10-25-2005, 09:34 AM
Planetside! Oooh... I've played this game! Bought the expansion too. It was really a wonderful idea, unfortunately it was so pointless conquering a continent, when it could be retaken half an hour later. Anyway, I loved playing Planetside. Just couldn't bring myself to play it for more than half a year. I think I got enough fun out of it to justify the monthly fee.
Regarding the information policy about future stuff by Blizzard. Thinking about it I'm doubtful that they have a marketing division. Being a part of Vivendi, a publisher who certainly has its own marketing, they don't need it. I think. The closest thing to a marketer Blizzard had was Bill Roper. He left. I know that a game developer needs someone to present prototypes, that is to say: unfinished products, to get a publishing deal. But Blizzard does not have to anymore. That is my layman opinion about this.
For the question if expansions break a game. In the past Blizzard really had great success with expansions. I believe that LOD made Diablo II better. The same goes for Starcraft. Warcraft III and the Frozen Throne, well, the story got a continuation.
World of Warcraft as it is now is a wonderful game. It has flaws. But overall I think it is a sounding success. I doubt that anything what Blizzard does will kill the game. Even if they would horribly mutilate it, it will keep millions of subscribers. It does not matter if I leave. Not everyone will be pleased with every change. That is only natural.
Now I have not much experience with MMOs and expansion. Planetside is one. But one can hardly compare PS with WOW. I had only one other experience with an expansion of a MMORPG. There they did not raise the level cap. They added new gear and armour (or costumes ;). They added new areas. Only the players with the expansion installed could visit these areas. But everyone could see and use the new items and armour. New monsters were only visible in the new areas. To access some of the new areas you had to do some difficult tasks once. The net result was that people who did not want to buy the expansion were not hurt by that decision too much.
How about other examples? For example what happened to Everquest? They have how many expansions now? Any EQ oldtimer here who can relate his experience?
Dark Age of Camelot, another PvP MMO; did DAOC have any expansions? Did they hurt or enhance the PvP or the PvE experience with the expansion?
-Arnulf
Regarding the information policy about future stuff by Blizzard. Thinking about it I'm doubtful that they have a marketing division. Being a part of Vivendi, a publisher who certainly has its own marketing, they don't need it. I think. The closest thing to a marketer Blizzard had was Bill Roper. He left. I know that a game developer needs someone to present prototypes, that is to say: unfinished products, to get a publishing deal. But Blizzard does not have to anymore. That is my layman opinion about this.
For the question if expansions break a game. In the past Blizzard really had great success with expansions. I believe that LOD made Diablo II better. The same goes for Starcraft. Warcraft III and the Frozen Throne, well, the story got a continuation.
World of Warcraft as it is now is a wonderful game. It has flaws. But overall I think it is a sounding success. I doubt that anything what Blizzard does will kill the game. Even if they would horribly mutilate it, it will keep millions of subscribers. It does not matter if I leave. Not everyone will be pleased with every change. That is only natural.
Now I have not much experience with MMOs and expansion. Planetside is one. But one can hardly compare PS with WOW. I had only one other experience with an expansion of a MMORPG. There they did not raise the level cap. They added new gear and armour (or costumes ;). They added new areas. Only the players with the expansion installed could visit these areas. But everyone could see and use the new items and armour. New monsters were only visible in the new areas. To access some of the new areas you had to do some difficult tasks once. The net result was that people who did not want to buy the expansion were not hurt by that decision too much.
How about other examples? For example what happened to Everquest? They have how many expansions now? Any EQ oldtimer here who can relate his experience?
Dark Age of Camelot, another PvP MMO; did DAOC have any expansions? Did they hurt or enhance the PvP or the PvE experience with the expansion?
-Arnulf
Old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm!