It happens all the time now...people just run an buy a newly released mmorpg without knowing anything about it then its those same people who start trolling on how the game is a waste of money..wow clone and est. est..

I swear a little research will go a long way.

WoW was their first MMO.

wow was their first mmo

Originally posted by SgtFrog

It happens all the time now...people just run an buy a newly released mmorpg without knowing anything about it then its those same people who start trolling on how the game is a waste of money..wow clone and est. est..

I swear a little research will go a long way.

You actually expect intelligence from the average customer?  You have a higher opinion of humanity than I do.

I have worked retail for many years, and many folks will just buy something because it looks cool, or a friend said it was good and so on.  MMO's are no different.

The flip side, is that the hype machine of some companies can make good research very difficult.  Games like Aion, which start out solo and pve carebare, then slowly morph into group based pve at about level 20 and then become pvp later can be considered as "bait and switch" by some.

Of course, MMO's are about grouping so it comes as no shock to me, plus I have played the game since CB so I pretty much know what I am in for.

As far as the trolls go, don't you know that FTO is the most popular online game?  FTO= Forum Troll Online.

Originally posted by Korhindi

Originally posted by SgtFrog

It happens all the time now...people just run an buy a newly released mmorpg without knowing anything about it then its those same people who start trolling on how the game is a waste of money..wow clone and est. est..

I swear a little research will go a long way.

 

You actually expect intelligence from the average customer?  You have a higher opinion of humanity than I do.

I have worked retail for many years, and many folks will just buy something because it looks cool, or a friend said it was good and so on.  MMO's are no different.

The flip side, is that the hype machine of some companies can make good research very difficult.  Games like Aion, which start out solo and pve carebare, then slowly morph into group based pve at about level 20 and then become pvp later can be considered as "bait and switch" by some.

Of course, MMO's are about grouping so it comes as no shock to me, plus I have played the game since CB so I pretty much know what I am in for.

As far as the trolls go, don't you know that FTO is the most popular online game?  FTO= Forum Troll Online.

i still have some hope for human kind.

Originally posted by Korhindi

 

Games like Aion, which start out solo and pve carebare, then slowly morph into group based pve at about level 20 and then become pvp later can be considered as "bait and switch" by some.

Part of research is to get a customer perspective. Thanks to the internet that's highly possible. People should have known this if they researched the product. Thanks to things like "beta" the players will give opinions and tell you how the game plays out. I knew this weeks before AION hit the street. There was no bait and switch, and if there was, the person "ran head first into a new mmorpg they don't know anything about".

Why do white people like Wayne Brady?

Originally posted by greed0104

Originally posted by Korhindi

 

Games like Aion, which start out solo and pve carebare, then slowly morph into group based pve at about level 20 and then become pvp later can be considered as "bait and switch" by some.

Part of research is to get a customer perspective. Thanks to the internet that's highly possible. People should have known this if they researched the product. Thanks to things like "beta" the players will give opinions and tell you how the game plays out. I knew this weeks before AION hit the street. There was no bait and switch, and if there was, the person "ran head first into a new mmorpg they don't know anything about".

Oh, I agree with you, being I played since CB, but you must understand that out of all the people I know, I am one of the very few who actually takes the time to read the forums, read hype, see the vids and screens, play in beta events and research it out.

Most folks don't have the time, nor the desire to go to that level of study for an upcomming release.  Some don't know how.

That said, no amount of research can tell you about an endgame no one has experienced.  Likewise, in the Aion beta events, most folks did not make it much past level 20, with most making it into the upper teens.  If the game radically changes in the 20's, then that can be a legit gripe.

I mean, we all have been burned by hype and the like, or maybe all the angry players burned by AoC was simply due to folks not doing enough research?

Just saying there can be times when research and beta playing isn't enough...

Originally posted by svann

Why do white people like Wayne Brady?

Because he makes Bryant Gumble look like Malcom X.

I dunno, didn't you ever go to a movie on the spur of the moment?  Sure, it frequently turns out badly, but once in a while you are pleasantly surprised.

Same with games, people figure, what's 50 bucks, they jump in, give it a try and it doesn't suit them.

But I disagree that these folks are the most vocal on forums, in fact, most forum posters are experienced players who tend to complain the loudest.

I buy games I know little about all time. It's not like it's a major purchase like a car or a boat.

You read the box and look at the pictures and go, hey this looks fun. You never really know if you'll like anything till you've played it, even if you researched it to hell and back. I, oddly, have faith in games to not suck. Most end up trashing my faith, but it remains retained.

Do you really think this behaviour is exclusive to MMOs? Video games? Entertainment?
People have been doing this since the beginning of time.

"Hey, why do you people run out and buy the newest shiny clay pot? It'll just fall apart on them a day later and then they'll go to the village market to complain."

"Because Zuma's clay pots was their first clay pot"

I think it comes down to three things.

1. They fall for the hype

Developers are forever telling us that their MMO is going to be the next big thing; an innovative and fresh perspective on a stagnating genre .. polished to perfection, as pure and sweet as the tears of virgins.

Some people are easily bewitched by such glamour.

2. Optimism/self delusion

Sometimes it's not the hype that distorts reality; but the perceptions of the individual. A games could wave a huge banner proclaiming and detailing a myriad of faults and poor design choices; people would still buy it.

"No game is perfect at release. They'll fix the bugs and add more content!"

3. Curiosity

I count myself within this category; large scale MMOs don't launch every day. They aren't the most expensive item on the market and most devotees of the genre are gainfully employed so money is rarely an issue.

I bought Aion, I bought Champions Online. I don't expect to be playing either of them in a years time but meh, they could be entertaining for a month or two.

 None of you just try new things.  You don't like doing things spontaneously without a preconceived notions of what you are doing? 

For the most part, all MMOs seem really cool from what the company says about it, so the only way to really gauge whether or not you like it is to try it.

Here's the real question: why do you care so much that people complain about stuff on an internet forum?

Also, I contest that anyone who thinks any MMO announced or released since WoW is or has been good started playing MMOs at WoW.

WoW was their first MMO.

I cant speak for others and definately dont speak for those crying that a game is not worth their money, I will  only speak about why I sometimes dive into a new mmo without doing the research first.

First of all even if the mmo in question is not as good as I had hoped I would still be spending, and enjoying more time in it than most singleplayer games out there at the same cost. Lets use the latest big released mmo as an example. I am mostly a PvE based player that plays alone more than grouped, and I bought Aion. The first 20 lvls fit perfectly into my type of play and as long as you dont race through it, you get about as much gameplay value from it as the average singleplayer game gives. Sure around that moment the game starts to get worse if PvE and soloplay would be my only goals. Yet even after 20 my gameplay value and time spend enjoying myself will be far greater than most singleplayer games out there. Yet buying a singleplayer game without doing research first is not as frowned upon.

Secondly and the more important reason for me is the fact that the research is made impossible by all the missinformation out there. Who to believe? Who can we truly trust? We all know that the marketing for games is full of lies and disinformation, we all know that forums like this one cant be simply trusted. To use Aion as the example again this forum had 2 groups talking about the grind. One group told us there would be a lot of grinding and the other group said there would not be any grinding at all unless you call questing grinding. We now know which group was correct, but before we could check for ourselves there was no way of knowing who told the truth. Same thing about the game being pve with pvp or a pvp game with a few mobs thrown in and calling it pvpve.

Researching an mmo is made nearly completely impossible because of the false information, so why even try? Sure all the correct information is out there, but for every correct info there are more lies and since we cant see for oursleves untill we bought and played the game we cant know who is telling the truth.

Third...I sometimes just want something new and buy the moment I see a new game just to try it out, a spur of the moment thing.

Originally posted by neoterrar

I buy games I know little about all time. It's not like it's a major purchase like a car or a boat.

You read the box and look at the pictures and go, hey this looks fun. You never really know if you'll like anything till you've played it, even if you researched it to hell and back. I, oddly, have faith in games to not suck. Most end up trashing my faith, but it remains retained.

This is my thought process as well.  I am also an impulse buyer when it's small ticket things like video games etc.  Things that actually end up making a dent in my bank account end up taking me forever to buy.  Maybe 1 offsets the other for me, who knows.

Because its exciting

Because its fun

Because we are technology lovers and are early adopters

Because there is no good reason not too (except if your being very rational and thats just damn boring)

Because I can afford too

because I just cant stop dammit

Originally posted by demalus

 None of you just try new things.  You don't like doing things spontaneously without a preconceived notions of what you are doing? 

For the most part, all MMOs seem really cool from what the company says about it, so the only way to really gauge whether or not you like it is to try it.

Not entirely true. Most people that arn't entirely retarded can judge a game when all information is up front and decide if they would enjoy it or not. Don't ever listen to what the company has to say without getting player perspective and lots of it. People that spontaneously buy crap are morons, sad truth is true.

Here's the real question: why do you care so much that people complain about stuff on an internet forum?

Of course you wouldn't understand, you constantly troll a forum dedicated to a game you have little to no interest in enjoying. I'm sure you know which one that is.

It's not really a problem of people sharing an opinion. Sharing it is fine, but what point is it in pushing it on others? When you constantly come back and reinforce it, after you made the point the game is not for you. You support that childish train of thought?

Also, I contest that anyone who thinks any MMO announced or released since WoW is or has been good started playing MMOs at WoW.

The problem is these people that shout "WoW clone" etc, are usually the ones that started there first MMO, where? WoW, no doubt, bet your money on that. Funny thing is, most of these people have yet to touch the game or actually get anywhere in it. Check the GW2 forums, pretty hilarious thread was there about a guy saying it would be a WoW clone because it had a persistant world. Because WoW invented that right? Games will always take good ideas from another, it's part of evolution. People love to pick out the small things bash them, and disregard the big things that make that  particular game special.

Originally posted by SgtFrog

i still have some hope for human kind.

See, that's your problem right there.  Humans are fundamentally lazy and stupid, they will take the path of least resistance and least work unless they are somehow motivated to do otherwise.  People would rather do the same ridiculous thing 20 times than admit that they've been doing something silly and thus look bad.

Expecting people to somehow learn how to use their brains is probably asking for too much from the majority of humanity.

There are too many people that have too little social lives and responsibilities and too much time on their hands.
That and they must have money to through away.

If you buy 20 games a year the cost is well over $1,000. Add into that cost or buying the PC $1k+ and/or counsels $300+ systems and updating/replacing $$$??? them when needed. Add to that the cost of peripherals, monthly subscriptions $210+, and energy costs to run the system while playing.

I am sure you are talking about over $2,000 a year for hardcore gamers and I am sure over 800 hours a year.
When I was in my yearly twenties I probably fell into that bracket for a few years. But I was living at home with my mom, working and making good money, and had a active social live (going out three nights a weeks and a few days a week, plus working on car and racing all the time).

But to me it seems like there is a large group of young kids missing out on school and lives for MMOs. I can name about 10 people I know in RL that MMOs are ruining their lives. Kids that dropped out of school, that have absolutely no lives or hope of a career in the near future. I ever know one guy I played with years ago that got a divorce over it.

It is sad, something that should a fun hobby taking over people’s lives and in turn ruining their lives.
 

Because the hype train created by the kids on forums and marketing strategy is often especially lately better than the MMO itself. 

The same reasons they apply to "beta test" and pre-order the collector's edition. They are clearly desperate for something fresh and new, and too ignorant to know better.

Lets see:

Alienware desktop : £1800 (amortised over 5 years) = £360 per year

Upgrades : Graphics card every 2 years: £70 per year

Games Bought: average  2 PC games per month: £70 = £840 per year

MMO subscriptions: £30 per month: £360 per year

Electricity :  no idea

Game playing time: average 14 hours per week = 728 hours per year

Cost per hour of my soul destroying (lol ) hobby: £2.23 per hour

If I buy 1 game per week the cost per hour = £3.56

Factor in my 3 kids use the comp for homework and we use it for online shopping, keeping in touch with people, etc

I can live with this.......

It isn't the mmorpg industry's fault if some people make bad decisions. I say that having lost a GF in part due to playing too much. People need to take responsibility for their own actions.