i threw away my CE box and game disks today. Funcom had its chance and they blew it. NEXT!
It's funny because I'd been really upset that I missed out on an opportunity to buy the CE, which I was planning to hold on to and resell later. Now it looks like the only thing I'd have been collecting is dust!
eBay at this point has people trying to sell never-opened CE's for less than they'd retailed at.
That alone should tell people something about this game.
Actually its a fact that AoC sold more copies at release than WoW. Also AoC just came out the top ten NPD sales charts last week after more than 2 months there. Right now sales are still good, so say NPD, Buddy keys have just been released, so I would expect a drop in sales further and even more so when the non collectors edition keys release.
Nice to meet you Avery.
I'm unclear as how you determined that your post dispels the original poster's observations. In reading your post, it would appear that your points are in agreement that sales/interest has waned for the AoC title?
According to the NPD:
AoC had progressively falling sales numbers after the June.
If we track Blizzard's performance from initial release as a baseline, then review the current NPD offerings, we see:
WoW's Battle Chest is at number 4
WoW (original set) is at 7
Wow's Burning Crusade sits at 8
And if we look at raw staying power and continued revenue, Diablo Battle Chest is at number 6; and that's a 10+ year old title/expansions.
If you're using NPD as a reference for a title's success, understand that the NPD's top 10 is designed to measure a title's moving average, across a rolling quarterly/bi-yearly review/estimate cycle. If you're using it just to measure 6-8 weeks after an initial release as a measurement of a title's success; aside from initial sales; you're not using the NPD's moving sales index the way it was designed to be.
It's also why representatives from many MMO companies usually stay from using the NPD as a point of reference for how well they're doing currently, and instead use their activated/active subscriber base as their selling tool. That and their quarterly investment report, which for Funcom is this month if I recall.
Having said that, if we take your particular statements as an indicator, we should all be quaking in our boots over Nancy Drew: The Phantom Of Venice as it's is dominating the number 1 position in the NPD PC sales charts.
Also of note, that the release of buddy keys does not impact "sales" in the way that you'd think. Trial offerings have a sales conversion rate that is attractive to MMO publishers. There is a reason why it's a widely used medium for promoting a game and generating sales for that title; it has relatively low overhead, healthy margins, and widely accessible.
Trials for popular and niche/less popular MMO's sustain and generate sales both in digital purchases as well as retail purchases.
So again, I don't see how your points do anything to assuage the original poster's individual observations; nor do your NPD references support your arguments that I can see. To the contrary, they appear to support the original poster's anecdotal observations with confirmation that AoC had only a brief flash in sales and has seen a swift decline shortly after June, while the Sims 2, Warcraft and Diablo reclaim their NPD top 10 positions; month after month; year after year.
Actually its a fact that AoC sold more copies at release than WoW. Also AoC just came out the top ten NPD sales charts last week after more than 2 months there. Right now sales are still good, so say NPD, Buddy keys have just been released, so I would expect a drop in sales further and even more so when the non collectors edition keys release.
Nice to meet you Avery.
I'm unclear as how you determined that your post dispels the original poster's observations. In reading your post, it would appear that your points are in agreement that sales/interest has waned for the AoC title?
According to the NPD:
AoC had progressively falling sales numbers after the June.
If we track Blizzard's performance from initial release as a baseline, then review the current NPD offerings, we see:
WoW's Battle Chest is at number 4
WoW (original set) is at 7
Wow's Burning Crusade sits at 8
And if we look at raw staying power and continued revenue, Diablo Battle Chest is at number 6; and that's a 10+ year old title/expansions.
If you're using NPD as a reference for a title's success, understand that the NPD's top 10 is designed to measure a title's moving average, across a rolling quarterly/bi-yearly review/estimate cycle. If you're using it just to measure 6-8 weeks after an initial release as a measurement of a title's success; aside from initial sales; you're not using the NPD's moving sales index the way it was designed to be.
It's also why representatives from many MMO companies usually stay from using the NPD as a point of reference for how well they're doing currently, and instead use their activated/active subscriber base as their selling tool. That and their quarterly investment report, which for Funcom is this month if I recall.
Having said that, if we take your particular statements as an indicator, we should all be quaking in our boots over Nancy Drew: The Phantom Of Venice as it's is dominating the number 1 position in the NPD PC sales charts.
Also of note, that the release of buddy keys does not impact "sales" in the way that you'd think. Trial offerings have a sales conversion rate that is attractive to MMO publishers. There is a reason why it's a widely used medium for promoting a game and generating sales for that title; it has relatively low overhead, healthy margins, and widely accessible.
Trials for popular and niche/less popular MMO's sustain and generate sales both in digital purchases as well as retail purchases.
So again, I don't see how your points do anything to assuage the original poster's individual observations; nor do your NPD references support your arguments that I can see. To the contrary, they appear to support the original poster's anecdotal observations with confirmation that AoC had only a brief flash in sales and has seen a swift decline shortly after June, while the Sims 2, Warcraft and Diablo reclaim their NPD top 10 positions; month after month; year after year.
Agreed with this.
The latest chart shows AoC gone for the last 2 charts unlike the spin Avery is throwing.
I sure would like to know where it is exactly. Maybe like the game...in the toilet?
AmazingAveryAge of Conan AdvocateMemberUncommonPosts: 7,188
Originally posted by openedge1
Agreed with this. The latest chart shows AoC gone for the last 2 charts unlike the spin Avery is throwing. I sure would like to know where it is exactly. Maybe like the game...in the toilet? 14th-20th NPD charts 6th-12 NPD charts
I have already posted the 6-12th one many times with AoC off the chart. Im sure you will still find it selling above every other mmorpg on the market except WoW. Don't take my word for it though its just my opinion.
So the Chart I posted was for July before and the Fury server note from june 30th - recent don't you say...
I find it ironic that your own personal blog spouts info just the stuff I posted and yet you call my post spin - The Fury server post was pulled from the front page of IGN - to back it up I found someone who "hated" AoC and used their own charts as a comparison. If you noticed I posted all NPC charts to date - but you know thats just US market.
In my eyes both are turds..WoW and AoC. WoW has become incredibly boring and lackluster due to reasons brought up many times by hardcore raiders, me being one. And AoC had huge potential but I think the developers children are actually working the game now.
Again my opinion though. Just a few short weeks ago I could say no wrong about the game, but Funcom just like...well it's hard to describe...I often wonder if anyone actually works there now...
So the Chart I posted was for July before and the Fury server note from june 30th - recent don't you say...
It's a little too late to be clarifying that the Fury server note was from more than a month ago when just about every non-fanboy here had already found out how you tried to intentionally mis-present it as "recent".
No. AoC had just been released a 2 and a half month ago. Data from more than a month ago is not "recent" in the time scale people are concerned with here.
Comparing WOW to AOC is an insult toward Blizzard. You can't compare a turd with a gem.
qft
age of conan had its chance and it blew it, warhammer and the wow expansion will be the final nail in the coffin for aoc i wouldn't be suprised if they offered it to soe but even they wouldn't be willing to take this failure
Actually its a fact that AoC sold more copies at release than WoW. Also AoC just came out the top ten NPD sales charts last week after more than 2 months there. Right now sales are still good, so say NPD, Buddy keys have just been released, so I would expect a drop in sales further and even more so when the non collectors edition keys release.
Nice to meet you Avery.
I'm unclear as how you determined that your post dispels the original poster's observations. In reading your post, it would appear that your points are in agreement that sales/interest has waned for the AoC title?
According to the NPD:
AoC had progressively falling sales numbers after the June.
If we track Blizzard's performance from initial release as a baseline, then review the current NPD offerings, we see:
WoW's Battle Chest is at number 4
WoW (original set) is at 7
Wow's Burning Crusade sits at 8
And if we look at raw staying power and continued revenue, Diablo Battle Chest is at number 6; and that's a 10+ year old title/expansions.
If you're using NPD as a reference for a title's success, understand that the NPD's top 10 is designed to measure a title's moving average, across a rolling quarterly/bi-yearly review/estimate cycle. If you're using it just to measure 6-8 weeks after an initial release as a measurement of a title's success; aside from initial sales; you're not using the NPD's moving sales index the way it was designed to be.
It's also why representatives from many MMO companies usually stay from using the NPD as a point of reference for how well they're doing currently, and instead use their activated/active subscriber base as their selling tool. That and their quarterly investment report, which for Funcom is this month if I recall.
Having said that, if we take your particular statements as an indicator, we should all be quaking in our boots over Nancy Drew: The Phantom Of Venice as it's is dominating the number 1 position in the NPD PC sales charts.
Also of note, that the release of buddy keys does not impact "sales" in the way that you'd think. Trial offerings have a sales conversion rate that is attractive to MMO publishers. There is a reason why it's a widely used medium for promoting a game and generating sales for that title; it has relatively low overhead, healthy margins, and widely accessible.
Trials for popular and niche/less popular MMO's sustain and generate sales both in digital purchases as well as retail purchases.
So again, I don't see how your points do anything to assuage the original poster's individual observations; nor do your NPD references support your arguments that I can see. To the contrary, they appear to support the original poster's anecdotal observations with confirmation that AoC had only a brief flash in sales and has seen a swift decline shortly after June, while the Sims 2, Warcraft and Diablo reclaim their NPD top 10 positions; month after month; year after year.
Out of curiosity I wonder how many times someone can get smacked around and still comeback for more.
Comparing WOW to AOC is an insult toward Blizzard. You can't compare a turd with a gem.
qft
age of conan had its chance and it blew it, warhammer and the wow expansion will be the final nail in the coffin for aoc i wouldn't be suprised if they offered it to soe but even they wouldn't be willing to take this failure
I hope WAR will do great and with Wotkl players wont get feeling omg its more of the same., but on the other hand -> you have different fingers.
I think AoC will do good if not before maybe at first expension, lets hope we can have more good MMO's on market so we have a choice what to play.
I just hope WAR was not push into releasing to soon as AoC did couse a lot of the AoC players plan to move to WAR and I highly doubt it they will have the same cold nervs if some crucial things are broken and unfinished end game.
The thing that hurt AoC the most is easines of reaching max level and then the lack of end game with some broken features like sieging and raids.
Its funny when players say omg there is to much grind in AoC and then they complain how in those last 2 months played they have 3 characters at max level and they are bored.
The thing that could save them a lot of trouble is if they put a bit more grind at least for last 10 levels there would not be so much hate as majority ( not all ) would still be happy leveling up.
But as it is, if you play the game for 4 hours per day you will be level 80 within 30 days even if you dont have any experience with AoC.
I remember back when WoW was released it was a freaking grind and with 4h per day you were not even close to max level within 30 days ... battle grounds that was mention in manuals came lot later with expenision ... as for player housing at sieging that was promissed for release well you all know.
The fact is Funcom did great mistake releasing AoC that soon especially couse not only they did not provide some meanigfull end game content but they did not even decide what it will be.
The game core is great and it have a lot of potential ( but Vanguard, Dark and Light and few others had that too ) so lets hope during the months that come they can provide something good.
I find it ironic that your own personal blog spouts info just the stuff I posted and yet you call my post spin - The Fury server post was pulled from the front page of IGN - to back it up I found someone who "hated" AoC and used their own charts as a comparison. If you noticed I posted all NPC charts to date - but you know thats just US market.
Huh?
I am not sure what that meant exactly.
Anyways, I see something about a blog...spouting stuff.
That is what blogs are for. Our own personal rant page, not a place for misinformation unlike what you are doing here.
Really, the game is going down the can, and you do not wish to accept that by posting false info on a forum?
If you wish to spout information yourself, get your own blog...they really work for saying whatever you like...true or not.
Comments
Big time
It's funny because I'd been really upset that I missed out on an opportunity to buy the CE, which I was planning to hold on to and resell later. Now it looks like the only thing I'd have been collecting is dust!
eBay at this point has people trying to sell never-opened CE's for less than they'd retailed at.
That alone should tell people something about this game.
Who cares how much they sold if the most of the games population left in a month?
Nice to meet you Avery.
I'm unclear as how you determined that your post dispels the original poster's observations. In reading your post, it would appear that your points are in agreement that sales/interest has waned for the AoC title?
According to the NPD:
If we track Blizzard's performance from initial release as a baseline, then review the current NPD offerings, we see:
And if we look at raw staying power and continued revenue, Diablo Battle Chest is at number 6; and that's a 10+ year old title/expansions.
If you're using NPD as a reference for a title's success, understand that the NPD's top 10 is designed to measure a title's moving average, across a rolling quarterly/bi-yearly review/estimate cycle. If you're using it just to measure 6-8 weeks after an initial release as a measurement of a title's success; aside from initial sales; you're not using the NPD's moving sales index the way it was designed to be.
It's also why representatives from many MMO companies usually stay from using the NPD as a point of reference for how well they're doing currently, and instead use their activated/active subscriber base as their selling tool. That and their quarterly investment report, which for Funcom is this month if I recall.
Having said that, if we take your particular statements as an indicator, we should all be quaking in our boots over Nancy Drew: The Phantom Of Venice as it's is dominating the number 1 position in the NPD PC sales charts.
Also of note, that the release of buddy keys does not impact "sales" in the way that you'd think. Trial offerings have a sales conversion rate that is attractive to MMO publishers. There is a reason why it's a widely used medium for promoting a game and generating sales for that title; it has relatively low overhead, healthy margins, and widely accessible.
Trials for popular and niche/less popular MMO's sustain and generate sales both in digital purchases as well as retail purchases.
So again, I don't see how your points do anything to assuage the original poster's individual observations; nor do your NPD references support your arguments that I can see. To the contrary, they appear to support the original poster's anecdotal observations with confirmation that AoC had only a brief flash in sales and has seen a swift decline shortly after June, while the Sims 2, Warcraft and Diablo reclaim their NPD top 10 positions; month after month; year after year.
sales may be good, but how many people are subscribing after the free month. that is the factor that matters.
One could argue that a free trial in the case of AoC would deter people from buying this "game".
Nice to meet you Avery.
I'm unclear as how you determined that your post dispels the original poster's observations. In reading your post, it would appear that your points are in agreement that sales/interest has waned for the AoC title?
According to the NPD:
If we track Blizzard's performance from initial release as a baseline, then review the current NPD offerings, we see:
And if we look at raw staying power and continued revenue, Diablo Battle Chest is at number 6; and that's a 10+ year old title/expansions.
If you're using NPD as a reference for a title's success, understand that the NPD's top 10 is designed to measure a title's moving average, across a rolling quarterly/bi-yearly review/estimate cycle. If you're using it just to measure 6-8 weeks after an initial release as a measurement of a title's success; aside from initial sales; you're not using the NPD's moving sales index the way it was designed to be.
It's also why representatives from many MMO companies usually stay from using the NPD as a point of reference for how well they're doing currently, and instead use their activated/active subscriber base as their selling tool. That and their quarterly investment report, which for Funcom is this month if I recall.
Having said that, if we take your particular statements as an indicator, we should all be quaking in our boots over Nancy Drew: The Phantom Of Venice as it's is dominating the number 1 position in the NPD PC sales charts.
Also of note, that the release of buddy keys does not impact "sales" in the way that you'd think. Trial offerings have a sales conversion rate that is attractive to MMO publishers. There is a reason why it's a widely used medium for promoting a game and generating sales for that title; it has relatively low overhead, healthy margins, and widely accessible.
Trials for popular and niche/less popular MMO's sustain and generate sales both in digital purchases as well as retail purchases.
So again, I don't see how your points do anything to assuage the original poster's individual observations; nor do your NPD references support your arguments that I can see. To the contrary, they appear to support the original poster's anecdotal observations with confirmation that AoC had only a brief flash in sales and has seen a swift decline shortly after June, while the Sims 2, Warcraft and Diablo reclaim their NPD top 10 positions; month after month; year after year.
Agreed with this.
The latest chart shows AoC gone for the last 2 charts unlike the spin Avery is throwing.
I sure would like to know where it is exactly. Maybe like the game...in the toilet?
14th-20th NPD charts
6th-12 NPD charts
I have already posted the 6-12th one many times with AoC off the chart. Im sure you will still find it selling above every other mmorpg on the market except WoW. Don't take my word for it though its just my opinion.
So the Chart I posted was for July before and the Fury server note from june 30th - recent don't you say...
I find it ironic that your own personal blog spouts info just the stuff I posted and yet you call my post spin - The Fury server post was pulled from the front page of IGN - to back it up I found someone who "hated" AoC and used their own charts as a comparison. If you noticed I posted all NPC charts to date - but you know thats just US market.
Comparing WOW to AOC is an insult toward Blizzard. You can't compare a turd with a gem.
Current UK charts .....
http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p/software/uk/latest/index_test.jsp&ct=110022
In my eyes both are turds..WoW and AoC. WoW has become incredibly boring and lackluster due to reasons brought up many times by hardcore raiders, me being one. And AoC had huge potential but I think the developers children are actually working the game now.
Again my opinion though. Just a few short weeks ago I could say no wrong about the game, but Funcom just like...well it's hard to describe...I often wonder if anyone actually works there now...
It's a little too late to be clarifying that the Fury server note was from more than a month ago when just about every non-fanboy here had already found out how you tried to intentionally mis-present it as "recent".
No. AoC had just been released a 2 and a half month ago. Data from more than a month ago is not "recent" in the time scale people are concerned with here.
qft
age of conan had its chance and it blew it, warhammer and the wow expansion will be the final nail in the coffin for aoc i wouldn't be suprised if they offered it to soe but even they wouldn't be willing to take this failure
Nice to meet you Avery.
I'm unclear as how you determined that your post dispels the original poster's observations. In reading your post, it would appear that your points are in agreement that sales/interest has waned for the AoC title?
According to the NPD:
If we track Blizzard's performance from initial release as a baseline, then review the current NPD offerings, we see:
And if we look at raw staying power and continued revenue, Diablo Battle Chest is at number 6; and that's a 10+ year old title/expansions.
If you're using NPD as a reference for a title's success, understand that the NPD's top 10 is designed to measure a title's moving average, across a rolling quarterly/bi-yearly review/estimate cycle. If you're using it just to measure 6-8 weeks after an initial release as a measurement of a title's success; aside from initial sales; you're not using the NPD's moving sales index the way it was designed to be.
It's also why representatives from many MMO companies usually stay from using the NPD as a point of reference for how well they're doing currently, and instead use their activated/active subscriber base as their selling tool. That and their quarterly investment report, which for Funcom is this month if I recall.
Having said that, if we take your particular statements as an indicator, we should all be quaking in our boots over Nancy Drew: The Phantom Of Venice as it's is dominating the number 1 position in the NPD PC sales charts.
Also of note, that the release of buddy keys does not impact "sales" in the way that you'd think. Trial offerings have a sales conversion rate that is attractive to MMO publishers. There is a reason why it's a widely used medium for promoting a game and generating sales for that title; it has relatively low overhead, healthy margins, and widely accessible.
Trials for popular and niche/less popular MMO's sustain and generate sales both in digital purchases as well as retail purchases.
So again, I don't see how your points do anything to assuage the original poster's individual observations; nor do your NPD references support your arguments that I can see. To the contrary, they appear to support the original poster's anecdotal observations with confirmation that AoC had only a brief flash in sales and has seen a swift decline shortly after June, while the Sims 2, Warcraft and Diablo reclaim their NPD top 10 positions; month after month; year after year.
Out of curiosity I wonder how many times someone can get smacked around and still comeback for more.
Nicely played sir.
Fungerer som det skal
AoC could have been one of the best MMO's ever, but FAILcom spoiled it.
qft
age of conan had its chance and it blew it, warhammer and the wow expansion will be the final nail in the coffin for aoc i wouldn't be suprised if they offered it to soe but even they wouldn't be willing to take this failure
I hope WAR will do great and with Wotkl players wont get feeling omg its more of the same., but on the other hand -> you have different fingers.
I think AoC will do good if not before maybe at first expension, lets hope we can have more good MMO's on market so we have a choice what to play.
I just hope WAR was not push into releasing to soon as AoC did couse a lot of the AoC players plan to move to WAR and I highly doubt it they will have the same cold nervs if some crucial things are broken and unfinished end game.
The thing that hurt AoC the most is easines of reaching max level and then the lack of end game with some broken features like sieging and raids.
Its funny when players say omg there is to much grind in AoC and then they complain how in those last 2 months played they have 3 characters at max level and they are bored.
The thing that could save them a lot of trouble is if they put a bit more grind at least for last 10 levels there would not be so much hate as majority ( not all ) would still be happy leveling up.
But as it is, if you play the game for 4 hours per day you will be level 80 within 30 days even if you dont have any experience with AoC.
I remember back when WoW was released it was a freaking grind and with 4h per day you were not even close to max level within 30 days ... battle grounds that was mention in manuals came lot later with expenision ... as for player housing at sieging that was promissed for release well you all know.
The fact is Funcom did great mistake releasing AoC that soon especially couse not only they did not provide some meanigfull end game content but they did not even decide what it will be.
The game core is great and it have a lot of potential ( but Vanguard, Dark and Light and few others had that too ) so lets hope during the months that come they can provide something good.
Futilez[Do You Have What It Takes ?]
Cool.
Wanna buy some time-share?
Currently Playing Nothing...
Huh?
I am not sure what that meant exactly.
Anyways, I see something about a blog...spouting stuff.
That is what blogs are for. Our own personal rant page, not a place for misinformation unlike what you are doing here.
Really, the game is going down the can, and you do not wish to accept that by posting false info on a forum?
If you wish to spout information yourself, get your own blog...they really work for saying whatever you like...true or not.