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ArcheAge Pre-Launch - Disappointing
I would just like to make some comments on the NA Pre-Launch for Arche Age.
There are some glaring issues with the Monetization versus the Design of the game.
In my view, the Game as a Hybrid Design includes the Fun from PvE and Quests etc...Yet mainly and most importantly Fun form the Sandbox/Open ended Gameplay which includes, meaningful interaction between players layers in the virtual world in place. Political Intreague, Kingdom Building and Conflict (PvP Sieges Naval Battles) in the Northend and third Continent.
All this resides upon the player economy which in turn relies on Land Ownership. Most of the resources in the game come from players producing them.
But right now, all servers are full, worst even, they are full by Alpha/Beta Players who know exactly what to do and where to go. As a result, within 6-8 hours of the start of Pre-Launch, all Player Building Zones were claimed. And there is no more space to build on for many many players.
This reality creates a quite some Gameplay and Business issues.
There is supposed to be a Patron (Premium Sub) since the game is Free To play, this Premium offer of 15$ a month gives the right to own Land to build upon. But with no more speace left, there is no incentive to have Patron Status. This is loss revenue for TRION and no Fun for Players.
Plus this condemns the growth of the game. I mean, comes Launch on the 16th, there is not reason for any Free to Play player to consider getting patron system. Not all players got the 50/100/150$ Pre-Launch Offers, many are waiting for the Official Launch but have considered getting 15$ patronage. Now they have no reason to.
From a gameplay perspective many were excited by the prospect of owning a House or a Farm (gee even Facebook Gamers would be based on the Success of Farmville). How could TRION not consider this?
Has the NA industry been so brain washed with the Idea that Open Ended, Sandbox Games cannot be successful any more and that only Themeparks do? Because Facts do support the reverse.
From my perspective ArcheAge has been in the making for a very longs time, already 4 years running in Asia and one year in Russia. How come TRION could not have predicted this situation?
Also what the heck did the Alpha/Beta tester players do all this time? Did no one point out that there is not enough Space in this game and that there would need to be enough servers to have enough Space for all the players Paying or Not?
I am utterly surprised by this situation. I mean, many of us gamers saw the Success of Housing with games such as Ultima Online and furthermore improvements on the system and elimination of mistakes in Star Wars Galaxies, we saw the Dark Age of Housing in MMO's and we also seen the Failures in Housing approach from Vanguard and Darkfall. How come did XLGames resort to making Zoned Housing system is beyond me. But what is truly a mystery is how come in 2014 with all the improvements of Engines and technology Software and Hardware, there can be a game with housing which suffers by the problem of NOT HAVING ENOUGH SPACE. - It is beyond incomprehensible.
For ArcheAge to be a Fun game for all, the Servers should be Limited to a population of 3/4ths (5/6th.9/10th, Tops) the Available Real Estate in the Southern Continents. Otherwise only those that can establish a base there can then consistently be having fun fighting in the seas and the Northern Continent.
For Arche Age t be profitable, and inciting towards a growing player base with also a growing number of paying players, the same proportions must be kept on aper server basis. So that there is always available land in the Southern Continent which can be claimed by F2P players that decide to pay at one point. Which in turn will bring in incentive for other Store purchases because the player moves in to Creative and Enterprising mode at that point.
Personally I always considered that Sandbox games are not suitable for a F2P model, Themeparks are more compatible with F2P, but this maybe a topic for another Discussion.
At this point, TRION has a Chance to save its Launch, and that is by Adding many more servers. Without Character Transfers as to balance the populations. People who already Built, stay where they are, and all those that had no opportunity to do so can go on other servers.
What TRION needs to consider also is that many NEW players may come to play the game, not only people who know the game, (isn't it Ironic that a game which launches neglects new players? It is to me).
New players may need a couple of weeks to a month to learn the game, understand how various decisions have an impact and why they need to own land or how it benefits them.
So that means there needs to be space available one month after launch even. A couple more servers will not solve the issue.
All in all, pre-launch gets a Disappointing Rating, but there is hope for Launch, there is hope to TRION and XLGames to get it Right still!
It would be a shame if not, the game has so much potential, if only the people managing it make the right steps.
Cheers!
Order of the Silver Star, OSS
ESKA, Playing MMORPG's since Ultima Online 1997 - Order of the Silver Serpent, Atlantic Shard
Comments
Come back around a month or so after launch, you will start finding plenty of space available.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Any old time UO player (the original sandbox MMO!) could have expected something like this. Housing land ran out fast as hell there, too. They doubled the housing land with Trammel and that ran out in seconds also. Then they introduced a new zone specifically designed to have tons of housing space and... well, that ran out in seconds also.
The nature of non-instanced housing, I guess.
Question should be: What did Trion do all this time? Alpha and Beta testers alike were commenting about the lack of space for the number of players online. The Open Beta revealed this more than anything.
Trion remained silent.
Indeed, if players have brought his up, then I agree.
Maybe it is a combination of Factors. I doubt TRION has a say on the design of the game any future expansions etc. They are there to fill a role of publisher and Monetizer (supposedly expert with Western Players), and correct me if I am wrong in that assumption.
Then, there is the belief in Western MMO industry, as witnessed by the Dark Ages we went through, towards the Sandbox, Open Ended Gameplay. Maybe TRION was not convinced that this game would appeal to players, and went about it cautiously with the number of servers at launch.
Or because they know how sensitive NA player-base can be and did not want to resort in launching with a big number and then do server merges etc.
In either case, the Game is a Success in my book, the interest for it is tremendous.
This is the closest to UO fun a game has been able to come to since Star Wars Galaxies, and so it is popular alike to old and new MMO players.
I hope that TRION will remedy the situation, I hope that there are no other interests at play here, and that all this is but coincidental.
Order of the Silver Star, OSS
ESKA, Playing MMORPG's since Ultima Online 1997 - Order of the Silver Serpent, Atlantic Shard
Blade and Soul > Wildstar
Archeage > ESO
A continual theme for you maybe.
Looking forward to: Crowfall / Lost Ark / Black Desert Mobile
This game will be a free-to-play haven for gold spammers and pre-credit-card age gamers in a few months. No incentive for the bulk of their customers to stay and no incentive for future customers to pay.
If it makes it through the lull (which it will have; the period of time the Patrons clear out from being screwed over to the period of time free-players join actively) then it may reemerge like like other half-hearted, nearly dead games have (Rift, Face of Mankind, LotRO).
AA, as released by Trion, however, is not a game that's going to have any lasting power in the MMO market. It's going to fade into obscurity just like all of the other pseudo-failures have.
Did you consider that maybe they want building plots to be rare ?
To hold a building plot you will need subscription, and maybe even putting some extra money. And since it will be wildly sought after, people will not just leave. And if they do, next in line will be sure to take their place.
So Trion have automatically reserved number of sure subscriptions.
Smart move.
Imo, AA is designed to be a very competitive game and Trion has made it clear that they want the servers full, busy and all kinds of factors influencing a lively economy. In themepark games this wouldn't work at all, but in a PvP game it makes a lot of sense - even if it is very irritating.
That's your opinion too. People, myself included, enjoy WS and ESO more.
Playing: Smite, Marvel Heroes
Played: Nexus:Kingdom of the Winds, Everquest, DAoC, Everquest 2, WoW, Matrix Online, Vangaurd, SWG, DDO, EVE, Fallen Earth, LoTRo, CoX, Champions Online, WAR, Darkfall, Mortal Online, Guild Wars, Rift, Tera, Aion, AoC, Gods and Heroes, DCUO, FF14, TSW, SWTOR, GW2, Wildstar, ESO, ArcheAge
Waiting On: Nothing. Mmorpg's are dead.
There's a factor which you're neglecting or perhaps unaware of; the northern continent and islands. Even players who intend on being pirates at this point need to play "close to home" with a farm and such to establish their character and guild before moving ahead to become pirates. Also, players need to reach max level and establish themselves and their guild before they move out to the northern continent. More risks and more rewards out there. When this happens, it creates space in the southern continents. And since you can now safely sell land, it's designed to become part of the economy.
While many alpha players did complain about the lack of space, at the same time people realize that over time spaces opened as people moved to the northern continent. Also, only 2/3's of the map or less is available to explore currently. When they release the patches for the other zones, more housing inevitably opens up. Also, with how massive the ocean is in this game. They have plenty of space to add additional islands and such with future patches.
Try and think of it this way, if you join the game and are a f2p player. Stay that way as you level up, farm using the community zones. Or do what many Alpha testers did and have an alt purely for illegal farming. Find a remote location not trafficked by people and plant a bunch of stuff out of sight. Log out and onto your main character and continue what you were doing on that guy. Periodically log onto the other character to check on your illegal farm. If someone stole them, report them, move to another location, and try again.
You're acting as if you cannot get by in this game unless you have land do farm on. Land only ensures your things cannot be stolen. In fact, during alpha a pirate guild actually turned this concept into an event. They announced that they planted a bunch of (I forgot the name, my apologies) expensive trees which had a rare drop needed for high-end crafting and building. Pirates said that the trees were ready to be gathered and if you could get them then grats. But they were waiting to ambush anyone that came to their island to take them.
The beauty behind this game is that there are ways built into it's core for non-paying players to still play on even ground against paying players. You'll need to go through more effort with an illegal farm, but that's the price you pay when you don't pay the patron fee.
As for houses, well, it's no different than the real world. You may like an area in the suburbs, but if there's no space to build a new house you wait for one to go up for sale. This is a sandbox which tries it's best to simulate real-world economics in many facets of the game. Land is just another one of them. Get used to it, or you can manage on a server as f2p and wait for a new server to open. Then buy a patron status and transfer to the new server and grab land then.
Scapes (Community Manager) on the Archeage forums said:
"As you pointed out, we're taking a very conservative approach to adding more servers. Why? Because there's always a spike of traffic at the start of any game and we want to avoid introducing servers only to have them simmer down in terms of queue/demand.That said, the team is closely monitoring game traffic and we do have additional servers in the wings when we decide to add more."
I don't really understand why they're taking this approach. All servers are having thick queues and the free players still aren't playing. Why they don't add a few more servers now, so the free players can later spread out on low-populated servers is beyond me.
One server on the European cluster even seems to have had such high traffic it crashed 7 times. Long queues, many crashes (which were not there during the beta's and alpha's), no founder items, and now lack of land to claim, has left me with a sour taste and another MMO scar. Premium pricing has unfortunately not led to a premium product.
I'll probably try again a month after launch.
It's easy to understand, read the post :P.
Devs don't want dead servers after launch. Would you like to play on a server that's going to be merged a few months down the road? Sure you can have all the land you want, and probably trade with no risk involved; but when you'll lose your house and have to go on a full server anyway after a merge then i wonder if it was worth it.
My honest opinion about housing are as below :-
1.Housing should and must be open world.
2. There should be very limited number plot for placing house.
3. Plot should be bought from some type of real estate npc. And plots may or may not have multiple owners.
4. Players who bought Plot must build house within a time limit
5. There will be tax for house.
6. Players can allow other players to use their house and take money as rent, they may or may not pay tax that way.
7. Several plots can be connected to create Inn or Hotel like buildings.
8. Just because someone is paying subscription, they should not automatically have a house or right to have a house. Subscription and gameplay is different matter.
9. Overall housing should be how it is in RL.
Boobs are LIFE, Boobs are LOVE, Boobs are JUSTICE, Boobs are mankind's HOPES and DREAMS. People who complain about boobs have lost their humanity.
The problem, as I see it, is that in today's world, if a game launches badly, it will NEVER recover!
How many examples does Trion need?
I am an alpha purchaser. Got into head start at 1:12, and within an hour was plot searching. Almost EVERYTHING was taken! How the hell could that be?
Yes.....we were all patrons.....but still.
I understand supply and demand and how a shortage of land can be a good thing.
However.....as mentioned earlier, owning land is a MUST to play this game. It really is that simple.
And Trion will lose that FTP market INSTANTLY as folks level up and realize they are deadended.
Yes....I agree......after a month or so land will be much more plentiful.
Why?
Because the game will be dead on arrival. No one is gonna convert to patron from FTP if they cannot get land. Yea, the labor points factor in a bit......but not enough for a FTP market to part with their cash when they can't fully utilize the LP's anyway!
I have been a HUGE supporter of this game and of Trion in general
One more thought.....if 90% of the patrons WERE able to get their land....I get it. However I fear it's more like 50% of us were able to. Or, perhaps even worse.
And I'm retired and was able to get in immediately upon launch. How about working folks?
I truly hope they are burning the midnight oil at Trion.....Yea, I love the game and will stay.....But if a whole lot of land suddenly starts appearing.......
What does that tell you about retention?
Most MMO releases go thru major issues at release.....give them a few days and things normalize.
We won't EVEN go into yesterdays debacle, cutting a full day off our head start!
But if Trion does not come up with a solution to the land issue......Tis, Good night Irene, to the best game to release in many, many moons.
You do realise that in Archeage the word housing, is not just a house, as in a place where you can store items? When people use the word house it's equivalent for farms, and housing that acts as a farm. Farms are an integral part of the game, and for a lot of people it's a central part. (Look at Wurm online as an example).
Limited number of plots is ok when you own one or more plots, but is it ok when you don't have a plot?
Like in real life not owning a house severaly hampers your progress, and it makes a shitty game.
So basically your saying I've wasted the money I spent for the head start....actually nvm I already know the answer
Depends where you are playing. I'm playing on an overstacked server, so it was money well spent for the next months and months :P
The game flopped in Asia hard for a reason (and not just Korea).
We're beginning to see those reasons now.
It was quite clear that Trion kept the "beta/alpha" running in order to siphon off as much cash as they could before people realise the game isn't worth a single dime it was almost like their mask or veil if you will protecting them. It allowed them and other people to hide behind the "HEY BUD ITS BETA" wall. despite the fact that even their so called alpha was a fully released 1 year old game in other parts of the world.
During this extensive "testing" phase they fleeced people for all kinds of in-game purchases, patron memberships and even huge expensive "play all you like" buy-in packages. They really never made a single change beyond a text string, which makes it quite clear Trion have no development ability with this game; they're simply the custodians of this project.
Is the game the worst I've ever seen? Of course not - it has its moments and features. is it enough to spend lots of money on and really hold anyone but the die hard niché fans? Hell no.
Asain games are not thoroughly designed, they are generic, mediocre MMOs that are produced in quantity rather than quality and ArcheAge is no difference.
False expectations?
Hm no, it failed for totally different reasons, which Trion already addressed very well. Pls do some researches next time.
So many people complaining about lack of space for homes etc both in game and out.
First, there's actually a fair bit of space, most people aren't even looking.
I placed a house yesterday very near one of the starting areas and the area around it (enough for multiple small farms and a cottage) was still open and available until late tonight when somebody finally moved in.
People are complaining because they don't see a spot in the first place they look, or they spend about 5 seconds and complain that a place wasn't GIVEN TO THEM.
See, every time I see this complaining in the game's chat, forums, etc. It just further proves how whiny and f**kin' stupid the average player base has become over the years. Everybody feels they are ENTITLED TO EVERYTHING. As I can tell, this game doesn't work that way, and that's why, wait a bit, once the cry baby idiots who expect everything to fall into their laps give up, and the usual curiosity seekers lose interest, there will be plenty of space and much more mature chat to look forward to!
To clarify: I never played Alpha or Beta, I had no advanced knowledge of housing, locations, or mechanics in the game. I also, due to work and commitments didn't get to start until 8 hours AFTER the head start began, and got stuck in a fairly long queue. Yet some how I managed to place a house and a farm with no issue, completing every quest I came across until I figured out what the Gilda Stars were for! Btw, I play on the Kyrios server, which I'm told is one of the most populated at this time.
Hey TSW Players http://www.unfair.co/ for Mission guides, Lore Locations and stuff....
Best fix would have been subscription only + no labor points for harvesting and fishing versus free-to-play + labor points for everything else that is not combat. Archeage contains too many forced mechanics.