Spectating Rift:Is that a decline in your pocket or...

So, reading a post on the MMORPG forum turned up this little ditty...

"XFire shows a 20% drop of played hours [on Rift] compared to the peak one month ago. So as predicted this latest "great" game is starting to lose ground.
How much you wanna bet that by next month it will be at 50% of peak?"

Why would you believe that? Unless you want it to be so.

It is almost like the players are ready to pounce at ANY bad news and turn it into the ultimate doom. Using any tool at their disposal, they can predict the closure of Rift within a years time. Sales? You bet (look at VGChartz...OH NOES, Rift only has sold less than 200k copies), X-Fire? Shard lists? You name it.

I would prefer to look at it differently.

Right now, the MMO market is flooded with good titles (and yes, some pretty bad ones), but the fact remains; you want to play an MMO, you have some choice now. Throw that stick, don't poke your eye out, and there...hit another MMO.

Of course, the overall "sales" or "success" situation is not helped by the elephant in the room (World of Warcraft) that has this horrible addiction issue for most players. When I hear that a person cannot leave WoW due to how much money and time they have invested into it, then yes...it will be hard to get this type of player to move on to a new title.

Why is it that a game is not allowed time to prosper and grow, and must be a huge success out of the gate. The market was never this way to begin with. Again, back to VGChartz and their WoW numbers. Note the steady decline of sales. Yet, it WAS persistent sales, but fell by volume week after week for it's 10 week first run.

But, then it happened. Word of mouth took the game to the next level. People wondered what the hubbub was about. What was this whole MMO "thang". The growth of WoW could be noted as the growth of the genre and not so much this one game.

Right now, Rift or ANY launch MMO will immediately be given to the WoW bear to eat, and players expect as much content, stability and playability as a six year old game. And we cannot change that mentality.

Really, is a 20% decline from a single gaming service like X-Fire indicative of the overall market share? The fact it is just one piece of the pie tells me no. Look at the Raptr numbers, which show a less than 10% loss. Look at the shard listings and see how a majority of servers are still at high...and even some queues.

Decline will really not be noted until we see merges or closure of servers.

But, can even servers being shut down announce the end of Rift? All we need to do is look at the anecdotal evidence to the contrary to see that Rift can stick around and have great success...if they just persist.

Lord of the Rings Online is our perfect example of a major success story. Indie style developer, went big time with LOTRO. But, if we would note LOTRO success, it was not hopping to begin with. When it launched in 2007, it did not get further than #24 on the X-Fire charts. By near the end of 2008 it was laying off staff and free to play was but a whispered secret that no one wanted their game to be. On launch, LOTRO only sold 172,000 copies in it's first quarter...THATS IT.

Yet, 4 years later, Turbine is lauded as a major progenitor of the Free to Play for Triple AAA products.

Now, if Rift was a major "wreck" of a game, then yes, I could clearly see them falling and tumbling. For that example, look to Age of Conan. This was the game everyone required to fail. Predictions were pasted all over the blogs, various websites, forums...aw, heck, Kotaku actually SHUT THEM DOWN due to posting a fluff piece by a hater.

"Suckered in by the newbie zone, 700,000 souls subscribed. Faced with the rest of the game after level 20, they unsubscribed. It all lasted a bit over two months."

Using this criteria, AoC should have been long gone in Year One. Three years later, and still moving along with another MMO in development.

Aion is another "hated" MMO. Many a player wrote the game off as the biggest failure of it's year. YET, the game still pops into our top 5 of listed MMO's, and even has times where it spikes higher on X-Fire and Raptr, due to returning players. NCSoft financials list the game as stable...and if anything, was the game that gave them help in moving Guild Wars 2 forward and money for NCSofts next development title, Blade and Soul.

The MMO market, if anything, has become like the music market. More artists, more songs, equal more players vying for the kids dollars. Why can't all MMO's co-exist?

Play the game you like, but if anything, if you feel Rift is on the downward spiral, maybe it is you the player that is actually done with the genre?

Let me tell you about Dragon Age and Consoles...

Spectator Sports: Aion

Due to the nature of watching the rankings on MMO's, I have what I like to call "speed dial" for the various forums and blogs of the MMO's I track. It is interesting to see the views of different players as I rank their games on the tracking services. Whether they be a standard supporter, forum troll, or fanboi blog, the discussion is ripe for commentary.

I like to call it "Spectating"

This round I am stalking: AION

Aion fascinates me, due to the fact that there is an underlying group who continue to call the game an utter failure. Yet, contrary to this, I see an MMO that is thriving, at least in this genre. MMO's, as we all know, is one tough business to hold onto. So many games have their detractors, but we can only go so far in knowing what is fact or what is fiction when discussing said games.

As I continue to track Aion on the services, such as X-Fire and Raptr, the picture is of a game doing quite well (at least in this business). According to NCSoft, their financials list the game as "flat"...thus not losing money, nor gaining. But, it IS a revenue stream.

Work continues to be done to the game in North America and Europe at a steady pace to alleviate initial issues such as perceived grind and a more Asian feel to the game. A recent patch put out last week approached crafting and issues with materials, costs and adding new recipes.

So, based on this data, why would anyone call Aion a "failure".

Gamerdrone did a post at launch called "10 Reasons why Aion will fail" stating these as concerns.

• PvP-oriented Gameplay 
• Flight is a Gimmick 
• Visual Style 

And more..

Why would someone immediately be calling the failure of a game considered to be doing well? And explain to me how items looked upon as strengths or considered "good" to a certain group would lead to Aion's failure?

If I head to the forums, I can look at Aionsource (a fan site) and see a relative good set of posts, with maybe one or two "fails" within. Compare this to last weeks forum list of Warhammer Online, where the majority of the forums were full of disgruntled players, locked threads and what not; this is tame in comparison.

If we head to MMORPG.com and their ratings system, the picture starts to become a little clearer. With a lowly 7.8 by player standards, we see one aspect stands out: Service.
With a 6.8, this is bringing their overall rank lower than expected. It seems NCSoft is the core of the failure calls. No matter how good the game may be, the service seems to be the number one concern. Looking at the forums, you can see the discussions all leading to NCSoft not knowing what they are doing (according to their opinions).

So, though there may be a consensus on the game doing well, an underlying hate of the company itself continues to bring Aion down lower than it needs to be in the eyes of the spectator.

The best bet for anyone who questions whether Aion may be any good is to ignore the vocal minority as they are often referred to, and load up and see for themselves. Too bad the "company" makes this difficult by not even offering a trial. 

Luckily the main game can be gotten for a lower price, and if you have held out due to what you may have "read", just decide on your own for this one. You may have to accept that you may not be treated well by the company taking your money. Luckily, based on all indicators...you will be entering a healthy, populated game.

Just know that numbers sometimes speak louder than words when it comes to Aion.

Gaming the Xfire - Latest Update

Wow. What a weekend. Major disturbances in the force of the charts really made me feel that we needed a post to discuss the latest movers and shakers on the Xfire charts.

I will be referencing an article I did at the end of March, thanks to a press release from Cryptic and their newest MMO, Star Trek Online - STO (SOURCE). The data was sound, and we had something to base some numbers off of. The Xfire charts hit a home run, and calculated almost precisely the number of subs STO had, compared to the statement by Cryptic.
As I make notes and do the calcs, just refer to the previous article if you have any questions in how it relates.

The reason I wanted to do the new numbers is that starting this week is, of course, the Age of Conan expansion launch; Rise of the Godslayer. I think this will have a major impact on a lot of MMO's. And as you will see, it really made some adjustments. This will also allow us to see how people are feeling about the new expansion, and how subs "could" be affected.
As well, several other news tidbits made some changes to sub counts. For example, STO had a free return for old subs and introduced a new free trial.
Warhammer Online had another blow struck against it as well, thanks to a set of court papers being filed by Games Workshop against the fan site Warhammer Alliance.GW really has nothing to do with Mythic and WAR, but it is the same IP. The issue is that so many think it DOES relate to WAR and EA/Mythic...and thus, we see what the outcome is of this latest wound. Watch them bleed...

Lets start with some OTHER surprises first.

Lord of the Rings Online

This was really interesting. Especially seeing that Codemasters was offering a "Free Return Weekend". But, it looks like other games are in the spotlight and took the stage away from this critical darling and fan favorite.

Calcs show that subs dropped a bit.  1518 x 120.05 = 182,235 subs. Previously LOTRO had 213,689. This is a considerable drop. I will keep track of this, and see if it is ongoing or just a fluke. For now, looks like age is catching up to LOTRO.

Aion

Another interesting change here. Now, mind you, Aion is STILL a top 10 game, so it does not affect it too much. But, it is also a bit of a drop.

If we do the Calcs, we get - 3662 x 120.05 = 439,623 subs. Last check we had 463,873.

Again, a sizable change. But, I also know that some numbers will be down. Why? HELLO, summer on the way, warm weather. We are bound to see these types of lower numbers. But, it is still interesting.

Age of Conan

Not so surprising. But, I am assured that Funcom has to be one happy camper right now. The numbers continue to rise. Lets take a look.

Very nice. 994 x120.05 = 119, 329 subs. This not only is above the previous articles numbers (81,274), but as well, I did a post discussing the rise May 3rd, and they had roughly 110k players (War of the Failures).

If Funcom can launch Rise of the Godslayer tomorrow, and not have any MAJOR concerns, they could be the comeback kid of 2010.

Warhammer Online

While Funcom may be the "Comeback Kid", WAR and Mythic are the kid being bullied on every corner. Talk about several weeks of pain for these guys. And this past week culminating in another hit with the Games Workshop court order against WHA (Warhammer Alliance), it looks like things are growing worse. Talk about being put on "life support".

These are actually some of the worse numbers for WAR since I started watching Xfire several years ago with Age of Conan's launch. 535 x 120.05 = 64,226. That is a drop from the previous article (74,551) and as well from last weeks post (War of the Failures, calc'd at 70k).

All I can say is if the new patch does not hit by at least next week, servers will be critically empty. Since I am still playing, I saw a weekend of a low number of scenario's being done and as well, we started some alts in the Elf region, and was able to flip the whole zone in Tier 1 to Order with just the 3 of us. Yes, 3 people took a whole zone....

Here is a prayer for ya WAR...I hardly knew ye'

Dungeons & Dragons Online

Well, this could only last so long. We see a minor drop in numbers here.

The calcs say 766 x 120.05 = 91,958. Not too bad. But, last post had DDO at 111,647. So it looks like interest is waning a bit. But, there is no doubt that Turbine still has to be enjoying some great cash flow off this title. Those kinda stats are not anything to laugh about. And having two games doing decent numbers probably doesn't hurt either.

Star Trek Online

Give something away and they will come. Free time for old subs, new free trial...all adding up to a small rise in numbers.

Mind you, this is NOT a rise from my last post, but a rise from what happened after the first 30 days. STO had fallen to close to 200 to 300 players and was in the low #100's and had even fallen at one point into the low #200's on the charts.

Todays calcs put them at 527 x 120.05 = 63,266. And as we can even see on the charting, it was at #92 previously, but shot up to #88. I expect this to rise a little bit more. But, overall, STO did not do well, and that is too bad. It looks gorgeous thanks to screenshots from @Longasc (on Twitter), but must be missing some appeal to a majority of MMO players.

Like I said, this was quite a bit of a change for a lot of titles. Not sure what is up yet, and as the summer progresses, I expect more drops. But, some titles I think are hurting (WAR, STO), but we may see a return on Age of Conan. I wish them luck tomorrow.

Ok, thats it for this week. Watch my Twitter account if you want more info.

Cheers

The Xfire Game

Last week, a small group of us had a Twitter-scussion over the validity of Xfire as a tool beyond the mere use as a glorified chat program.

Xfire has the capability to track players time in games of their choice. Though not perfect, it does give a glimpse of these players (people who load Xfire)  favorite games.
As far as MMO's are concerned, I feel it can be used to do more in respect to players and times.We can also track sub numbers for MMO's in a general capacity. This would be more in line of "paying" commercial based games, by either a large distributor or game developer.

So, a while back, I posted an article (2008) which took a noted news story about the current World of Warcraft population in the US and created a formula to help see how many players can be calculated in all other MMO's based on that formula. What happened is a pretty close and accurate picture of players in various MMO's, and since that time I still have been able to use that formula to this day. Check out the article to see a more in depth discussion of that calculation.

This really took flight when last week Cryptic noted just how many people were playing Star Trek Online. When I saw this, I thought it was time again to try the formula. What happened was a pretty scary comparison that was almost completely accurate to their posted numbers. Cryptic noted a 100k player base. I did my formula and got 96k almost 97k. This of course was based on a Wednesday reading. Sunday numbers are usually more accurate as this IS the busiest day for all MMO's. So, I thought, maybe we need to really do an in depth analysis using Sunday numbers.

Now, I never claimed that the numbers are 100%, accurate, They are a pretty close representation though of what has either been discussed by news pundits or forum goers for total subs of some MMO's. And if a company ever announces their numbers, as seen by the Cryptic count for STO, it can garner a pretty darn accurate calculation.
Since a lot of companies do not release this data, the "Xfire Game" has really become a good way to see just how well this works.

Today, I will do a run of the Sunday count for Xfire for several games being discussed lately. I pick these for the very reason we need a tool like Xfire and my calc. These companies have not, or do not release their numbers. If they do, it is rare.
As well, I will add Aion, as eventually we WILL get numbers (NCSoft does their numbers about once or twice a year), and of course STO, since we did get a report recently.

Lets see how they fare.

Star Trek Online

We will start here. As we KNOW how many are playing thanks to Cryptic's recent announcement of over 100k players, it will be a good jumping off point to see how our calc is working.



The calc rate is multiple the number of Xfire users x 120.05. Using the calc system we see - 980 x 120.05 = 117,649 subs. Over 100k. Interesting.

Aion

Next, I want to show a game that we know has a large population based on reports from NCSoft. Now, of course, most forum goers or blog gurus call this game a failure. I would beg to differ, and I believe Xfires data shows this.



Our calc system states...3864 x 120.05 = 463,873 subs. Basically almost as much as Lineage 2 had been stated to have at one point and time (over 600k in 2007). And as always since it's launch, in the top 10 on Xfire. Now, I am sorry, but this does NOT take into account how many of those subs are gold sellers...

Lord of the Rings Online

Over and over it has been stated that LOTRO is a good "200k" sub game. I for one believe it, and Xfire really corroborates this.



Calc says? 1780 x 120.05 = 213,689 subs. Still a good sub rate and steady. Wish Turbine would just come out and tell us. For me, I think a company should be proud of that many players in todays MMO market. Since I have been doing these calcs, LOTRO has consistently done this number of players...except when they release an expansion, then there is a jump.

Age of Conan

A lot of discussion has been traveling the blogosphere as well as the forums that AoC has progressed beyond the old days, and is a more stable game. Some servers look busy according to the forumites, and Funcom has been able to keep it afloat (though financials have said otherwise). How do the Xfire stats look?



677 x 120.05 = 81,274 subs.
If we read the report for Funcom in their financials, they state "stabilization". This Xfire data corroborates that. They continue to hold this area in the Xfire ratings AND have stabilized in subs if Xfire is to be trusted.

Warhammer Online

My new favorite. Recently Bioware has made comments about the Mythic division and how WAR is actually "profitable". How many subs does a profitable game need? What does Xfire say...



621 x 120.05 = 74,551 subs. Could it be possible that with 4 servers and 50k plus players, any MMO could be profitable? Seeing Age of Conan has held to this area and is still afloat, I may not doubt it now. Especially if we watch Age of Conan with the expansion and new financials report. How will these numbers increase? I will watch these two games closely. They are thought to be case studies of failures for their time. Yet, I also feel they are also the most improved games over time, unlike some others on this list.

Dungeons & Dragons Online

This is a unique case, and I want it here to show how Xfire can still help us figure out what is considered a paying customer, compared to a freebie player. Recently Turbine has stated that they have "1 Meeelllion players" (note the pinky held next to my cheek as I say this..). In so many words; Turbine. The leader of misleading statements.
If we read further into the press release this came from, we also see these words..."paid subscriber base has more than doubled"....AHA. DDO at one point...before the "Free to Play" model, was noted as either having 25k or 50k players subbing. What does Xfire say they have now?



930 x 120.05 = 111,647 subs. So, 1 million players, yes, but I still say 100k plus subscribers paying a monthly fee. Now, this also does not take into account how many people pay for extras (and are not subbed). I still will say it. This hybrid model that DDO has is truly the way other games with low subs should go. We are guaranteed that Turbine is turning some very nice profits right now.

Everquest 2

I always wish to throw this one in there. This game is hard to pigeon hole, because we hardly see or hear about this game, and I always wonder what SOE needs to keep a game afloat. I always want to include Vanguard also (to show what a real failure looks like)...but, for now, EQ2 is good, as we know they have a dedicated playerbase, but not a huge sub lot (at least based on what we know and see).



293 x 120.05 = 35,175 subs. Now, is this really profitable? Has the game been out long enough to make back it's money? I guess it does help that they force players to repurchase EVERY expansion every time they launch a new one (almost 40 bucks a box every 6-8 months). Maybe all along EQ2 has made it's money off of the two-boxers and those who purchase new expansions at launch. For now, low player rates, but dedicated players keep EQ2 afloat.

The argument I keep hearing is Xfire cannot be used as a valid tool for these numbers. I will continue to disagree, as these numbers clearly show a lot of matching data with what we know about these games. We can never be 100% sure, but if I need to know how well a game is doing, I can look at Xfire and get a rough guesstimate.
The Calc I have continues to show some interesting data to this day, and as long as we have this tool, I will continue to try and use it to help me see how well these games are doing.

If you are ever worried about if you should play a game depending on if there are enough players to group with, etc, then try Xfire and see if it is doing well there.

Cheers

Aion - Clipped Wings

Just a quick little post about the misadventure that was Aion.



As I blogged previously, my son got an itch, while we were playing Guild Wars, to get back into Aion. For some reason he remembered some fond memory of Aion, yet forgot about all the bad involved.
He has a habit of going back to games, even though he did not like them previously. Example was Fallout 3. He bought the game on launch and died over and over. Sold the game, and never looked back. Yet, all his friends were playing and several months later, decided to try again. Gamespot made a nice profit indeed, when that copy was returned for credit.

So, Aion. We made a pact. One, I would be able to make a character on his account. Two, the wife (who talked me into buying it for him, after I hemmed and hawed using the Fallout 3 story) would also have to play beyond a specific level (5) or else pay for it out of her allowance.

As of today, the game has been cancelled.

So, what did us in. Each of us ran into issues. What pulled us out (even before the PvP)...

Lets start with my son. This one is easy. Boredom. Slow combat, lots of running here and there, annoying questing. Oh, and ready for this one? Dying! (Over and Over and Over); That spawn rate is murder for solo players.

For my wife, a lot of the same. She noted something was off as she tried to play. The interface was not as intuitive as she would have liked. Also, the camera seemed choppy to her. Since she is a crafter at heart, gathering was slow and tedious for her as well. She hit that same window of Boredom.



For myself, relatively the same Boredom. But, as I fought mobs, I was annoyed by the cutesy critters I had to battle. The music started to get on my 3rd nerve. I ended up shutting off both music and the "spell words" sounds (Ka-here-nay? WTF?). Battle was slow (especially since we have fallen into being more actioney type players). The overall experience just kept me from logging in.

You have to imagine the difference of going between WAR, Guild Wars and Aion, as I was playing all three...and which game really was jarring in respect to how it "played". The odd man out was truly Aion.

Even though it has been discussed by many that the servers are empty, game time wise, Aion still charts quite high on Xfire. At one point NCSoft stated they had 1 millions subs in the US. SUBS, not players (ooo you Tricksies Turbine and the way you guys word your press releases..."1 Million players, doubled subs since going free to play"...). I did not see as many players in the starting areas as I have in Age of Conan or WAR...even GW. Could the endgame really be that good? All I know is 10 levels was torture.

For now, Aion goes back into the "been there, done that" pile, never to fly again.

Give "MMO's" a chance

Wow, is that a really bad way to segue into John Lennon's masterpiece...or what?

Well, as you can see, I have been the "strong" silent type for the last week as I have taken time to get to grips with several MMO's that had been on a back burner for me. How did this play time come about? As always, it boils down to my son's interests and helping him bloom in his fascination with MMO's.

About a little over a week ago he asked if I would buy Aion for him. Now, I try my best to help my son make good decisions about purchasing (my wife? not so much...as I look upon her Jimmy Choo's she just HAD to have, yet sit gathering dust).
I first remind him of a little fiasco a while back when Fallout 3 first came out. He played the game after buying it new (60 buckos) and about a couple of weeks after the learning curve, he started to die...a lot.
He wanted to sell it back to Gamestop. Hey, no issue. Find a better game buddy!
Several months passed. His friends kept talking about the game on Xbox live, and were still playing it themselves. He kept getting excited about it, and asked if he could buy it...

I did a double take.

I told him about what happened. He believed he had become a better gamer, and could do it.
He understood my thoughts, so, blew another 60 bucks again on Fallout. (Please note, all games my son buys, he has earned...through trash pickup, cleaning his room, good grades and Grandma's).

It was returned just less than a week after.

Same thing for Aion. While playing beta, he started to hit that "grind" wall after a while. He decided he did not want the game after all when it launched. Yet, here he is...asking to buy it now.

I guess I could rack it up to A.D.D? "Well, you will need to pay for it son." And he did. I also agreed on one condition. I would play as well. The final piece? The wife would also need to play it and see how she felt about the game. She would need to play for 5 levels, or SHE would pay for it.
(Please note: We are a VERY democratic household on all things gaming, food, TV...you name it. We also follow the "try it or pay out" rule...You must try all foods once, all games and all TV shows as well).
Here is something else to think about. Since we are a gamer family, if one gamer strays, it makes it difficult for the other two to play. So, we make these arrangements over the games to allow everyone something to do while the other plays another title.
The wife and I knew we would get less Guild Wars time while he played Aion, so we each took off to play other things while he played Aion.

So, my schedule has been mixed between - Guild Wars, Age of Conan (free trial), Warhammer Online and Aion.

So, how has this been going? Quite well actually. It gives me a chance to also blog a bit about these games. So, stay tuned, as several posts are being lined up to discuss my trials and tribulations of the supposed "Games losing subs" group.

Cheers

Aion - Really?

As one twitterer proclaims "Aion is the best MMO EVAH", I cannot help but shake my head.

Bear with me, as I take a moment to discuss this game.

As we can probably see based on Xfire, box and digital sales and the god awful queue systems, Aion is a hit.

Period.

Why?

As I played the beta and saw what to me looked to be an un-cartoony WoW (ok...somewhat...I mean...what is up with those mobs in the starting zones?), I tried to find this most awesome game...

Polished? yep. Runs well when logged in? yep. Streamlined quest system and directions system? check. Great character models and ooo..wings? You got it.

Yet, here I was whacking away at mobs for almost a minute to kill just one. Get two or three on me, and I would start to suffer. As I went from one kill 10x quests to the next, I wanted to rip my hair out. As I ran down the path and other players ran right through me, I would cringe.

Why are people paying NCSoft for a game that just denotes that we as players do not want any change to the WoW systems.

Want unique gameplay? NOT HERE.

I think Tipa made a remark once that it is "familiarity" that is key to Aion's sales...and she is right. It is 100% familiar to me, and may be why I just do not want to be there.

All I have to say though is..."Thanks sheeples" as you have made it possible for NCSoft to now finish up Guild Wars 2 and really put some polish in. I can go back to Age of Conan and enjoy just a little more in regards to unique gameplay. And eventually we will see players go back to WoW...but for now, and the forseeable future, we do have another MMO hit....

It just happens to be the same as the old one.

Playing in Aion, Living in Age of Conan

I thought it is now time to jot down my thoughts of how I feel after going back to the world of Diku MMO's..my foray into Aion.

I have played about 12 hours so far, and want to give some impressions...but maybe not how most give their impressions.

As you can tell by the title, there will be some discussion of differences I see in Aion compared to AoC. But, I need to make clear that I am a jaded gamer now. I am very picky in what I will play, especially when it comes to MMO's.

So did Aion make me a convert back to the old ways?

First off, I want to congratulate NCSoft on a well polished, bug free experience, with a game that runs like a game should out of the box.

If the game launches like the CB has run, it WILL be the best launch of an MMO...period.

I have had maybe 1 or 2 rubber bands my whole play session, and saw one glitch (some mob was stuck in the ground), but the client never crashed and especially for how gorgeous the game looks it runs a sight better than most MMO's (EQ2, LOTRO, AoC...looking at you...).

Onto graphics. It is hard not to discuss this game without mentiong the visuals. Probably the best high fantasy title visually, with hints of WoW cartooniness mixed in with a Final Fantasy, Star Ocean vibe. The hints of technology mixed with the fantasy is a nice touch.

Models in this game for the players is spot on. One thing some games (ok...LOTRO, EQ2) get wrong is that the models are secondary to the world. Aion, the model is pivotal. The full control of how the character looks with one of the best total toolsets for PC creation, it is a dream for a game for me. I love it. I was quite happy with the way my model looked.

The game world itself besides visually being complete also looks alive. Moving pieces like spiders in the trees, how the character reacts in the world when idle, swaying trees, etc. All look great. And feels right.

Also, with a modicum of things to catch your eye, like things to stop and pick up as you run around is the added bonus.

But, it is all set pieces. How does the game and mechanics play.

Played WoW? then you have played Aion. Questing is the same. Global cooldown combat, though faster, (and more akin to Guild Wars than WoW) is still WoW.

What NCSoft did is take WoW, put it in a new skin, polished it up, added a few differences...including the major difference ..Flight..and made a good game.

After questing for hours, I lost sight of any difference in how the game approached a quest. They also made no effort (except for brief glimpses with cool cut scenes, or the ascension quest throwing you into your past...etc) to make them different.

Get me 5 horns, kill 11 crabs, get the fur of ...etc.

All in a line...pretty little quests...but, empty.

Combat does make up for that tedium, by being fast and as you get further in the game, more mobs spawning with furious resurgence makes for a spectacular busy game.

There is lots to do to keep you busy thats for sure, which is an important factor to stray from the tedium.

But, it is all about gathering and the gear.

Finding manastones to implant into armor and weapons is a blast. Running around and "picking flowers and sparklies" as the wife calls it...fun...to us anyways.

And finally, flight. Once you get to level 10 and gain your wings, this adds a bit more. We found ourselves going "oo...can I get to that spot?" "wonder what happens if I glide off this"...keeping it fun.

But, those quests. I have heard there is more variety to the quests in the newest patch overseas...but, can it be that different?

Sorry, but this is truly a "grinding quests" game. Thus why I said.."I play in Aion".

So, then why do "I live in AoC"?

Cutscenes happen in both games, but in Conan, the fact that your quests are handed to you in this format, makes it seem more immersive. The scenes of YOU talking with the quest givers makes the game seem more personal.

I feel like I live in Hyborea.

Aion gives me a box with a slightly small font, and instead of reading all of the box, I find myself clicking the appropiate answer, and then reading the quest afterwards to find what I need to kill.

I care less about what the NPC has to say. Ala WOW!

Quests, even though AoC does also deal in the "Kill 10 x" variety, seem to get more of these examples....

"You must kill a small number of their clan (10), then I wish for their leaders death (kill boss), then make sure to bring me back a crate of their supplies"

So, multiple objectives, with meaning behind each.

Aion. Killing sandcrabs and sea turtles for shells to bring to the armorsmith, well.... Kill 10 to lower the population.....duhhhhh...

All the same. I picked flowers once...but that was the only different quest.

When I was handed one quest and was noted I can do it 1/100 times (that meant I can go back 99 more times)...seems like a small effort to give me meaning.

I only learned I had no memories after some levels, only because I briefly caught it in a quest text.

Now, I could go on. But, the fact remains, Aion is a beautifully covered up Asian grinding game. It is well polished, a gorgeous high fantasy game, that does peak my interest...

But, when I made a second character when my server went down, I almost dreaded doing those levels again.

Never a good sign.

I start to wonder if any variety will happen in later levels, like dungeons with objectives and scripted events (like AoC or Guild Wars). Or are they open dungeons with multitudes of people running all around killing the same 10 mobs I need, and waiting on that boss to spawn. Then stealing it when it is my turn?

People clamor on and on about "open worlds", but I tell you what...I find more rude people in those worlds, and it also means no major instancing to make an area more unique to me or my group. To create a story of you will.

Anyways, I really liked Aion, but I did not find a lot to LOVE.

If anything, it peaked my sons interest in an MMO finally (he is 10, and has tried them in the past...luckily Aion kept him really involved), and my wife finds the female models totally to her liking (the 3 foot gorgeous nympho prostitute she made was a hilarious sight), that this could be the first "family" MMO in the house...and that could be a win in that games favor (or lose depending on what happens if we fight over loot or that boss strat...lol)

For now, I can play Aion, but I will live in the breathing realistic worlds of Conan for the time being.

Age of Conan - Final run to 70

Almost complete, as my character has just 4 notches to level 70.

I have decided to put my game on hold once I hit level 70. My sub expires on May 16th, so I will not renew.

But, I do have plans.

If I reach 70 before the end of my sub, I will move a copy to Testlive and check out the new zone for level 70+. As well, it does allow me to test patch 1.05 a bit more.

This will be important, as I will need a reason to return.

After being blown off by tech support regarding an issue going on 4 or more months (has been happening to others before me, and it has for myself just 4 months), I really do not see the team dedicated to all facets of the game.

There is no doubt that the game is fantastic, and in my list of favorite MMO's (With Guild Wars, EQ2, and WoW also in that list of favorites), but I will really need more of an incentive to come back when it comes time to renew...basically when I get an itch for an MMO.

The only other game this year I have even a remote interest in is Aion, and I do not think it will be here until near the end of the year. Also, no Xbox 360 games are calling my name just yet.

So, I may be in a dry period. I may actually...EXERCISE...ugh.

Anyways, I need to get into the game now and get leveling. Wish me luck, and hope the burn out does not take me away.

Aion - Late year release corroborated

Kill Ten Rats is backing up a post I discussed earlier from the Aionsource forums.
Seems the cat is out of the bag, and it is ALL bad news for NCSoft and their games.

Aion will not launch til Q4 09, and GW2 is estimated around 2010-2011.
Now, if you look at the data in the zip file linked here, you will note somethings of interest.
More sales and subscribers are from Korea...and both L1 and L2 is HUGE.
Also, if you look at the GW2 listing for launch, the 2010-2011 marker also says TBA.

This is a horrible sign, and meets my expectations for 2009 as I have stated unequivocally.

2009 is not a good year for MMO's.

Nothing on the horizon meets any expectation of being good, and I do believe the genre will be lax...even to the extreme of needing a reboot in 2010.
Consoles will be a major flow of cash for developers, and the PC may wallow away with some titles launching across the board (meaning, the game will most likely be a Console/PC title, not JUST a PC title)...with that rare indie game or MMO for the PC hitting bargain bins in record time.

NCSoft, I hope Korea will be enough as the US audience will dwindle away...

Good luck with this, and everyone else have a good weekend!

Aion - Bad signs all around

Two bits of news on this today.

First, reading a post on MMORPG got me redirected to the Aion Source website. There a discussion of a post in Korean has some speculation about the release dates of Aion.
The article referenced is translated, and we know there are always issues with this.
The wording of the post states...

In short:
Japan goes first (because of faster localization).
So, here's the plan: Korea (running) -> China (beta) -> Japan (summer) -> Taiwan (fall?) -> US/EU (Q4 2009) -> etc.
US/EU estimate: Q4 2009

So, that sounds pretty bad. But, is it true?

Of note, this post on Aion Source ended up being moved to the Graveyard. This is a special little place that posts from the General sections are placed when they wish to make a conversation die in it's tracks...yet, it never does...

Speculation ensues...is it true?

But, so far, the mod continues to pop in, and based on his response, he believes between March to May of 09 is the release date.

Anyways, I was unsure of how I felt about this...then today, another post...A News Story...on MMORPG pops up.
More layoffs for NCWest who is responsible for translations on Aion. Now, this is the EU office. This was a joint US/EU venture...and it looks like a skeleton crew has been left behind...(read the original post here at Gameindustry.biz with some corrections).

Now, I do not want to think doom...but it sure is hard not to.

No news on Guild Wars 2, no new news on Aion...go to the NCSoft page and the news is dated for 2008 (nothing new in 09, and of course all they discuss is City of Heroes...which will probably waste away once Champions and DC Universe launches)...talk about some disaster.

The fact recent news has been quoted stating the Korean government is actually spending extra cash on companies who develop games there, I am starting to think that the US offices may eventually disappear.
I mean, their only cash cow is CoH/CoV...and that is not very good in respect to cash flow vs expenditure..Lineage 2 has no major US audience...and GW is free besides the box, and with no new content lately for GW..we can kiss new player purchases goodbye.

I am starting to think GW2 may never arrive or may go to a new publisher...who knows..

NCSoft is in a pickle though...sad day!

Aion - Too many Eastern influences

Yesterday I made a very random point about Aion, and whether the Western audience could even attempt to accept the title.

Due to it's Eastern influences, the visuals are of Anime based characters, the animation is standard Asian MMO movement and combat, and finally the one dreaded issue that was still out for review...the grind.

This one major issue will be a detractor for the US and Western based audiences...GRIND.
So much effort has been put into Western based games to relieve the stress of grind, and all discussion has led to the belief that Aion would follow a Western culture makeup in regards to XP and leveling (as well as other lesser items like WASD and no point click movement).
Anyways, in a previous post, a comment was made by Lars of MMOment of Zen, where he referred me to a site...
Check the link here
If you review the site, it has various charts showing major discrepencies of quests XP vs Mob XP and trying to reach the next level.
As happens with all MMO's, after level 20, the perceived issue of any MMO rears it's head.
Such is the case for Aion, where the needed XP to level requires more mob kills, and keeps going up as you level.
This arbitrary need to slow the game down to get those monthly dollars is really becoming an irritant.
And Western audiences want more of a perceived value for their cash. Grinding mobs will NOT give the feeling of "This is worth it".

Based on this, I decided to review other discussions about this game or problems perceived, and where it may be headed. I for one am quite interested in the game, as I like Anime (I use to be a huge fan, but have fallen by the wayside recently), but some issues could detract from this.

My first problem is most "In game" videos seems to have a hip hop, disco type feel to the music.



One of my pet peeves for some games is the music sucks (Tabula Rasa) or games have REALLY good music even though the game sucks (Lineage 2 by far has an amazing soundtrack, and I have it in My Music to play with some of the shoddy free games I have played before)
Look at Sword of the New World as an example of an interesting take on the music, that fits the game, but really detracts from playing, that I turn it off.



The next issue arises with a BAD gameplay mechanic.
A forum post located here, discusses how the "Person who deals the most damage, gets the XP".
It does not matter who tagged the mob, etc. Someone can come in and steal that kill, ala Lineage 2, and get all the XP. Also, note, PvP is slightly strange, so you cannot kill the problematic player in the field. I do have to investigate that part of the PvP system more...but it is RvR, so you cannot attack your own race is basically the issue, but your comrade can steall all of your kills.

And the biggest issue right now? You guessed it...BOT's.



Seems there is a major infestation of these on the Eastern servers (note, which are in full release). This goes hand in hand with the most awful "Gameguard" system which some more recent games are going to (Spellborn, which because of Gameguard is being held back, according to The Historian from Acclaim.)
Seems Gameguard and Bots are pretty much a team. Get one, you will get the other (another fine example of this messy situation was Silkroad Online).

And that really boils down the major part of this post.

Where there are Bots...there is Grind. Western audiences...beware.

Todays tidbits

Of interest...

Did you know Square Enix has been working away at a new MMO, and may plan to show it at this years E3?

What is more interesting is they plan to NOT use the Final Fantasy license, and it supposedly is a whole new IP? Or if not a new IP, a different IP...

Fascinating.

Did you know the rumor mill hit full steam this past month over the fact that Turbine is working on RMT (really now...who isn't recently) for an MMO.

The LOTRO kids went insane, but luckily it seems to be a NEW MMO. 

Now, if it is free, I would actually play it...

Whatever happened to Webzen? This company had a supposed 3 major MMO's that were up and coming..then it is like they vanished.

Microsoft had their hands in one title, which was to be the first MMOFPS for the 360. Called Huxley.

Well, it seems Webzen was going to call it quits, and all development stopped.

Out of the blue, it seems news has arisen of a relaunch, and a rename for Huxley as well to Huxley:Dystopia.

Some good video of the game at the link above...make sure to check it out.

On the same site, there is a poll, with the most anticipated upcoming MMO's. What struck me as odd is that Blade and Soul, so far a Korean only NCSoft game, is beating Aion (whicha happens to be in the #2 spot though) for most popular. Aion is released in Korea, and is coming to North America SOON (trademark that word people....).

Like we seem to always say, no one is ever happy with what they have, and are always looking for the next thing.

Finally....does anyone really think Darkfall will launch on the 22nd of January? Does anyone really believe that there are "code" issues with Acclaims copy of Spellborn in regards to the anti hack cheat guard?

Will the US audience buy into Aion? Will WoW's playerbase decline below 10 million this year?

Stay tuned...

Aion - How powerful is the new Character Creation?

Take a gander....





AGHHHHH!!!!

Aion - Cool live feed

Starting November 11th, a particular player will be doing a live stream of Aion OB gameplay.
He will be taking questions during this event as well.

He does have some old character creation videos available here.
He also has some gameplay rendered scenes (meaning he has edited the footage...) HERE. (Not English).

The player is on and offline in the event right now. So, for your pleasure, a little of the feed below (hopefully this works...).

Thanks to NCSoft not carrying an NDA (how novel, must be proud of their work I guess...), this can be done...so enjoy.

Cheers

(Removed for now. Visit links for more info! CHEERS)

When did the blogosphere become "The News"

WAR is everywhere.
At least that is what Journeys with Jaye proclaims.

She would be right.
It seems so many have become overly emotional with discussion and opinions.
Love, hate, all things that cover a relationship, now seems to be the single crusade of many a blogger.

Isn't that what a WAR is though?

We must give credit where credit is due.
A game comes along only once in a while that requires this type of commitment. Whether it is love or hate.

Warhammer Online is one of those games that either gains the zeal of the player or the rancor of the non-believer of the WAR philosophy...

Why fix what is not broken.

As Jaye states
"And in the past few days, we’ve become witness to a tag team blog-off about Warhammer Online that included references to Kool-Aid, Communist Russia, and the Bible. I don’t necessarily endorse the beehive-prodding strategy of Tipa (although her recent entries are hilarious and have become the only sparkling gem that’s emerged from this showdown), and I also disagree with going so far as to start a crusade against Warhammer fans. But at the same time, it’s slightly ridiculous that the same people over and over are making it personal, and rejecting any thoughtful criticism about this particular game."

She is right.It has really gone too far.
Since Age of Conan and the need for every blog to rant and rave over its issues, and then the developers of LOTRO proclaiming they would be the 2nd largest MMO game behind WoW, it has gone downhill.

I for one started my relaunch for one reason. I wish to not follow this rhetoric. I wish to discuss the games I enjoy.
But, I think there is a slew of blogs who are more homegrown, more real.
Their stories and opinions really have something to say to the web about the games they play.

I enjoy MMO's most, and my focus will be there, so it will be hard to resist these discussions of the "flavor of the month" MMO.
I hope to maybe instead talk about games which are unique in some way or format.
Age of Conan, Guild Wars, Chronicles of Spellborn, Aion...these interest me the most.

I hope that as this blows over, and people learn what is commentary and what is hyperbole, that we can get back to the games we love.

Cheers, and thanks for reading.