Anyone else notice that every since the announcement of TOR there seems to be more and more “I like SWG” “Returning to SWG” “Just tried SWG” from unknown ninja posters.

They pop in, say SWG is grand, then vanish like a fart in the wind again lol. Then I noticed the opposite seems to be happening in the TOR forums. The classic trolling “This game is gonna fail” but nothing to back up the claim that the game we know little about is going to fail. Then they never reply again. Sure a few may be Darkfall trolls, but most only have an account for one purpose, trolling.

The funny thing is a SOE employee once admitted that yes they do use forums for viral marketing, as well as negative campaigning against other games they feel are a threat in their free time. Actually there are a lot of companies globally who practice this same thing, so it’s not uncommon.

Ever wonder why out of 100 5star reviews on a product at Amazon there might be 1 that says, “it doesn’t work, there are much better ones for the same amount of money” They are getting better, at least they are providing false details as to what doesn’t work. Thing is people start replying to them saying they must be out of their flipping minds, but the person never makes an appearance again.

All in all I expect this to continue, so instead of posting in these threads or responding to their BS, you should all really just ignore it, the less attention drawn to them the better. I mean, if the only person that can agree with them is (you know who) and they’re the only person who replied then it’s a pretty pointless thread, correct?
 

I don't know if I'm ready to declare it viral marketting or not but I've certainly noticed the increase in activity following the recent TCG and Station Exchange PR. It's probably just coincidental but with SoE you can never be too sure  ; )

But at the same time I gotta give credit to Inat Mivea. He's honest and upfront, and I really appriciate that.

Originally posted by tillamook

 

All in all I expect this to continue, so instead of posting in these threads or responding to their BS, you should all really just ignore it, the less attention drawn to them the better. I mean, if the only person that can agree with them is (you know who) and they’re the only person who replied then it’s a pretty pointless thread, correct?
 

Ah the ironi, i answered in a post here for a couple of weeks ago. I sad that i loved SWG and that i will continue to play it. I also noticed the so called "vets" that was spaming this part of the mmorpg forum, so i decided to put some people on ignore and to stop and writing here couse it will just be flamed by someone that thinks his right about everything.

So just to make it clear i still play swg and i still love it, i dont like this part of the mmorpg forum couse of all the whinners.
 

I really loved youre last bit of youre post, couse that is exactly what i have done:)

Originally posted by tillamook

 Anyone else notice that every since the announcement of TOR there seems to be more and more “I like SWG” “Returning to SWG” “Just tried SWG” from unknown ninja posters.

Since Chapter 11 I've been seeing a lot more positive feedback from players on forums and in game regarding SWG, it is rather strange considering what we're all used to hearing about the game.

I'm pretty sure most of the forum posts and players I've chatted with are real people, and not some viral marketing campaign, I like this trend and hope it continues.

Originally posted by BadgerSmaker

Originally posted by tillamook

 Anyone else notice that every since the announcement of TOR there seems to be more and more “I like SWG” “Returning to SWG” “Just tried SWG” from unknown ninja posters.

 

Since Chapter 11 I've been seeing a lot more positive feedback from players on forums and in game regarding SWG, it is rather strange considering what we're all used to hearing about the game.

It's funny you say that because I've been kinda shocked at the amount of negative feedback I've been seeing recently, especially on the official forums.

Originally posted by Suvroc

Originally posted by BadgerSmaker

Originally posted by tillamook

 Anyone else notice that every since the announcement of TOR there seems to be more and more “I like SWG” “Returning to SWG” “Just tried SWG” from unknown ninja posters.

 

Since Chapter 11 I've been seeing a lot more positive feedback from players on forums and in game regarding SWG, it is rather strange considering what we're all used to hearing about the game.

 

It's funny you say that because I've been kinda shocked at the amount of negative feedback I've been seeing recently, especially on the official forums.

Yep, bitching and whinging by paying customers has increased a lot recently, beginning at the start of the last vet trial, the Hoth holo, Hoth overall (unplayable lag, lag effecting other areas of the game, notably space) rumours about sunsetting and so on, space senator absolutely ripping into the dev team, all from paying subscribers, it really says more than anything us former players could muster up and even if SOE are engaged in a viral marketing campaign, if their current playerbase ain't happy there's little to no point in them even trying to put a positive spin on the game.

I gonna put in something other in this thread.

What is the need for anyone to come to mmorgp:s SWG board, when the only thing we have is either:

Like me, the one that are playing and liking it critcise the vets for beeing whinners

And the vets/haters that are attacking us who actually likes the game and calls us stupid and to be on a payroll by SOE.

Imean we are seartenly not constructive, just alot of hate. To bad it has to be this way, in the end it is just games, nothing more nothing less.

Originally posted by Dahlifyr

Imean we are seartenly not constructive, just alot of hate. To bad it has to be this way, in the end it is just games, nothing more nothing less.

Not necessarily.

There's been some really great debates and conversations here that seems to get forgotten about.

Originally posted by Suvroc

Originally posted by Dahlifyr

Imean we are seartenly not constructive, just alot of hate. To bad it has to be this way, in the end it is just games, nothing more nothing less.

 

Not necessarily.

There's been some really great debates and conversations here that seems to get forgotten about.

Because there's halfwits on both sides, the blatant lies and refusal to admit anything is wrong with the game on one side and the refusal to admit anything is good about the game, rumoured "my source says" <insert random date> swg shut down! on the other, no thread ever goes untouched by either side and the sensationalst bullshit is unfortunately what stick in the memory.

Originally posted by tillamook

 

Anyone else notice that every since the announcement of TOR there seems to be more and more “I like SWG” “Returning to SWG” “Just tried SWG” from unknown ninja posters.

They pop in, say SWG is grand, then vanish like a fart in the wind again lol. Then I noticed the opposite seems to be happening in the TOR forums. The classic trolling “This game is gonna fail” but nothing to back up the claim that the game we know little about is going to fail. Then they never reply again. Sure a few may be Darkfall trolls, but most only have an account for one purpose, trolling.

The funny thing is a SOE employee once admitted that yes they do use forums for viral marketing, as well as negative campaigning against other games they feel are a threat in their free time. Actually there are a lot of companies globally who practice this same thing, so it’s not uncommon.

Ever wonder why out of 100 5star reviews on a product at Amazon there might be 1 that says, “it doesn’t work, there are much better ones for the same amount of money” They are getting better, at least they are providing false details as to what doesn’t work. Thing is people start replying to them saying they must be out of their flipping minds, but the person never makes an appearance again.

All in all I expect this to continue, so instead of posting in these threads or responding to their BS, you should all really just ignore it, the less attention drawn to them the better. I mean, if the only person that can agree with them is (you know who) and they’re the only person who replied then it’s a pretty pointless thread, correct?
 

The problem is if you ignore them, people might be tricked into thinking the game is fun, polished, thriving, or any other lie the viral marketeers come up with. We need to step in and let people know that the fantasy they present isn't at all what the game actually is.

Originally posted by Abrahmm

The problem is if you ignore them, people might be tricked into thinking the game is fun, polished, thriving, or any other lie the viral marketeers come up with. We need to step in and let people know that the fantasy they present isn't at all what the game actually is.

Which is why for games that have free trials I tell people to figure it out for themself..

Its not your job or mine to convince people that the NGE is a pos that needs to die...  I'm not an SOE hater actually.. if they were ever smart enough to launch Pre-CU servers *I* would be there.  I know many others wouldn't.. I would.

Regardless... this is the type of thing people can figure out on their own.. just point them to the free trial for whatever game you think is crap.

Its also a great way to establish a new word of mouth campaign about the current state of the game.. into new cirlces (the friends of those that try the game).  While I honestly doubt any positive word of mouth would come out of this... that's the basic idea from my point of view.

If they somehow happen to like it... good for them.

I higly doubt there are any paid viral marketers for SWG.  The more likely scenario is current players, who are either lonely with out very many other players to play the game with or afraid the game doesn't have much of a future without an influx of new players.  Every couple months such a post pops up on the OBoard, and like clockwork, there appear a handful of posters pretending to be either brand new players who think the game is just peachy, and who have an odd grudge against the regular posters here, or a returning 'vet' who thinks the game is even better than ever and everyone should resub it's so great!.

The latest of these OBoard posts is here:

forums.station.sony.com/swg/posts/list.m

They do generally have the unfortunate timing of happening just after a vet trial, which makes the whole idea of trying to convince folks who just had a month of free access to the game that the game is good something of a fool's errand.

Well.. it's also very likely that TOR got some people jonesing to play SWG again.  I personally just paid for another month to go back and mess around in SWG because I am between MMO's and there is nothing better for me to do.  Plus I wanted to check out Hoth and whatnot. I have played SWG off and on for over 5 years though, so this is nothing new for me. I check back in on it every 4 months or so.  I am having fun, for what it's worth.

However, I am not a ninja poster, and I am not going to sit here and tell you the game is now awesome.  While it's considerbly better today than it was at NGE launch, it's still a subpar game on many levels, and it's still only a shadow of the pre-NGE days.  I'm a die-hard sandboxer who is waiting for Earthrise though, so I'm willing to put up with a lot of SWG's shortcomings to enjoy the non-linear gameplay once in a while.

I think TOR is actually going to suck.  I mean yeah, it will have some fun elements, but all in all it's shaping up to be another themepark MMO with little to offer beyond level capping your first toon.  I guess if all you expect out of you MMO is "more quests than any other mmo", then you will be in heaven.  My bar is set quite a bit higher for finding an MMO to call home for a couple years.

Originally posted by kobie173

Rule No. 32 of the MMORPG.com Star Wars Boards: Fun in SWG is NOT ALLOWED. If you enjoy the game in any way, you are a viral marketer or a paid shill.

I don't have any problem with people saying they enjoy the game as it is today.  What I have a problem with is the blatant fanboyism of some of the people posting.  When they say things like "theres more people palying now than ever" or "soe has never lied to its customer" or  some such crap I feel its only right to call them out. 

I wouldn't say you specifically are a fanboy, but there are several that post here that are nothing more than mouthpieces for soe (I'm sure you can guess who they are).  If you are enjoying the game, then by all means say so.  Fun, like beauty, is all in the eye of the beholder.  Different strokes for different folks.

Originally posted by efefia

Originally posted by Suvroc

Originally posted by Dahlifyr

Imean we are seartenly not constructive, just alot of hate. To bad it has to be this way, in the end it is just games, nothing more nothing less.

 

Not necessarily.

There's been some really great debates and conversations here that seems to get forgotten about.

 

 

Because there's halfwits on both sides, the blatant lies and refusal to admit anything is wrong with the game on one side and the refusal to admit anything is good about the game, rumoured "my source says" <insert random date> swg shut down! on the other, no thread ever goes untouched by either side and the sensationalst bullshit is unfortunately what stick in the memory.

I agree.  Both sides have their mouth breathers.  Its hard to get a decent conversation without one or both sides jumping in the debate and going full retard.

Originally posted by Ginaz

Originally posted by efefia

Originally posted by Suvroc

Originally posted by Dahlifyr

Imean we are seartenly not constructive, just alot of hate. To bad it has to be this way, in the end it is just games, nothing more nothing less.

 

Not necessarily.

There's been some really great debates and conversations here that seems to get forgotten about.

 

 

Because there's halfwits on both sides, the blatant lies and refusal to admit anything is wrong with the game on one side and the refusal to admit anything is good about the game, rumoured "my source says" <insert random date> swg shut down! on the other, no thread ever goes untouched by either side and the sensationalst bullshit is unfortunately what stick in the memory.

I agree.  Both sides have their mouth breathers.  Its hard to get a decent conversation without one or both sides jumping in the debate and going full retard.

Never go full retard.

Originally posted by Ginaz

Originally posted by kobie173

Rule No. 32 of the MMORPG.com Star Wars Boards: Fun in SWG is NOT ALLOWED. If you enjoy the game in any way, you are a viral marketer or a paid shill.

I don't have any problem with people saying they enjoy the game as it is today.  What I have a problem with is the blatant fanboyism of some of the people posting.  When they say things like "theres more people palying now than ever" or "soe has never lied to its customer" or  some such crap I feel its only right to call them out. 

I wouldn't say you specifically are a fanboy, but there are several that post here that are nothing more than mouthpieces for soe (I'm sure you can guess who they are).  If you are enjoying the game, then by all means say so.  Fun, like beauty, is all in the eye of the beholder.  Different strokes for different folks.

No. YOU"RE not specifically saying I'm a "fanboy" but many others around here do, simply because I continue to play this game and will defend its current players.

Anyone who says "there's more people playing now than ever" or "SOE has never lied to its customers" is delusional. However, there's a certain portion of posters on this board who read that and paint all current players with that broad brush and use it as ammunition against them whenever they get the opportunity.

EDIT: Forgot the word "never" lol

Originally posted by Antarious

 

Its not your job or mine to convince people that the NGE is a pos that needs to die...  I'm not an SOE hater actually.. if they were ever smart enough to launch Pre-CU servers *I* would be there.  I know many others wouldn't.. I would.

If I can save someone from wasting $15. I consider it a good deed and contributes to positive karma.

As a (former) customer, it is my right to complain about a poor product or service, in the appropriate forum (no pun intended) to make such information known.

The fact that the$15 in question does not go SOE and Smedtard is a bonus.

And I have no doubt at all that some SOE employees shill the different boards. It is in their own best interest to do so (i.e. keeping their job) to try to generate more interest in declining products, even if SOE is not telling them to do so, which they very well might be. It is the low level schlubs that usually get the axe first. Several times SOE employees have admitted they have shilled/trolled in the past, why wouldn't they be doing it now?

Originally posted by Obee

I higly doubt there are any paid viral marketers for SWG.  The more likely scenario is current players, who are either lonely with out very many other players to play the game with or afraid the game doesn't have much of a future without an influx of new players.  Every couple months such a post pops up on the OBoard, and like clockwork, there appear a handful of posters pretending to be either brand new players who think the game is just peachy, and who have an odd grudge against the regular posters here, or a returning 'vet' who thinks the game is even better than ever and everyone should resub it's so great!.

The latest of these OBoard posts is here:

forums.station.sony.com/swg/posts/list.m

They do generally have the unfortunate timing of happening just after a vet trial, which makes the whole idea of trying to convince folks who just had a month of free access to the game that the game is good something of a fool's errand.

 

 

Ha!  Yeah, why pay someone to do your viral marketting when you can persuade misguided fans to do it for free?

Btw, that post reads an awful lot like those illegal PSP fan adds don't you think?  "How's it going all fellow fans" lol give me a break.

Then the guy urges people to get out there and viral market to protect their 5 years invested into the game.  Lol then he even says SWG isn't like those RMT games where people don't have to work for stuff.  I think he missed a memo, or has failed to notice the transition to RMT in SWG and the Everquest games.  Or, maybe he's lying.  People promoting SWG wouldn't lie to people would they?

It's no surprise that we are seeing a "surge" in the number of shills.  The semi-talented NGE Dev team is sold on the idea that Hoth was going to be "The One" instance that suddenly broke through all barriers of resistance to the (still) NGE and brought back "hordes" of former players and buckets of gold to them.

It hasn't.  It won't.  In fact semi-putting something into the game NOW that we wanted pre-NGE is largely viewed in the ex player community as a slap in the face.

But that won't stop them from trying to make it SOUND like it is.  Hence, all the sudden shill posts.

Sony is a company with a long history of performing what is known as "astroturfing", ie, using paid shills to fake a "grassroots" fan movement.  I don't know if the shills are being paid, there are some so deep in the Cult of Smed that they will do it unpaid it seems, despite the embarassment everyone but themselves sees that it is.  Sony has in the past set up fake blogs, and written fake reviews. 

Of course they don't have to do much of that anymore when they can write up "interviews" and e-mail it to sites (like this one) where due to very low editorial standards it will get run as "news".

Some free advice:  SOE, SOE fanbois, if you WANT this game to do better in terms of subscribers, server populations, and (gasp) profits, there is only one way to do it. 

CLASSIC SERVERS

No, that won't bring back 200K players, but it might bring back 50K.  Which is more than you have now.

It's foolish and doomed from the start to keep adding crap to the NGE, which was the reason why we quit and then putting hope in the return of those who quit because of it and the lack of any progress towards the DE-NGE.  It simply won't happen.  That sort of strategy is as stupid as trying to sell beef steaks to vegitarians, they simply are marketing to the wrong people.

There are no paid viral marketers...  have you ever noticed the number of members vs. number of lurkers above? Currenty it is 178 members and 1302 guests. Why is it a stretch to think that everyone once in awhile once of those thousand lurkers plays SWG and  decides they're going to post somthing contrary to the usual on the SWG boards?

Believe it or not, SWG has A LOT of post-NGE players - many in my current crowd are post-NGE'rs that know nothing about pre-NGE. Sadly, when they hear vets talking about it, they always say "Why did they get rid of that? That sounds AWESOME!" All we can do is grumble and say "Well, um..geee..."

A newer player asked me last night if I thought there would ever be more pvp content added to the game. I honestly told him that I doubted it and that GCW and Restuss pvp zone was realtively new and before that, pvpers had to make their own content. He responded, "Before restuss? Hasn't it always been here?"

It is a fine line indeed between saying that SOE pays people to be 'viral marketeers", which I have to honestly say I have not seen any "proof" of, and SOE employees doing it.

However, several current (at the time) and former SOE employees were caught in the past doing this stuff and admitted that supervisory personel at SOE (albeit low level) encouraged them to do viral marketing, both in pushing their own products and trolling on the competition. (There was an old article at Gamespot about this, I think, I'll see if I can find it.)

So technically, SOE was paying these people as employees, who in turn engaged in viral marketing activities (and got caught doing it). Were they paid to do viral marketing? Technically not.

My God, let it go.

I recently returned to SWG, and I was there at the opening in 2003.

I have posted here mainly because I am mad that I didnt return sooner, yes I was influenced by the misguided comments spewed out by some people in these forums.

The current game is good, variety in bucketloads,a sandbox, levelling, space, crafting , pvp.

I certainly am not employed by SOE. I play the game.

I feel that gives me some credence to make these comments. 

If you dont play it why do you waste time on these forums and try to ruin it for others.

The population is increasing, i monitor it regularly on Chimera. This game is making a comeback, agreed likely due to the linear offerings in competion however it  fits the bill nicely for a good all round MMOG.

With nothing approaching this quality likely for release in 2009 ( Darkfall is vapor- we all know that now -right- Im expecting the pre order settlers package any day now) SWG looks the place to be.

People can have fun playing games...you should try it. 

I think it's nothing more than since the announcement of TOR, people have become nostalgic for Star Wars, and are giving SWG another shot. Nothing more.

Originally posted by Bluekid

My God, let it go.

I recently returned to SWG, and I was there at the opening in 2003.

I have posted here mainly because I am mad that I didnt return sooner, yes I was influenced by the misguided comments spewed out by some people in these forums.

The current game is good, variety in bucketloads,a sandbox, levelling, space, crafting , pvp.

I certainly am not employed by SOE. I play the game.

I feel that gives me some credence to make these comments. 

If you dont play it why do you waste time on these forums and try to ruin it for others.

The population is increasing, i monitor it regularly on Chimera. This game is making a comeback, agreed likely due to the linear offerings in competion however it  fits the bill nicely for a good all round MMOG.

With nothing approaching this quality likely for release in 2009 ( Darkfall is vapor- we all know that now -right- Im expecting the pre order settlers package any day now) SWG looks the place to be.

People can have fun playing games...you should try it. 

 

Played in Pre-CU... Check

Game is better than ever... Check

Population is growing... Check

This post has it all!