So other than stinking heavily of another game......whats so bad with this game thats keeping it empty of players?

Im actually enjoying it.  I like the EVE style skill system.  Where i set which skills in wich paths i want to reasearch online or off.  This i like, a lot.

Its certainly not perfect, the controls, the animation, the jumping.  Some mobs kind of rubberband.  Nothing huge, certainly common issues in most f2p games.

There are a lot worse games out there. 

But why so few people?  Its not like you charged $40 for some pre alpha state working engin but without any real game (looking at you mortal online)

So what gives, pvp might be fun with a time based skill system, the basement dwellers will have less an ability to devote 20 hours a day to getting to max level, at least in the skills they use.

Seems like it could work, so far its a fun game, theres no monster learning curve like in darkfall, to keep people from staying, this game should have at least one crowded server.

Seriously does this game give you herpes, is that why no one is logged on? 

Its very hard for a game that is like another game to beat a game that has already been so sucuessful. Especially when it looks graphically about the same and maybe slightly worse. Also the current press guy or what ever hasnt done the game any favors.

Originally posted by Leagolx

Its very hard for a game that is like another game to beat a game that has already been so sucuessful. Especially when it looks graphically about the same and maybe slightly worse. Also the current press guy or what ever hasnt done the game any favors.

This whole concept of games "beating" other games is so tiresome.

Is this what it all comes down to, "beating" other games and graphics?

My point was,  this game isnt as bad as its "numbers" (assumptions at best) suggest.

When comparing it to say, mortal online, which at least drew a steady crowd into the game at launch, and maintains a cult following.  That wasnt even a finished game, there were seriously like 12 diffrent mobs in game.

So my question was along the lines of "what happend".... a free game, even the total crap free games, have a sizable crowd.

But yes it does reek of wow, however i have yet to see another free "wow imitation" that captures wow's enviromental detail and ambiance quite like this game does. 

more people should try this game, imo.  unless there is some bad rap going on i dont know about.

I think a few things cause this.

A. MMOs are time consuming. I generally stick to a couple at most. As this game is so similar to another, why play both.

B. It's old hat. This can be said of many F2Ps they just recycle what worked before.

C. It appears in an unhealthy state. I don't want to invest in something that might disappear.

D. Due to C, low pop. MMOs that have less players than a BFBC2 map aren't fun.

Despite Mortal Online being a completely botched, scam of a game, at least it tried to be something different.  It appeals to a hungry niche market that's so desperate they'll basically accept anything remotely close to what they want, no matter how horrible it actually is.

Alganon, however, is kind of like eating the food out of the dumpster behind a restaurant.  Most people would rather just go in and pay to have a proper dining experience and avoid eating maggots and getting food poisoning.  Catch my drift?

Originally posted by crunchyblack

So other than stinking heavily of another game......whats so bad with this game thats keeping it empty of players?

 

Im actually enjoying it.  I like the EVE style skill system.  Where i set which skills in wich paths i want to reasearch online or off.  This i like, a lot.

 

Its certainly not perfect, the controls, the animation, the jumping.  Some mobs kind of rubberband.  Nothing huge, certainly common issues in most f2p games.

There are a lot worse games out there. 

 

But why so few people?  Its not like you charged $40 for some pre alpha state working engin but without any real game (looking at you mortal online)

 

So what gives, pvp might be fun with a time based skill system, the basement dwellers will have less an ability to devote 20 hours a day to getting to max level, at least in the skills they use.

 

Seems like it could work, so far its a fun game, theres no monster learning curve like in darkfall, to keep people from staying, this game should have at least one crowded server.

 

Seriously does this game give you herpes, is that why no one is logged on? 

not f2p need to pay to advance past lvl 30

With the number of MMORPGs available now, the question is not "what is wrong with it" but "what is great with it". The problem is that Alganon excels in nothing. .

I normally play subscription based games. But if I'd be forced to play a F2P game, it would probably at first be League of Legends. Then probably DDO, then Allods Online or Lotro, then the other of the two, and then... probably some browser based games. And then Alganon. Because each of those games is really good in something that makes me consider playing it.

Also, "you cant make a first impression twice". And Alganon had one heck of a horrible start. Not to mention it changed it's subscription model half a dozen times.

Originally posted by maji

With the number of MMORPGs available now, the question is not "what is wrong with it" but "what is great with it". The problem is that Alganon excels in nothing. .

I normally play subscription based games. But if I'd be forced to play a F2P game, it would probably at first be League of Legends. Then probably DDO, then Allods Online or Lotro, then the other of the two, and then... probably some browser based games. And then Alganon. Because each of those games is really good in something that makes me consider playing it.

Also, "you cant make a first impression twice". And Alganon had one heck of a horrible start. Not to mention it changed it's subscription model half a dozen times.

Oh, ok it had a bad launch, that would explain it then.

Again, we seem to be lost in the "which game is  "best" " logic.  Algonon is the best  EQ style fantasy mmorpg with an eve style skill research system?  There see i can do it.

Not saying this game is the best thing out there.  Seems under rated compared to the cometition.

Originally posted by cyan85

Despite Mortal Online being a completely botched, scam of a game, at least it tried to be something different.  It appeals to a hungry niche market that's so desperate they'll basically accept anything remotely close to what they want, no matter how horrible it actually is.

 

Alganon, however, is kind of like eating the food out of the dumpster behind a restaurant.  Most people would rather just go in and pay to have a proper dining experience and avoid eating maggots and getting food poisoning.  Catch my drift?

Wow, thats a lot of hate for a game looking like another.  Despite they all look similair.

Here i thought the skill system was something diffrent....could you kindly point out other fantasy games with a time based skill system?

Ill say it again, im not fanboi'ing this game,  but so far all of the negative publicity towards the game doesnt add up to the game im playing right now.

Perhaps i missed on hell of a launch fiasco however.  People seem to have unhealthy emotions tied to games, and unleash a lot of hate when they are "scorned" by a beloved game. Is that whats happening here?

Utterly bad first release (or what was it again "Soft" release). It was kinda confusing.

Then DS came in and with his offensive style managed to scare off the rermaining fans.

Subscription plan changed a couple of times to.

TLDR Alganon left a bad taste in peoples mouth that couldn't get washed away even if it came with a box of champagne.

Originally posted by crunchyblack

 

 

Oh, ok it had a bad launch, that would explain it then.

 

Again, we seem to be lost in the "which game is  "best" " logic.  Algonon is the best  EQ style fantasy mmorpg with an eve style skill research system?  There see i can do it.

 

Not saying this game is the best thing out there.  Seems under rated compared to the cometition.

 

It was basically a number of factors.

1. It was designed and developed to compete with WoW. Without the technical expertise nor the budget or marketing to actually pull it off.

2. It was released in a botched state and while still in Beta - back in Dec 2009. The "soft launch" was just done in order to soften the blow.

3. When you consider #1 and #2 above, the fact that you also had to buy ($39.99) the game and pay a monthly sub ($19) was the final blow.

Since I took over, the guys and I have been working out butts off to correct all three of the above. We did, the game is finished, is F2P and is quite a bit of fun.

OK, I'm not saying that it is the best MMO game out there or anything, but it is a fun and decent game that has been growing since the official 2.0 launch in late April 2010.

Trust me, we're not idiots; if the game didn't have potential, it would have been shutdown by now. Instead, it is still going strong though yes, we still have aways to go before we all start rejoicing.

Way back before the "soft" launch, we begged QOL to not release the game. It had so many bugs that affected the game.  But alas it was released with some game breaking bugs. So once that hit the wires and along with the too much like WoW clone look. That killed many gamers from paying the one time price of $39.95 and monthly subs. Yes most of those funds for subs were payed back to the players in good faith.

The game had a amazing community. I would have to say very close to the kind of community that Everquest Test Server had.  Having been one of the lucky few to be part of the test server on EQ for 5 years.  I would say the community on Alganon had a lot of promise.

Sadly it started to go down hill once Tork left QOL for his reasons. And he was never replaced with another Community Manager.  Then came David's leave of the company. Amazing as it may seem David Allen did have quite a few followers that left the game when they found out he left.

Then came along Smrt. Well unless you were part of the Alganon community when he came on board and started to post on the forums. Well you think his messages here are rude and not respectful to the gaming public?.  Sorry these are tame compared to those. A crap load of the once great community that Algaon had left for being treated like key puching monkeys.

So factor in the above mentioned remarks. And that gamers these days will not stand for being treated like nothing but a dollar sign. Most gamers now vote with their wallets and too many Developers out there do not get that yet. I think it is clear as to why the game does not have that many "active" players.

Kind of scary that word of mouth is still king of king's to make or break a game these days.

Nice to see that others out there see Alganon more of a Everquest clone then a Wow clone.

The reasons why the game is failing to attract many active players is:

1) Many people tried the game out during the open beta and the poor product has turned them away forever.  Those people will never try it again.

2) People play MMO's to play along with lots of other players and do not want to feel like they are playing a single player game.

3) It's inferior to several other F2P games out there.  It's drastically behind Runes of Magic and although I don't consider LOTRO to really be F2P it has been able to attract new players advertising itself as such.

4) Alganon calls itself F2P but it's nothing more than an extended trial that prevents you from getting past level 30.  Everyone knows this is the case and it's holding the game back.  For many people this limitation is preventing them from bothering when they can level dual classes to max in RoM.

5) Fear that the game will go under.  Who wants to put hundreds of hours into a character that may disappear because the game shuts down.  It's quite a gamble at this point and I'd rather spend my time somewhere more stable.

I put in 24 hours non stop and under the time i was online there were max 9ppl of both factions online. when i asked the old timers about it they said it was real busy: under december it was just the 2 of them online. There is no AH due to low population. I saw 3 ppl run past me in starter zone during my time there. wtf

Really its a subpar game that does not do anything new in an already saturated market. Theres nothing inherently wrong with it, it just remains a generic game that had one hell of a bad launch and whose future remained really uncertain. This turned the vast majority of players off at the start and if Warhammer and AoC has taught us anything, is that once you piss off players, you will have one hell of a time trying to get them back. 

Originally posted by maxeborn

I put in 24 hours non stop and under the time i was online there were max 9ppl of both factions online. when i asked the old timers about it they said it was real busy: under december it was just the 2 of them online. There is no AH due to low population. I saw 3 ppl run past me in starter zone during my time there. wtf

Hahahha .. what game that has 100k "active user" would have only 9 ppl online at the same time?

That is not even enough to form two 5-man dungeon group.

Originally posted by nariusseldon

Originally posted by maxeborn

I put in 24 hours non stop and under the time i was online there were max 9ppl of both factions online. when i asked the old timers about it they said it was real busy: under december it was just the 2 of them online. There is no AH due to low population. I saw 3 ppl run past me in starter zone during my time there. wtf

 

Hahahha .. what game that has 100k "active user" would have only 9 ppl online at the same time?

That is not even enough to form two 5-man dungeon group.

Lets not pretend that theres 100k people playing at any given time, nor single digets.  /who is for your area.  While i saw usualy between 1 (me) and 10 people in my starting area, you have to assume that theres more people elsewhere.

But yeah, very low population for a game that doesnt seem deserving of it.

There was one issue with it for me however.  Really made me want to play WoW, and urge ive never really felt before, and urge i had to act on.  I feel dirty.....

But yeah, playing a game that gives you an urge to play its obvious competator is no bueno.

That being said, there has to be a large enough market of players who want to play wow but dont want the monthly sub.  And i do like the skill system better than wow, especially the EvE style time based skill progression thingy (which you should expand on, only 3 games do this, EvE and Perpetuum and Alganon)  Having a more involved time based skill system would be a good selling point and a way to stand out.

Other than that i dont see why this game has such a low population base.

Other than that i dont see why this game has such a low population base.

Because there is a gorzillion other MMOs out there, and this one just lost in the shovel? Is there a reason for people to play THIS wow clone instead of RoM or LOTRO?

Originally posted by dsmart

Originally posted by crunchyblack

 

 

Oh, ok it had a bad launch, that would explain it then.

 

Again, we seem to be lost in the "which game is  "best" " logic.  Algonon is the best  EQ style fantasy mmorpg with an eve style skill research system?  There see i can do it.

 

Not saying this game is the best thing out there.  Seems under rated compared to the cometition.

 

It was basically a number of factors.

1. It was designed and developed to compete with WoW. Without the technical expertise nor the budget or marketing to actually pull it off.

2. It was released in a botched state and while still in Beta - back in Dec 2009. The "soft launch" was just done in order to soften the blow.

3. When you consider #1 and #2 above, the fact that you also had to buy ($39.99) the game and pay a monthly sub ($19) was the final blow.

Since I took over, the guys and I have been working out butts off to correct all three of the above. We did, the game is finished, is F2P and is quite a bit of fun.

OK, I'm not saying that it is the best MMO game out there or anything, but it is a fun and decent game that has been growing since the official 2.0 launch in late April 2010.

Trust me, we're not idiots; if the game didn't have potential, it would have been shutdown by now. Instead, it is still going strong though yes, we still have aways to go before we all start rejoicing.

 

 

Well, there is some misleading information in there.  The "soft launch" had a price of $20, and like $10 a month or something.  Secondly, I would say that DA meant to copy WoW's success more so than compete with WoW.  I mean, let's face it, DA may not be talented enough to head a MMO studio for a major launch like WoW, but he isn't stupid either.  The average player who goes to these forums would not be stupid enough to think they could "compete with WoW."  I just think DA, like many second/third rate developers (this group includes you as well Derek Smart, your additions really have done nothing to make your game anymore interesting), think they can compete in the MMO field at all.

Mr. Smart, having been there during beta, I can say that you have let out some pretty misleading information about the state of Alganon.  It was bad, but you act as if there was nothing there.  Considering DA's budget restrictions and approach to MMO development, I'm surprised that he managed to produce and release what he did;  I have yet to see you helm a team that released an MMO.

But anyways, there is absolutely nothing you can do to salvage Alganon; be it PvP, improved PvE, etc.  The game has failed too bad out of the box and you simply do not have the talent, Mr. Smart.  Now don't get me wrong.  The game is not bad at all.  I enjoyed it for a while, but the population is just so dreadfully low/non-existent.  I would spend hours in the level 10 - 20 zones, and see maybe one other person.  Unfortunately, your little marketing push is not enough to bring in a large enough influx of players to negate this.  When your server peaks at 20 - 30 people, it is time to call it a day.

Originally posted by nariusseldon

Other than that i dont see why this game has such a low population base.

 

Because there is a gorzillion other MMOs out there, and this one just lost in the shovel? Is there a reason for people to play THIS wow clone instead of RoM or LOTRO?

 

Well, I look at it like this.  I think Alganon is better than RoM, and really is about as fun as LoTRO.  The difference is both of those started with a huge population; and I see advertisement for both all the time.  Perhaps if Alganon had a consistent marketing campaign, it could slowly build up a population that is big enough to give it respectability.  Instead of one huge push, I would maintain a consistent push.  The money from that PC Gamer double page advertisement could have been used more effectively by going with a more consistent, longer marketing strategy.