People can say whatever they want, but for me, funcom made really great games. I loved AO, I loved AoC and for me, secret world had one BIG flaw: the combat and animations. If they do that fine, I might give it a try again.
But that wasnt the only Problem for me. PvP was average and laggy and not really balanced.
I didnt really like the glyph and equipment System. I never felt like I am progressing.
the world didnt feel open enough.
what they REALLY did right: good quests, probably the best by far. Something you would seek for in single player games
an AO overhaul would be nicer though! That was a really great MMORPG.
A massive overhaul to core game mechanics like combat is very dangerous to do years after launch. You drive away the people who liked it the way it was, without picking up the people who would have liked the new combat, but played the game under the old, didn't like it, and quit.
This... Funny thing is (not funny as amusing, since it's more like sad) I just wrote two days ago in an another thread: " [...] TSW. They're focusing on the actual playerbase, and are giving a flying fck
about the crowd of "change the combat and I will play" or "give a respec
option and I will play" or "change the combat animation and I will
play" (at
least that was the case during the past 4 years... who knows what are
they planning for 2017 with the big update we still don't know a thing
about) "
Well, that's defenestrated, it seems... (a nice word mentioned by the Tolkien Prof at the last lecture )
I can understand how the folks with views in italic above are happy, but as a current player I can't really find any positive reading of this. Sure, it's not the time of doom & gloom yet, let's wait for the actual details first - but it's also a tell, that everybody's silent since yesterday... True, Tilty tweeted that they will say something, later, when they get the green light (from who? he's the GD...).
Anyways, even without the details some things are clear and worrisome: - major gameplay changes including combat: those who are playing actually like the current setting, or at least don't have serious problems with it. This change is clearly not aimed for them... Is it smart to drive away the players who are in the game since years, to please those who don't even play, and nobody knows how long will they stay after try the game post the changes? Nope, it is dumb, at least for the long term. But if it's just a short-term cash grab...
- " with several major changes to increase user acquisition and retention" - so practically giving the finger to the present users and focusing on acquisiton of new ones.
- "Adjustments to the business model, including allowing access to the story content for free." - that's weird, TSW has a great model which gave the majority of the company's income and funded the other projects, why changing it? And giving away the story for free, that's a friendly gesture (mainly for the above mentioned new crowd acquisition) but the model is about buying the box and that's it (b2p), with some additional purchases of story and content. If they give the story for free, how will they adjust the model for generating the same (or even more) income? Sounds weird, unless you notice what's missing from the report, the content. It is all about mechanincs and grabbing new users. Which is an explanation and also an issue:
- as someone on the forum said, TSW is a story game and not a mechanics game. There was no new story since almost a year, and most players stayed in hope / anticipation that the big new update of 2017 will be the start of Season 2. Did not get that out of the blue, devs hinted that as well, quite a few times. Well, now it seems there won't be a continue of the story, ever. Since that alone will drive away a pretty large number of players, it is already make more sense to try and grab new ones, even at the cost of totally change the game. And the new players won't need new content for a while, since they will start at the beginning, also the "story content for free" makes more sense too. Even if there are risks as the report says as well: "As with any business model adjustments there is a significant risk attached to this change."
But maybe there will be some content update too, later in the future? I think it's unlikely. Based on how the majority of the report is about Exiles, following the change in the industry, the talk about leveraging and growing the IPs, and the disturbing phrasing of "last upgrades"... there's a high chance they will focus on the new standalone games instead. Just look at Exiles, it earned back its project costs in a week - if they'd add it into AoC as the crafting revamp, no extra revenue for them that way Someone already said over there (with some malice of course) that the TSW story of Season 2 will be released as the new standalone TSW-themed game, for extra purchase of course... :glasses:
Wow, I spilled out quite a wall of text... well, there's a "The way ahead" section in the report, here's my translation of it: AO, officially on maintenance mode now. (it was already since years, but now they've said it so, in print) AoC, officially on maintenance mode now. (that's pretty sad, last year with the membership revamp they laid out some plans, seems those won't happen anymore. Just as the sub price reduce, which is even more outrageous now, that the game is ditched) Exiles and H&S and similar projects are the future, low development costs, fast coverage by sales. Oslo is already operating in that mindset, but the next (smaller) Conan game is delayed " due to success of Conan Exiles" NC can't switch just yet, they will first finish the TSW update since it's in the works for a while now. " the North Carolina studio will switch [to this strategy] after the last large updates to The Secret World are released. " (emphasis of last is from me. But it surely is just hogwash, they will continue to develop TSW too, right? Right?). " In Funcom North Carolina, a new project that has been in early concepting stage and will continue after The Secret World relaunch" (well, maybe not right.)
Well we are talking about Funcom here so making the wrong move is pretty much par for the course.
Just a cash grab exercise taking advantage of a slow market, Exiles proved to them it would work.
Gamers buy prit near anything these days, they'll buy a tired retread too.
Exiles works for one simple reason IMO. It's setting, it's not like it is a retread for folks who didn't play ARK, RUST, etc.... I got Life Is Feudal which plays nothing like exiles. . I don't regret either purchase as I've had fun with both thus far. I'm not really sure why people talk so down on Survival games TBH. Which always seems to be people who don't play them (haven't).
I don't play survival games, only because so far they all seem to do a sub par EA launch and in some cases launch sequels or expansions before finishing the original games.
I talk down on the players who make this model financially practical. Sure its your money, spend it as you see fit but in doing so you decrease the chance I'll ever get to play a "finished" survival game.
Keeping my eye on Exiles, I'd like to play it, but not while half baked .
They sold almost 1/2 M copies of something they would have had a hard time giving away 10 years ago.
As I said too many gamers are too forgiving (or maybe desperate) these days and Devs know it, hence ideas such as this relaunch.
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
I don't play survival games, only because so far they all seem to do a sub par EA launch and in some cases launch sequels or expansions before finishing the original games.
I talk down on the players who make this model financially practical. Sure its your money, spend it as you see fit but in doing so you decrease the chance I'll ever get to play a "finished" survival game.
Keeping my eye on Exiles, I'd like to play it, but not while half baked .
They sold almost 1/2 M copies of something they would have had a hard time giving away 10 years ago.
As I said too many gamers are too forgiving (or maybe desperate) these days and Devs know it, hence ideas such as this relaunch.
Oh cut the crap would you. I've been playing MMOs since 1999 or 2000 (don't remember which one) and seen many of them. I liked TSW and like Conan Exiles too. For me the game is playable until I have fun in it and I've had my share in Exiles. Probably will play it quite a bit. You don't like these games and it's completely fine by me but no need to be such on oldskool-I-know-it-all-noobs.
Bad news the game is closing down is what they are likely going to say lol.
And its Fun Com what can you expect?
yea bc anarchy online and conan shut down too after some time eh? keep your prejudice for yourself....
if you talk about expectings, maybe you should have tried one of their games? which game DID you play, which game ARE you refering to with that statement?
which game did they close that you miss so much?
"I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up! Not me!"
Heard lots of good things but the notoriously bad combat and solo gameplay stopped me from trying it. They are fixing the combat, but I believe the game will still feel like a single player game, am I right?
Heard lots of good things but the notoriously bad combat and solo gameplay stopped me from trying it. They are fixing the combat, but I believe the game will still feel like a single player game, am I right?
actually you COULD have played it all in team too :>
and i surely hope they will "fix" the combat... somehow. at least it's on the list of things to be fixed, hehe
"I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up! Not me!"
For me, this will be almost entirely about the combat upgrade. I'm talking upgraded engine and redone animations, or it won't really matter.
Beyond that, the progression became dull as dishwater once you realised how much overlap existed between skills and weapons - and the gear progression was even more boring.
Better they ditched the entirety of the MMO paradigm and turned it into one hell of a small-scale cooperative adventure game.
I'm actually playing this game again atm cause of their challenge event.
To say it in short terms: Still a lovely atmosphere and story but the pvp and the optimization of this game are beyond repair.
Also we are talking about Funcom here. Who actually thinks that a relaunch done by Funcom means more than putting a little band aid on their game spiced up with a few free items to lure in people?
a lot of negative vibe. Why not wait and see what they offer. If it doesn't look good, THEN poo poo them.
I don't play survival games, only because so far they all seem to do a sub par EA launch and in some cases launch sequels or expansions before finishing the original games.
I talk down on the players who make this model financially practical. Sure its your money, spend it as you see fit but in doing so you decrease the chance I'll ever get to play a "finished" survival game.
Keeping my eye on Exiles, I'd like to play it, but not while half baked .
They sold almost 1/2 M copies of something they would have had a hard time giving away 10 years ago.
As I said too many gamers are too forgiving (or maybe desperate) these days and Devs know it, hence ideas such as this relaunch.
Oh cut the crap would you. I've been playing MMOs since 1999 or 2000 (don't remember which one) and seen many of them. I liked TSW and like Conan Exiles too. For me the game is playable until I have fun in it and I've had my share in Exiles. Probably will play it quite a bit. You don't like these games and it's completely fine by me but no need to be such on oldskool-I-know-it-all-noobs.
Fine with me if you enjoy playing crap, but you are part of the problem.
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
Heard lots of good things but the notoriously bad combat and solo gameplay stopped me from trying it. They are fixing the combat, but I believe the game will still feel like a single player game, am I right?
Like for most mmos out there, nothing prevents you from playing with a group.. not the game's fault if you don't!
I played this one at launch with a full group of RL friends and we simply had a blast working out the investigation quests together.
Also, the instances were some of the best (imo) at the time. Not much trash mobs, mostly just mini-bosses + boss you had to figure out, etc. I don't know how things are now, but at the time, it was a really fun game! (Especially if you don't spoil yourself by asking google for walkthroughs for the quests and/or guides for boss fights, etc.)
Heard lots of good things but the notoriously bad combat and solo gameplay stopped me from trying it. They are fixing the combat, but I believe the game will still feel like a single player game, am I right?
Like for most mmos out there, nothing prevents you from playing with a group.. not the game's fault if you don't!
I played this one at launch with a full group of RL friends and we simply had a blast working out the investigation quests together.
Also, the instances were some of the best (imo) at the time. Not much trash mobs, mostly just mini-bosses + boss you had to figure out, etc. I don't know how things are now, but at the time, it was a really fun game! (Especially if you don't spoil yourself by asking google for walkthroughs for the quests and/or guides for boss fights, etc.)
I don't have any IRL friends that play MMOs.
Is there any incentive to grouping? Better loot etc? Can you find people to group with in game?
I'm actually playing this game again atm cause of their challenge event.
To say it in short terms: Still a lovely atmosphere and story but the pvp and the optimization of this game are beyond repair.
Also we are talking about Funcom here. Who actually thinks that a relaunch done by Funcom means more than putting a little band aid on their game spiced up with a few free items to lure in people?
a lot of negative vibe. Why not wait and see what they offer. If it doesn't look good, THEN poo poo them.
Funcom has a record of greatly improving so I should give them the benefit of the doubt /sarcasm
But no seriously it would cost a fortune to overhaul the core mechanics. You can't seriously believe they would spend all the money they just made with Conan Exiles.
honestly, i think changes that they mean is rather things like rewards, access, and maybe difficulty or balancing or some boosts for new players.... i HIGHLY HIGHLY doubt they will completly overhaul combat as this would require long term serious work on animations, systems, mechanics etc. lots of people, lots of time, lots of investment - if youre expecting that youre gonna be seriously disappointed...
besides that, relaunching in the same year as morrowind for eso is coming out is not optimal...at least theyre starting a bit before eso (i hope they were not forced to rush it because of eso...could be tough)...you could argue that they don't have the same player base - but there's certainly some overlap...(me for example)
honestly, while the sw retained some core population this sounds like a last attempt to squeeze some last money out of it for the next 1-2 years before its done...i hope it works, i really lik the game and if it had TERA's combat i'd probably never look at another game...
why can't i make any breaks in my text????
Sometimes the forums bug out and go into straight HTML mode instead of standard forum formatting mode. You can type <br> to insert breaks, usually two to have a standard paragraph break.
TSW:ARR
So adventurer, time has passed since the catastrophe. We fought valiantly against our crap combat mechanics, but in the end we where overrun. All we can remember is that a (dwindling) group of heroes fought alongside us - then gave up.
Try as we might, we cannot recall their faces (as there where so many that gave up). All we recall is their asses as they walked out the door. Consequently they have come to be known as the Warriors of Shite (combat).
But hope lives on adventurer! We will soon be in the time of TSW:ARR - A Realm Relaunched. Gone will be the days of fly swatting zero feedback combat, awful jigsaw puzzle crafting, immersion breaking google research, terrible aegis leveling - replaced by .....well, we shall see.
A lot to work on, after all this time they will need to pull a few pretty significant rabbits out of the hat.
Heard lots of good things but the notoriously bad combat and solo gameplay stopped me from trying it. They are fixing the combat, but I believe the game will still feel like a single player game, am I right?
actually you COULD have played it all in team too :>
and i surely hope they will "fix" the combat... somehow. at least it's on the list of things to be fixed, hehe
I'm not sure why the reboot unless they really want to pump up numbers. Maybe they're working on a sale of the studio and want it to look good. Or maybe the game isn't generating the revenue they need with the current base.
Funcom has been in financial trouble for years and last year got an investment that literally saved the company from being shut down. They've been working on various ways to increase revenue since then. I suspect now that Conan Exiles has been launched into Early Access, the studio can afford to shift focus to their other games. TSW has always been the only game that has any sort of decent playerbase and success (albeit still small and barely successful), so it's only natural that the next step in their attempt to make the company profitable again is to revamp the game that has the most potential.
The game had an interesting idea behind it. Too bad the graphics, combat, and general game play were just crap.
Make the game look better, improve the combat and generally really tweak the story to be interesting, instead of I need to kill Zombies again.
I actually like the graphics. The character and NPC models could use some love, but other than that I thought it was well done. And the story is pretty good as well. Definitely unique.
Heard lots of good things but the notoriously bad combat and solo gameplay stopped me from trying it. They are fixing the combat, but I believe the game will still feel like a single player game, am I right?
actually you COULD have played it all in team too :>
and i surely hope they will "fix" the combat... somehow. at least it's on the list of things to be fixed, hehe
Some people get their panties in a twist if you don't have to play their way. The "group or die" peeps are like that. It makes me wonder if they didn't have people to eat with every day if they'd starve. :chuffed:
I know the blurb says they're working on combat (which is fine with me), but the combat isn't where I butt heads with the game. It's in the crafting/gearing and Aegis. Also progression flow through the maps could use work.
I'm not sure why the reboot unless they really want to pump up numbers. Maybe they're working on a sale of the studio and want it to look good. Or maybe the game isn't generating the revenue they need with the current base.
Call me weird, but I play MMOs to play with other people online. I actually see it as the entire point of these things...
I really hope they can fix the combat. Great game, terrible combat.
"We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." SR Covey
Comments
But that wasnt the only Problem for me. PvP was average and laggy and not really balanced.
I didnt really like the glyph and equipment System. I never felt like I am progressing.
the world didnt feel open enough.
what they REALLY did right: good quests, probably the best by far. Something you would seek for in single player games
an AO overhaul would be nicer though! That was a really great MMORPG.
Funny thing is (not funny as amusing, since it's more like sad) I just wrote two days ago in an another thread:
" [...] TSW. They're focusing on the actual playerbase, and are giving a flying fck about the crowd of "change the combat and I will play" or "give a respec option and I will play" or "change the combat animation and I will play"
(at least that was the case during the past 4 years... who knows what are they planning for 2017 with the big update we still don't know a thing about) "
Well, that's defenestrated, it seems... (a nice word mentioned by the Tolkien Prof at the last lecture
I can understand how the folks with views in italic above are happy, but as a current player I can't really find any positive reading of this. Sure, it's not the time of doom & gloom yet, let's wait for the actual details first - but it's also a tell, that everybody's silent since yesterday...
True, Tilty tweeted that they will say something, later, when they get the green light (from who? he's the GD...).
Anyways, even without the details some things are clear and worrisome:
- major gameplay changes including combat: those who are playing actually like the current setting, or at least don't have serious problems with it. This change is clearly not aimed for them... Is it smart to drive away the players who are in the game since years, to please those who don't even play, and nobody knows how long will they stay after try the game post the changes? Nope, it is dumb, at least for the long term. But if it's just a short-term cash grab...
- " with several major changes to increase user acquisition and retention" - so practically giving the finger to the present users and focusing on acquisiton of new ones.
- "Adjustments to the business model, including allowing access to the story content for free." - that's weird, TSW has a great model which gave the majority of the company's income and funded the other projects, why changing it? And giving away the story for free, that's a friendly gesture (mainly for the above mentioned new crowd acquisition) but the model is about buying the box and that's it (b2p), with some additional purchases of story and content. If they give the story for free, how will they adjust the model for generating the same (or even more) income? Sounds weird, unless you notice what's missing from the report, the content. It is all about mechanincs and grabbing new users. Which is an explanation and also an issue:
- as someone on the forum said, TSW is a story game and not a mechanics game. There was no new story since almost a year, and most players stayed in hope / anticipation that the big new update of 2017 will be the start of Season 2. Did not get that out of the blue, devs hinted that as well, quite a few times. Well, now it seems there won't be a continue of the story, ever. Since that alone will drive away a pretty large number of players, it is already make more sense to try and grab new ones, even at the cost of totally change the game. And the new players won't need new content for a while, since they will start at the beginning, also the "story content for free" makes more sense too. Even if there are risks as the report says as well: "As with any business model adjustments there is a significant risk attached to this change."
But maybe there will be some content update too, later in the future? I think it's unlikely. Based on how the majority of the report is about Exiles, following the change in the industry, the talk about leveraging and growing the IPs, and the disturbing phrasing of "last upgrades"... there's a high chance they will focus on the new standalone games instead. Just look at Exiles, it earned back its project costs in a week - if they'd add it into AoC as the crafting revamp, no extra revenue for them that way
Wow, I spilled out quite a wall of text... well, there's a "The way ahead" section in the report, here's my translation of it:
AO, officially on maintenance mode now. (it was already since years, but now they've said it so, in print)
AoC, officially on maintenance mode now. (that's pretty sad, last year with the membership revamp they laid out some plans, seems those won't happen anymore. Just as the sub price reduce, which is even more outrageous now, that the game is ditched)
Exiles and H&S and similar projects are the future, low development costs, fast coverage by sales.
Oslo is already operating in that mindset, but the next (smaller) Conan game is delayed " due to success of Conan Exiles"
NC can't switch just yet, they will first finish the TSW update since it's in the works for a while now. " the North Carolina studio will switch [to this strategy] after the last large updates to The Secret World are released. "
(emphasis of last is from me. But it surely is just hogwash, they will continue to develop TSW too, right? Right?).
" In Funcom North Carolina, a new project that has been in early concepting stage and will continue after The Secret World relaunch" (well, maybe not right.)
I talk down on the players who make this model financially practical. Sure its your money, spend it as you see fit but in doing so you decrease the chance I'll ever get to play a "finished" survival game.
Keeping my eye on Exiles, I'd like to play it, but not while half baked .
They sold almost 1/2 M copies of something they would have had a hard time giving away 10 years ago.
As I said too many gamers are too forgiving (or maybe desperate) these days and Devs know it, hence ideas such as this relaunch.
"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
Originally posted by Arskaaa
"when players learned tacticks in dungeon/raids, its bread".
keep your prejudice for yourself....
if you talk about expectings, maybe you should have tried one of their games?
which game DID you play, which game ARE you refering to with that statement?
which game did they close that you miss so much?
"I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up! Not me!"
and i surely hope they will "fix" the combat... somehow. at least it's on the list of things to be fixed, hehe
"I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up! Not me!"
Sits up and waits - with hope. Any change to the string puppet melee combat has got to be an improvement.
Back on the watch list.
Beyond that, the progression became dull as dishwater once you realised how much overlap existed between skills and weapons - and the gear progression was even more boring.
Better they ditched the entirety of the MMO paradigm and turned it into one hell of a small-scale cooperative adventure game.
I self identify as a monkey.
"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
I played this one at launch with a full group of RL friends and we simply had a blast working out the investigation quests together.
Also, the instances were some of the best (imo) at the time. Not much trash mobs, mostly just mini-bosses + boss you had to figure out, etc. I don't know how things are now, but at the time, it was a really fun game! (Especially if you don't spoil yourself by asking google for walkthroughs for the quests and/or guides for boss fights, etc.)
Is there any incentive to grouping? Better loot etc? Can you find people to group with in game?
But no seriously it would cost a fortune to overhaul the core mechanics.
You can't seriously believe they would spend all the money they just made with Conan Exiles.
Make the game look better, improve the combat and generally really tweak the story to be interesting, instead of I need to kill Zombies again.
So adventurer, time has passed since the catastrophe. We fought valiantly against our crap combat mechanics, but in the end we where overrun. All we can remember is that a (dwindling) group of heroes fought alongside us - then gave up.
Try as we might, we cannot recall their faces (as there where so many that gave up). All we recall is their asses as they walked out the door. Consequently they have come to be known as the Warriors of Shite (combat).
But hope lives on adventurer! We will soon be in the time of TSW:ARR - A Realm Relaunched. Gone will be the days of fly swatting zero feedback combat, awful jigsaw puzzle crafting, immersion breaking google research, terrible aegis leveling - replaced by .....well, we shall see.
A lot to work on, after all this time they will need to pull a few pretty significant rabbits out of the hat.
Got a lifetime membership, been playing it off and on for a long time. I only see this as a good thing.
"We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." SR Covey