My.com Issues Strikingly Honest FAQ About Ashes of Creation & P2W, Its Role in Publishing the Game

SBFord

My.com Issues Strikingly Honest FAQ About Ashes of Creation & P2W, Its Role in Publishing the Game & More - Ashes of Creation - MMORPG.com

Ashes of Creation News - My.com's Volker Boenigk has returned to the Ashes of Creation Discord with a strikingly honest and frank discussion of a number of issues raised by European fans of the game. Boenigk tackles issues including pay-to-win and My.com's role in the creative process for the game. As a reminder, Ashes of Creation will be published in Europe by My.com as announced last week. Other regional publishers have not yet been announced.

Read the full story here

timeraider

As much as i do agree that it wont be to bad...
The fact that in a protective FAQ they state this: "My.com version" .. thats NOT something you want to see.. PERIOD. And especially not in a FAQ to calm people down XD
Better phrase it a little different next time my.com

Kyleran

timeraider said:

As much as i do agree that it wont be to bad...

The fact that in a protective FAQ they state this: "My.com version" .. thats NOT something you want to see.. PERIOD. And especially not in a FAQ to calm people down XD

Better phrase it a little different next time my.com

Aye, I too cringed when I read that particular comment.

SBFord

timeraider said:

As much as i do agree that it wont be to bad...
The fact that in a protective FAQ they state this: "My.com version" .. thats NOT something you want to see.. PERIOD. And especially not in a FAQ to calm people down XD
Better phrase it a little different next time my.com

Baloney. It was a total mea culpa of how they've been in the past. Everyone, every organization, deserves a chance to change direction. I'm willing to wait to see how they do. And, yes, my plan has always been to play on EU servers.

While My.com has been shady in the past, that doesn't mean they will always be so. I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for the time being if and until I see otherwise.

EDIT: Why does seeing "My.com" version "scare" you (LOL)? I mean, if, say, Nexon publishes in Asia, doesn't it make sense to have the My.com / EU version, Nexon / Asia version, Intrepid / NA version and so forth?

Redemp

Never been a fan of My.com, wouldn't give them the benefit of the doubt here but i'm in the NA so... meh. I'm more impressed that they secured My.com as the publisher... as much as I don't trust Steven this "game" is hitting all the typical notes of previously released games. Kudos

ceh430

hmm im not sure...

hoenens1

My.Com, you guys are the WORST company i ahve ever known in gaming history. You guys drain so much money out of people in games, 1 example: Revelation Online, such a fcking nice game, and you guys made it worst then cancer! tHAT GAME, IF IT WAS NOT p2w, WOULD BE SUCH AN FANTASTIC GAME TO PLAY! But no, you guys only think about money! I had high hopes of AOC, but now, it's all gone in an instant. i did even ask Intrepid to refund me the backers money now i know this.

Ashes_Steven

timeraider said:

As much as i do agree that it wont be to bad...

The fact that in a protective FAQ they state this: "My.com version" .. thats NOT something you want to see.. PERIOD. And especially not in a FAQ to calm people down XD

Better phrase it a little different next time my.com

Kyleran said:

timeraider said:

As much as i do agree that it wont be to bad...


The fact that in a protective FAQ they state this: "My.com version" .. thats NOT something you want to see.. PERIOD. And especially not in a FAQ to calm people down XD


Better phrase it a little different next time my.com

Aye, I too cringed when I read that particular comment.

As a point of clarity, the term "version" refers to their localized build (language variant version).

Kyleran

Ashes_Steven said:

timeraider said:

As much as i do agree that it wont be to bad...

The fact that in a protective FAQ they state this: "My.com version" .. thats NOT something you want to see.. PERIOD. And especially not in a FAQ to calm people down XD

Better phrase it a little different next time my.com

Kyleran said:

timeraider said:

As much as i do agree that it wont be to bad...


The fact that in a protective FAQ they state this: "My.com version" .. thats NOT something you want to see.. PERIOD. And especially not in a FAQ to calm people down XD


Better phrase it a little different next time my.com

Aye, I too cringed when I read that particular comment.

As a point of clarity, the term "version" refers to their localized build (language variant version).

Hey, thanks for dropping by...

Ashes_Steven

NP Friend!

Panserbjorne39

Torval said:

And yet again no one in the EU region has suggested a better publisher. I still wait an answer to @Kyleran 's question from the other thread. What better publisher? And if you're going to offer up a ridiculous alternative like ProSieben or Gameforge, then you might as well suggest R2Games unless you have some compelling reason.

why and the hell do you keep going on about that? You think some random gamer is gonna suggest xyz publisher and the dev team is gonna say "OMG derp why didn't we think of that?" and leave mycoms deal? Get some sunlight bro.

truewarlord

Fool me once, Shame on you. Fool me 2, Shame on me.

Thanks, but no thanks.

Renoaku

Okay so it's said there is a contract and it will be the exact same as the U.S, but I really don't trust My.com, sure can give them the benefit of the doubt, but personally unless you're willing to risk lost money I would avoid if you have to deal with my.com as a publisher.

I spoke about this in "Ashes OF Creation Discord" they didn't like me talking about it when I mentioned how My.com already has all their games Pay 2 Enjoy / Pay 2 Win.

Skyforge - Instnatly buy high tier weapons
Skyforge Spend $200+ on 9 event to get top end gear with stats

Skyforge Every single month or less you get new 9 events new cosmetics you can never get again + certain items that give certain stats effects.

Skyforge - Pay for weapon can't re-use old skins when new tier weapons come out and you buy them so even if you love that cool skin gotta throw it away later to save inventory space when your like me and own every pack in the game.

Skyforge is operated just like "Game OF War" basically every few months they just throw in a new cosmetic skin on a weapon make it a tier higher youj lose your money and stuff.

This does not include the other game called "Revelation Online."

My.com isn't the worst company, Nexon, NCsoft, and many Mobile APPS are indeed much worse when it comes to Pay 2 Win, but My.com still does to me have that experience where you throw your wallet at them to enjoy the games, and so I do not trust them due to Revelation, and Skyforge being P2E/P2W.

And another fact to add to the list, they admit they may not meet player expectations, but when games like Skyforge have on - going issues with the game since it's release pretty much un-fixed for years how can you trust they are really trying to improve.

- PVP, other than battle of Equals is totally unbalanced, rather than beingg a fair game when it comes to Guild vs Guild.

- No cosmetic system to re-use old cash shop weapon skins on your items and delete them from inventory old tiers.

- If you miss events you miss out on items you may never get again

The simplest fixes to make Guild PVP fair like battle of equals, and fix the cosmetic system so the whales who actually spent all the money in Skyforge could keep the skins they have unlocked, but nope no fixes and it's been years, well I was personally one of those whales spent over $700+ USD in the game bought every pack they ever released until this whale finally jumped ship and said enough due to missing a limited time event, and having an inventory full of Legendary that are low tier but I like the skins so can't delete them and no unlock system in place to address the issue.

But hey let's just wait and see how it goes for this game if it will truly be 100% same as U.S version including cash shop, no Pay 2 Enjoy, or Pay 2 Win aspects and they earn my respect.

Asch126

SBFord said:

timeraider said:

As much as i do agree that it wont be to bad...

The fact that in a protective FAQ they state this: "My.com version" .. thats NOT something you want to see.. PERIOD. And especially not in a FAQ to calm people down XD

Better phrase it a little different next time my.com

Baloney. It was a total mea culpa of how they've been in the past. Everyone, every organization, deserves a chance to change direction. I'm willing to wait to see how they do. And, yes, my plan has always been to play on EU servers.

While My.com has been shady in the past, that doesn't mean they will always be so. I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for the time being if and until I see otherwise.

EDIT: Why does seeing "My.com" version "scare" you (LOL)? I mean, if, say, Nexon publishes in Asia, doesn't it make sense to have the My.com / EU version, Nexon / Asia version, Intrepid / NA version and so forth?

Did you hurt your head recently? Lately, you've been sucking up to these companies that have proven time and time again that they won't change.

Kyleran

Torval said:

Panserbjorne39 said:

Torval said:

And yet again no one in the EU region has suggested a better publisher. I still wait an answer to @Kyleran 's question from the other thread. What better publisher? And if you're going to offer up a ridiculous alternative like ProSieben or Gameforge, then you might as well suggest R2Games unless you have some compelling reason.

why and the hell do you keep going on about that? You think some random gamer is gonna suggest xyz publisher and the dev team is gonna say "OMG derp why didn't we think of that?" and leave mycoms deal? Get some sunlight bro.

I haven't gone on about it yet, but I can and now I probably will.

So you have no answer. I guess the answer being you and the rest don't know what the hell you want and you're mad that all your home grown alternatives are crap. You should make friends with Critical Thinking.

I know I'm waiting for someone to suggest any sort of alternative,  no one has recommended any (except Activision / Blizzard)so I'm guessing anyone outside of self publishing is a non starter.

RPGMASTERGAMER

We are fully supporting the Non-Pay-to-Win vision that Steven and Intrepid Studios have, and we will implement the same model for the My.com version as they implement for their version.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

they got way more control that i was thinking, they run the server, account, translation

this mean only one result : dead on arrival.

that a my.com game, this game just dead, nothing can save it at this point

it will be p2win mark my word, that the most easy bet anyone could make....

company change ? they were promising the same before skyforge, the same before revelation online.

Gazimoff

Torval asked for a rundown of possible EU publishers, so here goes:

* Gameforge - publishes TERA, AION and others in Europe
* Travian - publishes Crowfall in Europe
* Bigpoint - shifted to focus purely on free-to-play games
* Goodgame - shofted top focus purely on browser and mobile games

Other options would be to use a global publisher (in direct conflict with Intrepid's desire to self-publish in the US), or just finding a hosting partner (requiring Intrepid to invest in CS, payment processing, localisation, etc for Europe - a non-trivial task).

If My.com are prepared to state in the contract that they will meet specific levels of service, and Intrepid have adequete break clauses that can be activated if those service levels aren't met, then it's fair enough.

Kajidourden

Oh boy....this is gonna be fun.  Guess I should prepare for a dumpster fire.

ceh430

nevermind...

Kyleran

Gazimoff said:

Torval asked for a rundown of possible EU publishers, so here goes:

* Gameforge - publishes TERA, AION and others in Europe
* Travian - publishes Crowfall in Europe
* Bigpoint - shifted to focus purely on free-to-play games
* Goodgame - shofted top focus purely on browser and mobile games

Other options would be to use a global publisher (in direct conflict with Intrepid's desire to self-publish in the US), or just finding a hosting partner (requiring Intrepid to invest in CS, payment processing, localisation, etc for Europe - a non-trivial task).

If My.com are prepared to state in the contract that they will meet specific levels of service, and Intrepid have adequete break clauses that can be activated if those service levels aren't met, then it's fair enough.

Thank you, just the sort of reply I was hoping for.....

Sabrac

SBFord said:

Baloney. It was a total mea culpa of how they've been in the past. Everyone, every organization, deserves a chance to change direction. I'm willing to wait to see how they do. And, yes, my plan has always been to play on EU servers.

While My.com has been shady in the past, that doesn't mean they will always be so. I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for the time being if and until I see otherwise.

Yeah, because what else do you have to lose besides your time and money right?.

The only thing left to me to say to my.com is that im glad that i'm not playing in the EU servers.

Gazimoff

Torval said:

Gazimoff said:

Torval asked for a rundown of possible EU publishers, so here goes:



* Gameforge - publishes TERA, AION and others in Europe

* Travian - publishes Crowfall in Europe

* Bigpoint - shifted to focus purely on free-to-play games

* Goodgame - shofted top focus purely on browser and mobile games



Other options would be to use a global publisher (in direct conflict with Intrepid's desire to self-publish in the US), or just finding a hosting partner (requiring Intrepid to invest in CS, payment processing, localisation, etc for Europe - a non-trivial task).



If My.com are prepared to state in the contract that they will meet specific levels of service, and Intrepid have adequete break clauses that can be activated if those service levels aren't met, then it's fair enough.

Can any of those guarantee the same? What will those publishers provide that My.com will not? What is My.com doing wrong that those publishers are not because Gameforge sets the bar rather low.

That's exactly it. Travian have their hands full with Crowfall and Shroud of the Avatar right now, and don't really have the reach into Russia. Gameforge have only ever taken eastern MMOs to western markets, not the other way around. Bigpoint and Goodgame are retreating to free-to-play and mobile.

I'd assume that Travian and Gameforge could potentially offer similar deals, but Sharif said in his statement that My.com was the only firm prepared to commit contractually. From a service procurement point of view, that makes it a simple choice. The bar's there to be set. If this forces My.com to raise their game, then fantastic.

Slapshot1188

I am absolutely shocked by how poor this has been handled from a PR/Marketing standpoint.  This is supposed to be Steven's bread and butter.

MaxBacon

My.com has far more control over the AoC than what I was expecting as well, as it's obvious the publisher objective on this is money, if the subscription model does not work out well for AoC, they they'll take over and do their thing.

And I honestly think it won't because the sub model in MMOs that launched over recent years resulted in them falling to F2P some time after release, only few exceptions like FF XIV managed growth instead of decay with a sub.

MaxBacon

Rhoklaw said:

WildStar should have done better, but for most games touting a subscription in hopes of relaxing the angry anti P2W horde, the reason they fail is none other then shallow game play. See, when cash shops and F2P became popular, developers got lazy and started making really really REALLY bad games. These types of games will never work with a subscription.

ArcheAge however and even Black Desert Online could possibly work on a subscription, because they were decent games with a lot of features. I really don't know enough about AoC to say whether it can stand on it's own legs with a subscription model. Subscription based MMO's are designed far more differently than F2P games, that much is certain.

The angry PW2 horde is hypocrite because when the subs happen the games only tend to have a peak and they constant decay, with rare exceptions, people complain but then they avoid the game because subs don't come cheap end of the day.

It's the fact a large chunk of the audience is kept out of the game because of subs they do not work out, especially because if you play more than one sub MMO it's when it gets expensive, and the offer that exists under B2P/F2P can be highly competitive.

I don't think in present days subs for new MMO's will work out past the initial stage, it's extremely hard to maintain a sub and playerbase growth past that initial stage of the game.

MadFrenchie

MaxBacon said:

Rhoklaw said:

WildStar should have done better, but for most games touting a subscription in hopes of relaxing the angry anti P2W horde, the reason they fail is none other then shallow game play. See, when cash shops and F2P became popular, developers got lazy and started making really really REALLY bad games. These types of games will never work with a subscription.

ArcheAge however and even Black Desert Online could possibly work on a subscription, because they were decent games with a lot of features. I really don't know enough about AoC to say whether it can stand on it's own legs with a subscription model. Subscription based MMO's are designed far more differently than F2P games, that much is certain.

The angry PW2 horde is hypocrite because when the subs happen the games only tend to have a peak and they constant decay, with rare exceptions, people complain but then they avoid the game because subs don't come cheap end of the day.

It's the fact a large chunk of the audience is kept out of the game because of subs they do not work out, especially because if you play more than one sub MMO it's when it gets expensive, and the offer that exists under B2P/F2P can be highly competitive.

I don't think in present days subs for new MMO's will work out past the initial stage, it's extremely hard to maintain a sub and playerbase growth past that initial stage of the game.

Subs aren't expensive.  They're super cheap.  But when you have other AAA games offered for free, trying to put a sub on a game and market it to the general MMORPG audience is like entering a foot race with ankle weights on.  You just gotta be that much better than everyone else competing to win that race.