General Discussion

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Originally posted by De4th_M0nKee

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Originally posted by safwd

There are people playing these "Trash" games as you call them, so if SOE is willing to keep them afloat so the people who do enjoy them can continue to play them why do you, I or anyone else care.

SOE is still making a lot of money so something must be going right for them.
SOE has actually created 3 major MMOs:
Everquest- Very successful, the king of the mountain for a long time
Everquest 2- Pretty successful game, still has a strong player base
SWG- they messed up this one with the NGE but they were trying for the WoW crowd just like everyone else.
2 winners and 1 loser isnt really so bad is it?
As you said they didnt make the other games that they offer on station pass, they are just keeping them alive for those who want to play. And Plantetside was never a major MMO, niche market all the way.
Im sure Smed is really sad that everyone on this site hates him. He is really sad while he is driving his very expensive car to his very expense house.

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Well, first off SOE didn't create EQ, they bought it. And right away started pissing off longtime players when they started changing things.

EQ2 and SWG have both had dismally low player bases for half their existence. SWG from the NGE and poor launch. EQ2 from a very poor launch. They have turned around EQ2 I am happy to hear and it is a much better game. But it took them 3 years.

Not saying that I wouldn't play an SOE game. I just think they don't know what they are doing 95% of the time when they try to "shape" an MMO.

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WRONG ! Verant Interactive was a subsidiary of 989 Studios. 989 Studios was a Sony game development branch that was spun off to create games. Verant Interactive was spun out pf 989 Studios once the Playstation 1 was launched and 989 Stuidios was focused to do PS1 games only. Later 989 Studios and Verant Intereactive ( aka Redeye Interactive ) were both reabsorbed into the SOE.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Online_Entertainment

Tbh, as I see it if there is one universal constant it is foolishnes! I dont really think Smed or anyone leading in SOE things that complex to really thing the let Pirates, Matrix or VG fall on purpose. They just were too DUMB to know what to do with it. Its that simple. They are just plain dumb. I dont believe in the great evil schemes, wether in policy or games.

The great company Origin once had the motto "We create worlds". Maybe SOE should adapt it as "SOE - We destroy worlds", heh.

Here's how corporations work..

As long as everyone is making money, people get to keep their jobs. When something goes poorly, they sack it and everyone along with it. 

Last I heard, Sony stock was solid.  

Originally posted by Torak

Here's how corporations work..

As long as everyone is making money, people get to keep their jobs. When something goes poorly, they sack it and everyone along with it. 

Last I heard, Sony stock was solid.  

100% Truth right there. No ammount of gamer idealism will ever change this.

I'm surprised no one's mentioned this yet but the only reason SoE goes around buying failed or bastardized MMOs is to improve the selling point of their All Access Pass.

All Access Pass is how SoE really makes it's money.

All Access Pass gets people to give you more money, and because of the sheer amount of content between the pool of "place holder" titles- you get them to give it to you for a longer period of time.

This is why SoE runs so many MMOs in relative maintenance modes, limbo, or with the bare minimum of support.  They pool their resources, both human and physical, to keep costs down on each title by spreading them throughout the pool.

In short- they are getting people to pay them top dollar subs for a big bundle of the worst games in the genre.  That is SoE's business model.  That is why they are a bad company.  That is why deserve not one ounce of respect.

Originally posted by safwd

 

Originally posted by Elikal

Or CEO or whats that called. Seriously. I mean, I dont want to chime into the old SOE bashing, usually thats not my style, but recently I really have been wondering. There were times when it was impossible for me to think playing MMOs without something from SOE. I loved SWG and EQ2, and played them both for almost 3 years. While I was disappointed about NGE I was not furious and kept playing, but eventually they just failed to add enough new things to do for a vet player.

EQ2 was always a mixed bag, and essentially all expansions more or less were just more of the same old. More badgers to kill, more feathers to collect more gnoll paws to gather. Treadmill ad nauseam.

I know SOE is not responsible for the making of Vanguard or Pirates of the Burning Sea, but look at their forums here? If the deadness of their forums are an indication of the state of the game, they are pretty dead.

I say, SOE really has a good hand to ally with winners, havent they now? *evilgrin* Really, I know both Vanguard and PotBS werent made by SOE, no blame there. Buying ONE piece of trash like Martix wasnt enough huh? They found the experience so entertaining they bought THREE trash games? Wow, must be a very clever strategy, something like taking out the bad MMOs and someday merging them all into one big good? I dunno, its likely beyond simpletons like me. I mean, come on, they made a big investment in Vanguard buying it for a LOT of money and then do what? Take out customization and add helmets 90% of all MMO players deactivate anyway. Wow, clever thinking, really.

I mean, seriously, who the heck is MAKING such decisions? Isnt there ONE person saying Smed: "hey, most players deactivate helmets, so lets not take out character customization UNTIL we have a new system to instantly replace it"?? Maybe there are all zombies working there who are all just nod to whatever the big boss says? I dunno. SOE really starts to become the laugh of the gaming world - for everyone this time, not only a few SWG vets.

So I really wonder how long the Sony mother company will leave Mr Smed in his place. I dunno who exactly is responsible for all the crappy decisions SOE made, but hell, one or two bad moves are human errors, no prob, but so far almost ALL decisions from SOE were utter trash. I mean, how can this be? Its really beyond me how so much stupidity can amass in such a tight place. If I lived in the city where SOE has its headquarters I would seriously think about a relocation. An angry god may think how much idioicy he can wipe out with and launch a Sodom Version II upon it, just to be sure no one escapes this time.

There are people playing these "Trash" games as you call them, so if SOE is willing to keep them afloat so the people who do enjoy them can continue to play them why do you, I or anyone else care.

 

SOE is still making a lot of money so something must be going right for them.

SOE has actually created 3 major MMOs:

Everquest- Very successful, the king of the mountain for a long time

Everquest 2- Pretty successful game, still has a strong player base

SWG- they messed up this one with the NGE but they were trying for the WoW crowd just like everyone else.

2 winners and 1 loser isnt really so bad is it?

As you said they didnt make the other games that they offer on station pass, they are just keeping them alive for those who want to play. And Plantetside was never a major MMO, niche market all the way.

Im sure Smed is really sad that everyone on this site hates him. He is really sad while he is driving his very expensive car to his very expense house.

If you keep up with the finacial markets you may be surprised to find out SOE may or may not be doing as well as you think. There have been some indications that they are not doing as well as one would think. You decide.

Originally posted by Arioc

Originally posted by Torak

Here's how corporations work..

As long as everyone is making money, people get to keep their jobs. When something goes poorly, they sack it and everyone along with it. 

Last I heard, Sony stock was solid.  

100% Truth right there. No ammount of gamer idealism will ever change this.

As long as he's making the company $100 Million plus, he isn't going anywhere.

Yeah, because the executives at Sony couldn't care about how much SOE made in previous years....

2009: as long as he is making the $50 million dollars a year, he isn't going anywhere.

That logic has worked well for SOE so far.

Why would I care?

I've seen quite a few really crappy managers keep their jobs much longer than I would have liked.  Some people have a survival knack and say what you will about Smed, for all the craptastic stuff that happened on his watch he is still standing.  So....he knows something, it's just not how to make and run a great game.

I do think SOE could be a lot more sucessful though, and when there are consistently bad decisions being made I blame it on management.