f13.net

If you haven't seen it already (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=7677).

I was sort of interested in it when I heard they were going to try Source and it being an MMOFPS-like experience. I thought it had some legs given the background of some of the folks, but I hadn't really followed it much.

I really want to see more work done on MMOFPSes. PS is great, but has no story. I didn't really like Neocron, and honestly didn't think of it as an FPS game that much anyway. Endless Ages just felt like a perpetual beta to me. So I'm eagerly anticipate Huxley since Webzen's no smallfry company, and they're trying the control system within a semi-RPGish like experience.

Mother fucker, I blame WoW, or people, or both...

Investors: Quick lets make another vanilla fantasy game! That's where the money is!

Fuck fuck fuckitty fuck.

*removes TW from sig*

Your sig is the jinx of death! Burn it!

 :mob:

Heh, I can't help but think of this list of 2005 predictions (http://terranova.blogs.com/terra_nova/2006/01/new_years_scori.html#more) over at Terra Nova. #6 was "6) A non-licensed, non-fantasy MMO will be successful (edit: and have over 100k users)."

Besides, CoH, it's been a struggle. I didn't want to believe it, but then I looked back at my own list (http://www.darniaq.com/phpNews/news.php?action=fullnews&showcomments=1&id=99) from months back and was surprised.

I hate that RPG means Tolkien ripoff or this_weeks_anime_01 and FPS means cyberpunk. It does seem that anything that attempts to blend of a control system within a narrative setting is tried games risky for other reasons (Tabula Rasa, Ryzom, CoH/V, Conan, etc.). But I can't blame this on developers nor publishers though. How many mass-market/easy-recognizable books and movies features fantasy and sci-fi in the same setting? There's Sci-fi and Fantasy, and so far, as a general rule, former has translated to mean action in games while the latter does so as stories. I have no idea why.

Doesn't EVEOnline fit those qualifications now?  I hear they're doing well, topping out at 20k simultaneous logins or some such?

Alkiera

The past few nights have had 10-13k on the server at any one time, about 10% of which are trial subscriptions. I heard they had topped the 100k subscriber mark too.

I keep thinking that just reducing the grind in CoH/V would instantly bump up subscriptions significantly. I like the game, it just got mind-numbing after a while. And a $50 expansion? Whawhawha? NOT A MIRROR!
It's usually 14k-19k when I log in.

Some question that within the TN thread:

"the Lead Producer (Oveur) mentioned in the forums of Eve-Online that they have a bit over 100k subscribers back in december... although cant find the post at, (damn lack of search...)"- Cenn

"I think the 100k thing was mentioned by kieron (community manager) in a forum thread, and I remember a clarification later that the number included active trial accounts. I imagine they would have made a news post or press release for 100k active subscriber accounts."- Daniel Speed

"IIRC that Kieron said EVE had over 100K but that included free trial accounts. I think it's 85K real accounts now (I wouldn't want to guess how many distinct players that is)"- Lacero

No more scientific than SB's work, so your guess is as good as any.

Bingo.  I was in Best Buy last week looking for a game to pickup, and was actually tempted by CoV.  Being a former player of CoH I probably would have grabbed it if it were at the standard $30 for an expansion.  $50, though?  No goddamned way.  I picked up F.E.A.R. instead, and having played it I can't help thinking that I made the right choice.

Lots of people have been swearing up and down that if Cryptic cut the grind by...lets say 1/3rd, they'd get TON of subs back.

CoV comes with a free month, though, whereas most expansions don't.

It's not a free month. It's a $20 month. The game is $30. Or it's a $10 month and the game is $40. Or it's a $50 month and you're just a tool. Either way, bad decision on Cryptic/NCSofts part.

CoV can be played as a standalone game so they didn't have much choice if they wanted to stick with the industry norm of having the first month free. It's also a $40 game not a $50 game so again when you factor in the free month you are paying $25 if you bought it as an expansion for CoH.

Erm, you're still paying $40 no matter what, correct?

And the free month isn't really free if you have to "factor" it in.

Sky and Big Gulp were complaining about having to pay $50 for an expansion when in fact a typical expansion is $20 - $30 but you don't get to add on a free month to your account which you do with CoV and CoV is $40 not $50 unless they were being gouged or looking at the Collector's Edition (which is normally $60).

If a typical expansion is $20-30, and CoV+"one free month"  is $40, it sounds to me as if that extra $10 pays for your "free" month.

It's like I wandered into an episode of Numbers.

Ahaha! Great timing, Signe. Just as I was starting to giggle at all of them, you capped it off.  :-D Now everyone at the office is looking at me funny. Of course, they always do that, but I try not to notice...

CoV as a standalone game is something of a stretch. Yes, technically, it is its own CD and install, and could be purchased by someone who doesn't own CoH. However, it doesn't have any of the fly-off-the-shelf elements of recognition in brand/license/uniqueness that I imagine continues to plague the parent title. And the cool foozle of SuperGroup bases are well beyond the reach of anyone who picks up the game for the first time anyway. For newbies, they're playing the same no-economy/no-crafting/nothing-else-to-do that CoH is.

It's status as an expansion is more solid. SuperGroup bases are not for folks like me who tinker with CoH now and again any more than WoW BGs or SWG Mustafar is. And new classes are always an earmark of a box expansion, even though there's functionally only one new class in CoV anyway (Mastermind).

In my mind, this was an expansion. I didn't realize it cost so much. The wife got it for me for Christmas, and had I known it was that much cash, I'd have asked for something else.

City of Villains is only a standalone game if you have never played City of Heroes. Otherwise, it's $50 for more of the same thing, only with EVAL!1!, the same grind and oh, a free month.

The free month doesn't make it worthwhile, or doesn't make it take any less than $50 out of my bank account if I purchase it.