And credit old accounts with a week of free gameplay so old players can come back and test it out. Once in a while Turbine will have an event like this for Lotro and it will last a week or so. I think it would be a good idea for Funcom. I'm sure there are a lot of people who are curious about trying all the changes but feel burned by Funcom and don't want to pay because they have doubts.  Advertise it on forums and send out emails to old accounts. Theres a lot of people interested in trying it out to see if there was improvements, especially now that there is a new GD, but most just won't pay to try it out again.

Well, FC mentions in their Q3 report that they plan on giving out free trials in the beginning of '09, so I wouldn't be surprised if they offered free time to old players as well. It only makes sense, considering by then they probably would have added the stuff that was originally meant to be in at launch.

 Yes, they should definitely do this, but before they do it, they'll have to make sure there really is some obvious stuff that shows how the game is different from before. Just less bugs won't do it.

Offering trials for a dead game. I'm missing somethign here.

Originally posted by beaverz

Offering trials for a dead game. I'm missing somethign here.

A game with about 100k subs in NA and about 150k subs in Europe is dead? I must be missing something.

As others have said they plan on doing this once DX10 is on the live servers somewhere around the end of Jan.

Awww I was hoping for an Asheron's Call 2 reference.

Originally posted by xpiher

Originally posted by beaverz

Offering trials for a dead game. I'm missing somethign here.

 

A game with about 100k subs in NA and about 150k subs in Europe is dead? I must be missing something.

As others have said they plan on doing this once DX10 is on the live servers somewhere around the end of Jan.

Where did you get the numbers?  Source?

Originally posted by Rohn

Originally posted by xpiher

Originally posted by beaverz

Offering trials for a dead game. I'm missing somethign here.

 

A game with about 100k subs in NA and about 150k subs in Europe is dead? I must be missing something.

As others have said they plan on doing this once DX10 is on the live servers somewhere around the end of Jan.

 

Where did you get the numbers?  Source?

Q4 estimated numbers?? I saw that flying around here somewhere.

Well I've deleted the game from my harddrive and threw away the disks.  Unless they include an online download, I won't come back... and even then I may not...

Originally posted by Greyflame11

Well I've deleted the game from my harddrive and threw away the disks.  Unless they include an online download, I won't come back... and even then I may not...

Wise word from an intelligent man...NOT. Tell me do you also kick your radio if it buzzes, or perhaps you hit your car with a sledgehammer when it's time to change the airintake. lol. If AoC game you performance issues at launch the sensible thing to do would be to put it on the shelf for a while. On the other hand though, you are probably just pulling our leg

Originally posted by WargPest

Originally posted by Greyflame11

Well I've deleted the game from my harddrive and threw away the disks.  Unless they include an online download, I won't come back... and even then I may not...

 

Wise word from an intelligent man...NOT. Tell me do you also kick your radio if it buzzes, or perhaps you hit your car with a sledgehammer when it's time to change the airintake. lol. If AoC game you performance issues at launch the sensible thing to do would be to put it on the shelf for a while. On the other hand though, you are probably just pulling our leg

I didn't start playing this game right at launch so I didn't have the usual start up game issues.  What I did have to recall is though I like PvP, I don't like rampant ganking that have no consequences (I should have learned that back in my UO days).  So I deleted and now play Warhammer.  At least there I can count oun team play... well sort of. 

Say what you want.  The games not for me and as someone who belongs to a rather large online gaming group,  many had the same complaint and won't go back either (well they might for a week of freebie look 'n see)

Originally posted by xpiher

Originally posted by beaverz

Offering trials for a dead game. I'm missing somethign here.

 

A game with about 100k subs in NA and about 150k subs in Europe is dead? I must be missing something.

As others have said they plan on doing this once DX10 is on the live servers somewhere around the end of Jan.

And I say there are 10k players. Oops my source is as reliable as yours. Sadly there is no independant source for player numbers and the companies  ( not just saying FC) can use many variations of population counting to get numbers that make them look good. Its the cousin of creative accounting which is also used liberally by companies.

Also those numbers you listed, while ok, are far from what FC was planning on having at this point. THAT is fact. You dont kill harmless hamsters driving a hype machine ( please see current mount discussion that they released a video marketing campaign of before launch as an example)  like they did prelaunch and expect to have just "average" numbers.

Need a digital download?

http://aocanonymous.googlepages.com/index.html

Originally posted by OrionMan

Originally posted by Rohn

Originally posted by xpiher

Originally posted by beaverz

Offering trials for a dead game. I'm missing somethign here.

 

A game with about 100k subs in NA and about 150k subs in Europe is dead? I must be missing something.

As others have said they plan on doing this once DX10 is on the live servers somewhere around the end of Jan.

 

Where did you get the numbers?  Source?

 

Q4 estimated numbers?? I saw that flying around here somewhere.

I see, so it's just a meaningless guess.  Thanks.

To be honest, I don't really care what the sub numbers are.  I do get tired of people slinging baseless claims around as if they were fact in an attempt to deceive people.

Originally posted by Greyflame11

 

 What I did have to recall is though I like PvP, I don't like rampant ganking that have no consequences (I should have learned that back in my UO days). 

So, this is the reason you do not try again? Even though this issue does not exist anymore?

I am confused over stupid answers like this.

WoW in the first few months would be down for hours or days at a time during launch, yet people were willing to give them a chance. WAR's population is decreasing each day, yet people do not complain about the issue with the non-contribution system (oops...you mean Mythic lied also?)

So, because Funcom kicked your dog, and stole your girlfriend...oh wait...they didn't. See how silly that sounds? Yet, you hold a grudge for something else that is not an issue anymore.

People are ridiculous.

Originally posted by openedge1

Originally posted by Greyflame11

 

 What I did have to recall is though I like PvP, I don't like rampant ganking that have no consequences (I should have learned that back in my UO days). 

So, this is the reason you do not try again? Even though this issue does not exist anymore?

I am confused over stupid answers like this.

WoW in the first few months would be down for hours or days at a time during launch, yet people were willing to give them a chance. WAR's population is decreasing each day, yet people do not complain about the issue with the non-contribution system (oops...you mean Mythic lied also?)

So, because Funcom kicked your dog, and stole your girlfriend...oh wait...they didn't. See how silly that sounds? Yet, you hold a grudge for something else that is not an issue anymore.

People are ridiculous.

Yes and these types of responses are making me (and people like me) just want to come back and play again. 

Heres a hint:  Trying to refute my true feelings about the game by mocking me is not a successful marketing technique.

Now mock away and continue to push me and others like me further away.

BTW, had you not of mocked me, I actually thought for a moment that if it was true what you wrote it might be worth returning.... but after reading all the added garbage, I'm thinking, "not so much"

Warning #1:  A statistician will probably tell me why this approach is completely wrong... it probably is... but what the heck, it's probably as good as any other guesstimate... you've been warned.

Warning #2:  I really don't care what the actual subscription numbers are... I subscribed when the game was launched, left because the servers began to feel empty, and plan to try it again when the server merge happens.

One potential way to measure game usage is by taking a game we all have rough numbers on (WoW at 11 million last time I checked), and then use Xfire as a statistical sample plus some basic math...

As of this moment:

• Xfire for WoW = 362,977
• 11,000,000 / 362,977 = 30.3

That gives us a multiplier that we can use against the AoC number, assuming that there are statistically as many people running Xfire with WoW (as a percentage) as those who run Xfire with AoC.

• Xfire for AoC = 3,687
• 3,687 * 30.3 = 117,734

So... with lots of assumptions and some questionable statistical relevance (remember, I warned you ), one could make the argument that AoC has about 100k subscribers.

Not bad.  Not great, but hardly a "dead game" as one previous poster mentioned.

As for the OP's suggestion, I completey agree.  Other MMO's have certainly set this precedent (offer a "come back for 1 month free"), and I'd be surprised if Funcom doesn't try the same thing.  I suspect they're waiting to get things a bit more polished, DX10, etc. before they try though...

Originally posted by Greyflame11

 

Yes and these types of responses are making me (and people like me) just want to come back and play again. 

Heres a hint:  Trying to refute my true feelings about the game by mocking me is not a successful marketing technique.

Now mock away and continue to push me and others like me further away.

BTW, had you not of mocked me, I actually thought for a moment that if it was true what you wrote it might be worth returning.... but after reading all the added garbage, I'm thinking, "not so much"

Thats right. Because I responded to a comment about something that does not exist in game anymore, I have pushed you away from the game?

No one makes up your mind for you,....or do they?

Luckily so many issues from launch are gone, but some people let others hurt their feelings so much so, that they decide to not go back?

This makes even less sense than the reasons you don't try in the first place.

---

Originally posted by jposavatz
Warning #1:  A statistician will probably tell me why this approach is completely wrong... it probably is... but what the heck, it's probably as good as any other guesstimate... you've been warned.
Warning #2:  I really don't care what the actual subscription numbers are... I subscribed when the game was launched, left because the servers began to feel empty, and plan to try it again when the server merge happens.
One potential way to measure game usage is by taking a game we all have rough numbers on (WoW at 11 million last time I checked), and then use Xfire as a statistical sample plus some basic math...
As of this moment:

• Xfire for WoW = 362,977
• 11,000,000 / 362,977 = 30.3That gives us a multiplier that we can use against the AoC number, assuming that there are statistically as many people running Xfire with WoW (as a percentage) as those who run Xfire with AoC. Xfire for AoC = 3,687 3,687 * 30.3 = 117,734

So... with lots of assumptions and some questionable statistical relevance (remember, I warned you ), one could make the argument that AoC has about 100k subscribers.
Not bad.  Not great, but hardly a "dead game" as one previous poster mentioned.
As for the OP's suggestion, I completey agree.  Other MMO's have certainly set this precedent (offer a "come back for 1 month free"), and I'd be surprised if Funcom doesn't try the same thing.  I suspect they're waiting to get things a bit more polished, DX10, etc. before they try though...
 

---

xfire shows less than 1000 players playing AoC. Ive even seen it under 800. So by your numbers, AoC has around 30k subs which puts Funcom into bankrupcy.

Originally posted by Hamrtime2

 

---

Originally posted by jposavatz
Warning #1:  A statistician will probably tell me why this approach is completely wrong... it probably is... but what the heck, it's probably as good as any other guesstimate... you've been warned.
Warning #2:  I really don't care what the actual subscription numbers are... I subscribed when the game was launched, left because the servers began to feel empty, and plan to try it again when the server merge happens.
One potential way to measure game usage is by taking a game we all have rough numbers on (WoW at 11 million last time I checked), and then use Xfire as a statistical sample plus some basic math...
As of this moment:

• Xfire for WoW = 362,977
• 11,000,000 / 362,977 = 30.3That gives us a multiplier that we can use against the AoC number, assuming that there are statistically as many people running Xfire with WoW (as a percentage) as those who run Xfire with AoC. Xfire for AoC = 3,687 3,687 * 30.3 = 117,734

So... with lots of assumptions and some questionable statistical relevance (remember, I warned you ), one could make the argument that AoC has about 100k subscribers.
Not bad.  Not great, but hardly a "dead game" as one previous poster mentioned.
As for the OP's suggestion, I completey agree.  Other MMO's have certainly set this precedent (offer a "come back for 1 month free"), and I'd be surprised if Funcom doesn't try the same thing.  I suspect they're waiting to get things a bit more polished, DX10, etc. before they try though...
 

---

 

xfire shows less than 1000 players playing AoC. Ive even seen it under 800. So by your numbers, AoC has around 30k subs which puts Funcom into bankrupcy.

Sorry I should have been clearer - the numbers I was working off of for both games (3,687 for AoC and 362,977 for WoW) were the number of hours played, not the number of users (I'm looking at the"hours" column here:  www.xfire.com/games/)

Using the same logic, but this time with the reported number of users:

• WoW = 11,000,000 / 91,628 = 120.05
• (www.xfire.com/games/wow/World_of_Warcraft/)

Using 120.05 as the multiplier...

• AoC = 942 * 120.05 = 113,087
• (www.xfire.com/games/aoc/Age_of_Conan_Hyborian_Adventures/)

Surprisingly consistent between the two different methods of calculation (117k vs. 113k), perhaps lending additional credence to the methodology.  It would be helpful if we had definite subscriber numbers from some other games of course, to check the multiplier...

I have no idea how much it costs to run a game, but:

• 100,000 * $15 = $1,500,000 per month...

Probably enough to keep the game afloat.