Funcom's history is to try to make a firecracker. Only the firecracker is a dud and doesn't go off. They then pick up that firecracker and they turn it into more of a torch that gives off a lesser amount of light but for a lnger time. Probelm is, everyone's already left the show upset they didn't get what they came for.

Firecracker. 

Originally posted by bigsmiff

Originally posted by jdnewell

Originally posted by Draemos

I played it a bit at PAX.  It's a suprisingly good game.   Combat feels good, graphics are really nice, it's fairly challenging, the voicacting and cutscreens are great, and the overall ambiance is outstanding.  It's an outstanding platform to build from,  it's unique, and the game will be a lot of fun while content is unexplored.  It also does things w/ questing that no other MMO really does (ie makes you think), which some people may really enjoy, and others might hate.

Having said that, the game seems to lack an ultimate direction.  I haven't been able to dig up anything that resembles and end-game.  And that would be perfectly fine if this was a sandbox, with sandboxy type tools... but it's not.  The PvP is halfbaked too, which I think is a damn shame for a 3 faction game thats prime for it.

I think it's going to be a great game for casuals/normal players who maybe put in 5-10 hours a week.  The type of people that really enjoy questing, exploring the world, absorbing the storylines; they are going to get a lot out of it.  I think the Hardcore and goal oriented gamers are going to end up bored and twiddling their thumbs awfully damn fast. while Funcom scrambles to give them something to do.

The thing I've noticed as a general trend, is that if a game offers a lifetime sub... it is almost always lacking content to keep you engaged for a extended length of time.  

Thanks for posting that =)

I have been hoping some of the folks who got to play at PAX would chime in. What you describe seems to fit me perfectly. Long gone are my days of Hardcore 16 hours a day MMO marathons.

This is me...

 

Me as well, which is exactly why I'm excited about it.  And which is why I will continue to play SWTOR.  End game is boring, I agree.  But playing casual, it's a whole lot of story content that will keep me busy for a long time.  The other thing that is really drawing me in is the fact that it's going to be a little bit complex, which is why I think a game like EVE has a much more interesting, and less childish playerbase.  Usually ;)

As for the original quote, I can think of one game that had a lifetime sub and had pretty good content - LOTRO.  Of course, they may be the only game I can think of that has succeeded with a free to play transition.  I still sometimes feel the pull to go back to Middle Earth.

Originally posted by badgerAlum

 

As for the original quote, I can think of one game that had a lifetime sub and had pretty good content - LOTRO.  Of course, they may be the only game I can think of that has succeeded with a free to play transition.  I still sometimes feel the pull to go back to Middle Earth.

It does now, half a decade later. When it was released, there wasn't much to do at end-game.

Originally posted by syntax42I miss the days of DAOC -- my first MMO. 

Almost everyone says that. To me it's a feeling you can never get back. It's not that the games are worse, it's just that the first blows your mind, then wears on it. The following one's continue the wear.

I like the premise, but I won't be playing it.  I don't really know enough about the game itself though to judge whether it'll last or not.

games definitely not a firecracker lol .. thats all I can really say.

Originally posted by maitrader

games definitely not a firecracker lol .. thats all I can really say.

What is it then? A cherry bomb? A squib? A damp squib?