Yeah , took a look at CO, played about three months . I got a really good feel for what Cryptic was about then ( It had enough of CoX , maybe to much  and that made me uncomfortable  ). I did think it was possible that STO would be different , actually prayed. Got into the Closed Beta two weeks after it started. Posted thoughts , suggestions etc.. Played open beta , decided this game was too shallow for a life membership , influenced a lot of clanmates.

STO was a thinly veiled version of CO . 5 player groups and not much else to do. The pvp mechanics were the same for the most part , and it really didn't offer much else. Saved a lot of money and anguish . Huge ST fan that I am , I'm not blind to a poor game . Will it get better probably , will anyone care doubtful. That train left the station , Cryptic was warned in numerous threads, they'd only get one chance. This market is too different then it was when SWG was released or WoW or even CoH. People aren't forgiving and frankly they have a great many more options for their cash . While people will point to AoC, think what it could have been had they released it properly completed ?

Originally posted by AG-Vuk

 While people will point to AoC, think what it could have been had they released it properly completed ?

   People may point to AoC, and i will agree that the new expansions seems to be very good, but how much has it really turned things around for them? The last time I was in the game, my former guild was totally dead; out of the 50 or so people in the guild, only three were still playing (in other guilds). It's had like two server mergers now, and I would guess its numbers are similar to STO's number or CO's numbers. People have too many options these days, and don't have much patience for giving second chances.

Originally posted by Dinendae

Originally posted by AG-Vuk

 While people will point to AoC, think what it could have been had they released it properly completed ?

   People may point to AoC, and i will agree that the new expansions seems to be very good, but how much has it really turned things around for them? The last time I was in the game, my former guild was totally dead; out of the 50 or so people in the guild, only three were still playing (in other guilds). It's had like two server mergers now, and I would guess its numbers are similar to STO's number or CO's numbers. People have too many options these days, and don't have much patience for giving second chances.

People always forget the European servers for AoC. Europe has about twice the number of servers as North America, the game is just way more popular over the pond. I'd say AoC is possibly suffering in NA (and personal anecdotes about guilds are never a real indicator of numbers. I've come back to WoW to see my guild decimated before) but the game seems to be doing well in Europe.

Originally posted by Xondar123

 

People always forget the European servers for AoC. Europe has about twice the number of servers as North America, the game is just way more popular over the pond. I'd say AoC is possibly suffering in NA (and personal anecdotes about guilds are never a real indicator of numbers. I've come back to WoW to see my guild decimated before) but the game seems to be doing well in Europe.

   I wasn't using my guild as an indication that AoC is hurting, but was merely stating why I do not play it anymore despite what they have done. I rather wish that AoC didn't have server segregation; I'd love to go back to an European server that had a healthy population. Frankly I will agree wholeheartedly with anyone who states that AoC is a much better game now. However, for me, watching people leave the games in droves and then coming back only to find a few familiar names out of the couple of hundered I did know is quite depressing. It's similar to Vanguard: I love that MMO, but the generally empty feeling of the game now makes it unpleasant.

Does AoC separate it's player base on the basis of geography ? EU players mainly on EU servers and NA on theirs ? If and EU player wants to play with NA players does he have to transfer accounts? If this it the case this could be a contributing factor IMO ?

Chin up Din , if and it's a possiblity , if Vanguard goes F2P , I'd go back . I have 4 or 5 50's , I'd need to level and get back into the groove . I throughly enjoyed my time there. Just lost interest when they started messing with the classes , especially my Ranger . Loved my druid though . Dueling was a lot of fun with those two toon, loved taking on Psy's and Warriors .

Originally posted by AG-Vuk

Does AoC separate it's player base on the basis of geography ? EU players mainly on EU servers and NA on theirs ? If and EU player wants to play with NA players does he have to transfer accounts? If this it the case this could be a contributing factor IMO ?

Chin up Din , if and it's a possiblity , if Vanguard goes F2P , I'd go back . I have 4 or 5 50's , I'd need to level and get back into the groove . I throughly enjoyed my time there. Just lost interest when they started messing with the classes , especially my Ranger . Loved my druid though . Dueling was a lot of fun with those two toon, loved taking on Psy's and Warriors .

   Due to the more mature themes in AoC, they had to do server segregation; here in the U.S. they recieved an ok to show breasts (along with a mature rating for the game) and graphic violence (decapitations, etc.), but they were barred from showing full nudity. In Germany, it's ok to show full nudity, but they had to drastically tone down the violence and gore.  As far as N.A. players being able to play on European servers or vice versa, the only way that I know of it possibly working is to get your hands on one of the European copies; even then, I'm not entirely sure that would work.

  As for Vanguard, my absolute favorite class was the Bard (although I liked all of the classes really); Vanguard was the first and only time I ever really played a bard character. I absolutely love how they have the bardic music system set up there, so that you can compose your songs to have the effects you wish. That's one of the features of Vanguard that I wish other fantasy based MMOs would copy over.

The thing about the new weekly content is that it is nothing new.  All they did was just combine 3 of the same missions that we were doing into one.  You still scan 5 of these, kill 5 of these, there is nothing new and the rewards are not worth the time except for the Breen Torp. and that has limited usefulness.