01-09-2004, 03:19 PM
I'm not going to buy WOW because:
1.) In addition to the required monthly Internet fees (T-DSL connection + T-Online flat rate) of $45, I'd have to buy the base game for $50 and probably at least one expansion for another $30, plus I'll have to pay $10 per month (that's $120 per year, or $240 in two years) to Blizzard/Vivendi to be able to play the game at all (on the servers).
As a comparison: I already own Diablo II + LOD, I don't need a T-DSL connection to play it, and I don't really need a T-Online flat rate either if I limit my playing time to some hours on the weekends. The rest is free - no monthly playing fees here. If I lose a char/item in Diablo II, I doesn't really bother me because I've been playing for free. If the realm gets hacked, I don't really bother either because I've been playing for free.
2.) I don't really like games that can be played only on a server. I like single-player, and I like to mess with all the MPQ stuff and tables like in Diablo II.
3.) I'm currently looking for games that are more than hack & slash for cheap quests and items. My favorite would be a deep RPG and/or Adventure Game.
4.) No matter what Blizzard promises at the moment with respect to maintenance, security, constant content updates, bug fixing etc in WOW, I don't believe them anymore plus, all those promises depend on how financially successful WOW will be. There may be dedicated "game masters" and additional "support staff" in WOW, but they'll have - as far as myself is concerned - to prove that it actually works. They have disappointed me deeply in this regard more than one time during my 3 years of playing Diablo II/LOD. I'll watch the dedicated fan sites very closely for any WOW problems to see if anything has changed in this regard at Blizzard.
5.) I don't like Blizzard's policies with respect to non-U.S. and non-Korean custommers. They should really reconsider their treatment of, for example, European customers which - in their view - are obviously not worth much effort because the big bucks come from Korea/Asia and the U.S. I'll be watching the dedicated German fan sites very closely in this regard to see if anything has changed since Diablo II.
Last but not least, I'd say that WOW - due to its paying model - will not sell nearly as many copies as Diablo II/LOD once did, and it will therefore not be nearly the cash cow as the suits at Blizzard/Vivendi are probably still dreaming. This, on the other hand, will of course have a long-termed effect on the promised game support and updates, which may drop fast once the game turns out to be a "flop" (by marketing standards). We will see :)
1.) In addition to the required monthly Internet fees (T-DSL connection + T-Online flat rate) of $45, I'd have to buy the base game for $50 and probably at least one expansion for another $30, plus I'll have to pay $10 per month (that's $120 per year, or $240 in two years) to Blizzard/Vivendi to be able to play the game at all (on the servers).
As a comparison: I already own Diablo II + LOD, I don't need a T-DSL connection to play it, and I don't really need a T-Online flat rate either if I limit my playing time to some hours on the weekends. The rest is free - no monthly playing fees here. If I lose a char/item in Diablo II, I doesn't really bother me because I've been playing for free. If the realm gets hacked, I don't really bother either because I've been playing for free.
2.) I don't really like games that can be played only on a server. I like single-player, and I like to mess with all the MPQ stuff and tables like in Diablo II.
3.) I'm currently looking for games that are more than hack & slash for cheap quests and items. My favorite would be a deep RPG and/or Adventure Game.
4.) No matter what Blizzard promises at the moment with respect to maintenance, security, constant content updates, bug fixing etc in WOW, I don't believe them anymore plus, all those promises depend on how financially successful WOW will be. There may be dedicated "game masters" and additional "support staff" in WOW, but they'll have - as far as myself is concerned - to prove that it actually works. They have disappointed me deeply in this regard more than one time during my 3 years of playing Diablo II/LOD. I'll watch the dedicated fan sites very closely for any WOW problems to see if anything has changed in this regard at Blizzard.
5.) I don't like Blizzard's policies with respect to non-U.S. and non-Korean custommers. They should really reconsider their treatment of, for example, European customers which - in their view - are obviously not worth much effort because the big bucks come from Korea/Asia and the U.S. I'll be watching the dedicated German fan sites very closely in this regard to see if anything has changed since Diablo II.
Last but not least, I'd say that WOW - due to its paying model - will not sell nearly as many copies as Diablo II/LOD once did, and it will therefore not be nearly the cash cow as the suits at Blizzard/Vivendi are probably still dreaming. This, on the other hand, will of course have a long-termed effect on the promised game support and updates, which may drop fast once the game turns out to be a "flop" (by marketing standards). We will see :)
"Man only plays when in the full meaning of the word he is a man, and he is only completely a man when he plays." -- Friedrich von Schiller