WoW can only be considered great if you enjoy leveling with no real goals or storyline.  The reason I would like to see WoW fail is because of it's own merits, or lack thereof, as the case truly is.  It has the same exact play mechanics as Everquest, minus a strong storyline and adding in a more detailed faction system.  I would rather play Everquest/Everquest II any day because to me it is just more fun to play.  The way I see it WoW could have easily fizzled except it spread like wildfire with word of mouth initially.  Aion seems to be getting the same buzz, has a strong but simple faction system, has a strong storyline, has PvP very openly, and has PvE openly.  It is possible to, after reaching a certain point in the game, concentrate on PvP almost exclusively.  Plus, in flight combat, which is very smoothly done, is a nice twist to PvP and PvE.  Plus the graphics are stunning.  I do not think people will worry too much about asian style graphics when the graphics are on par with the latest Final Fantasy games.  Simply amazing.  The real gem in Aion where most MMOs, including WoW and EQ/EQ2, fail is in the game play.   For the most part, in Aion it runs very smoothly, where in WoW and many other MMOs, the user interface does not always run smoothly.  NCSoft usually does very well when it comes to playability factors such as the user interface system(which includes controls).  I am not going to say Aion will overtake WoW, but I do think that it will and that it has an excellent shot at doing so.  Regardless of whether it does or not, it will raise the bar for what a MMO can and should be.  Even in the beta tests, you can clearly see this is a new generation of MMOs it is initiating.

That number is not confirmed by official sources. Besides, if I'm not mistaken, he was talking about subscriptions in EU/US.

The point was simply that many gamers will play a game just because everyone they know does.  I think if everyone stopped to think if a game was really right for them then you would see the better made games getting higher numbers of subscribers and ones that have some kind of heavy flaw being more lacking in a subscriber base.  I know human nature is to follow.  No need to get confrontational.  I was just pointing out an observed behavior in gamers.  I didn't come on board WoW until the Burning Crusade expansion and, though I play it occasionally, it is still not one I will really ever play more than a couple months a year at the most.  I will keep Aion as a regular subscription because I feel it is very deserving of my time.  It is an interesting concept, great storyline with it's own mythos(as a fantasy novelist myself, I love this aspect) and the game's playability is probably 4 out of 5 stars.  I never said that people cannot do what they want, I was only saying that they should make sure it is what they want.  Why waste money on a game you end up hating after all?

Does it matter? I mean really are people going to go out and buy a T-shirt proclaiming they play the #2 MMO in the world or what? It's pretty clear the game will financially successful and is developing  loyal fan base. isn't that enough? In an era of Hindenburgs and Titanics I applaud even a modest success. I don't like WoW and probably wouldn't enjoy Aion either but I can respect a company that produces something more than a few thousand people like. Maybe they'll make something I like some day.

Asian grind shit vs WoW? hahaa

Originally posted by Arskaaa

Asian grind shit vs WoW? hahaa

WTS reading and comprehension skills ...

Originally posted by Kolapz

Most of you don't seem to know that Aion already has 3.5 million active subscriptions in Asia. I (notice the "I", which means it's just my opinion) expect it to have around a million more in US and Europe, which comes mighty close to WoW and his 5 million. Of course, WoW is expected to boost it's sub numbers once again, as it's coming back to China soonish according to recent reports.

Anyways, I expect it to hold (yes, hold and not gain, cause it already has it) the 2nd position for a long time.

Aion will not hit 1 million US.   No way - no how.   You're delusional if you think that.   Seriously.   Aion is not going to appeal to the masses here in the US.    LOL!   OMG...1 million.  

Originally posted by Reccoo

Originally posted by brad813

How do you get that it is a WoW rip-off?  Also, you and the people you know are in the minority because every beta has tons of players on it.  I know, I am one of them.  As far as the gameplay goes, totally different between the two.  I have played both.  I also think that the only reason WoW survives is what I call the Lemming syndrome.  Once the first one jumps into the sea, everyone else follows not having a mind of their own.

 

So a game people like to play are lemmings?? So that must mean then if any gam that is played by anyone they are all lemmings then.  That means if aion is a sucess those players are lemmings, anyone that plays eve is a lemming, that plays lotro is a lemming, gw is a lemmins because like u said 1 person jumps in then alot follow.  The difference being the so called lemmings that went to play wow actually found a game that was fun, while the lemminsg that keep jumping from eq2, to vanguard, to lotro, to eve cant find anything they like so they bash wow.  YES UR SYNDROME is what i like to call; Clown that chats crap syndrome.

Aion is actually very good. Leave your WoW-lemmings buddies which are slowly dying inside from boredom and join our Aion-battle-lemming ranks! You know you wanna! 

Pve is fun, pvp is fun... didn't get to the sieges yet, but those work fine according to the vids.

CB6 is coming. yay! \O/

Edit: I didn't grind once to reach lvl25... maybe just for mats for crafting

Its funny how people automatically assume without playing a game just because its asian its got he be grind . Aion is no more gindy than WoW is . The difference between the two is one aims more and the pve audiance and the other at pvp . Aions going to be undoubted success . The only question is how big . I ve never thought it would take over WoW at least not initially . But it will  attract ex warcraft player and those unhappy with the game at the moment . Lets not forget Warcraft subscriptions numbers are obviously on the decline because Blizzard have not released the numbers since December 2008 . Part of this is due to the situation in China but if it was souly due to that Blizzard would release the numbers  for its other regions if the news was good .I personally hope WoW retains the young children Blizzard has aimed the game at these days because i would nt want to see Aion become like a virtual school yeard too . I think we can expect around 1-2 million reatained subs in the first few months and if the games content is good it will rise considerably . If that happens WoW can expect a further drop in subs proberbly in the millions by the middle of next year .

Originally posted by brad813

WoW can only be considered great if you enjoy leveling with no real goals or storyline.

Well, WoW has goals, but they are just different and focusing on more personal achievements. And getting more hazy due to cyclical nature of gear resets.

Storyline in both games is rather superficial. The story in Aion might be slightly more original, but it is still nothing ot write home about.

The reason I would like to see WoW fail is because of it's own merits, or lack thereof, as the case truly is.  It has the same exact play mechanics as Everquest, minus a strong storyline and adding in a more detailed faction system.  I would rather play Everquest/Everquest II any day because to me it is just more fun to play.  The way I see it WoW could have easily fizzled except it spread like wildfire with word of mouth initially. 

The WoW is so successful because it's appeal to masses. It is easy game to get into, with lots of stuff to do. It provides instant-gratification in similar fashion to console games. The upper echelons of WoW are completely different, meaning raiding and rated arena. I do not think these are the main reasons people play the game - I saw someone quoting that 80% of WoW players do not raid for example. So they must be happy with other than the end-game content.

WoW is opposite to EVE. In a same way that Transformers 2 is opposite to The Piano or Fargo.

Aion seems to be getting the same buzz, has a strong but simple faction system, has a strong storyline, has PvP very openly, and has PvE openly.  It is possible to, after reaching a certain point in the game, concentrate on PvP almost exclusively.  Plus, in flight combat, which is very smoothly done, is a nice twist to PvP and PvE.  Plus the graphics are stunning.  I do not think people will worry too much about asian style graphics when the graphics are on par with the latest Final Fantasy games.  Simply amazing.  The real gem in Aion where most MMOs, including WoW and EQ/EQ2, fail is in the game play.   For the most part, in Aion it runs very smoothly, where in WoW and many other MMOs, the user interface does not always run smoothly.  NCSoft usually does very well when it comes to playability factors such as the user interface system(which includes controls).  I am not going to say Aion will overtake WoW, but I do think that it will and that it has an excellent shot at doing so.  Regardless of whether it does or not, it will raise the bar for what a MMO can and should be.  Even in the beta tests, you can clearly see this is a new generation of MMOs it is initiating.

I do agree that Aion has many things going for it. Like the fact that engine seems to be able to handle truly massive battles. And that it's concept is different from WoW.

However it does not really bring anything new on the table. It tries to do the same as WoW did. Take the features that are known to work from other games and slam them into a new setting.

Also, Aion has been around in Korea for a year. So it is not in beta like many like to claim. If it had launched as it is/was in 1.0, I think it would fail miserably. With 1.5, after they have had year to fix bugs, polish and bring new content, it might have wider appeal to EU/NA players.

Yes, asian games are great IF u enjoy play with gold farmers/sellers.

Have fun xie xie.

Originally posted by Elesthor

Originally posted by Pyrostasis

Dont forget EvE online, its surpassed WAR back in january with 300,000 active subs. Not sure if that puts them at #2 or #3 all depends on LOTRO's sub numbers.

 

EVE is a great game! But its nature wont allow it to score numbers that other MMOs do.

And this is a good thing. Imagine  Blizzard running EVE, then the game would have millions of subscribers but would have been swallow as an arcade game.

However, the fact of the matter is that EVE Online IS number 2 in the west ...

Originally posted by suzani

HI to the Aion community,

I have been waiting for this game to be releases here in europe for Months, only to find out that it is now going to be a pay-to-play game.   I am really disappointed in you guys, not only is it pay-to-play but it is still a full priced game to start off.  Some of us aren't financially in a position to afford this no matter how much we would like to play.

I have played RFOnline for two years, first on the retail server, then on the RFEquilibrium server when retail closed.  I was happy to give up my high lvl, well equipt, and well known character to play this game and start a fresh as a noobie but since finding out it's now going to be pay-to-play I have had to reconsider.  And to be honest, I don't think I will be the only one!

MAKE IT FREE-TO-PLAY AND ADD A CASHSHOP..... THAT WAY THOSE PEOPLE WHO WISH TO SPEND REAL MONEY TO IMPROVE THEIR CHARACTERS CAN DO SO..... AND THE REST OF US CAN JUST WORK HARD.....

Good luck in Game, I will maybe see you IF they make it FREE-TO-PLAY

QUALITY  = P2P

CRAP = F2P

so no chance in hell it will happen, i rather have a game where everyone pays, got decent support and doesn't get any real beneftis, then a F2P crap game with zero support and people kicking everyones ass just because they have the ability to throw away tons of money.

Originally posted by Arskaaa

Yes, asian games are great IF u enjoy play with gold farmers/sellers.

 

Have fun xie xie.

Should try to google some gold selling/buying

the first thing that pops up is wow gw aoc and all the other western mmos

Originally posted by Celestian

 

---

Originally posted by Pyrostasis
Dont forget EvE online, its surpassed WAR back in january with 300,000 active subs. Not sure if that puts them at #2 or #3 all depends on LOTRO's sub numbers.

---

 

Surpassed Warhammer with 300k subs in January? Eh? In January Warhammer had like 750k players. It wasn't till after that it went DOWN to 300k (I am one of those people that left).

I know EvE guys like to preach about how great it is but seriously.

As to Aion, I've enjoyed what I've seen so far but it's a PVP game, it won't be remotely near the scale of WoW. I'll be playing it. It might put the nail in Warhammer and it might be 2nd place but I just can't imagine it'll be very popular for long due to the PVP focus.
 

In december they already dropped to just over 300k

http://www.massively.com/2009/02/03/breaking-300k-warhammer-online-subscribers-as-of-december-31-2/

and in may they hold their ground

http://www.massively.com/2009/05/06/warhammer-holds-its-ground-with-300k-subs/

I estimate WAR currently at 270k, and that is very generous.

This while EVE Online continues to grow, and reported 300k in may

http://www.massively.com/2009/05/06/eve-online-turns-6-today-announces-over-300k-subscribers/

So there is no question about it, EVE online IS currently the second biggest premium mmorpg in the west

If LOTRO had any substantial amount more they would report it, but they don't, they may have a respectable 280k atm.

Originally posted by Arskaaa

Yes, asian games are great IF u enjoy play with gold farmers/sellers.

 

Have fun xie xie.

Bhahah! You are really funny! Most gold farmers/sellers are in WoW (on US servers too since that's where most of their profit comes from).  Do at least 1 minute research about the stuff you're pulling out of your *rse!

Unfortunately there will be a lot of gold farmers in Aion when it comes out because lazy westerners are going to play it too.

PS: Maybe you wanted to say cheaters/hackers?

 I fully believe it could be number two in the US and Europe, but as someone else said, look at the competition...  That being said, as another person also stated, even that being the case it's still a huge win for NCsoft.  I personally think it has a lot of promise--as did warhammer--but hopefully unlike warhammer it will execute far more effectively against what it's promising.  Warhammer was built well and had a lot of good things going for it, but the technical execution aspects were horrible and one of the key draws of the game (open RvR) is laggy as hell.

As long as the core components of Aion don't suffer from the same technical problems it should do very well.

As for seeing the same kinds of numbers WoW has seen?...  Who knows.  Time will have to tell on that one, but remember that it took WoW almost 5 years to get to the numbers it has today.

Isn't this what Funcom said? lol

NOT COMPARING this well built game to AoC though, but most new games will all think they are/will be the better.  Hmm, i have been playing the betas, and Aion is fairly fun, but i see it sitting with AoC/WAR/COHV in numbers

side note...  Isnt EQ2 and FFXI still sporting about 400k???/

No PvP focused game, I don't care how polished and nice it looks,  is going to achieve 1+ million subs in the west.  In order to achieve that many subs you have to appeal to non-MMO players which by nature PvP does not do.  I think initial subs will be good, probably 400k range.  Rentention is the key though. 

 You guys have NO clue what you are talking about. Let me clear some things up

1. Warcraft was not a well known brand when WoW came out, it was known among the gaming community but RTS for the most part is a niche genre.

2. Having a popular IP does not garner subs. Everyone said Matrix Online would kick the crap out of WoW and we saw how that ended up.

3. Games do not have to be complete, polished, accesible, or even that good to be popular. WoW was not polished and lacked an end game when it was released and at peak times you could wait 15+ minutes to log on.

What does a game need to be popular?

1. Low system requirements
 

2. Easy to use

3. People to talk about it

The majority of WoW players only joined because a friend or family member were playing. The problem with most MMOs is that the MMO community keeps it to themselves. Everyone was talking about World of Warcraft and people want to be apart of the crowd.

No one talked about LOTRO (Best Buy has walls of special additions still waiting to be sold)
No one talked about Age of Conan (you can get the special addition for $10)
No one talked about Warhammer
No one talked about Vanguard

but besides all that a lot of it came down to luck. Any game could have become what WoW is and any future can take its place. It all comes down to luck. Your idea of what a good game is, or what people want in a game is nothing but your bias. People will play anything that is popular.

I think the next big game will be released at a time when burnt out WoW players begin to look for a new game. I don't think it'll be a game we expect either.

I think Aion has a chance to be pretty popular too. First of all it doesn't have much of a competition at the moment, secondly it purposely went for a lower system requirement because of its PvP roots (it is not as low as WoW but WoW is also how many years old. For computers now a day it is low), thirdly it is simple to pick up.

Aren't they pretty much the same game? If people like WoW, they will probably like Aion. So what? I play for more than loot rewards and am disappointed by both games.

Originally posted by pb1285n

 You guys have NO clue what you are talking about. Let me clear some things up

1. Warcraft was not a well known brand when WoW came out, it was known among the gaming community but RTS for the most part is a niche genre.

2. Having a popular IP does not garner subs. Everyone said Matrix Online would kick the crap out of WoW and we saw how that ended up.

3. Games do not have to be complete, polished, accesible, or even that good to be popular. WoW was not polished and lacked an end game when it was released and at peak times you could wait 15+ minutes to log on.

What does a game need to be popular?

1. Low system requirements
 

2. Easy to use

 

3. People to talk about it

 

The majority of WoW players only joined because a friend or family member were playing. The problem with most MMOs is that the MMO community keeps it to themselves. Everyone was talking about World of Warcraft and people want to be apart of the crowd.

No one talked about LOTRO (Best Buy has walls of special additions still waiting to be sold)
No one talked about Age of Conan (you can get the special addition for $10)
No one talked about Warhammer
No one talked about Vanguard

but besides all that a lot of it came down to luck. Any game could have become what WoW is and any future can take its place. It all comes down to luck. Your idea of what a good game is, or what people want in a game is nothing but your bias. People will play anything that is popular.

I think the next big game will be released at a time when burnt out WoW players begin to look for a new game. I don't think it'll be a game we expect either.

I think Aion has a chance to be pretty popular too. First of all it doesn't have much of a competition at the moment, secondly it purposely went for a lower system requirement because of its PvP roots (it is not as low as WoW but WoW is also how many years old. For computers now a day it is low), thirdly it is simple to pick up.

<quote>You guys have NO clue what you are talking about</quote>

i am already impressed by your knowledge.

let

  sarcasm = 0

in

  sarcasm

end

Originally posted by pb1285n

 You guys have NO clue what you are talking about. Let me clear some things up

1. Warcraft was not a well known brand when WoW came out, it was known among the gaming community but RTS for the most part is a niche genre.

2. Having a popular IP does not garner subs. Everyone said Matrix Online would kick the crap out of WoW and we saw how that ended up.

3. Games do not have to be complete, polished, accesible, or even that good to be popular. WoW was not polished and lacked an end game when it was released and at peak times you could wait 15+ minutes to log on.

What does a game need to be popular?

1. Low system requirements
 

2. Easy to use

 

3. People to talk about it

 

The majority of WoW players only joined because a friend or family member were playing. The problem with most MMOs is that the MMO community keeps it to themselves. Everyone was talking about World of Warcraft and people want to be apart of the crowd.

No one talked about LOTRO (Best Buy has walls of special additions still waiting to be sold)
No one talked about Age of Conan (you can get the special addition for $10)
No one talked about Warhammer
No one talked about Vanguard

but besides all that a lot of it came down to luck. Any game could have become what WoW is and any future can take its place. It all comes down to luck. Your idea of what a good game is, or what people want in a game is nothing but your bias. People will play anything that is popular.

I think the next big game will be released at a time when burnt out WoW players begin to look for a new game. I don't think it'll be a game we expect either.

I think Aion has a chance to be pretty popular too. First of all it doesn't have much of a competition at the moment, secondly it purposely went for a lower system requirement because of its PvP roots (it is not as low as WoW but WoW is also how many years old. For computers now a day it is low), thirdly it is simple to pick up.

I agree.  Everyone forgets (or chooses to ignore) the reasons WoW got as many subs as it did.  Not only was it accessible but it introduced new game mechanics.  It introduced questing as a form of leveling.  The reason people played was because it didn't feel like you were grinding, you were just completing objectives the whole time.  Why do you think everyone since then puts the little stupid exclamation point above the NPC's head?  This was UNHEARD of before WoW came out.

The next really successfull game needs to innovate like that, present something that the playerbase hasn't seen before while also try to give the veteren MMO'er things they come to expect.

Originally posted by thanith

Originally posted by pb1285n

 You guys have NO clue what you are talking about. Let me clear some things up

1. Warcraft was not a well known brand when WoW came out, it was known among the gaming community but RTS for the most part is a niche genre.

2. Having a popular IP does not garner subs. Everyone said Matrix Online would kick the crap out of WoW and we saw how that ended up.

3. Games do not have to be complete, polished, accesible, or even that good to be popular. WoW was not polished and lacked an end game when it was released and at peak times you could wait 15+ minutes to log on.

What does a game need to be popular?

1. Low system requirements
 

2. Easy to use

 

3. People to talk about it

 

The majority of WoW players only joined because a friend or family member were playing. The problem with most MMOs is that the MMO community keeps it to themselves. Everyone was talking about World of Warcraft and people want to be apart of the crowd.

No one talked about LOTRO (Best Buy has walls of special additions still waiting to be sold)
No one talked about Age of Conan (you can get the special addition for $10)
No one talked about Warhammer
No one talked about Vanguard

but besides all that a lot of it came down to luck. Any game could have become what WoW is and any future can take its place. It all comes down to luck. Your idea of what a good game is, or what people want in a game is nothing but your bias. People will play anything that is popular.

I think the next big game will be released at a time when burnt out WoW players begin to look for a new game. I don't think it'll be a game we expect either.

I think Aion has a chance to be pretty popular too. First of all it doesn't have much of a competition at the moment, secondly it purposely went for a lower system requirement because of its PvP roots (it is not as low as WoW but WoW is also how many years old. For computers now a day it is low), thirdly it is simple to pick up.

 

<quote>You guys have NO clue what you are talking about</quote>

 

i am already impressed by your knowledge.

 

let

  sarcasm = 0

in

  sarcasm

end

But yet you provided no counterpoint so you must agree with him

Originally posted by beeker255

Originally posted by Aikko

Originally posted by Scalebane

Last guy that challenged WoW openly doesn't have a job right now. 

Who was that :o ?
 

 

I think Aion will do well, there no telling how well till it goes live. But i do know the ppl who have been in beta and who i've spoke to really enjoy it and can't wait for the launch.

 

Mark Jacobs of Mythic.

same happened to the former CEO of Funcom (AOC) lololol