Aion is already a huge success in asia, probably already having well over 500k subscribers. Everquest never had brand recognition either, and it did great.

Yes, game you are right. But the whole arquement here is that would the formula of asian mmo's still attract more players here in north america. I know for a fact that many games from asia contain an awful lot of grinding, which turns off many americans. I don't mind doing it however alot of people say that grinding will not make the cut here. Am I right or did I miss something?

X-Fire. Whats that O_o

MMmm I don't seem to have that on my computer.  Oh well

Originally posted by Inktomi

 Aion is already a huge success in asia, probably already having well over 500k subscribers. Everquest never had brand recognition either, and it did great.

Yes, game you are right. But the whole arquement here is that would the formula of asian mmo's still attract more players here in north america. I know for a fact that many games from asia contain an awful lot of grinding, which turns off many americans. I don't mind doing it however alot of people say that grinding will not make the cut here. Am I right or did I miss something?

No real grinding in the game from what I can see so far. I wouldn't worry about that to much.

Guess it would depend on your tolerance for grinding or how you view it in the first place.  You might not think it much of a grind, but to someone else it could be utterly tedious.  I take any reviews of asian games with lots of grains of salt.  I've been burned too many times by crappy asian games to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Originally posted by Inktomi

 Aion is already a huge success in asia, probably already having well over 500k subscribers. Everquest never had brand recognition either, and it did great.

Yes, game you are right. But the whole arquement here is that would the formula of asian mmo's still attract more players here in north america. I know for a fact that many games from asia contain an awful lot of grinding, which turns off many americans. I don't mind doing it however alot of people say that grinding will not make the cut here. Am I right or did I miss something?

That depends on what you you find a grind.
Having to kill Mobs all day long without any real reason to level isn't something you have to do in Aion.
You get most of you xp from Quest, kinda like WoW... which make the "grind" transparent to people, like myself.
You also get XP from crafting and PvP.... which is another plus, toward the game.

If you think doing quests is a grind... then you might find Aion, a grind. I don't, but some might.

Granted my Assassin is only level 13 atm... so that could change in the later levels of the game.

Originally posted by Inktomi

 Aion is already a huge success in asia, probably already having well over 500k subscribers. Everquest never had brand recognition either, and it did great.

Yes, game you are right. But the whole arquement here is that would the formula of asian mmo's still attract more players here in north america. I know for a fact that many games from asia contain an awful lot of grinding, which turns off many americans. I don't mind doing it however alot of people say that grinding will not make the cut here. Am I right or did I miss something?

I think it will since it provides either a quest based grind or straight hard grind and gives a choice of movement while providing fun items and rich lore, story missions, free flight, solo or group xp, while bringing  rich graphics and a Asian flavor. A mmo styled with Asian themes and western content quests and xp is a formula that could showcase future mmo's from other companies.

Originally posted by LynxJSA

Originally posted by Zorndorf

 

I will bet you 10.000 dollars Aion will not even come close to 500 K subscriptions in the west after 6 month launch.

And GW is played by about 300-400K active players (see Xfire stats) and it is .... FREE with no subscription rates.

So most people have NO idea what 500 K western subscriptions for ONE game mean today.

 

You should be very thankful that most people find you too laughable to even consider taking you up on that bet, becuase otherwise you'd be sitting around wondering why you bet six months worth of flipping your fries in an eRage tantrum on the intarweb.

 

I say this not because I feel either way on the 500k number but on your horribly flawed basis for your position.

 

Won't even bother reply to zorn.
 

He knows nothing but talks with a big mouth.  HE does not know Aion, so he thinks Aion has no name.  He does not know about the Koreans and he still live in the dream world of his, in which the west is the only market worth selling to.  He does not realise the East is a larger market for online entertainment, and revenue from online "sales" from China >>>> US.  The special social situation in China and Korea, for different reasons, has sustained a huge online community hungry for fun and games.

If 1million is considered success for games, not just MMORPG, there are tons in China and Korea, and Zorn is simply ignorant.

As for his bet, trust me, the day we win the bet, he will flee or start using xfire as defence, denying the numbers.  Who in China use xfire?

I definitely think Aion will be the next big thing.

First off, it has the Z axis (jump/flying) thing down. This was a downfall in GW which they are just now implementing into GW2 (and that's only jumping, mind you).

Secondly, it has a WoW-ish feel in that you can basically do anything you want.

Lastly, Aion is structured.

I myself was an avid GW player. I admit, the free subscription really appealed to me, but the storyline and graphics are what kept me there. WoW was okay, but after several months it got boring since one day I ask myself, "What is the point of this game?" WoW and EQ are essentially, an "ever quest." I lost interest in both these games since there was no structure and no real point to the game. Granted some may say, "Um... duh... the point of WoW and EQ is to get the best armour and pwn all!" To that I say, "boring." I love GW because of it's unique storyline in prophecies, factions (the best!), nightfall, and the eotn.

Aion, imo, is a combination of GW and WoW since it allows the player to do other things other than just fight (i.e. craft) like in WoW, but is still structured with a storyline (like GW and unlike WoW). Oh yeah and flying is a major plus! The only good thing about CoH/CoV was flying.

Nah I think you nailed it when you said the point of WoW and EQ are to ever quest. The other stuff are for the achievers. Aion's end game is competitive in a way that's more fun, or so I think. :) Raids don't spell fun to me. :(

About Xfire I said this on AoC forums when those stats were used: Most mmo players I know that are around age 30 and up do not and will not use Xfire. It is by no way a decent way to measure stats. Other then to spell out the obvious.

"AION is already a huge success in Asia"

This statement has a problem.

First, AION is a success in Korea; this is true. It has stayed on top for the last 6 months with Sudden Attack at #2 Starcraft at #3 and WoW at #4. You see the 2 Blizzard Titles there? They were at that possition and higher for the last several years. Now that's a huge success. AION, right now it's on top, but only time will tell. Regardless, it's a success in Korea.

In China, it's a different story. The game only receive low to moderate impact in China. It's hanging at about 150K CCU right now. Notice, it's CCU (concurrent user), not subscrition. In China, because of the paying model is quite different, CCU is a better metric than subscription. Now, 150K CCU is rather low for a new game in China. WoW has over 1 million CCU, Westward Journey Fantasy from NetEase with over 2 million CCU, ZTOnline from Giant Interactive over 2 million CCU. Many new Chinese new game beat 150K CCU mark, for example, Giant Online from Giant Interactive within the first few days of open beta reach 200K CCU.

Also, WOTLK has not even out yet in China, when they sort out the problem and release WOTLK in China, it's a whole new ball game started. As it is right now, AION is a success in Korea, other reagons, not so much, still have to wait and see.

Originally posted by Thachsanh

"AION is already a huge success in Asia"

This statement has a problem.

First, AION is a success in Korea; this is true. It has stayed on top for the last 6 months with Sudden Attack at #2 Starcraft at #3 and WoW at #4. You see the 2 Blizzard Titles there? They were at that possition and higher for the last several years. Now that's a huge success. AION, right now it's on top, but only time will tell. Regardless, it's a success in Korea.

In China, it's a different story. The game only receive low to moderate impact in China. It's hanging at about 150K CCU right now. Notice, it's CCU (concurrent user), not subscrition. In China, because of the paying model is quite different, CCU is a better metric than subscription. Now, 150K CCU is rather low for a new game in China. WoW has over 1 million CCU, Westward Journey Fantasy from NetEase with over 2 million CCU, ZTOnline from Giant Interactive over 2 million CCU. Many new Chinese new game beat 150K CCU mark, for example, Giant Online from Giant Interactive within the first few days of open beta reach 200K CCU.

Also, WOTLK has not even out yet in China, when they sort out the problem and release WOTLK in China, it's a whole new ball game started. As it is right now, AION is a success in Korea, other reagons, not so much, still have to wait and see.

 Misread

Originally posted by Thachsanh

"AION is already a huge success in Asia"

This statement has a problem.

First, AION is a success in Korea; this is true. It has stayed on top for the last 6 months with Sudden Attack at #2 Starcraft at #3 and WoW at #4. You see the 2 Blizzard Titles there? They were at that possition and higher for the last several years. Now that's a huge success. AION, right now it's on top, but only time will tell. Regardless, it's a success in Korea.

In China, it's a different story. The game only receive low to moderate impact in China. It's hanging at about 150K CCU right now. Notice, it's CCU (concurrent user), not subscrition. In China, because of the paying model is quite different, CCU is a better metric than subscription. Now, 150K CCU is rather low for a new game in China. WoW has over 1 million CCU, Westward Journey Fantasy from NetEase with over 2 million CCU, ZTOnline from Giant Interactive over 2 million CCU. Many new Chinese new game beat 150K CCU mark, for example, Giant Online from Giant Interactive within the first few days of open beta reach 200K CCU.

Also, WOTLK has not even out yet in China, when they sort out the problem and release WOTLK in China, it's a whole new ball game started. As it is right now, AION is a success in Korea, other reagons, not so much, still have to wait and see.

no-one inform the aion fanbois! there'll be riots!
 

You gotta define a BIG MMO.

Plaync is a big company, and they have made many succseful games. Linage 1 and 2 have been going on for longer than world of warcraft, and Guild Wars is doing pretty good for a non-subscription MMO, and reaching it's 4th year this year and their customers are still growing.

Indeed WoW probably has more subscribers than plaync's MMOs combined but that dosn't mean that it's not succseful.

Just becuase a game only has a quater of the number of subscriptions to WoW dosn't mean it's succseful.

All MMOs are succseful if they can launch their game to the public and maintain the game for atleast 2 years or more.

I really don't understand why people hate WoW, but always compare games to WoW.....not all MMOs are WoW clones!
 

Originally posted by jadsta

I've been looking around for new upcoming MMO's, and it seems that alot of people really think Aion will be the next big MMO.

I decided to research abit more about Aion and it's the first game I've seen in a long time to have good, smooth gameplay, like WoW. I'm not saying that WoW is the best MMO out at the moment, though it does have the most subsribers, but I think part of the reason it is so popular is the gameplay, movements, smoothness of combat, etc.

Aion looks very promising, but I also notice it is by the company, playNC, which has a number of different MMO's which have not been very successful (Lineage 1 & 2, Guildwars, City of Heroes/Villains).

So, do YOU think Aion will be the next big MMO?

 

First of all if your gonna post stuff like "have not been very successful" and then put Guild Wars in there you shouldn't even be posting this garbage.  Type in "guild wars+success" on google and you can read for yourself.   Really any guild wars fan which there are millions will read this and disregard your whole post.  Second no Aion will not be the next big MMO because there are 2 games that will probably be a lot better with more customization, better classes, and move variety and that is Bioware's Old Repuiblic and Guild Wars 2. 

Originally posted by susanto1228

 Second no Aion will not be the next big MMO because there are 2 games that will probably be a lot better with more customization, better classes, and move variety and that is Bioware's Old Repuiblic and Guild Wars 2. 

Bioware's models against Aion's are you serious? I've yet to see a close up of a female face in TOR and that scares me honestly. Better classes? You would have had to play all those games to know unless what you consider 'better' is a new name. Guild Wars 2 you have absolutely nothing to stand on to even claim what it will be like, no one does at this point. That's like me saying Aion is going to be huge in 2006, please I had no idea. I'm still not really sure it will rock over here but hope it does.

TOR will do extremely well but it can still disapoint the over zealous masses so we'll see what happens, I'm sure it will have a healthy following but the masses do some weird things sometimes. o.o

Will Aion be the next big game?   ...Maybe.

Considering that I've been following the development of the game for years now with every iota of my rabid fanboi single-mindedness I could bring to bear, a "maybe" may seem a bit mediocre.  But I'm a semi-rational being, and I know that against some other titles out there - like WoW and EQ/EQ2 - Aion will face an uphill battle for a top-slot next to them.  But I believe that Aion's got what it takes to make people stand up and take notice of this new title: beautiful art and smooth animations, eye-catching spell/skills, an engaging combat system, all-axies Flight, an in-depth story, PvPvE (perhaps a real first for MMOs in general), and more.

Sure, right now it's mostly asian-centric in its realm of success.  But keep in mind that the game was DEVELOPED in that part of the world almost exclusively (if not completely over there; I don't know how much the Western offices gave input on the development of the game beforehand), and was advertised heavily there, even if it was only by word-of-mouth.

Oh, and as an aside; calling Aion a "WoW-clone" is like the pot calling the kettle black; its foolish and makes little sense.  WoW has certain gameplay elements that make it a success - good art, storyline, etc - just like 90% of the MMOs out there.  And quite a few console-based RPGs.  And some table-top games, if you wanna continue getting more and more vague.  One of the most obvious - in my mind at least - differences between the two is that Aion is an original IP, whereas WoW just took an exsisting one and brought it to the next logical (at that time) stage of its "creative evoltion".  Creating a totally new world is orders of magnitudes harder than expanding on an exsisting one, in my book.

Originally posted by susanto1228

Originally posted by jadsta

I've been looking around for new upcoming MMO's, and it seems that alot of people really think Aion will be the next big MMO.

I decided to research abit more about Aion and it's the first game I've seen in a long time to have good, smooth gameplay, like WoW. I'm not saying that WoW is the best MMO out at the moment, though it does have the most subsribers, but I think part of the reason it is so popular is the gameplay, movements, smoothness of combat, etc.

Aion looks very promising, but I also notice it is by the company, playNC, which has a number of different MMO's which have not been very successful (Lineage 1 & 2, Guildwars, City of Heroes/Villains).

So, do YOU think Aion will be the next big MMO?

 

 

First of all if your gonna post stuff like "have not been very successful" and then put Guild Wars in there you shouldn't even be posting this garbage.  Type in "guild wars+success" on google and you can read for yourself.   Really any guild wars fan which there are millions will read this and disregard your whole post.  Second no Aion will not be the next big MMO because there are 2 games that will probably be a lot better with more customization, better classes, and move variety and that is Bioware's Old Repuiblic and Guild Wars 2. 

I hate to burst your bubble but the market trend right now suggest that no western built MMO besides WoW would have a subscription base surpassing 1mil at 6months after release.

It all comes down to social perception of what it means to be a gamer. In the west, Gamers (especially MMO gamers) are looked down as losers that has too much free time and not enough social skills to excel in real life. So to be a MMO gamer is to be ostracized by society. Eastern gamers don't suffer from this social stigma, or at least not as much.

So why does WoW succeed and other western built MMOs don't?

The answer is because WoW has become socially acceptable to play. We hear about celebrities playing it, we have celebrities endorsing it. People don't normally don't play video games could play wow and not be ostracize.

For any western MMO seeking to be next Wow, they basically face a catch 22 situation. They need a high subscription base to be socially accepted but they need to be socially accepted before they can get the high subscription numbers.

This is simply not true in the East. Or at least not as much of an issue.

  Aion is looking like it will be a strong game. At this point however im convinced unless a game has some serious lore already surrounding it, it will never be the next big thing.

  Look when WoW was released some saw it coming but most where clueless untill the guilds started falling apart and disappearing on EQ. What killed EQ and cemented the legacy known currently as WoW was lore. Sony destroyed the IP when they released planes of power effectively allowing you to kill most all the gods depicted in the current lore. Thus making Sony's writers create new lore at every turn. Blizzard was ripe with almost a decade of lore from its Warcraft franchise and they knew it and they turned out the best casual friendly game to date.

  Gamers as a whole have grown and matured through the years. They want chilling storylines and lush environments coupled with an easy to manage game engine. It wouldnt matter if you made the game like EQ where achievements and gear took long hard raids and corpse runs to attain or like wow where you spend a week learning the encounters and a few months farming gear for everyone and their mom (literally). You however better darn well have a ton of lore to draw from. Ive been an avid gamer for years, as alot of you have, starting in the old two towers mudd and moving to EQ the day my crappy walmart finally got copies of the game. Along the way i tried alot of the more popular mmo's (DAoC, Vanguard,  EQ2, WoW, AoC, Waaagh...and others i am drawing a blank on). I still have yet to replicate the feeling i had during the first 3-4 years of EQ.

  I have pretty much drawn the conclusion that in order to beat the man your going to have to be the man (blizzard) or have been the man (Verant......i guess Sony did ok a couple years).

  The only promissing note i see on the horizon in the search for the next big thing is Blizzards next-gen mmo. The only information i have heard are purely rumors albiet decent ones. Ive heard that the team on the new mmo is headed by one of the old guild leaders from EQ who eventually went to work for Blizzard. He was the leader of one of the guilds that strived to attain every game first and is widely respected in the mmo community (all im going to say as i am still trying to find the source article as several friends and guildies are wanting to read it also....im forgetfull sometimes deal with it). There was also a less credible rumor that the new mmo from blizzard was going to be steam-punkish. google it......im not explaining it.

  Ive ranted enough... will Aion be the next big mmo...no probably not. WIll it be a good mmo, all signs point to yes from beta experience and several of us have been following this productions for a good while.

peace

Originally posted by Serrix79

  Aion is looking like it will be a strong game. At this point however im convinced unless a game has some serious lore already surrounding it, it will never be the next big thing.

  Look when WoW was released some saw it coming but most where clueless untill the guilds started falling apart and disappearing on EQ. What killed EQ and cemented the legacy known currently as WoW was lore. Sony destroyed the IP when they released planes of power effectively allowing you to kill most all the gods depicted in the current lore. Thus making Sony's writers create new lore at every turn. Blizzard was ripe with almost a decade of lore from its Warcraft franchise and they knew it and they turned out the best casual friendly game to date.

  Gamers as a whole have grown and matured through the years. They want chilling storylines and lush environments coupled with an easy to manage game engine. It wouldnt matter if you made the game like EQ where achievements and gear took long hard raids and corpse runs to attain or like wow where you spend a week learning the encounters and a few months farming gear for everyone and their mom (literally). You however better darn well have a ton of lore to draw from. Ive been an avid gamer for years, as alot of you have, starting in the old two towers mudd and moving to EQ the day my crappy walmart finally got copies of the game. Along the way i tried alot of the more popular mmo's (DAoC, Vanguard,  EQ2, WoW, AoC, Waaagh...and others i am drawing a blank on). I still have yet to replicate the feeling i had during the first 3-4 years of EQ.

  I have pretty much drawn the conclusion that in order to beat the man your going to have to be the man (blizzard) or have been the man (Verant......i guess Sony did ok a couple years).

  The only promissing note i see on the horizon in the search for the next big thing is Blizzards next-gen mmo. The only information i have heard are purely rumors albiet decent ones. Ive heard that the team on the new mmo is headed by one of the old guild leaders from EQ who eventually went to work for Blizzard. He was the leader of one of the guilds that strived to attain every game first and is widely respected in the mmo community (all im going to say as i am still trying to find the source article as several friends and guildies are wanting to read it also....im forgetfull sometimes deal with it). There was also a less credible rumor that the new mmo from blizzard was going to be steam-punkish. google it......im not explaining it.

 

  Ive ranted enough... will Aion be the next big mmo...no probably not. WIll it be a good mmo, all signs point to yes from beta experience and several of us have been following this productions for a good while.

 

peace

But.... Wow IS ALREADY Steam punk...

Originally posted by Serrix79

  Aion is looking like it will be a strong game. At this point however im convinced unless a game has some serious lore already surrounding it, it will never be the next big thing.

  Look when WoW was released some saw it coming but most where clueless untill the guilds started falling apart and disappearing on EQ. What killed EQ and cemented the legacy known currently as WoW was lore. Sony destroyed the IP when they released planes of power effectively allowing you to kill most all the gods depicted in the current lore. Thus making Sony's writers create new lore at every turn. Blizzard was ripe with almost a decade of lore from its Warcraft franchise and they knew it and they turned out the best casual friendly game to date.

  Gamers as a whole have grown and matured through the years. They want chilling storylines and lush environments coupled with an easy to manage game engine. It wouldnt matter if you made the game like EQ where achievements and gear took long hard raids and corpse runs to attain or like wow where you spend a week learning the encounters and a few months farming gear for everyone and their mom (literally). You however better darn well have a ton of lore to draw from. Ive been an avid gamer for years, as alot of you have, starting in the old two towers mudd and moving to EQ the day my crappy walmart finally got copies of the game. Along the way i tried alot of the more popular mmo's (DAoC, Vanguard,  EQ2, WoW, AoC, Waaagh...and others i am drawing a blank on). I still have yet to replicate the feeling i had during the first 3-4 years of EQ.

  I have pretty much drawn the conclusion that in order to beat the man your going to have to be the man (blizzard) or have been the man (Verant......i guess Sony did ok a couple years).

  The only promissing note i see on the horizon in the search for the next big thing is Blizzards next-gen mmo. The only information i have heard are purely rumors albiet decent ones. Ive heard that the team on the new mmo is headed by one of the old guild leaders from EQ who eventually went to work for Blizzard. He was the leader of one of the guilds that strived to attain every game first and is widely respected in the mmo community (all im going to say as i am still trying to find the source article as several friends and guildies are wanting to read it also....im forgetfull sometimes deal with it). There was also a less credible rumor that the new mmo from blizzard was going to be steam-punkish. google it......im not explaining it.

 

  Ive ranted enough... will Aion be the next big mmo...no probably not. WIll it be a good mmo, all signs point to yes from beta experience and several of us have been following this productions for a good while.

 

peace

While I can see your points have much value in the case of Warcraft, not so much for Everquest. EQ's lore is vast because it's so old. You can't say a game won't be the next big thing purely based on it's lore if it comes with entirely new lore. If that's true LotrO should really have had more success then it did, not saying it didn't have a great success it did very well, but it should have done better; it fails at capturing the Middle Earth tone imo all across the game.

Aion Lore

While Aion's lore can't possibly match a trilogy or established video games like Warcraft, this is a nice start and we all have to start somewhere. Spellborn also has a very interesting lore, but I don't think very many expect that game to make huge waves. Ryzom has an amazing lore and very unique baclground, and who plays this again?

Lore is very important but it's only a part of the whole.