Carbine Studios' "Wildstar"

[Abelian75]

So I finished my attunement, which took forever but was honestly a lot of fun for the most part.  Then I did one raid and promptly realized I don't want to do 20-man (or god forbid 40-man) raiding again.  So that's that.

Basically what I've learned from this experience is that I really, really want a game with extremely difficult small-group content as its endgame.

[Hoax]

So I finished my attunement, which took forever but was honestly a lot of fun for the most part.  Then I did one raid and promptly realized I don't want to do 20-man (or god forbid 40-man) raiding again.  So that's that.

Basically what I've learned from this experience is that I really, really want a game with extremely difficult small-group content as its endgame.

Have you played Tera?

[Setanta]

I like this game, but it just doesn't hold me enough to make me want to continue a subscription. They did so much right until you hit a dungeon. I reaslised I was only logging in every few nights and in the end it's not worth it as I don't want to be made to feel that I have to play to get my money's worth when there are other games I'd also like to play. I realised that CCP circumvents this by allowing you to "level" when not playing so you don't feel really bad about not playing. Other sub based games forget that unless there is a reward for not playing (rested XP is not a reward) people won't want to keep paying - which in Wildstar's case is a shame because the drops are interesting.

Ignoring the failed attempt at removing the trinity, I think GW2 got it right even though Wildstar does so many individual things better.

[Rokal]

Anyone still playing?

I hit the cap a few weeks back and at this point I feel like I'm done with the game. The amount of stuff to do at 50 that is not dungeons, PVP, or dailies is very small. Even with a level 50 zone added in the first content patch, I ran out of stuff to do within a few hours after hitting 50.

I enjoyed the leveling dungeons I did, but the tank friend I was leveling with decided not to resub when we were around 45. Finding a guild to run dungeons with isn't really an option because I'm playing on one of the least populated servers (Orias) on the less popular faction (Dominion). It's basically a ghost town dominion side. I like the style of content Wildstar does (challenging small group content) but it's the sort of content that is more fun with a couple friends, not random internet strangers from some other server. The default UI also feels non-functional if you're trying to play a healer and the add-on community isn't big or established enough to have created a party frame/over-head bar UI that I actually felt comfortable with.

If I was into alts Wildstar seems like it would have more to offer. Path stuff gives some variation to the experience each time, classes feel relatively distinct, professions benefit one-another (especially if you want to do Architect on one and get really into housing on your alts), etc. I'm not really into alts so I'll probably let my sub expire soon.

I know my post didn't paint the brightest picture of the game, but I did have fun with it. This is the only new MMO from the last decade that I actually liked enough to get to the level cap, so that's saying something.

[Nebu]

Fun to level 50 and a week or two beyond.  That was my reaction to the game.  It's a well crafted game but something about it just misses the mark for me.

[Flood]

I played to 40+ on my main, Dominion medic, and then levelled an Exile Warrior up to 38 to extend my play time and see how the other factions levelling experience was.  I'm not into raiding at all, and the toxic environment of grouping for dungeons with the medal horseshit kinda put the writing on the wall as I approached 50, so I just unsubbed.  I was kinda hoping this game might fill my MMO desire for more than a few months but sadly no.  I might even try WoW again with the new expansion so I can stare at the new textures for awhile.

[Shatter]

http://www.gamebreaker.tv/games/wildstar-mmorpg/wildstar-moving-away-from-monthly-update-schedule/

[01101010]

So is this on graveyard watch yet or what?

[Shatter]

So is this on graveyard watch yet or what?

I think the hearses carrying this one and ESO are parking as we speak

[Simond]

So how about that Warlords of Draenor, then? 

[Venkman]

How can it not be?

It's a good game. But it's an older-school MMO. Most of the audience has either moved on or sticking with the ones they've always loved and feel no reason to leave. Like most of the rest that have launched since the mid-2000s, the only guaranteed content updates are the ones they already were working on before launch. During development everyone's just doing shades of guesswork on how many people will stick around and dollars will flow. After launch, it's impossible to lie to yourselves as a whole organization, regardless of what the egos are saying at the top.

TESO was, is and will until end be a trainwreck. So there's no surprise nor sorrow on that one. But at least Wildstar is a reasonably good enough game to possibly survive a complete f2p switch for a bit.

[Nebu]

TESO was, is and will until end be a trainwreck. So there's no surprise nor sorrow on that one. But at least Wildstar is a reasonably good enough game to possibly survive a complete f2p switch for a bit.

I agree completely.  Well stated.

[Threash]

Five years ago this would have been WoW big.

[UnSub]

Five years ago this would have been WoW big.

Five years ago was before Skyrim made people remember the Elder Scrolls franchise existed.

[sam, an eggplant]

Nonsense. Morrowind and Oblivion were both immensely popular.

Wildstar would have failed 5 years ago too. The ridiculously challenging group content condemns it to a niche market.

[Kageru]

I don't know why developers still get sucked into promising monthly content. It's never worked and it always looks bad when reality intervenes.

You need to have the *promise* of big things coming. Lots of information on new content, class changes and game-play. As long as there is a well laid out plan people will be reasonably patient with the delivery.

[Rendakor]

Five years ago this would have been WoW big.

Five years ago was before Skyrim made people remember the Elder Scrolls franchise existed.

Are we talking about ESO or Wildstar?

[UnSub]

Five years ago this would have been WoW big.

Five years ago was before Skyrim made people remember the Elder Scrolls franchise existed.

Are we talking about ESO or Wildstar?

Sorry, TESO. I was talking about the first part of the quote.

Morrowind and Oblivion were popular in some circles and very popular among some groups, but it was the massive success of Skyrim that made it known for something other than being a buggy and often ugly-looking RPG.

[Fordel]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bifmj1O3D24


This has zero actual relevance to anything and is old. Still amazing.

[Fabricated]

So have they released anything about sub counts or anything for this yet?

[Simond]

hahahahahaha



no

[sam, an eggplant]

So have they released anything about sub counts or anything for this yet?

Not exactly, but NCsoft's Q2 financial report led to estimates of under 500k copies sold at launch. They are certainly at much less than 500k active subscriptions; 350k would be a reasonable upper bound and 200k a reasonable lower.

[Rasix]

That seems like a generous estimation. 

[Riggswolfe]

So have they released anything about sub counts or anything for this yet?

Not exactly, but NCsoft's Q2 financial report led to estimates of under 500k copies sold at launch. They are certainly at much less than 500k active subscriptions; 350k would be a reasonable upper bound and 200k a reasonable lower.

I'd bet more like 150k-200k as my max variance. People left it in droves. The most fun in the game is the housing. The content is repetitive and grindy and the group content wants to punch you in the groin for even trying.

[Nevermore]

But I was assured that people wanted old school WoW cranked up to 11!

[Lantyssa]

People do.  Unfortunately for their bottom line, anything over one person qualifies as people.

[Signe]

Isn't this new WoW expansion supposed to crank itself up to 11? 

[Rasix]

It's cranking itself back in time.  Where the meta-cranking occurs, is anyone's guess.

I have no idea what I'm talking about.

[Signe]

Huh?

[sam, an eggplant]

You think they hemorrhaged 70% of their playerbase in 3 months? Geez, that would be a hell of a thing.

[Simond]

Not really - it seems to happen to most "WoW-killers" with amusing regularity.

[Lantyssa]

If they only started with 500k I'd be surprised if they're above 100k.

[Fabricated]

If this crashes and burns based on the fact that the end-game content was largely gated for autist hardcores I will laugh until I die.

[Pennilenko]

If this crashes and burns based on the fact that the end-game content was largely gated for autist hardcores I will laugh until I die.

What size coffin should we order for you.

[Nebu]

If this crashes and burns based on the fact that the end-game content was largely gated for autist hardcores I will laugh until I die.

They will argue that it failed because it wasn't hardcore enough.