Global Agenda’s Coming!
We’ve been playing the beta and it’s been fun though there are some things that are making me think the launch ain’t gonna be too smooth. Some basic MMO tools are missing (social mostly), and it’s something of a pain to comm when you’re in FPS mode and you have to remember to hit enter to chat MMO-style. The voice chat only went online today (with one day left in beta).
Still, the various PvP modes and the Conquest mode (for monthly subs) looks pretty cool. Combat in PvP is always team-based (no FFA here) and involves capping points or doing some of the game modes that are direct copies of old UT game modes like Assault (though not as interesting) and existing TF2 modes like payload.
PvE is regrettably boring as hell with lame AI bots, uber strong elite bots (with the ability to walk through shields…fun), and the same maps over and over again. But, if you want to craft, you’ve got to do those PvE runs.
The Conquest mode seems to be the best part of the game (and is playable early but really for end game t ypes).
We’ll try to get a review up around launch after we’ve gotten to run through the Early Start. Stay tuned.
g afk
Topics: Global Agenda, Hi-Rez Studios | No Comments »
STO: Long-term Subs Offered
Cryptic’s put out a little bit about their lifetime and annual subscription plans. The real question is: is it worth it?
It’ll really come down to how long you think you’ll play it and how long you think it’ll last. I’m wagering that unless it really fizzles (and it could) or unless Cryptic does a terrible job of managing their business (remember, there isn’t a publisher to save them…though someone might be interested in buying the game if they went belly up), the game’s going to be around for at least 3-4 years.
Meanwhile, it’s going to cost you $14.99 per month if you go monthly (knock off a dollar a month for each step you take up the recurring payment ladder–e.g. 13.99/mo for the 3-month recurring plan).
The annual plan is priced at $119/year. Those of you with calculator or who are autistic will find that’s a price of $9.99 (ish) a month. Not bad. It comes with a couple of extra character slots to boot.
The lifetime plan (which I think is usually a serious waste unless you’re sure you’re going to be playing that game for ever) runs $239. In addition to the two character slots the annual sub comes with you also get an unlock allowing you to play a recently freed borg (a la Seven of Nine…breast implants not included).
If you assume you’re going to play the game for a solid 2 years, hands down, you’ve just paid $9.99/mo roughly. Now, you could just go for the annual plan, especially if you figure by the end of year two, you’re going to be bored and likely working on a different MMO.
Still, if you’re thinking you’re going to go die hard and play the game out for ages (I’m talking to you EQ/SWG peeps), then after a five year run you’re looking at an average of roughly $3.99/mo.
So, which one’s the best one for you?
If you’re a die-hard Trekkie/Trekker and you’ve tried the beta and loved it, then–assuming you have the cash/credit–you probably should just go for the annual or lifetime plans. Even if you take a break for a few months or do the WoW cycle like me (play for a couple months, move on for a few months, repeat), assuming you keep at the game for years to come, you’re doing fine with either package.
Of course, if you’re more of the MMO-of-the-month type and you’ve played the beta and aren’t impressed (hand going up here), then one of the typical packages are just fine.
For everyone else who isn’t sure? I recommend just sticking with the monthly to start. You don’t have to deal with the hassle of getting (or trying to) some of your money back and you’ll definitely know if you’re going to be there for a while after you’ve passed through the starter missions and get into space. This is one of those games that’ll either grind on you or make you feel right at home right away.
And, about the “bonuses”: unless you’re dead set on playing a “liberated” borg or really need those extra two character slots, I would ignore them in making your decision. Think of them as the icing on the cake…not the cake itself. You know at some point, they’ll offer up specials and bonuses (remember that whole Cryptic Points system? It’s got to pay for momma’s new dress some day) that’ll get you something you need, including character slots.
I don’t know about you but it was easy as hell for me to drop kick Champions. I love the Star Trek universe and all but right now the only thing that’s appealing to me is the starship combat. And, even that, right now, is starting to wear thin with some of the balance issues I’ve encountered. On one mission (team mission), I just made a mad dash for the objectives to end the damned thing after having faced the fifth fleet of three bops, two escorts and two of those monster Klingon warships (not the bcs, the big assed Na’Whatever) versus my fleet of three light (starter) cruisers. My team mates were dead set on battling for another 20-30 minutes to finish up. I couldn’t do it…after over an hour on a single friggin mission…I just couldn’t).
I guess you can figure out what sub plan I’m going for. 
g afk
Topics: Star Trek Online | No Comments »
Star Champions Online
So, I’ve started trekking around the galaxy in Star Trek Online’s Open Beta. First impression? Talk about code reuse. The ground component (where you’re running around with your main character in space stations or on planets) is SO much like Champions Online. The difference is less cel-shading and more legible text. Meanwhile, the space part is very reminiscent of the Starfleet Command games of yore (which is a good thing). A quick summary:
The Good
- Starship combat is fun and what you’d sort of expect. The controls might take a little getting used to (you’re using WASD and the mouse though you can remap those keys all you want) but soon you’ll be working your firing arcs to take out enemies left and right.
Where's the Flying Trait? Oh yeah...
- Character creation is like Champions which is actually a good thing in this case. You can choose a preset race (from the ST universe) or create an “Unknown” race which is you picking four main attributes that affect your stats and then customize the hell out of your appearance.
- While it might get a bit tiresome later, the main way you go from star system to star system is actually kinda cool. It’s a large map with systems hovering in 3D space. You and everyone else in the instance can wander around and enter whatever system you want. At some point, you’ll get over the cool aspect of it but it’s still an interesting way to do it.
- You, your ship and your bridge officers all have slots for things like weapons, devices and the like. And, just like Champions, you’ll end up with a shitload of devices and other doodads dropping from mobs and as mission rewards. This lets you customize your ship and officers all sorts of ways.
...Then take a left at Regulus. If you hit Vega, you've gone too far...
- Speaking of bridge officers, these guys act as a combination pet and stat-enhancer for you. Onboard your ship, their skills (which you level up with points you gain accomplishing missions and the like) can be used in combat or for non-combat tasks (scanning, etc.). Planetside, you can bring one or more of your bridge officers (the total party size varies depending on the mission) along with you. Each has skills that can be used on the ground (and of course, whatever you’ve equiped them with can also be used).
- Despite the whole Champions cloning experiments, the space aspect of the game really does feel right. You start with your typical Reliant-style light starship and gain access to others as you level up. And space looks real nice when you’re in a system. Even the inter-system space (that whole map thing) looks nice.
The Bad
- Unfortunately, the planetside stuff is just too Champions-esque in a boring way. The environments are mediore looking and have a lot of the standard bits and pieces you might have seen in Cryptic’s other games. Enemies spawn and just stand around like mannequins. Animations (like when you knock an enemy down) just look so stiff and automated (i.e. the guy’s just standing there then cut to the knock down animation). Take this with a grain of salt, since plenty of MMOs can be similar. It’s just a bit TOO much like Champions though.
I know he's a drone but, c'mon...
- The enemy AI/logic seems a bit weird. I’ve been in team combat with AI enemies where the enemies just pick a single ship to pick on while the other members of my team just pound the hell out of their fleet. Meanwhile, on the ground, enemies show no logic beyond running up to you and trying to hit you. Granted this isn’t an FPS but what’s the point of having a dodge function (double-tap a direction) then?
- The currency system is ridiculous. There are tons of different “currencies” in the game. Energy credits (you only get these by selling items then you can use them to buy items), Starfleet Merits (gained from missions, used to buy or up your bridge officers’ skills), Data objects (there are several types of these; used to buy special items), and there are still more. The Data objects are hilarious because there are at least 6 or 7 different types of them. The prices in the price list look hilarious…something like 5 3 2 1 5 2 3 1 with each number sitting next to the icon of a Data object. Give me a break!
The Ugly
Space sure is gorgeous!
- You know how “modern” MMOs tend to make it easy for you (or like WoW are trying to make it easier) to find the target of your current missions/quests? Yeah, STO won’t have that. You might get a blip on a map mixed with twenty blips for merchants/vendors or a blip next to a star system if it’s close enough. Otherwise, you’re on your own. Zone chat was full of people asking where the fuck some guy was…and this was in the main starbase.
- You know that whole thing about being able to read the text finally (something about comic ink at 1280×1024 just didn’t work for me)? Well, turns out there isn’t much to read but there are plenty of screens to read it on. I understand the need/desire to make it look like we’re having a conversation with a talking head that barely talks but give me a break.
Real friends act as photon sponges...
- Combat still pisses me off in places. Even space combat where, in combination with the aforementioned bullying by the AI (though that can be forgiven since it IS a potential strategy when dealing with an opposing force), there are problems of balance. Again, grain of salt/open beta, but since your “team” (why they didn’t just call this task force or something I don’t know) can be left at any time I have a feeling this is going to be an ongoing problem. In some cases battles were ridiculously hard (and the death penalty is that you just have to wait to respawn though I expect that to change) and took multiple deaths for a team of three to accomplish. Meanwhile, the “public event” sort of battles that you stumble upon tended to have upwards of ten people in there at a time laying waste to Klingon fleets of 4-5 ships.
I can understand sending a fleet of five ships (say two cruisers and three bird of prey) against a group of three players. That can be tough but you can do it–if you play it right–without getting killed. And, I can understand if my team mates leave but the game already spawned those suckers, there isn’t much you can do. But, assuming I either survive that or you send the extras running to make things even, the next fleet you send me should be tied to my current state (solo) and be more like three bops or one cruiser and a couple of bops.
I guess we’ll see how things turn out once the game launches. I for one, though, think this game will have it’s time as all of them do at launch but will eventually settle on a niche subset of players that will keep the game alive for a couple years. The starship combat is fun when balanced (or tipped in your favor) and the missions stack towards starships rather than ground combat (so far). That combined with the PVP that I haven’t seen yet could keep that subset of players happy for a while.
g afk
Topics: Champions Online, Star Trek Online | No Comments »
STO: Open Beta Limits
It looks like the Open Beta is starting off with the usual thud. There are login issues currently.
Also, it looks like the open beta is limited to the “lower levels” to begin with according to a news bit that only seems to be available to you if you’re in the open beta:
Open Beta will start with characters restricted to playing Federation and Klingon sectors only. You will not be able to access Romulan, Cardassian, or Borg space until we update a little later on into the Beta.
In addition, all players will hit a level cap at 16 – which will allow you to complete all missions available in your respective sectors.
Though, I guess the interesting part is the fact that you’ll get to wander into other sectors of the Alpha Quadrant and stumble into Borg space…yum.
Details coming soon!!
g afk
Topics: Star Trek Online | No Comments »
Star Trek Online: Open Beta begins
Downloads are available, supposedly. If you’re doing a digital download and you’ve pre-ordered, your respective retailer will offer download links (e.g. Steam, etc.).
If not, you can grab it off FilePlanet and a couple of other places.
If you haven’t pre-ordered, or you’re like me and you pre-ordered through a retailer like Amazon (who’s notoriously slow at getting out pre-order bonuses and keys), you can grab a key here at one of their partner sites.
We’ll see how things have progressed since the demo I played at PAX last year. I’ve heard the closed beta was bumpy but that’s what you’d expect in a closed beta.
I’ve noticed the Web site’s been getting 500 errors which doesn’t bode well for launch (I mean, if they can’t run a simple Web site, how are they going to run an MMO?). At least, this time, they’re not screwing around with the pre-orders. It looks like every pre-order, regardless of the retailer, gets you Open Beta access and Head Start access (unlike Champions Online). Phew.
Now, the question will be are we looking at queues and lag in the first few days after launch or will it be smoother? And, how long will bouncing around a set galaxy (or rather, string of solar systems) keep people interested?
We’ll see how things look after we download the Open Beta and take our clunker starter starship for a spin…
g afk
Topics: Star Trek Online | No Comments »
LOTRO: Siege of Mirkwood = Online Release
Wow, the latest expansion for LOTRO, Siege of Mirkwood, is (at least for now) online-only. I almost missed it since there isn’t a box out there to grab in a store or find on Amazon. Instead, you’ll find yourself directed here.
$39.99 buys you the expansion and an adventurer’s pack that gives you more slots of characters and items amongst other things.
To me, while it makes sense (it’s an online game after all), it seems like they might be limiting themselves for a game that is already limited to it’s base slice of players in the market. Why wouldn’t you use this as an opportunity to bring people back so you can get a nice little blip or maybe grab some returning players for longer because of expanded content or new updates to the interface/gameplay? It’s almost like they just gave up…kind of like many of SOE’s games that just make due rather than try to reinvent themselves to reinvigorate their subscriber base.
Sorry but I have a feeling LOTRO’s days are numbered. It won’t die tomorrow but it’s definitely not looking like 2010 will be good for them.
g afk
Topics: LOTRO | Comments Off
CrimeCraft gets pwned by Aussies – Does it matter?
It seems Vogster’s mediocre crime-themed “MMOG” is getting the finger in Australia because of it’s content…specifically, the drug use and how the game promotes it…
I don’t know what’s worse? The fact that a country with drugged out Koalas is unhappy with a game that uses it in a fictional environment? Or that a game as uninteresting as CrimeCraft is important enough to care. At the same time, if you were Vogster, would you care? Sure you’re losing “legal” access to a potential market but the friggin game is about being a criminal. You can’t go into the fray thinking everyone’s going to welcome your game into their “perfect” homes.
On the plus side for Vogster, I noticed they’re listed on Steam now so that might open them up for more business. Though, I think they need to do something better than the description they have for the different monthly subscription types:
The major differences between the two subscriptions are the extent of customization, skill slots, speed of experience gain and inventory capacity. Standard and Premium subscription features will also be showcased behind “velvet rope” areas to allow players to make a fully-informed subscription decision.
What the fuck? WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES?!? Granted your fees aren’t that high $5/10) compared to everyone else out there (that require a fee) but that’s the best description of the differences you can give me? Here’s what’s on the CrimeCraft web site. Holy shit. What does it all mean to a new player who has no idea how your game works?
And what does “limited” mean for some of these things? Auctions? What’s being limited? Number of items? Cost of items? What I can buy? What about Text Chat? Limited? What? I can’t use the letters M-Z? 120 character limit?
If you want to know how not to create a tiered subscription model, check out CrimeCraft.
How’s about considering something different? I love that the free subscription people can’t skill up higher than the first level. Huh? If it’s a trial, make it a trial. Give them the taste they want (we’re talking about criminals here)…even if it’s a couple weeks…then juice them with the premium sub. The “standard” sub is fine but it should limit things like character slots, access to certain areas, access to certain items for free (basically that “gold bar” system), etc.
There’s talk of a “velvet rope”. What does a velvet rope mean when you’re at a club or some event? It’s all about VIP access…something few people get and most people there want. So, make it worth it and tantalize people with the details. Let them see the “movie star” behind the lines…meaning, tell them about this great feature (a special map to fight on, some fancy gang house for your gang, a “members only” store with special items that can’t be traded) that they’re missing because they’re just a standard user.
This isn’t rocket science. Leave the friggin Jerry’s Deli-sized menu of features for microtransactions. Need more character slots (and the premium sub doesn’t cut it or you’re not that interested in it)? Pay $0.50 a month for a slot. Want that primo outfit for your toon? $1.00 buys it for you (one-time fee; not tradeable).
It’ll be interesting to see what happen when APB comes online. They aren’t exactly the same but they share the one common criminal theme. The difference is the cops-and-robbers idea of APB versus the gang v gang model of CrimeCraft. We’ll see come Spring 2010.
g afk
Topics: CrimeCraft | Comments Off
Jeff Strain + Consolers = New MMO
Not that it’s a surprise (consoles are a big market) but it looks like Jeff Strain’s out to make a console-centric (read not for PCs) MMO. It’ll be interesting to see how it fairs in a post-L4D world. I’m guessing he’ll choose a Guild Wars-like model so you can have “rooms” that mimic the L4D experience with a lobby to interact and trade.
Topics: Undead Labs | Comments Off
Cryptic Subscriber Numbers
Pun intended.
I know this is relatively old news by Internet standards but Cryptic announced that it had 1 million characters created on Champions Online. I’m sorry. “characters created”?!? As anyone knows, just about everyone eventually creates at least one more character. Sure they might not create it that early after the release of a game. But, then again, this is a game where the best part of it is creating that character.
Knowing that, it makes that statistic (and whoever their marketing person at Cryptic is) look stupid. It’s like when Funcom went nuts about its subscriber count when they were barely two months out from release. Now, how’s that subscriber count, Funcom? Well, they won’t say because they’re afraid to screw their stock prices. Funny that. You’d think that if they had a good number to throw back the conversation would’ve definitely included some numbers or better wording like “100k? That’s ridiculously low. I can’t go into details but I can tell you it’s well above that number.”
If you look at their quarterly numbers, you can guesstimate a range at least of potential subscriber numbers. First, you have to remember that Funcom has published a couple of adventure games (The Longest Journey)–which might be the inspiration for the upcoming Secret World MMO–and is still (yes, still) running Anarchy Online.
But, let’s take it to extremes for a sec. Their Q1 2009 revenue was $7.7 million. If we just take that and assume that’s 100% subscriber fees (no other games, no box sales), you’re looking at a max of 513k subscribers (assuming everyone’s paying the $14.99 subscriber fee).
Now, none of Funcom’s games were on the radar for retail PC game sales in January of 2009 (which I’ll assume continues into March). Also, you can grab a box for $9.99 or less these days so it’s doubtful box sales amount to much.
So, let’s ignore box sales revenue as negligible (remember, Eidos published the boxed game so they’re retaining some of those pennies from box sales).
Anarchy Online subs are in there but they’re using a tiered model for subscriptions (free for basic content, $5/mo for two of the expansions and $19.95/mo for the full content). However, if you look at Q1 2008’s revenue it’s at $928k. Q1 2008 was before AoC was launched and while AO was still running. And, since it’s doubtful AO saw a dramatic increase in revenue since then, we’ll just take that $928k out of the revenue figure.
That still leaves $6.7 million on the books for AoC. There’s also a note about $800k in royalties that are being applied in Q1 2009 but were carried over from 2008. That brings us to a final figure of $5.9 million. There’s the potential that some of this revenue is deferred revenue resulting from the recognition of pre-paid subscriptions (quarterly, yearly or lifetime subs) but in the interests of simplicity, let’s just make that an asterisk on the final sub count.
That gives us a final sub count of 398k. Or a general range of 400-500k. Pretty sizable for an MMO that’s “dying” by some accounts.
Still, I can’t help but think that’s high for an MMO that gained initial popularity but had a slew of problems that took over a year to fix. The fact that they had their free weekend to entice people in tells me they’re not happy with their numbers either. If the 100k number that’s been thrown around is anywhere near true, their revenue numbers would be closer to $2 million.
So, unless they’re cooking their books some how or doing something a bit shady like recognizing box sales as deferred revenue over time, it looks like they’re holding on to a sizable subscriber base. Mind you, there is probably a portion of that revenue that represents “inertia” subscriptions like mine that I only recently canceled despite not playing the game for almost a year. It’s the gym model: you lock in that monthly/recurring subscription in the hopes that the subscriber will hold on for a while before they realize they’re wasting $14.99 a month on a game they aren’t playing.
And, by the way, I realize I’ve been working on Q1 numbers despite Q2 numbers being available. All this does, though, is just show the trend and adjust the current subscriber numbers. Assuming $1.6 million is purely subscriber revenue, you’re talking about a 100k drop in subscribers. Ouch. Now, our estimates are at 300-400k subscribers.
In addition, you can see a significant drop in EBITA which is due to increased operating expenses. This is most likely from them ramping up The Secret World MMO development and marketing. Bad timing though. Your revenue is decreasing due to subscriber losses and while The Secret World sounds intriguing it’s likely to be a niche MMO like all your others.
Oh, and don’t forget that WoW Cataclysm is going to be coming out sometime in 2010 around the time your new MMO is coming out. Fubar sounds like the best way to describe it.
Good luck!
g afk
Topics: Age of Conan, Champions Online, MMO Business | Comments Off
Aion: Level cap? Reached!
It seems there are people with so much time on their hands they can grind away until they reached the level 50 cap in Aion. An interview was posted on the Aion site by Amboss (German community manager, Martin Rabl).
You’ve gotta think the devs are a bit disappointed by the interview. They talk about chugging through and following the campaign quests but skipping other content. Not my style (even though I really have little patience for cut scenes and reading quest material completely) but I know Sanister would probably love it. Mr. Achiever Player.
I guess now, it’s all about who can do it the fastest and who manages to pull something off like completing all the quests or killing all the raid bosses or something. Meh.
g afk
Topics: Aion | Comments Off
