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!

Originally posted by Bluekid

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 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.

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

I would agree in that anyone who is curious should take part in the free trial.

*disclaimer*  For those that decide to try the trial *disclaimer*

If you feel that you tried the trial based on misguided comments spewed on this forum.  I am not to blame.

If you find that the entire game isn't growing because one server might be (due to re-rolls and/or paid transfers) I am not responsible.

Should you try the trial and enjoy it, then give credit to the person I quoted (and not me).

I make no claims either positive or negative related to this message.  I do encourage anyone interested to form their own opinion through use of the available trial.

*end disclaimer*

Originally posted by Abrahmm

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!

LOL!!!

Some barb or negative comment to vets.....check

Not an $OE employee or compensated by $OE....check

Recently returned.......check

Yeppers - covers all the viral points, and I give it a   for a low word count.
 

Originally posted by Abrahmm

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!

Aye, that's the kind of checks I do myself to sort out he PR people from the fanboys.
I will also add to your list:
- Trashing other games
- Mentioning that they don't work for X company
- Suggesting to play the game
- Poster has less than 50 posts and usually they are all made on the same game forum, although the "main characters" are veterans of the forum and might appear in other game forums.

It is a pity that marketing people cannot even grasp a clever way to disguise themeselves, I mean that should be the first requirement if you want to pass for a fanboy.
No.............. they have to pack as many positive feedback in the shortest possible space.

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. 

 

If you enjoy the game, then thats fine.  However, don't come here and tell people the population is increasing when it isn't.  All we have to do is look at the free server transfers for all the many dead servers, which will most likely be closed sometime after the free the transfers happen.  I will agree that there are a few active servers and the transfers will help a few more become active and that swg;s population is higher than what some of the "vets" claim.  Playing on one of those servers, though, can give a skewed perspective on the health of swg's population.

Totally unbelievable although expected responses from this forum.

What colour is the sun in you guys world?

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.

 

 

I'm so intrigued by the post that Obee linked, that I'd like to copy, paste and analyze it.  I find it truly fascinating.  Here it is:

"How's it going all fellow fans..

Anyway I was just thinking the other day [day is then stroked out in the original post] night about all the cool friends and memories I have made in this game, and about how despite its various problems and bugs, SWG is the only MMO out there in relation to us fans of the greatest sci-fi epic ever. I know that a great majority of us in the forums are at least a 2 year veteran, playing a MMORPG that you have to earn everything, not like these 'microtransaction' mmo's that are a dime a dozen now, that come and go monthly.

After all that hard work, you'd want your 'investment' (of your time, subscription money, etc) to be somewhat protected a bit. For examples's sake, WoW has like 11 million players, and they still advertise via television, print media, and the internet. Would it kill Sony Online Entertainment, (it being SONY and all) to market SWG? We would think they'd have a formidable marketing team to promote said product?

After covering that, perhaps a massive influx of new talent, money and energy into an MMO that after 5 years of let downs and set-backs still has a solid (if small) fanbase, to revitalize a beloved franchise? Star Wars has some of the most rabid fans of any genre, sci-fi or otherwise,and fans of the series are world-wide, numbering in the hundreds of millions. SOE should think of them an an untapped financial resource and doing all they can to entice new players.

We need Devs and GM's who truly care about that galaxy far, far away.."

First of all, how many "fans" begin a post, "how's it going all fellow fans?"  This is the first I've ever seen it, apart from the PSP fan ads where Sony marketters posed as fans and claimed to give unbiased consumer reviews of the product.  I believe that particular scam was shut down by the Federal Trade Commission.  The exact language was probably slightly different, but the tone was the same.

Then the poster goes on to describe SWG as a game where you have to "earn everything, not like these microtransaction MMOs."  You can't really call this anything but an outright lie.  Everyone is aware of SOE's new microtransaciton item shop, and the fact that they've embedded RMT loot items in a card game that actually has players gambling real money in an effort to get them.  Everything is earned?  Not even close.  You now purchase items or gamble for them with real dollars paid to the Sony online store.

The post's title talks about saving beloved SWG, and people are warned that if they don't get out their and market the game, they stand to lose their "investment" which includes things like "time" and "subscription money."  What does this appeal to?  Fear.  Whoever this poster is, he/she hopes to appeal to current players' fear of loss to get them to do free marketting for SOE.  This is from a company, by the way, that has on three separate occasions revamped the game in such a way that player "investment" has been thrown to the wind in the hope of attracting a broader target audience.

Here's the big finish:  What MMO player actually sees his fellow gamers as "an untapped financial resource" that should be doing "all they can to entice new players?"  Simple answer: no one that I've ever played with, and no one I'd ever care to play with either.

If I had to guess, I'd say this is PSP fan all over again.  All the hallmarks are there.  The very clever (in a sick kind of way) difference here, is that this alleged "fan" isn't doing the marketting directly.  He probably hopes this will cover his backside with regard to FTC regulations.  So, instead of marketting as a "fan" directly, he tries to manipulate actual fans through fear to do his job for him.

I don't take that post as anything other than a current player who is worried about the future of the game.  As I posted before, similar posts happen every couple months, and are followed by an influx of "The game is great!" posts here.

The OBoards posts always complain that the game isn't being advertised, and that the players themselves need to promote it.  The threads are also usually filled with posts complaining about the game, and that the only appeal it has is the Star Wars IP.

Neither SOE or LEC are willing to do anything more to promote the game than send out emails to former players for free trials.  Hell, the current SOE newsletter doesn't even mention SWG, aside from the TCG.  LEC doesn't think it is worth the expense to print CDs and boxes for retail sales.  The NGE truely did kill the game as far as the folks in charge of it are concerned.  They are putting in the least amount possible in effort and resources.

What we are seeing is existing players pretending to be returning players and new players.  This happens every couple months and will likely continue to happen until the game finally dies.  It isn't an organized effort, just random players taking it upon themselves in an attempt to have someone else to play their sad little game with.

You are so full of it my gosh everything is cloak and dagger.

People are going back new people are enjoying the game so get over it there is no one playing darkside tricks on you.

SWG still the best Sandbox now With CONTENT !!!!

SWG isn't a sandbox.  It is another in a long line of treadmill grind, class based games.  The closest thing to a sandbox you could compare SWG to is a litter box, one that hasn't been cleaned for almost four years.

Having open housing doesn't a sandbox make.

Originally posted by Obee

I don't take that post as anything other than a current player who is worried about the future of the game.  As I posted before, similar posts happen every couple months, and are followed by an influx of "The game is great!" posts here.

The OBoards posts always complain that the game isn't being advertised, and that the players themselves need to promote it.  The threads are also usually filled with posts complaining about the game, and that the only appeal it has is the Star Wars IP.

Neither SOE or LEC are willing to do anything more to promote the game than send out emails to former players for free trials.  Hell, the current SOE newsletter doesn't even mention SWG, aside from the TCG.  LEC doesn't think it is worth the expense to print CDs and boxes for retail sales.  The NGE truely did kill the game as far as the folks in charge of it are concerned.  They are putting in the least amount possible in effort and resources.

What we are seeing is existing players pretending to be returning players and new players.  This happens every couple months and will likely continue to happen until the game finally dies.  It isn't an organized effort, just random players taking it upon themselves in an attempt to have someone else to play their sad little game with.

 

The person is clearly attempting to coordinate a viral marketting campaign on behalf of SOE that sees other players as an untapped financial resource.

The person also clearly lies about the game outright, claiming that it is not RMT, when now it is.

The person also clearly appeals to fear in an attempt to solicit unpaid marketters.  The only question, that we'll likely never have answered, is whether or not the person is compensated in some way by SOE for their efforts.

If it is just a fan (which it may be--unlikely as it seems from the bizarre wording) then it's not a gamer I would enjoy associating with.  I don't think I'd like being viewed as an untapped financial resource for SOE by my peers.  It's creepy as hell.

Originally posted by ajax7

You are so full of it my gosh everything is cloak and dagger.

People are going back new people are enjoying the game so get over it there is no one playing darkside tricks on you.

SWG still the best Sandbox now With CONTENT !!!!

Telling people to unlock a jedi when the code wasn't in the game was deceptive.

Telling people that incomplete quests were working was deceptive.

Advertising an expansion, that you plan to gut, without telling people about these plans was deceptive.

Marketting profession revamps, and then deleting those professions instead of revamping them was deceptive.

Having people pose as PSP customers when they were in fact Sony sales reps was deceptive, and they got caught.

Hiding a gamble for SWG loot in a trading card game is, in my view, an obvious attempt to side-step online gambling legislation. 

Saying SWG isn't RMT, when everyone knows it now is, is an obvious lie.

People have left this game by the hundreds of thousands.  Why?  See above, and add to it a broken product with exceptionally poor customer service.  You can say what you like.  People would have to be blind or uninformed to believe you.  Most people are not, hence all your empty servers and SOE's desparate cash grabs and marketting schemes.

By the way, in another thread you claimed that SWG is the only sandbox game on the market.  I brought EVE to your attention.  Your statement was obviously untrue.  I believe posts of that nature are part of the problem many of us have noticed over the years.  Marketting lies have gone a long way towards digging the hole SWG currently sits in.  More marketting untruths are not likely to get it out.

SOE and its defenders have been employing the same tactics year after year to try to boost subscriptions and revenue.  Year after year, the hole gets deeper and the apparent solution (to them) is to get more people digging.

P.S. No, it's not dark-side tricks, it's just bad business, and SOE has achieved the results anyone might reasonably expect.

P.P.S. Plenty of current players have come to these boards talking honestly about the game they enjoy.  I've never had a problem with that.  Misleading, formulaic marketting posts, and posts on SOE's boards encouraging this, however, are a blight.

Originally posted by Dahlifyr

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:)

So why are you in this part of the forum anyways?

Originally posted by Obee

SWG isn't a sandbox.  It is another in a long line of treadmill grind, class based games.  The closest thing to a sandbox you could compare SWG to is a litter box, one that hasn't been cleaned for almost four years.

Having open housing doesn't a sandbox make.

 

Especially when the first new buildings in 3 years were introduced via the TCG gambling scam and not via the Architect.

I look at it this way: If you love SWG now, great!

If you hate it like Saturday night clap, I feel ya.

But saying that people are returning to SWG and all is well is a load of sugar-coated donkey poo with sprinkles.

Originally posted by ArcAngel3

Originally posted by Obee

I don't take that post as anything other than a current player who is worried about the future of the game.  As I posted before, similar posts happen every couple months, and are followed by an influx of "The game is great!" posts here.

The OBoards posts always complain that the game isn't being advertised, and that the players themselves need to promote it.  The threads are also usually filled with posts complaining about the game, and that the only appeal it has is the Star Wars IP.

Neither SOE or LEC are willing to do anything more to promote the game than send out emails to former players for free trials.  Hell, the current SOE newsletter doesn't even mention SWG, aside from the TCG.  LEC doesn't think it is worth the expense to print CDs and boxes for retail sales.  The NGE truely did kill the game as far as the folks in charge of it are concerned.  They are putting in the least amount possible in effort and resources.

What we are seeing is existing players pretending to be returning players and new players.  This happens every couple months and will likely continue to happen until the game finally dies.  It isn't an organized effort, just random players taking it upon themselves in an attempt to have someone else to play their sad little game with.

 

 

The person is clearly attempting to coordinate a viral marketting campaign on behalf of SOE that sees other players as an untapped financial resource.

The person also clearly lies about the game outright, claiming that it is not RMT, when now it is.

The person also clearly appeals to fear in an attempt to solicit unpaid marketters.  The only question, that we'll likely never have answered, is whether or not the person is compensated in some way by SOE for their efforts.

If it is just a fan (which it may be--unlikely as it seems from the bizarre wording) then it's not a gamer I would enjoy associating with.  I don't think I'd like being viewed as an untapped financial resource for SOE by my peers.  It's creepy as hell.

 

Pretty much every thread like that has the same theme.  They admit the game isn't all that great, but that it could become good if enough players joined to increase the subscription income and thus the developer resources.  That thread is nothing new, it is just the most recent.  There is a similar thread on the OBoard every couple months.

The threads all have a similar result.  Most of the responses are negative, not only about the idea, but towards the game itself, and a brief bump in the number of 'brand new'/'returning vets' on this forum.

The whole idea behind the 'How can we save this game?' threads on the OBoard is that the current subscriber numbers are shrinking and the current players are afraid the game could go away.  Someone proposes they spam outside forums about how great the game is, a few folks agree and do so, and the rest say that it isn't worth the effort, and they should enjoy the game while it lasts because nobody in charge cares enough about it to fix it.

It isn't viral marketing, it is just some misguided current players who are worried about their game's future.  With TOR on the horizon, the natives are even more restless, which is why the current batch of current players pretending to be new or returning players are so openly hostile in their initial posts.  They have the misguided notion that we are the reason the current game is in trouble, as opposed to the real reason, which is that it is just a flat out bad game.  Remove the Star Wars IP and there is nothing left that would interest anyone.  There is a new MMO with the Star Wars IP on the way, which means SWG will lose its only draw.

The current group will go away in a couple weeks and things will be back to normal, until the next time.