Short answer: No, OP. No your not.

Still fairly short answer: Like a lot of things it looks like the same old half-baked knock off with yet another skin.

Little bit longer, but not much answer: The truth of the matter is that as cool as a a Star Trek MMORPG sounds, doing it the right, doing it the way Star Trek fans want it done, and in a way that will bring something genuinely fresh to WoW burnouts is entirely impractical.

The only thing that bugs me about this is that Microsoft had inclination to do it on their own accord until they where bullied by a major third party developer.

I'm in the customizable camp...

...but really I just wanted to say your first WoW screnshot was amazing. Bravo.

+1

Originally posted by Dibdabs

Originally posted by Ihmotepp

You don't have to do a new plot, just do an old one really well.

Exactly.

My problem with that plot though, isn't that it's been done... it's that Hollywood believe that the only way white people can relate to non-white people is to make the main character a white person. Give me a good reason the main character in Avatar could not have just been a blue cat-person thing defending his home? What purpose did Tom Cruise serve in The Last Samurai besides offending me with his presence?

...and since this an MMO forum why is the only thing they've released about the plot of World of Warcraft that it will be Human-centric? That's just stupid. In fact making the WoW movie anything besides Lord of The Clans would be stupid. But you see my point...

Why does everything have to based around white people.... even when it's not?

You know... for all the flak he's catching... this was one of the most honest posts I've read in a long time. I don't agree with well any of it... and I found that part about guildies buying plane tickets for the OPs sister very creepy... but like I said, at least he's honest. There is WAY too little of that on these (or any) forums these days.

Originally posted by Burntvet

Hahahahahahahahaha...

Like anyone can make Smed do anything. Even when SOE is doing something Galactically stupid. Even under massive customer outcry.

Smed doesn't give a crap about you or any other customer.

Too bad you apparently like your game more than Smed does.

It's Smed's world, you just live in it.....

 

 

Oh that's not true. Sony is a publically traded compnay... if you convinced the share holders that it was in their interest to sell Vangaurd Smed wouldn't have much to say about it. But like I said, it's not in the share holders best interest to sell Vangaurd. It's not evil... it's business.

Originally posted by Kyleran

Offer them $500M for the product and I'll bet they'll be willing to sell it to you.

Anything can be bought for enough money.

 

Um... for $500M... or $100M f*ck that $50M (roughly WoW's budget) you'd be better off developing your own game from scratch.

Convince the share holders that there's significant money to be made in selling off the property.

...which there's not by the way.

Shareholders don't give a crap how good a property could be if someone else developed it, the cash value of the property has to be enough to make it worth selling, while simultaniously the profit potentional of the IP isn't high enough to make it worth holding on to.

Hell, Vanguard still makes money for SoE, look at other IPs like the old Sierra Advneture game that Vivendi Universal refuses to either invest in or let go of. Or the old Origin brands, Ultima, Wing Commander etc. And there's a greater possibility of your seeing any of those properties being licenced before you'll see SoE sell Vangaurd.

Vangaurd would have to be shut down before the idea of anyone else taking ti over even becomes a possibility.

I built mine, got the parts form Newegg. It's not the cheapest, but prices are good, selection is great and shipping is fast (where I was living at the time, I got my stuff next day with regular UPS ground). If you willing to take some time, shop around, and hunt down the really good deals on individual parts, you can cut even the newegg price in half.

Now you may understandably not feel comfortable building your own system and/or not have anyone to help you, and you can't just know how things go together, you need to know how to troubleshoot problems, and resolve hardware conflcts... because it will happen. Always. To some extent or another. There is no shame in not building your own PC. I can assure you my penis was plenty large enough before I started building PCs. If you aren't comfortable building your own, then the Custom Build shops offer good systems for good prices. Because shops like Overclockers, Cyberpower, and IBuyPower (and I've known people who bought from and where happy with all of them) are gamer-centric where manufacturers like Dell, HP, etc are business centric, you'll get a power gaming PC at a good price, much less for instance that what Dell would charge you to build and ship a custom PC in about the same amount of time.

DO NOT, I repeat >>>DO NOT<<< buy a on off the shelf from a retail store. Even if you find a PC you like you WILL spend WAY too much money on it. I'll put it to you this way, what cost $3,000 retail, costs about $1700 from a custom shop, about $1200 with Newegg parts, and about $800 if your willing to put the time into finding the really good deals.

Clearly you have enough money to buy a good gaming rig retail or from Dell/Alienware etc... but seriously, why spend the money when you don't have to?

You'd probably crap your pants if you saw what that kind of money could get you at a custom shop.    

Also, not to nitpick, and it's certainly not my job to moderate, but there are forums on mmorpg.com that are specifically for things that have nothing to with mmorpgs.

It's the same old white guy falls in with non-white people, learns that non-white people are people too, then teams up with non-white people against evil white people... see: Dances with Wolves, The Last Samurai, District 9.

That said, it looks like even if this movie suck, it will be beutiful enough just to stare at for 2 hours.

Originally posted by EvolvedMonky

OP:  have you ever heard of the term "sheep"? Not the animal but what it means when applied to humans.

"BAH BAH BAH its popular so it has to be the best"  says the lil sheep.

 

EvolvedMonky: Have you heard the term "troll"? Not the animal but what it means when applied to humans.

"WAH WAH WAH its popular so I must be cool if I trash it" says the lil troll.

Originally posted by Caleveira

Do you think people in college faculties take seriously anyone who reads best selling books?

 

Um... yes? Why Wouldn't they? You mean people that ONLY read best selling books? Well then no, of course not... but that's not a reasonable assumption is it?

The assumption that somone who read Plato couldn't possibly enjoy Harry Potter. Or that someone who eats steak a Ruth's Chris couldn't enjoy a Big Mac. Or somone who buys Dickies Work pants at Wal-Mart doesn't appriciate the wine selection at Trader Joes. Or that somone who enjoys Linkin Park never listened to Tiamat.

The clearly ridiculous assumption that all of these Spice Girls/McDonalds are base on...

Originally posted by Ruyn

Originally posted by NotNiceDino

Originally posted by Ruyn

WoW is cheap.  Cheap thrills, cheap spills.  Everyone is a winner.  A place to goto for a quick fix.  Therefore the analogy is valid and your argument null.

Are you really that stupid? Cheap, as in literally costs less money. As in a McDonalds extra value meal cost $5-10 and that's why they're popular. WoW, regardless of what anyone thinks of the game itself, is at the high end of the cost scale, therefore it can not be said that WoW is popular like McDonalds is popular. My arguement isn't just vaild, it's mathmatically irrefutable, which makes you about the worst troll ever. And that's saying something.

 

You misunderstand the analogy.  The fastfood analogy is not meaning cheap as in monetary value but from a quality standpoint.  The better analogy would be Wal-Mart.  A lot of people shop at Wal-Mart because it the price is right and it CATERS TO EVERYBODY, except of course the people who look for a quality product or quality service.  WoW is the Wal-Mart of MMO's.

Ok, so what's wrong with Wal-Mart? I shop there. Sure, I prefer more specilized store for certain things... for example, I refuse to buy meat and produce there, but for the prepackaged stuff the price is better. Sure there's a local grocery store which I like a lot, the have good meats, local vegatables, and the local milk in glass bottles I really like... but the Campbells Soup and Quaker Oatmeal Sqaures are cheaper at Wal-Mart, and while I'm there I can buy new pair of the Dickie's Rip-Stop pants I like to wear to work, see if they have any good deals on DVDs and buy a toy for me kid.

Originally posted by Caleveira

Originally posted by NotNiceDino

Originally posted by Caleveira

Originally posted by Ilvaldyr

Originally posted by Caleveira

And junk food outsells healthier choices, come on! WOW advertises in the mainstream media. You mean to tell me MMOs offer the public more variety than the music industry? Or maybe you think Tom Clancy is a better writer than Wislawa Szymborska? How bout Michael Bay vs Gus Van Sant? Yours is nothing but a fanboys argument.

1. The junk food analogy is utterly flawed. Most analogies are.

2. WoW was a runaway success before ever advertising in the mainstream media.

3. Labelling me a fanboy because I disagree with your opinion makes you a troll.

 

1. No its not. Analogy is considered legitimate discourse, and i havent seen the issue settled in any of the threads discussing it. Ive previously explained why i consider this a good analogy and have yet to see my arguments challenged.

2. You brought up the current figure not the one at launch. By your rationale WOWs ad campaign would be a waste of resources for Blizzard if it didnt impact sub numbers. Yea, im sure multimillion dollar ad campaigns are run by incompetents.

3. I labeled your argument not you. Its your post that made things personal, fanboy.

And for someone who seems to find most analogies flawed you neither addressed the music industry (which kind of was the OPs point) nor the literature and cinema examples i added.

 

Junk food is popular because it is cheap and convinient. WoW is neither cheap nor convinient, and therefore is not popular for the same reason junkfood is.

You failed anology is not legitimate discourse, it's appeal to ridicule, your insulting another person by implying that he lacks taste and sofistication. Nothing more.

WOW may not be cheaper than other games but is more accesible (better known to people outside of gaming circles) and it is convenient in the sense that not only are barriers to entry low but its difficulty level is unchallenging.
 

Yes, the analogy is meant to imply lack of taste and sofistication on WOWs subscribers but it isnt meant as insult but as statement. Your reading more into it obviously shows where you stand on this issue, wanna flame?

What? "isn't meant as insult but as statement." Are you you serious? That's just like saying, "That's not a threat it's a promise!"

Implying a lack of taste and sofistication is by definition insult. As is, "Your reading more into it obviosuly show where you stand on this issue (whatever the hell that's supposed to mean) wanna flame?"

And what exactly are "people outside of gaming circles" anyway? This is something I never got about wannabe elite crowd on this board. I've been playing MMOs continuously since UO. Largely with the same group of people. I've played everything that isn't F2P because I wasn't born yesterday, and nothing is Free. Hell to this day except for when I'm hardcore into something ineither game, I've got EvE and WoW open at the same time and tab back and forth. So tell me smart guy, where exactly is that you think I stand?

Originally posted by Ruyn

WoW is cheap.  Cheap thrills, cheap spills.  Everyone is a winner.  A place to goto for a quick fix.  Therefore the analogy is valid and your argument null.

Are you really that stupid? Cheap, as in literally costs less money. As in a McDonalds extra value meal cost $5-10 and that's why they're popular. WoW, regardless of what anyone thinks of the game itself, is at the high end of the cost scale, therefore it can not be said that WoW is popular like McDonalds is popular. My arguement isn't just vaild, it's mathmatically irrefutable, which makes you about the worst troll ever. And that's saying something.

Originally posted by Caleveira

Originally posted by Ilvaldyr

Originally posted by Caleveira

And junk food outsells healthier choices, come on! WOW advertises in the mainstream media. You mean to tell me MMOs offer the public more variety than the music industry? Or maybe you think Tom Clancy is a better writer than Wislawa Szymborska? How bout Michael Bay vs Gus Van Sant? Yours is nothing but a fanboys argument.

1. The junk food analogy is utterly flawed. Most analogies are.

2. WoW was a runaway success before ever advertising in the mainstream media.

3. Labelling me a fanboy because I disagree with your opinion makes you a troll.

 

1. No its not. Analogy is considered legitimate discourse, and i havent seen the issue settled in any of the threads discussing it. Ive previously explained why i consider this a good analogy and have yet to see my arguments challenged.

2. You brought up the current figure not the one at launch. By your rationale WOWs ad campaign would be a waste of resources for Blizzard if it didnt impact sub numbers. Yea, im sure multimillion dollar ad campaigns are run by incompetents.

3. I labeled your argument not you. Its your post that made things personal, fanboy.

And for someone who seems to find most analogies flawed you neither addressed the music industry (which kind of was the OPs point) nor the literature and cinema examples i added.

Junk food is popular because it is cheap and convinient. WoW is neither cheap nor convinient, and therefore is not popular for the same reason junkfood is.

You failed anology is not legitimate discourse, it's appeal to ridicule, your insulting another person by implying that he lacks taste and sofistication. Nothing more.

Originally posted by hogscraper

To all the people who argue which game is greatest, it seems like people's first response is to say my game is the greatest because we have x number of subs. For now and forever, please realize that to make the claim that numbers of people who like your game make it great is the same argument that these bands are the greatest bands of all time. 

The best-selling album of 1997 was Spice, by Spice Girls

The best-selling album of 1998 was Titanic Soundtrack

The best selling album of 1999 was Millennium, by Backstreet Boys 

The best-selling album of 2000 was No Strings Attached, by *NSYNC

The best-selling album of 2005 was The Emancipation of Mimi, by Mariah Carey

The best-selling album of 2006 was High School Musical Soundtrack

The Backstreet Boys album above is also the 9th highest grossing album of all times in world sales.  To all the people who think that simply being the lowest common denominator somehow makes your game/music/whatever the best, it simply means that in reality, its simply average. And in being AVERAGE it appeals to the most people. It also means that the only thing that will ever top it is a game that's even more watered down and average. 

Yes... and noone who bought any of those would admit today that they did,  and noone would buy them today... unlike say WoW, which relies on the fact that A: People are still buying iy, and B: Those people like it enough that they keep paying subscription fees.

Anology Fail. Care to give MCDonalds a try?

I've never heard of such a brutal and shocking injustice that I cared so little about!

Originally posted by Visc

Originally posted by bloodaxes

Originally posted by Visc

If an RMT can't sell his/her ingame cash to one of the companies that buys/sells the cash. And that company can't have a player on each server that transfers the ingame cash for real cash to the players too lazy to farm then that DOES end all RMT in that game. Money in the game can still exist and be used for what is needed. It is just that simple.

 

Here's an easy replacement on money trading:

Player X puts 1 item on AH for 10kk

Bot Y buys that item

Player X got the money he bought.

That's easy to fix.... end the auction house system and while your at it the mail system for things other than text based messsages. Once again it doesn't take much to figure it out. Auction house systems are not required and encourage RMT. NPC's can sell everything and what they don't you need to craft. The game company wins because players will have to play the game, not just level. Gather, craft and see/ use the world which the devs designed.
 

Simply put your solution is to remove all player influence from economy. You can only get money from the non-player characters and activieties and you can only spend money on non-player characters and activities. Player driven economy is one of the KEY things MMO players DEMAND in mmorpgs, one even that many playerw feel games like WoW don't accomodate enough.

Removing player driven economics is a garaunteed way to fail. The only possible solution is aggressive tracking and enforcement, video games are nothing but number crunching. It's entirely possible to set up a system to red-flag large money and item transfer and then invisably audit and moniter those players until there give themselves away as RMTers and then ban them. Both of them.

The problem of course is you have to staff a team to investigate red flags and then track player until they give themselves away beyond a doubt that they are trading against the TOS. The thing is that if a game does this up front, they quickly establish that RMT is too high-risk and the market evaporates, because only that will truly combat RMT.