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I really WANT to buy this game, but I just can't trust Cryptic.
Pabswikk
Member Posts: 108
Anyone remember the 'Failcom' storm of 2008? A game released in September lacked content that was promised before launch, and still haven't been added (Drunken Brawls anyone?); as such it was unable to retain customers. The dev team was very slow to respond to criticism and this worsened the matter. It was a shame because it was a promising IP from a company with a good record for (single player) games.
Sound familiar?
However, as of today, I have gained alot of respect for funcom. Despite the fact that Age of Conan was released lacking some of the advertised features, they at the very least seemed to suck up their pride and have since humbly attempted to keep their, unfortunately, dwindling player base. I talk of Ymir's Pass, a free update released a few months after launch that attempted to ease levelling.
What point am I trying to make?
This seems exactly the same as what is happening with Champions Online. Exactly the same. But Cryptic have the GALL to release an 'expansion' so quickly after launch, and from the limited information we have this exapnsion seems to be little more than Ymir's pass (or even smaller). At the very least AOC has waited over a year and a half to start announcind Rise of the Godslayer, after they have made alot of improvements to their game. Cryptic haven't even fixed the problems with the core game, and they are already commiting resources to an expansion.
Their expansion should be free. In fact, I contest the fact that cryptic have such a fully fledged item store. Almost all P2P MMOs operate with a limited item store (Re-names, race change etc) and SOE, souless as they are, do it I feel more out of necessity than anything else. Even Warhammer Online doesn't have a store for God's sake.
How does this relate to STO?
Well, I tend not to judge companies by their collective record, preferring to judge by individual merit.For instance, I think most of NCSOFT's games are god awful, but I love CoX and Guild Wars. But I can't shake the feeling that STO will be run just as CO is being run. How can I trust a company that so conspicuously, unscrupulously, and constantly screws over it's player base? Say there were an 'MMO development for dummies' manual, Cryptic would ignore every bit of advice in it. I know there is no right way to run a game company, but there is sure as hell a wrong way, and it seems that Cryptic are determined to break every rule. I simply don't understand WHY they want to do this. It just seems counterintuitive.
So after Cryptic have so royally messed up CO, and screwed over the playerbase, I feel sceptical about buying STO straight away, as it appears it will be run in exactly the same way; It already has an item store and the developer's are reneging on promises.
On a final note, and this is directly to Cryptic; We pay a monthly fee under the assumption that we are in a living, breathing, evolving world, and naturally assume that our money goes towards developing that world. You seem to be under the assumption that we pay a monthly fee because we are all altruistic people who like giving you our money. Well...you're wrong. I am a spiteful miserly man, and every penny I spend hurts me. At the very least I want to reap the rewards of my expentiture. Thank you.
tl;dr: I wouldn't trust a kleptomaniac with my car, why would I trust Cryptic with my money?
Comments
EDIT: Removed my post because it was a pointless rant much like the OP.
I think what hes getting at is buying a game is one thing. Buying a game and then continuously (sp) having to 'buy' the game on top of a monthly fee is just plain wrong.
Buying an MMO and paying a monthly fee is normal. Buying Xpacs for said MMO is also normal. Buying an MMO and paying a monthly fee while having to buy content patches and then at some point having to buy an expansion is not normal. Its greedy.
There are 3 types of people in the world.
1.) Those who make things happen
2.) Those who watch things happen
3.) And those who wonder "What the %#*& just happened?!"
in the grand scheme of things even if you buy it and only play 10 hrs then decided its not for you you still at least got your money's worth. Most games on consoles last for 4-10 hours and those cost $10 more.
My point was just discussing whether anyone can trust Crytic to deliver a fair deal to their customers. It's not that I don't want to buy the game, it's that I'm worried that I'll turn around in a few months to Cryptic somehow screwing me over.
EDIT: Haha mschi772. Also have the decency to treat my post politely. You may not like long posts, but I really wanted to say this.
The topic just had me thinking, if I would have a harder time trusting Cryptic or SOE.
Lovely post. lol I understand your pain. Having been screwed over and betrayed myself by numerous companies, its hard to trust any of them. Every time I see a new game coming near completion I instinctively begin looking for all their little schemes and faults. I laughed at the last part, cause I've always felt the same way about the way these businesses look at Americans and their money. It's as though they assume we don't like our money and want to just, give it away like its charity. We work our asses off for our money; well, some of us do and I like to get the most out of my money. If I feel like someone is selling me a cheap product, I throw down the gauntlet.
People on these forums and others always think you are just being a troll or a whiner if you complain about the way a game is or its developers; well, those people probably don't have to work very hard for their income.
As with the topic; to date, there are a few companies I am completely boycotting. I consider myself faithful in other people most of the time; but, there are times when you just have to say, "Ya, these people will never change". I haven't gotten to that point yet with Cryptic; but, I am keeping a watchful eye on every little think they do.
I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. - Galileo Galilei
All I took out of this post is some guy who is horribly confused as to what the hell is going on in their game (apparently you seem to believe the so called "Kitchen Sink" patch is a paid expansion, either that or somehow believe no announced release date for an expansion means it about to be released?) and came on the forums to whine about how Cryptic might screw over customers as they're being screwed over in Champions Online. Of course, on top of all that, nevermind the fact that you seem to believe Cryptic is screwing over CO by not patching issues even though a patch is about to be released.
What would the world do without people like you to interpret everything we read already?
I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. - Galileo Galilei
What would the world do without people like you to interpret everything we read already?
Don't know, can't answer that one. However, I would like to point out that despite your long rant sympathizing with the guy that Cryptic hasn't released a date or even a price for the expansion, let alone the details of what it will entail. What if the expansion isn't released for a year, costs 10 bucks, and offers more content than any two other expansions from another game combined? Likely? No. But it doesn't change the fact that you and the OP are making assumptions on guess work.
I am not stupid enough to believe the ''Kitchen Sink'' patch is a paid expansion, and I do not think the expansion is being released next weekend or something like that. Rather, I was commenting on how Cryptic shouldn't be making an expansion pack when they should be concentrating on new, and free, content to make the core part of the game better.
And if they're announcing an expansion now, it is logical to assume it will be released sometime this year. Considering that so far it is only 3 levels worth of content, I'd say mid April-July. But that's just my estimate.
The current patch is merely balancing the game and tweaking it, not adding anything substantial to the game. Unless you include an event that will only occur once a month.
sanjose.bbb.org/Business-Report/Cryptic-Studios-221613
Wouldn't trust them with even 1 cent.
Money from monthly subscription is supposed to go back in to the game with some profit on the side, but I don't see it going anywhere but their next title or paid expansion.
I meant no personal offense to the OP. It's just that I don't understand what the purpose of this post is (thus "pointless" like the majority of my posts; nothin wrong with it). It's worded in such a way that gives me the impression that the OP has more in mind that simply raising a discussion. Assuming the purpose is merely to discuss Cryptic and its recent work on CO specifically, I apologize and would like to weigh-in on the discussion by saying:
What's there to discuss? It's not the first stupid thing Cryptic has done, and I don't believe it will be the last. Developers, and MMO developers aren't alone in this, seem to be trying to push the limits of what they can charge for what they deliver. As long as customers continue to pay, the developers will not feel as if they've done anything wrong. For-profit companies hear dollars a lot more clearly than words.
A small portion of blame rests with gamers for treating games, MMO's especially, like something more than a product they purchase. So many players will hand their money over to a developer and THEN make decisions instead of giving careful consideration to their purchases BEFORE purchasing. I've been thinking about this a lot lately as I've been wishing Darkfall would have a trial. For all I know, I could be a Darkfall subscriber, but there's no way I'm going to give them my money without knowing first. Their loss. Ugh, I have a habit of digressing tonight.
its a known fact that soe cant be trusted ever since swg nge, we can stop beating the dead horse of the soe trust issue. but cryptic hasnt dont anything on the scale of nge to deserve a complete lack of faith. is champions a silly little game that i didnt find fun? yes it is, its also not a game that didnt turn out as advertised imo. the item shop is purely cosmetic, if you need daily respecs thats your own fault, dont blame them for selling them to you like a sucker you buy them.
ive played sto in closed beta, i went into withdrawl during downtimes, i played in open beta, withdrawled during patches. and now that its 2 days from head start my hands are shaking and my mouth is ever dry, i need me some sto, i have a collectors edition from gamestop and a lifetime sub, gimme ma trek crack.
i know how the OP feels i hate Blizzard and no matter how good someone says their games are i still would never even give it a chance....