First: I think name Funcom influenced a lot uninterest among players. They are not just so nicked Failcom. Have history of worst releases ever.

TSW i admit after initial stuggle with different approach (not their fault) started to like a lot the game. But for two very very big problems. One is that game can be played fluidly only with w7 explicitly 64bit. With 32bit was nightmare, 4 crahses in average per hour. Sometimes after few minutes at best half hour. After purchasing new disk and w7 64bit ... boy, whata change! Real enjoyment. Now second problem that prevent me at all to return to play (and no, i will NEVER again play F2P games; ok - thanks to GW2 - if b2p or f2p with sub). That problem is only 7 buttons that spells literally button mashing. Can not be different. If I would like to play button mashers would return to ps2, ps3, ....

If the remove that silly "original" idea of only 7 buttons, i will gladly return as SUBSCRIBER.

Originally posted by daltanious

That problem is only 7 buttons that spells literally button mashing. Can not be different. If I would like to play button mashers would return to ps2, ps3, ....

If the remove that silly "original" idea of only 7 buttons, i will gladly return as SUBSCRIBER.

Just remember that it's 7 active and 7 passive slots, but that you have the entire pool of abilities  (almost 600) to swap in and out of there.   And especially later in the game it becomes very important to swap out different ability sets, or decks.  So while it's 7/7 at any one time, you actually have a ton of flexibility in what those will be.

I love TSW!

It's so sad when I read people who usually don't play the game writing awful things about it.

Funcom means nothing to me. I never heard about FC before TSW, so I'm not biased and so far my experience with them has been very nice. Even if people had issues with them, it's among them then, I don't get involved. And I believe that the majority of actual players don't mind if the game has gone B2P and if it turns into a full F2P in the future. I'm a lifetimer and I purchased it because I like it - and I see it as a way to help the game to survive, as even before this new B2P the grandmaster pack didn't have anything special besides the fact that no further sub were required and I also knew that the content isn't enought for a year, when the investment  can be considered payed. Then I repeat, I became a lifetimer for personal choice - and the only thing that might make me feel regret of my choice is seeing this game dying prematurely (hopefully this is not going to happen).

Not playing a game because you only have 7 buttons makes me think that there are loads of games out there that you have only the mouse buttons and they are still very enjoyable. It's such an argument that lacks any consistency.

Some people find the game too hard and instead of admitting they don't like it because it demands more than they expected (or they can handle), they just go to shallow criticism. 

I totally agree with the article in which is unbelievable on how people don't give it a chance - they prefer to complain instead (some even spread false information).

TSW cannot be compared to many MMOs because it's a different set, different reality. They should compare high-fantasy to high-fantasy.

To me its grade could be even higher. Liking it or not, TSW is one (if not the one) of the most innovative MMOs out there. Perhaps for people have their feelings hurt about FUNCOM, they cannot stand the fact that FC has released a very modern and interesting game. They prefer to bias everybody instead of leaving it alone, not realising that even if they don't like it, it is good for the gaming world that we have different models of games, and they don't respect that TSW may be for some people (like me) the only option available right now. 

I tried SWTOR, GW2 and am trying EVE Online, but TSW is still the one that fully catches my attention.

REAL CONS are the fact that PvP is still immature, it requires a high-end gaming system, it has a high learning curve and the content is somewhat short (although they're releasing new content monthly).

edit: typo

Originally posted by Rawiz

If you can't "grasp" why not that many tried nor bought it, take a look at the mark AoC left. It's pretty simple, people remember bad things much, much longer than good things.

I also happen to think it's great, that failures are not so easily forgiven. I like the new model and frankly I'm glad they were forced to adopt it. Perhaps some other companies, that like to produce games, that just don't deliver what they promise will take a lesson.

Your entire article seems ackward, because you don't even seem to know (or simply refuse to acknowledge, for whatever reason), why people are hesitant about Funcom. There's not even a single comment about that. I'm actually surprised, that you thought it'd sell well.

They released it right before GW2, WoW:MoP, and other grand games, they have a VERY questionable reputation, they launch with a box price+sub+cash shop. Gee, it's a small wonder they sold even that many.

I agree Rawlz, if Bill had taken into account what you have outlined then I'm sure his bemused state wouldn't be..... well bemused anymore. I was lucky to get into beta of TSW and found the game to be atypical Funcom, the client though better than AOC's ran badly for me, the graphics were strangely inconsistent, cutscenes stuttered and did not run properly, combat was slow and disjointed, voice acting wasn't very good not GW2 bad though, PvP was bad and players very early on realised the game was small and would be completed rather quickly, couple that with no endgame you have the cries of "single player game" on the forums, these are the things that turned off players in the beta. But to Funcom's credit the atmosphere was fantastic, the skill wheel seemed to have great possibilities, the missions were fun, story was interesting and the dungeons were well done with actually obsticles to overcome. The problem is once again Funcom they can come up with great ideas but their execution is poor and I have to be honest I only see this as a cash grab before full Freemium as the company cannot survive much longer with 3 MMO failures in a decade, they are trying to generate cashflow with this move that is all. 

I have no issue with Funcom - I enjoyed AoC and AO. I thought TLJ was great, so I'm an admirer of Ragnar Tornquist. And I played the old Call of Cthulu RPG years ago and have no problem with the game's setting. Really, I should be loving this game but I haven't even tried it. Why not? Character customization. The game earned a reputation for identikit avatars and that prevented my initial curiousity from developing into genuine interest. 

Clearly, it's not a deal breaker for most - it's purely aesthetic right? Nobody cares, you just scroll out and only see your toon's face in cut scenes. Sure, I get that. Totally valid argument. But let me explain my position. I engage with the game world through my character. If I'm not engaged with my character, I'm not engaged with the game. You can get a master craftsman like Ragnar to build the most immersive and original game world out there. But not giving me the tools to create a character worthy of that world, well it's like inviting me to a top restaurant and asking me to eat with a plastic fork. It just isn't going to happen.

Remember, the character customisation screen is usually the first thing you see when you enter a game. Game developers really ought to make an effort to make that first impression a positive one. 

Originally posted by crack_fox

I have no issue with Funcom - I enjoyed AoC and AO. I thought TLJ was great, so I'm an admirer of Ragnar Tornquist. And I played the old Call of Cthulu RPG years ago and have no problem with the game's setting. Really, I should be loving this game but I haven't even tried it. Why not? Character customization. The game earned a reputation for identikit avatars and that prevented my initial curiousity from developing into genuine interest. 

Clearly, it's not a deal breaker for most - it's purely aesthetic right? Nobody cares, you just scroll out and only see your toon's face in cut scenes. Sure, I get that. Totally valid argument. But let me explain my position. I engage with the game world through my character. If I'm not engaged with my character, I'm not engaged with the game. You can get a master craftsman like Ragnar to build the most immersive and original game world out there. But not giving me the tools to create a character worthy of that world, well it's like inviting me to a top restaurant and asking me to eat with a plastic fork. It just isn't going to happen.

Remember, the character customisation screen is usually the first thing you see when you enter a game. Game developers really ought to make an effort to make that first impression a positive one. 

Then you should really try the trial period. The character creator is not superb as it is in EVE Online, but definitely not as bad as they say.

First, win 8 reviews have all been terrible. I can't see anyone wanting it as an OS when win 7 64 bit has run so well. But even on DX9 it's beautiful. (Yes, I run at max, but I know how it looks on 9 XD )

Second, if you haven't been in game since September, stop posting here. The game is FREE! Go see the changes! Yes, the game is the same game, it hasn't changed that drastically =P

As for Funcom, this is a game where the studio is small enough that the game director comes and chats with us on the official forums. We ask for things and suggest simple solutions and sometimes we get them. Example: People complained there wasn't enough customization. We asked for height sliders. They explained why we couldn't have height sliders. We suggested size sliders. We got size sliders a month later.

And unlike some companies I could mention, Funcom will find a way to turn a profit and keep their game running because they are run by people who love games more than they love profits. They are still putting out content for both AO and AoC, so as a Lifetimer I have no worries that my game will go away one day.

Because of the Dev's that run TSW i never want to quit it. You can see it in the product they release and their responces on forums. They LIKE this game, they really want people to play it since its good. The Dev's actually care about the community. Which is more than ive seen in any of the mountian of MMO's ive Beta'ed, Alpha'ed, or played Launch at.

Originally posted by Meyithi

I picked it up for £15 yesterday and have had a quick play today, suffers from the same problems as Age of Conan in that the engine is terribly optimised and the only way to get decent framerates is to turn all of the eye candy down.  I have a 3960X and a GeForce 680 and still can't play AoC in it's full DX10 glory, the engine is that bad!  It's carried over to TSW unfortunately.

Also, apparently there is a problem with the framerates on Windows 8, and Funcom conveniently  "aren't supporting" Windows 8.  Considering AoC still runs like a dog after all of these years I don't hold up much hope of resolution, it;s just a dog of an engine.

 

 

I'm not so sure it's the game.  I'm on a gtx550ti video card and can run on dx11 maxxed settings without issues...

Lifetimers didn't really get screwed despite the mental misconception here :

Grandmaster pack : Lifetime subscription to the game, still have to pay additional money in cash shop for clothing, pets, titles etc. 10% discount in store.

Grandmaster after B2P : 1200 points a month to instantly buy the new content (so still included then free, for lifetime, without any additional out of pockets cost) AND leftover points can be used on cosmetics from cash shop.  Plus the discount is now 20%.

Where exactly did we get screwed?  I'm actually getting more for my lifetime sub now than I did before.

Originally posted by Meyithi

I picked it up for £15 yesterday and have had a quick play today, suffers from the same problems as Age of Conan in that the engine is terribly optimised and the only way to get decent framerates is to turn all of the eye candy down.  I have a 3960X and a GeForce 680 and still can't play AoC in it's full DX10 glory, the engine is that bad!  It's carried over to TSW unfortunately.

Also, apparently there is a problem with the framerates on Windows 8, and Funcom conveniently  "aren't supporting" Windows 8.  Considering AoC still runs like a dog after all of these years I don't hold up much hope of resolution, it;s just a dog of an engine.

 

honestly, I've no problem at all playing TSW in windows 8. It works as a charm. 

and my pc has only QUAD CORE as CPU, ATI 4600 1G as GPU......

Originally posted by xharbinger

Originally posted by crack_fox

Nostril flare sliders or GTFO. 

Then you should really try the trial period. The character creator is not superb as it is in EVE Online, but definitely not as bad as they say.

There are few games that can match Eve's cc, although when I last played that (in Beta) it was only a portrait.

No doubt I'll give the TSW trial a shot at some point.