Change in the air

[Deleted User] · September 2015

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Bluddwolf · September 2015

caldeathe said:

Paizo CEO Lisa Stephens will be having a chat open to all players later today about the future of the game. More information at Goblinworks

You realize, this is troll bait on this forum, don't you?

You would have done the game a better service to wait and see what the announcement was first.

Talonsin · September 2015

My Guess... Paizo is buying out/buying into Goblinworks and going to have more of a say in the games design while adding a big money transfusion to keep the game afloat.

Slapshot1188 · September 2015

Not joking here but this needs to be the announcement:

They secured additional funding (or Paizo put it in) and thus are going to stop Wordsmithing things like Early Enrollment. Instead they will call it a beta and stop charging a monthly fee. They will also wipe at the end of beta like most normal companies
They have a new CEO
They will revisit many of the fundamentally broken systems currently implemented

One curious thing though, why would the announcement be made by a player if it is really some big "Change is in the air" kind of thing? I understand it will be on this guy's voice server, but you would think there would be an official announcement if it was something significant.

Bluddwolf · September 2015

Talonsin said:

My Guess... Paizo is buying out/buying into Goblinworks and going to have more of a say in the games design while adding a big money transfusion to keep the game afloat.

If that is indeed the case, I could also see the game going in a totally different direction.

The Pathfinder franchise might have been better served in a more PVE based theme park MMO, with some elements of consensual, triggered PVP activities.

PVP triggers that would be similar to how SWG or Fallen Earth had:

1. PVP enabled zones - you enter, you're flagged, but you have access to higher tier resources.

2. Voluntary PVP flagging - type /pvpflag and you are ready to face off against any other that did the same.

3. Faction based PVP - you join, your flagged, but there are benefits to joining. You can turn off the flag and it will remain off as long as you do not engage in any faction content or enter a pvp / faction controlled zone.

To try to continue developing and marketing PFO as an Open World PVP Sandbox MMO, but only develop it halfheartedly as they have been has only turned off both sides of the market. It is also placing itself in a group of strong competition with games like Crowfall and Albion, and PFO does not seem to be up to that challenge.

Loke666 · September 2015

Talonsin said:

My Guess... Paizo is buying out/buying into Goblinworks and going to have more of a say in the games design while adding a big money transfusion to keep the game afloat.

I think that would change a lot of things, Paizo have a rather different view on game design than what we seen so far from Goblinworks.

Then again, Paizo are good on selling products and earning money so it might not be a bad thing. They would certainly put more focus on their campaign world.

Slapshot1188 · September 2015

First news from announcement: Closing Goblinworks offices, moving back to Paizo Offices and laying off all staff except 3 core members.

Edit: Second News: Ryan Dancey is not part of the company anymore. Lisa is now the CEO

Edit: Third News: Looks like Lee the Lead Dev has left as well.

Reading only "Mike, Bob and Mark" are left

Loke666 · September 2015

Slapshot1188 said:

First news from announcement: Closing Goblinworks offices, moving back to Paizo Offices and laying off all staff except 3 core members.

Ok, but they havn't said anything about cancelling the game?

Lets hope they don't, while a lot of things Goblinworks have done seems a bit strange to me I like the IP and play the P&P game.

[Deleted User] · September 2015

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Loke666 · September 2015

Ok, So Ryan left the game... That isn't good but at least it seems like they havn't canned it, and likely won't for a while since they wouldn't bother with moving in the rest to Paizo if they just were going to cancel it.

Bluddwolf · September 2015

If Ryan Dancey left for "personal reasons" then why was he speaking at Pax Prime on Monday, about Kick Starters?

To say that they will stay true to his initial sales pitch document, is a mistake. I have said from the beginning, his vision was flawed and showed a total lack of understanding of the MMO market.

PFO should stick to its PF TT RPG roots and become more of an RP / PVE Sandbox MMO and become less focused on territorial control / settlement PVP. ... As I stated in my post above.

PottedPlant22 · September 2015

They need to reach out to Project Gorgon now and retcon Pathfinder Online into that game. It will be mutually beneficial.

Wizardry · September 2015

Ok had to do some homework,was quite interesting to read about Lisa.

I guess over the years she became quite a success story and ranks right at the top in her various business ventures in gaming.

It seems the whole Pathfinder brand is hers and although i know almost nothing of it,apparently it is VERY popular.

So reading between the lines i would say,she is proud of her Pathfinder brand and doesn't want to see this blemish ruin it,so i would say most definitely she is buying out Goblinworks.

I truly do not know Goblinworks,however reading about how popular this Pathfinder brand is,i can only assume that Goblinworks thought this was an easy cash grab.

I woudl also assume she has a bit of money saved up,but not likely the kind of money that a massive Triple A rpg would need sunk into it.So this is going to be a very tricky ride,she does seem like she has always made the smart decisions so does she have a solid plan or just trying to save her brand name?

Wizardry · September 2015

PottedPlant22 said:

They need to reach out to Project Gorgon now and retcon Pathfinder Online into that game. It will be mutually beneficial.

I am truly not being mean to Gorgon but imo that game needs a complete wipe and restart from scratch.It looks and plays very archaic and always will or look even more dated over time.Sure Eric has some good ideas but a game needs more than ideas.

I am way more eager to see what this Lisa will do with her partners or what exactly she is up to be it a joint partnership ,idk but i think she most definitely would be a huge positive way more than a negative.

Loke666 · September 2015

Wizardry said:

Ok had to do some homework,was quite interesting to read about Lisa.
I guess over the years she became quite a success story and ranks right at the top in her various business ventures in gaming.
It seems the whole Pathfinder brand is hers and although i know almost nothing of it,apparently it is VERY popular.
So reading between the lines i would say,she is proud of her Pathfinder brand and doesn't want to see this blemish ruin it,so i would say most definitely she is buying out Goblinworks.
I truly do not know Goblinworks,however reading about how popular this Pathfinder brand is,i can only assume that Goblinworks thought this was an easy cash grab.
I woudl also assume she has a bit of money saved up,but not likely the kind of money that a massive Triple A rpg would need sunk into it.So this is going to be a very tricky ride,she does seem like she has always made the smart decisions so does she have a solid plan or just trying to save her brand name?

Well, Pathfinder is the first game who became more popular than D&D ever... In MMO terms you could compare it to WoW.

And they are not just known for good gameplay and huge customization options, they also have taken layout to an entirely new level.

So, yeah. Paizo certainly don't want to solk their reputation and if they feel that Goblinworks isn't up for the task they certainly could either pull the license or buy GW out and leave the torch to someone else (but I am not sure what happened here yet).

[Deleted User] · September 2015

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Slapshot1188 · September 2015

@Loke666 Here is the link to the recording. It should help you understand what was announced. just the first 5 minutes or so is enough.

https://soundcloud.com/duffy-swiftshadow/keepside-chat-with-lisa-stevens-9215

Warning though. It's kinds tough to take. Not a good situation obviously.

[Deleted User] · September 2015

The user and all related content has been deleted.

BillMurphy · September 2015

One look at official artwork for Pathfinder the RPG and then comparing it to Pathfinder the MMO, and you can see a huge discrepancy. The whole game should be scrapped and started over. But it SHOULD be made. It just needs to be more like the table top.

Slapshot1188 · September 2015

BillMurphy said:

One look at official artwork for Pathfinder the RPG and then comparing it to Pathfinder the MMO, and you can see a huge discrepancy. The whole game should be scrapped and started over. But it SHOULD be made. It just needs to be more like the table top.

Could not agree more!

On other parts of the topic at hand... apparently the server is only currently paid up through the end of Sept. and continuation will depend on subscriptions continuing at their current level. Otherwise more developers (only 3 left) or the server have to go...

Q: Is Pathfinder Online going to shut down?

A: The servers and staff for the game have been paid for through the end of September. As long as the monetary support from the community continues to fund the operating of the servers, we will keep the game live. If half of the current community continues to support Pathfinder Online with their monthly subscription fees, we would be able to keep the servers live indefinitely, but we would not have money to keep our core team employed and continuing the development of the game.

Loke666 · September 2015

Slapshot1188 said:

@Loke666 Here is the link to the recording. It should help you understand what was announced. just the first 5 minutes or so is enough.

https://soundcloud.com/duffy-swiftshadow/keepside-chat-with-lisa-stevens-9215

Warning though. It's kinds tough to take. Not a good situation obviously.

Thanks, listening to it right now. And yeah, it is pretty painful to listen too...

BillMurphy said:

One look at official artwork for Pathfinder the RPG and then comparing it to Pathfinder the MMO, and you can see a huge discrepancy. The whole game should be scrapped and started over. But it SHOULD be made. It just needs to be more like the table top.

Yeah, I am not sure why Goblinworks went for the IP from the start, they should have gone for Runequest or something else closer to the game they worked on instead.

Burntvet · September 2015

What a shame.

Wait, no it isn't.

Guess players were not interested in paying full price for 1/3 of a game.

We'll see if this thing can be resurrected or they scrap it and start over.

Kalmporos · September 2015

Dancey did it again!

Audoucet · September 2015

Let this be a lesson to fanboydom.

I'm actually a bit disappointed, I still had the secret hope that I would be forced to accept that I was wrong and RD was awesome. Geez, the poor guys who bought DT accounts in August...

User836 · September 2015

I couldn't make myself play the Early Enrollment but I still think the final product as imagined sounds pretty great. Would love for them to secure that funding they are looking for and get back on track.

goldwheat · September 2015

Finally.

Given how simply bad the current game is, graphically, audibly, and mechanically, I'm neither surprised nor disappointed.

And hey, look, there really are only three devs! :P Yes, ok, that's a little mean, but I'm not apologizing. They've sown chaos, and are reaping chaos. Actions meet consequences. Ryan isn't as smart as he thought, didn't know the market, and their demographic was too small. Their inevitable failure was evident to everyone but themselves.

As has been mentioned previously, in this very thread, the fundamental design is flawed and the market reaction has demonstrated this, again, is true. As if UO, Darkfall, Shadowbane, AC2, Warhammer Online and Mortal Online weren't enough bad examples, now we have PFO to hold up as a lesson to all others? Great. Thumbs up, Goblinworks.

In the MMO landscape, PFO c. August 2015 is one of those hideous-flayed-corpse territory markers put up by radioactive cannibals to warn everyone else away. Do not enter. Go back.

For the past 20 years, there has been a tremendous desire for player interaction that isn't shallow and crude. PFO was both. LEARN. FROM. HISTORY.

Howdy, Stranger!

Change in the air

Comments

Howdy, Stranger!

Quick Links

Change in the air

Comments