View Full Version : MMORPG market saturated?
I was in town over the weekend and looking at the new games for Chrissy.
They had over 8 MMORPGs on the shelf, some I didn't even reconise (like some kind of homeworld MMORPG). I picked up AC2 to have a look at it.
Tried it over the weekend for a couple of hours. I don't know what the US server list is like, but they have 3 European servers and the most players I saw was 200 on the English server.
ya so many games yet none good enough to replace nc (which im a bit bored with)
Martin J. Schwiezer
01-12-03, 10:02
Originally posted by Archeus
Tried it over the weekend for a couple of hours. I don't know what the US server list is like, but they have 3 European servers and the most players I saw was 200 on the English server. Jesus... I didn't expect things to go that bad for that title. AC2 had a pretty big hype going on... :(
My guess is a seperate company/section is probably got the European market so you can only see that count. Whats the US servers like?
As I write this..
European servers
German Server: 14
English Server: 34
French Server: 26
:lol:
US Servers:
ColdEve: 46
DarkTide: 112
FrostFell : 318
ThistleDown: 323
Might go setup on Darktide then.
Damn, thats even lower than Neocrack (Btw, I think I'm going to get cured. I deleted my 3rd account last nite! Sorry MJS ;) )
Tuxy your right. I have tried so many games but nothing comes as far as NC has came.
Waiting HL2 to cure my neocrack addiction btw :D
Dade Murphey
01-12-03, 10:12
Man...I have never EVER been as let down as I was when that game came out...I had such high hopes, as I was playing AC1 at the time, tried that piece of crap out and was sooooo soooo very disappointed...they ruined character creation, which was one of my favorite features of AC 1...the skill set up became too much like diablo...it was just too much NOT what AC1 was...plus I hear it's pretty easy to become Uber in that game...I like how capping a character in AC1 actually took time
But oh well...hope you enjoy it...haha :p
Martin J. Schwiezer
01-12-03, 10:17
Originally posted by LVirus
Damn, thats even lower than Neocrack (Btw, I think I'm going to get cured. I deleted my 3rd account last nite! Sorry MJS ;) )
You suck! :p
Wait till our latest designer drug called DoY hits the illegal street market... That'll keep you addicted for the rest of your life... mwuahahaha... :D
:angel:
lol DOY will have it's work cut out for it, i'm sure.
Any words on Faces of Mankind, MJS? ^_^
Originally posted by Artie
lol DOY will have it's work cut out for it, i'm sure.
Any words on Faces of Mankind, MJS? ^_^
They just sent out the advance emails saying beta is about to start - you get a login page to update your beta profile.
Originally posted by Pi-Oh-Pah
They just sent out the advance emails saying beta is about to start - you get a login page to update your beta profile.
hence why i said it...just got mine too :p
Originally posted by Pi-Oh-Pah
They just sent out the advance emails saying beta is about to start - you get a login page to update your beta profile.
AAGHHH!!!!1111 :eek:
/me checks email and updates...
DAMN ME AND MY LAZY EMAIL CHECKING HABITS!!
Originally posted by Martin J. Schwiezer
You suck! :p
Wait till our latest designer drug called DoY hits the illegal street market... That'll keep you addicted for the rest of your life... mwuahahaha... :D
:angel:
I don't suck :( .. Do I? *sniff*
Yeah, but you know that eventually you have to move to stronger drugs because you will need more and more neocrack to keep you "high". Dunno if that next drug is DoY :p
Martin J. Schwiezer
01-12-03, 11:01
Originally posted by LVirus
I don't suck :( .. Do I? *sniff*
Activate 4 more accounts to get a hug... You know it: It's _all_ about power lvling. ;)
Originally posted by Martin J. Schwiezer
Activate 4 more accounts to get a hug... You know it: It's _all_ about power lvling. ;)
I think we all know what MJS is in favor with on the issue of multiple accounts on Pluto....lol! :eek: :p :lol:
QuantumDelta
01-12-03, 11:07
lol, my app got caught in the junk mail folder, if it weren't for a conjoining email I got I wouldn't have noticed :p
btw;
Another 4 accounts?
WARGH! I already have 11 characters I can't imagine power leveling another 44 o_o
Even if I did it for a job 8|
Originally posted by Martin J. Schwiezer
Activate 4 more accounts to get a hug... You know it: It's _all_ about power lvling. ;)
Argh! I destroyed my tank pretty good last nite. -34 SL and in Plaza1 dead .. so I don't have any urger to play it. But to make a droner spy .. argh! Stop feeding me with images of a cool droning sessions back in beta4. Must resist MJS's evil powers!! MUST!!!
*runs to make new account*
Originally posted by LVirus
Argh! I destroyed my tank pretty good last nite. -34 SL and in Plaza1 dead .. so I don't have any urger to play it. But to make a droner spy .. argh! Stop feeding me with images of a cool droning sessions back in beta4. Must resist MJS's evil powers!! MUST!!!
*runs to make new account*
Droning isnt fun anymore. :(
(well it is.. but its terribly weak and boring till you get to the [almost] capped levels and taht just takes far too long)
Originally posted by Martin J. Schwiezer
You suck! :p
Wait till our latest designer drug called DoY hits the illegal street market... That'll keep you addicted for the rest of your life... mwuahahaha... :D
:angel:
THAT'S what we need to hear from you MJS!!!!
now.... WHEN WHEN WHEN???? (Strange, addicted before taking the drug... 8| )
Got my FoMK email too :)
Neocron's got 16.5 days to impress me again before my account expiress. Better get the whip out MJS ;)
Originally posted by Legoias
Got my FoMK email too :)
Neocron's got 16.5 days to impress me again before my account expiress. Better get the whip out MJS ;)
And my damn neighbor who don't even play MMORPGs anymore got beta account :mad:
Hope I get too 8| (*me hides from MJS - unless he offers me 2 MC5 chips so I can be his spy there :p *)
Originally posted by LVirus
And my damn neighbor who don't even play MMORPGs anymore got beta account :mad:
Hope I get too 8| (*me hides from MJS - unless he offers me 2 MC5 chips so I can be his spy there :p *)
Steal his ID :D
Originally posted by Legoias
Steal his ID :D
Well duh, I have already said his KOS if I don't get his account :D
eeexelllleent (mr.burns)
yes I'm kind of floored by thenumber of products out there right now. mmporg players aren't the hugest market in the world. (yes getting bigger) all I can guess at is that EQ has raked in some absolutely stupid uber cash - that's the only thing that would drive this much speculative development.
nc falls into a slightly different category, you can tell its development was driven more so by enthusiasts
nc falls into a slightly different category, you can tell its development was driven more so by enthusiasts
Say that in five years time :) There are already some parallels between how NC acts and how UO did (eg. GMs helping recovering players stuff, to limited recovery to (in UO case) telling the player get stuffed).
However MJS post is reassuring, you can almost feel the "Proud father" effect in his post which seems to suggest he is very confident that DOY is a winner.
shodanjr_gr
01-12-03, 15:49
Originally posted by LVirus
And my damn neighbor who don't even play MMORPGs anymore got beta account :mad:
Hope I get too 8| (*me hides from MJS - unless he offers me 2 MC5 chips so I can be his spy there :p *)
I got that email too. That doesnt mean u are already in the beta! Thats just the password to teh beta site. They say they havent yet chosen whowill take part in the beta!!! (at least thats what i figured from my email!)
Got a FoMK email too......I just dont remember registering for it 0_o
Jesterthegreat
01-12-03, 16:23
all beta applicants got it :p
it is not confirmation - just a hint that beta is soon... (end of dec iirc)
Keyol45743241
01-12-03, 16:40
Talk about ruining the one-char-server idea... :rolleyes:
Say Martin, KK would go down the drain without all of these secondary accounts, won't it?
Got the FOMK mail too, logged in and checked my info and changed the password (muhaha don't even think about it!).
As for droning.. I got 2 accounts, thought of capping both spies using drones. During the weekend, I had enough and LOM-ed one of the spies to rifles. Shortly after, I made myself a 5 slotted TAR :D It was a sign, I tell j00.
Originally posted by Artie
I think we all know what MJS is in favor with on the issue of multiple accounts on Pluto....lol! :eek: :p :lol:
Hehe, I bet DoY will go something like this:
With the release of DoY, all the 4 character servers will now be changed to 1 character servers. All those used to having multiple character classes at your fingertips must buy new accounts now :D
TEH ONOZ! NOW I R HAEV TO BYE A CSTER, RESSER, POKAR, AND A FIHTAR! DAMN U KK FOR TEH STAELIN MY MONEH!
I suggest you all just join Pluto now and get used to having a single identity ;)
WTF!?
I NEVER got my FOMK Email!
I signed up for beta too! I NEVER GOT IT! GRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!
If you look at any betawatch or mmorpg listing, there are tons of them in the works. Many of them have really interesting ideas, but sadly enough there simply aren't enough gamers to go around. In order for mmorpg's to move forward they need to work on increasing their market. Star Wars Galaxies is a step in the right direction, the content has to appeal to a much larger audience. I won't get into how badly SWG has botched this, but the idea is still sound. Using Star Wars as a setting gave them an automatic customer base, and a rather large one at that. The number of Star Wars fans out there is vastly larger then generic fantasy fans. Middle Earth Online is in the works, a mmorpg based on Tolkein's books. Just like the movies are currently cashing in big time, I'm certain this mmorpg will draw a good sized crowd. Even though it is yet another fantasy mmorpg, just saying it's based off of Tolkein makes it better ; ) There is also of course The Matrix Online in the works, which I figure will crash horribly, but that's just my opinion. It's fun to think about it though, You are at your computer playing a game in which your character is stuck inside a computer simulation of the world. There's a mind trip, lol.
Unfortuanetly the number of people with computers that can handle these games, with bandwidth that can support their habit, and with the money to burn on monthly fees, is going to be the big bottleneck for mmorpgs. Nomatter how unique and interesting you are, you can't draw crowds that simply aren't there. Which is why the industry is becoming very cut throat. Your goal is to steal customers from another mmorpg and tie them down here with your game.
If there is going to be a breakthrough mmorpg, I'm willing to bet it would be something like The Sims Online. A game which can attract both male and female gamers is a potential goldmine. If I were in the game industry, that's what I would focus my efforts on.
Originally posted by Carinth
Unfortuanetly the number of people with computers that can handle these games, with bandwidth that can support their habit, and with the money to burn on monthly fees, is going to be the big bottleneck for mmorpgs.
I think this is why AC and UO did so well as they did (although AC2 killed off AC a little). They would run on low spec systems and still be very playable.
Apart from that, the only way to steal really IMHO.
- Make the game very easy to setup/install.
- Make it cheaper then the competition.
- Offer free trial time (real free time, not pay for the game then play)
It also has to stop people from making multiple trial accounts. Rather then restricting a better system is to only allow the trial player to progress so far.
If there is going to be a breakthrough mmorpg, I'm willing to bet it would be something like The Sims Online.
Sims online already exists and is dying a horrible horrible death. read some of the reviews. It is basically a chat program you pay for.
What the hell is the point of The Sims Online?
This is what it is.
A game that allows you to play the life of someone in a simulation of real life.
A game that lets you have another life in a game.
A game that has no point to it and really the only part to it that involves other people is talking to them.
A glorified chat room.
I pity anyone that plays and pays for that game.
I used The Sims as an example because it had mass appeal, for both genders. I even played it a while myself and had fun until I realized I was playing a game in which I carry out the tedious day to day activities of the real world. Wake up after not getting enough sleep, rush off to work, come back and take care of chores, try to get some time in on the computer to relax or watch a movie/ read a book, then fall asleep and repeat. The Sims was a little too good at simulating real life : ) Anyway, Sims Online failed because the things that made Sims so much fun to play were not carried over to Sims Online. You still had all the tedious work, but not as much creative building. Simply being online didn't help, typical social interactions were pretty sad. While your characters are slaving away at some task to raise their stats, you chat with ppl in the room. Even better, the most popular activity in Sims Online was cybersex. People would litteraly set up brothels, you take your character to their house and pay for 5 minutes alone together in a room. I think that pretty much sums it up ; )
Anyway, if they hadn't screwed up the conversion from single player to multiplayer, Sims Online would have prolly been a huge success. It definitly had the market for it, Sims itself is still going strong releasing their newest addonpack, which they have dozens of now!
MMORPG market saturated? Hell no, this is just the beginning.
Just wait until the second generation mmorpgs start hitting the
shelves...
Originally posted by Rade
MMORPG market saturated? Hell no, this is just the beginning.
Just wait until the second generation mmorpgs start hitting the
shelves...
2nd Generation is already out.AC2, SW:G, SB. These are all 2nd generation.
Nah its same old tired shit as usual, Im not talking about adding
a number to a name.
ghandisfury
01-12-03, 21:53
Originally posted by -FN-
Hehe, I bet DoY will go something like this:
With the release of DoY, all the 4 character servers will now be changed to 1 character servers. All those used to having multiple character classes at your fingertips must buy new accounts now :D
TEH ONOZ! NOW I R HAEV TO BYE A CSTER, RESSER, POKAR, AND A FIHTAR! DAMN U KK FOR TEH STAELIN MY MONEH!
I suggest you all just join Pluto now and get used to having a single identity ;)
I think four character servers were one of the biggest mistakes KK made. But....that's just me:cool: (also coming from a guy with multiple accounts).
Originally posted by Rade
Nah its same old tired shit as usual, Im not talking about adding
a number to a name.
So what are you talking about then? I had no clue what you were talking about so looked up "Second generation MMORPGs" and that was the list given.
Please tell me what a 2nd generation MMORPG is (although I suspect your waiting for 3rd generation)
You can call it the bazillionth generation if you want. So far no
mmorpg has revolutionized the business, nothing has really
happened since UO and Meridian 59. Sooner or later there will be
a mmorpg with the gameplay of a top notch singleplayer action
game, a story rivalling that of any fantasy book series with a
macro scope, and the constantly expanding content matching 20
single player rpgs. A PvP system which is intimately worked into
the game itself, to the point where it is no longer hostile to the
player but as natural as fighting a mob, with loss, risk and gain
matched so that it would never cause anyone too much grief, but
still enough to keep a dedicated player strictly in the business of
fighting other players. An AI that takes covers, swaps weapons,
heals, calls for friends, dynamic travelling mob villages, quests
that makes sence in the game world to be repeatable ie not
everyone can save the princess from the dreaded archmage
Maiogqwugazam and get the kings sword, 100% player driven
economies where a constant amount of gold is in circulation...
ingame marriage, facing GODS AND DEMONS IN AN EPIC SCOPE,
LEADING ARMIES, SWEDISH FIREBALLS, AAAAAAAAARRJJJJHHHH!!!!
yeah ok I got carried away, maybe you get my point, maybe not.
Spectra260
01-12-03, 23:46
lol....atleast MJS has a sence of humor...:rolleyes:
I took advantage of the special on Gamestop and ordered my third NC copy at a reduced rate!
Since there is going to be a new promoter I guess the game will come out with a new box perhaps and certainly not CDV on the cover, so they are selling out the old copies
So I will have three accounts soon! I got the beta notice for FOM but I will hang around in NC because it looks like great things are to come and my chars are all so advanced now and so much fun that I cannot desert them......again
I agree with Rade.
And I will not call a MMO "next" or "second" generation until it got a fully dynamic world that changes before you eyes as cities are being bombed, landscape changes and much more.
Second Life (http://www.secondlife.com) is the closest it gets to a second generation MMO IMHO. It is not a real MMO anyway, not even a game, but something completely new as the players themselves actually create the world using their own graphics and sound, and scripts. Build a house, tear down a wall, everybody else will see what you are doing because it really happens as you do it, not just some static graphics on/off. Very rough on the edges, but I believe Second Life got some great ideas for the next generation MMO's. Unfortunately, only people with broadband can actually enjoy playing it because of all the customized content streaming from other participants.
And it shows us a second generation MMO will have insane system requirements, so just forget about it until 2-3 more years.
Originally posted by Martin J. Schwiezer
You suck! :p
Wait till our latest designer drug called DoY hits the illegal street market... That'll keep you addicted for the rest of your life... mwuahahaha... :D
:angel:
AC2 sucks big time. I wasted 50 bucks on it. I got it the day it came out because of the hype. As a result, I don't trust any gaming magazine now and stick to user reviews.
I cancelled the minute I saw circus freaks sitting in town and playing with flutes and banjos.
I officially declare rade a genius.
We need swedish meatballs. Thats why im opening the swedish meatball factory at tyron. will be free sweedish meatballs every friday now on... on saturn that is... when they add swedish meatballs as a dish... that is clonable... and dont use to much junk... and my account isnt expired... and doy is out....
You heard me, I SERVE FREE SWEDISH MEATBALLS!!!
other than this above, rade is right, we need stuff, especially for our high level characters, and rerolling everytime we hit cap just so we can feel this game come alive again isnt to appealing to everyone. but then again, its not 2nd generation of mmorpg :p
I suppose it depends on what you consider a generation. Is generation marked by time or by content? Most often we assume generations are marked by time. This group of mmorpg's came out around this time, followed by the next generation which came out a year later or somesuch. Depending on how picky you want to be, we're currently in the 2nd or 3rd generation of mmorpgs. Alternately if you consider generations marked by content, then thats much more difficult to label. There have been plenty of new and inovative mmorpg's out there, but most of them fell flat on their faces. It ends up being the same type of mmorpg that is always popular. For example, Jumpgate was the first space mmorpg, I believe. Since then there have been lots, all following the same format. Rather then try something new, Star Wars Galaxies is more or less just Everquest in a different setting. The same was said about Anarchy Online, just another Everquest. I doubt you'll see 2nd generation mmorpgs anytime soon, when you have a formula that works, keep on using it until you run it into the ground. Then you can try something new : )
i just want a mmo like hack//.sign which was really really really really really really really really really really cool and would be the most fun game evar (but not with the part a person gets stuck in the game lol)
Dade Murphey
02-12-03, 09:32
Originally posted by Lathuc
i just want a mmo like hack//.sign which was really really really really really really really really really really cool and would be the most fun game evar (but not with the part a person gets stuck in the game lol)
Hell yes!!! after playing the .hack//sign game on ps2...if that damn game was really an MMO that would fuckin rock...the only thing I'd like to see before that would be a well done MMO of ShadowRun...damn you microsoft!!! damn you!!!!
man...I want to be some rabid, 20th century techno loving dark elf toting 2 browning max powers and living out of the back of my van and sporting a shiney new move-by-wire system
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