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Thats NOT my opinion at all. My opinion is that they"re going into an already overdeveloped sector of the mmo market, AND doing so with the "intention" of competing with Blizzard in that very SAME sector. Do I think they should pack it up? Of course not. Do I think they should pick another...

Well, that wasn"t exactly the point either. The point was that even a high profile IP like Lord of the Rings couldn"t topple Blizzard. But you bring up an interesting question: if you COULD play Sauron"s minions against Rohan"s horsemen AFTER the fact, would you? I have no doubts that many...

And get blasted for it ala Brad McQuaid if it all goes south right? By your own statement, he did everything by the book, right? He fucked up hugely in the "managing expectations" department right from the start. Its worse when you consider that those expectations were his own. Look, its...

Its not complicated man. Its common sense. We"re not talking about a "million+" seller here. We"re talking about an "intent" to "directly compete" with Blizzard for market share. So right off the bat, they"ve relegated themselves to 10 million+. 5 million minimum assuming thier majority fanbase...

Why do you seem to insist that i"m debating this particular point? I"m not. But I know theres much more to it than that. So let me ask you this as directly as possible, in the simplest terms I can think of: Do you honestly believe, that in a sector of the mmo genre where nearly everything has...

Well, as usual, its one of those things that cannot be definitively argued either way with any certainty. But it definitely cannot be argued from a "gameplay" standpoint. Someone had to play it for anyone to know. However, you simply don"t get that many people clamoring like they did for WoW...

Well, if you want to believe that the majority of WoW"s initial playerbase were seasoned mmo vets, I guess thats your prerogative.

You"re predicating these claims on presumed knowledge of what the gameplay of EITHER was going to be like. Knowledge you could NOT have possibly had until you played both. Because it presumes that LotR fans decided NOT to play it because of the factors you mentioned. Do you really believe that...

Again, you completely missed the point. Warcraft = HUGE IP. LotR = HUGE IP. LotRO could not compete with what WoW had accomplished. On ANY level other than where EVERY other game competes. And your "opinion" that LotRO"s gameplay "sucks", counts for nothing in the scope of a "yet to be...

Its simple. The LotR IP could NOT bring massive numbers into the genre. And we"re talking about one of the most popular IP"s of all time there. "Like WoW kinda but a whole lot better" will read as "not much more than more of the same" to a fairly good portion of the current gamespace. At worst...

Way to miss the point there skippy. NO PREVIOUS game has taken the market by storm the likes of WoW. You seem all to eager to forget those that came AFTER WoW. ALL of which did things both similar to, and completely different to EVERYTHING before them. INCLUDING WoW. When did I say it was? I...

Three years ago, i"d have had no problem agreeing with you. But with the turn the mmo market has taken, if your IP is little more than a variation of previously implemented systems and stories, your chances of meaningful competition against those who have done it best are somewhere between slim...

I have no doubts that a StarCraft mmo will be developed. I also have no doubts that it will bring numbers consistant with WoW into the genre as more and more sci-fi gamer buffs begin learning about it. Sure, some will bleed in from the fantasy sector, but I think the significant population will...

Most likely scenario IMHO. But its going to take quite a bit of time for them to transition the StarCraft IP into a sensible mmo. Which even further supports a new IP"s chance to do something great with the sci-fi sector, as well as introducing even more fresh blood into the genre. They don"t...

Agreed. To some extent anyway. Which is why I think that any new high profile IP needs to be based on anything BUT fantasy. Especially when they "intend" to compete with Blizzard for market share right from the start. Because you simply can"t keep regurgitating systems that have been built...

Exactly. And thats what relegates future fantasy games to "not much more than more of the same". Because there really isn"t much room left in the "new and innovative" department for fantasy mmos. Its why everything seems so similar across them. I suppose you could make the same claim about...

Unfortunately, its just too hard to avoid the magic aspect to counter damage in high fantasy. Because realism can"t work in a game. You can"t have players getting slashed with a sword, running away, and waiting 10 weeks to heal up, repair thier armor, and eventually come back to finish the mob...

High fantasy is "the way to go" because no other area has yet been as over-developed to throw it off its throne. WoW took most of the best aspects (if not nearly all) of high fantasy, and wrapped them into the single most highly replayable, easy to access game ever released. Sure, yet another...

High fantasy is nice, but the market is excessively oversaturated by it. 90% of everything currently available is high fantasy in one form or another. Its at a point where its stagnating the market completely. Its also most likely that 90% of future games will be high fantasy as well, thus...

I see a lot of valid argument both for and against instancing. But essentially, you have to consider it for what it is: a tool of division and accessibility. At its very core, it separates players on the same premise that zones do. Even though they do essentially the same thing, zoning...

Theres really no argument that WoW systems are well done. But its not going to matter to a new IP if they"re simply transposed onto it. Its just more of the same with a new paint job. Which is why I strongly believe that its going to take an "abnormal combination" of existing systems, as well...

Well, i"ve said it before but: I"d love to see an Eve/AO hybrid type of game. Eve type gameplay, with AO"s skillpoint/level system. Something with multiple conflicts, and depending on how you view those conflicts, you decide which ones to be involved in, and what side of the conflict best...

I think its more or less the high-fantasy aspect. That sector of the genre is grossly overpopulated and has become equally stale. Mechanically, theres only so much you can logically accomplish with any mmo. I think most people realise this. You could easily replace "WoW" with EQ, L2, DAoC...

I"d be all for seeing a new IP in the gamespace, but I don"t think i"ll be overly excited if its based on the same old fantasy stuff. I"m pretty tired of orcs, elves, and dwarves. I won"t say a fresh IP wouldn"t make it in the genre. I just don"t have a lot of faith in "a new way" of doing...

Doctors with Gelids became quite the norm in the early zones of SL. PVP docs with shotties, while some stuck with rifles. I think my doc still hasthisin her bank.

Agreed. And I think thats a pretty important goal to shoot for. Because niche games require a much more critical "subscriber per development dollar" ratio in order to succeed. And coming up short prolongs the future development of the game.

I don"t know for certain, but I think a lot of those things just recently went in (within the last week or 2?). Someone correct me if i"m wrong. If thats so, and he got that info much earler on (which he seems to be eluding to), then I could see why hes placing such emphasis on it.

When the shoe is on the other foot, exactly the same can be said. Par for the course, ya know? Its nothing personal man. My bets are on at least 50 more. The trip to San Diego does have its potentials either way

Fixed.

What makes it worse, is that blind hope is held with total disregard for the competition coming down the pike. Vanguard stumbled and fell out of the gate. WoW continues kicking it while its down. LoTRo is right around the corner waiting to join in. Warhammer and AoC are down the street waiting...

For your viewing aneurysm, in its ENTIRETY, with the pertinent information highlighted for easy understanding: Notice the complete ignorance to other, high profile games coming in the near and extended future? The references to early release? Do you really need a roadmap? You bet your ass he...

If you can"t deduce that it clearly meant 200-300k AT LAUNCH, with 500k at the end of year 1, there really is no hope of you ever understanding. Personally, I think its probably just time for your next treatment.

Only if the encounter isn"t "working as intented(TM)"

Vanguard fell well below its projected sub numbers. It failed. It now need to recover from that, and THEN hit 500k by the end of the year according to Brad himself to be considered successful. I don"t think the rest is too hard to figure out. 350k subs in 10 months, with serious contenders in...

Ok. Lemme get this straight. I"m making this shit up, even thoughI DIRECTLY quoted Brad"s own comment? Dude, you"re even more insane than you claim Utnayan to be. LOL

Where"d you get the "under 150k" from? And contradictory? They were BRAD"S NUMBERS. And do you REALLY think 30-50% below the projected target of 200-300k is a "stellar showing"? These aren"t "Utnayan" numbers man. They"re numbers provided BY THE FUCKIN" SOURCE! Are you REALLY this easily...

LOL. I qouted him directly. 150k, 200-300k, and 500k by the end of the first year are HIS words. Not mine. Him admitting that 150kish wasn"t what he"d hoped for, was ALL him. Oh, you mean where he said that in his opinion its improving nicely? Well, thats subjective, and remains to be seen.

Nice. Hopefully by the time I can upgrade/replace my rig, lots more will have taken place. I spent over 3 years hyped up over this game. It"d be nice to actually be able to enjoy it.

Cool. Now to fix that whole "missed target projection by a country mile thing". When do you think that patch will go live? oops....

Yep. Quite wrong If hes serious about making the changes he mentioned a few pages back (upping exp rates, adding teleporters, etc.), then perhaps i"d be more apt to believe what you claim. But they aren"t in yet. Falling 25-50% below your target is a pretty serious blow to recover from...