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Now with the light of the 'no open beta issue' that horrible nagging feeling is back... One of the key things that gave me hope that both AoC (and WAR) could possibly kick these devs that think 'oh we can release half a game and finish it next year' thinkers that we've had VERY often resently (LOTRO being the last smooth release dispite having no EG content, although it was quickly corrected) was the fact they've been pummeling into our heads that 'we've learned from our past mistakes, we want to release this 'finished''... However with the lack of any type of beta other than 'closed' not even mass stress testing that nagging feeling is indead back, whats trigged this locked anyway until release thing? Is it indead a 'Vanguard' situation again? I'm hoping damn well not, this is one of the key benchmark titles that could 'save' the genre or it could further plummet us all into thinking devlevopers are about as trustworthy as policitains are... What do you guys think? Bring on the WARRRRGGHH! |
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1/11/08 9:23:09 AM#2
I admit that my "nagging feeling" is also stronger than ever today :( I just hope that if we nag enough, perhaps Funcom will realize that Open Beta is better for promoting the game, than a black box. |
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1/11/08 9:44:57 AM#3
No MMO to date has released 'complete.' In fact I think none ever will - new content constantly being added is the hallmark of the genre.
That being said, I hope AoC launches complete enough that you can reach the highest level without feeling like you've run out of content. Some endgame stuff can definitely wait. In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own. -Thomas Jefferson |
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1/11/08 9:45:47 AM#4
Other then wow I can't think of any MMORPG game that has ever been released in what I'd call a completed state and even wow had loads of problems on release... So with AoC be complete? HIGHLY doubtful. Especially without an open beta and with an NDA in place it's highly suggestive that there are still issues. I'm so wanting to preorder but after being burned so many times just can't bring myself to do it even for the drinking cape... 
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Kyleran
 Elite Member
Joined: 9/13/06
A simple truth-"What people want and what is good for an mmo is not always the same thing"-mrw0lf |
1/11/08 9:49:11 AM#5
I think it is safe to say there will be some features and other content that will be delivered after the launch. But let's hope the core game is solid and we can have fun playing it while we wait.
"Just because you aren't paying doesn't mean it's not PTW." - Amaranthar |
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1/11/08 9:58:02 AM#6
Originally posted by ethion Name one, besides all people in one small zone causing lag and a laggy loot server, which was fixed within few days. WoW didn't crash on release. Logins were relatively fast (about 10 min wait in a queue at most). |
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1/11/08 10:03:44 AM#7
Archimonde (the server) was totally boned for a long time, that is one. Also, the laggy loot server was not fixed within a few days - more like a couple weeks. I fondly remember being stuck looting Murloc corpses on the beach of Westfall while other Murlocs raped me. The fact that looting, which is a core element of the game since it is something you do every minute in PvE, was borked is big enough to say WoW had a shaky launch. |
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Originally posted by D|CE Going off topic a bit here now but the EU side deffinity had it's issues, but even WoW's 'key' features in the game weren't actally put into the game until after release BGs and deffinity the high end 'raid content' weren't put into the game until sometime later.. ----- However back on topic so by the sounds of things no one actally beleaves the promise of a 'finished product', and we'll be expecting game breaking bugs and lack of some areas of core gameplay then? At this rate it's best off not buying AoC until at least 4 months after release then? Yes I also highly dought we'll ever see a MMO 'complete' on release, but like I said are we expecting parts the devs talked about for example siege pvp to be 'missing' when we buy the game? thats the main question Bring on the WARRRRGGHH! |
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1/11/08 10:10:57 AM#9
Given that Betas for recently released MMOs seem to have driven sales down it appears that developers are still relying on the model of "sell a box get X dollars from the point of sale," however, remember that the average MMO generates 2-3 times the amount of revenue per year of pay after the point of sale and the situation with AoC starts to look grim. If they don't even lift the NDA then there is a gurantee of significant problems which will take months to sort out. Given no stress test it feels like we're back in the days of EQ1, which I purchased at release and was unable to play for nearly a month afterwards. Frankly I think the whole free play open beta has went way too far, however, it is an invaluable tool for a new game, especially one which had to rework their entire combat system less than a year from launch. |
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1/11/08 10:14:29 AM#10
Given Funcom's track record with Anarchy Online, I expect AoC to launch : * Incomplete at some fundamental levels * Extremely buggy * Extremely poor performance with tons of lag and rubber-banding No Open Beta should be a real Red-Flag for any prospective buyer to wait for a few months before paying to play the "Paid Beta" at $15 a month + $60 for the box.
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1/11/08 12:18:15 PM#11
No game will ever be released with alot of End Game Content that is based on a system like AoC, WAR, WOW.. The devs polish the starting zones, which from what I have read the first 20 levels and then the rest starts to become a rinse repeat process. Personally I would want the complete game, quest worked out, stress test all that good stuff but it never happens. Buying AoC at release will give u one thing and its not a complete game, its a chance to develop your character and socialize the most and become a bigger part of your server community if thats important to you. Starting months after release will put u behind the wave of levelers so make it harder for grouping and such. I would say get it at release play the polished parts. If it gets stale for a bit leave come back after a patch or 2 and see if any changes have happened. |
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1/11/08 2:38:15 PM#12
No open beta, no worry. With 170k+ beta applications, be very easy for Funcom to invite as many as they need to actually run all the stress tests that they need. So realistically speaking no open beta has no impact at all on testing, what it is about, is marketing these days. Release 100% complete? No, I dont think it will, I think that there will be features that wont make release, what I'd expect for that trade off, is an extremely bug free release (i.e. polish the hell out of what you do release) I also wonder what wont make release, and I certainly hope that if anything does get left out, it's not part of the "core" elements of the game. |
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Battlekruse
 Novice Member
Joined: 12/28/06
"Enough research will tend to support whatever theory.." |
1/11/08 4:01:01 PM#13
Originally posted by Shoal QFT
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1/11/08 7:02:54 PM#14
Originally posted by D|CEUnfinished Zones - large sections of the world remain unfinished, and some fact never were finished. To wit: Azshara, Moonglade, Old Ironforge, and any high level instance (Scholo, Strat, the spires, etc.). Really, anything past level 50 was largely undone on release - their dungeons were horribly balanced, which they compensate for by just declaring them 10 man raid dungeons, and calling it a day (the result were instances designed for 5 people that could be run by 10, and occasionally had 'hot spots' that would be really tough for a 5 man group).
Endgame crafting - didn't exist. Pretty much period PvP - hah.
In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own. -Thomas Jefferson |
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1/11/08 7:27:49 PM#15
Originally posted by Sharajat Not that this matters at all but its true, loads of 5 mans where not in the game in the first few weeks of existance including the pvp ranking system that got added very late and even later the battlegrounds got in. You only had molten core as 40 man for the the first 7 months aswell untill BWL came but that didnt matter as you needed 7 months to gear up. This has nothing to do with a bugged game it just says that not all content was in the game that wast a 100% finised by that time. Its exactly what will happen with AoC. |
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1/11/08 9:21:51 PM#16
Originally posted by Sornin Thats funny i remember that loot lag been quite common even 2 years after launch and was still present in the game at times when i left 6 months ago |
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