Everquest was the 1st MMO I heard of and that is still going. If MMOs can get closed down this easily, then MMOs are becoming a waste of time.
EQ is owned by SOE. It is so old that for SOE it has been nothing but profit for years. No IP to pay for. MMO's have always been a waste of time. Nothing is real so you never really achieve anything. You do not own anything in the game. It is supposed to give you enjoyment and that is all. If you have put that much of yourself in to the game that you believe any of it matters than you have no one to blame but yourself.
EverQuest has a ton more subscribers than SWG has, that is why it is still running. I'd be willing to bet EQ has more subs than any of SOE's other pay to play games. There was an interview with the Smed about a year ago that mentioned EQ had more subs than EQ2 at the time.
The whole "EQ is older and they aren't closing it down, so SOE must not have wanted to shut down SWG!" idea is just flat out wrong. EQ still has enough subs to continue to exist, that is the reason it is not closing. The Smed was the only person involved with SWG at the time TOR was announced that mentioned sunsetting SWG.
Given the constant negative PR surrounding SWG, the failure of DCUO (not relating the two), and the fact that SOE isn't in the best financial shape (given they had to fire a third of their employees), it makes a ton of sense that SOE wanted to drop a game that would have very likely taken enough of a subscription hit from another game's release, one using the same IP, that would cause the already struggling game into losing money. By shutting down SWG, they free up the two or three people still working on it part time to work on DCUO full time. Hell, isn't the cutrrent SWG producer the guy who oversees the compiling of the game code for DCUO and SWG? That right there should tell everyone how important SWG is to SOE.
That is wrong, EQ only has one server, and did not even make it on the list for MMO of 2010. SWG is/was SOEs #1 MMO
You're not really trying to use an unscientific poll to claim SWG has more subs than any of SOE's other games, are you? None of the other SOE official forums had threads pointing to the poll in the hopes it would increase the chances of there actually being other players to play the game with. There were several threads on the SWG official forums that did just that, with the reasoning explicitly stated.
Failed link, takes me to the homepage. The last email I had from EQ about servers said they all were merged into one. How long ago have you played it?
All MMOs had the same opportunity to promote the poll, and no doubt they did
You're not really trying to use an unscientific poll to claim SWG has more subs than any of SOE's other games, are you? None of the other SOE official forums had threads pointing to the poll in the hopes it would increase the chances of there actually being other players to play the game with. There were several threads on the SWG official forums that did just that, with the reasoning explicitly stated.
Failed link, takes me to the homepage. The last email I had from EQ about servers said they all were merged into one. How long ago have you played it?
All MMOs had the same opportunity to promote the poll, and no doubt they did
Link works for me. It take me to the server page on the EQ Player site, which lists 12 regular servers, an RP server, and a PVP server. The last time I logged into EQ was during the time SOE did the celebration thingy where they gave away all the expansions for EQ and EQ2 up to that point, some in game items, and two to three months of free game (I'm pretty sure it was 90 days, but it may have been shorter, I only logged into EQ and EQ2 breifly to look around and see if anyone I played the game with were still around, they weren't) time to former subscribers. That was a couple years ago.
The last server merge was when they merged down to the current number of servers, a year ago. They went from 24 servers to 14 (two of the regular servers are special ruleset servers).
The folks on the EVE forums promoted the poll, but they did it in the "Our game's great let's win the poll!" manner, not the "If we win this poll it might make the company developing it invest in fixing the game then we'll have someone to play with!" manner the SWG folks did. None of the other SOE game forums tried to use the poll as a cry for help the way the SWG players did.
The question that needs to be answered by the people that are about to go and walk in front of a bus over this is, Does SWG and the small amount of people playing it, do the IP justice anymore? My personal answer would be, It never did at any point in it's whole lifespan. I have a real good feeling LA's didn't think so as well.
Pretty much how I feel about the game. In my opinion it was never a good representation of the Star Wars universe and should have been closed years ago. The game has been pretty much dead since the NGE mis-management. All they are doing now is pulling the plug to a game that has been on a long life support.
People came back the 45 dayys, realised how awesome it was, and were going to stay this time.
Bull.
Myself and a lot of my friends came back for the 45, and very few of us (if any) were planning on staying. And alot of others I talked to said the same thing. I realize that's as anecdotal as it gets, but so was your comment.
So I started to walk into the water. I won't lie to you boys...I was terrified. But I pressed on, and as I made my way past the breakers, a strange calm came over me. I don't know if it was divine intervention or the kinship of all living things, but I tell you, Jerry, at that moment ... I was a marine biologist.
People came back the 45 dayys, realised how awesome it was, and were going to stay this time.
Bull.
Myself and a lot of my friends came back for the 45, and very few of us (if any) were planning on staying. And alot of others I talked to said the same thing. I realize that's as anecdotal as it gets, but so was your comment.
Guess we will never know which way it would have ended.
If you were right, then the shutdown would have been easier to swallow. If they made the announcement next month, and populations dropped to an all time low as people did not (re)sub, there may not have been all these peititions and whatnot, but the time when ths closure was announced SWG was on a high.
I still stand by the fact the timing of the shutdown stinks, which is the root of my arguments
People came back the 45 dayys, realised how awesome it was, and were going to stay this time.
Bull.
Myself and a lot of my friends came back for the 45, and very few of us (if any) were planning on staying. And alot of others I talked to said the same thing. I realize that's as anecdotal as it gets, but so was your comment.
Guess we will never know which way it would have ended.
If you were right, then the shutdown would have been easier to swallow. If they made the announcement next month, and populations dropped to an all time low as people did not (re)sub, there may not have been all these peititions and whatnot, but the time when ths closure was announced SWG was on a high.
I still stand by the fact the timing of the shutdown stinks, which is the root of my arguments
An artificial high. And even then, once-thriving servers like Ahazi (which received a pretty heavy influx of transfers when half the servers were shuttered, albeit not as many as Starsider) were STILL ghost towns.
So I started to walk into the water. I won't lie to you boys...I was terrified. But I pressed on, and as I made my way past the breakers, a strange calm came over me. I don't know if it was divine intervention or the kinship of all living things, but I tell you, Jerry, at that moment ... I was a marine biologist.
Let this tainted relic die of the cancer it has been suffering from all these years.
SWG was decent when it came out, and although it did get worse, even the original's quality isn't good enough. The graphics, gameplay, and core mechanics have always been completely borked and only halfway functional.
If SOE knew what they were doing and weren't complete morons, they might have been able to make something out of this diamond-in-the-rough. But no, they suck.
I'd rather it not die just so Smedley and his unethical practices would be kept busy with it and not infect another game. What if they let him take lead on Planetside 2?
Guess we will never know which way it would have ended.
If you were right, then the shutdown would have been easier to swallow. If they made the announcement next month, and populations dropped to an all time low as people did not (re)sub, there may not have been all these peititions and whatnot, but the time when ths closure was announced SWG was on a high.
I still stand by the fact the timing of the shutdown stinks, which is the root of my arguments
This is the same people that releases a new expansion and 10 days later NGE the crap out of the game so the whole expansion worthless.
Timing never been their strong point.
Besides I feel Lucas art want to get this game behind them.
People came back the 45 dayys, realised how awesome it was, and were going to stay this time.
Bull.
Myself and a lot of my friends came back for the 45, and very few of us (if any) were planning on staying. And alot of others I talked to said the same thing. I realize that's as anecdotal as it gets, but so was your comment.
As usual with this title people put to much faith into their preferences and circle of friends regarding the quality or lack there of pertaining to this game.
I for one was going to stay, still am for the time being, though I only play periodically. I'd hardly try and paint that as anything other than my personal stand.
As for the rest of this thread, why are so many bashing the idea that some people want this game to last? As if it's hurting you that it exists, or has an effect on you what so ever, of all the things to worry yourself with, why pick this?
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
As usual with this title people put to much faith into their preferences and circle of friends regarding the quality or lack there of pertaining to this game.
I for one was going to stay, still am for the time being, though I only play periodically. I'd hardly try and paint that as anything other than my personal stand.
As for the rest of this thread, why are so many bashing the idea that some people want this game to last? As if it's hurting you that it exists, or has an effect on you what so ever, of all the things to worry yourself with, why pick this?
Well to be completely fair, this isn't the first time SOE has handed out free game time to every former player. Several times a year for multiple years in a row to be precise.
The free time would cause a brief spike in population as some former players would come tour the old game, but then leave just as fast. The servers continuted to empty out during this time and the game was far more healthy population wise back then too.
I guess the question that needs to be answered is what makes this free time any different than the previous attempts? Why would people change the historical trend now and sudden subscribe in such numbers that it convinces SOE/LA that the game is worth saving.
SOE has the retention rates for many previous free time offers and clearly they knew this wasn't going to be any different.
I guess people are glad to see the game die, because it frees up the license for a properly managed and maintained SWG game. Perhaps a company that actually respects its players might develop it. Just a theory though.
As usual with this title people put to much faith into their preferences and circle of friends regarding the quality or lack there of pertaining to this game.
I for one was going to stay, still am for the time being, though I only play periodically. I'd hardly try and paint that as anything other than my personal stand.
As for the rest of this thread, why are so many bashing the idea that some people want this game to last? As if it's hurting you that it exists, or has an effect on you what so ever, of all the things to worry yourself with, why pick this?
Well to be completely fair, this isn't the first time SOE has handed out free game time to every former player. Several times a year for multiple years in a row to be precise.
The free time would cause a brief spike in population as some former players would come tour the old game, but then leave just as fast. The servers continuted to empty out during this time and the game was far more healthy population wise back then too.
I guess the question that needs to be answered is what makes this free time any different than the previous attempts? Why would people change the historical trend now and sudden subscribe in such numbers that it convinces SOE/LA that the game is worth saving.
SOE has the retention rates for many previous free time offers and clearly they knew this wasn't going to be any different.
I guess people are glad to see the game die, because it frees up the license for a properly managed and maintained SWG game. Perhaps a company that actually respects its players might develop it. Just a theory though.
The difference with this free time to the other free time is that it was given to ALL existing/past SOE customers (not just SWG), and everyone received emails on it. Not everyone receives emails about promotional free time, even if opted in to receive them, but everyone gets news alert emails guaranteed which came in the form of the intrusin. Also the 45 days free given out can be used up until Aug 31st. Usually the free time starts from a set date and then ends on a set date,
This free time managed to reach out to a whole load of people
I'd rather it not die just so Smedley and his unethical practices would be kept busy with it and not infect another game. What if they let him take lead on Planetside 2?
It was LA that infected SOE and SWG, and they will infect TOR
For SOEs sake it probably will be best for SWG to close.
For players past, present and future, it is not the best thing
The difference with this free time to the other free time is that it was given to ALL existing/past SOE customers (not just SWG), and everyone received emails on it. Not everyone receives emails about promotional free time, even if opted in to receive them, but everyone gets news alert emails guaranteed which came in the form of the intrusin. Also the 45 days free given out can be used up until Aug 31st. Usually the free time starts from a set date and then ends on a set date,
This free time managed to reach out to a whole load of people
Again I point to the free time offers in the past not correcting the games population problems for years upon years. There has always been an offer of free time to anyone (not just former SOE subscribers) and it has not resolved the games population issues.
Still offering 25 million accounts free time in SWG produced a slight bump in overall population, but the game has not changed. That is the key part. If SWG wasn't strong enough to retain players in the past, why would it be strong enough now?
I still contend that 4 servers filled with people that historically have left SWG as soon as the free time is over isn't enough to justify continued support of the game.
I'd rather it not die just so Smedley and his unethical practices would be kept busy with it and not infect another game. What if they let him take lead on Planetside 2?
It was LA that infected SOE and SWG, and they will infect TOR
For SOEs sake it probably will be best for SWG to close.
For players past, present and future, it is not the best thing
Have anything to back up that claim that it was Lucas Arts that infected SWG, because several SOE employees have flat out admitted to the NGE being their idea.
The end result is that SOE was in charge of making the first, second and third attempts at this game and all of them suffered quality, lacked direction and were delivered a terrible mess. Just like other SOE games.
The end result is that SOE was in charge of making the first, second and third attempts at this game and all of them suffered quality, lacked direction and were delivered a terrible mess. Just like other SOE games.
If I recall correctly EQ was made by an SOE dev team as well, and it was hugely popular.
EQ2, while not an MMO I enjoyed for years, was still a good, solid product when it released, I don't recall anything warranting it the label 'terrible mess' even at its release.
As for SWG, for all the whining and deep rooted grudge and hatred towards SOE because of the NGE, a lot of SWG vets seem to conveniently forget that the game they came to love passionately and deeply and enjoy immensely for 2 to 2.5 years before any NGE, was still made by SOE.
It was a game made by SOE and gameplay provided by SOE that made many an SWG vet lament and complain about not finding any other MMO like it for years to come afterwards. So, the question maybe should be, do those people wish that SOE would never have made SWG so they wouldn't have known the fun and good memories they build up playing in SWG?
It just sounds a bit schizophrenic or double to me, to scorn SOE for the games they provide and changes they make on one hand while praising and announcing great affection for the gameplay in SWG Pre-NGE on the other hand. SOE did both the good and the bad stuff, they made the changes but they also created the game that many loved to bits.
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums: Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
I'd rather it not die just so Smedley and his unethical practices would be kept busy with it and not infect another game. What if they let him take lead on Planetside 2?
It was LA that infected SOE and SWG, and they will infect TOR
For SOEs sake it probably will be best for SWG to close.
For players past, present and future, it is not the best thing
Have anything to back up that claim that it was Lucas Arts that infected SWG, because several SOE employees have flat out admitted to the NGE being their idea.
The end result is that SOE was in charge of making the first, second and third attempts at this game and all of them suffered quality, lacked direction and were delivered a terrible mess. Just like other SOE games.
SOE people have said so, but that is because they are the front for the game, and LA just sit back and let SOE take the flak for it.
SOE may have coded the CU and NGE, but LA were the brains behind them
All this has been said by loads of people who have had close relations with SOE or even worked in SOE. If it was not true, those people would just accept it and not say anything.
You have not even played the game, and basically no nothing, and are just assuming big time. I do not even know why you are wasting time bothering with this. Whatever you say I will never believe. You would still say SWG was dead even with ALL servers heavy. You just want it closed because you are still hurt by the NGE in 2005
SOE people have said so, but that is because they are the front for the game, and LA just sit back and let SOE take the flak for it.
SOE may have coded the CU and NGE, but LA were the brains behind them
[1] All this has been said by loads of people who have had close relations with SOE or even worked in SOE. If it was not true, those people would just accept it and not say anything.
[2] You have not even played the game, and basically no nothing, and are just assuming big time. I do not even know why you are wasting time bothering with this. Whatever you say I will never believe. You would still say SWG was dead even with ALL servers heavy. You just want it closed because you are still hurt by the NGE in 2005
[1]
Then it should not be difficult to provide a link with ANY lucas arts or soe employee saying that Lucas Arts was behind all the poor decision making of SWG. Despite the long and constant history of SOE doing this to all their games, somehow SWG isn't the fault of SOE.
[2]
I quit SWG in early 2004, so therefor I was not affected in the slightest by the NGE or Combat Upgrade. I do find it odd that you point a finger at me for being emotionally attached to the game and making up excuses after all you have done in this thread. No offense or anything, but take a step back and read the thread again with an objective view.
The end result is that SOE was in charge of making the first, second and third attempts at this game and all of them suffered quality, lacked direction and were delivered a terrible mess. Just like other SOE games.
If I recall correctly EQ was made by an SOE dev team as well, and it was hugely popular.
EQ2, while not an MMO I enjoyed for years, was still a good, solid product when it released, I don't recall anything warranting it the label 'terrible mess' even at its release.
As for SWG, for all the whining and deep rooted grudge and hatred towards SOE because of the NGE, a lot of SWG vets seem to conveniently forget that the game they came to love passionately and deeply and enjoy immensely for 2 to 2.5 years before any NGE, was still made by SOE.
It was a game made by SOE and gameplay provided by SOE that made many an SWG vet lament and complain about not finding any other MMO like it for years to come afterwards. So, the question maybe should be, do those people wish that SOE would never have made SWG so they wouldn't have known the fun and good memories they build up playing in SWG?
It just sounds a bit schizophrenic or double to me, to scorn SOE for the games they provide and changes they make on one hand while praising and announcing great affection for the gameplay in SWG Pre-NGE on the other hand. SOE did both the good and the bad stuff, they made the changes but they also created the game that many loved to bits.
EQ gets a pass for its problems, because it was basically the first of its kind. It was created by people who went on to work at SOE, but the creative minds behind the game were chased out soon after SOE was formed.
EQ2 underwent so many revamps the first year it was a joke. The game engine is terrible. The combat system went through a massive overhaul the first year. Most of the basic systems in the game went through drastic changes, because EQ2 was a poorly put together game and it delivered a poor experience.
SWG was a total mess at release, during the CU and NGE. It has never been a quality product.
The above is completely seperate from why some people enjoyed the games. SOE makes poor quality games and terrible management decisions. That doesn't mean people can't find enjoyment in the games. SOE makes games with a lot of potential, but almost never achieve that potential for a variety of reasons.
People can find enjoyment in a game, but that doesn't mean SOE is incapable of making poor choices that anger their playerbase or drive them away. Honestly I think that pretty much sums up the entire history of the company.
The end result is that SOE was in charge of making the first, second and third attempts at this game and all of them suffered quality, lacked direction and were delivered a terrible mess. Just like other SOE games.
If I recall correctly EQ was made by an SOE dev team as well, and it was hugely popular. EQ2, while not an MMO I enjoyed for years, was still a good, solid product when it released, I don't recall anything warranting it the label 'terrible mess' even at its release. As for SWG, for all the whining and deep rooted grudge and hatred towards SOE because of the NGE, a lot of SWG vets seem to conveniently forget that the game they came to love passionately and deeply and enjoy immensely for 2 to 2.5 years before any NGE, was still made by SOE. It was a game made by SOE and gameplay provided by SOE that made many an SWG vet lament and complain about not finding any other MMO like it for years to come afterwards. So, the question maybe should be, do those people wish that SOE would never have made SWG so they wouldn't have known the fun and good memories they build up playing in SWG? It just sounds a bit schizophrenic or double to me, to scorn SOE for the games they provide and changes they make on one hand while praising and announcing great affection for the gameplay in SWG Pre-NGE on the other hand. SOE did both the good and the bad stuff, they made the changes but they also created the game that many loved to bits.
First: EQ2 was partially a big unfinished rough mess missing urgent parts of translation for the non english clients making questing and crafting partially impossible. This is not acceptable! Got it?
Second: Not SOE made SWG, Developers of SOE made SWG, the business culture and work culture of SOE obviously sabotages any attempt to complete games pre launch, do the needed amount of bugfixing, they even dont know their audience and make bad decision around every corner. So i only see some good, creative developers wasting their work and no need to grant SOE any fame for things they have never intended and only got by chance of luck!
Nobody can predict the future but humanity works the way that a bad leadership will destroy the best attempts so if a company has a leader who has already shown how this leader works, decides, you CAN predict very well what will happen in the long run. People who dont learn the second time will never!
"Torquemada... do not implore him for compassion. Torquemada... do not beg him for forgiveness. Torquemada... do not ask him for mercy. Let's face it, you can't Torquemada anything!"
SOE, developers of SOE, it doesn't matter much, it was still dev teams of SOE that made EQ.
Also, let's not forget, unpolished MMO releases with broken or flawed features or bugged were the norm before WoW hit the scene, as good as all MMO's pre-2005 suffered that flaw one way or the other and a good number afterwards.
But people in those early years didn't care if those MMO's were rough around the edges or had some weird design choices or weren't hyperpolished, partly because those were the first MMO's but also partly because they were great fun despite lack of polish or bugs or stabilitiy issues.
EQ was great fun, DAoC was hell of a lot of fun, as well as UO and AC and SWG as well - even so much fun that SWG vets keep telling everybody 6+ years later again and again how awesome SWG was and how inferior other MMO's in comparison - and all that fun and entertainment value for many, many months was because of the MMO companies that made those MMO's, SOE included
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums: Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
People came back the 45 dayys, realised how awesome it was, and were going to stay this time.
Bull.
Myself and a lot of my friends came back for the 45, and very few of us (if any) were planning on staying. And alot of others I talked to said the same thing. I realize that's as anecdotal as it gets, but so was your comment.
Wow. I actually agreed with Kobie on something after all these years. Shocking.
Comments
Failed link, takes me to the homepage. The last email I had from EQ about servers said they all were merged into one. How long ago have you played it?
All MMOs had the same opportunity to promote the poll, and no doubt they did
Star Trek Online - Best Free MMORPG of 2012
Link works for me. It take me to the server page on the EQ Player site, which lists 12 regular servers, an RP server, and a PVP server. The last time I logged into EQ was during the time SOE did the celebration thingy where they gave away all the expansions for EQ and EQ2 up to that point, some in game items, and two to three months of free game (I'm pretty sure it was 90 days, but it may have been shorter, I only logged into EQ and EQ2 breifly to look around and see if anyone I played the game with were still around, they weren't) time to former subscribers. That was a couple years ago.
The last server merge was when they merged down to the current number of servers, a year ago. They went from 24 servers to 14 (two of the regular servers are special ruleset servers).
The folks on the EVE forums promoted the poll, but they did it in the "Our game's great let's win the poll!" manner, not the "If we win this poll it might make the company developing it invest in fixing the game then we'll have someone to play with!" manner the SWG folks did. None of the other SOE game forums tried to use the poll as a cry for help the way the SWG players did.
Pretty much how I feel about the game. In my opinion it was never a good representation of the Star Wars universe and should have been closed years ago. The game has been pretty much dead since the NGE mis-management. All they are doing now is pulling the plug to a game that has been on a long life support.
Currently Playing: World of Warcraft
Bull.
Myself and a lot of my friends came back for the 45, and very few of us (if any) were planning on staying. And alot of others I talked to said the same thing. I realize that's as anecdotal as it gets, but so was your comment.
So I started to walk into the water. I won't lie to you boys...I was terrified. But I pressed on, and as I made my way past the breakers, a strange calm came over me. I don't know if it was divine intervention or the kinship of all living things, but I tell you, Jerry, at that moment ... I was a marine biologist.
Guess we will never know which way it would have ended.
If you were right, then the shutdown would have been easier to swallow. If they made the announcement next month, and populations dropped to an all time low as people did not (re)sub, there may not have been all these peititions and whatnot, but the time when ths closure was announced SWG was on a high.
I still stand by the fact the timing of the shutdown stinks, which is the root of my arguments
Star Trek Online - Best Free MMORPG of 2012
An artificial high. And even then, once-thriving servers like Ahazi (which received a pretty heavy influx of transfers when half the servers were shuttered, albeit not as many as Starsider) were STILL ghost towns.
So I started to walk into the water. I won't lie to you boys...I was terrified. But I pressed on, and as I made my way past the breakers, a strange calm came over me. I don't know if it was divine intervention or the kinship of all living things, but I tell you, Jerry, at that moment ... I was a marine biologist.
Let this tainted relic die of the cancer it has been suffering from all these years.
SWG was decent when it came out, and although it did get worse, even the original's quality isn't good enough. The graphics, gameplay, and core mechanics have always been completely borked and only halfway functional.
If SOE knew what they were doing and weren't complete morons, they might have been able to make something out of this diamond-in-the-rough. But no, they suck.
I'd rather it not die just so Smedley and his unethical practices would be kept busy with it and not infect another game. What if they let him take lead on Planetside 2?
This is the same people that releases a new expansion and 10 days later NGE the crap out of the game so the whole expansion worthless.
Timing never been their strong point.
Besides I feel Lucas art want to get this game behind them.
Please let it die
As usual with this title people put to much faith into their preferences and circle of friends regarding the quality or lack there of pertaining to this game.
I for one was going to stay, still am for the time being, though I only play periodically. I'd hardly try and paint that as anything other than my personal stand.
As for the rest of this thread, why are so many bashing the idea that some people want this game to last? As if it's hurting you that it exists, or has an effect on you what so ever, of all the things to worry yourself with, why pick this?
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
Well to be completely fair, this isn't the first time SOE has handed out free game time to every former player. Several times a year for multiple years in a row to be precise.
The free time would cause a brief spike in population as some former players would come tour the old game, but then leave just as fast. The servers continuted to empty out during this time and the game was far more healthy population wise back then too.
I guess the question that needs to be answered is what makes this free time any different than the previous attempts? Why would people change the historical trend now and sudden subscribe in such numbers that it convinces SOE/LA that the game is worth saving.
SOE has the retention rates for many previous free time offers and clearly they knew this wasn't going to be any different.
I guess people are glad to see the game die, because it frees up the license for a properly managed and maintained SWG game. Perhaps a company that actually respects its players might develop it. Just a theory though.
The difference with this free time to the other free time is that it was given to ALL existing/past SOE customers (not just SWG), and everyone received emails on it. Not everyone receives emails about promotional free time, even if opted in to receive them, but everyone gets news alert emails guaranteed which came in the form of the intrusin. Also the 45 days free given out can be used up until Aug 31st. Usually the free time starts from a set date and then ends on a set date,
This free time managed to reach out to a whole load of people
Star Trek Online - Best Free MMORPG of 2012
It was LA that infected SOE and SWG, and they will infect TOR
For SOEs sake it probably will be best for SWG to close.
For players past, present and future, it is not the best thing
Star Trek Online - Best Free MMORPG of 2012
Again I point to the free time offers in the past not correcting the games population problems for years upon years. There has always been an offer of free time to anyone (not just former SOE subscribers) and it has not resolved the games population issues.
Still offering 25 million accounts free time in SWG produced a slight bump in overall population, but the game has not changed. That is the key part. If SWG wasn't strong enough to retain players in the past, why would it be strong enough now?
I still contend that 4 servers filled with people that historically have left SWG as soon as the free time is over isn't enough to justify continued support of the game.
Have anything to back up that claim that it was Lucas Arts that infected SWG, because several SOE employees have flat out admitted to the NGE being their idea.
The end result is that SOE was in charge of making the first, second and third attempts at this game and all of them suffered quality, lacked direction and were delivered a terrible mess. Just like other SOE games.
Where do I sign if I don't want to save it? :-P
If I recall correctly EQ was made by an SOE dev team as well, and it was hugely popular.
EQ2, while not an MMO I enjoyed for years, was still a good, solid product when it released, I don't recall anything warranting it the label 'terrible mess' even at its release.
As for SWG, for all the whining and deep rooted grudge and hatred towards SOE because of the NGE, a lot of SWG vets seem to conveniently forget that the game they came to love passionately and deeply and enjoy immensely for 2 to 2.5 years before any NGE, was still made by SOE.
It was a game made by SOE and gameplay provided by SOE that made many an SWG vet lament and complain about not finding any other MMO like it for years to come afterwards. So, the question maybe should be, do those people wish that SOE would never have made SWG so they wouldn't have known the fun and good memories they build up playing in SWG?
It just sounds a bit schizophrenic or double to me, to scorn SOE for the games they provide and changes they make on one hand while praising and announcing great affection for the gameplay in SWG Pre-NGE on the other hand. SOE did both the good and the bad stuff, they made the changes but they also created the game that many loved to bits.
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
SOE people have said so, but that is because they are the front for the game, and LA just sit back and let SOE take the flak for it.
SOE may have coded the CU and NGE, but LA were the brains behind them
All this has been said by loads of people who have had close relations with SOE or even worked in SOE. If it was not true, those people would just accept it and not say anything.
You have not even played the game, and basically no nothing, and are just assuming big time. I do not even know why you are wasting time bothering with this. Whatever you say I will never believe. You would still say SWG was dead even with ALL servers heavy. You just want it closed because you are still hurt by the NGE in 2005
Star Trek Online - Best Free MMORPG of 2012
[1]
Then it should not be difficult to provide a link with ANY lucas arts or soe employee saying that Lucas Arts was behind all the poor decision making of SWG. Despite the long and constant history of SOE doing this to all their games, somehow SWG isn't the fault of SOE.
[2]
I quit SWG in early 2004, so therefor I was not affected in the slightest by the NGE or Combat Upgrade. I do find it odd that you point a finger at me for being emotionally attached to the game and making up excuses after all you have done in this thread. No offense or anything, but take a step back and read the thread again with an objective view.
EQ gets a pass for its problems, because it was basically the first of its kind. It was created by people who went on to work at SOE, but the creative minds behind the game were chased out soon after SOE was formed.
EQ2 underwent so many revamps the first year it was a joke. The game engine is terrible. The combat system went through a massive overhaul the first year. Most of the basic systems in the game went through drastic changes, because EQ2 was a poorly put together game and it delivered a poor experience.
SWG was a total mess at release, during the CU and NGE. It has never been a quality product.
The above is completely seperate from why some people enjoyed the games. SOE makes poor quality games and terrible management decisions. That doesn't mean people can't find enjoyment in the games. SOE makes games with a lot of potential, but almost never achieve that potential for a variety of reasons.
People can find enjoyment in a game, but that doesn't mean SOE is incapable of making poor choices that anger their playerbase or drive them away. Honestly I think that pretty much sums up the entire history of the company.
First:
EQ2 was partially a big unfinished rough mess missing urgent parts of translation for the non english clients making questing and crafting partially impossible.
This is not acceptable!
Got it?
Second:
Not SOE made SWG, Developers of SOE made SWG, the business culture and work culture of SOE obviously sabotages any attempt to complete games pre launch, do the needed amount of bugfixing, they even dont know their audience and make bad decision around every corner.
So i only see some good, creative developers wasting their work and no need to grant SOE any fame for things they have never intended and only got by chance of luck!
Nobody can predict the future but humanity works the way that a bad leadership will destroy the best attempts so if a company has a leader who has already shown how this leader works, decides, you CAN predict very well what will happen in the long run.
People who dont learn the second time will never!
"Torquemada... do not implore him for compassion. Torquemada... do not beg him for forgiveness. Torquemada... do not ask him for mercy. Let's face it, you can't Torquemada anything!"
MWO Music Video - What does the Mech say: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF6HYNqCDLI
Johnny Cash - The Man Comes Around: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0x2iwK0BKM
SOE, developers of SOE, it doesn't matter much, it was still dev teams of SOE that made EQ.
Also, let's not forget, unpolished MMO releases with broken or flawed features or bugged were the norm before WoW hit the scene, as good as all MMO's pre-2005 suffered that flaw one way or the other and a good number afterwards.
But people in those early years didn't care if those MMO's were rough around the edges or had some weird design choices or weren't hyperpolished, partly because those were the first MMO's but also partly because they were great fun despite lack of polish or bugs or stabilitiy issues.
EQ was great fun, DAoC was hell of a lot of fun, as well as UO and AC and SWG as well - even so much fun that SWG vets keep telling everybody 6+ years later again and again how awesome SWG was and how inferior other MMO's in comparison - and all that fun and entertainment value for many, many months was because of the MMO companies that made those MMO's, SOE included
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
Your petition will never work. Your game is dead and will be buried on 15 December 2011.
Wow. I actually agreed with Kobie on something after all these years. Shocking.