General Discussion
The Pub at MMORPG.COM » Should companies release server software once the MMO shuts down?
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britoca 5/10/06 2:10:29 PM
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Apprentice Member
Joined: 11/06/04
Time U enjoyed wasting was not wasted |
This stuff needs to be talked about because eventually, all mmos will die off and become abandonware/obsolete.
So far that is normal, games die off, but with MMOS, when your game shuts down... it's over. You will never be able to install the game and play it once again a few years down the road. This is very important, because many gamers put a lot of effort and dedication into their characters and progression, and many even become emotionally attached to their game character. If the game suddenly and drastically changes or if it closes down, well... everything ends right there and then. All that effort and time gets stored (maybe) into a backup closet, somewhere in an office building, and you will never again have it back. Believe me, it hurts. It happened to me, so it could happen to any of you as well. I think that companies should start releasing their own official server-side software/emulators so that users can [edit]buy the software (not proposing giving anything away for free)[/edit], still host and play the MMOs (like a regular multiplayer rpg) once they close down or are permanently modified to newer versions. Point is, they have ownership of their code, and they have the right to modify/close a game at any given moment. What we, as a gamer community need to start waking up to, is that they should not have the right of ownership of our characters/progression/effort. The time we put into our characters is not time worked for the gaming companies. We did it, the result of this effort is ours, and we should start claiming it as such. [further edit] let me make it clear that in my question I refer to the following:
Forum Poll
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| -virtual tourist |
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aaddam 5/10/06 3:36:20 PM
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Novice Member
Joined: 9/19/02
Who is the fool, the fool that does it or the fool that follows him. |
I kind of agree with some of what your saying but i still voted no, simple reason is,
You would still loose everything because you would have to start again and for me this is when the bordem kicks in and i move on to something new. |
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xIMPx 5/10/06 3:39:11 PM
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Novice Member
Joined: 5/02/06 |
"Yes" should be the only choice on the poll, anyone who chooses "no" shouldn't be allowed to have an opinion..on anything.
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britoca 5/10/06 3:40:50 PM
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Apprentice Member
Joined: 11/06/04
Time U enjoyed wasting was not wasted |
That is true, but you would not lose the game. I have some games on my shelves that are nearly 10 years in age. Sometimes, once in a blue moon, I'll install one of them and just have a good laugh at the graphics, and enjoy the things that I had fogotten about and suddenly they pop back into memory out of nowhere. It's nice, ya know? U spend a lot of time with thse things (games), and it's good to know u can revist a portion of your past like that. With MMOs.... it's over. |
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aaddam 5/10/06 3:59:07 PM
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Novice Member
Joined: 9/19/02
Who is the fool, the fool that does it or the fool that follows him. |
As i said though the starting from scratch would put so many people off.
Say eq1 shut down tomorrow and sony released the full server code(hell freezing over comes to mind there)  . now i have got an end game char in eq1 and loved playing him but there is no way in hell i would go through all that again.I do agree with you on the being able to change content though that would be sweet(and i dont mean making it easyer to lvl get items and the such) i mean like adding more lore making the worlds fuller adding stuff that we always wanted but could not get. Edit: hehe forgot to say what is the point in having a game you are not willing to put the effort back into , i nearly finished half-life 2 when my computer died and i had to format system, i have still got hl2 but i am not going all the way through it again just for the last bit.P.S eq1 was used just as an example it could be used for alot of the older slower type games |
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Xpheyel 5/10/06 4:03:22 PM
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Apprentice Member
Joined: 2/28/05
He that breaks a thing to find what it is has left the path of wisdom. |
Its definently something for MMO companies to think about. That's got to be a positive for the people that it reaches in the eyes of publisher. Which people (seem) to be putting more stock into. |
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Trindras 5/10/06 5:09:35 PM
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Novice Member
Joined: 2/23/06 |
They should, but they won't. There is no discussion about it. There's always some excuse like "we may bring it back" or "we intend on using the engine in another game" but truth be told, there is NOTHING for them to gain by doing it. Maybe Saga of Ryzom will buck that trend since they released their engine to the public already.
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baff 5/10/06 5:21:47 PM
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Hard Core Member
Joined: 5/22/05 |
They should release it right at the launch too, so people have the choice of how they wish to play. Subscribe to an official server for £10 a month or host your own for nought but the price of the game. |
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britoca 5/10/06 5:29:38 PM
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Apprentice Member
Joined: 11/06/04
Time U enjoyed wasting was not wasted |
Well, I have to disagree with that. A company with a dead game sitting on its shelves gains nothing. A company selling server software for an extinct game makes money from the purchases of the fans who still want to dablle with the game once in a while. I think they would only gain more by doing it. Changing subject now. About the character progression problem. That is a serious issue, I have to agree. Having to start from scratch after building up a decent character would be a big setback. Maybe they could sell you the server software, the character data, and a character data transfer tool (something along those lines), so that you could not only play your old game, your old character, but you could save the character data and play in someone else's server by simply importing it. I know you'll say "but what about the buildings?". Well, those would have to revert back into the inventory as well as other physical items. Either that or u can't transfer them whatsoever. If not, u can imagine people would run into trouble with building/object overlapping whenever a player imported his character between 2 servers. "woops, my house is on top of yours!" You are probably also thinking "what if all that stuff doesn't fit into the inventory?" then either expand the inventory capacity for transfer purposes only or have optional selection as to what buildings/objects to import with the profile. There has to be a way. |
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| -virtual tourist |
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