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Game will "Flop" harder than RIFT did...
Fadedbomb
Member Posts: 2,081
By looking @ all the hype around a WoW-copy with a StarWars skin, it seems that SWTOR is getting SEVERAL times the "hype" that RIFT did.
Review:
-RIFT was supposed to kill WoW
-RIFT was also a WoW-copy (please move away from WoW-clone, it sounds immature, clone =/= copy)
-RIFT had the same UI, inventory, and skill system of WoW (same thing SWTOR is doing)
-RIFT flopped REALLY hard, so hard in fact that they viewed their sub number drop rate as a "failure in the making" and have started an aggressive freetrial, discount && "veteran return" plan.
I've been around the MMO-block for quite awhile now trying, testing, and playing almost every single MMO out there (even the ones that I KNEW what to expect before trying them, but still tried so i was 100% sure). Yet, time after time AFTER TIME I see the same community over-hype of the "NEXT BIG THING" only to have it blow up similar to AION, RIFT, etc etc etc.
I'm only worried at the backlash that SWTOR's failure will bring. It's one of the largest fully developed MMO's of all time. Yet, they didn't feel that breaking from the "industry standard" of WoW's lowest common denominator was a "safe" investment, and that spelled their doom since the inception of SWTOR. Will we see a decrease in investing towards MMOs in general? Will we see more garbage "F2P" fad increases?
Or, could we possibly see a shift in the market towards triple 'A' sandbox development & implementation? Obviously I'm hoping for the latter, but I feel it'll be somewhere in the middle of less investing towards MMOs & a larger interest in sandbox MMOs. Granted, that's not a horrible thing to have happen, but it's obviously not the ideal.
Thoughts?
The Theory of Conservative Conservation of Ignorant Stupidity:
Having a different opinion must mean you're a troll.
Comments
not sure how to take this considering rift didnt flop
edit....i would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see a shift towards sandbox.
I hate the man, but Smedley from SOE hinting at a big sandbox title coming from SOE(EQ3?) has got my nipples hard
That's what I was going to say. I'm sure the guys at Trion fighting their way through the tide of money to get to their offices would agree.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
Rift is Rift, TOR is TOR, WoW is WoW.
Still secretly holding out for GW2, mumble mumble.
Pfft everyone knows the tide is over, it's just a wading pool now. They relieved some of the pressure by pumping it into new content for Rift, EoN, and Defiance.
I mean really, when you look at the numbers, how could you trust any dev that flopped so hard that it got them a cross-development deal with sci-fi channel :P
Lets Push Things Forward
I knew I would live to design games at age 7, issue 5 of Nintendo Power.
Support games with subs when you believe in their potential, even in spite of their flaws.
Sandbox MMOS are a niche market, if there was a large market for it, there would be more.
In Bioware we trust!
Since you are psychic hook me up with some hot stocks.
Dear OP,Rift is not a flop, not even close. So this whole topic is just false and innacurate.
I only played Rift in beta and decided it wasn't for me. That being said, isn't the class system where you can mix and match skills/abilities much, much different than anything going on in WoW? I also think for SW: TOR the storytelling/questing is presented in a much different manner. Granted it's still a holy trinity/class system theme park, but everyone seems to be acting like that's a bad thing. If I were more involved in the storyline, questing, and guild experiences in a theme park game I would be much more likely to stick around for awhile. I think these things are more dependent on communities and quality of experience than it is about how much like WoW a game is.
Going to agree with the rest here. This topic is pretty fucking stupid considering Rift didn't flop.
1. For god's sake mmo gamers, enough with the analogies. They're unnecessary and your comparisons are terrible, dissimilar, and illogical.
2. To posters feeling the need to state how f2p really isn't f2p: Players understand the concept. You aren't privy to some secret the rest are missing. You're embarrassing yourself.
3. Yes, Cpt. Obvious, we're not industry experts. Now run along and let the big people use the forums for their purpose.
Perhaps your version of "flop" isn't the one that everyone else uses. So i'll clarify for some of you. A "flop" in the MMO industry is when an MMO fails to attract the percentage it was looking for. Obviously RIFT flopped fairly hard, but it did not "fail".
There are quite a few servers on RIFT that have become ghost towns. I've spoken to several guilds that play EQ2, AoC, the soon to be defunct SWG, some guild leaders in WoW, and even many EvE corps who moved their entire guild/clan/corps to RIFT only to quickly flee RIFT after the tedious repetitiveness & ghost towns that became of RIFT.
Are you playing RIFT right now and waiting for SWTOR? I rest my case
!
The Theory of Conservative Conservation of Ignorant Stupidity:
Having a different opinion must mean you're a troll.
I hope not - it's the only MMO I have pre-ordered, well besides WAR the only MMO I have bought since buying WoW in 2004.
But as it will likely launch around the same time Diablo 3 will then if it sux I'll have D3 to fall back on.
This game is going to be so much better than Rift in every way possible. Even if The Old Republic had some issues at launch people will not leave because Bioware has a massive following. Their fans know they will fix it asap.
The only thing I can say to the OP is orange text on black hurts my eyes.
And you know that how? the percentage i mean? would love to know your source of information since you are trying to pass your personal opinion as some fact.
And your definition of FLOP is still innacurate and silly.
Your prediction that SWToR will flop is a good sign that you are not only a hater, but a poorly informed hater. The hype of the game is huge and I have read that they are very likely to make their investment back in box sales and initial subscriptions alone. That means there is almost zero chance that this will be a "flop" no matter how much the sandbox crowd wants it to be.
HOWEVER, whether it turns out to be a cash printing behemoth like WoW remains to be seen. Rift is a fantastic game and if I had to take a guess I would say the only reason it isn't doing better is that it is a little TOO familiar. It does feel like I have played this game before with a different (more cartoonish) skin. From everything that I am reading Bioware is doing something similar with SWToR and so it is very likely to also have that been there done that feeling.
The difference in SWToR is that each class has their own fully voiced unique story, which makes replayability very high. In Rift the classes are so flexible there isn't much incentive to make alts, but in SWToR the story alone means that you are probably going to want to try each class at least once.
No one can say whether SWToR will be huge in the long term, but it will almost certainly be a success financially speaking. Haters gonna hate.
Currently playing:
Rift
Played:
SWToR, Aion,EQ, Dark Age of Camelot
World of Warcraft, AoC
I hope to design and write a game that flops as hard as Rift. I hope I can fail like them some day... and retire.
All die, so die well.
"The sky is falling, the sky is falling!"
1st: You've played and/or tested every MMO on the market? A time-frame may be more appropriate. As an example: If WoW was your first MMO, then you've probable NOT played: Ultima Online, Everquest, Everquest 2, Dark Age of Camelot, Earth and Beyond, Eve, City of Heroes, ect ect.
2nd: EVERY MMO has a similar inventory, skill, and UI system. These are staples of the industry. Why? Because they work.
4rd. Rift is alive. It hasn't failed, and hasn't killed WoW. Failure to kill WoW is NOT a failure for the MMO.
I've been playing MMOs since 97. I am looking for the next Everquest or WoW. Not in design, but in the spirit of catching my attention.
Raquelis in various games
Played: Everything
Playing: Nioh 2, Civ6
Wants: The World
Anticipating: Everquest Next Crowfall, Pantheon, Elden Ring
Rift did not flop. It was a success. You do not need 10 million subs to be a good game.
given that Rift managed to gain over 2 million paying players, i'd say thats a success, if SW;TOR does as well as Rift does, that would mean it was an outstanding success.. and just the kind of numbers that EA/Bioware are hoping to gain... whether they do it.. we'll have to wait and see... but.. one of the things Rift had in its favour was that it was a good solid launch.. something that would help Bioware if they manage to achieve the same thing.... for what happens when that doesnt happen.. look no further than SOE's DCUO and Squares FFXIV... i won't mention STO in the same category.. because i don't believe that Bioware could possibly achieve that level of fail without trying extremely hard.. its just not possible
Link some sources about the market share Trion where aiming for along with some reliable data on current subscription and subscription history.
Seriously, I would really like to see where your "flopped" statement comes from, because it wouldn't surprise me if the exact opposite isn't true. RIFT certainly seems one of the most successful MMO releases of the last few years, most have ended up in serious trouble and where complete disasters from the start.
I don't play it either so my opinion doesn't come from rabid fanboiism, it just seems to me that RIFT hasn't crashed and burned and the players that stayed with the game after the initial "its new" rush seem very happy with the game.
Currently playing:
EVE online (Ruining low sec one hotdrop at a time)
Gravity Rush,
Dishonoured: The Knife of Dunwall.
(Waiting for) Metro: Last Light,
Company of Heroes II.
I predict the world will end on August 3rd, 2011 17:42:59 CET so why should I care of your prediction pointing after the use before date of the us all?
I would really like to see a link to something, anything, indicating that. They said at E3 that they were approaching 1 million "customers" i.e. purchasers of the game. they gained another million in the last month and a half?
Nice title OP....thats all.