Well, whaddya know...

With DBG, you take the worst case scenario... and then pray they don't find a way to go beyond... or below... you!

 

So, rinse and repeat. I was never that impressed with Luclin but if this nostalgia grab plays out anything like the last few I hope everyone who throws money at it is also rewarded to an equal or lesser extent.

 

When Holly put out the last sales pitch and harped on 'nostalgia', I called Luclin.

I'M FREAKING PSYCHIC. Now gimme a cookie.

Also, that is one of the lowest effort/energy sales pitches, disguised as a producer's letter, that I've seen from them in a while.

Isle of Refuge released with an advantageous ruleset at time when the game had a higher population, and it still belly flopped. Now the game population is dismal, 'content' is almost none existent, bugs and mechanics breaks are left to languish because there's not enough people left to fix them - or possibly that even know HOW to fix them, and someone (Holly) thought it would be a GOOD idea to rip little bits off of the remnants of server populations for a new server they have to know is doomed coming out of the gate. Since, you know, literally ALL OF THE OTHERS have been.

City of Heroes, a game that shut down over half a decade ago, has a higher, healthier, more stable population. There are no devs working on the game, just fans, and there are less bugs and problems. Some of the bugs that DO exist are actually getting fixed. Oh yeah, and new content. Sure, it's little bits here and there based on unfinished code work from when the game shut down, but they've worked it into an entire new AT, and power pool, and (I think) opened up some of the powersets across ATs.

Oh yeah, and added over 1000 base items since I popped in this spring, in addition to flipping on ambient environmental lighting for those that want to break out of the base to build. (since even 20k items can get eaten up pretty quick if you have to place a ton of light sources).



TL;DR - I'm sick of the game that used to be THE GAME for me being continually shat upon. They didn't shut it down when they should have. Do it now. Daybreak is being outperformed by a small team of volunteer fans running on donations (server cost only).

 

Don't be so hard on yourself, man. I'm about 3 for 7,200 in terms of predictions.

 

Yeah, I could care less about going to the moon. Probably gonna be dinky map that is little more than a reskinned Bonemier that requires more grinding of the same crap for 12 months until people look to the cash shop for relief and to open raid/expert gating.

 

The CoH rogue server era is incredibly fascinating, not just because one of my favorite games returned from the dead, but because I don't recall any game getting developed in this fashion since the halcyon days of MOOs and MUDs. If it continues on like this it will be a case study for future developers to learn from. (I hang on Homecoming/Everlasting from time to time, for the record, though there are probably a half-dozen known active outfits and God only knows how many fully private ones running.)

 

I am also on Homecoming/Everlasting! Though my in game time is a bit spotty right now as I make my way through Inktober with enthusiasm, a lack of experience and a ball point pen!


**EDIT** I would be willing to lay down cash money that in a similar situation, provided they could unravel enough of the spaghetti code to be functional, FANS could to better with EQ2 than the DEVs.

 

A 'reskinned Bonemire' is exactly what I was thinking earlier.

 

The fans have two advantages, they aren't having their dev time (which granted is not as extensive) pointed at other things, and they give a ratonga's ass.

 

Hello. I come from the future.



Yes even in the future we can misspell Rivervale.

 

No middle management sucking the life out of the game yet

 

Middle management, in that sense, is unlikely to happen with Homecoming. It's not a for profit endeavor, and as far as I know, there are no plans for it to be for profit, even with the Homecoming team, along with a few others, currently in talks with NCSoft to legitimize the current rogue status (which NCSoft has chosen not to prosecute, good sign). They take donations, literally, for just enough to cover the cost. It opens, when it hits the goal, it closes. And expenditure receipts per month are provided. The team knows they have to answer for what they do, and show their work.

Another major distinction is that the Homecoming team, as well as the other private servers running off the code that was released to the wind, actually LOVE the game. I'd honestly be surprised if there is anyone left at Daybreak that still loves the game (even if they did once) or even like it, at this point.

 

Tekka, they love their paycheck...and not have to look for a new job. But playing the game? Bah, I think they would rather play other games... just to look for new ideas and see how their competitors are doing things, of course. Its research, after all. If they knew what they were doing, it wouldn't be called research, now.

 

Based on EQ1, the friends and family will be $250, $110 more than the collectors edition. For that you are getting what? Tradeable base expansion, mount, familiar, Merc, boost, char slot, ancient spell.

Hmm 35+20+?+0+0+10+?
Where is the other $45 of value, not to mention the inflated collectors edition $140 of no value?

I am in the wrong line of work if people are actually going to buy this

 

Down the proverbial black hole which is why I've never been inclined to buy them.

 

eeewwwwwkkkkkaaaaayyyyy....

So, let me get this straight. Does the friends and family bundle include 2 expansion packages, or just one that you can break apart and sell in pieces?

Edit:
It's unclear from the bundle description, but.....If all that is included is the one tradable expansion ticket, that's freakin stupid.

 

My take is two: one full non-tradeable indivisible collectors edition and one tradeable base ($35) edition plus one tradeable mount, one tradeable Merc, one tradeable familiar. Typically the collectors edition let's you claim the mount, Merc, and familiar on every char, so you are getting 1 for each char plus one more to sell of each category.

 

kronospansion