years ago? Find a game with an Engineer class and play that. Maybe it can help you build a bridge...........And get over it.
    What is the statute of limitations on injustice? 

    We must remember so that the suffering of thousands of people wasn't in vain - so we can make this a better world, one game at a time.
    And what are you owed at this point? What damages have been incurred by you that need restitution?
    You played the game for 8 years, I don't think you are entitled to a refund. You want them to fix the game now? What good will that do? 8 years later FC finally releases their "WoW Killer" to the deafening sound of...........
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8E_zMLCRNg

  • Octagon7711Octagon7711 Member LegendaryPosts: 9,000
    Why dwell on negatives?

    "We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa      "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."  SR Covey

  • Saur0n69Saur0n69 Member UncommonPosts: 44
    Europeans suck at business.  It's that simple.
  • Po_ggPo_gg Member EpicPosts: 5,749
    Hi octa :waving:
    Missed your annual "this cancer of the industry is still there" thread at the anniversary a month ago, seemed you forgot to post it - which would've been quite a contradiction to the whole "I will never forget what they did.  I will never forgive what they did." shebang.
    Glad to see you just skipped a month for some reasons. No year should pass by without the usual "n+1" years octa thread.

    See you in 2017!  :lol:

  • waynejr2waynejr2 Member EpicPosts: 7,769
    cronius77 said:
    lol you guys are really holding grudges like that over video games?? Why bother? did not all those guys get what they deserved when the sales fell flat ? Every game that has ever put wow killer in its infomercials or forum bragging has failed miserably. I do not understand why people have such a deep connection with a game and then get butt hurt when its not up to their expectations. Just move on if you do not like it and be weary of any new games said company makes. Like all the people drooling here over their new survival game from the conan IP. Everyone here forgets how bad funcom really is about bugs and broken crap months and months after release. I expect nothing but a big ass nightmare for awhile when that game releases and judging by the secret worlds animations team Im expecting indie devs to release a better looking survival game to be honest. Just get over it all and move on geesh... 

    Imagine how it would be if they tried dating!
    http://www.youhaventlived.com/qblog/2010/QBlog190810A.html  

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    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?"




  • holdenhamletholdenhamlet Member EpicPosts: 3,772
    Honestly it seemed to me the game was fail with the combat system trying to be different but not actually doing anything fun or immersive.

    Future games like TERA showed how action combat could be done well.

    To me, Warhammer was much more innovative, but got much more slack, unfortunately.
  • slagathoreslagathore Member UncommonPosts: 31
    I agree with @holdenhamlet.  Warhammer was way better than AoC.
  • MaurgrimMaurgrim Member RarePosts: 1,324
    I can understand why Fucom blamed the beta testers, you see be part of a beta nowdays and back then were not about helping test the game it was play the game and decide if its fun or not, only a small percentage actual filed bug reports.

    If I had a game in beta I would demand beta testers to file atleast one bug a week minimum if no bug is filed you lost your spot as a beta tester.
  • DKLondDKLond Member RarePosts: 2,273
    Game had amazing potential - and I kept hoping it would turn around. A few years of that, and I just forgot about it.

    I have no intention of lamenting it forever, though.

    Never came into its own, and just another complete failure that could have been.

    End of story.
  • Talon_DeathravenTalon_Deathraven Member UncommonPosts: 46
    Dude this is 2016 ..Now we complain about Black Desert Online ! 
  • holdenhamletholdenhamlet Member EpicPosts: 3,772
    Dude this is 2016 ..Now we complain about Black Desert Online ! 
    Yeah, if you're a dummy or your comp can't run it.  ;P
  • Messiah78Messiah78 Member UncommonPosts: 21
    what was so broken at launch?
    I played from launch +3 years - no break.
    Best Classes and  best Raids - oh and we had the new thing called balanced PVP.
    No mmorpg even comes close to AoC.
  • DKLondDKLond Member RarePosts: 2,273
    Messiah78 said:
    what was so broken at launch?
    I played from launch +3 years - no break.
    Best Classes and  best Raids - oh and we had the new thing called balanced PVP.
    No mmorpg even comes close to AoC.
    Game was a complete mess in a technical sense - with players blinking in and out of existence based on viewing angle.

    But we're talking about promises here. The primary broken promise was that this was supposed to be about meaningful open world PvP.

    That never happened - and the focus quickly turned to trivial "WoW" PvE.

    I lost interest at that point.
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