Goyya love listening to the 2 Charr who are operating the Cowtapult while they are 'working'.

  I was 'almost' ready to finaly give WOW a try.  A nice slow 20 levels to feel out the game..sounds good so far.

 What completly turned me off was the req. that I buy  base, 3 expansions to stay in the game. 

  Not a chance !  If I liked the game I would buy the first campaign and if I got into it  ( most seem to ) I would gladly buy the following editions.  Truth is, 20 levels would be nice but NOT enough to commit to an $80 plus layout. 

   Hmm..GW2/ Skyrim anyone?

 Just waiting untill they are ready...I sure am! 

 Arenanet looks like a great place to work...and make a great game. Can't wait !

   I think the early MUDs had it right. Any race could choose any class but some races were better suited to some classes.

  Giants didn't make good mages. They had low int and poor mana...BUT...since Draconian spells were based on health they could hit for a ton..just not very often.  Elves were good mages because of high int and mana but were not very good warriors. Low Str and health...BUT..they had great dex and dodges.

  Alot like life...we all have out stong and weak points.

 Kinda glad to see tech has progressed in the 250 years that have passed since GW1.

 I wouldn't want to see a tech advance like the earth has made ( no WMDS please) so I'm thinking the Engineer is perfect and still preserves the feel of the game. Looks to be one of those jack of all profs. 

 This looks like a great crowd controll character...with teeth.

 I love these 'apetizers' and always enjoy  them.  Can't wiait for the main course !

 There is a series of conversations and a story available in the blog to..very well done.  Here's the starter...   Big City + Stranger Things + Etc.

Knew them all ( to lazy to look again and list prices).

 I think I'm spending tooo much time looking at GW2 !!!   ....Naaaa

Originally posted by erictlewis

Originally posted by Stradden

Originally posted by Sovrath

My other thought is that MMORPG.COM should (as another had indicated) open the door to other larger guilds or just guilds that do things that are noteworthy.

 

We have never closed our doors to any guild... ever. The Syndicate is simply the first large guild that reached out to us. I strongly encourage, should they want to, other large scale guilds to approach us.

Whatever you personal feelings about this particular guild, Its leader,the man we have writing the articles, is well respected within the industry. I've spoken with him a number of times about MMOs and the stuff that goes on around them and he has always been very knowledgable. That's why he has a column here. 

The guild perspective is an area of MMOs that we've lacked in our columns in the past. We're seeking to rectify that.

 Well I will ask this respected by whom in the industry?  I been trying to figure out who they have helped, who they have worked for and so forth.

I have one issue right now,  one of there members got on this thread tonight and well all you got to do is scroll up and see where Mr Langley already gave a warning.  So is this what were going to see each time they post something, and folks might disagree.  Have one of there members come in and lambaste all of us.  That I believe is going to be an on going problem as I see it.

I will try and keep an open mind but honestly their resume appears very thin.

 

  Thier resume 'appears' thin because you know little or nothing about them.

 They have been involved with both gaming companies and product manufacturers..who respect them.

 If anyone truely wants to know it only takes a few minute to collect info on the guild. {mod edit}

Originally posted by finnmacool1

"MMORPG.com is pleased to feature a brand new column that will focus on gaming communities. No one is more eminently qualified to talk about these two critical features than the President and CEO of The Syndicate Sean Stalzer. Read Sean's introductory column as he offers up his qualifications and some thoughts about the future of his column."

 

I havent even made it to the article and already two bones to pick. First off, what TWO critical FEATURES are you talking about? A community isnt a "feature" and even if it was that's only one example.

Secondly, are you seriously trying to say no one in the entire world of gaming is more "eminently" qualified than this person in the realm of game communities? Seriously? No one? Is anyone remotely close? Maybe you could give us your top ten and list what ranking system you used to tally that score.

 

  Did you actualy read the piece? If so you must have seen the following statement made by Sean:

  By no means do I profess to have the "only" view on a topic and I would welcome debate, counter-ideas and differing viewpoints and with the vocal readership at this site. 

 Sounds pretty reasonable to me.  How about a viewpoint regarding the issue? {mod edit}

{mod edit} It takes something very special to do what the Syndicate has accomplished.

 Oh yeah, the issue...its about gaming in general and could be an interesting topic.

 I'm in a 5 year old guild that seems to be drama free and its great. I used to form a guild of one to avoid guild spam.

  If and when you find a good guild it becomes more than just a bunch of names. Help is freely given for both gaming and rl issues, tech info, new games on the horizon...lots of great stuff :) and it can definetly make any game more fun.  I actualy got to know people which makes a huge difference. I say this as primarily a solo player that has very much enjoyed both getting, and giving help to a guildy that I know from the guild forums.

  Welcome aboard Sean. Here's hoping more people start reading and responding to issues. 

  In an odd way the number of gold sellers is directly in line with how well a game is doing.

 Large player base= more potential customers. 

   For those who think the gold farmers ( the players...lil guys) should just move to the US and make big $$. It costs several thousand dollars to make the trip. Then you need a place to stay, food and have a language barrier to deal with. Not easy in a country with a large unemployed percentage of the workforce out of work to begin with.

Originally posted by Loktofeit

Originally posted by Deathofsage

Lastly, their public image, if claims are to be believed, is terrible. Demanding guilds not use the word "Syndicate" in their name? Really?

But the strawbreaker is they're not even notable on the servers they're on. They're elitist but not elite having no notable achievements. The types of guilds the community should be interested in are world first, region first, or even server first guilds for the more popular games.

Is it still only one guild in the world that has glory of the cata hero? Interview them. Interview the furthest progressed RIFT guild--ask them about the things the community is talking about like addon usage and do these addons help.

Interview old guilds that are still around accomplishing notable things.. In other words, they weren't "once-great" but still running "full steam" even after years.

I'm curious how many others share that same contention. How many others people in this 'we need more community, less gearscore' forum crowd feel that being the first to complete raids or the first to get a global quest broadcast is more noteworthy than the achievements of a guild that has over a decade of success at comaradarie, teamwork and a solid level of excellence as beta testing and QA.

One would think that when the topic of The Syndicate comes up, people here would be interested in how they keep players in the guild for years or want to talk to members of The Syndicate to find out how their focus on community can be applied to other gaming communities from guilds to factions to whole shards.

 

Guilds like Lost Order of Akalabeth, KGB and The Syndicate are guilds that both players and developers can learn a lot from. I'm not in The Syndicate but over the past decade or so I have interacted with them as a player, as a journalist and as a developer. I can say with complete confidence that the hatred displayed on these boards is both odd and appalling... let alone baseless.

 

 

 

   Well said. Unfortunatly when people see things they can't hope to achieve they atack and demean them.

  C'mon people!  Who wouldn't be proud of having a guild this large thats been around as long and is used by gaming producers to test games???? 

 FYI, they don't 'go after 'anyone' using thier name but if someone is acting like they are the real deal and are behaving poorly they will go after them to protect thier name. Read a little on the site and maybe that will help explain the purpose of copywriting.

 Once again there are a group of people who claim 'lots' of guilds have been around longer but never a mention of who they might be.  The who should be one with a web site and not a name that has been reused several times over the years.

  Grats to Dragons and the Syndicate for  being the oldest continuously operated guild and wow...it must be great to be involved in working with games in pre-pre beta  and learning what goes into a game.

 Never NEVER use Wiki for a factual account. Nothing there is vetted and while most pieces are acurate the lack of vetting makes them unreliable  unless there are credible refs that back up the story.

   I have a friend that works for a newspaper who recently told a story about a manager who  did a story based on Wiki info.  The facts he stated were very wrong. He was fired.

Originally posted by S00S00

Quote:    Curt Schilling added that it’s hard to take risks in the MMO industry mainly because the budgets are so huge and taking a risk can often mean risking tens of millions of dollars on a formula that’s not proven.  Instead, he thinks it will be the smaller studios with smaller budgets that perhaps could drive growth in different MMO types.

IF it means Risking 'Tens of Millions' of Dollars Why would he think a 'Smaller Studio' with a 'Smaller Budget' could do it? 

IF it costs Millions of Dollars - Surely the Smaller Studios will not have that kind of budget! Seems to be a contradiction.

 

 Keep in mind that many smaller studios never get past that 1st MMO. A larger studio and larger budget have larger investors who aren't willing to take a long shot with their $$$. Failing for these investors pretty much guarantes you are now a small studio and will find it very hard to attract the big $$$ needed for a serious MMO in the future. 

Originally posted by DraganBlack

Originally posted by Meowhead

Heck, his special profession ability is 'He hits harder and harder until you spend your hitting-people-in-the-face-harder gauge on a special attack for your weapon that will hurt even MORE.'

Awesome description of the adrenaline mechanic^^

 

As for the last 2 professions: one is obviously the Mesmer, given how often it was mentioned in the books, the concept art and so on.

The other one will most likely be a Gunner/Engineer, but I hope ANet will find a better name for the profession as I like neither of the 2 names

 

   Very much agree with #1, Mesmer/ Illusionist class.. As mentioned they are in the storyline and the Queen is/was a Mesmer.  Its just to good a class to drop.  Light armor works here :)

 #2 not a clue but an engineer type could be interesting.

  I don't realy care what both classes turn out to be....as long as one is a Mesmer type.

Originally posted by Banegrivm

Originally posted by Dwarvish

Originally posted by Mysticum

Uhm, this is an article on the front page? There are forty billion guilds in the world, all of them equally uninteresting to anyone but their members. Surely this should be posted on the forums instead of the front page?

 

  Whew  !!  You miss the point. The Syndicate  TRUELY care about its members and is very involved in the gaming world.  Thats why they are where they are and have lasted so long.

 FYI, they are  also involved in community work as a guild and have yearly gatherings. Very very few guilds do that and none have been so successful.

They aren't the first guild to have yearly gatherings or be active in the community and done so successfuly I might add. Guilds have been doing this long before The Syndicate was even a thought, since the early guilds of NWN on AOL which predate UO and The Syndicate. People are angry because of the obvious favortism, showboating, and ego tripping. A little humility, honesty, and integrity goes a long way. I've met few people that actually like The Syndicate. The Syndicate is more of a business and less of a guild. The real guilds don't spend their time showboating because they are too busy playing games. 

 

  Oh?  name a couple that have been around longer AND without break that does this. 

 I see many claims of guilds that have been around 'alot' longer but never a mention of who it was. Include a website please. Any guild that has been 'around' this long would have a site..no?

  Also consider that to be around and as active as The Syndicate there needs to be some sourse of revenues. Being able to do more than the (above) average guild doesn't happen free.

Originally posted by Mysticum

Uhm, this is an article on the front page? There are forty billion guilds in the world, all of them equally uninteresting to anyone but their members. Surely this should be posted on the forums instead of the front page?

 

  Whew  !!  You miss the point. The Syndicate  TRUELY care about its members and is very involved in the gaming world.  Thats why they are where they are and have lasted so long.

 FYI, they are  also involved in community work as a guild and have yearly gatherings. Very very few guilds do that and none have been so successful.

  I actualy read the book and enjoyed it.  Seems the guild is involved in alot more than just gaming.

  Why all the complaining?  Is it just sour grapes?  Anything to successful seems to come under attack here.   

  Complaining about a guild that has been going strong for as long as Syndicate has seems to be the norm.   Gripe about success??? 

  I'd rather see a group of experienced players giving advice that a bunch of payers with ??? gaming exp. 

  Think its no big deal??  Easy??  Go for it...

 Some muds allowed a charater to have all the skills in the game.  Aardwolf  was one that did a great job.  Its still going strong and growing.  To get all the skills there was 7 series of levels (1-201/level) where one of 5 classes was chosen for the forst 5 and 2 with full power. Then you went on to the second tier...up to 7 when I played. Great fun and since everyone had the same oportunity it worked.

   GW1 also allowed a character access to all skills but only 2 classes could be used at any time.  There were constant rebalances ( Anet was realy on top of it) .  Even with the limitation there were many combos that no one could have possibly considered initialy. The result was some Godmode combos and builds that could do some amazing things. Godd old Sabway, Doscordway and the 55 hp monk/Necro combos were great and are still possible.  Some others were just tooo strong for farming and were nerfed.  There seemed to be a new 'meta' every few weeks for a while.

  It is nearly impossible for a 'classless' system to not have unforseen developments and  majot balance issues.  I prefer balanced classes where I have to know both my class and the one I am up against to win.

time will tell.  Prolly be fun :0

gasp 1st    got 5