So now that Black Prophecy is dead..

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10-06-14, 06:47
Mako111

So now that Black Prophecy is dead..

Reakktor guys decided to bring back Neocron. I think making BP was a bad choice. The team was just trying to cash in on EvE craze, and failed hard. I wish instead, they wouldve improved Neocron or made a new one from scratch. Space Sims are not as popular as regular character-based MMOS, CCP got lucky with EvE and it doesnt mean that everyone should just jump on the same bandwagon.
I was in NC during beta and loved it. Didnt really get into full release since i was playing some other games. But I dont see why the team needs to bring back NC in its old form. I dont understand why there are so many small companies struggling to make their own independent MMO which eventually fail... Why not join teams together with other devs just like you who work on similar projects? A good example is Face of Mankind. Its pretty much same as Neocron, and it also was closed and reopened multiple times. Why not join forces together and build a new CyberPunk MMO on a new engine with all the old features from their older games that everyone loved? But instead these small teams keep on struggling with their old projects that will never be much anymore....

Does the president of KK still drive the Porsche he bought with NC investment money? "D
10-06-14, 07:59
yavimaya

not KK anymore, just a dedicated team of volunteers running this show.
10-06-14, 08:18
Mako111

Quote:

Originally Posted by yavimaya

not KK anymore, just a dedicated team of volunteers running this show.

So these guys arent even affiliated with Black Prophecy dev team?
10-06-14, 09:26
Baldur

No, and welcome back :)

Check out this page for infomation on our team:
http://www.neocron-game.com/about-us
10-06-14, 11:14
aKe`cj

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mako111

I dont understand why there are so many small companies struggling to make their own independent MMO which eventually fail... Why not join teams together with other devs just like you who work on similar projects? A good example is Face of Mankind. Its pretty much same as Neocron, and it also was closed and reopened multiple times. Why not join forces together and build a new CyberPunk MMO on a new engine with all the old features from their older games that everyone loved?

You gotta love the irony in that statement.
FOMK was created as a NC clone by people unhappy with KK and how they had implemented or had not implemented aspects of the game, instead of supporting NC in spite of the frustrations it meant (seeing how slow, stubborn and deaf to community input KK as a company was at times). I am sure some of the people would have reconsidered once seeing what it means to actually build and successfully run a MMO of that kind. Imho FOMK never got off the ground. If NC was famous for being a player funded continuous beta, FOMK never really left the alpha state.

That said, creating a new MMO with "all the old features from games that everyone loved" is never going to happen - because devs, just like players, are opinionated. What's your pet feature might be someone elses "no go".

Quote:

Does the president of KK still drive the Porsche he bought with NC investment money?

MJS built the Reakktor Studio, helped push NC out the door and imho earned himself that Porsche. Neocron was a financial success - it kept a good number of people fed and the revenue surpassed the development budget by large. He sold the company and when the new mother corp went to shit, it dragged KK down with it. Iirc BP was originally planned as a SP game and only during development transformed into a MMO. It's failure as a F2P MMO ment the liquidation of KK.
Since then, MJS has apparently retaken control over the Reakktor brand and appears to be working on a new game with a new studio, using the old name - but thats really all there is to it. The Reakktor that created Neocron is long dead.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mako111

So these guys arent even affiliated with Black Prophecy dev team?

Afaik it is 100% community members and former voluntary gamemasters that keep NC afloat these days. With the minor exception of the major Nidhogg, who was a Reakktor staffer back at the time (but thats a story of times long gone) ;)
10-06-14, 12:15
Brammers

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mako111

So these guys arent even affiliated with Black Prophecy dev team?

No - the IP and assets for Black Prophecy was sold to Gamigo - who got another software house to start on a spin-off called Black Prophecy Tactics using the Unity engine.

However that looks like it never made it out of closed beta as the last thing heard about that game was in late 2012.
10-06-14, 18:10
Nidhogg

As I understand it, J was independently wealthy prior to Neocron. He can't and shouldn't be accused of any impropriety.

As for Black Prophecy... have you seen what David Braben's team is doing with Elite: Dangerous? Wow.
10-06-14, 19:17
Mako111

Quote:

Originally Posted by aKe`cj

Afaik it is 100% community members and former voluntary gamemasters that keep NC afloat these days. With the minor exception of the major Nidhogg, who was a Reakktor staffer back at the time (but thats a story of times long gone) ;)

Hey thanks for the thorough info aKe, really appreciate it.

I wasnt pointing out FOMK specifically, just stating an opinion that a lot of good indie MMOS have died or never were realized to full potential. I havent enjoyed a good MMO in a very long time. NC was my first introduction to the genre, thats why it stuck to me as best ever MMORPG, but i believe that it also contained such rich content that it surpassed all other MMOs at the time. ( I believe Everquest and DAOC were the competitors at that time). I really wish that instead of being stubborn or just ignorant these devs would join together and maybe share less revenue than they hoped for, but at least they would be able to get their games with full force instead closing them down a month later. FOMK was essentially being deved by one guy, and he did a good job for one dev. WHat he couldve done if he wouldve just joined another team, is another story. BTW FOMK has been restarted again, i got a newsletter recently.

Anyway, im not planning to get back into NC. If i get into an MMO, i only play them to the maximum and trade or sell accounts when I get burnt out as a reward for the time invested, which is how it should be for all MMOs since they are (accounts) in reality your own property. NC has long outlived itself and its not like ive been part of any community that would make me want to relive those days, since I only played a month of beta. But i remember getting random passer-bys to help me kill a StormBot that guarded the exit to the Outlands. I think i was the first one to do it in beta, after a couple of hours of hard work and hiding inside the crates, we killed it and all it dropped was a Raygun that no one could use. But the experience of freedom, killing an NPC, was beyond I ever experienced before, it was such a blast. Although I probably would play same old NC but in a completely new engine. But I wish you guys good luck and plenty of fun times, I know you loved this game, which probably too, was all of yours' first MMO. :) I Just came here to reminisce about the best time i had playing an online game. :)
10-06-14, 19:21
Mako111

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nidhogg

As I understand it, J was independently wealthy prior to Neocron. He can't and shouldn't be accused of any impropriety.

As for Black Prophecy... have you seen what David Braben's team is doing with Elite: Dangerous? Wow.

Ah, Elite Dangerous, so they were deving BP too? ED looks interesting but it seems a bit small, i mean in the sense of the world it self. But I have invested into Star Citizen. SC is surely going to drop onto MMO scene with a loud bang. Reteriating my previous point of "joining teams": Even though same players who invested into Star Citizen have also invested into Elite Dangerous, but i doubt ED can compete with SC, although it may for a while since it will be released much sooner, but it will die out as soon as SC is out. ED has some very awesome features, that SC doesnt have, such as homebase docks, they look gorgeous, or being able to fly through the base and out, that is not available in SC. ED also has much better sound packs than current SC ones. But all in all its just too small of a project, and i wish that instead they would ve joined teams with C Roberts with his SC project. By the time SC is out , besides being a space sim, it will also feature an elaborate planet-side gameplay.
10-06-14, 20:38
Nidhogg

ED and SC are different games and I think there's room in the market for both. Considering ED will have the entire galaxy modelled when it goes live I'd hardly call it small, though. ;)

P.S. I didn't want to imply the BP dev team is in any way related to the ED dev team.
11-06-14, 02:24
Mako111

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nidhogg

ED and SC are different games and I think there's room in the market for both. Considering ED will have the entire galaxy modelled when it goes live I'd hardly call it small, though. ;)

P.S. I didn't want to imply the BP dev team is in any way related to the ED dev team.

Heh dont want to rain on your parade, you probably backed it, but ED is probably only a quarter of what SC is going to be. Not that it doesnt have its own nice features, but it's just not as big of a project.
11-06-14, 02:42
Drachenpaladin

Forget about ED and SC! No Man's Sky is the hot shit!
11-06-14, 08:43
Dropout

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mako111

Heh dont want to rain on your parade, you probably backed it, but ED is probably only a quarter of what SC is going to be. Not that it doesnt have its own nice features, but it's just not as big of a project.

Im honestly affraid that SC is going to be the biggest letdown since Duke Nukem.
Its waay too hyped..
11-06-14, 10:23
L0KI

Elite Dangerous will be outstanding 12 months from now, and Star Citizen will be in its first and buggiest form of beta. Mark my words. No, this recently released dog-fighting module doesn't count.

David Braben is a true professional. He'll make the game he wants to make.

I fear RSI (Roberts, specifically) has over promised in terms of Star Citizen's features.

I have also played both for several hours each. I paid the �100 for ED premium beta and I'm an alpha backer of SC from the original kickstarter.
11-06-14, 10:55
yavimaya

certainly dont like the fact the SC is going to be instanced crap, wont even bother trying because of that.
ED looks promising though.
11-06-14, 11:28
Brammers

Ahh Elite Dangerous. That is looking gorgeous from the screenshots and video's. Anyone here played the 1984 Original BBC Micro Classic? :D

I've see Star Citizen has a way bigger budget (2 million pound vs 30 million pound odd) but SC seems to be a very ambitious project.

Look forward to them both.
11-06-14, 13:06
Nidhogg

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brammers

Anyone here played the 1984 Original BBC Micro Classic? :D

I played it every day at during lunch break at school. :) Yes, that's how old I am. :p
11-06-14, 13:52
Brammers

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nidhogg

I played it every day at during lunch break at school. :) Yes, that's how old I am. :p

It's lunchtime - go play again with a Beeb in a JS emulator! http://bbc.godbolt.org/
11-06-14, 14:36
Nidhogg

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brammers

It's lunchtime - go play again with a Beeb in a JS emulator! http://bbc.godbolt.org/

LOL, yeah. Someone posted it on the ED forums. Brought back memories. :)
11-06-14, 15:36
Drachenpaladin

That ED soundtrack in the trailer somehow reminds me of Black Prophecy.. :|

In general it looks like the game BP should have become in the first place...
11-06-14, 22:41
zii

Elite. Finally! I played this when I was 11 or 12, so I feel really happy, but should we really be paying for a beta, even if they ask if punters could work for free for them?! I think I may play this when they're released their beautiful bounty.

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11-06-14, 22:43
Drachenpaladin

Quote:

Originally Posted by zii

Elite. Finally! I played this when I was 11 or 12, so I feel really happy, but should we really be paying for a beta, even if they ask if punters could work for free for them?!

Future will bring more new ways like payed beta access to fund games since traditional models seem to be wanning more and more...
It worked on Warframe.
11-06-14, 23:13
Dropout

Last time I payed to play a beta, was 7 months ago. That game is still in Beta.
Im personally not doing it again tbh.

Im fed up with abundance of early access and beta's that you have to pay for.
I'll happily test games (beta's), and I'll happily pay for released games.
I will however not pay for some game that might or might not be a good game, some time in the future.
12-06-14, 09:36
yavimaya

yea i payed top tier for Archeage, just to find out a game i waited for years and years to play (and paid US$150 to get into alpha, etc) is actually pretty crappy because there are so many WoW type mechaincs, rather than Neo or UO style like it should have been. :(

I will pay to get into other betas, im thinking of the $40 option for Star Citizen, it does look ok, i would rather pay $40 for ED, 120P is way, way too much.
12-06-14, 14:14
DIABLO666

It makes me sad that Black prophecy failed =( I actually enjoyed how the ship controlled and the combat was pretty fun as a concept. Sadly I always got to about level 10 then the boring as hell never ending grind made me stop playing..
15-07-14, 06:03
NS_CHROME54

Quote:

Originally Posted by aKe`cj

FOMK was created as a NC clone by people unhappy with KK and how they had implemented or had not implemented aspects of the game, instead of supporting NC in spite of the frustrations it meant (seeing how slow, stubborn and deaf to community input KK as a company was at times).

This is incorrect. The earliest mention of Face of Mankind on the internet is December 2001, when Duplex announced that they had licensed the Lithtech Jupiter engine. Considering Neocron didn't move into open beta until August 2002, precious few people would have had the opportunity to play Neocron and reach those kinds of conclusions, and certainly not enough to form a competitor. It's entirely possible that, given FoM's extremely protracted development cycle, former Neocroners influenced the direction of FoM later on, but FoM was not specifically created because of them.

Yes, I know I'm bumping a 1-month old thread. Not much else to talk about around here, but I still like to pop my head in once in a while. Hi everyone. :)
17-07-14, 18:28
unc0nnected

Quote:

Originally Posted by NS_CHROME54

This is incorrect. The earliest mention of Face of Mankind on the internet is December 2001, when Duplex announced that they had licensed the Lithtech Jupiter engine. Considering Neocron didn't move into open beta until August 2002, precious few people would have had the opportunity to play Neocron and reach those kinds of conclusions, and certainly not enough to form a competitor. It's entirely possible that, given FoM's extremely protracted development cycle, former Neocroners influenced the direction of FoM later on, but FoM was not specifically created because of them.

Yes, I know I'm bumping a 1-month old thread. Not much else to talk about around here, but I still like to pop my head in once in a while. Hi everyone. :)

huh, learning something new every day. I always thought it was a reaction to Neocron. I feel smarter already :)
17-07-14, 18:53
William Antrim

Lots of nc players went there after they got hacked off with KK. That might be the memory you have, however they found FOMK to be as bad if not worse and some even returned to nc.